"Teacher... there's something I've been hiding from you. This was left behind by my parents... before they died."
The smile on Du Busi's face faded, replaced by solemnity. He took the oilcloth bundle, finding it heavy in his hands, rough with the wear of time.
He slowly opened it. Inside was an ancient map made from some unknown tanned beast hide, its edges tattered and its color yellowed. Simple mountains and rivers had been traced across it in some dark red pigment. At its center was a conspicuous mark, beside which several small words had been written in ancient script. The writing was blurred, but still barely legible.
Du Busi carefully made out those words. His brows gradually furrowed, and his breathing slowly grew heavier.
He suddenly looked up at Zichuan, a terrifying gleam erupting from his eyes. "This... this place marked on the map... the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?!"
His voice had distorted slightly from excitement.
Zichuan lowered his head, his hands twisting together uneasily, his voice choked with sobs and guilt.
"Yes... My parents were both herb gatherers. They obtained this incomplete map by accident once. It was said to point toward a blessed hidden land filled with countless rare herbs... They wanted to investigate it, but then... they never came back. The villagers only found this bloodstained map..."
He raised his head, his eyes slightly red as he looked at Du Busi.
"Teacher, I'm sorry... I didn't dare tell you before. I was afraid... afraid of bringing trouble, and afraid... of disappointing you. But now I feel that you're the person I trust most. And I'm too weak. Even if I knew the location, I couldn't get in... so..."
His words were half true and half false. The ancient map had been carefully aged using old beast hide and herbal juices he had stored away, while the story itself had been made up on the spot.
Yet the emotions of "hesitation," "guilt," and "finally choosing to trust" had been acted out flawlessly.
This was the most reasonable explanation he could think of for how he knew the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—and why he needed Du Busi's help.
Du Busi looked at his little disciple, whose "eyes were red" and whose face was "filled with guilt," then at the ancient map in his hand, steeped in the traces of time and marked with a heaven-shaking opportunity. The slight displeasure he had felt at being kept in the dark instantly vanished, replaced by deep heartache and a sense of responsibility.
"You foolish child!" Du Busi heavily slapped Zichuan's shoulder. The force was still great, but it carried warmth.
"What do you have to apologize for? Who doesn't have a few secrets? Your parents met disaster because of this map. Being cautious was the right thing to do! Telling your teacher now means you trust me! I'm happy before I can even say anything else!"
He picked up the ancient map and examined it again, growing more excited the longer he looked.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well... one of the legendary Three Great Treasure Basins! If this map is real, then those immortal herbs inside... My heavens! Boy, you've found an immeasurable treasure for the sect—and for yourself!"
He suddenly clenched the ancient map tightly, excitement and resolve flashing in his eyes.
"Go! We have to go! Whether this map is real or not, we must investigate it! Sunset Forest, right? I'll take you there! If it's real, that place will be your cultivation treasure ground from now on! If it's fake, we'll treat it as a trip to broaden your horizons!"
He was decisive and acted as soon as he spoke. "You've just broken through, so you happen to need your second soul ring. There are plenty of soul beasts in Sunset Forest. We'll find one for you while we're there! No time to waste. We leave now!"
Zichuan watched the thrilled, utterly unsuspecting Du Busi. The guilt over deceiving him surfaced once more, but he quickly forced it down.
He had to obtain the resources of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It was not only for rapidly increasing his strength, but also a crucial step in his future plans to oppose Tang San.
As for the deception... he would make it up to his teacher and the sect when he had the chance.
"Yes, Teacher!" Zichuan raised his head, revealing a smile of "relief" and "eager anticipation."
Moments later, a streak of dark green light shot into the sky from the Body Sect's valley, tearing through the heavens as it raced toward Sunset Forest in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Within the streak of light, Du Busi held Zichuan close, high-spirited and brimming with excitement, as though he could already see the sect flourishing and his disciple becoming invincible.
Meanwhile, Zichuan narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed into the distance.
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, immortal herbs—they're mine, they're all mine.
That was what Old Zi said.
High in the sky, fierce winds howled. Du Busi held Zichuan as a dark green Soul Power barrier blocked the airflow outside. They flew at incredible speed, while the mountains and rivers below blurred into streaks of color rushing backward.
Wrapped within the Soul Power barrier, Zichuan did not feel uncomfortable. Still, he had some doubts about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well they were about to visit. He silently called out in his mind.
"Old Zi, Old Zi."
"Hmm?" The God of Destruction's voice sounded lazy, as though he had no interest whatsoever in the scenery rushing past outside.
"Say, if we go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well now, isn't it... a little too early?"
Zichuan carefully chose his words.
"I'm only level twenty, with my Soul Power stuck at a bottleneck. The greatest purpose of going there should be to obtain a soul ring, or perhaps use that place's environment to break through the bottleneck, right?"
"But you also said that the plant soul beasts there are at least ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and there are quite a few Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. I'm a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster. Wouldn't I just be delivering myself to them? Even with Teacher there, could he really help me hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for my second soul ring?"
This was indeed something he had never been able to figure out. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a treasure land, but it was also a perilous one.
Dugu Bo's poison formation was merely the first barrier. The plant-type soul beasts within, whose cultivation had surged under the nourishment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's energy and whose intelligence was far from low, were the greater danger. Tang San had been able to enter in the original story only because he knew the plot, could counter poison with poison, and had the protagonist's halo.
Huo Yuhao had been able to enter through Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual detection and imitation, along with Tang San's "arrangements."
"Delivering yourself to them?" The God of Destruction seemed amused by the phrase and sneered. "Kid, what do you take me for? Some idiot who would push his own child into a fire pit?"
He paused, his tone carrying unfathomable confidence.
"Relax. Since I'm telling you to go now, I naturally have my reasons. Who those 'dishes' down there were prepared for isn't certain yet. Just follow that green-haired brute inside. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Brute... Zichuan's mouth twitched as he secretly glanced at Du Busi beside him, who was concentrating fully on the journey, his face still flushed with excitement.
Come to think of it, the description fit rather well. This teacher of his really was reckless in how he did things.
But since the God of Destruction had said so, Zichuan stopped dwelling on it. Old Zi might seem unreliable, but when it came to "feeding him" and "screwing over Tang San," he had apparently never let him down.
"Fine. I'll trust you this once." Zichuan replied inwardly, turning his gaze toward the distant horizon.
After flying for about another two hours, a stretch of lush, rolling forest appeared in view. Though far smaller than Star Dou Great Forest, it was still vast and densely green. They had arrived at Sunset Forest.
PS: As for how Douluo II was truly destroyed by Life, that will be explained next, brothers.
There won't be any conflict.
Before you continue