Detoxification

Xing Tian hadn't plunged into the water immediately after swallowing the two Immortal Herbs because he needed to wait for their medicinal effects to take hold. If he'd gone in even a moment too soon, he would have been reduced to bones and dust.

Now that the effects had taken hold, he felt little when he entered the water. The sensations brought on by the two Immortal Herbs had already made him lose all awareness of the outside world.

Xing Tian wanted to cultivate the Ice Fire Golden Body Refinement not only to withstand extreme elements, but also to adapt to the environment of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.

Because the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well wasn't a true Yin-Yang Well, Xing Tian couldn't use the abundant Heaven and Earth Origin Power here to cultivate.

To solve this problem, he needed to transform the ice and fire energy and absorb it into himself.

The only way was to swallow both Immortal Herbs at the same time and let them react with the spring water of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well. Their unparalleled interaction would form a Miniature Ice Fire Yin Yang Well inside his body.

But the energy unleashed in that instant was too much for even Xing Tian to withstand through sheer willpower.

He'd been in the water only a short while before he was nearly unconscious. The spring water of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well soon returned to stillness.

Time flowed like water. Morning turned to night; he closed his eyes and opened them again, and a whole day had passed.

On the shore, Dugu Bo was so anxious he paced back and forth. Just as he was wondering whether he should return to Heaven Dou City, the spring water of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well began to stir. Bubbles rose to the surface as if something were about to emerge.

Dugu Bo stopped in his tracks, excitement beyond words on his face. "That kid's finally coming out! He's had this old man worried for so long!"

A moment later, Xing Tian shot out of the water and landed steadily on the shore.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Dugu Bo suddenly burst into laughter.

Xing Tian abruptly realized what had happened. He had completed the Ice Fire Golden Body Refinement, doubling his physical strength and making him impervious to water, fire, and a hundred poisons. But his clothes hadn't gained the same abilities. He was standing there completely naked.

He'd thought of this before entering the water, which was why he'd taken off his shirt and Soul Tool.

But after being battered by two extreme energies for a day and a night, his mind was still hazy when he woke. He'd forgotten all about it.

Xing Tian hurriedly put on his shirt, then took a pair of pants from his Soul Tool and pulled them on. "You'd better not tell anyone!"

Dugu Bo wore a mischievous grin. "Oh! Now you're not even using honorifics. I'm going to tell everyone! At last, I've got something on you."

"If you tell anyone, I won't detoxify you."

"Hey, you brat!"

Dugu Bo was reluctant, but had no choice but to agree. "Fine, I won't tell. Happy now? Hurry up and detoxify me. Run some tests, then detoxify Yanyan."

Xing Tian agreed. "You have a Soul Bone, right?"

Dugu Bo nodded. "I have a Head Soul Bone."

"What about Sister Yan? Should we use those two Dark Night Fierce Mantis Soul Bones I have?"

"No need."

Dugu Bo waved a hand. "How much poison can a Thousand-Year Soul Bone hold? Besides, you've already come up with a solution for us. How could we take your things?"

With that, Dugu Bo touched the leather pouch at his waist and took out a Left Arm Soul Bone. Brilliant six-colored light flowed across its surface.

Dugu Bo explained, "This Left Arm Soul Bone came from a sixty-thousand-year-old, extremely poisonous Six-Headed Clarity. Back then, that Six-Headed Clarity broke through my poison formation and barged in here. I was curious how this place's unique environment would affect a Soul Beast, so I subdued it."

"Within just a few hours, it exploded and died. Then it produced this Left Arm Soul Bone. If I hadn't worried that some villain might covet it, I'd have wanted to give it to Yanyan long ago."

Xing Tian exclaimed, "Sixty thousand years! You really had a priceless treasure hidden away!"

Dugu Bo chuckled. "Just luck, that's all. Shall we begin? How long will it take to clear the poison from my body?"

Xing Tian made a rough calculation, then said, "About half a year. But the poison has been in your body for years, so clearing it all out is nearly impossible unless you can cultivate the Ten Thousand Poisons Heart Sutra."

"Half a year? That long?" Dugu Bo exclaimed.

Seeing that Dugu Bo wasn't satisfied, Xing Tian felt a little annoyed too. "Half a year is already fast. You should think about your condition."

Dugu Bo hurriedly said, "That's not what I meant. I just can't keep you here for half a year. If you go back to the academy to make medicine, I'll have to visit you there all the time. Won't that arouse suspicion?"

"True."

Xing Tian couldn't help wondering if there was some way to speed up the process.

As his gaze shifted to Dugu Bo, inspiration struck.

"I've got it! Senior Dugu, you can hit me with some Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison from time to time."

Dugu Bo looked puzzled. "What's the reasoning behind that?"

Xing Tian explained, "Although I've completed the Ice Fire Golden Body Refinement, the medicinal properties of the two herbs haven't been fully absorbed. Without an external force to help, I estimate they won't be completely integrated into my body until I reach level seventy."

"Even if I can regularly enter the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well to speed up the process, it'll still take a long time."

"But the Miniature Ice Fire Yin Yang Well in my body has a powerful poison-neutralizing effect. If strong poison enters my body and stimulates it, the two herbs' medicinal properties will fight back, speeding up their absorption. My blood's detoxifying effect will also grow stronger, shortening the time needed to purge the poison."

"I see. Then this old man won't hold back." Hearing this, Dugu Bo immediately raised a finger and made as if to jab Xing Tian's arm.

"Hey, hey, wait!"

Xing Tian hurriedly stopped him. "I haven't fully absorbed the herbs' medicinal properties yet, so my body can't withstand the stimulation of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison. We'll need to do a little preparation first."

Dugu Bo certainly hadn't intended to actually do it. He'd only been teasing Xing Tian. After all, Xing Tian had kept him worried for a day and a night, and he'd also stolen his granddaughter's heart.

Seeing Xing Tian look a little flustered had made him feel great.

Xing Tian had turned around and didn't see how pleased Dugu Bo looked.

Xing Tian walked over to the Aromatic Silk Beauty and brushed it with his right hand. Then he turned around, and Dugu Bo immediately put on a stern expression.

"Are you ready? I thought about it just now. Even so, you'll have to stay here for quite a while, which may delay your cultivation. So eat this first."

With that, Dugu Bo opened his mouth and spat out a streak of green light: a green bead.

Under Dugu Bo's control, the bead drifted down into Xing Tian's hand.

"This is the Dan Bead you mentioned?"

Dugu Bo nodded. "That's right. Swallowing the Dan Bead will speed up your cultivation."

"Thank you." Xing Tian swallowed the Dan Bead. At once, he felt warmth slide down his throat, and his dantian grew warm. He felt no discomfort at all. Instead, the warmth spread through his limbs and bones, leaving him indescribably comfortable.

"Let's begin."

Xing Tian immediately raised his left arm, and Dugu Bo pierced it with his fingertip.

Black energy spread rapidly from the puncture. Xing Tian immediately pressed his right hand against the wound, then sat cross-legged within the Aromatic Silk Beauty's protective range.

Although the Aromatic Silk Beauty couldn't neutralize poison that had penetrated deep into the body, it could still slow and suppress the effects of poison that had only just entered.

Xing Tian then circulated his energy to accelerate the flow of blood through his body and activate the herbs' medicinal power. Alternating red and blue light shone faintly through his skin.

By the time the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison had been fully broken down, Xing Tian had absorbed more than thirty percent of the two Immortal Herbs' effects.

"Senior Dugu, you can start detoxifying me!"