Both Gu Yi and Dugu Bo were busy—one preoccupied with alchemy, the other focused on cultivation. Despite this, they remained aware of their surroundings. After sensing that the Blue Silver King had subdued the intruder, they decided not to intervene.
The Blue Silver King, however, did not kill Tang San outright. It knew this was an opportunity to showcase its usefulness. Since it was living under the protection of others and wasn't as powerful as them, it decided to leave this matter in their hands. For the Blue Silver King, suspending a person was not difficult. It maintained a level of pressure that would cause Tang San pain without immediately killing him. The main intent was to torture.
Tang San was left hanging for several days, unable to heal his injuries. Every time he tried to circulate his Mysterious Heaven Technique, the vines would interrupt the process. He was utterly helpless with no way to escape.
Finally, Dugu Bo, having completed absorbing the pill, emerged from his room. The first sight that greeted him was Tang San, still hanging from the Blue Silver King's vines. Dugu Bo's hand glowed with a green poison as he spoke.
"I didn't expect anyone to be able to enter this place from the mountaintop," Dugu Bo said. He had no intention of giving Tang San any chance to explain or speak. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was his greatest fortune, and no outsider could be allowed to discover it. Otherwise, it would bring enormous risks to both him and Gu Yi. Dugu Bo knew that they alone couldn't stand against all the Titled Douluo on the continent, especially since poison's effectiveness diminishes at their level.
"Next time, don't let your curiosity get the better of you in the afterlife," Dugu Bo said coldly. He unleashed his poison, not giving Tang San any opportunity to defend himself. Regardless of who Tang San was or his background, coming here was his gravest mistake.
Tang San let out a scream. It was ironic that someone so skilled in using poison would ultimately die from it. Even as he thought this, Tang San did not give up and frantically circulated his Mysterious Heaven Technique. The vines binding him quickly released him, as the Blue Silver King didn't want to be harmed by Dugu Bo's potent poison. The Blue Silver King might have strong life force, but it wasn't foolish enough to test its limits against Dugu Bo's venom.
Tang San collapsed to the ground, and Dugu Bo didn't even glance at him again. Anyone who was poisoned by him, unless they were at the level of a Titled Douluo, had no chance of survival. In his perception, this young man was merely a Spirit Elder. He couldn't possibly survive.
"Get out and die elsewhere," Dugu Bo said as he kicked the nearly unconscious Tang San. Like kicking a football, Tang San's body flew out, passing through the poison mist to the outside world.
Dugu Bo was never one to show mercy. Tang San had trespassed into his domain, and that brief flash of killing intent he sensed was as noticeable as a bright light in the dark. If not for his improved mood from his recovered vitality, Dugu Bo might have tortured Tang San a bit more before killing him.
Inside the room, Gu Yi closed his eyes. His perception of the outside world was even sharper than Dugu Bo's, and he had noticed Tang San's approach before anyone else. He was somewhat surprised that Tang San managed to find his way here even without Dugu Bo's guidance. However, the Blue Silver King's performance was satisfactory. Gu Yi had originally planned to kill it to gain its spirit ring once Lin Qing reached the appropriate level. But now, he thought he could delay that plan.
Without further concern, Gu Yi returned his focus to alchemy. This time, the difficulty of the process exceeded that of the previous attempts. The fusion of the two immortal herb essences was especially challenging, requiring additional medicinal ingredients as harmonizers. Gu Yi had to maintain an intense level of concentration; any lapse could ruin the entire batch, and while the other ingredients could be replaced, the two immortal herbs were one-of-a-kind.
The alchemy process took even longer than Gu Yi had anticipated, lasting a full seventeen days. Finally, the essence within the cauldron solidified into pills. There were nine pills in total, and this experience had nearly exhausted all of Gu Yi's alchemical techniques. Yet, it also allowed him to improve his alchemy skills, as well as his control over his spiritual and soul power. Alchemy, while not a form of combat, could be even more mentally exhausting. The true challenge lay in endurance, and in the end, Gu Yi had succeeded.
...
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing and the others, having completed their mission, were on their way back to the academy. On the road, they encountered a person in an extremely pitiful state.
"Zhuqing, look at that person," Ning Rongrong remarked. Although she had changed a lot, her curiosity as a young girl remained. The others had noticed the figure ahead as well, but only she spoke up.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Zhuqing, being an agile spirit master, had sharper observation skills than Ning Rongrong and had already spotted the figure. The person's clothes were tattered, and the exposed skin was festering with green marks on the right arm, which hung lifelessly. The partially visible side of the face was scarred, and a murderous aura emanated from the figure. It was unclear whether this aura came from hunting spirit beasts or killing people. It was evident that this was not someone to be trifled with.
"Could it be a fallen spirit master?" Ning Rongrong wondered. Through their training over the past few months, they had encountered some dangerous individuals, but none with an aura as violent and fierce as this one.
"Shut up," Dugu Yan, who was leading the group, snapped. Having more experience in outdoor training, Dugu Yan, who was five or six years older than the others, understood the importance of not making casual judgments about strangers in the wilderness, especially when the person's background was unknown. Moreover, she could sense the danger emanating from this person. It was best to avoid any involvement.
The man ahead seemed to have overheard their conversation, and with a few quick leaps, he disappeared from their sight.
"Rongrong, you must always be cautious and careful in the Spirit Beast Forest. Even an unassuming plant could end your life," Dugu Yan advised. After all, she was responsible for the entire team now that Gu Yi wasn't around, and she couldn't allow one person's carelessness to endanger everyone.
"Understood, Sister Yan," Ning Rongrong replied, realizing that her behavior could have put the entire team in jeopardy.
However, Oscar looked thoughtfully in the direction where the man had disappeared. The belt he wore seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Heaven Dou City was only about a hundred miles from the Sunset Forest, so they arrived back at the academy in less than a day. Gu Yi also emerged at the right time. He was pleased to see that his companions had developed a more formidable aura and had shed their former arrogance, especially Ning Rongrong, who had changed the most.
"Welcome back!" Gu Yi greeted them warmly.
(End Of Chapter)