Chapter 24: [DD]: 24
"Really?" Guang Ling exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, but I don't know if it's an immortal herb; I just feel some movement in my martial soul."
Han Li wasn't entirely making things up. He had initially intended to put on an act, but when he immersed his mind into his martial soul, he sensed a faint tremor from the Ice and Fire Bow, as if it was yearning for something. The tremor was subtle and could easily be overlooked.
While he was speaking, the Ice and Fire Bow appeared in his hand. Guang Ling observed closely and noticed that, without Han Li's direct control, the bow was spontaneously mobilizing its elemental power, as if responding to something from afar.
Guang Ling frowned. Although he was eager for the immortal herb, he was more concerned about the unusual activity of his disciple's martial soul.
"Xiao Li, I've never heard of a martial soul behaving like this. Maybe we should retreat for now and come back when you're stronger to investigate further."
Han Li felt a warmth in his heart at his master's protective concern and quickly replied, "No, it's okay, Master. I can feel that the tremor in the Ice and Fire Bow is a good sign. It seems like something in Sunset Forest is calling to it. Perhaps if we find it, the bow can evolve."
"Martial soul evolution? Could it possibly reach the level of a god-level martial soul?" Guang Ling blurted out, unable to hide his astonishment.
He knew very well that the Qian family's hereditary Angel Martial Soul was a god-level martial soul. Even though his martial soul was top-tier, the Angel Martial Soul surpassed his by far—it was powerful in every aspect, with virtually no weaknesses.
However, he wasn't aware that god-level martial souls are typically bestowed rather than achieved, but this didn't stop him from hoping.
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Han Li replied uncertainly.
He had a rough idea of the cause of the Ice and Fire Bow's tremor—it was likely due to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. After all, both shared the simultaneous existence of ice and fire elements, making some level of mutual sensing possible, much like how Stand users are naturally drawn to each other. (Jojo Reference!)
As for martial soul evolution, this was his speculation. The intense yearning he felt suggested that finding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would definitely bring some benefits. Strengthening the bow was a certainty. As for achieving a god-level martial soul, well, that was uncertain. The corpses of the two Dragon Kings were still there; who knew if they were completely dead or if remnants of their souls remained? If he could integrate those remnants, the possibility might exist.
Seeing Han Li's uncertain expression, Guang Ling decisively said, "In any case, it's a good thing, right?"
"Yes."
Han Li nodded. Regardless of whether the Ice and Fire Bow could evolve, reaching the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would mean immortal herbs within reach, which was undoubtedly a great benefit.
"Then there's no problem. Let's go. If anything unexpected happens, I'll clear the path for you with force!" Guang Ling said spiritedly. As he spoke, his martial soul appeared in his hand. He was eager for a fight, unsatisfied with just sparring with old comrades. A real battle would be a welcome change.
Han Li looked at his master, who was itching for action, with a mix of amusement and helplessness. He didn't know what to say—he couldn't exactly tell him to hold back a bit and not accidentally obliterate Dugu Bo in one hit.
"Let's go. I'll take you up into the air first."
This time, Guang Ling didn't lift him directly as before. Instead, he supported Han Li with his soul power, and the two ascended steadily, surveying the Sunset forest from above. As they reached mid-air, Han Li activated his eagle eyes, scanning the forest below for anything unusual.
At this time, it was noon, minimizing the interference of rising mist in the forest. The golden light in his right eye flickered as he fully activated his eagle eyes, and the distant scenery appeared in his vision.
It didn't take long for him to spot two areas where a significant amount of water vapor was rising, even at noon. A map appeared in his hand.
His fingers slid across the map as he looked at the terrain below, constantly comparing it in his mind. Finally, his finger stopped at a spot marked with a red "X" on the map. This should be the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, while the other was a known swamp, which could be preliminarily ruled out.
"It should be here. Alright, Master, let's go down," Han Li said with a smile, turning to Guang Ling.
"Alright."
When the two landed back on the ground, Guang Ling's eyes were inevitably drawn to the map. The spot where Han Li's finger had stopped was deep within Sunset Forest, and the surrounding area was marked with numerous poison symbols. No wonder no one had explored it deeply before.
"Poison? I wonder how strong it is," Guang Ling murmured.
As long as the poison didn't activate inside his body, he didn't worry too much. He could destroy poisonous creatures and plants directly, and his ice attribute had a certain restraining effect on poison.
"Let's check out the area first. If the perimeter of the poisonous miasma is extensive or highly toxic, we can try approaching from the air since you can fly, Master," Han Li suggested.
He had made some preparations before coming out. The plant manual given by Chrysanthemum Douluo recorded many poisonous flowers and plants, including the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes, and detailed methods to deal with the toxins they produced. So, dealing with the poisonous mist on the outskirts wasn't a difficult problem for him.
"Alright," Guang Ling nodded, agreeing with the plan.
With that, the two headed straight for the marked spot on the map.
Compared to Star Dou Forest, Sunset Forest was much smaller in area and had fewer high-level soul beasts. Confidently, Guang Ling released the aura of a titled Douluo, driving the soul beasts away.
In these circumstances, they advanced quickly and reached the perimeter marked with poison symbols on the map before sunset.
Guang Ling had also skimmed through the plant manual and recognized several toxic flowers and plants. He rose slightly into the air, surveyed the area ahead, and frowned. There were too many; this region was almost entirely covered by various poisonous entities.
"I'll fly you directly in. The area ahead is full of poisonous plants. Walking through would be a waste of time, and at night, the air is safer than the ground," Guang Ling said, looking at Han Li.
"Alright, Master. I also have some special antidotes here. Even if we approach from the air, it's safer to take them first," Han Li agreed immediately, taking out the prepared antidotes from his wristband and handing one to Guang Ling.
"When did you prepare these antidotes?" Guang Ling asked in surprise after taking the handmade pill and swallowing it.
"When I read the manual, I had a feeling they would be useful, so I prepared some in my spare time. Although they're not very potent, they can guard against common poisonous plants," Han Li replied, half truthfully.
Listening to Han Li's explanation, Guang Ling didn't know how to respond. Since the antidote was already in his stomach, there was no point in saying more. However, he felt that the chances of finding the immortal herb this time had increased.
Before the sky completely darkened, Guang Ling lifted Han Li onto his back, and their flying speed increased significantly. Han Li also opened his eagle eyes to provide real-time navigation for Guang Ling.
By the time the sky had fully darkened, they had approached the core area. From high above, they could faintly see a soft red glow, partially obscured by a mountain peak. If they hadn't already arrived and were not flying high, it would have been very difficult to notice.
"Master, hide your aura. Let's land quietly; there could be other dangers there," Han Li gently reminded Guang Ling, unable to conceal the joy on his face as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was right before them.
"You little rascal..."
Guang Ling didn't finish his sentence. He shook his head with a smile, restrained his aura entirely, and followed Han Li's advice, descending toward the area.
Silently, they flew over the mountain that obstructed their view and landed on a platform.
At this moment, neither of them spoke. They stood there, gazing down at the valley in a daze.
Perhaps due to the darkening sky, the central basin below revealed a sight to behold: an oval-shaped pool continuously emanated a massive amount of water vapor. The vapor rose to a certain height and then dispersed in all directions, making the entire basin look like it was shrouded in clouds and mist as if it were in a fairyland.
What made it even more remarkable was that the pool's water was distinctly divided into two different colors: vermilion and milky white. The rising water vapor came from the area where these two types of water met.
Around the pool, many peculiar plants gently swayed with the spreading mist, each emitting different lights in the night. As the mist waves passed over them, the various lights flickered, making it seem as if the entire basin was alive and breathing.
"So beautiful."
After a while, Guang Ling couldn't help but sigh softly. Han Li, standing beside him, nodded in agreement, acknowledging his master's sentiment.
Even though he had imagined the scenery here more than once and experienced various optical wonders in his past life, Han Li couldn't help but be momentarily entranced by the view below. This beauty belonged to life itself. He only snapped out of it when he felt the tremor of the Ice and Fire Bow and heard Guang Ling's voice.
"This must be the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well mentioned in that book. I didn't expect such a place to exist, and we found it."
After his initial exclamation, Guang Ling couldn't contain his excitement and wanted to fly down immediately.
Then, he realized his clothes were being tugged by Han Li. Confused, he turned back and asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Li? Hurry, let's go down. There must be treasures below."
Han Li looked helplessly at his master and said, "Master, didn't you notice there's someone down there?"
Guang Ling slapped his forehead in realization. He had been too excited and was still in a state of aura concealment, forgetting to check the situation below first. He immediately scanned the area with his mental power and let out a soft exclamation.
"Indeed, there is someone, and they're very strong, at the titled level. But their aura seems strange... Hmm? It looks like they're unconscious."
"Unconscious?"
Han Li nodded thoughtfully. That should be Dugu Bo.
His mental power was limited, and it was slightly suppressed here. He could only detect life signals but couldn't confirm the situation. He hurriedly pulled his master, thinking that Dugu Bo might be hiding below to launch a sneak attack.
"Let's go down and see who it is that has gotten here before us. It would be best to take this opportunity and finish him off," Guang Ling's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness as he spoke.
"Let's go down first and see the situation. Whether or not to kill him can be decided afterward, alright?" Han Li quickly tried to calm his master, believing that Guang Ling could do it, but it felt like a waste for a Titled Douluo to die so unclearly.
"What do you plan to do? Forget it, let's control him first and then decide."
Guang Ling was about to ask Han Li what he had in mind when he sensed that the person below seemed to be waking up. Without further delay, he grabbed Han Li and quickly descended.
As soon as Han Li's feet touched the ground, Guang Ling's figure disappeared instantly.
A muffled groan was heard, followed by Guang Ling's voice: "Alright, Xiao Li, I've got him under control. You can come over now."
Han Li opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. He quickly walked a few steps toward the sound, the mist dissipating with the airflow, revealing the scene ahead.
Guang Ling stood proudly to one side, holding his divine bow. At his feet was a human-sized block of ice, inside which a person with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth looked skyward in terror.
Han Li's mouth twitched. He jogged over to his master's side and examined the figure in the ice.
Inside the ice block was an elderly man in a gray robe, tall and thin, with disheveled hair and sunken cheeks. His beard and hair were all ink green, and his eyes shone a bright green, giving him a very eerie and sinister appearance. But with his eyes wide and mouth slightly open, he looked rather comical in his current state.
"I wondered who it was. So it's Dugu Bo, this rascal. Hmm, he's a master of using poison, and his martial spirit is the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. With all the poisonous flowers and herbs around here, it's not surprising he found this place, probably while searching for some poisonous herb."
Guang Ling pointed to the frozen Dugu Bo and introduced him to Han Li.
"Yes, I know. I've read reports about the Poison Douluo," Han Li nodded in response.
"Good thing we got here in time; otherwise, this treasure trove would have been his. Xiao Li, look around, all the immortal herbs recorded in that book are here. This time, we've struck it rich."
As Guang Ling spoke, he couldn't help but walk around, examining this and that. The smile on his face wouldn't fade. Fortunately, he had read the book about the immortal herbs, so although his memory wasn't very deep, he knew enough not to touch anything recklessly.
When he finished his round and returned, he found Han Li still standing in the same place, seriously examining the frozen Dugu Bo, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Xiao Li? What are you looking at? Can that old geezer be more adorable than these immortal herbs?"
Seeing his disciple ignoring him, Guang Ling's excitement at finding the immortal herbs diminished considerably. He couldn't help but wave a hand in front of Han Li's eyes.
Hearing Guang Ling's words, the eyes of the frozen Dugu Bo widened even further, seemingly very displeased. Han Li also finally stopped pretending, his expression quickly returning to normal.
"Master, the immortal herbs are right there; they won't run away, so there's no rush. But this Poison Douluo's situation is very interesting. If I'm not mistaken, he's about to be poisoned to death by his own poison," Han Li pointed to Dugu Bo on the ground.
"What did you say? He's almost poisoned himself to death? Isn't he a master of poisons? How could he get poisoned by his own poison?" Guang Ling looked at the fallen Dugu Bo on the ground, full of disbelief.
"You didn't hear wrong. He should be poisoned by his own martial soul's toxin, and he's heavily poisoned. Judging by this, his descendants probably aren't doing much better either," Han Li said seriously.
Hearing Han Li's confirmation, Guang Ling couldn't help but burst into laughter, and his laughter grew louder and louder.
"A Douluo titled 'Poison' is almost killed by his own poison. This is the funniest joke I've heard in my life. Dugu Bo, oh Dugu Bo, you really are hilarious!"
As he laughed, he squatted down beside Dugu Bo, slapping the surface of the ice block with a loud smack, seemingly finding it very amusing.
"Alright, Master, he is a Titled Douluo after all. We should still show some respect," Han Li walked over, pulling his master up and speaking helplessly.
"Respect for this fool who can poison himself to death? Oh, no, according to you, he even harmed his descendants," Guang Ling added with a chuckle. However, with Han Li's intervention, he stood up and stopped mocking the frozen Dugu Bo.
"Actually, his problem isn't that bad. It can still be fixed."
Han Li quickly interrupted Guang Ling, fearing that Dugu Bo might actually get so angry he dies, or that when he gets out, he would desperately fight Guang Ling.
"Oh, you have a way to save him?"
Hearing Han Li's words, Guang Ling became interested. A dying Dugu Bo wasn't important, but his apprentice's ideas were. Maybe it was another great discovery that could impact the world of soul masters.
"Of course. If it was before we discovered this place, it would be a bit difficult, but now, it's very easy to solve his problem," Han Li said confidently.
Inside the ice block, Dugu Bo was anxious, forcibly controlling his lips to move slightly, but he still couldn't make any movements or sounds.
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