Return

The Purple-Robed Bishop glanced back at the empty corridor behind him and swallowed.

Heaven knew how frightened he had been upon receiving that message. He had wanted to find someone else to report to the Pope, only to discover that everyone had already fled, leaving him standing there alone with the scroll...

The Purple-Robed Bishop spoke shakily:

"Y-Your Holiness, a battle report from the front."

The door before him slowly opened. Bibi Dong sat upon her throne, radiating majesty. Her delicate lips parted slightly. "Speak."

"Word has come from Sunset Forest. The team sent to capture Poison Douluo Dugu Bo encountered a terrifying pressure early today. So far... so far, not a single person has emerged..."

"Oh, is that so?"

Although Bibi Dong's voice was calm, the Purple-Robed Bishop was still so frightened that he prostrated himself on the floor.

"Your Holiness, at present... at present, no further news has come back. There may not have been any losses."

"Is that so?"

"It's possible..."

With a crash, he slammed heavily into the wall behind him, his entire body embedded in it. He could get out, but he did not dare.

He had never seen the Pope like this. In the past, she had been imposing, but never so... cold.

"Useless! Send Wen Wen here!"

"Yes!" Only then did the Purple-Robed Bishop dare to pry himself out of the wall.

The Purple-Robed Bishop hurried away at a jog, passing through the corridor and several doors. Only after running out of sight did he brace himself against a wall and spit out a mouthful of blood. But he did not dare delay and continued jogging on his way.

Before long, a cardinal strode up to the hall and bowed. "Greetings, Your Holiness."

"Mm. I summoned you to discuss something."

"Please, go ahead." Wen Wen naturally understood that his role was to serve as the Pope's "brain."

"This operation against Dugu Bo failed. Once he recovers and asks the Heaven Dou Empire for help, our next operation will be even harder."

"Your Holiness, are you determined to obtain the poison in Dugu Bo's possession?"

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded.

Wen Wen pondered for a moment, then said, "At present, the fate of the four Titled Douluos and the other Spirit Hall members remains unknown. Your Holiness, why not send me to negotiate with Dugu Bo, to secure the poison's formula and bring back any of our Spirit Hall personnel who may still be there?"

"Very well. Who do you need to accompany you?"

"I alone will suffice. Since this is a negotiation, there is no need for too many people."

"Good. As for how high a price we can pay in exchange for them, decide for yourself.

"There is one more thing. The operation to eradicate Blue Silver Grass can stop, but spare no effort in tracking down a Soul Master named Tang San, around six or seven years old, whose Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. Once he is found, assign people to follow him twenty-four hours a day and report his movements at any time."

This strange order made Wen Wen instinctively raise his head to glance at Bibi Dong, seated upright on her throne. Yet her gaze seemed to be looking at him, and also into the distance.

"Yes." Clever as he was, he quickly guessed the reason and inwardly rejoiced that Tang San had appeared in time. Otherwise, the order to eradicate Blue Silver Grass would have squandered all the goodwill Spirit Hall had accumulated over the years.

"I will depart for Sunset Forest immediately."

"Mm." Bibi Dong waved her hand, ending the conversation.

Watching the cardinal's retreating figure, Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly. "Lan Changsheng, with someone you care about under my control, why should I fear you won't show yourself?"

Beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Lan Changsheng emerged from a stalk of Blue Silver Grass.

Ah Yin sensed his arrival at once. "Brother!"

Her voice, brimming with joy and relief, brought a faint smile to Lan Changsheng's face. He crouched down to her height of a little over half a meter and saw that she looked like a frost-stricken seedling.

"Does it hurt?"

Without waiting for Ah Yin to respond, he immediately added, "It's all right now. I'm back."

As he spoke, he gently placed his hand on Ah Yin. Life divine power flowed into her like springwater, and her trembling leaves visibly unfurled.

"Mm." Ah Yin leaned closer to Lan Changsheng, but when she saw the layer of golden life divine power still floating over his shoulder, she could not help trembling again.

Lan Changsheng glanced at his shoulder. A thin layer of Rakshasa divine power still remained there. Once he dissolved it, he could heal such a minor injury in the space of a breath.

"I'm fine. How is Brother Dugu?"

Ah Yin pointed toward the spring. Dugu Bo lay there on a mat woven from Blue Silver Grass. His breathing was fairly steady, but his vitality and blood were severely depleted. His newly grown black hair had turned gray, and the wrinkles on his face were deeper than before.

"He burned too much of his essence. If the remaining life divine power hadn't protected his foundation, it's hard to say whether he would even be alive. It will be difficult for him to advance any further," Ah Yin said softly.

"Ah... With me here, those losses can be replenished." Lan Changsheng walked over, crouched beside him, and placed both hands over his heart meridian.

Starting at his fingertips, life divine power enveloped Dugu Bo bit by bit, lifting him into the air as though he were sleeping inside a sphere of water. His breathing slowly grew deep and steady.

Just then, the immortal herbs near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well seemed to sense something and began swaying with Dugu Bo's breathing, starting with the infernal delicate apricot and spreading to the octagonal mysterious ice grass over on the other side.

With each breath, the immortal herbs growing there each released a wisp of essence, merging it into Lan Changsheng's life divine power and joining him in mending Dugu Bo's injuries.

The strength of his life divine power, which he had originally planned to bolster by expending his own essence, was raised just like that.

Lan Changsheng swept his gaze over the immortal herbs, his heart inexplicably softening. They seemed to be doing something without knowing why, yet instinctively felt that they ought to do it.

He lowered his head and reached out to gently touch a leaf of the nearest infernal delicate apricot. At his touch, the leaf tilted slightly, as though responding.

He closed his eyes again. This time, following the flow of essence coming from the immortal herbs, he connected the Law of Life within his body to the network of vegetation throughout the valley.

Golden light spread outward from the center of the spring in ring after ring, covering all the ground scorched by battle. Every blade of grass that had been trampled and broken began standing upright again.

Enveloped in the golden light, a trace of color slowly returned to Dugu Bo's face. His features, aged by burning his blood essence, grew a little younger again.

Ah Yin also received the power of that golden light. Her leaves unfurled anew within it, regaining some of their luster.

[Congratulations, host, on gaining a new understanding of the Law of Life. Current law mastery: 18%.]

Even so, after doing all this, Lan Changsheng's face was a shade paler than before. But he was happy, and he had gained a new idea about how to complete the Second Trial.

With the most important matter he had rushed back for now resolved, Lan Changsheng was just about to rest for a moment when he suddenly remembered something. He came over to Ah Yin and said, "Tell me in detail what those two Dragon Kings did."