"Grandpa Patriarch, I feel like there's something special in this forest, drawing me toward it through some unseen force."
As they passed the Sunset Forest, Dai Tianfeng suddenly spoke.
Now that he had come all the way to the Heaven Dou Empire, he naturally couldn't miss out on the great opportunity that was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
If some butterfly effect occurred, he would suffer a huge loss.
Dai Tianfeng couldn't identify immortal-grade herbs. At most, he knew the few that had appeared in the original story.
But that didn't stop him from seizing this great opportunity for himself.
At worst, he could simply take all the Immortal Herbs, soil and all.
For this, he had prepared a Soul Tool long ago that could store living things and keep medicinal herbs fresh.
"All right, Tianfeng. If you say there's something drawing you over there, then we'll go take a look!"
Hearing this, Dai Xiu nodded without the slightest hesitation.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, he might not have been confident in keeping Dai Tianfeng safe.
But a Soul Beast gathering place on the level of the Sunset Forest clearly posed no problem.
Since the White Tiger Lineage's qilin child had spoken, they would go take a look!
In any case, there was nothing to do back in the Star Luo Empire right now.
The group of three soon reached the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
As they walked, Dai Tianfeng spotted several stalks of green bamboo and immediately recalled a funny, absurd fan-created meme from his previous life.
In the original story, when Yu Xiaogang took Tang San to obtain his First Soul Ring, he had solemnly recommended a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo.
In the end, however, Tang San chose a Mandala Snake.
But if Tang San had absorbed a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo, his first Soul Skill would have been called Blue Silver Pole Vault.
He would summon a long stalk of green bamboo and launch himself into the air like a pole vaulter, moving at high speed.
Though it was only a white, ten-year Soul Ring, its effect would rival a divine skill: it could be used for multiple consecutive leaps and a speedy escape, letting him pole-vault away if he couldn't win a fight.
There was also the matching meme, Clear Sky Bamboo Knocking: striking bamboo with the Clear Sky Hammer to launch someone straight into the sky.
At the thought of that scene, Dai Tianfeng nearly laughed aloud.
This hypothetical might just come true in this world!
The First Soul Ring was definitely out of the question, but what happened later was anyone's guess.
Jokes aside, the Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo might have suited Tang San better than the Mandala Snake.
After all, Blue Silver Grass's greatest strength was its vitality.
Whatever else might be said about the Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo, its vitality certainly couldn't have been weak.
All he could say was that a "Grandmaster" like Yu Xiaogang really did have a knack for leading people down the wrong path.
After calming himself, Dai Tianfeng continued forward.
The original story hadn't given the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's exact location, but it was undoubtedly in the heart of this forest.
And with Dugu Bo's poison array guarding it, it should have been easy to find.
With the two Titled Douluo, Dai Xiu and Dai Na, accompanying him,
their journey was unimpeded.
In less than a day, the three had already penetrated deep into the central region of the Sunset Forest.
As they ventured farther in, a strange sight appeared ahead.
It was an area shrouded in a vivid green poisonous mist.
Wherever the mist spread, vegetation withered and all life was extinguished.
"This is it!"
A flash of barely concealed excitement appeared in Dai Tianfeng's eyes.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could be called the most heaven-defying opportunity in Douluo I.
It was also the fundamental reason the Shrek Seven Devils had been able to become gods.
Otherwise, apart from Tang San and Oscar, the other six of the Shrek Seven Devils wouldn't have had the slightest chance of becoming gods.
That would have been true even if Tang San became the Asura God.
They could indeed go through the back door, but they at least needed the talent for it.
Otherwise, it was all for nothing.
Ma Hongjun in the original story was the best example.
Because of Tang San, he had originally had a chance to compete for the First-Level God position of Fire God.
Unfortunately, he failed to live up to it and didn't pass the trial.
He could only settle for the next best thing, securing the position of the second-level Phoenix God.
One had to understand that, for most powerhouses on the Douluo Continent,
let alone a Second-Level Deity, there were plenty of people scrambling even to become a God Officer.
Yet after Ma Hongjun failed to obtain the First-Level God position of Fire God, he still had the Second-Level Deity position of Phoenix God to fall back on.
"This is a poison array set up by someone!"
Zhu Na's slender brows knitted slightly. "This should be the work of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."
They had long lived in seclusion in the White Tiger Lineage's ancestral grounds, so they naturally had little contact with Dugu Bo.
But Dugu Bo was a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family, and the only Titled Douluo the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had.
At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
For all they knew, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, like the Star Luo Imperial Family, had other Titled Douluo hidden away.
To that, Dai Tianfeng could only say she was overthinking it. Not everyone was as good at hiding their strength as they were.
When Dai Tianfeng first learned the extent of the White Tiger Lineage's foundations, he had been stunned.
This era was nothing like the time of The Legend of the Dragon King, when Titled Douluo walked everywhere, Super Douluo were as common as dogs, and even Limit Douluo were far from being considered peak powerhouses.
When it came to the number of Titled Douluo, Spirit Hall was unquestionably first.
Next was the Clear Sky Sect, which had sealed its mountain for many years. It had six Titled Douluo, and with Tang Hao, who had been expelled from the sect, that made seven.
Dai Tianfeng had originally thought the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with the two Super Douluo Sword and Bone holding down the fort, was third. He hadn't expected it to be the White Tiger Lineage, which had barely made its presence known in the original story.
Although the main battlefield had been Jialing Pass on the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire,
the Star Luo Imperial Family really could hold back!
Even at such a critical moment as the final battle with Spirit Hall, they had still been hiding their strength.
Had Tang San not been the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial preceptor, the Star Luo Empire might have launched another war to unify the entire continent after Spirit Hall's destruction in the original story.
"It's just poisonous mist, nothing but a few petty tricks unfit for the stage!"
Dai Xiu curled his lip disdainfully. A layer of Soul Power, dense enough to seem solid, completely enveloped him and Dai Tianfeng as he charged straight into the poisonous miasma.
A trace of resentment flashed in Zhu Na's eyes. Soul Power erupted from her entire body as she followed close behind.
After the three had walked for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the poisonous mist around them suddenly began to thin, and the view ahead opened up.
A hidden valley appeared before them, surrounded on all sides by mountains with sheer, precipitous cliffs.
Mist curled through the valley, and within it, the colors of ice and fire could faintly be seen mingling.
"This place is rather unusual. No wonder that fellow Dugu Bo went to so much trouble to set up a poison array outside!"
As Dai Xiu looked at the valley, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
"What a dense breath of life!" Zhu Na also looked astonished.
The Hell Spirit Cat's senses were keen, and she could clearly feel the vast, surging vitality.
"Come on! Let's go take a look!"
Dai Xiu leaped down with Dai Tianfeng.
Seeing this, Zhu Na followed close behind.
In the blink of an eye, all three landed steadily at the bottom of the valley.
In an instant, a breath of life so dense it was almost tangible rushed toward them.
Even though Dai Tianfeng had prepared himself mentally long ago, his eyes still widened.