Leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Tu Ya set off in grand style with six little ones in tow.
At first glance, one might easily mistake them all for Tu Ya's own children, given that they were all of very similar ages.
Merely passing by drew countless sideways glances, yielding a head-turning rate close to an astonishing one hundred percent.
Just as they were about to turn around and head back to the academy within Tiantou City, Chu Fei suddenly spoke up.
"Let's not return to the academy yet."
"Then where are we going?" Tu Ya asked directly.
She did not press for detailed reasons regarding Chu Fei's commands; her job was simply to carry them out. Overthinking things would only bring her needless frustration.
Nowadays, if one wanted a sufficient abundance of heavenly treasures and rare herbs, running around everywhere was certainly not a practical solution.
Even with the vast wealth and deep pockets of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, it was impossible for them to produce the massive stockpiles that would visibly be needed in the future.
Having a stable source of production would make things much better.
As luck would have it, on the Doulin Continent, such a place actually existed.
Looking at the boundless expanse of forest, Chu Fei smiled knowingly and pointed in a certain direction, saying, "Let's make a trip to Sunset Forest first."
"However, before we go in, let's pay a visit to Dugu Bo."
In Sunset Forest, there happened to be a precious treasure land known as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
However, although the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was exceptionally precious, the surrounding area was guarded by a terrifying and peerless poisonous formation. Rushing in without sufficient Soul Power would only reduce one to a puddle of bloody water.
With Dugu Bo around, things would become much simpler.
Outside Sunset Forest.
A bronze cup filled with clear wine was abruptly hurled onto the ground. Within the hot spring, a man leaned against the edge with a painful expression on his face, his mane of green hair slithering through the water like snakes as it drifted with the ripples.
The mist from the hot spring permeated the surroundings, blurring his vision for a moment. His throat sounded as hoarse as a broken string, and clear tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, leaving behind nothing but remorse and hatred.
The man muttered to himself in a state bordering on madness: "My son, your father failed you—"
"What Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, what number-one poison in the world—ha, you can't even protect your own child!"
"What use is there in becoming a Titled Douluo and defying the heavens?"
The iconic serpent-patterned ring on his ring finger bore witness to his identity.
The ultimate poison of the world, Titled Douluo Dugu Bo!
His decadent reflection rippled across the surface of the water, and Dugu Bo fiercely lashed out at it with his hand. Though he wished not to dwell on his chaotic thoughts, they echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Spirit Hall, they deserved to die!
During the turmoil three years ago, his daughter-in-law was killed by Spirit Hall, and his son was heavily injured by them. Although his son managed to escape, he ultimately perished because his injuries were too severe, leaving him unable to suppress the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison when his Jade Phosphor Snake martial soul backlashed.
He was left with only a solitary ten-year-old granddaughter who knew nothing of the world, asking him where her mother and father had gone.
Now thirteen years old, she was still in mourning for her parents. Immersed in grief, she had even neglected her cultivation.
Dugu Bo rose from the watery waves, turning his back to the mirror as he gazed at the scar across his back that almost split him in two, and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Not long ago, he had finally broken through to become a Titled Douluo, achieving this realm after spending the better part of his life, and his very first impulse was to seek revenge against Spirit Hall.
Let alone recreating the scene where Clear Sky Douluo wreaked havoc in Spirit Hall, he couldn't even get past Chrysanthemum Douluo; he had been defeated and forced to flee.
"Titled Douluo, might you come out for a word?"
A crisp voice from outside the formation drifted leisurely inward. Dugu Bo furrowed his brows, using his Soul Power to instantly evaporate the moisture from his skin, threw on his clothes, and walked out.
He was in a bad mood right now—extremely bad.
All sorts of bitter hatreds and grievances were piled together, and on top of that, someone was here to bother him.
Could it be people from Spirit Hall?
Whoever they were, he would just fight them!
Outside the array, seeing that her call had gone unanswered and just as she was about to continue, Tu Ya saw a hundred-meter frenzied python draped in green scales charge straight out from within!
Judging by its posture, it clearly wanted to fight them to the death.
A battle between Titled Douluo would inevitably affect the innocent.
After shifting and darting to swiftly send the others to a safe location, Tu Ya met the Titled Douluo head-on and became entangled in a fierce fight with him: "We are not here to fight you!"
Yet how could Dugu Bo possibly listen? He just charged forward blindly, roaring and striking: "Spirit Hall! You're courting death!"
Once the fight started, the injuries he had previously accumulated all erupted at once. Before they could even heal, new wounds were added, and as the protracted battle wore on, he grew increasingly outmatched against Tu Ya.
With a violent twist of his serpentine body, Dugu Bo stared coldly at Tu Ya and said, "Hmph, even if I die today, I won't let you people from Spirit Hall off easy!"
Tu Ya, too, reached her limit of patience and snapped at Dugu Bo: "Who would bring a few children along to fight you?! We are not from Spirit Hall at all!"
The air fell awkwardly silent for a moment. Dugu Bo snapped out of the overwhelming rage that had taken over him after his emotions flared, and re-examined the battlefield. Seeing the few little ones protected behind Tu Ya, he finally understood.
The group before him truly weren't people from Spirit Hall—who would have nothing better to do than deliberately leave themselves a few obvious openings?
However, he had no intention of offering any explanation for his own actions, merely gazing at Tu Ya with cold eyes: "You came here to find me not for a fight, then what was it for?"
Tu Ya stepped aside, allowing Chu Fei, who had been standing behind her, to step forward and look directly at Dugu Bo. A clear and resonant voice slowly rang out: "We came here to seek the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and to establish a sect."
They wanted the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?
Dugu Bo laughed out of sheer anger, coughing a few times as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Other people only ever come asking for herbs and nothing more. The lot of you have actually set your sights on my Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
"Even if you kill me today, I will never give this place to you!"
It was simply laughable. With the poisonous array here today, if the woman before him chose to fight him to the death, he had at least a sixty percent chance of making her spend the rest of her miserable life paying the ultimate price with his own life.
Dugu Bo's attitude was exceptionally resolute, leaving virtually no room for negotiation.
Tu Ya shook her head, feeling that reasoning with him was impossible, and looked toward Chu Fei: "This guy has a totally stubborn mind; there's no reasoning with him."
Chu Fei was not surprised by Dugu Bo's reaction. He simply told Tu Ya not to be impatient yet—if Dugu Bo refused, it was only because he hadn't been offered what he truly wanted.
Seeing Dugu Bo gradually approaching, he finally spoke slowly: "I have a method that can rid you of the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison within your body, and even cure the poison on your granddaughter, Dugu Yan, so that neither of you will ever have to suffer from snake venom again."
Swish!
The serpentine body stopped dead in its tracks. Dugu Bo's figure landed on the ground, his gold-flecked serpent pupils staring fixedly at Chu Fei as his chest heaved with heavy breaths: "What you said—is it true?"
"What is the method to detoxify the poison?! Tell me quickly!"
He couldn't afford not to be anxious. Although the Jade Phosphor Snake martial soul was formidable, its most fatal flaw was that the backlash it caused was exceptionally violent.
Unflustered and unhurried, Chu Fei gradually released the Sea of Blood, causing the surrounding environment to shift, become tainted, and assimilate accordingly.
He slowly raised his head, looking up at Dugu Bo as he said, "This is the Sea of Blood, and it can transform a Soul Master's constitution."
"I can transform the two of you into the Blood Poison Divine Physique. Once transformed, your original Jade Phosphor Snake Poison will no longer be able to afflict you."