Long Ying Tian

"Di Tian, this is the place!" Zhu Wu said softly. "First, tell him this is the forbidden ground of the Illusory Beast Sect."

Di Tian understood. A terrifying aura burst forth as his sharp voice thundered, "Who dares trespass upon the forbidden ground of my Illusory Beast Sect?!"

As his words fell, an invisible wave of force rapidly spread outward. The surrounding clouds and mist cleared, revealing his figure and the view below.

The first thing that met their eyes was a hot spring, divided into red and blue. White mist rose where the two colors met, making the boundary between them stark and distinct. The surrounding environment had also been affected, split into red and blue and looking exceptionally strange. A sweep of the eye revealed lush medicinal herbs growing all around the spring, with the ones near the red-and-blue intersection flourishing most luxuriantly. All of them were rare treasures.

At least in this Lower Realm, they were exceptionally rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

They might not be of much use in treating Lord's injuries, but they could be immensely beneficial for Zhu Wu's early cultivation, nourishing and strengthening his Dragon God Bloodline.

At this thought, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, followed by intense killing intent that instantly locked onto the green-robed elder standing at the intersection.

"!!!" Every hair on Dugu Bo's body stood on end. His face immediately paled, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in salute.

"This junior is Dugu Bo. I truly did not know this place was your sect's forbidden ground. If I have caused offense, I beg Senior's forgiveness!"

Who cares whether it really is or not? Staying alive is what matters right now.

Having met Di Tian's eyes, Dugu Bo knew he was facing someone he could not afford to provoke. He did not even have a chance to run. From that aura alone, he had only ever sensed such pressure from the ninety-ninth-ranked Peerless Douluo, Qian Daoliu, decades ago.

Back then, Sword Douluo Chen Xin's father had gone to Spirit City to challenge Qian Daoliu. Dugu Bo had happened to hear about it and went to watch the battle.

Even a ninety-seventh-ranked Super Douluo had only been beaten senseless, much less a ninety-first-ranked novice like him.

But the Illusory Beast Sect? Where had this force come from? Why had he never heard of it before? Doubt arose in his heart.

"Di Tian, spare his life." Zhu Wu, who knew Dugu Bo's character from the original work, used Mental Sharing to transmit his voice to Di Tian. "Since he can withstand your pressure for so long, he must possess Titled Douluo-level cultivation. He may be useful for my upcoming plans."

"First, as a Titled Douluo, he should hold considerable status in the human world. He can help spread the name of the Illusory Beast Sect. Second, Ferocious Beasts cannot conveniently follow me through the human world to protect me at all times, but he can. He can serve as my guard. If I need anything done, I will also have someone to command."

"Judging by his hair and eye color, he is clearly afflicted by severe Poison. We can use that as an opening to bring him under our control."

"Also, ask whether anyone else knows about this place. If so, we can use him to investigate and eliminate them. If not, the aura here nourishes plants and can make them grow a hundred times faster than normal. Once we return, Ten Thousand Demons King can be sent here to guard it."

"That will also prevent him from doing anything improper in the future."

Hearing this, Di Tian withdrew his aura and slowly descended with Zhu Wu, his gaze fixed on Dugu Bo.

"Junior, besides you, who else knows of this place?"

Dugu Bo hurriedly shook his head. "Reporting to Senior, how could this junior not understand that possessing a treasure invites disaster?"

"Therefore, since this junior first entered this place, I have never told anyone—not even the only relative I still have in this world, my granddaughter, Dugu Yan."

Confess and receive leniency; resist and die. Someone with such strength must have an extraordinary force behind him. Investigating Dugu Bo's background would surely not be difficult. If he dared hide anything now, he would definitely be finished once they found out. No one liked being deceived, especially a peerless powerhouse.

If a weak person lost face, at most they would curse inwardly. But if a peerless powerhouse lost face, he might slaughter your entire family afterward.

"Besides, although this junior knows the herbs here are extraordinary, I do not know the specific effects of most of them. Therefore, I have not dared consume any without permission," Dugu Bo continued. "In fact, all of this junior's previous collections have already been transplanted here. Thus, the number of herbs here has only increased, never decreased."

Di Tian nodded slightly.

"If that had not been the case, you would already be dead."

"The Poison in your body would not have remained until now either," he added calmly.

Dugu Bo's expression immediately changed, and his tone became even more respectful. "You have seen through this junior, Senior."

"May I ask, Senior...?" he probed.

Since the man before him could see that he was afflicted by severe Poison, he likely had a way to remove it. This was a rare opportunity.

Fortune was found amid danger!

Besides, whether he wanted it or not, he had no choice now.

Damn it, I thought this was unclaimed land. Who would have thought it was the Medicine Garden of some top-tier hidden sect? No wonder such a tiny place could grow so many rare medicinal herbs. Dugu Bo was deeply frustrated. In his view, only a top-tier sect with Super Douluo-level experts within it could create such a miraculous place and gather so many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to plant here without even bothering to manage them.

Strength was confidence!

"I can help you remove the Poison, but you should understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world," Di Tian said flatly.

"I will obey all of Senior's orders!" Dugu Bo hurriedly cupped his hands.

"Join my Illusory Beast Sect as an outer-sect guest elder, then accumulate sufficient contributions," Di Tian replied. "I can record those contributions for you in advance. Before long, this Dragon Vein Inheritor of mine will enter the world to train for a time. During that period, you must obey his commands. Once he returns from his training, it will count as a great merit and conveniently make up for your contributions."

Dragon Vein Inheritor? Where was he?

From what this senior said, he had brought him along this time. Dugu Bo subconsciously swept his gaze around with the corner of his eye.

"I'm right here." Still maintaining his Illusion Transformation and perched on Di Tian's shoulder in the form of a little bird, Zhu Wu raised a wing.

"???" Dugu Bo looked over and froze on the spot.

Wait, the Dragon Vein Inheritor of a sect with a ninety-ninth-ranked Peerless Douluo was a scruffy little sparrow?

Then he watched the little sparrow fly down to the ground. White light flashed across its body, and it instantly transformed into a human youth. Two Soul Rings pulsed beneath his feet, one yellow and one purple!!?

A thousand-year second Soul Ring? How was that possible?

Dugu Bo was utterly stunned.

"There is no need to be so surprised. The defining feature of our Illusory Beast Sect is that, while in Martial Soul Possession, we can freely switch between human and beast forms. That is why we classify our Martial Souls as Illusory Beast-type Martial Souls," Zhu Wu said with a smile. "I am even more special. My Martial Soul has a spiritual attribute and possesses an Illusion Transformation skill. I can transform into Soul Beasts I have seen and inherit their basic abilities."

"For example, I can fly when I become a bird and swim when I become a fish."

"Oh, right. My name is Long Ying Tian, and I am eight years old."

Originally, he had wanted to call himself Long Ao Tian, but it felt too childish and embarrassing, so he changed it to Long Ying Tian. The Illusory Beast Sect was presented as a sect devoted to protecting nature, following the path of conforming to the Heavenly Dao. The name Ying Tian happened to suit that philosophy perfectly.

Illusory Beast-type Martial Souls. Dugu Bo was secretly astonished, feeling that his horizons had broadened once more.

More importantly, an eight-year-old with a thousand-year second Soul Ring—how had that been achieved!?

What sort of sect was this Illusory Beast Sect, to actually be able to raise such a monstrous genius? His curiosity grew even stronger.

Joining such a powerful sect did not seem bad at all. At this thought, Dugu Bo immediately cupped his hands.

"Greetings, Young Master Ying Tian."

I was out all afternoon today. Sorry.