Traveling on horseback was indeed much faster than riding in a carriage. In just a couple of days, Shen Hanyu had already arrived outside Tiandou City.
The courtyard he owned here had been left in the care of those two little maidservants when he departed; essentially, it was as good as given to them.
After all, he had no intention of settling in Tiandou City for long, and with the Shen family's wealth, while it might not compare to that of great nobles or top-tier sects, a single courtyard like this was far from enough to cause the Shen family any financial pain.
The profits from the medicinal herb business were unimaginably high to ordinary people.
However, such enormous profits also came with considerable risks—not only the exclusion and suppression from competitors, but also the need to be wary of those envious individuals who might resort to desperate measures.
Fortunately, Four Seasons City's geographical location was advantageous, with no major sects or clans nearby. The Four Elements Academies in Element City were at least reasonable and did not interfere much in such matters. Ordinary bandits would not dare target the Shen family either. Thus, all of the Shen family's businesses and properties remained within a safe range.
Shen Hanyu gazed at this top-tier metropolis on the continent, with its towering and sturdy city walls, and recalled the time a few years ago when he had first arrived in this city.
Thinking back now, he could only sigh at how quickly time had passed.
However, Shen Hanyu did not choose to enter the grand city immediately. Instead, he rode along the city walls and detoured straight into the Sunset Forest.
After nearly two years away, the place remained as peaceful as ever. Many low-level spirit beasts roamed freely through the woods. The low vegetation and towering ancient trees added a great deal of mystery to this forest, and the occasional deep beast roars echoing from the depths all symbolized the vitality here.
Shen Hanyu dismounted, slapped the unicorn horse on its rear, and watched with satisfaction as it leaped into the forest in panic.
Since he had already arrived here, this century-level unicorn horse had outlived its usefulness. There was no longer any reason for Shen Hanyu to keep it, so releasing it back into the forest was perhaps also because Shen Hanyu did not fancy eating horse meat...
Of course, as for its fate, whether it lived or died from then on, Shen Hanyu took no responsibility.
...
Slowly entering the Sunset Forest and following the same route as before, it did not take Shen Hanyu long to once again reach the area shrouded in that lush green poisonous mist.
Shen Hanyu looked at the poisonous mist with some helplessness and directly passed through it.
He had previously consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, forging a body immune to all poisons. Moreover, with his extreme ice protecting him, the effect these poisonous mists could have on him was now extremely minimal.
After passing through the mist, Shen Hanyu immediately spotted the green-robed elder standing atop a massive boulder with his hands clasped behind his back.
As always, striking that pretentious pose.
Shen Hanyu inwardly complained, but on the surface, he revealed a faint smile and said:
"Long time no see, Old Poison."
Dugu Bo seemed not to have heard him. He let out a cold hum and instantly appeared before Shen Hanyu, striking a palm toward his chest.
Shen Hanyu's eyes narrowed slightly. Without summoning his martial soul, he circulated his soul power and met the attack with a fist.
Bang—
With a loud explosion, massive and chaotic air currents scattered in all directions. The green leaves on the surrounding tree trunks were shaken loose and fell in showers. A cloud of green poisonous mist and a cloud of white extreme cold mist slowly spread around them before gradually dissipating.
Shen Hanyu clutched his chest and coughed twice. From the earlier clash, he had been forced back a full seven steps. In contrast, Dugu Bo had merely stiffened for a moment.
The gap between them was still vast.
Shen Hanyu sighed inwardly, but he was not discouraged. Once he obtained his seventh soul ring and gained his martial soul's true body, this gap would be narrowed once more. At the very least, he would no longer be so disadvantaged and would possess the strength for a true battle.
As for Dugu Bo, although his expression remained calm on the surface, shock had already surged like a storm in his heart. After circulating his soul power to shatter the ice in his hand, he could still feel an extreme chill surging through his flesh and blood. That ice-attribute energy left even him inwardly alarmed.
Yet despite thinking this, Dugu Bo maintained his usual demeanor. He looked coldly at Shen Hanyu and said expressionlessly:
"Is this the extent of your improvement over these two years? It seems rather mediocre."
The corner of Shen Hanyu's mouth curved into an arc. Improving nearly twenty levels in two years, if one insisted on comparing, no one in the world had ever progressed faster than him.
"Pot calling the kettle black. In two years, how about it, Senior Poison Douluo, after breaking through one level of soul power, do you no longer intend to honor our previous agreement?"
Shen Hanyu said deliberately. He could sense that the other's aura had clearly strengthened and stabilized considerably, and it still carried a slight instability; one could tell at a glance that the breakthrough had not been long ago.
Dugu Bo glanced at Shen Hanyu, finding it inexplicably amusing. If he truly did not wish to acknowledge it, Shen Hanyu would not be standing here unharmed right now.
"Kid, if this old man had truly intended to strike you down, though you are strong, you still could not escape unscathed from a Titled Douluo's assassination attempt."
Dugu Bo said irritably, while inwardly sighing and stepping aside to clear the path.
Shen Hanyu walked forward, noticing Dugu Bo's hair that was now half green and half black. He raised an eyebrow and said:
"How is your poison? You seem to be in much better condition. Have you found a way to suppress it?"
Dugu Bo's gaze deepened. After a long pause, he took out the Youxiang Qiluo Immortal Product. Looking at the considerably damaged petals atop it, he said with some emotion:
"This old man only tried it on a whim at first, but later discovered that although this thing can only suppress the toxins and not cure them, it can be refined into pills together with certain herbs. The resulting pills have a very strong toxin-suppressing effect. This old man has refined quite a few of them, and the results are as you see."
Shen Hanyu nodded. He was not proficient in poisons or medicine, knowing only the basics, but Dugu Bo was different. Aside from Tang San, that reincarnator, Dugu Bo was the person most knowledgeable about such things in the current era. Discovering additional uses for an immortal herb was not particularly surprising.
"That's good. The reason I returned this time is to help you condense your poison core, but we'll have to wait a while. I still have some matters to attend to, so it will delay things a bit."
Shen Hanyu said softly.
His Cold Heaven Spear already possessed the prototype of a domain. Originally, the domain should have fully formed after reaching Soul King, but for some unknown reason, it had remained unable to advance further. Later, he had let it go, figuring that this domain would truly awaken only after he became a Soul Sage.
Dugu Bo nodded, examined Shen Hanyu for a moment, and asked with some surprise:
"Have you broken through to Soul Emperor? Why can this old man no longer see through your cultivation? How strange..."
Shen Hanyu gave a soft affirmation and said calmly:
"I haven't broken through to Soul Emperor yet, just to Soul Sage. I haven't had the chance to absorb the seventh soul ring yet, but... it won't be long now."
Dugu Bo froze for a moment, then his body stiffened. His gaze toward Shen Hanyu became rather strange, but he still quickly caught up to Shen Hanyu's pace as they walked together toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...