Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well

Within Sunset Forest, the vegetation was lush and verdant, ancient trees towered into the sky, and their sturdy branches resembled Candle Dragons.

As the second-largest gathering place for Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent, traces of Soul Beast activity could be seen everywhere.

Dugu Bo released the pressure of a Title Douluo and walked at the front, driving away the Soul Beasts that tried to attack them.

Dugu Yan followed closely behind without looking back.

Perhaps because Jiang Liang had teased her in the carriage, she did not say a single word to him for the rest of the journey.

Jiang Liang was happy to have some peace and quiet, using his thoughts to chat with Sword Mother in his Sea of Consciousness.

Following his gaze, Sword Mother observed the surroundings and caught sight of the fleeting, hurried figures of Soul Beasts.

So those are Soul Beasts?

They look no different from ordinary demon clans.

The entire way was filled with poisonous miasma. Fortunately, Dugu Bo had given Jiang Liang a bottle of antidote beforehand, preventing him from being poisoned.

Before long, the three of them reached the core region of Sunset Forest, at the edge of a cliff.

"We're here." Dugu Bo suddenly stopped walking and murmured softly.

Hearing that, Jiang Liang immediately strode to his side and looked down beneath the cliff.

What came into view was an inverted cone-shaped valley. Thick heat rose from below, carrying the distinctive scent of sulfur.

Sword Mother's voice reached his ears at just the right moment.

"Is this the place you were looking for? It is quite interesting."

Jiang Liang was slightly stunned. "Fairy Sister, can you tell what is special about this place?"

Sword Mother chuckled. "There is nothing particularly remarkable about it, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is exceptionally dense, and there is residual dragon aura. It should also be a Dragonfall Land."

"It is just a pity that the people here do not understand formations, so the dragon aura is nearly dispersed."

"If you cultivate here more often, your efforts will yield twice the results with half the effort."

Jiang Liang grinned mischievously.

Sword Mother truly was Sword Mother. She had seen through the essence of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well at a glance.

But her final words had awakened him.

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well did not merely produce Immortal Herbs. It was also a treasured cultivation ground.

Perhaps after the Hunt Soul Ring was over, he could return here to cultivate and raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.

"Stop standing there grinning like an idiot. You look like a fool." Dugu Bo was thoroughly displeased by Jiang Liang's continued silly smile.

Before Jiang Liang could react, Dugu Bo grabbed him by the back of his collar with one hand, picked up his granddaughter Dugu Yan with the other, and jumped straight off the cliff.

The wind howled past his ears, startling Jiang Liang.

But before he could cry out, they had already landed.

"We're here." Dugu Bo released his collar and gave him a shove forward.

Jiang Liang staggered two steps forward, then turned back angrily. "Dugu Bo! Can you warn me before doing something like that next time? You nearly scared me to death!"

Dugu Bo merely turned his head away and gave a proud snort.

He had yet to settle the score for this brat teasing his granddaughter on the road. What did this amount to?

Dugu Yan covered her mouth and giggled. "You little brat, your courage is really tiny. You got scared by just that?"

"Who says I'm timid?" Jiang Liang glared at her irritably, rubbing his neck and breathing heavily.

Only then did he look around.

When he had stood atop the cliff earlier, he had already felt the rising heat within the valley.

Now that he had entered the valley, not only did it feel hotter, but there was also a faint chill in the air.

Mist drifted through the valley, while strange flowers and exotic grasses of all shapes covered the ground.

Yet the most astonishing sight was the spring at the center.

The spring was oval-shaped, and its waters were divided into milky white and vermilion red.

Even stranger, the two colors remained clearly distinct within the same pool, never encroaching upon one another, each staying on its own side.

"Fairy Sister, this is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well." Jiang Liang broke into a delighted grin.

"I see it." Following Jiang Liang's line of sight, Sword Mother observed the surroundings.

Even the strange flowers and exotic grasses on the ground had been tainted by traces of dragon aura.

And the crystals scattered around that red-and-white pool all emitted peculiar energy.

If used to forge a sword, they might be able to create a decent Flying Sword.

"Kid, you'd better be careful. Most of the plants here are highly poisonous. Even I would not dare touch them carelessly."

Seeing Jiang Liang stare continuously at those strange flowers and exotic grasses, Dugu Bo kindly warned him.

Jiang Liang simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency. I recognize quite a few of the plants here, and I know this place's origins like the back of my hand."

As he spoke, he turned to Dugu Bo with a smile. "Let's first discuss the snake poison in your body."

"Once I help you resolve the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your body, I'll take the herbs here."

Dugu Bo nodded slightly, then sat down cross-legged on the ground.

"Then tell me. How will you help me resolve the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison?"

Dugu Yan could not help moving closer, watching Jiang Liang expectantly.

Jiang Liang raised one finger. "The first method is the simplest: the strange flowers and exotic grasses on the ground."

"These strange flowers and exotic grasses are all Immortal Herbs. Each possesses a unique effect. Among them are two Immortal Herbs called the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass."

"Use their tyrannical ice and fire power to neutralize and dissolve the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison inside your body."

"But the only drawback is that you will no longer be able to use the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison afterward."

Dugu Bo's pupils abruptly trembled.

His body's poison could be eliminated, but the only drawback was that he could no longer use Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison?

Wouldn't that make him, the Poison Douluo, a snake without fangs?

"No, no! Give me another method!"

Jiang Liang smiled. "Of course, that is merely a last resort. The second method is to gather a full set of Spirit Bones, including an External Soul Bone."

"Then transfer all of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your body into the Spirit Bones."

"This is also the safest method."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up like light bulbs.

This method was good!

He would not even need to abolish his poison arts.

Why had he never thought of that before?

Slapping his thigh, he laughed. "Then we'll go with this method. Spirit Bones are easy enough to deal with; it's the External Soul Bone that will be troublesome."

Jiang Liang nodded slightly. "It is indeed troublesome. Not only is the process extremely long, but the storage capacity of Spirit Bones is limited."

"In other words, if a Spirit Bone's poison storage reaches its limit, the situation will become even more dangerous."

Those words were like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the hope Dugu Bo had just kindled.

He glared at the brat irritably, so angry that his beard practically flew up.

Dugu Yan could not help asking, "Didn't your master say there were three methods? That's only two. What about the third?"

Jiang Liang said gravely, "There is indeed a third method, and it is also the most dangerous. So far, no one on Douluo Continent has succeeded."

"I heard from my master that after Your Excellency Poison Douluo's Martial Soul evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, you condensed a Pill Bead inside your body."

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with disbelief.

Only he knew about this matter. How did this brat's master know as well?

Jiang Liang grinned. "Your Excellency need not doubt it. My master is naturally an omniscient existence."

"He said that Your Excellency's Pill Bead is not actually complete. That is why you cannot control the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your body, and why your cultivation has been firmly stuck."

"As long as you perfect it and turn it into a complete Soul Core, not only will you be able to control the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in your body, but your cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds."

At this point, Dugu Bo's face was filled with wild joy, and even his breathing became rapid.

"Is that true?"

Dugu Yan also looked at her grandfather excitedly.

Jiang Liang nodded. "Of course it is true. But no one on present-day Douluo Continent has ever practiced the Soul Core method."

"My master said that to condense a complete Soul Core, conditions such as Soul Power Level, Spiritual Power strength, and energy storage are all indispensable."

"First, sense the flow of Soul Power. Then compress the Soul Power little by little to the extreme. Only then can a Soul Core form."

"If there is even the slightest fluctuation during the process and the Soul Power loses control, there is a risk of your body exploding and dying."

As soon as those words came out, Dugu Yan's previously excited little face instantly turned deathly pale.

Dugu Bo furrowed his brows tightly as well, lowering his head into silence.

But Sword Mother's voice drifted over softly. "Xiao Liang, isn't the method you described just the Golden Core?"