"Headmaster Flandre, actually I have a plan, but it's somewhat dangerous." Tang San suddenly spoke up, and his words immediately drew everyone's attention.
Flandre said irritably, "If you had a plan, why didn't you say so earlier? What is it?"
Tang San explained, "Do you all remember the Fragrant Fairy Clothos I used two days ago to ward off the toxic mist? As a supreme-grade spirit herb, it is a natural treasure of heaven and earth. If I leave it exposed outside, its own precious aura will inevitably attract some powerful Soul Beasts. However, under those circumstances, I can't be certain what kind of Soul Beast will show up. It could very well be something too powerful for us to handle, and there's no guarantee the numbers won't be overwhelming."
Only then did Flandre realize that Tang San hadn't been keeping quiet out of negligence — the danger inherent in this method was simply too great. If anything went wrong, the entire group could be wiped out.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Flandre, Zhao Wuji, and Liu Erlong were all Soul Masters above level seventy. Among Soul Beasts, there existed certain exceptionally powerful creatures that could destroy them with ease.
Like the Titan Giant Ape they had once encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest — a terrifying existence that even a Titled Douluo would not willingly provoke.
"Xiaogang, what do you think?" Flandre tossed the question to the Great Master.
The Great Master considered for a moment and said, "Xiao San's plan isn't absolutely off the table. It all depends on how we use it. Xiao San, can you still find the place where Dugu Bo once lived in seclusion?"
At the Great Master's question, Tang San's eyes lit up immediately. The bond between master and disciple ran deep — though the Great Master hadn't yet spelled out his thinking, Tang San had already grasped it.
"Master, you mean to use the poison the old monster left behind to protect us?"
The Great Master smiled and nodded. At this point, the others were still completely confused, watching the two of them without the faintest idea what they were talking about.
At the Great Master's signal, Tang San explained to everyone. Because the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, had once lived in seclusion within this Setting Sun Forest, a wide perimeter around his Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was guarded by a toxic formation.
That toxic formation was built upon Dugu Bo's terrifying poison arts.
Even Soul Beasts of ten-thousand-year rank and above would not dare step past its boundary.
Of course, those deadly toxins were no challenge for Tang San. Putting aside the fact that Dugu Bo had long since given him the antidote, even relying on his own compounded medicines or the Fragrant Fairy Clothos alone, he could easily resist the invasion of the poison.
The plan was simple: place the Fragrant Fairy Clothos near the toxic formation to lure Soul Beasts. If any Soul Beast proved too powerful, they would simply retreat into the formation, where they would have nothing to fear even if a horde attacked at once.
When it was time to leave, they could simply exit the Setting Sun Forest from a different direction altogether.
With a plan in hand, everyone sprang into action at once. Under Tang San's lead, they headed toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well sat at the center of the Setting Sun Forest. The distance from any direction was roughly equal, and since the Shrek Academy group was already inside the forest, it took them less than half a day to arrive at the outer perimeter of the toxic formation Dugu Bo had once set up.
Tang San solemnly handed each person two pills. "The poison the old monster placed here is absolutely terrifying. It may not be as lethal to Soul Masters as it is to Soul Beasts, but anyone with less than seventy levels of Soul Power who takes a single step inside is dead for certain. Take one of these pills now — it will keep you safe for one full day. Take the second at the same time tomorrow. Two days should be more than enough."
Having said that, Tang San immediately got to work. He entered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well alone first, scooping up some soil from the bank where the two springs met. Then he dug a hole just outside the toxic formation, placed the soil inside, and carefully planted the Fragrant Fairy Clothos on top of it.
The Fragrant Fairy Clothos was nothing like the Love-Love Scarlet Heart that Xiao Wu possessed — it could not endure forever without decay. Once removed from the Myriad Treasure Bag and lacking sufficient spiritual energy from heaven and earth, it would gradually wither.
But the soil from beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well could provide the nutrients it needed. Otherwise, Tang San would never have let it come into contact with ordinary earth.
After completing the temporary planting of the Fragrant Fairy Clothos, Tang San produced a small jade vial from the Myriad Treasure Bag. The moment he uncapped it, a thick, putrid stench flooded the air. Even the Fragrant Fairy Clothos's delicate fragrance could not mask it.
"Xiao San, what is that thing? It reeks!" Dai Mubai had always been fastidious about cleanliness, and the moment the foul odor hit him, he retreated to a safe distance.
Tang San smiled but said nothing, thinking to himself: Boss Dai, how could you possibly know that this appallingly foul-smelling liquid was distilled from over a dozen precious medicinal herbs? In terms of rarity, it was only slightly inferior to the Fragrant Fairy Clothos itself.
He carefully tilted the vial and let a single drop of the black liquid fall onto the pistil of the Fragrant Fairy Clothos. Only then did he gently stow the jade vial back into the Myriad Treasure Bag.