Going to Heaven Dou City

Another day passed.

Ji Ye walked out of the wooden cabin, holding several jade boxes in his hands.

He stood beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, took a deep breath, and then called out toward one side of the valley.

"Senior Demon Subduing, it is time to return."

Demon Subduing Douluo poked half his body out of the wooden cabin by the cliffside. He was still clutching a wild fruit he had picked from somewhere, chewing on it as he gave a vague, muffled response.

"Coming, coming."

He strode over in a few quick steps, brushed the dirt off his hands, and his eyes lit up as they landed on the jade boxes in Ji Ye's hands.

"You've certainly had a bountiful harvest, kid. What are all these?"

Ji Ye opened the jade boxes one by one, and Demon Subduing Douluo leaned in to take a look.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass shimmered with a chilling light, the Infernal Delicate Apricot radiated waves of heat, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower glowed with crimson gold, and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum stood tall and golden. Each plant exuded a rich vitality and medicinal potency.

The more Demon Subduing Douluo looked, the wider his eyes grew; he even forgot to swallow the piece of wild fruit he had been chewing for half the day.

"These... did you pick all of these from the edge of the pool?"

"Yes." Ji Ye closed the jade boxes one by one.

"The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass is for Senior Guang Ling; it will be useful to him."

"The Infernal Delicate Apricot is for Senior Lion; his Martial Soul is fire-attributed, so it is a perfect match."

"The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is for you. It is an immortal herb that greatly replenishes pure Yang energy; it will be good for your health."

Demon Subduing Douluo's mouth opened as if to decline, but upon seeing the fiery red Phoenix Sunflower, he swallowed his words.

He chuckled.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

With that, Demon Subduing Douluo took it and examined it carefully.

"How does one consume this?"

Ji Ye thought for a moment.

"Consuming the whole plant might work, but the medicinal power is very strong. Given the cultivation levels of you seniors, you likely wouldn't die from taking it directly, but you would at most be severely injured and bedridden for months. To be safe, it is better to consume it alongside other auxiliary herbs."

"I have already written down which auxiliary herbs are needed. With the resources of Martial Soul Hall, obtaining them should not be difficult."

Demon Subduing Douluo nodded and tucked away the note and the jade box.

"And this one? It seems to be the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum? Who is it for? Surely not for that Chrysanthemum Douluo in the Pope Hall, right?"

"It is for Senior Golden Crocodile."

"That's fine then; we keep the best for our own."

After Demon Subduing Douluo collected the last jade box, he noticed there was still one left in Ji Ye's hand.

"What about that one?"

Ji Ye looked down at the jade box in his hand.

Inside was the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, which he had reserved for Qian Renxue.

"I intend to give this one to someone."

Demon Subduing Douluo nodded, not pressing for details on who it was for.

After all, Ji Ye had already given so much to their Worship Hall; he had to keep something for himself.

Ji Ye reached into his robe and pulled out another small, delicate jade box. He opened it a crack, revealing a faint purple glow and a refined, elegant fragrance that drifted out, making even the surrounding air feel fresher.

"I have already consumed a portion of this Aromatic Silk Beauty. I am keeping the rest with me; it is useful to me."

Demon Subduing Douluo glanced at the pale purple radiance, knowing full well it was no ordinary item, but he did not ask further.

"No problem."

Ji Ye tucked the jade box away and turned to walk toward the valley entrance.

"Alright, Senior, just escort me to the edge of the poisonous miasma."

The two passed through the valley entrance and stepped into the pale green poisonous fog.

Demon Subduing Douluo was just about to activate his Soul Power shield when he noticed the pale purple light on Ji Ye's body spreading outward spontaneously, like an invisible barrier.

The moment the poisonous miasma touched that layer of light, it parted on its own as if actively avoiding him, not a single trace of it touching Ji Ye.

Demon Subduing Douluo's footsteps faltered, and he stared blankly at the pale purple light flowing across Ji Ye's body, unable to speak for a long time.

"...Where did you get this ability?"

Ji Ye tilted his head to look at him with a faint smile.

"I forgot to tell you, the Aromatic Silk Beauty grants immunity to all poisons."

Demon Subduing Douluo remained silent for several seconds before finally squeezing out a single sentence.

"Just how many good things did you get on this trip, kid?"

Ji Ye did not answer, merely smiling as he continued to walk forward.

The two of them stepped out of the poisonous miasma zone and returned to the normal woods of the Sunset Forest.

The light grew brighter, and the acrid scent in the air gradually dissipated.

Ji Ye stopped in his tracks and turned to face Demon Subduing Douluo.

"Senior, you should head back to the Worship Hall first. I still have some business to attend to."

Demon Subduing Douluo frowned.

"What business? Can you handle it alone?"

"I'm going to Heaven Dou City to deliver something." Ji Ye patted the jade box in his hand.

"I'll return to Martial Soul Hall once I've delivered it."

Demon Subduing Douluo looked at him, then at the jade box in his hand, and pondered for a moment.

"Don't expose the good things you have on you, or you'll easily attract unwanted attention. Be careful on your own and don't stay out for too long."

"Understood." Ji Ye nodded.

Demon Subduing Douluo gave a few more instructions, waved his hand, and turned to walk toward the edge of the Sunset Forest.

He walked a few steps, then looked back at him. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only said one thing.

"Remember to come back early."

"If you run into an enemy you can't beat, call for me!"

"Got it," Ji Ye replied with a smile.

Ji Ye watched as Demon Subduing Douluo's back disappeared into the woods.

He then turned and headed down a different path.

Relying on his memory of the journey there, it took him the better part of a day to walk out of the outer perimeter of the Sunset Forest.

He found a small town by the roadside and hired a carriage.

The driver was a man in his fifties with dark, weathered skin and an honest face. Seeing Ji Ye standing by the road alone, he gave him a few extra looks.

"Young master, where are you headed alone?"

"Heaven Dou City."

"That's not close; it'll take five days."

"Five days is fine."

The old man didn't ask any more questions. He shouted at the horse, and the carriage began to sway down the road.

Ji Ye leaned against the carriage wall, his gaze falling on the fields and villages receding outside the window.

Five days was neither long nor short.

It was enough time for him to think through everything that had happened along the way.

The first time he met Qian Renxue was in the cemetery of Martial Soul City.

Back then, she wore a white dress, her golden hair and green eyes making her look as cold as a block of ice. With the tip of a sword pressed against his throat, she had nearly killed him on the spot, mistaking him for a grave robber.

At the time, he had thought she was just an unreasonable, crazy woman.

Looking back now, if he hadn't been caught by her that time, he might still be hiding and dodging out there, and might not have had the opportunity to establish contact with the elders of the Worship Hall.

That cold girl, with so many things hidden in her eyes, had stood before her father's tomb holding the Angel Holy Sword, declaring that the debt of her father's murder would be repaid sooner or later.

Ji Ye looked down at the jade box in his hands and gently stroked the edge of the lid.

If he could, he wanted to change Qian Renxue's fate.