"From now on, I'll spend every rest day at home learning poison arts from my grandfather. Lü Buliang, the day you fall will come soon. Just wait — I'll reclaim the victories I lost to you!"
That was what Dugu Yan said to Lü Buliang when she gave him the Ruyi Treasure Bag. Yet Lü Buliang wasn't concerned about whether Dugu Yan could win back their matches — what he cared about was the fact that from now on, every rest day, Dugu Yan would be at home learning from Dugu Bo.
What did this mean?
It meant that every rest day, Dugu Bo would stay at his home in Heaven Dou City, instead of cultivating near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest.
This gave Lü Buliang an opportunity: he could head to Sunset Forest on a rest day, find the poison formation, and enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to gather rare herbs.
Clinging to this plan, Lü Buliang finally made it to the next rest day.
Today, both students and teachers were free.
Ye Lingling stayed in her dormitory, tending carefully to the flowers and herbs she grew.
Yu Tianheng, Oslo, Yufeng, and the Shi brothers (Shi Mo and Shi Mo) claimed they were going to the Great Spirit Arena, but in reality, they went off to enjoy the hedonistic luxuries of noble life.
Dugu Yan returned home to study poison techniques under her grandfather, Dugu Bo.
It was early in the morning, just after sunrise, when Lü Buliang left the academy. He hired a carriage and set off toward Sunset Forest near Heaven Dou City.
Sunset Forest — Entrance
Finally arriving at his destination, Lü Buliang gazed excitedly at the dense forest ahead. After nearly two months of planning, he might finally catch a glimpse of the legendary herbs today.
Dugu Yan had mentioned that her grandfather often trained and refined poisons deep within the forest, rarely staying at home.
The venom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent had a very distinct, nauseating stench that could cause dizziness — a smell Lü Buliang had become familiar with during combat training.
Thanks to these battles and the antidote pills he had obtained from Dugu Yan, as well as the protective gear and antidotes he had purchased at the auction, he was fully prepared.
Checking the supplies stored in his soul tool ring, Lü Buliang stepped into Sunset Forest, following a narrow woodland trail.
He activated his second soul skill, Shadow Attack, transforming into a shadow and melding into the ground. This boosted his speed by 50%, allowing him to rush swiftly toward the forest's depths.
In his shadow state, he could ignore terrain obstacles, was immune to physical attacks, and could even mask his presence from spiritual detection. Only those with exceptional eyesight could hope to spot him.
Flashing shadows zipped by too quickly for nearby soul beasts to react. Even speed-type beasts that noticed him had difficulty attacking, because his shadow form could teleport between shadows within a 100-meter radius, easily evading pursuit.
Still, Lü Buliang knew he had to monitor his spirit power and stamina carefully. Otherwise, he risked being ambushed by a powerful soul beast.
His goal was clear: move as fast as possible toward the forest's core, using the faint smell of venom to locate the Jade Phosphor Poison Formation.
Sunset Forest was home to many poisonous soul beasts — such as the Man-faced Demon Spider, Pink Lady, Dragon Scorpion, and Centipede King.
During theory classes, Elder Zhilin had explained the various toxins and attack methods of these beasts. Each poison had a unique smell. For example, Pink Ladies produced a sweet-scented pink mist, while Man-faced Demon Spiders used leg toxins that were corrosive and neurotoxic.
Fortunately, Lü Buliang was very familiar with the Jade Phosphor Serpent's poison, having fought in its mist and taken antidote pills derived from it.
The foul stench he smelled now was unmistakably that same venom.
Following the scent trail deeper into the forest, Lü Buliang spent the better part of the day trekking forward until he finally reached a valley nestled between towering hills.
Canceling his shadow form, he surveyed the valley from afar. Thick, swirling mist filled the basin, accompanied by occasional eerie cries of beasts, creating a deadly, ambush-like atmosphere.
Before him stretched a field of dense, dark green poison mist — the legendary Jade Phosphor Poison Formation set up by Dugu Bo.
The poison here was incredibly potent. The rule of thumb: the deeper and more vibrant the color, the stronger the toxin.
This mist was so dense that it was visibly green to the naked eye — a testament to its lethal concentration. Anyone who entered unprotected would die within moments.
Lü Buliang used his first soul skill, Shadow Lock, to detect shadows within a hundred meters. He found that the poison formation stretched far beyond this area, covering an entire mountain range.
Whatever was hidden within this "safe zone" was likely the rare herbs Dugu Bo painstakingly cultivated.
The formation acted like a shield, completely blocking access. Flying overhead wasn't an option — if it were that easy to bypass, the formation would be meaningless.
Digging underground might work, but Sunset Forest was rife with burrowing soul beasts, making it a dangerous alternative.
After careful analysis, Lü Buliang decided that the only feasible way was to go through the poison mist head-on.
Focusing his spirit power forward, he once again activated Shadow Lock, extending his detection range from 100 meters to 300 meters.
Within that range, the poison mist was still dense. His shadow teleportation skill had a 100-meter limit, so he'd have to get closer before he could teleport into the safe zone.
"Dugu Yan once said her antidote pills could allow someone to survive in her Jade Phosphor mist for about 30 minutes. Although her grandfather's venom is stronger, the antidote should still grant me some resistance for a brief time," Lü Buliang recalled.
However, against Dugu Bo's much stronger poison, each antidote pill would only offer about one minute of protection — possibly less.
"In shadow form, I move 50 meters per second. If a pill grants me just one second of resistance, I can cover 50 meters."
"I have two antidote pills, so I might survive for about three seconds."
Calculations finished, Lü Buliang laid out his backup plans.
He stabbed a red-tasseled dagger into the ground at the forest edge, coated his body with anti-snake venom powder, and prepared recovery potions and teleportation failsafes. If anything went wrong, he could instantly teleport back to the dagger's shadow.
After double-checking his equipment and strategy for half an hour, he finally gathered his courage.
He swallowed an antidote pill, shifted into shadow form, and charged into the green mist at full speed.
The moment he entered, countless poisonous particles invaded his body. Shadow form could negate physical attacks, but not poisoning.
Fortunately, his soul power filtered some of the toxins, while the antidote pill countered the rest.
One second passed. The antidote's effect weakened but still held.
Two seconds. He swallowed his second antidote pill, gaining two more seconds.
Originally, he planned to cover 200 meters in two seconds, but now, with four seconds, he could sprint over 300 meters — and the mist covered exactly that much!
As the last traces of antidote protection faded, Lü Buliang burst through the other side of the poison mist and landed safely within the formation's safe zone.
Reverting to human form, he staggered and nearly collapsed from the disorienting sprint but quickly regained balance.
He brushed the clinging poisonous powder off his clothes, grimacing at the nauseating stench it emitted.
Shaking his head vigorously to clear his mind, Lü Buliang pulled a detox potion from his soul ring and drank a few gulps. The remaining toxins In his body were neutralized, and his mind cleared almost instantly.
Feeling refreshed, he surveyed his surroundings.
Inside the safe zone, the air was clean and fresh, free from any venomous threat — a stark contrast to the deadly mist outside.
The real treasure trove lay ahead.
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