Reuniting with Gu He

Forest gave way to more forest. The climate on the far side of the Magic Beast Mountain Range was far more complex; once they crossed the ridge, it was as though they had gone from a temperate zone into the tropics, the relatively clean woods turning into rainforest. Snakes, insects, rats, and ants began appearing frequently, and poisonous magic beasts grew more numerous.

Swoosh! Huo Yuhao pulled his long blade from the head of a massive lizard. The lizard's body was covered in charred burns and purple-black claw marks. Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, standing beside it, panted heavily.

"Ha, even fourth-tier magic beasts are no match for us now!" Xiao Yan said after catching his breath, grinning broadly with excitement in his eyes.

"I don't think it had much to do with you. We only killed this Blackwater Demonic Lizard thanks to Brother Yuhao."

Xiao Yan was somewhat unconvinced. "That's not right. If my Whirlwind Fire Fist hadn't shattered the scales on its head, how could Yuhao have finished it so easily?"

"Didn't we still have to rely on Brother Yuhao's Spirit Artifact?"

"What about you? Without those gauntlets, your Frenzied Poison Claw could only scratch the Blackwater Demonic Lizard's itch."

After breaking through to the Dou Master realm, Xiao Yi Xian had secretly pulled Huo Yuhao aside several times to examine him. The Seven-Colored Hidden Thread remained essentially unchanged, while the Calamity Poison Qi within her body was still as obedient as her own limbs. As a result, Xiao Yi Xian had grown increasingly lively lately.

Huo Yuhao peeled off the unbroken scales one by one and cut the Magic Core out of the beast's body. Then he turned back to mediate between the two.

"Xiao Yan's fire and Xian'er's poison both dealt it considerable damage." At Xiao Yi Xian's persistent request, Huo Yuhao had finally begun calling her by her nickname. That was also one reason she had been so happy lately.

"Let's go." Huo Yuhao waved his hand. Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan noticed that, despite there being no fluctuation of ice-attributed energy, the flames on the surrounding trees silently went out, while the scattered ice shards quietly melted away.

Yao Chen, who had been closely observing them since the battle began, noticed this as well. Could the Heaven-Human Unity realm accomplish something like this?

"Huh?" Xiao Yi Xian used the Qi Control Art to draw a gu insect from a leaf. "Strange. I feel like I've seen this thing before."

Looking at the things they had occasionally encountered along the way, Huo Yuhao finally could not help asking, "Teacher, we've seen quite a few of these gu insects on the way. This can't be what you thought it was, can it?"

Yao Chen's figure emerged. He stared intently at the gu insect, his voice somewhat hesitant. "At first, I thought it was a measure left behind by that Gu Demon from the cave to evade the Ice Phoenix Clan's pursuit. But now, it seems that is not the case. This gu insect has not been here for long."

"Gu Demon?" The three of them were puzzled.

"A rather special type of magic beast. Their clan lives in Demon Saint Valley in the Central Plains."

"Demon Saint Valley? Is it a place where magic beasts gather? With 'saint' in its name, could there be a Dou Sheng expert inside?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"There are no Dou Shengs. In fact, there is not even a single magic beast there." Yao Chen smiled.

"Huh?"

"Hehe." A trace of reminiscence appeared on Yao Chen's face. "That was once the ancestral land of the Demon Clan. The Demon Clan was a faction formed by magic beasts born with intelligence. The Gu Demon clan was one of its main branches. Back then, the Demon Clan had a fairly good relationship with our Yao Clan."

"Then how did—"

Before Xiao Yan could finish, Yao Chen continued, "Unfortunately, after a great war, the Demon Clan left."

"So the Demon Clan migrated somewhere else?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.

Yao Chen shook his head and stared at Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yan for a long time, making both of them feel uneasy.

"They went to another world."

"Another world?!" The two were shocked. Huo Yuhao clenched his fists and urgently asked, "Teacher, do you know a way to travel to another world?"

"Alas!" Yao Chen let out a long sigh, his voice somewhat low. "If only I did."

Seeing the two of them sink into disappointment, Yao Chen gave them a burst of encouragement. "I once told you that upon reaching the Dou Zong realm, one can wield the power of space. Once one breaks through to the Dou Sheng level, one's mastery of spatial power becomes exceptionally skilled—enough to create small worlds, traverse the void, and even travel to other worlds. If you two want to return to the worlds of your past lives, then work hard to become Dou Shengs."

Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yan fell silent, while Xiao Yi Xian helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Hey! Aren't we getting off topic? We can talk about that later. The question now is, what is going on with these gu insects?"

Huo Yuhao, Xiao Yan, and Yao Chen: "..."

"Ahem." Yao Chen coughed twice and brought the topic back. "There should be someone skilled in using gu insects and poisonous creatures active in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Judging by the condition of these gu insects, the person raising them should not be too far from us. We need to be careful from now on and stay hidden."

"Yes, Teacher. Master."

For the rest of the journey, they became more cautious. Huo Yuhao once again pushed his Spirit Probe to its limits, keeping watch over every movement around them.

Boom! A violent burst of Dou Qi erupted not too far away. A wave of oppressive energy swept toward them, making Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian's legs go weak as they nearly collapsed to the ground.

"There are experts fighting over there. They should be at the Dou Emperor level." After briefly judging the strength of the energy, Yao Chen spoke gravely to the three of them. At the same time, he secretly breathed half a sigh of relief. Poison-attributed Dou Qi. It seems the one raising these gu insects is this Dou Emperor. At that level, he still cannot use gu insects to sense his surroundings.

Sensing the Dou Emperor's energy, Huo Yuhao made his own judgment. He was considerably weaker than Teacher in his current state—probably comparable to an Ultimate Douluo?

He swiftly deployed a spiritual barrier, helping Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, who were trembling, resist the pressure.

Xiao Yan swallowed hard and muttered, "So this is what a true expert is like?"

"This is nothing. He's only a Dou Emperor. Didn't you just resolve to aim for the Dou Sheng realm?" Yao Chen smiled. "Well? Do you want to go take a look?"

"We should avoid him..." Huo Yuhao had no desire to involve himself in this.

At that moment, another, slightly weaker burst of Dou Qi erupted and began resisting the pressure of the previous Dou Emperor. Sensing this second fluctuation of Dou Qi, Huo Yuhao frowned and swallowed the words he had been about to use to persuade everyone to leave.

"Your Brother Gu He happens to be over there too. It looks like he is in trouble!" Yao Chen shook his head, his tone teasing. "The dignified Pill King Gu He may well die in this godforsaken place. What a tragic death in the prime of his life!"

"Master, Yuhao, Xiao Yi Xian, let's go help Brother Gu He!" Xiao Yan immediately sought their opinions, his expression serious.

Xiao Yi Xian did not state her position. She simply looked at Huo Yuhao, waiting for his decision.

After hesitating for only an instant, Huo Yuhao made up his mind.

"Teacher, if there is any danger later, take Xian'er and Xiao Yan and leave first."

At that, Yao Chen's smile immediately grew much brighter. "Don't worry. Even if a Dou Zong is present, I can still ensure your safety—and pull that brat Gu He out while I'm at it."