Pleasant Days, Greatly Improved Alchemy, and the Search for Rare Plants to Cultivate into Immortal Herbs

Life at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes was peaceful and fulfilling.

Dugu Bo's daily routine became exceptionally regular.

Every morning, he sat cross-legged beside the spring, circulating the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art and absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes was more than ten times denser than outside. Cultivating here for one day was equivalent to ten days in the outside world.

The Soul Power Refining Chapter of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art circulated automatically, steadily improving through gradual accumulation.

The Body Refining Chapter, however, required active cultivation. Every day, Dugu Bo spent two hours tempering his muscles, bones, flesh, and skin with Netherworld Power.

His body, having been tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation, had already surpassed that of ordinary people by far. Yet the Body Refining Chapter of the Nine Nether Divine Dragon Art taught him that the physical body had no limits, only endless breakthroughs.

The Soul Refining Chapter was the same.

The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew Pill had enhanced his spiritual power, but the expansion of the Sea of Consciousness had no end.

He meditated every day and tempered himself every day. His Sea of Consciousness slowly expanded at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.

Once quantitative change accumulated to a certain point, it would trigger qualitative change.

Dugu Bo was in no hurry.

He had plenty of time.

Alchemy was something Dugu Bo did every day.

At first, he could only refine herbs one at a time, producing a single pill per furnace.

But as he refined more and more, his control over Netherflame became increasingly precise, and his understanding of the medicinal properties of herbs deepened. His alchemy improved at a visible rate.

Now, he could refine multiple immortal herbs at once and produce several pills from a single furnace.

Moreover, under the nurturing of Nine Nether Power, the pills were of even better quality than before.

Nine Nether Power itself was the product of poison and earth combined, containing the dual attributes of death and rebirth.

Using it to nurture pills could not only prevent their medicinal potency from dissipating, but also allow them to slowly mature during storage, making their effects increasingly potent.

Dugu Bo took out the immortal herbs he had collected in the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch one by one, carefully processed them, and meticulously refined them.

Singular Velvet Pills, Narcissus Pills, Phoenix Pills... pill after pill emerged from his hands and was properly stored in jade bottles.

Some pills were for himself, some were for Yan Yan, some were for Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er, while others were saved for future use.

Though there were many immortal herbs, they would eventually run out.

Waiting for their roots and stems to grow back was far too slow.

He did not have much patience for that.

So Dugu Bo began considering a question: could he cultivate immortal herbs himself?

The spiritual energy density and growth rate at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes were more than ten times greater than in the outside world.

If he could find seeds or saplings of some rare plants and plant them here, could they also grow into existences on the level of immortal herbs?

Once that thought arose, he could no longer suppress it.

Dugu Bo began searching through Sunset Forest.

Wearing a Profound Black Robe, he moved alone through the depths of the dense forest, his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes scanning every inch of land.

With his spiritual power fully unleashed, even the slightest movement within several miles could not escape his senses.

He found several decent plants.

A wholly silver-white Lingzhi grew within the hollow of an ancient thousand-year-old tree. Though it was not very old, its quality was exceptional.

A cluster of pale golden orchids grew from cracks in a sheer cliff face, their roots burrowing into the rock and absorbing minerals from the stone.

There was also a small tree as thick as an arm. Its trunk was purplish-red, its leaves shimmered with a faint glow, and it gave off a crisp, refreshing fragrance.

Dugu Bo carefully dug them out with their roots intact and brought them back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

He found several suitable spots around the spring, dug holes, filled them with soil, and watered them.

The soil and spring water at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes contained abundant spiritual energy.

The plants looked somewhat wilted when they were first planted, but after a few days, they perked up and unfurled their leaves.

The silver-white Lingzhi became purer in color, the pale golden orchids began producing new buds, and several fresh leaves even sprouted from the purplish-red tree.

Dugu Bo crouched before the small tree, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

"Grow well."

He spoke softly, as though speaking to a child.

"Here, you all may become immortal herbs."

Their greatest advantage was that they already had established forms and years of growth. They would grow faster and have a better foundation than immortal herbs with only roots and stems remaining.

He hoped to see that day arrive soon.

Dugu Yan was improving every day as well.

She ate Whale Rubber every day, cutting the Amber Gelatinous Blocks into small pieces and putting them into her mouth one by one.

They were soft and chewy, with a sweet taste. She had grown far more accustomed to them than when she had first started eating them.

The warmth of the Whale Rubber flowed slowly through her body, nourishing her bones, muscles, and meridians.

Her physique steadily improved at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.

The spiritual power enhanced by the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew Pill gave her finer control over her Soul Power.

What had once required her complete concentration—releasing her Soul Power externally—could now be accomplished with a mere thought.

The Jade Scale Dragon Martial Soul within her body became increasingly solid. The Verdant True Dragon Phantom was clearer than it had been just after its evolution, and its Dragon Might had strengthened by several degrees.

Dugu Bo occasionally guided her cultivation.

"Yan Yan, the range of your fourth soul skill, Jade Scale Poison Domain, can be expanded further."

"Don't just focus on spreading the poison gas. Learn to control its concentration."

"Within the domain, the poison gas must be evenly distributed. Some places cannot be dense while others are thin."

"Enemies will seek a breakthrough from wherever the poison gas is weakest."

Dugu Yan listened attentively, her verdant dragon eyes full of focus.

Following her grandfather's instructions, she practiced over and over again.

A verdant poison domain spread out from her body, covering an area several dozen meters wide.

She tried to control the concentration of the poison gas, filling every inch of the domain with poison mist of equal density.

It was difficult at first, and she always ended up neglecting one thing for another.

But she did not give up.

If once was not enough, then ten times.

If ten times were not enough, then a hundred times.

The Jade Scale Dragon Martial Soul roared within her body. Dragon Might overlapped with the poison domain, and even the air inside the domain turned verdant.

Dugu Bo stood outside the domain, his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes observing every movement his granddaughter made.

"You've improved."

He nodded. His tone was calm, but he could not hide the satisfaction in his eyes.

Upon hearing her grandfather's praise, a flash of joy crossed Dugu Yan's verdant dragon eyes.

But she did not stop and continued practicing.

Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er were not idle either.

Both of their Soul Power had broken through to rank seventy-two. Though they had only advanced by one rank, the growth in their strength was far more than a mere numerical change.

Their Soul Bones were becoming increasingly integrated. Dugu Xin's External Soul Bone allowed him to fly freely through the air, at speeds several times faster than before.

The explosive force granted by his Right Leg Bone greatly enhanced his close-combat abilities.

Lin Wan'er's Left Arm Bone gave her water-attribute offensive abilities.

The Soul Bone of a sea Soul Beast granted her the ability to manipulate water currents.

Though she possessed an Undead Body, the power of her Soul Bone was unaffected.

Dugu Bo occasionally sparred with his son.

Naturally, he crushed him with overwhelming strength.

"Dad, can't you go a little easier on me?"

Dugu Xin climbed up from the ground and brushed the dirt from his body, his Deep Purple Eyes full of helplessness.

"Go easy?"

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth curved upward slightly. "Would enemies go easy on you on the battlefield?"