"It's so desolate here… it feels like it's crying about something."
Gu Yuena spoke softly.
"It's been tortured beyond recognition."
Su Wen fell silent.
All things have spirits; an entire forest is a manifestation of nature—like the spirit of the Douluo plane…
As for why the Star Dou Great Forest hasn't gathered spiritual energy, it should be because of the Silver Dragon King. She took over the duties of the plane's spirit to guard the Star Dou Great Forest. Though she didn't finish the job and basically did it for nothing.
He remembered that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was already here ten thousand years ago. Back then, the Sunset Forest still had many powerful soul beasts; it was one of the largest soul beast habitats in the north. But now…
The two traveled for a long time and only saw a few scattered thousand-year soul beasts flit past their sides.
The deeper they went, the thicker the dark green mist became. If Snow Empress weren't standing beside Su Wen, using her ultimate ice to disperse it, even a Title Douluo wouldn't dare set foot here lightly.
"There's a Spirit-Gathering Formation."
Electrolux muttered in the spiritual sea.
"Spirit-Gathering Formation?" Su Wen blinked.
"And about Elder Mu's side…"
"Don't worry. I've done everything I can. I even upgraded the dragon core; the rest is up to Mu En. When he next emerges from seclusion, he'll surprise everyone. Besides, with your spiritual sea as the link, I can teleport back anytime."
After explaining, Old Yi continued:
"It draws in ambient spiritual energy and concentrates it at a core point. It's a very domineering formation. At several spots we passed, nodes of the formation are buried deep underground, channeling the energy toward the core. By my estimation, the source of this forest's desiccation is at the formation's core…"
"And the person who set it up isn't simple. Be careful of any backhand they might have left."
Electrolux frowned.
"…Mm."
Su Wen nodded.
This was essentially the heartland of the Sunset Forest, yet it had withered to this extent. Clearly, a certain poisonous flower deserves much of the "credit." The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well itself isn't the problem, but someone targeted it—using the entire forest's spiritual energy to nourish it.
This "treasure vault" not only sucked the forest dry, but also harvested lives on a large scale through toxic miasma.
Given how familiar that person up above is with the Douluo Star, Su Wen absolutely didn't believe he knew nothing.
Using an entire forest to cultivate a back garden—what a grand gesture.
"If you don't revere life, you'll be bitten back sooner or later."
Snow Empress looked around. Where the toxic fog spread, there were bones everywhere, shimmering with a five-colored sheen. Even the marrow had been infused with poison. Give it a few more years and you could probably refine them into artifacts. Her voice turned cold.
Putting herself in that place—if the Extreme North were ravaged like this—she would exact revenge on the mastermind even at all costs.
As a spirit born of heaven and earth, she was especially enraged.
"Who's there!"
Snow Empress called sharply.
"Ah…"
A weak cry sounded.
Where they looked, a thin shadow crawled out from beneath a withered yellow tree.
The upper body was that of a maiden, but from the waist down she was a deer. That half-human, half-beast form surprised Su Wen—he remembered Douluo Star didn't have an orc race.
"W-Who are you?"
The deer-girl trembled.
"I am the ruler of the Extreme North, the Snow Empress. She is Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King…" Seeing her, Snow Empress sighed and explained.
"You must be the spirit of the Sunset Forest, right?"
This was the core of the Sunset Forest and the densest area of miasma. Aside from the toxic fog and rainbow-hued bones, there was no sign of life. The withered yellow tree still surviving meant it was extraordinary.
"Mm."
Only then did the girl fully step out of the shadows.
Su Wen finally saw her clearly.
Thin—extremely thin—skin and bones. Her cheeks were deeply sunken. Her deer legs barely propped her up; she was clearly at the end of her strength. Worse, her limbs were covered in five-colored hues, as if the poison was creeping toward her heart.
Obviously, the forest spirit was the reflection of the forest itself.
"That beast!"
Gu Yuena snapped.
The culprit was self-evident.
Forcing the forest spirit to this state—what of the future? Looking at the girl, she could already foresee what the Star Dou Great Forest would become.
"…"
The girl shivered; her deer ears drooped, her withered yellow hair making its color indistinct.
"You…"
Snow Empress's heart softened. She wanted to comfort her but didn't know how. The best comfort would be to find the source and resolve it.
"Wait here."
Snow Empress looked to Su Wen.
He nodded slightly.
At a time like this, he'd let Snow Empress have her way.
"Hum!"
In the next instant, the bloodline might of the Snow Maiden erupted—a lineage even stronger than her original identity as the ruler of the Extreme North, the Snow Maiden. The aura of ultimate ice fully unfolded in her hands.
Centered on her, the toxic fog within several li vanished. From above, a vacuum zone appeared. Higher up, the range expanded—but beyond it, everything was still shrouded in dark green.
Snow Empress shot into the sky.
Her cool voice rang across the entire Sunset Forest.
"Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!"
One of her three ultimate techniques was unleashed.
The toxic fog receded at a speed visible to the naked eye. The densest miasma in the forest was forcefully cleared into a vacuum spanning dozens of li.
"There!"
From the sky, Snow Empress glanced downward, imperial calm in her eyes, then flashed toward a distant canyon.
"Let's go too."
Gu Yuena took Su Wen's hand, and they followed close behind.
…
Within a valley.
The most spectacular sight was a pool split cleanly into ice-blue and fiery red halves, like a Taiji diagram.
The valley walls on both sides teemed with lush plants, brimming with life—like a different world from the outside.
In the pool were several massive flowers.
"Who are you? What are you doing barging in here?!!"
A pink giant flower was the first to shout angrily at the curious Su Wen and company.
But she clearly lacked confidence.
Moments ago, she had sensed swathes of the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes—guardians of their home—wilting outside. The outer miasma had dissipated. That could only mean the newcomers were powerful and ill-intentioned.
To breach the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes Formation by force—even a human Title Douluo couldn't do that easily. And among these few, the two women were obviously extraordinary. Even they, comparable to hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, couldn't see through them.
They had lived carefree in this paradise for years, thanks in no small part to the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.
"Out of my sight."
Snow Empress gave it a faint glance. A storm of killing cold swept through the valley.
Countless plants trembled; their stems bent as if kneeling to a sovereign.
Su Wen walked to the pool, crouched down, and scooped a handful of icy water. The chill drilled into his skin, trying to spread through his blood—only to be suppressed by an even sharper cold within him, retreating like the tide.
"You…"
A fiery red giant flower not far away hesitated. She wanted to warn Su Wen that no human body could touch this water—but then gasped in surprise.
After ten thousand years of change…
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was no longer in the era where Tang San could jump in at Soul Elder rank. Its killing cold—aside from these immortal herbs—was poisonous to humans.
But this youth…
"W-Who exactly are you?"
You You (Aromatic Silk Beauty) asked timidly.
"Why trespass into someone else's home for no reason?"
"Your home?"
Snow Empress paused as she passed by, then shot You You a sidelong glance.
"The entire Sunset Forest has almost been sucked dry by you! A bunch of vampires, and you still preen, calling this your home!"
"B-But that… isn't really our fault," You You said weakly.
"It was that person…"
"When he did all this back then, did you refuse? Did you even say no once?" Su Wen turned to You You.
She drooped her head.
"Beneficiaries don't get to pass judgment. Since you reached this point by draining the Sunset Forest's blood, don't cry injustice." Su Wen said coolly.
The immortal herbs fell silent.
Clearly, they knew.
Any sense of justice had long been washed away by the Yin Yang Well and the torrent of spiritual energy the formation diverted from the entire forest.
"Old Yi, can you break the formation?"
Su Wen pondered.
"Child's play, hehe…"
Electrolux chuckled. "Give me half an hour; I can crack it."
Feels good to have a cheat.
Su Wen thought, then turned his gaze to the shivering immortal herbs.
"The Yin Yang Well won't exist in the future, but I'm willing to create a secret realm for later generations… Old Yi, ahem, can we do that?"
"You mean, hide this valley within a secret domain—another space—only accessible by triggering certain conditions, with a chance to enter?" Electrolux immediately understood.
"Yeah!"
"As long as the Tang Clan's disciples can't get in." Su Wen grinned.
"You brat." Electrolux shook his head, smiling.
"Fine. A few spatial magics can handle it. With my current godhood, I can't create a brand-new world, but on this godless plane, even an Ultimate Douluo won't find it. Only those with decent talent and luck (regardless of cultivation) will have a chance to stumble in…" Electrolux was like a veteran engineer fulfilling a client's every requirement.
"Any other requests?" he asked with interest.
"Ahem, that's all…" Su Wen smiled.
"The rest is up to you, You You."
Su Wen narrowed his eyes.
"From today on, you no longer follow that man's orders. Devote yourself to the task I'm giving you, and grant every successful challenger the rewards they deserve. Got it?"
"Got it…"
You You mumbled.
As for capturing these big flowers and what they might become afterward—Su Wen shook his head. If he had crossed ten thousand years earlier, he might have been interested. But now…
Sorry, all seats are taken.
The express lane to godhood was fully booked.
He looked at Gu Yuena, who had been silent throughout.
She nodded slightly, then a soaring dragon's roar shook the valley.
The immortal herbs stared, stunned, at the silver dragon rising into the sky, blotting out the sun and casting the canyon in shadow—their scalps tingled.
Just how many big shots had come?
A silver dragon?!!
In midair, the silver dragon curled her claws. As if moving mountains and filling seas, the entire Yin Yang Well churned. Icy white mist and blazing red heat twisted together. The immortal herbs watched in terror; even You You forgot her heartache, stupefied.
Even the green plants around the pool were erased by the chaotic energy.
Plunk—
At last.
Two massive skeletons surfaced.
Even reduced to bone, with their flesh gone, the lingering aura made the immortal herbs gape—dragon bones!
From head to tail, each set of dragon bones spanned the entire well, one ice-blue, one fiery red—matching the colors of the pool.
"Hum…"
Under the silver dragon's deliberate compression…
The two dragon skeletons shrank. The immense energy within condensed into two dragon cores—one blue, one red.
They hovered in the silver dragon's palm.
As the silver dragon turned back into a girl, she looked at Su Wen. "These two dragon cores are useless to me…"
Su Wen arched a brow. "They were two Dragon Kings, and you are the Dragon God's incarnation. You really don't need them?"
"Hmph. The Dragon God and Dragon Kings are worlds apart. If the Dragon God is akin to a peak God King, then a Dragon King at best is just a powerful first-tier god. Whether I have them or not won't affect my injuries much." Gu Yuena said proudly.
"…" Su Wen's expression turned odd.
That's true, but…
As a fragment of the Dragon God, aren't you a bit too weak as the Silver Dragon King? Or did most of the power go to the Golden Dragon King?
"Careful or I'll thump you!" The silver-haired girl huffed, brandishing her fist. "Fist as big as a sandbag, hmph!"
He put the cores away.
Old Yi's timely voice sounded.
"Done."
"Right—esteemed immortal herbs, I'd like to make a deal before I go." Before leaving, Su Wen smiled at the huddled plants.
…
Outside Shrek Academy.
Atop a towering ancient tree, dozens of black-robed figures stood.
The leader silently gazed at Shrek Academy not far away. They had come here not long ago and suffered heavy losses—three Titled experts dead or wounded, and countless others below them.
Fortunately, after a century of accumulation, the Holy Spirit Sect could stomach it. Painful, but not crippling. Today, with Jing Hongchen's information, he had returned.
Because the culprit who had cost them so dearly last time was inside this academy.
"Wu Yun, Su Wen is yours. If you let him slip away again, don't blame me for being heartless. This is a surprise attack—speed is everything. Probe Mu En's depths, then deliver a killing blow to Shrek. So be quick. I don't expect you to capture him alive. Understood?"
The black-robed man spoke lightly.
"Yes!"
A black-robed man at his side bowed.
A breeze lifted the edge of his hood, revealing a sullen face.