"The Sunset Forest..."
Dugu Bo's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed he hadn't expected the woman before him to know so much.
She had only mentioned the Sunset Forest, but he understood everything now.
Dugu Bo agreed.
After that, the three of them headed to the Sunset Forest. Dugu Yan was the only one who remained confused.
When they arrived, Dugu Bo raised a hand and opened the toxic barrier before them, then led them inside to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The medicinal herbs in each area shimmered with different lights. He had already found the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
Of course, first he would help the two of them rid themselves of their poison. To do that, they needed to find an Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
Near the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a golden melon the size of a washbasin had grown in a crevice between the rocks.
Its peel was crossed with gilded patterns, and its plump flesh brimmed with a rich, warm medicinal fragrance. It was indeed an Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
Ye Yunxi reached up and plucked it. The melon felt warm and heavy in her hand. She passed it to Dugu Yan. Her peach-blossom eyes were veiled by gauze, and her voice was cool and even, each word clear. "Chew the flesh and swallow it. Then circulate your Soul Power to refine the medicinal energy. Don't slack off."
"This Earth Dragon Golden Melon can completely evolve your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul into a dragon type and awaken its earth-attribute origin."
"The moment you swallow it, heat will rise in your belly and spread through your limbs and bones. Keep your mind steady."
Dugu Yan gripped the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, resolve filling her eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her mouth and bit off a large piece of golden flesh.
The sweet, crisp fruit went down. In an instant, a scalding current burst forth, surging wildly along her meridians. Warm medicinal energy enveloped every inch of her body, soothing and comforting, yet carrying an overbearing force that swept through her.
She gave a muffled groan and dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged as she circulated her Soul Power at full speed, guiding the medicinal energy through her body.
The next moment, a brilliant light flared behind Dugu Yan as her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul appeared. Its blue-green body reared up and hissed. Its scales rippled and trembled, and the Martial Soul Origin churned wildly, sensing an unparalleled chance to evolve!
The serpent grew visibly larger. Its blue-green scales fell away, replaced by dark golden dragon scales. Its head transformed into a dragon's, whiskers streaming in the air, while dragon fins sprouted from its tail.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul was rapidly transforming into an earth-attribute dragon!
The Jade Phosphorous poison that had been entangled within her for decades now turned into wisps of black vapor. Drawn by the medicinal energy, it poured into her Martial Soul, where it merged with the dragon origin and was purified.
The bone-eating poison was no longer an incurable affliction. Instead, it became nourishment for her Martial Soul!
Buzz!
Light shot into the sky. An earthy yellow halo wrapped around the blue-green miasma as they spiraled together in the air.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent had completely transformed into the Jade Scale Dragon Emperor!
The dragon coiled in midair, radiating awe-inspiring pressure. Its poison and earth attributes blended perfectly, and its aura surged several times over, breaking straight through the Soul King bottleneck. The sickly blue-black pallor that had shrouded Dugu Yan vanished completely. Her face flushed with health, her eyes bright and clear, and the poison she had carried since birth was entirely eradicated!
Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes. Feeling the surging Soul Power within her and her new Martial Soul, she gathered a wisp of earthy yellow dragon poison at her fingertip. She could control it at will, and the searing bone-deep pain was gone. Her eyes instantly grew red-rimmed.
It had worked!
She had really rid herself of the poison, and her Martial Soul had become a dragon!
Dugu Bo stood to one side, his thin frame trembling violently. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the Jade Scale Dragon Emperor Martial Soul, his heart surging with wild joy and astonishment. His throat bobbed, but for a long while, he couldn't say a word.
This was a blessing beyond the heavens!
Ye Yunxi glanced calmly at Dugu Bo. "Senior Dugu, your poison can wait until later. I need to collect what's owed to me now."
Dugu Bo came to his senses and looked at Ye Yunxi. There was no wariness left in his eyes, only the deepest reverence and gratitude.
He bowed deeply to her, his aged voice trembling. "Young lady, I will never forget your great kindness!"
"Just tell me what you need!"
He knew his own Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor would eventually become a dragon, too.
After hearing that, Ye Yunxi went to find the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot. She wrapped her hands in Soul Power, plucked both Immortal Herbs at once, and swallowed them in front of the other two.
"Young lady, you swallowed them just like that?" Dugu Bo froze. He didn't even know what these Immortal Herbs did, yet this young woman dared to swallow them outright?
The bone-piercing cold of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the searing heat of the Infernal Delicate Apricot burst forth in Ye Yunxi's belly. The two extreme medicinal energies intertwined and swept through her limbs and bones.
Her expression unchanged, she leaped straight into the heart of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Frost formed in the icy spring's mist, while heat waves scorched the air above the fiery spring. The source power of both extremes surged around her like a tide, completely enveloping her. The extreme energies of ice and fire poured into her body, washing through her meridians and tempering her bones and muscles.
Buzz!
A crisp mechanical chime suddenly rang out in Ye Yunxi's mind.
[ Ding! Hidden Supreme System Quest triggered: Ice and Fire Tempering, Immortal Herbs Reshape the Soul! ]
[ Quest requirements: Draw upon the source power of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, merge the medicinal power of the two Immortal Herbs, and complete an extreme physical transformation. ]
[ Quest rewards: Mastery of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Soul Power rises directly to Soul King, immunity to all poisons! ]
As the system prompt faded, brilliant light surged around Ye Yunxi.
The ice marrow of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the fiery essence of the Infernal Delicate Apricot merged with the source power of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, transforming into flowing light like a yin-yang taiji. It raced through her body.
She drove the Nine Yang Divine Skill to its limit. Golden protective energy wrapped around the power of ice and fire, repeatedly scouring her bones and meridians. Her already powerful body grew ever more refined under this extreme tempering. Her skin was as white and smooth as mutton fat, gleaming with a faint glaze-like sheen. No poison could touch her, and no evil power could come near.
Her Soul Power surged wildly, and her Soul Rings pulsed with light. The four Thousand-Year Soul Rings shone brightly. Her Soul Power crashed through bottlenecks like floodwaters bursting through a gate.
Soul Ancestor peak → Soul King!
Her aura climbed steadily, its pressure spreading with awesome force. It even seemed to take shape as something capable of shaking a Titled Douluo!
The surface of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well churned without pause. Ice mist and fire clouds intertwined into a taiji diagram, enveloping Ye Yunxi's figure. Immortal energy swirled around her, as if a goddess were being reborn from the flames.
On the bank, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan stood completely frozen.
Dugu Bo's cloudy eyes trembled. He sucked in a sharp breath, and even the poisonous mist at his fingertips shivered wildly. "She swallowed two Immortal Herbs together and actually managed to merge them perfectly. This constitution, this fortune—defying heaven! Absolutely defying heaven!"
Dugu Yan gazed at the figure wrapped in light at the heart of the spring. The Jade Scale Dragon Emperor Martial Soul trembled faintly, and only the deepest reverence remained in her eyes.
Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare touch such extreme danger, yet for her, it had become a heaven-defying blessing!
After who knew how long,
Ye Yunxi slowly opened her eyes. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered; a flash of ice-and-fire light flickered through her pupils and vanished. Her aura drew back without a trace, yet the pressure she held within made even Dugu Bo instinctively hold his breath.
Her Soul Power settled firmly at level fifty: Soul King!
Her physique was perfected, she was immune to all poisons, and her meridians were broad as rivers. With each circulation of her Soul Power, the ice, fire, and earth attributes answered her will.
She lightly touched the water with the tips of her toes and drifted gracefully onto the bank. Not a drop of water clung to her glazed skirt. A veil covered her face, and she remained as cool and otherworldly as before.
"Thank you for letting me use the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Senior. I'll remember this favor."
Ye Yunxi spoke calmly and swept a hand in front of her. The remaining Earth Dragon Golden Melon fell before Dugu Bo.
"This is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?"
"I can't believe you know so much, young lady!"