Night had fallen, and a bonfire flickered in the Sunset Forest.
The flames cast long shadows on every tree, yet even their warm glow couldn't soften Dugu Bo's expression—it was so dark and brooding, it looked like it might drip bitterness.
Earlier that day, Lu Yuan had planted the Blue Silver Emperor here.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Tang Hao, but there had been no word from him anywhere on the Douluo Continent. And if that old bastard ever found out?
That would be a life-threatening problem.
Lu Yuan already knew—this time, they wouldn't be able to delay.
Dugu Yan, worried, finally asked, "Lu Yuan… what's your plan next?"
She wasn't the only one concerned. The Martial Soul Hall was unpredictable, and who knew when those dogs might come sniffing around for him again?
"The next step?"
Lu Yuan scratched his head. "Drink." He grinned faintly.
"Don't worry," Dugu Bo cut in, leaning back. "The Martial Soul Hall's been busy hunting evil soul masters these past few years. Maybe they've already forgotten about you."
He glanced at Lu Yuan, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Seeing you now… you're nothing like that strange kid I met in Martial Soul City. That weird feeling's gone. And Qian Daoliu—that old fool hasn't stirred much lately. Maybe he realized how much of a sand sculpture he was back then."
With that, the old poisoner fell into his own thoughts.
Lu Yuan? Gone. Asleep.
The boy's soft breathing blended with the crackling fire—he'd just nodded off without a care in the world.
"Little Sister Fire Dance!"
Feng Xiaotian's voice was low as he pushed through a wall of thickening poisonous mist. "Poison Douluo—is he here?"
Huo Wu turned, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Feng Xiaotian, are you still putting on an act?"
"Yes! Of course!" He straightened, wearing a dramatic, almost heroic air. "My heart and soul belong to Little Sister Huo Wu—let all know it!"
"Louder," she snapped. "We're here to beg Senior Dugu Bo for help—not to look like a pair of thieves in the night."
"This poison barrier? It's set up by a Title Douluo. If it's just the two of us wandering around in here, you know what that means… dead mandarin ducks."
If it weren't for his wind blades blowing the mist back, they wouldn't have made it this far at all. But he couldn't tell how much farther the poisonous fog extended—and once his soul power ran dry in this barrier… things would be ugly.
"Feng Xiaotian, for once, say something decent."
Huo Wu pointed at him sharply. "And close your mouth—family discipline time!"
Slap!Slap!
Feng Xiaotian, clearly practiced in surviving her temper, tilted his head just enough to soften the blows. The sound was sharp, but he'd mastered the art of damage control.
"Who's making all this noise?"
Before the words finished echoing, Lu Yuan was already standing right in front of Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu.
"Lu Yuan… Brother?" Feng Xiaotian rubbed his eyes like he'd just woken from a dream.
"It's you two," Lu Yuan said flatly. "What exactly are you doing wandering the Sunset Forest in the middle of the night? Some of us are trying to sleep!"
"Lu Yuan, thank the heavens! Is Senior Dugu Bo here?" Huo Wu hurried forward a few steps, her worry written all over her face.
"Yeah," Lu Yuan nodded. "You're looking for the old man?"
"Yes, Brother Lu Yuan!" Feng Xiaotian's tone turned serious. "We need Senior Dugu Bo's help. It's urgent—matters of life and death."
From behind them, an icy voice broke in. "Looking for me?"
A flicker of poisonous mist—Dugu Bo appeared before them without so much as a sound.
"Poison Douluo Senior, my brother's been poisoned!" Huo Wu blurted out, almost tripping over her words. "We've tried every healing soul master we could find—they're all helpless!"
She didn't need to explain much. A while back, the Four Element Academies had organized an expedition into the Soul Beast Forest. There, they'd run into an evil soul master. In order to protect the students, her brother, Huo Wushuang, had been struck by a deadly poison.
Healing spirit masters had failed one after another. Eventually, they'd decided that the only chance left was Dugu Bo—the one Title Douluo whose poison mastery might save him.
Lu Yuan snorted. "Old poison, go have a look. I still owe that stinky brat a favor."
Dugu Bo's gaze lingered on Lu Yuan for a moment before he grunted, "Fine. Wait till I pack up a few things."
"Pack for what? It's not like you'll be gone long," Lu Yuan muttered.
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed instantly. "Brat, shut your mouth."
Huo Wu clenched her fists, desperation breaking through. "Senior, please hurry! My brother's already showing signs of madness. Shui Bing'er's using her spirit skills to restrain him, but I don't know how much longer she can hold him!"
Her voice trembled—but what she said was true. In the last few days, Huo Wushuang had grown more erratic and violent. They'd been forced to shackle him with soul beast rope and keep him contained with the aid of control-type soul masters.
That changed Dugu Bo's expression.
"Bing'er?" He turned to Lu Yuan. "Wake Yan Yan and the others—we're moving out. Now."
Outside Tiandou City, inside a secluded courtyard, Huo Wushuang hung suspended, bound tightly by durable soul beast rope. Several spirit masters kept watch over him, their eyes wary.
"Big Sister… will he try to bite us?" asked a girl with short, sky-blue hair.
Shui Bing'er gave her younger sister a calm smile. "Don't worry, Yue'er. We've got him tied up, and with my ice sealing him, controlling Huo Wushuang isn't hard. I just hope Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian hurry back."
Ever since the Soul Master Competition ended, the Shui sisters had stayed at Tianshui College, eventually becoming teachers. Not long ago, Shui Bing'er's talent had earned her the post of Deputy Dean.
Behind them stood several other teachers—from Kamikaze, Chihuo, even a familiar face from the Thunder: Yu Tianxin, former captain.
They'd chosen this remote safehouse to avoid Huo Wushuang hurting anyone nearby.
"Shui Bing'er, maybe seal him in ice again? He doesn't look stable," Yu Tianxin urged.
"No," she shook her head. "It's been the whole night already. If he stays frozen without a break, his body won't hold up."
As the wielder of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul—and strengthened further by an ice-attribute immortal herb Lu Yuan had given her years ago—her ice power was now formidable. She knew exactly how dangerous overuse could be for a human body.
Suddenly—Snap!
The soul beast rope shattered. Huo Wushuang was free.
"Not good! Everyone, move back!" Shui Bing'er's first spirit ring lit up—freezing him solid into an ice sculpture in mere moments.
But she knew it was only a stopgap. Breaking soul beast bindings wasn't something an ordinary Soul King should be able to do… and the ice wouldn't hold forever.
The clock was ticking.
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