Harvesting Immortal Herbs!

"Golden Sacred Dragon?"

Dugu Yan's eyes widened into perfect circles, her entire face a mask of utter disbelief.

Though she was not yet old enough to be considered a veteran, as Dugu Bo's granddaughter, she naturally possessed some understanding of the top-tier martial souls on the continent.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was hailed as one of the strongest beast martial souls on the continent, boasting overwhelmingly tyrannical attack power.

Furthermore, Yu Tianheng from her own team was the absolute best example of this.

She had witnessed his power with her own eyes.

And the Golden Sacred Dragon...

That was an existence that only ever appeared in legends.

It was rumored to be the ultimate evolutionary form of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, possessing true, divine dragon might.

"Grandpa, are you certain you didn't misspeak?"

Dugu Yan swallowed hard. "Can a Jade Scale Dragon... truly compare to the Golden Sacred Dragon?"

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth curved slightly upward as a trace of pride flashed through his dark golden dragon eyes.

"Do you think Grandpa would lie to you?"

"No... but this is just too..."

Dugu Yan lowered her head to look at her own hands, then sensed the brand-new surge of power flowing within her body, feeling completely dazed for a moment.

The Jade Scale Dragon.

A true-dragon-classification martial soul.

A quality comparable to the Golden Sacred Dragon.

These few phrases strung together gave her the surreal sensation of dreaming.

Just a day ago, she had still been a thirty-fourth-rank Soul Elder whose martial soul was the self-backfiring Jade Python Snake.

Even within Heaven Dou Royal Academy, her standing had merely been at the higher intermediate level.

Yet now...

"Yan Yan, you must remember."

Dugu Bo's voice interrupted her train of thought.

"The quality of a martial soul is merely the foundation. What truly determines how far you can go are your own hard work and mindset."

"A martial soul at the Golden Sacred Dragon level has granted you talent and potential that far exceed ordinary people."

"However, this talent and potential will not automatically translate into actual strength."

"It requires you to cultivate, accumulate, and hone it step by step."

Dugu Yan reined in the shock on her face and nodded earnestly.

"Grandpa, I will remember it."

Dugu Bo grunted in satisfaction, then raised his head to survey the sky.

The afternoon had just passed, and the sunlight still carried a hint of sweltering heat.

"The day is still young; Grandpa will take you for a walk around the valley."

Dugu Bo stood up. "Many of the immortal herbs here are ones whose names you wouldn't even recognize. Grandpa will teach you to know them, but you must remember not to speak of this to a single soul. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Grandpa. My lips are sealed!"

Dugu Yan's eyes lit up as she hurriedly followed behind him.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes was massive, and the density of the immortal herbs growing there was exceptionally high.

The sheer quantity of immortal herbs was also far greater than what was written in the original text.

Almost every step of the way, two or three rare treasures that were hard to come by in the outside world came into view.

As they walked, Dugu Bo introduced them to his granddaughter.

"This is the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, an extremely frigid item. If an ordinary person touches it, they will instantly freeze into an ice sculpture."

"This is the Infernal Delicate Apricot, an extremely scorching item. Just like the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, it cannot be touched."

"These two things will guarantee certain death if consumed by an ordinary person. However, if someone consumes both simultaneously and then leaps into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes to temper their physique, they can acquire a Water-Fire-Immune Body."

"We practitioners of poison, however, are unsuited to use them. Otherwise, our entire arsenal of poison attacks would be completely ruined. They are not meant for us."

Dugu Yan listened in a daze. "Has anyone ever done something like that?"

Dugu Bo shook his head. "No, at least not to Grandpa's knowledge."

He added a sentence silently in his heart.

Tang San had done it in the original work, but this time, he would not afford Tang San that opportunity.

Therefore, effectively, no one had.

He intended to harvest all of these immortal herbs and place them inside the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch to nurture them.

He would leave only the roots and stems in the soil to let them continue growing.

Besides, the growth rate of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes was exceptionally fast; it wouldn't take many years for new immortal herbs to sprout anew.

Yet those years were not something just anyone could afford to wait out.

At the very least, he could afford to wait.

"This is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Consuming it invigorates the four limbs and clears the meridians, producing miraculous effects for assault-system soul masters."

"This is the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, which lubricates tendons and reinforces bones, making it suitable for agility-attack-system soul masters."

"This is the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. It purifies impurities within the body and provides a tremendous boost to fire-attribute martial souls."

The more Dugu Yan listened, the more alarmed she became.

Every single one of these immortal herbs, if taken outside, would constitute a supreme treasure capable of triggering bloody storms.

Yet here, they were treated like wild grass by the roadside, free to be plucked at whim.

"Grandpa, these immortal herbs... how do you plan to handle them?"

Dugu Yan asked.

Dugu Bo pondered for a moment.

"Grandpa will collect the vast majority of them and keep them for future use."

"Leaving immortal herbs like these here is simply a waste. Rather than waiting for others to discover them, it is better to strike first."

What he left unsaid was this:

Not only would he harvest the immortal herbs, but he would also thoroughly clean up all traces around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

He intended to forge this blessed land into his own private base.

Outsiders need not even dream of laying a finger on it.

The two walked around the valley for about half an hour, with Dugu Bo pointing out most of the important immortal herbs for his granddaughter to recognize.

Though Dugu Yan could not possibly remember them all, it had certainly opened her eyes.

"All right, that's enough for now."

Dugu Bo halted his steps and unhooked an exquisite brocade pouch from his waist.

The Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch.

This was a spatial soul tool he had obtained from a ruin many years ago, possessing a massive internal space capable of accommodating a vast quantity of items.

"Yan Yan, help Grandpa harvest them together."

"Which ones should we harvest first?"

"Harvest those with the oldest age and the strongest medicinal efficacy first."

Dugu Bo gestured toward a region deep within the valley. "The ones in there are all top-tier treasures exceeding ten thousand years of age. Pick those first."

Although the original work did not describe the exact ages of the immortal herbs, how could things that had grown for so long lack an age?

In any case, the greater the age, the better the effects would unquestionably be.

"Okay."

Dugu Yan rolled up her sleeves and set to work alongside her grandfather.

The process of gathering the herbs proved slower than anticipated.

This was not because the immortal herbs were difficult to pluck, but because caution was required.

Certain immortal herbs possessed conflicting medicinal properties and could not be placed together.

Some immortal herbs needed to be uprooted entirely, while others required only the plucking of their flowers or fruits.

Still other immortal herbs demanded special storage methods; otherwise, their medicinal potency would dissipate.

In his past life, Dugu Bo had read countless Douluo fanfictions and possessed a thorough grasp of this common sense.

Though the original body's memories lacked this knowledge, after his transmigrated arrival, the contents of those novels had instead transformed into his most precious wealth.

One stalk.

Two stalks.

Three stalks.

The immortal herbs inside the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch grew increasingly numerous.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Lovesick Heartbreak Red...

Each and every stalk was a priceless treasure.

Though Dugu Yan remained ignorant of the specific value of these immortal herbs, she could sense it from the spiritual energy radiating from them.

These items were definitely incomparable to ordinary heaven-and-earth treasures.

After harvesting for roughly an hour, Dugu Bo came to a halt.

"That's about it."

He gazed at the fully stocked Rugu Hundred Treasure Pouch brimming with immortal herbs and nodded in satisfaction.

As for the ones left behind—insufficient in age and lacking in medicinal potency—leaving them to continue growing would suffice.

After all, the growth rate of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes was ten times that of the outside world, so it wouldn't take many years for a new batch to emerge.

"Grandpa, who do you plan to use these immortal herbs on?"

Dugu Yan asked out of curiosity.

Dugu Bo glanced at his granddaughter, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly.

"When the time is right, they will naturally be used."

He offered no further explanation.

Some matters could not yet be shared with Yan Yan.

For instance, his intention to use these immortal herbs to cultivate his own faction.

For instance, his plan to alter the landscape of the Tiandou Empire.

For instance, his ambition to thoroughly subvert the rule of Spirit Hall in the foreseeable future.

These plans were simply too grand, too far-reaching.

To speak of them to Yan Yan now would merely cause her needless worry.

"Let's go. It's time to acquire your fourth soul ring."

Dugu Bo put away the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch and turned to walk out of the valley.

Dugu Yan cast one final glance at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes before quickening her pace to follow her grandfather.