After digging up the Blue Silver Emperor, Wang Li now had a backup option for his ninth spirit ring and brought her back to the Sunset Forest.
Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
After passing through the poisonous barrier outside, Wang Li entered the valley. He was not sure whether Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were present at the time.
He did not dare to probe recklessly. In case they were in seclusion, he instead released his aura at the valley entrance to notify them.
A moment later, a figure rushed out of the valley. She threw herself onto Wang Li, wrapping her jade-like arms around his neck. Her long, fair legs coiled around his waist, her entire body clinging to him.
Dugu Yan pressed her face against his and gently rubbed it, saying softly,
"I missed you. You took so long to come back."
Wang Li held her by the waist and smiled,
"It's not easy to find someone who can fight me now, so I stayed in the far north for a while. Sister Yan Yan, why didn't Grandpa come out?"
Without hesitation, Dugu Yan replied,
"Grandpa isn't here. Over the past few years, Emperor Xue Ye may have overworked himself. Not long ago, his body suddenly collapsed. Even many imperial physicians were helpless. In the end, Prince Xue Xing invited Grandpa over as well. Since you weren't around, I've been cultivating here the whole time."
Wang Li narrowed his eyes. A few years ago, Emperor Xue Ye had still been in his prime,how could he suddenly collapse from overwork? Most likely, Qian Renxue was already impatient to take the throne.
But what interested him more was:
"Oh, so Grandpa isn't here…"
Wang Li's hands, which were around Dugu Yan's waist, slowly moved downward, clearly not just to support her.
"Mmm…"
Dugu Yan blushed, still leaning in his embrace.
…
At the center of the valley, at the spring of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Wang Li took out the Blue Silver Emperor from a bamboo tube and planted her at the boundary between the hot and cold springs, where the two energies were most balanced and dense.
He then summoned his martial soul and used a spirit skill to release life energy, helping her adapt to the new environment more quickly.
Behind him, Dugu Yan, her cheeks still slightly flushed, watched curiously. After he finished, she asked in confusion,
"What is this? It's not any immortal herb I recognize. It just looks like ordinary Blue Silver Grass."
Wang Li smiled and explained,
"This is a Blue Silver Grass with exceptional talent. I want to use the special effect of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, which accelerates plant growth, to help her mature quickly."
"For now, I'll let her grow naturally. In the future, if needed, I can use my domain and the Blue Silver Grass of the entire Sunset Forest to nurture her into a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Dugu Yan suddenly understood. When Wang Li needed it, he would have reached level ninety spirit power and would require a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring.
She then added,
"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well is indeed magical. It can make plants grow a thousand times faster. Some of the immortal herbs we once consumed have already sprouted again from the seeds we scattered."
"This Blue Silver Grass might take only a few years to develop, but becoming a true hundred-thousand-year soul beast won't be easy."
Wang Li nodded, then stood up. Circulating his spirit power, his right arm glowed as he created a Blue Silver clone. He said,
"I'll let the clone take care of it, so I don't have to watch it every day. Sister Yan Yan, do you still want to cultivate? Or should we go into the city and let Grandpa know I'm back?"
Stretching her graceful figure, Dugu Yan smiled,
"I won't cultivate for now. Let's go into the city. It's been a long time since I went shopping,today's a good chance."
Soon, Wang Li and Dugu Yan left hand in hand.
As for the Blue Silver clone, it merged into the Blue Silver Emperor's body, allowing Wang Li to monitor her condition at any time.
Heaven Dou City!
Even after such a long absence, it was still as prosperous as ever. As the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, if it ever declined, there would hardly be any prosperous cities left on the Douluo Continent.
Wang Li accompanied Dugu Yan shopping,buying clothes and jewelry, eating and drinking,until evening fell, and they finally returned home.
They met Dugu Bo, who was delighted to see Wang Li back. He had been invited by the royal family to treat Emperor Xue Ye, but after examining him, he concluded that in the entire Douluo Continent, only Wang Li might be able to save him.
Dugu Bo said with a smile,
"Xiao Li, it's good that you're back. Emperor Xue Ye can be saved now. I don't know if Yan Yan told you,he's collapsed from overwork and is extremely weak."
Wang Li nodded,
"She told me. Judging from your expression, Grandpa, it seems there's more to it."
Dugu Bo's expression turned serious as he said,
"That's right. There's more to it. Emperor Xue Ye has been poisoned, which is why he's so weak. Sitting in that position, one must guard against both open and hidden threats, but in the end, he couldn't escape the poison hidden in the shadows."
"Publicly, it's said to be overwork just to avoid panic. This poison isn't a single type,it's a mixture of many. Even with my expertise, I can't identify each one, and their combination is ever-changing. I have no solution."
"Perhaps only your miraculous second spirit skill can help. It can suppress the poison in our bodies and even bring people back from the dead. Even if it's a mixed poison, it should be able to forcefully suppress it."
By this point, Wang Li's thoughts had already drifted far away. He knew that if he saved Emperor Xue Ye, he would inevitably become a potential enemy of the Spirit Hall.
But he was not afraid. His current strength was enough to roam the continent freely.
When he was weak, he had no choice but to go with the flow. But now that he was strong, it was time to think about the future.
The Spirit Hall's ambition to unify the continent might not be a bad thing,it could reduce conflicts.
However, since Wang Li was not one of them, he would be seen as an enemy.
That was troublesome. Having lived in this world for so many years, he had focused solely on growing stronger. Now that he had power, he thought:
"If I have this power, why can't I use it to end all conflicts on the continent according to my own will?"
"But I should wait. Acting now would make me a target for everyone. When war breaks out in the future, I will use absolute power to sweep away all enemies and bring lasting peace."
Returning to his thoughts, Wang Li looked at Dugu Bo and said,
"Grandpa, I should be able to suppress the poison in Emperor Xue Ye. You can ask the royal family. When I have time, I'll enter the palace and treat him."
Dugu Bo nodded with a smile. Aside from owing Prince Xue Xing a favor, he was also a royal guest of the Heaven Dou Empire and could not just stand by and watch the emperor die.
"That's good. It should be within the next couple of days."
…
Also in Heaven Dou City, at Yuexuan.
This was another academy for noble children, but instead of cultivation, it taught etiquette, posture, and refined interests.
At dusk, Tang Hao, disheveled, unkempt, and dressed in ragged clothes, arrived at the entrance with Tang San, who looked just as rough and carried a strong killing aura.
Looking like beggars, they were immediately stopped by the guards.
"Move along, move along! This isn't a place for begging. Go outside the city,there's a place there where porridge is given to beggars."
As one guard moved to push Tang Hao, a flash of killing intent appeared in Tang San's eyes. In just a few moves, he crippled the guard's arms, causing him to scream in agony.
The gray light in Tang San's eyes intensified as he was about to release his Eight Spider Lances to devour life energy for cultivation,something he often did in the Slaughter City.
But Tang Hao suddenly spoke,
"Xiao San."
The gray light faded, and Tang San stepped back behind him,
"Father."
Tang Hao did not blame him. It was a side effect of living in the Slaughter City, not Tang San's fault.
The guard had only lost his arms, not his life,he was lucky.
Tang Hao then walked into Yuexuan, with Tang San following behind. At the commotion, the owner of Yuexuan came out.
She was a well-dressed noblewoman. Though not stunningly beautiful or extravagantly dressed, she exuded elegance.
Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion at the disturbance, but when she saw Tang Hao and Tang San, her body trembled. Forgetting her composure, she ran toward him.
"Second Brother, is it really you?"
Tang Hao's expression was complicated.
"Yuehua, it's me."
This woman was Tang Yuehua, the master of Yuexuan and the younger sister of Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.
Seeing Tang Hao's disheveled state, she felt a pang of pain and forced a smile,
"It's good that you're back. Big Brother misses you, and so do I. Second Brother, come back home."
She then looked at Tang San. His appearance and aura made him seem far from kind, and she hesitated,
"This is your son with her? Why is his killing intent so strong? Where have you been?"
Tang Hao nodded,
"Yes. I wasn't at ease letting him return like this, so I brought him here to you. Train his temperament. Only when he can control his killing intent will I feel at ease."
Then he said to Tang San,
"This is your aunt, my third sister, Tang Yuehua."
Tang San quickly bowed,
"Aunt!"
Tang Yuehua nodded. For Tang Hao's sake, she accepted this nephew. From his words, it seemed that once Tang San improved, Tang Hao intended to return to the clan.
She then said excitedly,
"Second Brother, let's go upstairs first. I'll prepare a welcome for you,hot water to clean up, and then we'll have a meal together."
But Tang Hao shook his head. Worried about Ah Yin, he said,
"Yuehua, take good care of Xiao San. I have to go. Once he's ready, he'll know where to find me. I'll help him hunt spirit rings and grow stronger, and only then will I have the face to return."
Ignoring Tang Yuehua's sorrowful expression, he turned and left.
After he left, Tang Yuehua looked at Tang San. For some reason, she felt uneasy about him.
Naturally, this was because Tang San had devoured others, giving him a sinister aura like that of a Man-Faced Demon Spider.
But she attributed it to his time in the Slaughter City. Tang Hao had been similar, though Tang San's aura was even darker.
Smiling, she beckoned,
"Xiao San, come upstairs with me. Tell me how you've lived these past years. Following your stubborn father, you must have suffered a lot."
Thinking back to their impoverished days in Holy Soul Village, Tang San felt uneasy, but everything had improved now.
His father had his reasons and was now guiding him,even toward becoming a god.
Tang San shook his head,
"It's all in the past."
He then followed Tang Yuehua upstairs. With a wave of her hand, she had someone deal with the injured guard.
Anyone who caused trouble with her brother and nephew had no place at Yuexuan.
Of course, she would not handle such inelegant matters personally.
After leaving Yuexuan, Tang Hao rushed back day and night toward the waterfall valley.
On the way, he smiled,
"Ah Yin, it won't be long. Once Xiao San is ready, I'll stay by your side forever."
But upon returning to the cave behind the waterfall, he saw something that drove him mad.
Ah Yin was gone. His wife was gone. The small mound of earth had been dug up.
Tang Hao roared in fury,
"Who stole my Ah Yin? I will never let this go!"
He then opened a hidden compartment in the stone wall,just as he feared, even Ah Yin's remains, the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, were gone.
Nearly losing his mind, he released overwhelming killing intent and flew to the mountaintop, shouting,
"Ah Yin, where are you?"
In his mind, he went through all his past enemies. Whoever had the ability to find this place…
"There's only one possibility… the Spirit Hall!"
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