Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well

Dugu Yan's voice carried undisguised surprise. Intense interest instantly lit up in her green eyes as she sized Xiao Yin up and down.

"Xiao Yin? How did you end up with my grandfather? And why did you come all the way here?"

Her gaze was bold and direct, and a bewitching curve rose at the corner of her lips.

"What? Changed your mind? Want to get 'close' to your big sister after all?"

"Yan Yan! Don't be rude!"

Dugu Bo rarely rebuked her in such a grave tone, his voice carrying an unprecedented severity.

"This young friend... Xiao Yin, is a distinguished guest invited by your grandfather! He has a way to solve our problem!"

"Solve... our problem?"

The teasing look on Dugu Yan's face froze instantly, and her emerald pupils abruptly contracted!

Her grandfather had never spoken to her with such solemnity before!

Her problem... that bone-chilling cold that tormented her whenever the moon was full... Could he... solve it?!

The way she looked at Xiao Yin immediately filled with suspicion.

"Miss Dugu, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Xiao Yin remained calm, completely unfazed by Dugu Yan's aggressively probing gaze. He merely gave a slight nod.

"The situation is urgent. We can discuss the details on the way. Senior, please lead the way."

Dugu Bo said no more. Facing the vine-covered cliff wall, his hands swiftly formed several intricate and mysterious seals.

Dark green Soul Power flowed from his fingertips like a living thing and entered the mountain wall.

Buzz—!

Ripples spread across the cliff face like waves on water. The vines retreated to both sides, revealing a deep opening only wide enough for one person to pass through.

A warm current of air mixed with the scent of sulfur and an unusual medicinal fragrance poured out from the cave.

"Stay close to this old man! One wrong step, and there will be no redemption!"

Dugu Bo spoke gravely and stepped into the cave first.

Dark green Soul Power lit up around him, forming a thin barrier that blocked the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma filling the cave.

The miasma was brilliantly colored, beautiful yet deadly, and radiated a chilling aura that made one's heart quiver. It was clearly a defensive line laid down by Dugu Bo.

Dugu Yan followed closely behind. The phantom of her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul flashed behind her before vanishing, while a faint dark green glow enveloped her body. She clearly had her own means of warding off poison.

Xiao Yin's gaze swept over the splendid yet dangerous Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma. With a slight stir of thought, his third Soul Ring silently lit beneath his feet.

The Black Cauldron's phantom did not fully manifest, but an invisible aura of Chaos quietly spread around him.

The Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma approaching him seemed to strike an invisible barrier and could not enter within three feet of his body!

This scene secretly shocked both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan walking ahead.

The cave passage twisted downward. The farther they went, the deeper it became, while the temperature visibly rose and the air grew increasingly damp and warm.

After walking for roughly a quarter of an hour, the path suddenly opened up!

An enormous bowl-shaped valley, as though formed by a meteor strike, appeared before the three of them!

The scenery within the valley was a miraculous work of nature, almost beyond belief!

At the center of the valley lay an extraordinary spring!

The spring was distinctly divided into two oval pools.

One side was a blazing crimson, like molten lava. Bubbles constantly churned across its surface, radiating terrifying heat and sending up scorching white mist;

The other side was an extreme milky white, releasing a frigid aura. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, yet it seemed capable of freezing even space itself!

Crimson and milky white met at the center of the spring, forming a clear yet eerie boundary!

The two springs of extreme attributes mingled with one another, and the mist they produced spread throughout the entire valley!

This was the legendary Treasure Basin—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!

But Xiao Yin knew that it was merely formed from the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings!

The next moment, Xiao Yin's gaze was drawn to the strange flowers and exotic plants surrounding the twin springs of ice and fire!

Immortal Herbs with fiery red leaves swayed by the crimson spring; spirit grasses radiating faint blue cold grew beside the icy spring;

Strange flowers that breathed out seven-colored rays of light flickered in and out of sight amid the mist...

These were Immortal Herbs!

At that moment, Dugu Bo stopped and pointed at the twin springs of ice and fire as he looked at Xiao Yin.

"Boy, this is my treasured land—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well! Now tell this old man, what do you intend to do?"

Xiao Yin's expression turned solemn. His gaze swept across the wondrous sight before him before finally settling on Dugu Bo's face, which was filled with desperate resolve.

"Senior, extracting poison—especially poison that has penetrated deep into the Martial Soul's origin—is no trivial matter. This junior must focus completely and cannot tolerate the slightest external interference.

"At the slightest mistake, the poison may backlash, and the consequences would be unimaginable. Please withdraw to the valley entrance and stand guard five hundred meters away, cutting off any aura that might cause a disturbance!"

"Five hundred meters?!"

Dugu Bo's brows instantly knotted together. Fierce light flickered in his emerald eyes. "Boy! Are you trying to send this old man away so you can harm Yan Yan?!"

A Title Douluo's spiritual senses covered an enormous range. Five hundred meters was some distance, but if Xiao Yin truly dared make a reckless move, he could arrive in an instant!

Yet the request itself was a provocation against him!

"Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan could not help speaking. Her voice carried a faint, nearly imperceptible plea.

Though spoiled and willful, she understood her grandfather's concerns. Yet Xiao Yin's calm and powerful confidence ignited a tiny flame of hope in her heart.

Xiao Yin met the killing intent in Dugu Bo's eyes without the slightest fear. "If Senior does not trust me, why bring me here at all?

"If you wish for Miss Dugu to remain safe and sound, then trust is the only choice now! This junior swears upon the origin of my Martial Soul: if I harbor any intent to harm her, may my Martial Soul backlash upon me, leaving me dead and my soul scattered!"

The Martial Soul Origin Oath!

This was the most serious oath a Soul Master could make. Once violated, the Martial Soul would backlash; at best, one's cultivation would be completely ruined, and at worst, one would die on the spot!

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply again!

He looked at the resolve in Xiao Yin's eyes, then at the expectant light in his granddaughter's eyes. In the end, he snorted!

"Fine! This old man will trust you this once!" His voice was hoarse. "Boy, remember your oath! Five hundred meters! This old man will be at the valley entrance!

"If Yan Yan loses even a single hair, this old man will make you beg for life and beg for death!"

Before his words had even faded, his figure became a streak of dark green light and vanished toward the valley entrance, leaving only his threat echoing through the air.

Only Xiao Yin and Dugu Yan remained in the valley.

The twin springs of ice and fire gurgled softly, while red and white mist drifted soundlessly through the air. For a time, the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.

Dugu Yan drew a deep breath and tried to calm the turmoil in her heart.

She looked at Xiao Yin. The usual seductive charm and teasing had faded from her emerald eyes, leaving only nervousness and a trace of vulnerability.

"You... can really do this? That poison... even my grandfather..."

"No poison is without a cure. The proper method simply has not been found."

Xiao Yin walked up before her, his voice steady. "The poison in your body was not an external invasion; it originated in the womb. As your Soul Power grows, this poison entwines itself around your Martial Soul and even corrodes the origin of your life.

"Whenever the full moon arrives and yin energy flourishes, your origin becomes restless, and the poison erupts with it. The cold pierces your bones, making you wish for death over life. If this continues, your origin will wither away, and once the poison attacks your heart, not even immortals will be able to save you."

Every word Xiao Yin spoke struck precisely at Dugu Yan's deepest fear!

Her body trembled faintly, and her face turned several shades paler.

These symptoms were exactly the pain she had silently endured for years!

Now that Xiao Yin had laid them out so clearly, the last trace of doubt in her heart was utterly shattered, replaced by...

The hope of clutching at a lifeline!