With his strength as an 89th-level Soul Douluo, even with Jiang Xuan as a "burden," Long Gong's travel speed was extremely fast, not to mention the added support of his wife, Chao Tianxiang, who was also a Martial Soul Fusion user.
Soon the three of them arrived at Sunset Forest.
Sunset Forest is a forest of towering trees that stretch as far as the eye can see, making it impossible for outsiders to see the interior from above.
Of course, Jiang Xuan also thought that no fool would fly high up into the interior of Sunset Forest. That wouldn't be showing off; it would be courting death. Not to mention a Soul Douluo and a Soul Emperor, even Dugu Bo himself, as a Title Douluo, wouldn't dare to act recklessly. Sunset Forest doesn't have any 100,000-year-old soul beasts, but several high-level 10,000-year-old soul beasts working together would still be deadly.
Upon reaching the entrance, the three landed and prepared to walk in. Only when Jiang Xuan got closer did he realize that the original novel's description was truly inaccurate; the scale of Sunset Forest was far beyond what could be described as hundreds of square kilometers.
In fact, you can tell from the size of the soul beast. Take the Titan Giant Ape as an example. Its height is like a small mountain. The range of activity it needs in the previous life would probably be the area of a province or city. So you can imagine that the Star Dou Great Forest is definitely larger than the entire Blue Star.
Otherwise, the survival chain of soul beasts would not be enough to support it, and there are many other 100,000-year-old soul beasts besides the Titan Giant Ape.
Without saying much, Meng Shu led Jiang Xuan and the other man into the Sunset Forest, keeping their breath low. Logically speaking, with the Dragon Duke's formidable strength, he could easily defeat any soul beast over 60,000 years old. However, since his grandfather chose to proceed quietly to their destination, Jiang Xuan was naturally not foolish enough to ask why they needed to proceed slowly.
Reverence was the first lesson he learned after transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, because you never know if a disheveled homeless person on the street is some kind of Ultimate Douluo, nor do you know if a seemingly harmless soul beast will take your life in the next second.
Soul Masters who lack reverence, aside from the protagonist's halo, rarely survive to the end. Reality doesn't care how talented you are or how powerful your backing is.
As a cautious yet courageous player, Jiang Xuan always kept reverence in mind. When faced with a dilemma, he would furrow his brow and come up with a plan.
In this fantasy world, whoever survives to the end is the winner.
...
"They're here!"
"Grandpa, what's here?"
Deep in the forest, a simple wooden cabin stood beside a lake, surrounded by spiritual energy, but strangely, not a single spirit beast could be seen around.
A strange smell permeated the air, as if the spirit beasts hated and avoided this place.
Inside the house, a girl with long, dark hair smiled sweetly and asked, "Grandpa, you're playing riddles with me again. You promised to stay with me in the forest a little longer, so tell me what the surprise is."
The man addressed as "Grandpa" did not appear old at all; on the contrary, he possessed the vigor and spirit of a middle-aged man. At this moment, Dugu Bo was looking at his beloved granddaughter with a doting expression.
He patted her head and said, "We have guests, so I need to go and greet them."
"What guest?"
Dugu Yan was somewhat surprised. What kind of guest required her grandfather to greet him? Could it be that he was also a Title Douluo?
But I've never seen Grandpa have any friends like that.
Dugu Bo didn't say much. He opened the door and leaped towards the direction he sensed. After all, he had poisoned the core area of Sunset Forest, and it wouldn't be good if the guests got hurt.
The woman still had some relationship with him in a strict sense. Since her husband said he was confident about Yan Yan's situation, he certainly wouldn't be making fun of him.
Since it concerned his granddaughter, Dugu Bo could not afford the slightest mistake. His son and daughter-in-law had already died young from the poison of the Jade Scale Serpent, and he really did not want to see Yan Yan follow in her parents' footsteps.
It's hard to imagine that a Title Douluo would hate his own Martial Soul so much!
The Azure Serpent King, a top-tier martial soul that outsiders greatly envy, became a lifelong regret for the old man, Dugu Bo.
...
"arrive"
Long Gong stopped first, and Chao Tianxiang, who was behind him, naturally understood her husband's meaning and signaled Jiang Xuan to stop as well.
Dugu Bogui is a titled Douluo, so he couldn't possibly be unaware of who was coming here. Moreover, the fog barrier in front of him was not something that could be easily broken through. Don't forget that his title is "Poison".
Staying here to wait is both a sign of respect for the other party and an act of protecting Jiang Xuan.
But can the poison really harm him?
With a try-it-and-see attitude, Jiang Xuan had an idea. He wanted to see if his Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame could also have a restraining effect on poisonous gas and evil spirits, just like it did in another world.
"Azure Lotus!"
Two spirit rings appeared after a hundred years, and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame immediately enveloped his entire body. Under Jiang Xuan's control, he used the strange fire to condense and envelop his fist, which he then thrust into the poisonous creature.
If Dugu Bo were to personally control the poisonous fog barrier, he would not be so reckless, but some unconscious residue does not need to be exaggerated.
He wanted to test his point of view.
"Little Xuanzi, don't be reckless!"
"It's nothing, Grandpa. I just wanted to see how far my martial soul awakening has progressed."
Just as Long Gong was about to stop him, Jiang Xuan had already reached into the poison barrier.
The moment the flames and poison gas came into contact, a hissing sound was heard, and the poison gas in that area was instantly burned away.
"Is that really the case?"
Jiang Xuan withdrew his fist. It wasn't that the verification results were bad; on the contrary, the strange fire's ability to suppress the poisonous gas still existed, but it seemed to be missing something.
The remaining 1% fusion rate seems to have not only prevented the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame Martial Soul from reaching its full potential, but also caused it to lose the spirituality of the strange fire itself.
It was as if someone had forcibly suppressed it.
Seeing that Jiang Xuan had withdrawn his arm as if nothing had happened, Chao Tianxiang breathed a sigh of relief, then scolded, "You brat, you can't stand not worrying an old person, can you?"
The Dragon Lord did not speak, but the trembling eyelids of his tightly closed eyes spoke volumes.
What should we do in this situation?
If you make a mistake, stand up straight and take the punishment; that's all.
Jiang Xuan silently lowered his head, looking as if he knew he was wrong but would probably do it again next time, as he approached his grandmother.
"Pfft"
"Fine, fine, I can't do anything with you anymore, okay?"
"Okay, I won't do it again next time (I promise next time)"
"Stop being so glib. His Majesty Dugu is already here. Little Xuanzi, don't be so nervous that you can't speak later. After all, you still have to talk to His Majesty about the deal yourself," Long Gong reminded him.
Jiang Xuan nodded in agreement. He was also eager to see what the charismatic old poison master from the original novel looked like.
As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful echo came from afar, as if it could be heard all around the forest.
"Dragon Lord and Snake Lady, you have traveled a long way to Sunset Forest. I hope you will forgive me for not being able to greet you properly!"
"Your Majesty Dugu, you flatter us. We, Meng Shu, have come with my wife and grandson to bother you. Please forgive us."
Meng Shu bowed slightly, showing respect to Dugu Bo. Although Dugu Bo was older, Meng Shu still had to observe proper etiquette.
(End of chapter)