Sunset Forest

This level of mental scanning was neither painful nor itchy to Qin Chuan. The power of the Heavenly Dao circulated automatically within his body, gently dissolving the intrusive mental force.

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed slightly.

If he had used that same mental probe against an ordinary spirit master of the twentieth or thirtieth rank, the target would have already turned pale and broken out in a cold sweat.

Yet, the young man before him remained calm, his breathing steady, without even a flicker of his eyelids.

"Young man, your mental power is quite extraordinary," Dugu Bo said.

Qin Chuan smiled slightly. "You flatter me, Senior. My spirit itself possesses mental attributes, so it is not strange for my mental power to be stronger than those of the same rank."

"Spirit? What kind of spirit?"

Qin Chuan stood up and stepped back two paces to give himself enough room.

He raised his left hand, palm facing upward.

Spirit power surged.

A small, delicate bell emerged from his palm. The bell was entirely golden, its surface flowing with a faint halo—not blinding, but warm and gentle, as if wrapped in a layer of soft sunlight.

The light in the entire main hall softened by a few degrees.

Dugu Bo stood up abruptly from his chair, his murky old eyes wide. He leaned forward, staring fixedly at the golden bell in Qin Chuan's palm, his lips trembling.

"This... this is..."

Dugu Yan also leaned in to look, tilting her head in curiosity. "What a beautiful bell."

Qin Chuan's tone was calm. "My mutated spirit is called the [Illusion Bell]. It inherently possesses the power of the Heavenly Dao. The essence of the Heavenly Dao is to purify all things and return them to their origin. Toxins are, in essence, an imbalance of energy that has strayed from the right path; the power of the Heavenly Dao can correct them."

Dugu Bo's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

He had lived for nearly a hundred years in this world and had seen countless spirits, but he had never seen a golden bell spirit. He had never even heard of the power of the Heavenly Dao.

However, he could feel that the energy radiating from the bell was indeed causing the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison that had been churning within him for decades to show a faint sign of retreat.

Just a little bit.

The poison seemed to have encountered a natural predator, instinctively shrinking back into the depths of his meridians.

He had never felt such a sensation in all these decades.

Dugu Bo's hands began to tremble.

"Can... can you let me get closer?" The old man's voice was filled with irrepressible excitement.

Qin Chuan nodded and extended his hand forward.

Dugu Bo leaned close to the bell, less than half a foot away. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the fluctuations of the Heavenly Dao's power.

A minute later, he opened his eyes.

There was actually moisture in his murky old eyes.

"It works. It really works," Dugu Bo's voice trembled. "The poison, it retreated a little. Although it was only a tiny bit, it truly retreated."

Qin Chuan retracted his spirit, the bell dissipated, and the golden light faded away.

"Senior, I will not hide it from you. My spirit power is currently too low, and my reserves of the Heavenly Dao's power are limited. With my current ability, I can only help you alleviate a very small portion of the toxin each time. To purify it completely, I need to raise my spirit power to at least the fortieth rank."

Dugu Bo sat back down, his withered hands clasped tightly together.

He did not speak immediately, choosing instead to think.

Qin Chuan did not rush him, picking up his teacup to sip slowly.

The hall remained quiet for a long while.

"Little friend Qin Chuan," Dugu Bo finally spoke. "What do you want?"

Qin Chuan set down his teacup. "Senior is indeed a straightforward person. I know you control the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Cultivating the power of the Heavenly Dao requires the nourishment of Yin and Yang energy. That place where the two springs meet is the most suitable place for my cultivation."

Dugu Bo's expression shifted.

He had kept the existence of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well a secret, known only to his granddaughter; she must have told him.

"Grandfather, I was the one who told him about the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."

Dugu Bo nodded.

He pondered for a moment. "You cannot simply go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well whenever you wish. The entrance is guarded by the poisonous array of my Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flowers; without me leading the way personally, even a Title Douluo would have to turn back. Furthermore, even if you pass the poison array, the interior of the valley has the extreme energy barriers of the Frigid Yin Spring and the Scorching Yang Spring. The Scorching Yang Spring can incinerate bones, and the Frigid Yin Spring can freeze spirits; ordinary people cannot even get close."

Qin Chuan nodded. "That is why I have come to ask for your help, Senior."

Dugu Bo glanced at Qin Chuan, then at his granddaughter, who was smiling at the side.

Dugu Yan noticed her grandfather's gaze and quickly chimed in, "Grandfather, what Qin Chuan says is true. He helped me alleviate a poison flare-up once before. I was in such pain I nearly died, and it was he who helped me."

This statement, of course, was also part of the implanted memory.

Dugu Bo sighed.

He had given up too much in his life for the sake of this poison. Power, status, reputation—none of it mattered anymore. The only thing he cared about now was his granddaughter.

If this young man could truly cure Dugu Yan's poison, let alone the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he would be willing to give his life if necessary.

"Fine." Dugu Bo stood up, his tone filled with resolve. "There is no time to lose. Granddaughter, little friend Qin Chuan, the three of us shall go together."

The three of them exited the mansion, and Dugu Bo's figure unfurled, lifting the two young people into the air.

The flight speed of a Titled Douluo was astonishingly fast; within a few breaths, Heaven Dou City beneath their feet turned into a dense cluster of gray squares, then rapidly shrank and vanished at the edge of their vision.

The wind poured into their ears, whistling loudly.

Qin Chuan was supported by Dugu Bo's soul power, his body hovering steadily in the air. He looked down at the earth below, where mountains and rivers resembled an unfurled scroll, retreating rapidly behind them.

Dugu Yan was accustomed to this mode of travel; she spread her arms, closed her eyes, and wore an expression of enjoyment on her face.

The wind blew her long hair back, and her green skirt clung to her legs, outlining her slender silhouette. Her lips were slightly parted, as if she were savoring the crispness of the air.

"Grandfather, faster, go faster."

"Alright, alright, I know." Dugu Bo complained, yet his speed truly increased by a few notches.

About an hour later, the scenery on the ground changed.

Towns and farmland disappeared, replaced by a forest that stretched beyond the horizon.

This forest was different from the primeval, sky-shrouding woods of the Star Dou Great Forest; its trees were short and dense, presenting an unnatural dark green color that, from a distance, looked like a moldy green blanket spread across the earth.

A strange, cloying scent could be faintly detected in the air—it wasn't pungent, but smelling it for too long would make one feel drowsy.

"The central region of the Sunset Forest," Dugu Bo's voice came from ahead. "From here on, ordinary people can no longer approach."

The three of them landed.

Their feet stepped onto the soft fallen leaves, producing a faint crunching sound.

Qin Chuan looked around; the forest looked peaceful, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the surrounding tree trunks were all covered in a thumb-sized, dark purple fungus.

Those fungi resembled tiny, tightly closed eyes, clinging densely to the tree bark.