Ice and Fire Dual Pools

Gu Ci nodded. "Indeed. With our current physiques, directly consuming twenty-thousand-year Whale Rubber would likely make us explode and die."

"But if..."

He paused and looked at Dugu Bo. "If we can use certain heavenly treasures to neutralize the medicinal effects while taking the Whale Rubber, and combine that with the special environment in your Immortal Herb Garden, it might work."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Ci with a faint, knowing smile. "You little rascal, after all that, you're still eyeing this old man's herb garden?"

Gu Ci chuckled without denying it.

He had been coveting the Ice and Fire Dual Pools for a long time.

This was the perfect chance to enter it openly and legitimately.

Then, those Immortal Herbs...

Anticipation flashed through his eyes.

"Let's go." Dugu Bo waved a hand.

"This old man will take you to have a look at the herb garden. While we're at it, let your Heavenly Eye see whether there's anything in there worthy of this piece of twenty-thousand-year Whale Rubber."

Early the next morning, Gu Ci got up before dawn.

When he pushed open his door, Dugu Bo was already waiting in the courtyard. His dark green figure looked somewhat thin in the morning light, but he was in excellent spirits, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Let's go."

When Dugu Bo saw him emerge, he said nothing further. He directly grabbed Gu Ci and Dugu Yan, then shot into the sky.

A Titled Douluo was incomparably fast. The wind howled past their ears as the scenery below rapidly receded.

Gu Ci only felt a blur before Heaven Dou City had vanished behind them.

After flying for roughly two hours, Dugu Bo gradually slowed.

Gu Ci looked down and saw an endless stretch of mountains below. The terrain was perilous, and ancient trees towered into the sky.

Amid the drifting clouds and mist, several peaks could vaguely be seen piercing the heavens.

"This is Sunset Forest," Dugu Bo said.

"This old man's herb garden is deep within this forest."

He slowly descended with the two of them and led them through the dense woods.

After another half hour of walking, the mountains ahead suddenly became steep, and an almost vertical cliff face blocked their path.

Dugu Bo stopped before the cliff and pressed a spot on its surface.

With a faint rumble, a crack actually opened in the cliff face.

"Go in."

The three passed through the fissure, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

It was a long, narrow valley, flanked by sheer cliffs. Mist swirled through the valley, and the temperature was much higher than outside.

The farther they went, the thicker the mist became and the hotter the air grew. A peculiar scent filled the air.

There was the fresh fragrance of herbs, the rich scent of soil, and an indescribable warm, damp smell.

Gu Ci was thrilled, but his expression remained calm.

At last, after passing through the final curtain of dense mist, he saw that legendary place.

The Ice and Fire Dual Pools.

Before him lay a pond several hundred meters wide. Its water was extraordinarily peculiar: one half was milky white, while the other was crimson red. The two colors were clearly divided, neither intruding upon the other.

The milky-white half emitted bone-chilling cold. Even from far away, one could feel the piercing frost.

The crimson half, on the other hand, gave off billowing heat, and the hazy mist was rising from there.

Yet what was most breathtaking were the herbs growing around the pond.

They were brilliantly colored and varied in form. Some were as red as flames, some as crystalline as ice, some entirely golden, and others wreathed in purple mist.

Every single one emitted dense energy fluctuations. Some even faintly formed halos of light. At a glance, none of them were ordinary.

"This..."

Although Gu Ci had mentally prepared himself, he was still stunned when he truly witnessed this sight.

Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Well? This old man's herb garden is decent enough, isn't it?"

Gu Ci took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

The Heavenly Eye between his brows silently opened.

Golden light swept across the entire valley.

From the Heavenly Eye's perspective, everything became different.

Those herbs were no longer merely plants, but clusters of dense energy.

He could clearly see the flow of energy within every herb, sense their age, medicinal properties, and effects, and even vaguely make out how they complemented and restrained one another.

What shocked him most was what lay beneath the pond.

The Heavenly Eye's gaze pierced through the earth and reached deep underground.

There, he "saw" two utterly distinct, terrifying sources of energy—one cold and one hot—entwined and mutually restraining each other.

They were two enormous skeletons. Though they had been dead for countless years, the residual energy they possessed remained as vast as the sea.

The Ice Dragon King. The Fire Dragon King.

Gu Ci understood at once.

"Well?"

Seeing him scan the surroundings with his Heavenly Eye open, Dugu Bo could not help asking, "Did you find anything?"

Gu Ci withdrew his Heavenly Eye and looked at Dugu Bo. "Grandpa Dugu, your herb garden is far more precious than you imagine."

"Oh?" Dugu Bo raised a brow.

"Within the earth veins beneath this pond are two immensely powerful sources of energy."

"If I'm not mistaken, they should be the remains of two ancient dragons."

Gu Ci spoke slowly. "One ice, one fire. Their mutual balance created the wondrous scene before us."

"And because this land absorbed the essence of those two energies, it was able to nurture so many rare herbs."

Dugu Bo froze.

He had occupied this place for decades. He only knew it was suitable for growing herbs, but he had never imagined such a secret lay beneath the ground.

"Ancient dragons?" he muttered.

Gu Ci nodded and turned his gaze toward the herbs.

His heartbeat began to quicken.

Because he had already recognized several of them.

That snow-white one, with petals like a snow lotus, was Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

That fiery-red one, shaped like a lingzhi mushroom, was Infernal Delicate Apricot.

That entirely golden one, with leaves resembling orchid grass, was Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

That one shrouded in purple mist and shaped like an orchid was Aromatic Silk Beauty.

And that one...

Gu Ci's gaze fixed on a corner.

There was a peculiar stone there. Growing atop it was a snow-white herb with white petals. It resembled a peony somewhat, but its stamen was crimson red, like a drop of blood.

Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

A legendary Immortal Herb that could only be picked by someone of the deepest and most unwavering devotion.

"What? Which one caught your eye?"

Seeing the intensity in his gaze, Dugu Bo smiled.

"Although this old man usually treasures these herbs, if you need one, take it."

"After all, this old man doesn't know how to use them. Leaving them here is no different from letting them sit idle."

Gu Ci took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as he turned toward Dugu Bo.

"Grandpa Dugu, do you know the value of these herbs?"

Dugu Bo shook his head. "This old man only knows that they are extremely old and contain considerable energy, but I truly don't know what they do."

"This old man tried a few of them back then. Either I was poisoned, or I nearly exploded and died. After that, I didn't dare touch them again."

Gu Ci nodded.

That matched the original setting. Dugu Bo possessed a treasure mountain without recognizing it, only to let Tang San benefit for nothing.

But things were different now.

He had the Heavenly Eye and could see through every herb's medicinal properties and effects.

More importantly, he came from the future and knew the correct ways to use these Immortal Herbs.

"Grandpa Dugu, some of these herbs can be consumed directly."

Gu Ci spoke slowly. "After taking them, not only can one greatly increase Soul Power, but they can also improve one's physique and even break through bottlenecks."

"Others can be used to neutralize that piece of twenty-thousand-year Whale Rubber, allowing us to absorb it safely."

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Gu Ci nodded and pointed at several herbs. "That golden one is called Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. After consuming it, one's qi will flow throughout the body, forging an indestructible body of steel."