With Dugu Bo's permission, Luo Chen began gathering herbs with Guang Ling Douluo.
Of course, they weren't as vulgar as Tang San.
They each picked the herbs they currently needed and could absorb right away.
With the help of an ancient tome Luo Chen had brought from the Worship Hall, which recorded Immortal Herbs, and the guidance of their Martial Souls, Luo Chen and Guang Ling Douluo picked several Immortal Herbs.
Luo Chen picked four in total, three of which were meant to detoxify Dugu Bo.
The three herbs were the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, and Aromatic Silk Beauty.
At Luo Chen's instruction, Guang Ling Douluo used his Soul Power to take a portion from each of the three Immortal Herbs, then refined them with Soul Power into a small vial of medicinal liquid.
After that, Guang Ling Douluo went off to the side and began absorbing the two Immortal Herbs he had chosen.
As for Luo Chen, he went to Dugu Bo, who had been waiting anxiously.
"Senior Dugu Bo, it's time to take your medicine."
Dugu Bo: "..."
Although Luo Chen's tone sounded a little strange, Dugu Bo still took the vial and drank a small mouthful.
According to Luo Chen, it was meant to protect his meridians, lungs, and other internal organs.
Then, under Luo Chen's guidance, Dugu Bo began gathering the poison within his body at his dantian.
Seeing that both titled Douluo had begun absorbing herbs and expelling poison, Luo Chen no longer hesitated. He went to the other side and took out the only herb he had picked for himself.
It was an Immortal Herb that gave off wisps of black vapor—or, more precisely, an aura of death.
When he picked it, no other Immortal Herbs grew within a meter of it, so Luo Chen had noticed it almost as soon as he walked over.
"I never thought there'd be an Immortal Herb like this here. What a surprise."
According to the ancient tome, this Immortal Herb was an extremely dangerous herb.
It was called the Soul-Burial Lotus, a death flower said to grow only in the world of the dead. The Immortal Herb it bore was said to symbolize absolute death.
Even the ancient tome contained no record of how to take it or what effects it had.
As for why Luo Chen dared to choose it, it was because his Death Spider Emperor had grown unusually agitated upon seeing the herb.
It had frantically urged him to devour the Soul-Burial Lotus.
After a fierce inner struggle, Luo Chen had decided to risk absorbing it.
His Martial Soul couldn't possibly lead him astray. This Immortal Herb had to be beneficial to him.
Without further hesitation, and with everything ready, Luo Chen summoned his Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul.
The moment it appeared, the throbbing in Luo Chen's heart grew even stronger.
His Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul was frantically urging him to eat the herb.
Luo Chen gave it what it wanted.
Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the entire Immortal Herb.
He was gambling that his Death Spider Emperor was right.
Somehow, he also had a premonition that this Immortal Herb would bring him an immense, unexpected windfall.
What Luo Chen hadn't expected was that the instant he swallowed the herb, he lost consciousness.
He seemed to have a dream—a dream of his past life.
In the dream, everything had followed its original course. The only difference was that, in his final moment, he had truly died.
He hadn't transmigrated or been reborn. He had arrived in the underworld, in the flesh.
Then he encountered two deities.
One had six wings on his back and was surrounded by holy light, utterly out of place amid everything around him.
The other seemed more like a native god of the underworld. Deathly energy enveloped his entire body, and he held a massive Withered Bone Scythe. With a wave of his hand, heaven and earth changed color.
The two deities seemed to be dueling, but the moment Luo Chen appeared before them, both stopped moving.
The dream abruptly ended there. All that remained before his eyes was chaos, and Luo Chen fell unconscious once more.
"Chen'er, Chen'er?"
He didn't know how long had passed before Luo Chen heard someone calling him.
His heavy eyelids slowly lifted. The first thing he saw was a silver-haired young man.
Beside him stood an old man, his face full of concern and worry.
"Grandpa Guang Ling? And Senior Dugu Bo?"
His awareness gradually returned. Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes and, amid their repeated calls, let them help him sit upright.
Only after the ringing in his ears faded did he hear what the two were saying.
"You brat, you scared me half to death!"
"Chen'er, you're finally awake! If you didn't wake up soon, I was going to notify the Great Worship."
The weight on Guang Ling Douluo's heart finally lifted. He hugged Luo Chen tightly and patted him hard on the back.
Luo Chen managed a tired smile. Perhaps because he hadn't moved in so long, even his face felt stiff.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Guang Ling. Don't worry."
At that moment, neither of them noticed that Dugu Bo, who had been about to step forward and offer a few words of concern, had suddenly frozen in place.
The Great Worship?
Dugu Bo trembled. A feeling of having narrowly escaped disaster welled up in him.
He immediately understood who Guang Ling Douluo meant by the Great Worship, and what would happen to him if that person showed up.
"Grandpa Guang Ling, how long was I unconscious?"
Luo Chen ignored Dugu Bo and looked at Guang Ling Douluo as he asked.
"Three days, Chen'er. What happened? Are you all right?"
Guang Ling Douluo looked at Luo Chen anxiously, afraid something had gone wrong.
But soon, he froze...
"I remember eating an Immortal Herb. Then I had a dream, and after that, I don't remember anything."
Luo Chen spoke slowly, but then noticed Guang Ling Douluo had gone rigid.
"? Grandpa Guang Ling?"
Luo Chen called out in confusion, bringing Guang Ling Douluo back to his senses.
But once he came to, Guang Ling Douluo looked at Luo Chen with a grave expression.
"Chen'er, what level are you now?"
Luo Chen: "?"
Though confused, Luo Chen did as Guang Ling Douluo had asked and carefully sensed his condition.
Then, the next moment...
Just as he was about to check his Soul Power, a strange energy surged uncontrollably from within him.
Luo Chen couldn't stop it. Black vapor began to appear around his body, and an energy fluctuation that even Guang Ling Douluo found alarming spread outward from him.
At last, after the energy had enveloped the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a terrifying black shadow appeared behind Luo Chen.
It was a spider-like creature, but both its appearance and aura were completely different from Luo Chen's original Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor.
In an instant, Guang Ling Douluo and Dugu Bo both widened their eyes.
"Chen'er, your Martial Soul..."
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