Stirrings on All Sides!

What pleased him most was...

He no longer looked like a man on the verge of death.

In the past, every time he looked in the mirror and saw that livid, withered face, he would think of his son and daughter-in-law's deaths, of the cruel reality that his granddaughter would not live past thirty.

That face was like a verdict, reminding him at every moment.

You are a failed father. You are a failed grandfather. You cannot even save yourself.

But now...

That face was gone.

In its place was a face full of hope and possibility.

Dugu Bo raised his right hand, and a wisp of dusky violet Netherworld Power surfaced at his fingertips.

"The Backlash Poison has not disappeared. I have completely brought it under my control."

"It is no longer my shackle. It is my weapon."

"My power."

His gaze fell upon his reflection in the water once more, starlight and moonlight reflected within his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

"Yan Yan, wait for Grandpa."

"Grandpa will not let you repeat my mistakes."

"I will not let you die before thirty."

"Your poison... Grandpa has a solution for that too."

Dugu Bo turned and looked toward the valley, thick with Immortal Herbs.

The Aromatic Silk Beauty was among them.

That was what he had prepared for his granddaughter.

And now, his confidence was even greater.

Because after his Martial Soul Evolution, his understanding and control of poison had reached another level.

A completely different level.

"Dawn is coming."

Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze and took a clean outer robe from his spatial Soul Tool, draping it over himself.

Then he turned and headed out of the valley.

His steps were steady and powerful, carrying a fierce momentum.

No longer the stagger of a frail old man.

But the imposing stride of a dragon and tiger.

The peak condition of a middle-aged man, the absolute confidence of a Titled Douluo.

In the darkness of night, that upright figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Only the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes flowed quietly on, while the Immortal Herbs throughout the valley swayed gently in the wind.

Night.

Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace.

Xue Ye had unusually not reviewed memorials tonight and had retired early.

Years of overwork had steadily worsened the emperor's health. The imperial physicians had repeatedly urged him to rest and recuperate, but how could an empire this vast ever truly offer leisure?

Yet tonight, he was destined for a sleepless night.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Hasty footsteps rang out beyond the bedchamber, accompanied by the panicked voice of the chief eunuch.

Xue Ye abruptly opened his eyes.

As the ruler of the Tiandou Empire, his Soul Power was not especially outstanding, but he retained basic vigilance.

"What has you so alarmed?"

"Your Majesty, there is... an anomaly in the direction of Sunset Forest!"

Xue Ye frowned, threw on a robe, and quickly walked out of his bedchamber.

He ascended the palace's highest observatory and looked south.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

In the direction of Sunset Forest, the sky had been dyed a strange black-purple.

It was not the darkness of night, but inky clouds carrying an aura of destruction. Purple light churned faintly within them, like thunder dragons rolling through a sea of clouds.

Even from hundreds of miles away, that pillar of light remained clearly visible.

"What is this...?"

Xue Ye muttered, a grave expression appearing on his aged face.

Though he was not a supreme powerhouse, as an emperor, he possessed considerable discernment.

Such a disturbance could not possibly have been caused by an ordinary Soul Beast.

Could it be... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast appearing?

Or had some rare treasure emerged?

"Pass down my order. Send people to investigate Sunset Forest immediately!"

"Yes!"

The chief eunuch accepted the order and departed.

Xue Ye stood atop the observatory, staring intently at the pillar of light fading in the distant sky, an uneasy premonition stirring in his heart.

Such an anomaly had appeared near Heaven Dou City. If it was some peerless fiend...

Hopefully, he was merely overthinking it.

At the same time, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The discussion hall was brightly lit.

Ning Fengzhi had not slept tonight either.

It was not that he did not want to sleep. He simply could not.

As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the continent's foremost support-system Soul Master, he handled no fewer affairs each day than Xue Ye.

But just moments ago, he had sensed that aura.

Setting down the documents in his hand, Ning Fengzhi walked to the window and pushed it open, gazing into the distance.

In the direction of Sunset Forest, a golden pillar of light shot into the sky. Even across layers of mountains and cities, he could still feel the terror of that power.

"That is..."

Ning Fengzhi's brows were tightly furrowed as his fingers unconsciously tapped against the window frame.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's intelligence network spanned the Tiandou Empire, and Sunset Forest was one of the regions they monitored closely.

Though it did not contain Soul Beasts as densely as the Star Dou Great Forest, it was home to quite a few powerful Soul Beasts more than ten thousand years old.

If some ordinary rare treasure had appeared, it would not have caused such a commotion.

Could it be... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

No, it did not seem likely.

He had felt the aura of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast before. It was not like this.

Within that pillar of light, he seemed to sense a trace of...

Dragon Might?

"Uncle Sword."

Ning Fengzhi called softly.

A figure appeared soundlessly behind him.

Chen Xin, a level ninety-six assault-system Super Douluo and one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian deities.

"Fengzhi, you sensed it too?" Chen Xin asked in a low voice.

"Yes. Something extraordinary may have appeared in Sunset Forest."

Ning Fengzhi turned to Chen Xin. "Uncle Sword, I'll have to trouble you to make the trip yourself."

"Alright."

Chen Xin did not ask further questions. With a flash, he vanished into the night.

Ning Fengzhi looked out the window again, his gaze profound.

"I hope... it is not something bad."

Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Mansion.

Qian Renxue stood before the window, her golden hair gleaming faintly beneath the moonlight.

Her gaze was likewise fixed in the direction of Sunset Forest.

But unlike Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi, she had not been awakened.

Rather... she had not slept at all.

She had sensed the pillar of light the instant it appeared.

No, to be precise, the Angel Martial Soul within her had sensed it.

"That aura..."

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly, a trace of gravity flashing through them.

The Angel Martial Soul was the Six-Winged Angel, aligned with light and holiness, making it especially sensitive to dark and netherworldly auras.

And the aura coming from Sunset Forest...

Though it was far away, though the pillar of light had concealed most of it, she had still vaguely caught it.

That was... Netherworld Power.

Not an ordinary poison attribute, nor an ordinary darkness attribute.

But something purer, more ancient... netherworldly.

"When did something like this appear in Sunset Forest?"

Qian Renxue murmured, her brows drawing together slightly.

She had infiltrated Heaven Dou City for many years and knew the surrounding regions like the back of her hand.

She had investigated Sunset Forest more than once. Though it contained quite a few ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, there was absolutely nothing within it capable of emitting such an aura.

Unless...

It had only just appeared.

"Interesting."

The corners of Qian Renxue's lips rose slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

She summoned the attendant hidden in the shadows.

"Send people to Sunset Forest to take a look. With such a huge disturbance, the Tiandou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will definitely send people as well. Do not alert them. Just observe from afar."