Du Busi descended, bringing Zichuan down into the outskirts of the forest. He withdrew his Soul Power, planted his feet on the soft layer of humus, and forcefully sniffed the air. His brow immediately furrowed, and he curled his lips in disdain.
"What kind of dump is this? The soul beasts' auras are pathetically weak. Thousand-year soul beasts are rarely seen, and those over ten thousand years old... I can barely sense any. Compared to the Star Dou Great Forest, this is practically a backwater.
"He turned to Zichuan. "Disciple, are you sure the place marked on that map is here? Could a treasure ground like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well really grow in a place like this?"
Zichuan took out the weathered ancient map, pretended to compare it with the surrounding terrain, and pointed toward the depths of the forest.
"According to the map, it should be in that direction. We'll need to search for the exact location."
"Fine, then let's take a look." Du Busi did not waste words. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Stay close to me. The soul beasts in this forest aren't much, but there are plenty of poisonous insects and miasma. Don't get bitten."
The two headed deeper into the forest, one after the other. Du Busi appeared carefree and boorish, but as he walked in front, a faint dark-green aura naturally spread around him. Wherever he passed, venomous snakes and insects hiding in the grass fled in terror, while colorful toxic miasma too subtle for the naked eye was easily pushed aside, unable to approach him at all.
Just as Du Busi had said, the quality of soul beasts in Sunset Forest was indeed far inferior to that of Star Dou. Most of the soul beasts they encountered along the way were low-tier creatures with cultivation levels of decades or centuries. Thousand-year soul beasts were few and far between.
They might have held some training value for a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster like Zichuan, but in Du Busi's eyes, they were no different from weeds by the roadside.
After searching for nearly half a day, the scenery around them began to change.
The air became increasingly humid and stifling. Faint, multicolored mist began drifting among the trees, carrying a sickly sweet and dizzying strange odor.
The earth beneath their feet also became soft and muddy, dark in color and reeking of decay.
The surrounding vegetation grew increasingly sparse, replaced by vividly colored, bizarrely shaped vines and fungi that were obviously highly poisonous.
"Oh? Now this is getting interesting." Du Busi stopped and narrowed his eyes at the increasingly dense multicolored poisonous fog ahead. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
"What a potent mixed toxin. Naturally formed, with artificial arrangements added on top... Anyone below a Title Douluo would likely face certain death if they charged in. It looks like what your ancient map marked might actually be real."
Excitement appeared on his face. He turned and grinned at Zichuan. "Kid, hold tight. The road ahead might be rough. I'll take you through!"
Zichuan nodded. Just as he was about to remind him to be careful of the poison array, an earth-shaking aura erupted from Du Busi's body!
"Roar—!"
A roar like that of a primordial beast burst from Du Busi's mouth. His already towering body swelled as though inflated, transforming in an instant into a terrifying giant over five meters tall, his entire body covered in dark-green keratin and his knotted muscles resembling granite!
His long dark-green hair stood on end like steel needles, while his eyes became two clusters of burning jade flame. The surging Soul Power around him formed a visible hurricane, instantly blowing away the poisonous fog within dozens of meters!
Martial Soul Avatar! The Body Sect Master, Du Busi, erupted with his full strength!
Although he had not used any soul ring abilities, that sheer physical strength and Soul Power pressure alone made Zichuan feel suffocated, as if he were facing a humanoid ferocious beast!
"Here we go!"
The giant Du Busi had become grinned, exposing gleaming white teeth. With one sweep of his huge hand, he tucked Zichuan under his arm as though carrying a chick, and then—
"Boom!!"
The ground beneath his feet exploded. His entire body shot forward like a cannonball, like an out-of-control ancient war chariot, crashing headfirst into the thick, impenetrable seven-colored poisonous fog ahead.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!"
The poisonous fog seemed alive. Sensing an intruder, it surged madly toward Du Busi. The toxic mist was enough to corrode metal in an instant and dissolve Soul Power, but when it met the dark-green keratin-covered skin of Du Busi—
It was like water splashed onto red-hot iron, producing a piercing hiss and clouds of green smoke, yet it could not penetrate him in the slightest! It did not even damage that layer of keratinous skin!
Not only that, but deep within the poisonous fog, countless hidden vines, poison thorns, and even bizarre poison-attributed soul beasts mutated and nourished by the poison array were all alarmed, launching attacks at this "intruder."
Colorful arrows of venom, thorny vine whips, silent mental toxins... all manner of attacks poured down on Du Busi like a torrential downpour.
"Clang, clang, clang! Sizzle, sizzle!"
Venom splashed, poison thorns struck, and vines coiled around him.
Yet Du Busi did not so much as blink. Attacks that could easily poison a Soul Douluo to death or severely injure an ordinary Title Douluo landed on him like scratches.
The venom slid off, the poison thorns shattered, and the vines were directly blasted into powder by the terrifying Soul Power surging around him!
He could not even be bothered to use a defensive soul skill, relying purely on his physical body and Soul Power to withstand everything! His speed did not slow in the slightest. Instead, after clearing the path, he charged even faster!
"Hahaha! This is great!" Du Busi rampaged through the poisonous fog. Wherever he passed, the fog retreated and attacks were annihilated, leaving devastation in his wake. His wild laughter echoed through the poison array.
"Is that all you've got? You think you can stop me?"
Tucked under his arm, Zichuan only felt the wind howling past his ears and saw light and shadows racing backward before his eyes. Deadly poisonous fog and attacks surrounded them, yet this tiny space he occupied remained as steady as a mountain.
Watching Du Busi crush everything in his path like a humanoid tyrannosaur, he finally gained the most direct understanding of titles such as "Body Sect Master" and "level-ninety-eight Super Douluo."
Was this breaking through an array? This was clearly demolition!
The foremost body cultivator, a body forged into sainthood—his reputation was well deserved! He really was absurdly tanky!
The poison array seemed to cover an enormous area, but under Du Busi's unreasonable charging method, after only the time it took to burn an incense stick, the seven-colored poisonous fog ahead suddenly thinned, and the light grew brighter.
"We're here!"
Du Busi shouted low and kicked off the ground. His entire body burst from the last of the poisonous fog like a cannonball!
The view before them suddenly opened up!
All the poisonous fog, decay, and gloom abruptly ended behind them. Before Zichuan was a sight he had only imagined through words in his previous life, yet even seeing it with his own eyes now left him too stunned for words.
It was a valley surrounded by mountains, and at its center lay a strange lake.
The lake was sharply divided into two halves. One side was milky white, with hazy white chill rising from its surface. Wherever the cold mist passed, ice crystals condensed in the air.
The other side was crimson red, bubbles burbling on its surface as waves of heat rolled forth, as if molten lava were flowing within.
Ice and fire, two springs of utterly opposing attributes, coexisted harmoniously here, blending together without infringing upon one another and forming a perfect taiji pattern.
This was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Heaven-and-earth spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible filled the entire valley.
The spiritual energy contained profound auras of pure ice and fire, life and death, creation and destruction. With only one breath, Zichuan felt refreshed throughout his body. Even the beating of the two hearts within him seemed to grow more joyful, and his level-twenty bottleneck showed faint signs of loosening.
Around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, along the edge of the spring, and throughout the valley, countless strange flowers and rare herbs grew.
There was the fire-red Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, shaped like a rooster's comb; the ice-blue Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, its petals seeming carved from crystal; and the Aromatic Silk Beauty, which emitted a rich fragrance that invigorated the mind.
There was Lovesick Heartbreak Red, its vines entwined and bearing gold-and-silver fruits... as well as many immortal herbs and spiritual medicines whose names Zichuan did not know, but whose forms and auras alone made it clear that they were anything but ordinary.
Some breathed in and out ice-and-fire spiritual energy, while others bloomed with dazzling radiance. They adorned the entire valley like a legendary immortal realm, breathtakingly beautiful while containing unimaginable, majestic energy.
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