Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Upon arriving at the legendary treasure land, even though Tang San's mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people, he couldn't help but feel extremely excited. His Purple Demon Eyes activated, and a clear purple light condensed in his eyes. Although everything around him was still shrouded in mist, in Tang San's eyes, the surroundings became exceptionally clear.

Using the starlight and moonlight from above, Tang San took in the full view of his surroundings.

All around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, various plants grew in abundance. Numerous immortal herbs and medicinal plants could be seen, making this place truly deserving of the term "treasure land" for someone like Tang San.

Looking at everything in front of him, Tang San could clearly feel his heart pounding rapidly. He subconsciously swallowed and the excitement on his face gradually transformed into greed.

He quickly walked forward and approached the edge of the milky white hot spring. Crouching down carefully, he examined a yellow-brown plant. Its single leaves alternated along its stem, which was thin and curved. The leaf blades were ovate and heart-shaped, which was quite unusual.

"This... this is the cold-natured herb, Cinnabar Lotus! If I consume it, my Blue Silver Grass martial soul might gain fire resistance. This could have a surprising effect during the Soul Master Tournament." Tang San's hands turned as smooth and lustrous as jade as he gently stroked the Cinnabar Lotus, his voice filled with excitement.

Cinnabar Lotus thrives in cold and dark places, possessing a strong cold nature that counters heat. It is a rare herb, with a certain restraining effect on fire-based poisons.

Just as Tang San was about to pick this rare herb, his attention was drawn by a faint fragrance wafting in the air.

It was a large, pale pink flower with no leaves. Its stem was three feet long, and the flower itself was enormous, with a diameter of about one foot. Each petal looked as clear as crystal, and the pale pink flower gently swayed in the mist as it grew on the bank where the red and white spring waters met.

Rushing to the fragrant flower, Tang San fell into a daze when he saw the flower up close. At the same moment, something clicked in his mind, and he blurted out, "This is... the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Herb!"

Tang San's heart began to tremble. If the Cinnabar Lotus was something he had seen in his previous life, the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Herb was a true legendary herb. With it, could any poison formation stop him when he left this place? "Heaven is truly helping me. With this, not only will poison miasma be useless against me, even stronger poisons won't pose a threat," Tang San thought excitedly. Despite the strange nature of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the immortal herbs around it were real. If he could find an herb to counter dark attributes, he would no longer fear Cheng Xiao's shadow beast!

However, just as he finished speaking and was about to search for more immortal herbs, a deep, dark shadow emerged from the darkness. Quickly, the shadow transformed into a large Man-Faced Demon Spider.

When the spider saw the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back, it hesitated for a moment, then let out a piercing screech. It immediately raised two of its front legs, armed with sharp spider spears, and stabbed them towards Tang San.

Startled, Tang San quickly reacted. The eight lances on his back pierced the ground as he rapidly channeled his spirit power, using his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dodge the attack.

"Damn it! How could there be a Man-Faced Demon Spider here at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" While dodging the spider's attacks, Tang San's face showed a hint of shock.

He couldn't understand how the spider had made it through the poisonous miasma to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well after all the effort he'd put into arriving here. Could it be that the spider was the guardian of this place?

Meanwhile, behind a large tree near the well, two figures emerged. One was covered in dark green, with white hair and glowing green eyes. The other had long, ice-blue and red hair, and their entire body was cloaked in shadows, wearing pitch-black armor that exuded an oppressive aura.

"Who is this little rat? How dare he steal herbs from my garden?" A raspy voice came from Dugu Bo, his cold gaze fixed on Tang San as the latter dodged the Man-Faced Demon Spider's attacks.

"Kill him. The King is cultivating, and I will not allow anyone to disturb him," Nash said in a low voice, releasing an invisible wave of killing intent that even startled Dugu Bo beside him.

...

Meanwhile, in the Sunset Forest.

"Flender, have you seen Tang San?" At the camp, Grandmaster looked around but still couldn't find any sign of Tang San.

Flender blinked and asked, "Did Tang San get lost?"

Grandmaster's face turned serious. "A moment ago, Little San said he was going to spread some soul beast repellent powder around the area, but he hasn't returned yet. I suspect he might be in danger. We need to go look for him."

As he spoke, Grandmaster's previously exhausted eyes lit up. He clasped his hands together before quickly parting them, shouting, "Come out, Luo San Pao!"

With a puff, a faint purple light separated from Grandmaster's palms, and in front of him appeared a creature resembling a cross between a pig and a dog.

"San Pao, lead the way. Quickly find Little San; nothing must happen to him." Grandmaster pulled out something Tang San had used before from his soul tool and gave it to Luo San Pao to sniff. "Wuu wuu!" Luo San Pao barked twice excitedly and immediately ran in one direction. Grandmaster and the others followed quickly.

"Xiao Gang, what happened?" Hearing Luo San Pao's barking, Liu Erlong emerged from her tent.

Grandmaster paused and frowned, "Erlong, it seems something has happened to Little San. Flender and I are going to look for him. Luo San Pao's nose is sharp; we should find him soon."

"Then I'll go with you," Liu Erlong replied.

Without saying more, Grandmaster silently released his soul rings and set off with Flender and Liu Erlong, following behind Luo San Pao deeper into the forest.

After half a day, they still hadn't found Tang San, and both Flender and Liu Erlong began feeling uneasy. It was as if something oppressive was weighing on their hearts.

"Xiao Gang, wait a moment," Flender said, placing a hand on Grandmaster's shoulder.

"What is it, Flender?" Grandmaster turned back, looking serious.

"Xiao Gang, I sense something strange around here. Can't you smell a fishy odor?" Flender asked.

"A fishy odor?" Grandmaster was startled and quickly had Luo San Pao sniff the air. Before long, a faint fishy smell wafted into his nose.

"There is a fishy smell. Could it be the environment?" Grandmaster asked, puzzled, as he'd never been this deep into the Sunset Forest before. He lacked the strength for it and would only serve as food for the soul beasts if he ventured too far.

"No, I don't think it's the environment. This smell seems like poison gas. I suspect the air here is filled with toxins," Flender said, shaking his head.

"Poison gas?" Grandmaster quickly covered his nose, afraid of inhaling the poison.

"I'll go up and take a look. Maybe I'll spot something." Flender's seventh spirit ring glowed as he quickly fused with his martial spirit, ascending into the sky.

When he broke through the treeline, he noticed that not far ahead, a large area was shrouded in green poisonous mist, making it impossible to see clearly inside.

Looking down, Flender quickly spotted a vast green poisonous formation not far ahead. The formation wasn't enormous, but it was wide.

Without hesitation, Flender returned to the forest and told Grandmaster and Liu Erlong what he had seen.

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster panicked, "I've heard that Dugu Bo lives in the Sunset Forest. That poison formation must be his doing. Could it be that Little San has been captured by that old man?"

"Damn it! If that's the case, we're in deep trouble if that man finds out," Flender cursed.

Immediately, the three of them rushed toward the poison formation. Faced with the life-threatening danger posed by the formation, they had no choice but to use their spirit fusion technique to break through the poisonous needles.

With a loud explosion, a huge gap was blasted open in the poison formation. A golden dragon, radiating light, flew out from the poison formation and sped toward its center.