Douluo: Yu Hao is reborn, this Tang San is different

Chapter 109 Thief Tang San
A month later.

The sound of wheels rolling over gravel echoed across the silent wilderness as Shrek's carriage slowly moved forward along the winding dirt road.

Flander leaned halfway out of the car window, the old map in his hand rustling in the wind. He squinted, comparing it with the signs along the way, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "According to this map, we should be at Tiandou City. But where exactly is the Tiandou Royal Academy hidden?"

The master leaned against the corner of the carriage, stroking a leather notebook in his hand. Hearing this, he glanced at him and said, "The dean can't even find the location of the academy? I travel around all year round. Surely I'm more familiar with the layout of Tiandou City than you are?"

Flander snorted and turned to Zhao Wuji sitting opposite him, asking, "Wuji, you've been wandering the continent for so many years, haven't you found out where the Royal Academy is?"

Zhao Wuji scratched his head and gave a wry smile: "Old friend, how can we rogue cultivators possibly get involved with those noble academies? I've only been to Tiandou City twice, and I don't even know all the streets in the city, let alone the academies outside the city."

Shao Xin, Lu Qibin, and Li Yusong, who were standing to the side, all nodded, their faces full of helplessness.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, Ning Rongrong's clear voice broke the silence: "Dean, I know the way! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's castle is not far from Tian Dou City. When I was a child, I often went into the city with my clansmen and even visited the Royal Academy." Her eyes sparkled. "Actually, the academy is not in the city. Like our Shrek Academy, it is built outside the city."

Flander's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up: "See! I had the foresight! Building the academy outside the city, away from the hustle and bustle, is the perfect place for cultivation!"

The master, however, poured cold water on the idea without hesitation: "Don't flatter yourself. We don't have the money to rent land in the city. The Royal Academy chose to be located outside the city, firstly to isolate itself from the extravagance of the capital, and secondly because there simply isn't enough space in the city. I heard that the academy's training grounds and spirit beast breeding area alone take up several city blocks."

Zhao Wuji chuckled to himself, "Master, please don't expose him. Let Old Fu have his fun!"

Flander was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard: "Zhao Wuji, are you itching for a beating lately? How about you try out the power of my Owl Martial Soul? Let the children see what it's like!" He then made a move to attack.

Zhao Wuji quickly put his arms around the two teachers beside him and said with a grin, "I won't fall for it! If you try to bully the weak, I'll lie down on the ground and let the whole continent know that Dean Shrek is bullying the weak!"

"You rascal!" Flander was exasperated and turned to look at the master who was resting with his eyes closed. "It's all your fault, you've corrupted him!"

"Don't blame me." The master opened his eyes and stretched his stiff shoulders. "Stop arguing. Since Rongrong knows the way, let's hurry on our way. The sooner we settle down, the sooner the children can start cultivating."

Flanders muttered as he put away the map: "Compared to you, I'm the one who's wasting my time."

The group ate some simple dry rations, and the carriage continued its journey. As the setting sun painted the horizon a golden-red hue, Ning Rongrong suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "We're here! This is it!"

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and everyone got off and looked around. A majestic mountain peak stood before them, with a shimmering lake at its foot reflecting the sunset. The area was surrounded by dense forests, resembling a beautiful painting.

Flander's eyes widened: "This...this isn't an academy, it's a mountain!"

Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and laughed, "The entire mountain belongs to the academy, as do the forest behind it and the lake on the left."

Looking at the scenery before him, the master rarely showed a look of admiration: "Surrounded by mountains and water, with abundant spiritual energy, it is indeed a good place for cultivation."

The other teachers nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with admiration.

Only Flander remained defiant: "So what if the place is big? If we can't cultivate top-tier Soul Masters, all the beauty is wasted! Our Shrek Academy may be small, but everyone there is a monster!"

Tang San gazed at the lush mountains and forests before him, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Dean, Teacher, I would like to go to Heaven Dou City to purchase some herbs for cultivation."

Just as Flanders was about to speak, the master suddenly raised his hand to stop him: "The city is a mixed bag, the sooner you go, the sooner you'll come back."

The old Soul Master's gaze behind his glasses seemed to see through people's hearts, yet he ultimately only patted the boy's shoulder. Tang San felt as if he had been granted a pardon; as he turned, a gust of wind blew up his clothes, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared down the winding mountain path.

After leaving the academy, Tang San's pace became increasingly hurried.

He avoided the main road and instead chose to travel swiftly along deserted paths, his blue silver grass quietly emerging from the ground, sensing the surrounding movements like sensitive tentacles.

As the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, he finally stopped in the wilderness on the outskirts of the city, gazing at the dark, dense forest in the distance, and took a deep breath before stepping into the Sunset Forest.

Under the cover of night, the Sunset Forest resembles a lurking beast, with towering ancient trees blocking out the sun and decaying leaves crunching underfoot.

"The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, here I come."

Tang San held his breath and focused his mind, rapidly circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill through his meridians, and quietly activating the Purple Demon Eye.

The night was as dark as ink, and the mist at the edge of Sunset Forest carried the scent of humus. Tang San pulled his cloak hood down low and stepped into this forbidden land. Blue Silver Grass had already quietly emerged from his sleeve, sensing the surrounding disturbances like sensitive antennae.

He gripped the trident's hilt tightly in his palm, the cool metallic touch calming his heartbeat slightly—on this journey, he had to find the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire.

Walking through the sparse outer shrubs, the decaying leaves crunched softly underfoot.

Tang San held his breath and focused his mind, silently activating his Purple Demon Eye. A dark purple light pierced the darkness, taking in the scene within a hundred meters. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes on his right, and three dark green lights appeared and disappeared in the shadows.

A thousand-year-old demon wolf! Tang San's pupils shrank sharply. This was a social soul beast that was skilled at hunting in groups.

"Perfect timing," he muttered to himself, the trident swirling in his palm with a chilling arc of light. The foremost wolf launched the first attack, lunging forward like a black lightning bolt, its sharp teeth glistening with foul-smelling saliva.

Tang San slightly shifted his body, the tip of his halberd grazing the wolf's head. His Blue Silver Grass coiled around the wolf's hind legs like a serpent, and with a sudden tug, he threw it to the ground. At the same time, two other demonic wolves flanked him from the left and right, their sharp claws tearing through the air with piercing shrieks.

"One Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons!"

With a flick of his wrist, Tang San unleashed dozens of bone-piercing nails from the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlit Night, their cold light raining down on the demonic wolves on either side.

The demonic wolf hastily swung its claws to block, but the bone-piercing nail pierced its palm, causing it to howl in pain and retreat. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Tang San pressed forward, sweeping his trident horizontally. The golden light flashing on the trident blade cleaved through the night, and it slammed heavily into the demonic wolf's neck, the sound of bones shattering accompanied by a burst of blood mist.

Seeing this, the remaining two demonic wolves' eyes flashed with fear, yet they still let out low growls, their fur standing on end, and their bodies radiating a ghostly blue soul power. Clearly, they were about to use their soul skills. Tang San, however, gave them no chance. He flung out the Dragon Beard Needle with his left hand, gripped his trident tightly with his right, and his figure blurred into afterimages, moving like a ghost among the wolf shadows.

The Dragon Beard Needle pierced the wolf's acupoints with precision, causing it to pause in motion. Immediately afterward, the blade of the Sea God's Trident pierced through the wolf's body, and warm blood splattered onto Tang San's cloak, blooming into eerie flowers.

After dealing with the pack of demonic wolves, Tang San rested briefly before continuing his journey deeper into the forest. As he ventured further, the air grew increasingly humid, and spiderweb-like cracks began to appear in the ground, with rising steam emanating from beneath. Tang San knew he was getting closer and closer to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

However, a crisis was about to strike—on the open ground ahead, a gigantic, thousand-year-old human-faced spider was perched on a boulder, its eight compound eyes flashing with a scarlet light, its legs covered in sharp spikes, and its sticky spider silk hanging down, gleaming eerily in the moonlight.

The human-faced spider clearly sensed Tang San's presence, letting out a piercing screech. Its eight spider legs pierced the ground like steel spears, and its massive body soared into the air, lunging towards Tang San.

Tang San's expression was solemn. He held his trident horizontally in front of his chest, and Blue Silver Grass surged forth like a tide, forming a sturdy barrier in front of him. Spider silk struck the Blue Silver Grass, instantly corroding it and leaving large charred marks. The powerful corrosiveness made Tang San secretly alarmed.

Tang San formed hand seals, and the Blue Silver Grass transformed into a cage to trap the Human-Faced Demon Spider.

However, the human-faced demon spider's power far exceeded that of ordinary thousand-year-old soul beasts. It struggled frantically, and the sharp spikes on its spider legs kept tearing apart the blue silver grass.

Tang San seized the opportunity, gathering soul power in his trident and thrusting it towards the Man-Faced Demon Spider's vital point like a meteor. Sensing the danger, the Man-Faced Demon Spider spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling venom, which Tang San dodged by sidestepping. At the same time, he flung out silver needles, a dense barrage of needles shooting towards the Man-Faced Demon Spider's eyes like a torrential rain.

The Man-Faced Spider cried out in pain, its attack momentarily halted. Tang San seized the opportunity to launch a fatal blow; the Sea God Trident, carrying a world-destroying force, pierced into the Man-Faced Spider's head.

With a loud bang, the massive body of the human-faced spider crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

By the time Tang San passed through the last thicket of thorns, his clothes were soaked with blood and dew.

The trident hummed in his palm, wisps of green smoke rising from the bloodstains of the spirit beasts remaining on its blade. Deeper into the canyon ahead, the roar of crimson magma and the chilling blue pool grew clearer, the air thick with an eerie aura of sulfur and icy cold—the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire was almost within reach.

However, a layer of dark purple miasma stretched across the valley entrance like a curtain, corroding the rocks inch by inch wherever it passed, and even the tenacious tendrils of the Blue Silver Grass instantly turned black and withered.

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly, and he activated his Purple Demon Eye to its maximum. Through the poisonous gas, he saw countless translucent poisonous mosquitoes swirling deep within the miasma, releasing fine purple poisonous mist as their wings vibrated.

"Perfect timing." He uttered a low shout, and the Trident of Poseidon suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light. Vast power of the sea god surged forth like a raging torrent, and the air exploded with a piercing roar wherever the tip of the trident passed.

The golden light and the poisonous gas collided violently. The dark purple miasma dissipated rapidly like ink in boiling water. The swarm of poisonous mosquitoes emitted a mournful hiss in the bright light and turned into wisps of smoke that vanished into the night sky.

As the miasma dissipated, the full view of the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire was finally revealed.

In the center of the vast valley, crimson lava and deep blue pools merge together, and the mist rising from the boundary condenses into a magnificent rainbow in the air.

The magma was like a rolling sea of ​​fire, with crimson bubbles constantly bursting and sparks instantly freezing into ice crystals at the edge of the icy pool; a layer of crystal-clear ice flowers floated on the surface of the icy pool, each one shimmering with a ghostly blue light, but quickly melting into water vapor when it approached the magma.

Even more breathtaking are the exotic flowers and plants growing on the edge of the Yin-Yang Eye.

Snow-white petals danced in the flames, golden veins flowing across the leaves; emerald vines entwined around the boulders by the cold pool, each leaf adorned with ice crystals, yet emitting a clear, jade-like tinkling sound in the breeze.

Tang San immediately recognized that the one swaying in the lava was the Fiery Apricot, while the pure white one by the cold pool was the Eight-Cornered Mystic Ice Grass. Further away, there were many other immortal herbs that he had only seen in ancient books, each exuding a breathtaking spiritual energy.

The heat and cold air collided continuously in the valley, forming strange vortexes of air. As soon as Tang San stepped into the Yin-Yang Eye, he felt the power of ice and fire surging from all directions. A fine layer of frost instantly appeared on his skin, which was then evaporated by the heat wave.

He activated the Mysterious Heaven Technique, and his Purple Demon Eyes shone brightly as he cautiously walked towards the center.

The strange fluctuations of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye spread like ripples, penetrating layers of rock walls and reaching deep into the cultivation cave.

The azure poisonous mist surrounding Dugu Bo suddenly became chaotic. He abruptly opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing within them. His previously seated figure sprang up like a ghost, causing the stalactites on the cave walls to shatter and fall from the overflowing soul power.

"Is that kid Huo Yuhao here?" He murmured in a low voice, rubbing his well-defined fingers. Huo Yuhao had entered this place several times before and should be familiar with this aura, so why was he nowhere to be seen?
A chill crept up his spine, and he suddenly realized—perhaps the person who came wasn't an old friend at all.

The air inside the cave instantly froze, and the Azure Phosphorus Poison surged in his palm, transforming into a hideous serpentine phantom.

Dugu Bo touched the ground with his toes and shot towards the cave entrance like an arrow released from a bow.

The rising heat and cold mist outside the cave mingled as his keen eyes swept over the charred remains of poisonous mosquitoes scattered on the ground, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Those little beasts who ran rampant in the poison gas were all brutally killed.

Looking through the gap in the miasma that had been forcibly torn open, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure stood in the center of the Yin-Yang Eye, holding a halberd that shimmered with golden light, with blue silver grass slithering around him like a serpent.

At this moment, Tang San was carefully wrapping his arms around the roots of an eight-cornered ice grass.

The crystal-clear ice shimmered with a deep blue light under the moonlight. He held his breath, used his strength to uproot the immortal herb, and placed it into the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Bright Moonlit Night that he carried with him.

Suddenly, a chilling laugh came from overhead:
"Kid, you've got some nerve."

"How dare you steal my things!"

Tang San felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He looked up abruptly and saw a green figure that had somehow appeared above the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire.

Dugu Bo, clad in a dark green robe, stared intently at the movements in his hands with hawk-like eyes. The azure-purple poison surrounding him surged like a living thing, turning the surrounding air into an eerie dark green.

(End of this chapter)