After leaving Clear Sky City, Tang Xiao bade farewell to Tang Yuehua, giving her some nonsense excuse he had come up with, and stepped down from the carriage.
"If I were to travel by carriage to Sunset Forest, it would take me more than three months to arrive, which I really can't afford..."
Clear Sky City, where the Clear Sky Clan resided, was located in the south of the Star Luo Empire. Tang Xiao's current destination, the Sunset Forest, lay in the east of the Heaven Dou Empire, a hundred miles away from its capital.
To reach it, he needed to travel in a nearly straight line northeast. But traveling by carriage would consume far too much time, something Tang Xiao was unwilling to waste.
Although the horses used by the Clear Sky Sect were not ordinary ones from Earth but specially tamed, hundred-year-old soul beast horses, whose speed far surpassed normal steeds... they still could not compare to Tang Xiao's own movement speed with the physique of a level 87 Soul Douluo. Once he infused soul power into his legs, he could take off directly.
"Although I may need to rest frequently to replenish soul power, I can still reach Sunset Forest within two weeks..." Having made up his mind, Tang Xiao wasted no time. Pulling out a cloak from his storage ring and draping it over himself, he empowered his feet with soul power and vanished in a flash.
....
Nearly two weeks later.
Under the midday sun, Tang Xiao stood before a vast forest of towering trees, some rising hundreds, even thousands, of meters high.
This was Sunset Forest, one of the largest on the Douluo Continent, second only to the great Star Dou Forest in Tang Xiao's memories.
Though outwardly no different from Star Dou Forest, Sunset Forest lacked the same concentration of mighty soul beasts. Due to rampant hunting by soul masters, not many had cultivated beyond the ten-thousand-year level. Most ranged between one thousand and ten thousand years, leaving the forest without dominant overlords. Unlike Star Dou Forest, which most soul masters dared not enter, Sunset Forest posed much less danger.
As Tang Xiao's predecessor had visited this forest many times, and he now held those memories, he knew no soul beast here could truly threaten him.
So, without spending much time on preparation, once his soul power fully recovered, Tang Xiao entered without hesitation, searching for the poisonous mountain that concealed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The search stretched for days... finding a single mountain in a forest encompassing thousands was no simple task.
But ultimately, since Tang Xiao knew the distinctive features of the mountain hiding the Yin Yang Well, he found it by the third nightfall.
"It seems no one else is here."
Standing at the foot of a hundred-meter-high mountain shrouded in green poisonous mists, its temperature alternating between biting cold and scorching heat, Tang Xiao was sure he had reached his destination.
And fortunately, his mental perception detected no presence within.
"It seems Dugu Bo must be preoccupied with his son, Dugu Xin..." Tang Xiao mused.
From the novel's knowledge and his predecessor's memories, he had a fair grasp of Dugu Bo's situation.
Currently in his mid-sixties, Dugu Bo's cultivation hovered around level 87–88. In five years, he would break through to level 90 and become a Titled Douluo at age seventy. But that would also mark the death of his son, Dugu Xin...
The novel mentioned much about Dugu Bo's life in a backstory chapter. With his current understanding of reality, Tang Xiao could predict his present plight.
Seeing that Dugu Bo was absent, Tang Xiao sighed in relief.
Of course, he did not fear him. In direct combat, with equal cultivation, Tang Xiao had confidence in defeating Dugu Bo.
But knowing the man was enduring the worst period of his life and surely unstable in mood... Tang Xiao preferred not to provoke him. What if, by chance, this irritable old man chose to self-destruct alongside him?
From what he knew of the plot, breaking through to Titled Douluo was a matter of life and death for Dugu Bo. He believed that success could save both his son and granddaughter. So, if Tang Xiao obstructed that by claiming the Yin Yang Well, the chance of Dugu Bo fighting him to the death was extremely high.
As for fearing Tang Xiao's identity as the Clear Sky Clan's young master and Limit Douluo's grandson? Haha... that meant nothing. For a dying man desperate to live, no intimidation would matter.
"Of course... even if I meet him, I don't need to oppose him or drive him away. I could simply offer a helping hand... recruiting Dugu Bo wouldn't be bad either," Tang Xiao mused silently.
But he still shook his head. Even if he intended to recruit, now was not the time. With the upcoming turmoil in the Clear Sky Sect, he wanted no new variables disrupting his plans.
His current goal was to silently enhance his talent and strength, then bide his time. Other schemes could wait until after Ah Yin's sacrifice.
Besides, Dugu Bo was not going anywhere.
With thoughts swirling, Tang Xiao climbed up the mountain. The poisonous mists posed no hindrance to a level 87 Soul Douluo.
Upon reaching the summit, he distinctly felt the half-hot, half-cold temperature.
Scanning the area, he noticed a sizable pit atop the mountain. Though it was night, his vision clearly caught sight of it.
"Countless years have passed since the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings fell... Mountains grow just as all things do.
After endless years, the depression caused by their fall must have shrunk to this size now..." Tang Xiao reflected.
Seeing the pit lead directly underground, he wasted no time and leapt straight in.
....
The fall didn't last long. Soon, Tang Xiao landed on what seemed to be solid ground.
All around him, crystalline rocks of red and blue shimmered, varying in size, appearing to have existed for ages. Though it was night outside, here everything shone brilliantly.
Looking up, Tang Xiao saw the small hole he had entered from, now hundreds of meters above him, insignificant compared to the vast space below.
Truly a magical and hidden place.
With that thought, Tang Xiao retracted his gaze and cautiously scanned his surroundings as he moved forward. His vision took in countless herbs and, at the center, a wide pool split between blazing red and icy blue.
After circling the entire area, Tang Xiao finally stood at the edge of the pool, enduring the extremes of hot and cold. At last, his long-held composure broke into an excited smile.
"Finally... here I am..." Tang Xiao's heart raced as he spread his arms wide, exhaling deeply the air of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
At last, he had arrived. From this moment on... altering Tang Xiao's destined fate was only a matter of time.