In the Sunset Forest—
Qian Renfeng sped through the dense woods, holding a detailed hand-drawn map personally crafted by Qian Daoliu himself. He was searching for the residence of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
The forest didn't house many high-level soul beasts. Even those over ten thousand years old were rare—most were in the thousand-year range.
Whenever he encountered soul beasts along the way, Renfeng didn't even need to release his Shura Demon Sword. Just a light release of his Titled Douluo aura was enough to send them fleeing in fear.
Nightfall
"Two more hours, and I'll reach the heart of the Sunset Forest."
"But… I wonder if that old poisoner is home. If not, I might as well pick a few immortal herbs while I'm here. Can't just leave them all for Tang San, can I?"
Renfeng quickened his pace. However, he retracted his martial spirit—his Eight-Winged Angel's aura was too powerful. If Dugu Bo, the so-called weakest Titled Douluo, sensed it, he might just run off in fear.
And that would ruin everything.
As the scenery flew by, the Sunset Forest looked like any other—towering trees, the occasional soul beast droppings, and low-level beasts (not even ten years old) chasing one another playfully through the underbrush.
Some even crashed into Qian Renfeng without hesitation, as if eager to play. But of course, they didn't stand a chance.
Rather than kill them, Renfeng simply tossed them aside. These weaklings couldn't hurt him anyway—and running into him only left them bruised and bloodied.
Soon, two volcanic-looking mountains appeared ahead—one emanating cold, the other heat. Together, they formed an exotic, picturesque landscape.
At the foot of the mountains grew a circle of glowing green flowers—the Jade Phosphor Sevenfold Flowers. These flowers formed a natural toxic barrier that even most Titled Douluo wouldn't dare cross.
This was Dugu Bo's greatest deterrent—one of the few poisons in the world capable of harming a Titled Douluo!
But Renfeng didn't hesitate. He walked forward calmly and summoned his Eight-Winged Angel martial spirit. His perfectly configured soul rings lit up one by one.
As the eighth soul ring flickered, it transformed into a golden projection—a radiant angel with wings outstretched and sword in hand.
"Eighth Soul Skill—Angel God's Guardian!"
The guardian was a manifestation of 90% of Qian Renfeng's angelic strength, completely immune to abnormal statuses. It had poison immunity, fire immunity, physical resistance, magic resistance, and could use any of Renfeng's first seven soul rings.
It lasted 30 minutes per day, and its duration would shorten if it took heavy damage.
With four pairs of wings flapping behind him, Qian Renfeng hovered in the air, while the golden guardian descended and struck the toxic flowers below with its holy sword.
The poisonous gas spewed from the flowers had no effect at all on the golden guardian.
Renfeng glanced down at the scene and smacked his forehead.
"I'm dumb. I could've just flown over this whole time…"
There were no air defenses above the flower array. He could simply fly to a safe height and land directly at the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well. Problem solved.
Just as he prepared to gain altitude—
"Hmph! I don't recall ever wronging you. Why are you destroying my home?"
A cold voice rang out, stopping Renfeng in his tracks.
A massive jade-green serpent slithered out of the shadows, its eyes wide, staring at Qian Renfeng as if ready to devour him.
Standing atop the serpent's head was a man with green hair and black armor, dressed in emerald robes beneath. His attire echoed the serpent's coloring—this was Dugu Bo.
Renfeng snapped his fingers, dismissing his soul skill. He clasped his hands politely and smiled:
"Senior, I meant no offense. I wasn't trying to destroy your home."
"I've long heard of Poison Douluo's formidable reputation. I simply came to challenge you."
"When I saw the Jade Phosphor Sevenfold Flower Formation, I thought it was a test you'd arranged."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, examining the youth before him.
Qian Renfeng looked like a noble young master—handsome and refined—but no matter how he looked at him, he still seemed only sixteen or seventeen.
Even if some Titled Douluo could reverse aging, this age was just… absurd.
Yet the nine soul rings spinning around Renfeng didn't lie—especially the ninth, a 100,000-year ring, which instantly demanded Dugu Bo's full attention.
Most Titled Douluo—including himself—didn't have even one 100,000-year soul ring. Almost all stopped at black rings for their ninth.
To have a red ring at that level?
That meant one of two things: either unbelievable talent, or an incredibly powerful background. Maybe both.
But—
"You recognize this flower formation and know its weakness is cold. Why destroy it anyway?"
"You know how long it takes me to grow these back?!"
Dugu Bo was fuming. Sure, the kid seemed strong, but that didn't mean he was going to just roll over and submit.
At least not before getting a few words in.
Renfeng easily saw through Dugu Bo's intentions and didn't want to argue further.
"How about this, Senior—we make a wager?"
"If you win, I'll personally replant and restore your Jade Phosphor Flower Formation to its original state."
"If I win, I get access to the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well to pick three herbs. How's that?"
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. This kid was interesting.
"Three herbs?"
Renfeng thought for a moment.
"Yes. After all, this is your territory. Even asking for three is already a bit much."
Dugu Bo gave a cold snort and counter-offered:
"Three herbs, no matter who wins."
"But you'll still be responsible for restoring the flower formation. Deal?"
Renfeng looked down at the not-too-badly damaged array and nodded. Honestly, it was a good deal.
He'd destroyed it in the first place, and now he got three rare herbs plus a sparring match. Worth it.