In Nan Shuishui's eyes, Lu Jingming was not only a person of good character, but his appearance was also top-tier, with an outstanding demeanor. Judging from the attitude of the Snow Empress and Ice Empress towards him, as well as his background in Sea Abyss City, Nan Qiuqiu was definitely punching above her weight.
Adding to that his terrifying talent and strength, being able to injure a Titled Douluo as a Soul King, he was truly impressive. Nan Shuishui thought long and hard and was very willing to have such an excellent young man become her son-in-law.
However, a woman's intuition told Nan Shuishui that Lu Jingming was a massive pit, and if her naive daughter fell in, she might never be able to climb out! Most importantly, Nan Qiuqiu's tendency to give herself away was too obvious. How long had they known each other? She was already making out with him.
If Lu Jingming were to be more proactive, would she just obediently get "cleaned up" and lie on the bed herself? So, she was a bit conflicted now, wondering whether she should stop Nan Qiuqiu from getting closer to Lu Jingming.
When the Snow Empress and Ice Empress emerged from the ancient well, everyone clearly felt that the continuous cold emanating from the well had significantly weakened. Lu Jingming immediately looked at the Ice Empress.
Upon careful observation, though the Ice Empress's appearance hadn't noticeably changed, the aura she exuded had deepened. Despite having lost her original body, the Ice Empress hadn't yet returned to her peak state. However, with an ice-attribute treasure like the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, it was only a matter of time before she recovered her former peak strength.
With the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow successfully acquired, Lu Jingming discussed the Ice Pole Divine Crystal Mine with Nan Shuishui. Of course, Nan Shuishui wouldn't refuse such a benefit; in fact, she was very grateful. After all, without Lu Jingming and his team, it would be difficult for the Earth Dragon Gate to even extract a single piece of Ice Pole Divine Crystal, let alone mine the vein for resources and money. Both sides communicated frankly and reached a consensus. Afterward, Lu Jingming bid farewell, preparing to leave Dragon City.
"Ah! You're leaving already! Aren't you staying for a couple more days?" When Nan Qiuqiu heard Lu Jingming say he was leaving, a look of disappointment immediately appeared on her face, her eyes filled with reluctance. She had originally hoped to spend more time with Lu Jingming, to further enhance their mutual understanding.
"Yes, we still have some important matters to attend to, so it's truly inconvenient to stay long. If there's an opportunity, you're welcome to visit Sea Abyss City. I believe it won't disappoint you," Lu Jingming replied with a smile. He still had many things to deal with. While Dragon City had its unique charm, there was no longer a reason for him to stay.
"Okay, I'll definitely go." Although Nan Qiuqiu felt a bit down, she quickly cheered up. While her favorable impression of Lu Jingming had sharply risen due to his heroic rescue and his outstanding looks, it hadn't reached an unmanageable level. At this moment, she felt more regretful about the brief time they had spent together.
Nan Shuishui and Nan Qiuqiu personally saw Lu Jingming and his group out of Dragon City. They stood there quietly, watching their figures gradually recede into the distance.
"Mom, I want to cultivate diligently, then travel the continent," Nan Qiuqiu suddenly declared firmly, watching Lu Jingming and the others disappear from sight. In the past, she had never been lazy in her cultivation, but never had her heart been so filled with a desire to become stronger as it was now. The thrilling experience of being attacked by evil soul masters this time, along with a clear goal in her heart, had given Nan Qiuqiu the motivation to cultivate.
"Good, Mom will help you!" Nan Shuishui was slightly stunned, then her eyes filled with relief. She gently stroked Nan Qiuqiu's pink hair. Although she wasn't sure whether allowing Nan Qiuqiu to continue contact with Lu Jingming would be a blessing or a curse, at least it had given Nan Qiuqiu the motivation to become stronger. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the Earth Dragon Gate.
After all, in this Douluo Continent where strength reigned supreme, the stronger Nan Qiuqiu became, the more secure the future of the Earth Dragon Gate would be. After all, Nan Qiuqiu was the next sect master of the Earth Dragon Gate; her potential was the Earth Dragon Gate's potential.
Stepping into the Sunset Forest once more, Lu Jingming and his group, emboldened by their superior skills, flew directly towards the core region of the Sunset Forest from high in the sky. Although the Sunset Forest was vast, there were no overly powerful soul beasts that could pose a threat to them.
Moreover, the daunting colorful miasma gathered high in the sky could not cause any substantial harm to them. The ultimate ice possessed by the Snow Empress and Ice Empress naturally had a powerful restraining effect on potent poisons. Therefore, the toxic miasma permeating the Sunset Forest was as good as non-existent to them, posing no hindrance to their movements whatsoever.
Before long, the four arrived at the area with the densest miasma. The vibrant, colorful miasma before them was like a massive multicolored cloud, pervading the entire space and emitting a nauseating, pungent odor. Gu Yue's brows furrowed tightly. The Sunset Forest was once a vibrant gathering place for large soul beasts, but now it had become so desolate and barren. The culprit behind all this was precisely the miasma before them. This miasma had not only altered the forest's ecosystem but also caused the death of numerous soul beasts, leading this once prosperous forest to gradually decline.
Now in the core of the Sunset Forest, Gu Yue, after careful observation, found that the appearance of this miasma was likely not a natural phenomenon, but rather deliberately caused by someone. This was because the miasma's coverage exhibited an extremely regular pattern; the traces of artificial arrangement were simply too obvious, making one suspicious.
"Such a degree of miasma, it's no wonder the soul beasts in the Sunset Forest are almost completely dead. Even if a Titled Douluo were to rashly intrude, they would probably find it difficult to resist the erosion of this potent poison!" Lu Jingming gently shook his head. Sea God Tang San had truly done something highly criticized. In order to protect the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from being discovered, Tang San had laid such a terrifying poison array, completely disregarding the catastrophic impact it would have on the soul beasts of the Sunset Forest. His methods were truly ruthless, showing no mercy for the lives of soul beasts.
With the continuous cold air emanating from the Snow Empress and Ice Empress as a barrier, the miasma could not approach them in the slightest. Lu Jingming controlled the flying soul tool and steadily descended from high in the sky.
"Crack!" The moment they landed, a chilling sound of bones shattering came from beneath their feet. Lu Jingming instinctively looked down, only to see the ground covered with piled white bones, and the remains of soul beasts everywhere. These skeletons were covered with colorful traces, as if narrating the pain and torment they had suffered in life.
"Bastard!" Gu Yue couldn't help but curse through gritted teeth. In the past, she had been dormant in the Star Dou Great Forest and was unaware of the specific situation in the Sunset Forest. She had once believed that the soul beasts of the Sunset Forest had gradually headed towards extinction due to humans' ceaseless hunting over tens of thousands of years. But now, witnessing it firsthand, she understood that behind all this, the true culprit was not merely human soul masters, but someone else. The one who laid this terrifying poison array, covering the entire core of the Sunset Forest, was the instigator of the Sunset Forest soul beasts' extinction.
It wasn't just Gu Yue; the Snow Empress and Ice Empress's faces were also extremely grim at this moment. The tragic scene in the core of the Sunset Forest was truly shocking. Over the past tens of thousands of years, countless soul beasts had died agonizingly under the rampage of this miasma. The sheer number was unimaginable, filling their hearts with anger and helplessness. When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves. The tragic state of the Sunset Forest made them instinctively think of the future of soul beasts. Tang San, who had laid this poison array, perhaps originally only intended to protect the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but he disregarded the lives and deaths of soul beasts and caused irreversible damage to this forest. This was an undeniable fact.
"This way!"
The voice of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sounded in Lu Jingming's ear. Guided by her, Lu Jingming quickly pinpointed the direction of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well contained a vast amount of precious immortal herbs, and its life energy was incredibly vibrant. Although surrounded by layers of miasma, it could not escape the perception of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the Thousand Trees King who possessed the authority over life.
Following behind Lu Jingming, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress released intense cold energy, instantly freezing all the miasma blocking their path. Along the way, their path was strewn with corpses. Due to the nourishment from the soul beast corpses, various colorful poisonous herbs grew throughout this forest.
The group continued forward and soon arrived at a unique world. What met their eyes was a vibrant green landscape. Dense green plants covered the ground, emitting wisps of green mist into the air. Clearly, the source of the miasma above the Sunset Forest was these green plants. These green plants were not tall, only about half a meter in height. Each plant had nine strangely shaped leaves. These leaves had a unique shape, somewhat resembling human hands, but with seven fingers, and some larger leaves even had as many as nine fingers. At the top of the leaves, large, emerald green flowers bloomed, their petals vivid and dripping, constantly emitting the green mist from their stamens. This mist slowly diffused outwards, then gradually merged into the surrounding multicolored miasma, forming a peculiar and dangerous sight.
"Seven-Treasured Glazed Flower!"
Lu Jingming recognized this plant at a glance. Moreover, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located behind this field of Seven-Treasured Glazed Flowers, making it the last barrier on their path forward.
The Seven-Treasured Glazed Flower was one of the most terrifying poison-attribute plants on the Douluo Continent, a supreme treasure coveted by countless poison-attribute soul masters. However, at this moment, such an astonishing number of Seven-Treasured Glazed Flowers were gathered together, covering an area of several square kilometers, which was truly shocking. Such a large-scale gathering of Seven-Treasured Glazed Flowers meant that an unknown number of them had undergone transformation, becoming plant-type soul beasts, and even not a few Seven-Treasured Glazed Flowers with ten thousand years of cultivation. These powerful plant-type soul beasts would undoubtedly pose a huge obstacle to their advance.