Telling the Truth!

"Grandpa, are we going to Sunset Forest?"

Dugu Yan's voice interrupted Dugu Bo's thoughts.

He came back to his senses and realized they had already entered the skies above Sunset Forest.

"Yes." Dugu Bo nodded. "Grandpa's backyard is in this forest."

"In the forest?" Dugu Yan looked curious. "You have another residence here?"

"Not a residence." The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth curled up slightly. "It's a treasured place."

He said nothing more.

Some things could wait until they reached the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

For example, her poison.

For example, the truth behind her parents' deaths.

For example, the truth about why he had been clearing her meridians every month these past years.

And the fact that he had found a way to resolve everything completely.

They flew for about the time it took an incense stick to burn.

As Dugu Yan watched the forest below grow denser and deeper, unease quietly rose in her heart.

Although Sunset Forest was not as dangerous as Star Dou Great Forest, ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts still inhabited its depths.

Still, with Grandpa by her side, she was not too afraid.

Though Grandpa had once been the weakest among the Titled Douluo, he was still a Titled Douluo.

Protecting a Soul Elder in her thirties was more than easy enough.

"We're here."

Dugu Bo's voice sounded out, carrying a trace of barely concealed excitement.

Dugu Yan looked down and saw only a dense ancient forest.

Terrifying poisonous creatures surrounded it.

Those poisonous creatures were black.

Dugu Bo had already transformed them into Nine Nether Poison.

They were even more terrifying than before.

"Here?"

"The entrance is well hidden. Follow Grandpa."

Dugu Bo led Dugu Yan through layers of vines and ancient tree roots, slipping into a narrow passage.

The passage was not long, but it twisted and turned, its stone walls covered in moss.

Dugu Yan followed closely behind Grandpa, growing more and more curious.

After turning the final bend,

the view before her suddenly opened up.

Dugu Yan's pupils contracted sharply.

She saw...

a paradise.

The valley was picturesque.

Crimson-red and snow-white springwater met together, sending up hazy mist that refracted seven-colored light beneath the sun.

All around the spring, countless Immortal Herbs and Lingzhi of every variety grew densely.

Some were entirely golden, as though cast from pure gold.

Some were crystal-clear, like sculptures of ice and jade.

Some gave off flowing seven-colored radiance, while others were deep and restrained, hiding their brilliance.

Every single one radiated such dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth that it was almost suffocating.

Dugu Yan was stunned.

She stood at the valley entrance with her mouth slightly open, her dark green eyes wide and round. She looked as though someone had cast a binding spell on her, utterly motionless.

"This... this is..."

Even her voice trembled.

As Dugu Bo's granddaughter, she had seen quite a few heavenly treasures.

But this scene before her...

Immortal Herbs blanketed the mountains and fields, growing as casually as weeds.

This had already exceeded the limits of her understanding.

"This is Grandpa's backyard."

Dugu Bo stood beside her, his tone calm, though a trace of emotion also flashed through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

When he had first come here yesterday, his reaction had not been much better than his granddaughter's.

"Backyard..."

Dugu Yan muttered the word, then suddenly turned to Dugu Bo. "Grandpa, you call this a backyard?!"

How was this a garden?

The spiritual energy here was unbelievably dense!

This was clearly a holy land!

A cultivation holy land that could drive the entire Soul Master world mad!

Dugu Bo did not answer. He merely smiled faintly and strode into the valley.

Dugu Yan hurriedly followed, her eyes constantly darting around.

She only knew that these spiritual herbs and flowers were beautiful. She did not recognize a single one of them.

Nor did she know what they were used for.

"Grandpa, are all these spiritual herbs and medicines yours?"

"More or less." Dugu Bo nodded. "I discovered this valley by chance many years ago and never revealed it to anyone."

"No one found it all these years?" Dugu Yan found it hard to believe.

"The location is hidden, and the natural terrain forms a barrier."

"These are not ordinary spiritual herbs and medicines, but higher-grade Immortal Herbs."

Dugu Bo pointed toward the surrounding cliff walls. "And there is a special spring here that can accelerate their growth. These Immortal Herbs are far older than they appear."

Following Grandpa's finger, Dugu Yan finally noticed the strange spring.

Crimson and snow-white, one hot and one cold, one fire and one ice.

Two completely opposing forces somehow coexisted within this tiny spring.

"These are the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes." Dugu Bo said, "A top-tier treasured place rarely seen beneath the heavens. The spiritual energy concentration here is more than twice that of the outside world."

Dugu Yan took a deep breath. Sure enough, she felt rich spiritual energy flood into her lungs, and her whole body became much more alert.

"Grandpa, did you bring me here to give me some kind of opportunity?"

She remembered what Grandpa had said before they came.

Dugu Bo's steps paused slightly.

He turned around and looked into his granddaughter's eyes.

Dark golden dragon eyes met dark green snake eyes.

Silence lingered for several seconds.

"Yan Yan." Dugu Bo's voice became low. "Before giving you an opportunity, there are a few things Grandpa needs to tell you."

Dugu Yan froze.

She had never heard Grandpa speak to her in such a tone before.

Solemn.

Heavy.

Even carrying a trace of...

guilt?

"What is it?"

She asked instinctively, unease quietly rising in her heart.

Dugu Bo did not answer directly. Instead, he walked over to a bluestone beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, sat down, and patted the spot beside him.

Dugu Yan obediently sat beside him.

"Yan Yan, have you ever wondered why your eyes are dark green?"

Dugu Yan blinked. "Isn't it because of our family's Martial Soul inheritance?"

"Yes, and no." Dugu Bo drew a deep breath. "The Jade Python Snake Martial Soul does indeed change its wielder's eye color, but not to this extent."

Dugu Yan was stunned.

She had never heard Grandpa say such things before.

"For a normal wielder of the Jade Python Snake Emperor Martial Soul, the pupils only take on a faint shade of green. If you do not look closely, you might not even notice it."

Dugu Bo continued, "But your eyes... are dark green. The boundary of your pupils can barely be seen."

Dugu Yan instinctively touched her eyes.

She had always thought this was normal.

Could it... not be?

"Yan Yan, you've been poisoned."

Dugu Bo finally spoke the words. "Not poison you acquired later in life, but poison that began accumulating while you were still in your mother's womb."

"What?"

"I'm a poison-type Soul Master myself. How could I be poisoned?"

Dugu Yan abruptly stood up, her expression changing drastically.

"It's the Backlash Poison of the Jade Python Snake Martial Soul."

Dugu Bo did not stop. "Every generation of Jade Python Snake wielders suffers the backlash of this toxin. Grandpa has it, your father had it, and you... have it too."

"Then why have I never felt—"

"Because Grandpa has been suppressing it for you every month."

Something exploded in Dugu Yan's mind with a boom, as though her thoughts had been shattered.

Every month.

Grandpa cleared her meridians for her every month.

She had always thought it was merely ordinary assistance with cultivation.

So it had actually been...

suppressing the poison?

"What if it wasn't suppressed?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment.

"If it hadn't been suppressed, you should have already..."

He did not finish.

But Dugu Yan understood.

Her face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly.

"Then how much longer can I live?"