"They actually left?" Lin Yuan was greatly surprised to see that, of the three groups, both groups other than Dugu Bo's had departed.
Still, as long as Dugu Bo remained, that was enough.
Once he started fighting the group up ahead,
Lin Yuan could head to Sunset Forest and fish in troubled waters.
Even if he could not get any immortal herbs, bringing back some seeds to gradually accelerate their growth would be good enough.
Meanwhile, after flying a short distance with Yu Tianlong, Yu Yuanzhen could not help asking his grandson:
"Tianlong, why did you agree to Old Poison's terms so easily? That was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone. If you could fuse with it, then with your Dark Sacred Dragon martial soul, you might even have a chance of becoming a Limit Douluo someday."
Yu Tianlong sneered. "Grandfather, do you really think that soul bone would be so easy to obtain? For a start, once Tang Hao found out, it would bring endless trouble to our sect."
"Even without Tang Hao, besides us and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there's another group watching that soul bone. Have you forgotten how Meng Baichuan of the Dragon Snake Family died?"
Rather than the soul bone, Gu Rong had his sights set on the garden full of immortal herbs in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden. "Come on, Aotian. Let's raid Old Poison's home and move all those immortal herbs to our sect."
Long Aotian shook his head in refusal. "Grandpa Bone, let's forget it. I've already checked the situation at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes. Dugu Jue hid the immortal herbs long ago."
"If we rush over there, we'll gain nothing except offending Old Poison. Let's hurry back to the sect. Getting Dugu Jue's promise of an immortal herb already made this trip worthwhile."
Compared with searching for immortal herbs hidden who knew where by Dugu Jue, Long Aotian was much more concerned about his fiancée, Ning Rongrong.
For some reason, when their engagement had first been arranged, she had still been willing to get close to him.
He had been happy to treat Ning Rongrong well, too.
Whenever there was anything delicious to eat or drink, or anything fun to play with, she always came first.
He had poured his heart into caring for her.
As soon as he obtained the immortal herbs, he gave her the aromatic silk beauty, allowing her martial soul to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
He himself had taken the Eight-Petal Immortal Herb.
He had thought that, after he and Ning Rongrong took that pair of lovers' immortal herbs, and with him treating her so well that he had all but torn out his heart to give it to her, things would work out.
Yet the older she grew, the more rebellious she became. Lately, she had even been clamoring that he was too boring and demanding to break off their engagement.
It had left him utterly exhausted, both mentally and emotionally.
He had only left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect this time to seize the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone before anyone else could.
He needed to hurry back and keep a close eye on her.
If she slipped away to Shrek again and became entangled with that Oscar, things would be disastrous.
He certainly did not want to end up being cheated on out of nowhere.
Only after watching the blue and gray streaks of light leave Holy Soul Village and fly off in different directions, neither toward Sunset Forest,
did Lin Yuan prepare to set out. After surveying the terrain, he flashed toward Sunset Forest, crossing mountains and ridges along the way.
Thanks to his Flash skill and the route he had planned in advance, Lin Yuan managed to reach the perimeter of Dugu Bo's poison formation before nightfall, completing a journey that would have taken other Soul Masters several days.
Looking at the inverted-cone-shaped mountain hollow ahead, surrounded by a ring of purple poisonous mist, Lin Yuan roughly estimated the mist's height and the area it covered.
Three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—rose from beneath his feet. His first soul ring shone, and a bamboo pole a full three meters long appeared in his hand.
"I really have those wildly imaginative TikTok memes from my previous life to thank. Otherwise, I honestly wouldn't know how to get inside."
Chuckling inwardly, Lin Yuan let out a sharp cry and sprinted toward the hollow at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.
"First Soul Skill: Blue Silver Pole Vault!"
In a rare moment of relaxation, Lin Yuan called out in a low voice. Bracing the bamboo pole against a rock, he gripped its top with his left hand and planted his right foot against its middle. The pole immediately bent into a semicircular arc.
Then, with a snap, it launched him like a cannonball above the poison formation.
He finally landed safely amid a thin layer of mist. The air was a little damp and warm, and an indescribable, refreshing fragrance drifted into his nose.
But Lin Yuan stood on a narrow stone path, staring ahead in astonishment, his mouth hanging wide open for a long time.
A little over three meters ahead stood a pavilion more than thirty meters across. Its roof was so broad that nothing inside could be seen from the sky or from any angle outside the courtyard.
From within the courtyard, however, everything was clearly visible.
There was a pool inside the pavilion, and the white mist and fragrance were rising from its waters.
But that was not what had stunned Lin Yuan.
Instead, there was a naked figure in the pool.
She stood partially upright, facing him as she bent over to play with the water.
Her extraordinarily voluptuous curves, fair skin with an ivory sheen, and glossy black hair flowing down to her waist all made it clear that she was a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth.
To think that I, Lin Yuan, would one day get the same treatment as Old Devil Han.
Such an alluring encounter made Lin Yuan swallow involuntarily, his thoughts momentarily drifting.
Perhaps it was because this young woman had never traveled far from home or experienced the dangers of the outside world,
but her stunningly beautiful face held a pair of unbelievably innocent eyes.
Her gaze was absurdly clear—so clear that it bordered on foolishness.
"My apologies, miss. I stumbled into this place by accident. Please forgive the intrusion."
Lin Yuan did not rashly make a move, because the fluctuations of soul power coming from her were powerful—even stronger than those of the headmaster of Suotuo City Intermediate Soul Master Academy.
That meant she was at least a Soul Emperor.
An expert who was at least a Soul Emperor, appearing at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, combined with the Dugu Bo he had seen earlier that day—it was not difficult to guess her identity.
Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
As for why she had become a Soul Emperor, with cultivation far beyond what she had possessed in the original story, and why her innocence seemed tinged with foolishness, it probably had something to do with the person on Dugu Bo's back.
By then, the young woman had also reacted, having been stunned by Lin Yuan's sudden appearance.
Hearing his words brought her to her senses, and her face flushed bright red.
She hurriedly covered her ample breasts and their pink tips with her delicate hands, then cried out in mortified anger:
"Who are you? How did you get in here? Grandfather clearly set up another poison formation outside the courtyard! Y-you, turn around right now! If you don't, I'll call for help! My grandfather is the Poison Douluo, whose poison reigns supreme, and my younger brother, Dugu Jue, is an unparalleled young genius! He became a Soul Ancestor at just twelve years old, and he even has twin martial souls..."
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