Dugu Bo himself did not know exactly what those two herbs growing at the twin cores of the Icefire Yin Yang Well were.
He only knew that one contained the poison of extreme cold, and the other the poison of blazing heat.
Both were among the rarest and deadliest of toxins — so potent that even he, a man who had studied poisons for decades, dared not touch them lightly.
Yet now, those two poisonous immortal herbs had vanished at the same time.
"Someone really has been here… but who?"
Dugu Bo frowned, his thoughts dark and uneasy.
"Could it be that boy?"
"No… impossible!"
Even if that youngster's flames could barely burn through his Bilin Serpent Poison Array, there was no way he could have found this hidden place.
"Then could there have been someone else with Chrysanthemum Douluo?"
As he stared at the twin springs — their surfaces slowly calming once more — Dugu Bo's own emotions gradually settled as well.
His battle with Yue Guan had been perilous and intense.
There was, after all, a clear gap in their strength, and in the end, he had still been forced into retreat.
This time, Yue Guan had pursued him relentlessly, clearly intending to end things once and for all.
To keep the Icefire Yin Yang Well from being exposed, Dugu Bo had fled at top speed toward the forest's outer edges, luring Yue Guan away from Sunset Forest.
Only after laying down a series of deceptive poison arrays to throw Yue Guan off his trail did he circle back to his hidden domain — a delay that had cost him precious time.
Meanwhile, when Yan had been harvesting the immortal herbs, he had done so with meticulous care — taking only what he needed, leaving the roots intact, and disturbing nothing around them.
As a result, though Dugu Bo sensed that something was off, he could not immediately tell how many plants had gone missing.
Only the two herbs at the very heart of the twin springs were unmistakably absent — their disappearance impossible to overlook.
"The water just now was rippling oddly… did something fall in? Could it be the thief?"
"Those two herbs are so toxic that even I dare not handle them casually, yet some fool actually tried to steal them?"
A cold, mocking laugh escaped his lips.
"If that thieving brat really fell into the springs of ultimate heat and cold, he'd melt into pus in an instant — not even bones would remain."
"To dare steal my herbs… truly courting death! Hahaha!"
Amusement twisted his features into a smug grin.
By now, several minutes had passed since he had descended into the valley.
If anyone had fallen into the springs, they would long since have been dissolved away.
Casting a final glance around, Dugu Bo muttered to himself:
"To lose to that damned Chrysanthemum Douluo again… how infuriating! That battle drained a great deal of my soul power. I'll need to recover quickly. Since someone has managed to find this place, I must be even more cautious from now on."
His figure flickered and vanished, leaving the valley as he returned to a cave higher up the mountain to cultivate and restore his strength.
Beneath the twin springs, Yan floated in a tranquil embrace of heat and cold.
To his surprise, his body felt extraordinarily comfortable.
The energies of the Icefire Yin Yang Well perfectly complemented the twin toxins within him, greatly accelerating the absorption of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot, allowing their opposing forces to merge and integrate into his body.
But Yan knew this soothing sensation would not last long.
The medicinal power of those two immortal herbs was terrifying in its intensity — if the transformation occurred too quickly, his body would not withstand it.
Sure enough—
Moments later, the two opposing forces of ice and fire erupted violently, clashing within him with explosive power.
Unable to circulate his Tai Chi Harmonizing Technique underwater, Yan had no way to resist.
Before he could react, darkness overtook him, and he lost consciousness.
Elsewhere—
Yue Guan rushed back to the hotel in Tokes City, only to find it empty.
There was no trace of Yan.
He had been personally tasked with protecting the young man on this mission.
If anything had happened to Yan, he would be unable to explain himself to Bibi Dong.
"What's going on with that boy? Didn't I tell him to return first? He was already safe when I left… could something have happened on the way back?"
Anxiety gnawed at Yue Guan's heart.
He searched every corner of Tokes City through the night, but found nothing.
Gradually, a grim possibility formed in his mind — perhaps Yan had never returned to the city at all.
If he was still somewhere in Sunset Forest…
and if he had crossed paths with that devious, venomous Dugu Bo—
Then the consequences could be fatal.
Without another moment's hesitation, Yue Guan turned back toward Sunset Forest, flying at full speed.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo, in the midst of meditation, suddenly sensed Yue Guan's familiar aura approaching once more.
Without hesitation, he shot out from his cave.
This was his lair — home to his most treasured herbs.
He would never allow Yue Guan to discover it.
Yue Guan, still scouring the forest for any trace of Yan, felt Dugu Bo's presence surge nearby.
"Elder Du, stop skulking around! Come out!"
Exposed, Dugu Bo appeared before him in a flash.
Seeing the faint anxiety on Yue Guan's face, and recalling the missing herbs from the day before, he suddenly grew gleeful.
A mocking smirk curled his lips as he drawled:
"Well, well, Chrysanthemum Douluo — back again, are you? Looks like you're searching for someone.
That brat didn't make it back, did he?"
Yue Guan's temper flared instantly at the sight of Dugu Bo's smug expression.
"Elder Du, what's it to you!"
He had neither the patience nor the mood to exchange blows, nor to glean information from him.
Dugu Bo sneered coldly:
"Stop looking, Chrysanthemum Douluo. That boy's probably already dead."
"What did you say?! You've seen him?!"
Yue Guan's eyes widened, tension rippling through him.
"Didn't see him," Dugu Bo replied with a cruel chuckle.
"But if he lost his way in the forest, maybe some soul beast made a meal of him. Hahahaha—!"
His laughter rang out, rich with pride.
Inwardly, Dugu Bo was even more certain now — the figure he had seen fall into the springs the previous day was likely the very same young soul master Yue Guan was searching for.
If that were true, then the youth had long since been reduced to a pool of foul liquid, his body melted into the depths of the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
But Yue Guan's instincts screamed otherwise.
Something about Dugu Bo's words didn't add up.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Dugu Bo had indeed seen Yan — and that Yan had never left Sunset Forest at all.
Yet, considering Yan's ability to fly and his strength as a Soul King, it was impossible for him to simply be eaten by a soul beast.
That left only one explanation — Dugu Bo was lying.
Yue Guan's eyes blazed with fury, his voice low and sharp:
"Elder Du, do you even know who that young soul master is?
If you've harmed him in any way, I swear by Spirit Hall — your entire Dugu clan will be erased from this world!"
At those words, Dugu Bo's heart jolted.
He had always been arrogant and unrestrained, unafraid of any foe.
The only thing he truly cared about in this world was his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, I've told you — I haven't seen him. Believe it or don't.
If you've got business elsewhere, then we'll settle our scores another day."
With that, Dugu Bo's body blurred into a streak of green light, vanishing into the forest.
Yue Guan did not give chase.
He resumed his search, combing the forest for any sign of Yan.
Only after confirming Yue Guan had left did Dugu Bo return once more to the valley beneath the cliff.
Standing before the calm twin springs, he murmured to himself:
"Boy, you've only yourself to blame.
You shouldn't have tried to steal from me.
If you lost your life for it… you got what you deserved."
But what Dugu Bo did not know—was that before he returned, Yan had already left the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
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