Ice and Fire Golden Body, Purple-Spotted Snake Star, Poison Against Poison, Feather-Garment Holy Orchid

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Qingzhou swallowed the entire Immortal Herb. It melted in his mouth and tasted wonderful.

An extreme cold snap and a frenzied blaze exploded inside Ye Qingzhou. The opposing powers of the two Immortal Herbs transformed his body, leaving one half red and the other half white.

"He took two Immortal Herbs at once? Has that kid gone mad?!"

From a distance, Dugu Bo had watched Ye Qingzhou swallow the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot. Though he didn't know much about them, Immortal Herbs were no different from cultivation resources that increased Soul Power Level.

Taking them could cause a backlash in the body.

He watched Ye Qingzhou anxiously, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, then hurried to Ye Shuyuan's side.

If anything went wrong, he would be ready to step in and save him.

Ye Shuyuan calmly watched Ye Qingzhou's face turn from white to red, then from red to white.

Rumble!

With a deafening crash, a massive pillar of freezing ice burst from the left side of Ye Qingzhou's body.

At the same time, white mist rose from the frigid spring in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Rumble!

Another deafening crash followed as a scorching crimson pillar shot skyward from the right side of Ye Qingzhou's body.

The fiery spring in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well bubbled like a pot of boiling stew, steam rising from its surface.

Splash!

As the cold snap and blazing heat intertwined, Ye Qingzhou leaped into the well, landing where the icy spring met the fiery one.

Watching Ye Qingzhou jump into the spring, Dugu Bo asked anxiously, "Shouldn't we stop him?"

Ye Shuyuan shook his head. "He's my grandson. I have absolute confidence in him."

"I..." Dugu Bo fell silent.

But deep down, he was still worried about Ye Qingzhou.

A short while later.

Dugu Bo paced anxiously back and forth across the grass.

Ye Shuyuan, meanwhile, was taking stock of the Immortal Herbs they might need later.

Dugu Bo looked at Ye Shuyuan, who didn't seem worried in the least, and felt a headache coming on.

What was all this? The boy's own grandfather wasn't worried, yet an outsider like him was fretting.

"Old Ye, stop being so cryptic. Why aren't you worried about that kid, Ye Qingzhou?"

"About that, all I can tell you is that my grandson isn't an ordinary person." Ye Shuyuan's words brimmed with pride.

"You!" Dugu Bo gritted his teeth. What did Ye Shuyuan mean by that? Was he bragging about having a grandson with exceptional talent?

Beneath the spring.

Ye Qingzhou drifted between the icy and fiery springs. The medicinal properties of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot stirred the well's power, fusing it with his body.

Inside him, an extreme vitality burst forth.

Dense life energy filled the entire well, and the bitter cold of the ice and the scorching flames vanished without a trace.

Under the influence of the life energy, points of starlight rose from both springs and flowed into Ye Qingzhou's body.

Life, cold, and fire swirled around him, enveloping him in their energy.

Half an hour passed.

Dugu Bo grew more and more impatient when Ye Qingzhou still hadn't emerged. Even Ye Shuyuan, who had remained calm all along, was starting to grow anxious.

The sound of water lapping against the shore reached their ears.

They both turned to look at the lake's surface, where countless bubbles rose and mist billowed.

Suddenly.

Ye Qingzhou sprang out of the lake and landed before Dugu Bo and Ye Shuyuan.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he sensed the changes in his body and the fluctuations in his Soul Power.

In the original story, after absorbing the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, Tang San had gained only the Ice and Fire Golden Body. His Soul Power Level hadn't increased at all.

Ye Qingzhou should have gained no increase either. But beneath the lake, besides obtaining the Ice and Fire Golden Body from the effects of the two Immortal Herbs, he had also absorbed the power within the springs, thanks to the life energy.

His Soul Power Level had leaped from Level 24 to Level 29.

A full five levels higher.

Seeing Ye Qingzhou emerge from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well safe and sound, Dugu Bo let out a long breath of relief.

Ye Shuyuan stepped forward and asked with concern, "Xiaozhou, how are you feeling?"

"Grandpa, I feel great. After absorbing the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, I gained the Ice and Fire Golden Body, and my Soul Power Level jumped up by five levels."

Ye Shuyuan had already witnessed Ye Qingzhou's innate Soul Power, so he was no longer surprised by a five-level increase. His tone remained perfectly calm.

"Grandpa knew you'd succeed."

"I'll leave everything that comes next to you. I'll guide you from the side."

He hadn't forgotten the reason they'd come here.

They weren't only here to find an Immortal Herb to cure Dugu Bo. Ye Qingzhou also needed to heal one of the injured as part of the First Trial of Life.

Ye Qingzhou nodded. He had noticed two Immortal Herbs lying on the grass not far away, neither of which he had seen before.

He asked curiously, "Grandpa, what are those two Immortal Herbs?"

Ye Shuyuan led Ye Qingzhou and Dugu Bo over to them.

Pointing at a snake-shaped Immortal Herb, Ye Shuyuan said, "Dugu Bo, listen carefully. This is the Immortal Herb for you: the Purple-Spotted Snake Star."

Dugu Bo pricked up his ears and listened warily, afraid he might miss some important detail.

Deep purple spots densely covered the stem of the snake-shaped herb. The markings spiraled upward, winding like a purple serpent coiling around a pillar.

Its leaves were divided into three lobes. The middle lobe was long and oval, like a snake's head, while the two shorter side lobes spread open like fangs. A snake-head-shaped berry rested between the open fangs, each berry shaped like a serpent's head and fading in color from blue-green to purplish red.

"The Purple-Spotted Snake Star is an Immortal Herb that contains deadly poison. Though it's poisonous, its toxins can be transformed into medicinal properties. It can not only neutralize every poison under heaven but also grant whoever consumes it immunity to snake venom."

"All you need to do is pluck the berry from between the Purple-Spotted Snake Star's fangs, swallow it, and use your own Soul Power to absorb it."

Looking at the Purple-Spotted Snake Star before him, Dugu Bo hesitated.

He also had a granddaughter, Dugu Yan. If he absorbed this Immortal Herb, what would happen to his precious granddaughter?

"Old Ye, I appreciate the offer, but I want to save this Immortal Herb for Yan Yan. Do you have another way?"

Ye Shuyuan had expected Dugu Bo to say that.

"I knew you'd say that."

"The poison in this Immortal Herb is too potent for Dugu Yan to absorb with her current Soul Power. It would only cause side effects."

"I've chosen a second Immortal Herb especially for her."

Dugu Bo hadn't expected Ye Shuyuan to have gone to such lavish lengths.

It seemed he had been too narrow-minded.

Tears streamed down his face as he looked at Ye Shuyuan. "Old Ye, you're truly the savior of the Dugu family!"

Ye Qingzhou walked over to the Immortal Herb beside the Purple-Spotted Snake Star.

The plant before him stood about a foot tall. Its leaves were long and dark green, and its flower stalk rose from the foliage, arching gracefully with seven pure-white bell-shaped blossoms hanging from it.

The edge of each flower's corolla glimmered with a faint golden light, like the gold trim embroidered on an angel's feathered robes.