Douro Continent

Chapter 233 The Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire (Part 2)

"This external soul bone can be used like this?" A hint of surprise flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes. But he didn't say anything more, only watching as the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back moved rapidly, arriving in front of him in a short while. With the Purple Demon Eye, Tang San's strength was not much weaker than Dugu Bo's at night.

Tang San didn't look at Dugu Bo, but instead focused his gaze on the scene in the valley before him. To his surprise, the hot spring in the valley was not what he had imagined. The hot spring area wasn't large, but it was divided into two oval pools, and the colors of the hot spring water were milky white and vermilion respectively. Even more strangely, although they were in the same pool, they were clearly separated, not encroaching on each other, and always remaining on their own side.

The billowing steam was generated between the two hot springs, rising continuously until it slowly dissipated at the mountain pass.

"This, this is..." Tang San stared at the scene before him, his body trembling uncontrollably with excitement. He never imagined he would witness such a magnificent sight in this world. Although he had never seen anything like it before, he remembered a similar scene.

Besides hidden weapons, the "Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons" section of the Xuan Tian Bao Lu (Mysterious Heavenly Treasure Record) also includes a special chapter on poisons. This chapter records extremely rare and precious medicines, some highly toxic, others rare and precious herbs. At the end of this chapter, three great treasure basins are described in detail.

The so-called "treasure basins" do not refer to physical substances, but rather to medicinal resources. They represent three unique natural environments. Ordinary plants cannot grow in these three treasure basins because they cannot adapt to the specific climate. However, these three treasure basins are the breeding grounds for all rare plants. Furthermore, they shorten the growth time of these precious plants by a factor of ten. Simply put, if a Ganoderma lucidum grows for ten years in any of the three treasure basins, it will have the effect of a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum.

The three treasure basins possess unique advantages, being places where the essence of heaven and earth converges, the finest in the world. And isn't the scene before us exactly the same as one of the three treasure basins described in the Xuan Tian Bao Lu?

"The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire. This is actually the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire?"

The "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye" refers to this uniquely blessed spring, a treasure land where two elements are born from the same source, mutually restraining each other, a phenomenon that might not occur even in millions of years!

To witness one of the three great treasure basins where the essence of heaven and earth converges in one's lifetime—how could Tang San not be excited? At this moment, he finally understood why the old monster before him could survive despite such potent poison and even cultivate to the level of a Title Douluo. This was inextricably linked to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well before him.

The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire not only nurtures living things but also has extremely unique effects on the human body. If a human or animal lives near it, their body will be bombarded by the two extreme elements of spiritual energy within a short period. If they cannot leave in time, they will surely explode and die. However, for someone like Dugu Bo, who is highly poisonous, it offers immense benefits. Extreme heat and extreme cold both have a restraining effect on poisons. And the restraint on poisons is even more pronounced in a place like the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, a place containing such rare and precious materials. Otherwise, it would be impossible for various rare plants to grow there simultaneously.

Thanks to the suppression of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Dugu Bo's body was able to keep the deadly poison within him from flaring up. The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's properties were originally meant to protect the surrounding plants, but they became a valuable asset for Dugu Bo to protect himself and save his life.

"The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire? What are you talking about?" Dugu Bo looked at Tang San with some confusion.

Tang San forced himself to calm his turbulent emotions, trying his best not to cheer. "It's nothing. I just didn't expect such a wonderful place to exist. If I was only 30% confident in curing your poison before, now that this Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well exists, my confidence has increased to 50%."

"What did you say? Only fifty percent?" Dugu Bo's words immediately revealed hostility. "Kid, you've been lying to me all along?"

Tang San coldly replied, "Why would I lie to you? Your body has been tainted by the poisonous mist for so many years; a 50% chance of recovery is already the highest. However, even if it can't be cured, it's enough to alleviate your pain. As for your granddaughter, she doesn't even need the help of this Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well; I'm confident I can heal her."

Dugu Bo's expression softened slightly. Pointing to the area around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he said, "All my medicines are grown here. Various poisons and tonics are available. You can use them, but if you dare to damage this place, I will make you wish you were dead. I'll give you some time. By the morning of the day after tomorrow, if you cannot pass my test, then it will be your end. Of course, you can try to escape. I'm not afraid to tell you, this is a very famous Soul Beast Forest. Except for this mountain, which is sealed by my poison array, preventing Soul Beasts from entering, the outside is inhabited by Soul Beasts at least a thousand years old. If you try to escape, I won't even need to lift a finger; the Soul Beasts will tear you to pieces."

Having said this, Dugu Boteng rose to his feet, lightly touched the mountain wall with his toes, and soared upwards towards the mountain pass like a great bird. As his figure receded into the distance, his voice rang out clearly once more, "Boy, remember, don't touch those two kinds of hot springs. Even I can't withstand their intense heat and extreme cold for long. If you do, you'll only face certain death."

Watching Dugu Bo's figure gradually disappear into the mist, Tang San's lips curled into a smile. "Do you need to tell me? I'm not going to commit suicide, why would I let myself easily go to the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well? You must know, that is the coldest and hottest place in the world."

With Dugu Bo gone, Tang San no longer needed to suppress his excitement. He quickly walked to the fiery red hot spring water in the Yin-Yang Well. Strangely, there was no warmth on the calm surface of the hot spring.

Tang San was not fooled by appearances. This seemingly calm red liquid was hot enough to be compared to magma. If he touched it out of curiosity, the place he touched would be burned to ashes.

Taking a deep breath, Tang San felt his heart pounding faster and faster. This was the first time he had experienced such uncontrollable excitement in this life. Even in his previous life, he had only felt it when he created the Buddha's Wrath Lotus.

He focused his energy in his eyes and activated the Purple Demon Eye.

A crystalline purple aura gathered in his eyes, and under the full effect of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, everything before him became exceptionally clear. Although the mist was hazy, with the help of the starlight and moonlight, Tang San was still able to see everything around him clearly.

The area around the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire was filled with all sorts of plants, each with its own unique shape and form, making it look like a plant paradise. And all the plants here were rare and precious; just one glance was enough to leave Tang San speechless.

Not far in front of him, near the edge of the milky-white hot spring, there was a cluster of things that looked like small insects. Tang San carefully squatted down and examined them closely, his heart filled with intense shock.

"This, this is a snow silkworm? The finest of cordyceps, the snow silkworm." He recognized the thing in front of him at a glance, and his heart seemed to beat even faster.

The Tang Clan is renowned throughout the world for its poisons, possessing an extremely thorough understanding of various medicines—the culmination of countless generations of dedication from its members. As an outer disciple, Tang San, while unable to master the inner sect's techniques, gained a profound understanding of various medicines, as he frequently used poison to create mechanical hidden weapons. He was exceptionally proficient in both poisons and antidotes. Otherwise, how could he have immediately discerned that Poison Douluo Dugu Bo was suffering from a backlash from his own poison?

Cordyceps is a top-grade medicinal material, also known as "winter worm summer grass" or simply "Cordyceps." It is actually an entomopathogenic fungus, a lower parasitic fungus. This fungus parasitizes lepidopteran insects—the larvae, pupae, or adults of moths and bees living in high mountains—during winter. It invades their bodies, absorbs nutrients, and as the mycelium gradually fills the insect's body, the larvae stiffen and die. In summer, the fungal spores multiply inside the dead insect, and a fruiting body with a club-shaped head grows from the top of the insect's head. This is Cordyceps, hence its name.

Snow silkworm is another name for the finest cordyceps. This type of cordyceps is grayish-white with ring-like markings; it has eight pairs of legs, with the four pairs in the middle being the most prominent. It is smooth and easily broken, with a slightly flat, white surface tinged with yellow. The fruiting body is slender, dark brown to brownish-red, cylindrical in shape, generally longer than the insect body, with slightly enlarged spores at the top. It is bright yellow on the outside and white on the inside, plump and large, not only larger than ordinary cordyceps but also possessing much better efficacy.

The 'Snow Silkworm' presented to Tang San at this moment was more than twice the size of the Snow Silkworm in his previous life. This cluster weighed at least several kilograms. Although the 'Snow Silkworm' could not be considered a rare and precious treasure, Tang San had never even heard of one of this quality before.

Immediately afterward, Tang San noticed another plant next to the "Snow Silkworm." This plant had a yellowish-brown outer skin and a yellowish-red cross-section. It had simple, alternate leaves with slender, curved petioles. The leaf blades were ovate-cordate with an acuminate tip. In summer, small, yellowish-green flowers with purple spots bloomed from the leaf sap, their zigzag shapes quite peculiar.

(End of this chapter)