The Azure Lotus Enters the Tower · A Promise After Thirty Years

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Dugu Bo did not answer.

He stood in the grass, only a wisp of white ash remaining.

"Thirty years ago," Dugu Bo began, his voice much lower, "I was hiding from our enemies with Yan'er. We received a secret message saying that the Spirit Hall was going to attack the Dugu Family, so we fled into Sunset Forest with her overnight."

He bent down and picked up a piece of pebbles.

"The pursuers were more numerous than I expected. Once we reached the outer edge of Poison Mist Valley, they blocked all paths ahead and behind. Yan'er is only six years old; she doesn't know anything."

The fingers tightened, and the gravel crumbled into powder.

"I led her through the poisonous fog for three days and three nights. Just when we were about to give up, there was light ahead."

He sifted the pebbles through his fingers.

"No one has ever been able to find the entrance to Poison Mist Valley. The concentration of the poisonous miasma changes every moment, and the entrance changes accordingly, only becoming visible for a fleeting instant when it's at its thinnest. I rushed in with Yan'er, and my luck was off the charts."

He looked up.

"I thought I'd be safe once I hid inside. But one of the pursuers also saw the entrance."

"A Titled Douluo- level expert," Nan Feng said.

Dugu Bo snorted, "What are Titled Douluo? The ones chasing me are two Titled Douluo from the Worship Hall. They didn't chase me into the valley, but they reported the entrance location to the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall knew there were people in the valley, so they sent Soul Master to garrison the outer edge of the forest. As soon as I went out, they made their move."

He pointed to the mouth of the valley.

"I tried to break out three times in thirty years. The first time, I rushed out with Yan'er, but we were driven back. The second time, I went alone and was hit by three arrows. The third time, I spent five years studying the poisonous miasma thoroughly and set up a poisonous miasma barrier at the entrance of the valley. They couldn't get in, and I couldn't get out either."

"You can't get out?"

Dugu Bo's lips curved into a smile.

"I can get out. But what will happen to Yan'er if I leave? She's been hiding in this valley with me since she was six. She's almost forgotten everyone outside. If I leave, the Spirit Hall will deal with her. If I stay, at least they won't dare to break in. The name of Poison Douluo carries some weight. They're waiting, waiting for me to die."

He looked at the Immortal Herb.

"I originally thought this would be my life. I would stay here and raise Yan'er, waiting for the Spirit Hall to forget about us, or waiting for me to die."

He paused.

"Later I discovered these Immortal Herb. The Spiritual Power of the Yin Yang Well accelerated their growth, and the Spiritual Power of heaven and earth could temper poisonous souls. I cultivated in the valley for thirty years, Soul Power climbed from the early stage of Titled Douluo to my current level. But it's still not enough. I can't beat Qian Daoliu, who is at the peak of Level 99."

He turned back to look at Nan Feng, his eyes filled with a longing that had been suppressed for too long.

But the power within your soul can.

Nan Feng remained silent for two breaths.

"You want me to help you deal with the Spirit Hall's Worship Hall."

Dugu Bo did not deny it.

"You can't do it yet," he snorted. "You're not even Soul King. But the potential of your Primordial World Imprint is far greater than my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. Ancient texts say that the power of the primordial Primordial World restrains all acquired Soul Power systems. Soul Power only existed after the Primordial World was shattered."

He pointed to the slope.

"I've looked at the Soul Ring Configuration on your tower. The first ring is nine hundred years, the second is two thousand years, and the third is ten thousand years—each one far exceeds the norm. These things have limited effect on increasing Soul Power, but they are useful for tempering the tower. The aura of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus is of the same origin as your tower's Martial Soul. You had your eye on it before you started gambling on drugs, right?"

"Good."

Dugu Bo walked up to the first plant, bent down, pulled it up, and tossed it over.

The Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma is entirely purple-gold in color.

"Then."

The Nan Feng catches it. The lines pulsate in the palm of my hand.

"Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. It broadens the meridians," Dugu Bo said, his tone as indifferent as if he were handing over something insignificant.

"Your meridians are in good condition, but the intense combat has left minor damage. This will thicken the meridian walls by 30% and clear any hidden injuries."

He pulled them up one by one and tossed them over.

Snow Silkworm, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Aromatic Silk Beauty, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Aromatic Silk Beauty, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. The patterns on the tower body light up again and again.

Nan Feng collected them into the Tower Spirit Space. Each time he collected one, the tower trembled.

"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot." Dugu Bo stopped in front of the two adjacent Immortal Herb.

One plant was snow-white, its leaves covered in a thin layer of ice. The other was crimson, its leaves dancing with flames.

"These two herbs have opposite properties. Taking either one alone will sever the meridians; the ice one will freeze and shatter the dantian, while the fire one will burn through the meridians."

"Take them together, and the ice and fire Spiritual Power will clash and neutralize within your meridians, eventually reaching a balance. The process is very painful. If you can endure it, you will simultaneously possess immunity to both ice and fire attributes. There are two offerings with ice and fire attributes in the Worship Hall, which may save your life in the future."

Nan Feng took the two plants.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass froze my fingertips white, Infernal Delicate Apricot scalded my delicate skin, causing blisters.

The ice and fire Spiritual Power chased and collided along the meridians, eventually canceling each other out. Balance was established. The pain was real, but Nan Feng straightened his back.

"There's still Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew."

He plucked a small, silvery-white flower; the dewdrop transformed into a silver thread that seeped into his brow.

Nan Feng's Divine Power was enhanced, and he could even discern the flow of Spiritual Power deep within the Yin Yang Well. The light spots of the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light changed from blurry to clear, and from monochrome to polychrome.

"Alright," Dugu Bo clapped his hands, "These are all yours."

His gaze passed over the Nan Feng and landed on the center of the Yin Yang Well.

The Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus grows on a rock where springs converge. Its nine petals are the size of a palm, with golden light flowing through their veins, pulsating in sync with the Primordial World Imprint.

"The Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus." Dugu Bo's voice was even softer.

"I've guarded it for thirty years. Thirty years ago, when I first entered the valley, it was growing on that rock, its aura sharing the same origin as your Tower Martial Soul. But I couldn't pluck it."

"It doesn't recognize me. I've tried many times, and every time I get close, its aura repels my Soul Power. I thought I'd never be able to touch it in this lifetime."

He looked at the Nan Feng.

"But you can. It's yours."

Nan Feng took off her boots and stepped barefoot onto the stone platform.

The icy spring chilled my ankles, the fiery spring scalded them. The Tower Realm separated the ice and fire Spiritual Power.

He squatted down.

The petals opened and closed, the lotus seeds pulsed faster and faster, and golden light rushed into the palm of the hand.

The Nan Feng stretches out its hand.

As the fingertips touched the petals, a warm Spiritual Power surged into the meridians, circulated, and converged into the dantian.

The liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian contracted and condensed.

The nine stories of the tower radiated a bluish-gold light, and the crack at the base of the tower closed.

The third door opened a crack. The Power of Creation poured out from the crack, healing all the hidden wounds that had not yet healed.

The Nan Feng stirs up the green lotus.

The lotus stamen parted from the seam, and a beam of light shot straight up to the top of the valley, piercing through a hole in the poisonous miasma, allowing sunlight to fall down.

Dugu Bo looked up at the beam of light, his eyes becoming clouded in the light.

He lowered his head and turned his back, pretending to study the Immortal Herb on the slope.

Nan Feng took Qinglian into the Tower Spirit Space.

The Tower Spirit Space expanded, and the flow rate jumped from 1.2:1 to 2:1. The Primordial World Imprint stabilized, transforming from agitation to tranquility.

He walked back to the stone platform, put on his boots, and went up to Dugu Bo.

"You owe me a favor." Dugu Bo didn't turn around.

"I remember."

Dugu Bo stood with his back to him for a long time, his expression returning to its coldness, and a sense of relief appearing in his eyes.

"You can go now," he waved his hand, "Before I regret it."

Nan Feng carefully collected the Immortal Herb and headed towards the valley entrance. After taking a few steps, he paused.

"Senior," he said without turning around, "I will return once I have fully cultivated the Primordial World Great Dao. At that time, I will help you with the Worship Hall."

Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time. Only after his figure disappeared into the poisonous fog did he speak.

"This kid... is even more ruthless than I was back then."

He looked up at the empty space, sunlight shone on his face, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, then he suppressed them.

The Nan Feng blows through the poisonous fog. The toxic miasma corrodes the light film much more easily than when it came in.

As he walked out of the Poison Mist Valley, he turned back. The poisonous miasma closed in, and the entrance changed again. The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light pointed to the location.

He stood at the edge of the forest, the wind swirling the fragments of his outer robe.

His Soul Power remained at level thirty-seven.

The tower's structure has evolved to a new level; the vein walls have thickened by 30%.

His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light expanded from a hundred steps to three hundred steps. This wasn't reflected in his level ranking, but in actual combat, it made him a level above his peers.

Nan Feng took a deep breath and walked out of the forest.

He had something more important to do: absorb his Fourth Soul Ring.

Old Huai's voice rang out.

"I'll tell you about the goal for your Fourth Soul Ring on the way. First, find a safe place to refine the Immortal Herb."

"Once the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus stabilizes, your Tower Soul and Primordial World Power will truly fuse. After the refining process is complete, your Soul Power will experience a leap forward. Although you'll still be level thirty-seven, that level thirty-seven will be completely different from what you are now."

The Nan Feng nodded.

He left Sunset Forest and headed northeast. There was an abandoned, secluded Soul Hunting camp there.

After walking a distance, he looked back.

The Poison Mist Valley is hidden deep in the forest. Dugu Bo guards the grass roots.

Nan Feng withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace.

The blue lotus rotated in the Tower Spirit Space, its nine lotus seeds synchronized with the Primordial World Imprint, like a heart that had been dormant for too long finding its way back to its chest.