Of the three, two were men and one was a woman. Both men had expressions of extreme anxiety on their faces. The woman, though her expression was somewhat calmer, still had her brows tightly furrowed.
Of the two men, the one who appeared slightly thinner was being supported under the arm by the other, using the other's strength to move forward.
These three were none other than the once-renowned Golden Iron Triangle of the Soul Master world — now long since fallen apart.
That day, after Tang San had vanished without a trace, the Great Master had immediately sought out Flandre, then returned to the spot where Tang San had disappeared and summoned his Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao. Though Sanpao itself wasn't particularly strong, there was one thing it excelled at — its sense of smell.
Moreover, it was one with the Great Master at its core. Whatever the Great Master had once smelled, Sanpao would retain the memory of it.
After a brief investigation, the Great Master quickly learned from Sanpao's deductions where Tang San had gone. He had been captured by the Titled Douluo they had seen earlier that day — Dugu Bo.
The moment he thought of that old monster covered in poisons, the Great Master couldn't help but fall into a panic. In the hands of that old Poison Douluo, what good could possibly come of it for Tang San? And worse, they had no idea where the old monster had gone.
Flandre was equally anxious. Though Tang San wasn't his own direct disciple, he was one of the Shrek Seven Devils — a student of his very own Shrek Academy. What's more, he had never dared forget the instructions of that person in black. That was an existence far more terrifying than the Poison Douluo.
But in times like these, Flandre was somewhat calmer than the Great Master.
After careful thought, Flandre proposed returning to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy for a visit.
The day before, when the three academic committee members at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had joined forces against the Poison Douluo, it had been obvious they knew him. Perhaps those three committee members would know where Dugu Bo could be found. If even they didn't know, then they would have no choice but to seek out Prince Xuexing.
Of course, confronting an imperial prince directly would clearly be unwise, but applying pressure was another matter entirely.
After all, whether it was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan that the Great Master and Liu Erlong belonged to, or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan behind Ning Rongrong, both were among the seven great clans of the era. Even Prince Xuexing, for all his high rank and immense power, would not dare to offend two major clans within the empire.
In fact, the three never had to resort to the plan of pressuring the prince. Upon meeting the three academic committee members of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy again, the three Soul Douluo were deeply ashamed of what had happened before. When they heard that Tang San had been taken by Dugu Bo, all three were greatly startled.
They told the Golden Iron Triangle that Dugu Bo had always been a reclusive person. Though he was employed by the imperial family, he did not live within the city of Tian Dou. Instead, he resided in the Sunset Forest, reportedly on a mountain — but they did not know the exact location.
The three Soul Douluo committee members expressed their regret over Tang San's disappearance, but they also made it clear that they could not help the Shrek Academy group in confronting Dugu Bo. Though they did not state the reason, the three members of the Golden Iron Triangle understood perfectly well.
Who would willingly face the Poison Douluo, with his terrifying and all-consuming poisons? Even Titled Douluo-level powerhouses had to be wary of that insidious venom.
The Golden Iron Triangle did not beg. The three of them departed the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy at breakneck speed and, led by Liu Erlong, headed straight for the Sunset Forest.
The Sunset Forest lay a hundred li east of the city of Tian Dou. It was one of the major wild Soul Beast habitats within the Tian Dou Empire. Though its area wasn't as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, it was far from lacking in high-level Soul Beasts.
Having entered the Sunset Forest at dawn, the three had been searching for an entire day, stopping only briefly to rest before continuing their search.
Though Liu Erlong didn't know much about Tang San, the words he had previously spoken to the Great Master had earned her great admiration. What's more, Tang San was the only direct disciple of the man she held dear. As the saying goes — love the house and its crow. She wasn't as frantic as the Great Master and Flandre, but she was still deeply concerned.
"Erlong, let's rest for a bit." Flandre stopped in his tracks, slightly out of breath. A full day of searching, while not physically taxing for a Soul Saint of his level — over seventy — had still left him mentally fatigued.
Liu Erlong stopped and walked over to Flandre and the Great Master. Looking at the Great Master's somber expression, she offered her comfort. "Xiao Gang, don't worry so much. I don't think Dugu Bo necessarily intends to kill Tang San. If he did, he could have just acted right there at our academy. Why bother taking Tang San away?"
The Great Master let out a heavy sigh, his eyes flickering with anguish. "No, you don't understand. The fact that Dugu Bo took Tang San must be because of the harm Tang San once caused to Dugu Yanyan, and the talent Tang San displayed in the realm of poison. If I'm not mistaken, Dugu Bo has surely taken an interest in the poison Tang San carries. He wants to see exactly what kind of poison it is. And I can say with certainty that Dugu Bo will never let Tang San live. The only question is how long he intends to use him. That man is neither righteous nor wicked — his reputation among Soul Masters has never been good. He acts entirely on his own whims. With Xiao San's talent, if I were in Dugu Bo's shoes, I would never let him go either."
Flandre gave a bitter smile. "If something truly happens to Xiao San, how will we ever face that person again?"