Dugu Bo's soul power fluctuations were detected by Liu Erlong, who was also in the forest.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing quickly went to find Flander and the others.
Soon, everyone gathered together and learned that Tang San and Ma Hongjun had been captured by Poison Douluo.
This news was like a bolt from the blue for everyone; Ma Hongjun and Tang San were considered the core of the academy.
Facing Poison Douluo, they were no match for him, but they couldn't just watch Ma Hongjun and Tang San be captured like this.
Ning Rongrong was the most anxious. She also had a way to deal with Poison Douluo, but she was worried that there wouldn't be enough time, as Ma Hongjun and Tang San were in danger at any moment while in Poison Douluo's hands.
However, since Poison Douluo hadn't killed them, only captured them, their lives should be temporarily safe.
Ning Rongrong returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to get reinforcements. Her Sword Grandfather and Bone Grandfather were both Title Douluos stronger than Poison Douluo. If she could get one of them, there would be a chance to save Ma Hongjun and Tang San.
Meanwhile, Flander and the others went to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to find Meng Shenji and the others. They should know Poison Douluo, so they went to find out where he was.
At this time, Poison Douluo, carrying Ma Hongjun and Tang San in his hands, entered Sunset Forest.
Sunset Forest is one of the largest wild soul beast settlements in the Heaven Dou Empire. Although it cannot compare to Star Dou Great Forest, it still has many soul beasts over ten thousand years old.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were preparing to obtain their third soul rings in this forest.
Ma Hongjun was bitter, not understanding why Dugu Bo wanted to capture him.
Logically speaking, Tang San broke his granddaughter's poison, and it was his granddaughter who fought Tang San in the team battle. She was at a disadvantage, but if she was at a disadvantage against Tang San, what did it have to do with him, Ma Hongjun?
Moreover, Dugu Yan wouldn't have sent her grandfather to retaliate against Ma Hongjun and Tang San. Apart from their battles in the Soul Arena, they had no other grudges and there was no need for them to fight to the death.
The biggest reason for this should be that Dugu Bo was interested in Tang San's poison.
In the original story, Tang San was also captured by Dugu Bo, but Tang San, relying on his understanding of poisons, fooled Dugu Bo. Moreover, Tang San's skill in using poisons was superior to Dugu Bo's. He survived on the condition that he cured Dugu Bo's poison and successfully became a close friend despite their age difference.
However, Ma Hongjun is useless to Dugu Bo, and his fate may not be the same as Tang San's, so Ma Hongjun is currently very anxious. Dugu
Bo captured Tang San because he was interested in Tang San's poisons and curious about how Tang San cured their Jade Scale Serpent Poison.
Actually, Dugu Bo's interest in Ma Hongjun was purely out of curiosity.
It was only after he and Prince Xuexing drove Ma Hongjun and his group away that morning that he learned of their extraordinary talents.
Prince Xuexing knew that Ma Hongjun had become a Soul Master at the age of twelve and was somewhat worried. Given that the two sides had become adversaries, he feared that Ma Hongjun would grow up to become a formidable enemy.
So he talked to Dugu Bo about his worries. Although he didn't ask Dugu Bo to do anything, his words implied that he hoped Dugu Bo could help him eliminate this formidable enemy who hadn't yet grown up.
The reason Dugu Bo didn't kill Ma Hongjun on the spot was that he wanted to see just how talented Ma Hongjun was and how he had grown to such a level at the age of twelve.
Arriving at a cave, Dugu Bo threw the two of them to the ground.
"Since you're awake, stop pretending!"
Ma Hongjun and Tang San opened their eyes simultaneously, exchanged glances, and both were thinking about how to escape.
"Let me see just how monstrous you two twelve-year-olds can be."
Dugu Bo released a dark green light, and a massive pressure swept over the two like a tsunami.
Ma Hongjun and Tang San's martial souls were instantly forced out.
Tang San activated his Blue Silver Grass, wrapping it around Dugu Bo, while Ma Hongjun also immediately activated his fourth spirit ring, unleashing his Golden Spear.
A dark green barrier appeared in front of Dugu Bo, and their attacks couldn't break through it at all.
The Blue Silver Grass shattered, and the Dragon Soul Spear was imprisoned.
"You're quite something, so young, yet so monstrous. Even I'm almost reluctant to kill you."
Dugu Bo observed their martial souls and sensed their attack power, his surprise growing ever greater.
The pressure increased, as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
Ma Hongjun and Tang San exchanged a glance. There was no other way now; even if they couldn't win, they had to fight with all their might before they died. Tang
San's back swelled, and the Eight Spider Lances appeared, tumbling towards Dugu Bo.
Golden light appeared on Ma Hongjun's right hand, and five dark golden claws extended from his fingers, their shadows growing larger in the air as they swung towards Dugu Bo.
However, they still couldn't break through the dark green barrier in front of him.
A Title Douluo—too terrifying.
"An external soul bone!"
Dugu Bo was even more astonished.
"To possess a soul bone at such a young age, and a rare external soul bone at that.
It's truly enviable. It's just a pity that the external soul bone has already merged with your bodies, otherwise you would have given this old man two great gifts."
Dugu Bo thought this was their last trump card, so he didn't probe any further.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two crisp sounds rang out, and the two were knocked down and sent flying, leaning against the cave wall.
"Yu Tianheng's defeat at your hands is indeed not unjust. I never expected the Soul Master world to produce two little monsters like you.
I'm almost reluctant to kill you,"
Dugu Bo said regretfully.
"Why must you kill us, Senior?" Ma Hongjun asked.
"I kill when I want to. I, Dugu Bo, never need a reason to kill."
This was Dugu Bo, always doing things his own way.
Dugu Bo looked at Tang San and said,
"But before I kill you, Tang San, I ask you, how did you break my granddaughter's Jade Scale Serpent venom? Don't tell me you could break it with just those two bags of strong liquor."
Tang San had been thinking about an escape plan, and now that Poison Douluo asked, he suddenly thought of a way to save himself.
So…
"You call yourself a poison master, yet you don't even understand the principle that realgar counteracts snake venom. I added realgar to the wine, and it naturally neutralized the venom
. Besides, in my opinion, your poison is nothing but trash."
"Haha, you dare call my poison trash."
"What's there to be afraid of? It's trash to begin with. Poison skills are meant to poison enemies, but you've already poisoned yourself. Does that mean your poison isn't trash?"
"What a joke. My poison can poison myself? I'm seventy-eight years old this year, and I've always been the one poisoning others, never the other way around."
"Is that really so? Let me ask you. Whenever it's cloudy or rainy, do you experience a tingling, itchy sensation in your ribs, which gradually intensifies? It happens twice a day, around noon and midnight, and given your current condition, each episode should last for more than an hour.
Also, every night, around the third watch, you experience needle-like stabbing pains on the top of your head and in your chest. Your whole body spasms for at least half an hour. I don't need to describe that excruciating pain, do I?
If it weren't for poisoning, would you experience these symptoms? You're not only poisoned, but the poison has seeped into your bone marrow. I'm just very curious why you're not dead yet. The poison you've been given is something that soul power can't suppress."
"How did you know?"
After hearing Tang San's words, Dugu Bo was finally shocked.
Ma Hongjun secretly admired him. As expected of someone from the Tang Sect, his understanding of poison far surpassed that of the natives of this world.
"Even if you knew, so what? You said my poison was trash, but you'd still die by my hand."
"That's why I'm not reconciled. If given time, I can kill you even without my martial spirit.
However, you won't have a good end either. Although I don't know how you're suppressing the poison in your body, I'm certain that in a few years, even if you don't die from the poison itself, you'll be tormented to death by the backlash. You'll die a more gruesome death than me.
And not only you, your granddaughter is in the same situation—no, she's in a worse state. Her poison will flare up more violently than yours because she's been immersed in this toxin since birth."
"Can you cure my poison?"
"Even if I could, I wouldn't cure you."
"Do you really want to die?
If you can cure me and my granddaughter, I'll let you both go."
"How can I trust you? What if I cure your poison, and you go back on your word and kill us?
Swear an oath first."
"Alright, I can swear. But first, I need to see if you have the ability to detoxify.
Here's what we'll do: I'll take you to a place, I'll poison him, and you'll have to detoxify him. If you can detoxify him, then it proves you have the ability.
If you can't, he'll definitely die, and you'll die for deceiving me."
As expected of the old poison master, truly ruthless.
Ma Hongjun felt an urge to curse.
He had been silently listening to the two of them arguing, but unexpectedly, he'd
been caught in the crossfire. This old poison master actually wanted to use him as a test subject for poison. There was no other way but to get through this ordeal first.
However, Ma Hongjun still had confidence in Tang San.
Poison Douluo led Ma Hongjun and the other man out of the cave, into a dense forest.
Ahead was a small hill, and Poison Douluo led the way, quickly reaching the top.
At the top was a valley, a hidden paradise within.
When Tang San saw this place, surprise appeared on his face, and he instinctively exclaimed...
"The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire!"
Ma Hongjun followed suit, recognizing this as a treasure trove of the Douluo Continent.
Steam, carrying a hint of sulfur, wafted from the mountain hollow ahead.
This small valley resembled a hot spring.
The spring wasn't large, but it was divided into two oval pools, the water of which was a striking contrast: milky white and vermilion red. Even more remarkably, although within the same pool, they remained distinct, never encroaching on each other, always remaining on their own side.
This was the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, one of the three great treasure basins.
According to Tang Sect records, the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire referred to this uniquely blessed spring, a twin spring within a single eye, its two elements mutually restraining each other—a treasure trove that might not form even once in millennia!
Surrounding the hot spring were various exotic flowers and rare herbs.
Ma Hongjun's understanding of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was certainly not as extensive as Tang San's. From a sensory perspective, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was far more impactful on Tang San than on Ma Hongjun.
Because of his understanding, he knew how rare such a treasure trove was.
Ma Hongjun's expression also changed drastically, as he sensed the dramatic change in the Dragon Soul Spear; the Dragon Soul was now active within him.
This place was a good location for the Dragon Soul Spear.
Dugu Bo spoke with Tang San for a few more moments, then gave the two some instructions.
He told them some precautions and warned them not to attempt to leave, as he had already encircled the area with a poison array. The outer perimeter was filled with soul beasts over a thousand years old; if they went out, their lives would be in danger.
However, Dugu Bo was overthinking it. Coming here, escaping was out of the question; such a treasure trove was impossible to find normally, and now that they were inside, how could Tang San and Ma Hongjun possibly escape?
Dugu Bo had practically delivered a treasure trove to them.
After Dugu Bo left, Tang San pointed to the exotic flowers and herbs covering the ground, excitedly looking at Ma Hongjun, and said,
"Hongjun, we've struck it rich!"