Roaming Dragon Qi Wall!
Lan Yu gave a low shout. A translucent wall of dragon-patterned qi abruptly formed, wrapping him and Tang Shan tightly inside.
Before his words had even faded, a mass of murky green, mist-like poison slammed into the wall, and a sizzling sound of corrosion rang out.
The emerald poison mist churned violently. It not only failed to break through the barrier but was gradually dissolved and devoured by the qi wall.
"It can really absorb Jade Phosphor Snake Poison?!"
An old, hoarse voice suddenly rang out, tinged with surprise.
Lan Yu looked up. An elderly man with a tall, lean frame was slowly emerging from the shadows. His hair and beard were both dark green, his jade-green eyes sharp, and an elusive aura circled around him.
"I am Dugu Bo."
With his hands behind his back, the old man swept his pale green eyes over the two of them and spoke evenly.
"Greetings, Senior!"
Lan Yu immediately pulled Tang Shan along and bowed to Dugu Bo.
"You're Lan Yu?"
Before he had finished speaking, Dugu Bo blurred forward and was suddenly right in front of him, reaching out to place a hand directly on Lan Yu's shoulder.
"That's right, Senior!"
"I heard you cured Yanyan's Jade Phosphor Snake Poison?"
"I was just lucky."
Lucky?! Dugu Bo's brows lifted slightly. He gave a cold snort. "You're quite modest, brat."
Before Lan Yu could reply, Dugu Bo continued, "I saw a purple Soul Ring flash beneath your feet when you used your Soul Skill just now. What level is your Soul Power?"
"I'm only a thirty-third-level Soul Elder."
Thirty-third level?! Dugu Bo's pupils contracted as his gaze settled once more on Lan Yu's youthful face.
He looked even younger than Yanyan, yet had already reached the Soul Elder realm. Dugu Bo didn't think Lan Yu was lying. After all, he had seen the purple Soul Ring beneath his feet with his own eyes.
With that thought, Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened. He suddenly seized Lan Yu's right wrist and sent a trace of Soul Power into it.
Nine years old?!
"You're only nine?!" Dugu Bo cried out in shock, his face full of disbelief.
Good thing he hadn't grabbed his left hand, or the External Soul Bone would've been exposed. Lan Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although an External Soul Bone couldn't be taken away once it had fused with its owner, what if Dugu Bo grew jealous? He might destroy it rather than let someone else keep it.
A monster who had reached the Soul Elder realm at only nine years old.
Dugu Bo stared at Lan Yu with blazing eyes.
A Martial Soul's strength was proportional to one's Innate Soul Power. Lan Yu had reached the Soul Elder realm at such a young age. It went without saying that his Martial Soul must be terrifyingly powerful.
A kindly smile appeared on Dugu Bo's face, though his voice still carried a sinister lilt. "Brat, show this old man your Martial Soul."
As Dugu Bo finished speaking, a dragon's roar sounded from within Lan Yu. In an instant, dragon scales covered his wrists and neck, while a pair of curved dragon horns rose straight from his head.
Three purple Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet.
"Three Thousand-Year Soul Rings?!" Dugu Bo sucked in a sharp breath and cried out.
"What do you think, Senior?" Lan Yu smiled faintly.
A dragon-type Martial Soul was already rarer and more formidable than a snake-type Martial Soul.
With talent this heaven-defying, perhaps Lan Yu really could change the fate of the Dugu Clan, cursed for generations to suffer the backlash of snake poison!
The more Dugu Bo looked at him, the more pleased he became. He gazed at Lan Yu as if sizing up his future grandson-in-law.
Seeing that look, Tang Shan's inner alarm bells rang. She instinctively tugged Lan Yu toward herself.
"S-Senior... can we leave now?" She fought down her fear and asked hesitantly.
"Leave? What for? Hahaha, I feel as though we've known each other forever!"
Dugu Bo laughed heartily and stepped closer to Lan Yu. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Young friend, are you engaged?"
No, seriously, when had Dugu Bo started playing matchmaker?!
Without drawing attention to it, Lan Yu took half a step back and gently held back Tang Shan, who was about to bristle and hiss. He said calmly, "You jest, Senior. I'm still young. I haven't given matters of love and marriage any thought."
After speaking, he caught the faint reek of snake poison in the air and raised his brows at Dugu Bo. "Senior Dugu, you're poisoned, aren't you?"
At that, Dugu Bo's eyes instantly turned cold. Soul Power surged around his body as he looked at Lan Yu warily.
Although he thought highly of Lan Yu, that didn't mean a dignified Titled Douluo would let a mere Soul Elder make baseless accusations against him.
"Young friend, don't joke about things like that."
Lan Yu smiled faintly and went straight to the secret of the Immortal Herbs. "When the weather turns cloudy or rainy, your sides grow numb and itchy, right?
At noon and midnight, for an hour at a time, right?
Late at night, you feel needle-pricks in your head and feet, your whole body convulses, and it lasts for half an hour, right?!"
After those three questions, Dugu Bo stood completely dumbfounded.
He'd hit the mark?! Dugu Bo clutched Lan Yu's hand and refused to let go. After a moment, he steadied himself and asked, "Young friend... can you cure it?!"
"I'm certain I can cure your granddaughter. As for you, I'll need to think it through carefully." Lan Yu considered for a moment, then replied with a hint of difficulty.
Given Dugu Bo's cautious nature, if Lan Yu claimed outright that a Soul Elder could cure a Titled Douluo, he might not believe him. Leaving some room for doubt would make it seem more convincing.
"Really!"
Sure enough, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. He'd never expected a child to cure the old poison of a Titled Douluo like himself. As long as Dugu Yan recovered, he'd be completely satisfied.
"Good! Good!"
He said eagerly, "As long as you can cure Yanyan, name your price!"
"There is a way, but I'll need the help of a blessed place."
Lan Yu sighed softly, as if resigned. "If we can find a place where a hot spring and a cold spring coexist, with scarlet and ice-blue waters mingling, the treatment will be twice as effective!"
Scarlet? Ice-blue?
Dugu Bo froze, lost in thought.
Why wasn't he answering?
Lan Yu looked down at Dugu Bo, who had fallen silent, and furrowed his brow.
"Young friend," Dugu Bo said slowly, lifting his head, "would black and white do?"
Black and white?! Now it was Lan Yu's turn to freeze.
"Well..." Lan Yu hesitated for a moment, then his expression grew resolute. "I'll have to take a look before I can say!"
What if the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had changed too?! He couldn't let any chance slip by!
"Good! Let's go!" Dugu Bo wasted no time and reached out to grab Lan Yu.
"Brother! I'm coming too." The moment Dugu Bo grabbed Lan Yu, Tang Shan rushed over and shouted.
"Well..." Lan Yu hesitated.
"Fine!"
After all, Tang Shan had an Immortal Herb compendium from the Tang Sect in her head.
What if she knew what the black and white pools were?
As he spoke, Lan Yu bent down and scooped Tang Shan up in his arms. She let out a small cry and instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her cheeks growing warm.
"In that case, we'd better hurry!"
Dugu Bo seized Lan Yu and flew straight toward Sunset Forest.
Dugu Bo was incredibly fast. Before long, he had traveled from Heaven Dou City to the depths of Sunset Forest.
After they passed through the poisonous fog, a hot spring shaped like a taiji symbol came into view. The pool on the left was milky white and scorching hot, while the one on the right was pitch-black and icy cold.
"Brother, this looks like... the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well~"
Still nestled in Lan Yu's arms, Tang Shan leaned close to his ear and whispered.
Lan Yu nodded slightly. He scanned the few plants by the spring, confirming that their kinds matched those recorded in the Immortal Herb compendium. Only then did he feel somewhat reassured.
"How much longer are you two going to cling to each other?" Dugu Bo came over with his hands behind his back and teased them as he reached the spring.
Hmph~
After Lan Yu set her down, Tang Shan gave a delicate huff and shot Dugu Bo a glare.
"Senior, now that we have this blessed place..."
Lan Yu walked over to the spring, his gaze fixed on the black and white waters. His tone was certain.
"I guarantee that we can completely cure Dugu Yan's poison. Even your old ailment may have a chance of being cured."
Still seven parts confidence, three parts left unsaid. Dugu Bo was left itching with anticipation.