Chapter 68: The Plan

Facing the oppressive aura of the golden dragon, Dugu Bo frowned and immediately summoned the phantom of his martial soul, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, to engage in battle with the golden dragon.

The dragon and the serpent clashed fiercely, neither willing to back down. Below, Grandmaster, Liu Erlong, and Flender stood even closer together, a beam of light shooting up from their bodies, making the golden dragon even more solid.

Dugu Bo, having cultivated to the Title Douluo level, was no pushover either. He activated his martial soul's true form, merging the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor with his own body, significantly boosting his combat power. The golden dragon was momentarily overwhelmed, but Dugu Bo seemed hesitant to deliver a fatal blow.

Watching this god-like battle from afar, Fang Chang sighed inwardly. It was a good thing he hadn't rushed out earlier to confront the trio. The sheer power of the golden dragon was beyond his current capabilities. He gave the trio one last meaningful glance before turning and walking deeper into the forest.

Due to the distance, Fang Chang hadn't heard a single word of the conversation between the trio and Dugu Bo. However, based on the original story and the boy Dugu Bo had brought back earlier, Fang Chang had pieced together most of the situation.

That boy was most likely Tang San, and the trio had come to rescue him, leading to the conflict with Dugu Bo.

If things followed the original plot, the Shrek Seven Devils would soon consume the immortal-grade herbs gifted by Tang San and continue their training in Heaven Dou City.

After that, they would return to the Sunset Forest to obtain their fourth soul rings.

Then, they would dominate the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament and begin their meteoric rise.

Once that happened, it would be much harder for Fang Chang to cause them any trouble.

So, he came up with a plan. He would hide in the Sunset Forest and wait for them to come for their fourth soul rings, and then…

Fang Chang couldn't help but smirk as he quickened his pace, moving away from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Tang San stood alone, staring at the barren herb garden with a bitter smile.

Although his Mysterious Heaven Technique protected him from the extreme cold and heat for now, he had promised to cure Dugu Bo and his granddaughter. But how could he do that without any herbs?

Even the most skilled doctor couldn't treat a patient without medicine.

Moreover, this herb garden gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he was supposed to gain something here but had it stolen from him.

This was the second time he had felt this way. The first time was in the Star Dou Great Forest when that Man-Faced Demon Spider had "revived" and escaped.

Hearing the sounds of battle from outside the valley, Tang San's heart sank. The intensity of the commotion suggested that the combatants were anything but ordinary.

He immediately thought that it might be Grandmaster and the others coming to rescue him, and his anxiety grew.

He approached the edge of the valley wall, scratching his head as he looked at the nearly vertical cliff.

Earlier, he had used his Blue Silver Grass martial soul to descend from the top of the valley to the bottom, a process that had taken him most of the day.

Now, climbing back up would be even more troublesome…

Outside the valley, the battle between the dragon and the serpent had reached a fever pitch.

Dugu Bo suddenly realized that since the golden dragon was the trio's martial soul fusion skill, breaking their connection would cause it to dissipate.

The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's eyes flashed with green light as it dodged the golden dragon and charged straight at the golden beam of light connecting the trio.

The beam shook violently upon impact, and the trio below took half a step back, each spitting out a mouthful of blood.

But their eyes remained resolute. They wiped the blood from their lips and continued pouring soul power into the beam, keeping it stable and the golden dragon solid.

In the next moment, the golden dragon counterattacked. With a flap of its golden wings, it lunged at the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, all four claws slashing at its body.

Sparks flew as the serpent's scales were torn off in several places.

The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, in pain, retreated several meters. It hissed at the golden dragon and then at the trio below, its eyes filled with even greater killing intent.

Although he had been holding back, being pushed to this point by two Soul Sages and a Great Soul Master was something Dugu Bo had never anticipated.

With the herb garden in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well already destroyed, he decided to go all out. The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's eyes gleamed with ferocity as its attacks became even more vicious.

A green orb of light formed in its mouth, radiating a powerful toxin that filled the air with a sour stench.

As soon as the orb was complete, Dugu Bo spat it at the golden dragon. The dragon, sensing the danger, tried to dodge by flying higher, but the orb was too fast.

It struck the dragon's lower abdomen, near its tail, causing it to let out a pained roar as it was sent crashing into the valley wall. Its form dimmed significantly.

Rocks tumbled down from the valley wall. Tang San, who had been climbing halfway up, pressed himself against the cliff, gripping the Blue Silver Grass vine tightly. He used part of his focus to form a makeshift umbrella-like shield above him with more Blue Silver Grass to block the falling debris.

The sound of crashing rocks continued for a while before finally stopping. Tang San carefully removed the shield and continued his arduous climb.

When he reached the end of the vine, he gripped it tightly with one hand while using his soul power to create another vine about a hundred meters above him, repeating the process.

As the golden dragon took damage, the trio in the light formation also suffered backlash. They each spat out several mouthfuls of blood, and the beam of light dimmed significantly.

The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, now Dugu Bo's true form, began forming a second orb. But this time, his target wasn't the golden dragon—it was the trio beneath the light beam.

Just as he was about to release the orb, the golden dragon, ignoring Grandmaster's control, flew toward the trio, using its body to block the deadly attack.

The light beam shattered, and the golden dragon shrank back to its normal size, reverting to its cute, pig-dog-like form and falling into Grandmaster's arms.

But the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor in the sky wasn't done. A third orb began to form…

"Wait, Dugu Bo! Killing us won't do you any good!" Flender shouted desperately at the serpent.

The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor hesitated for a moment before dissipating, revealing Dugu Bo's human form.

"I'd like to see how it won't do me any good," Dugu Bo said with a mocking smile, looking down at the trio like they were ants.

"That child's father is—" Flender began, but his words were cut off by a voice from below the valley.

"Dugu Bo! Don't hurt them! If you have a problem, take it out on me!"

Tang San, still hanging from the Blue Silver Grass vine, had heard Flender's voice. Seeing that Dugu Bo was about to kill them, he quickly intervened.