Sunset Forest was located directly east of Heaven Dou City, about a hundred miles away from the imperial capital.
It was not particularly large, with a radius of roughly two hundred miles, and its overall area was much smaller than that of the Star Dou Great Forest, but it was still the largest Spirit Beast hunting ground within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The group hurried at full speed, entering the dense forest and crossing through the outer and middle zones.
Along the way, they encountered several thousand-year Spirit Beasts that were unfortunate enough to cross their path, but none of them dared to approach after sensing the terrifying auras of the powerful Spirit Masters.
Elder Wei and Elder Zhao occasionally released their pressure to drive the beasts away, allowing the group to continue without wasting any unnecessary time.
By the afternoon, they had finally reached the deepest region of Sunset Forest.
“This is it, Sect Master.”
Elder Wei stopped and pointed toward the area ahead.
Long Aoyu stood beside Elder Wei and raised his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked forward.
Ahead of them, the entire area was shrouded in a layer of deep green poisonous mist.
The dense mist did not scatter with the wind like ordinary poisonous miasma, nor did it flow naturally through the forest.
Instead, it remained strangely concentrated around the valley, forming a natural-looking but extremely dangerous barrier.
Dark cyan plants could also be seen everywhere around the surrounding cliffs and forest floor, many of them carrying obvious signs of poisonous properties.
Du Busi walked forward with his hands behind his back and carefully observed the poisonous mist for a moment.
He then took a slight breath and deliberately guided a wisp of the toxic miasma into his body, allowing his powerful cultivation to examine its composition and nature.
“A Titled Douluo who uses poison.
This poisonous array indeed has some tricks, but the person who arranged it is still a little lacking in cultivation.”
Du Busi’s eyes flashed with understanding as he looked back at Long Aoyu, Long Aotian, and Wei Na.
“Follow me closely.
Do not wander away from this old man.”
After saying this, Du Busi stepped directly into the toxic miasma.
Long Aoyu, Long Aotian, Wei Na, and the two Elders, Elder Wei and Elder Zhao, quickly followed behind him.
At the same time, Du Busi’s spirit power spread outward and formed a powerful protective barrier around the group, completely isolating the poisonous gas outside and preventing the toxic miasma from entering their bodies.
They passed through a natural passage between the steep cliff walls.
The surrounding poisonous mist was thick enough to obscure their vision, but under Du Busi’s protection, the group advanced steadily without encountering any real danger.
After walking for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the poisonous mist in front of them suddenly became much thinner, and the dim surroundings gradually brightened.
What appeared before their eyes was a vast basin completely surrounded by steep cliff walls.
At the center of the basin stood a short mountain that looked extremely strange.
One half of the mountain was covered in deep blue freezing ice, while the other half seemed to be flowing with scarlet molten lava.
The two completely opposite forces existed side by side without destroying each other, creating an unbelievable natural phenomenon.
At the foot of the short mountain were two pools of spring water positioned closely beside one another.
One pool was deep blue like an endless frozen lake, with cold air continuously soaring into the sky and frost spreading around its edges.
The other pool was scarlet like blood, with scorching heat waves constantly rising from its surface and causing the surrounding air to distort.
The two pools of spring water were clearly opposed to one another, yet they strangely coexisted in perfect balance.
The violent Ice and Fire energy they released permeated the entire valley, causing even the surrounding space to feel somewhat unusual.
Around the pools grew countless medicinal herbs of strange and unusual shapes.
Some possessed brilliant colors, some looked ordinary at first glance but contained astonishing spiritual energy, while others seemed to have absorbed the surrounding Ice and Fire essence for countless years.
The air itself was filled with spiritual energy so dense that it almost seemed to condense into substance.
It was precisely the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
A legendary treasure land on the Douluo Continent.
Long Aoyu’s gaze swept across the valley, and a trace of excitement flashed deep within his eyes.
He had already confirmed the location from the moment he entered the valley.
Even though he had never personally witnessed this place in his previous life, the records he possessed from the future made it impossible for him to mistake this extraordinary environment.
The Immortal Herbs were here.
The enormous opportunity that would eventually fall into the hands of Tang San and the others had appeared directly before him.
Du Busi’s gaze slowly swept across the entire valley before finally landing on the two pools of spring water.
His pupils contracted slightly as he carefully sensed the terrifying Ice and Fire energy contained within them.
Even with his rank ninety-eight cultivation and profound experience, he could not help but feel somewhat surprised by the natural power gathered in this place.
In the center of the valley, a figure wearing a dark green robe was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.
He appeared to be cultivating, but the moment Du Busi’s group stepped into the valley, the man’s eyes abruptly opened.
His pupils were emerald green, with vertical slits resembling those of a snake.
“Who?!”
Dugu Bo immediately stood up.
His gaze pierced through the mist steaming from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and landed on the uninvited guests standing at the entrance of the valley.
The expression on his face changed rapidly, going from initial vigilance to deep solemnity.
He could clearly feel the aura emitted by the stalwart old man standing at the head of the group.
Surprisingly, it was more than one level stronger than his own.
Dugu Bo’s heart sank.
Although he was a Titled Douluo himself, the moment he sensed Du Busi’s cultivation, he immediately understood the enormous gap between them.
“Such a powerful aura.
It is completely unfathomable.
These people did not come here with good intentions.”
Dugu Bo frowned deeply, and the poisonous spirit power within his body began to circulate silently.
“You few have entered my herb garden without permission.
Shouldn’t you at least give this old man an explanation?”
Dugu Bo’s tone was low and cold, while a faint cyan snake shadow was already looming around his body.
The poisonous aura surrounding him gradually became heavier, causing the atmosphere within the valley to become tense.
Du Busi looked at him without any intention of immediately attacking and chuckled softly.
“An explanation?”
Seeing Du Busi’s calm attitude, Dugu Bo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He no longer hesitated and directly released his Martial Soul.
Nine spirit rings rose from beneath his feet in succession, two yellow, two purple, and five black.
The dark green Jade Phosphor Serpent phantom slowly solidified behind his body, its enormous emerald-green vertical pupils staring fixedly at Du Busi, Long Aoyu, and the others.
“Jade Phosphor Serpent…”
Du Busi looked at the phantom behind Dugu Bo and suddenly seemed to remember something.
His eyes revealed a trace of recognition as he calmly said, “Poison Douluo Dugu Bo?”
Dugu Bo’s expression changed slightly.
In the era tens of thousands of years later, his reputation was also extremely great, and numerous records about him had been preserved in ancient books.
During the later conflict between the Heaven Dou and Spirit Hall forces, and especially during the Battle of Jialing Pass, Dugu Bo’s poison became one of the terrifying weapons used against large numbers of enemy troops.
His name had therefore been passed down through the generations, and his poisonous abilities were remembered as some of the most frightening among the continent’s poison-type Spirit Masters.
Dugu Bo’s emerald-green pupils shrank slightly as he stared at Du Busi.
“You know me?”
“We can’t really call it knowing each other.”
Du Busi spoke in a calm tone, his expression remaining completely indifferent.
“Let me introduce myself.
This old man is Du Busi, the Sect Master of the secluded Body Sect.”
“Body Sect?
A secluded Sect?”
Dugu Bo frowned tightly.
His thoughts began racing through his mind as he searched his memories for information about this mysterious organization.
He had spent many years wandering the continent, and although he was not interested in every faction, he was still a Titled Douluo and royal guest advisor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Yet he had never heard of a Body Sect possessing such terrifying strength.
Du Busi continued unhurriedly, “Although my Body Sect is a secluded Sect, we have still recorded information about many powerful figures across the continent.
We naturally know something about a Titled Douluo who has become a royal guest advisor of the Heaven Dou Empire.”
“Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.”
Du Busi paused for a moment, and his gaze carried a trace of scrutiny as he looked directly at Dugu Bo.
“Your Jade Phosphor Serpent poison has a serious backlash on your own body.
You are relying on the extreme Ice and Fire energies gathered here to suppress that poison and delay its effects.
Without this place, your condition would be much more troublesome.”
Dugu Bo’s expression changed drastically.
This was his greatest secret, something that had never been easily revealed to outsiders.
Even many people within the Heaven Dou Empire did not know the true reason why he had secluded himself in this place.
Yet this mysterious Sect Master of the Body Sect had seen through the problem after only a few glances.
Dugu Bo clenched his fists tightly, but his reason told him that he could not make a reckless move.
The opponent’s cultivation was far above his own, and there were even two additional powerful figures standing behind him.
If a battle truly began, he would be putting himself at an enormous disadvantage.
Du Busi did not continue pressuring him.
Instead, he calmly withdrew his gaze and said, “You don’t need to be nervous.
This old man has no intention of harming you.
I came here to take some Immortal Herbs.
As for you…”
Du Busi looked at Dugu Bo for another moment before continuing, “This old man has heard about your character.
You value affection and righteousness.
Although you cannot exactly be considered an upright gentleman, you are not the kind of villain who casually breaks faith and betrays those who have placed their trust in you either.”
Dugu Bo was stunned.
He had not expected the other party to say such words.
But then his expression immediately became strange.
Wrong!
Coming here to take Immortal Herbs was called having no malicious intentions?
Dugu Bo’s expression changed drastically, and the anger suppressed in his heart could no longer be completely hidden.
His tone became cold and indignant as he said, “This is this old man’s herb garden!”
“This old man doesn’t know exactly what kind of miraculous properties all these flowers and plants possess, but I do know that they are extremely rare treasures in this world.
This old man has spent years guarding this place and relying on the medicinal herbs and the Ice and Fire energy here to suppress the poison within my body.
For you to suddenly come here and demand to take away the Immortal Herbs, isn’t that going a little too far in bullying others?”
“Bullying others too much?”
Du Busi stood in place with his hands behind his back and suddenly laughed loudly.
“In the Spirit Master’s world, hasn’t it always been the law of the jungle, where the strong prey upon the weak?”
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous light flashed through his emerald-green vertical pupils.
He knew that the person standing before him had a cultivation far above his own, but since the other party had already spoken to this extent, if he did not even dare to make a move, where would his face as Poison Douluo go?
He had spent his entire life cultivating his poison techniques and becoming a Titled Douluo, so naturally he was unwilling to be humiliated without even putting up a fight.
Dugu Bo retreated half a step, raised both hands, and the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul around his body immediately spewed out a dense poisonous mist.
The poisonous aura rapidly spread through the valley, and even the surrounding plants seemed to react to it.
“Then please enlighten me!”
Before his words had completely fallen, Elder Wei and Elder Zhao simultaneously stepped forward.
Their figures moved like ghosts, instantly blocking the path in front of Du Busi from the left and right.
“Insolent!”
“You don’t have the qualifications to challenge our Sect Master.”
The two of them released their Martial Souls simultaneously, and powerful spirit power surged outward from their bodies.
Elder Wei’s ears shimmered with a silver-white luster, and a silver-white ear-shaped phantom emerged behind him.
“This old man is the Lingyin Douluo!”
At almost the same moment, Elder Zhao’s feet lit up with a silver-white glow, and a strange foot-shaped phantom gradually solidified behind his body.
“Chizu Douluo.”
The spirit rings beneath their feet rose one after another.
Both of their configurations were two yellow, two purple, and five black, exactly the same basic configuration as Dugu Bo’s, but the spirit power fluctuations radiating from their bodies were considerably stronger.
Rank ninety-two.
Rank ninety-three.
“Two Titled Douluos!”
Dugu Bo’s pupils shrank sharply, and the movement of his body stopped abruptly.
He had already sensed that the old man leading the group was extremely terrifying, but he had not expected that the two people standing behind him were also Titled Douluos.
Rank ninety-two and rank ninety-three.
Both were stronger than him.
If he fought either of them one-on-one, winning would already be extremely difficult.
If he had to face both of them simultaneously, his chance of victory was practically nonexistent.
More importantly, these two Titled Douluos were only the Elders standing behind the mysterious Sect Master.
Dugu Bo suddenly realized that he might still have underestimated the strength of this so-called secluded Body Sect.
Long Aoyu, Long Aotian, and Wei Na all showed faint smiles when they saw Dugu Bo’s shocked expression.
None of them found the situation particularly surprising.
After all, the Body Sect possessed eleven Titled Douluos in total, including Du Busi himself, and even the Elders who did not possess the highest cultivation were still formidable existences capable of dominating ordinary Spirit Masters.
“Old Wei, Old Zhao.”
Du Busi casually waved his hand, signaling the two Elders to step back.
Neither Elder Wei nor Elder Zhao hesitated.
They immediately withdrew to either side, leaving the confrontation to their Sect Master.
Du Busi looked at Dugu Bo opposite him, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
“Are you sure you want to fight this old man?”
As his voice fell, a terrifying fluctuation suddenly erupted from Du Busi’s stalwart body.
The surrounding air seemed to become heavy in an instant, and the pressure belonging to a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo swept outward like an invisible storm.
Dugu Bo’s expression became extremely solemn.
He immediately circulated all of his spirit power and prepared himself for the pressure, but before he could do anything else, nine spirit rings suddenly rose from beneath Du Busi’s feet.
Yellow.
Yellow.
Purple.
Purple.
Black.
Black.
Red.
Red.
Red.
The final three spirit rings were crimson red, their colors far deeper and more imposing than ordinary spirit rings.
The moment they appeared, an overwhelming aura spread throughout the entire valley.
“Boom!”
The crimson radiance of the three 100,000-year spirit rings erupted simultaneously.
An incomparable coercion pressed forward like a mountain collapsing from the heavens.
Dugu Bo’s entire body trembled under that terrifying pressure, and even his poisonous spirit power seemed to become sluggish for an instant.
His pupils contracted to their smallest point as disbelief filled his face.
“100,000-year spirit ring!”
His voice carried a trace of shock that he could no longer conceal.
Then he stared at the three crimson rings behind Du Busi, his heart pounding violently.
“Three 100,000-year spirit rings?!”
Dugu Bo’s expression was completely frozen, and his mind was almost unable to process what he was seeing.
“How is this possible?!”