The Nine Nether Evil God Tiger was not in its Martial Soul Avatar state.
Instead, it was an energy body formed from Soul Power and dark energy.
After all, in its Martial Soul Avatar state, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger could grow to over thirty meters tall. By contrast, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger before him was only six meters long.
When they were less than fifty meters from the poisonous miasma, Qin Xuan's thoughts stirred. The Nine Nether Evil God Tiger suddenly lashed its tail, and the Evil Emperor Hook at its tip slashed through the air. A black hole five meters in diameter appeared.
A moment later,
the black hole erupted with tremendous suction, pulling in all the poisonous miasma within a hundred meters.
"The Herb Garden, here I come!" Qin Xuan drew in his Soul Power and put away his Nine Nether Evil God Tiger Martial Soul. Then, with a few quick strides, he leaped to the edge of the valley.
He looked down at the scene below and couldn't help marveling at its beauty. It was like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
The Herb Garden lay in the middle of a ring-shaped valley. Qin Xuan stood at the edge of one of the surrounding mountains, with the whole garden spread out before him.
The Herb Garden looked much the same as it had in the anime, but seeing it in person was far more breathtaking than watching it on a screen.
At its center lay the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, shaped like a Taiji symbol, with one blue spring and one red.
Legend had it that the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had formed from the divine power of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King when they descended upon the Douluo Continent.
Lush greenery surrounded the spring, where all kinds of peerless Immortal Herbs grew.
Qin Xuan recognized the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, and the Lovesick Heartbreak Red at a glance. There were also some strange Immortal Herbs that hadn't appeared in the original story.
"Now that Spirit Hall has completely fallen out with Dugu Bo, naturally, not a single herb in this garden that can be taken will be left behind."
"I can recognize most of the Immortal Herbs from how they looked in the anime, but a few weren't mentioned in the original story."
"For example, that golden sunflower. Its petals look like pure gold, and it radiates immense holy and radiant energy. It's clearly another peerless Immortal Herb."
"This isn't the place to linger. I'll take all the herbs first. As for the few I don't recognize, I can study them after I return to Spirit City."
Having made up his mind, Qin Xuan began plucking the Immortal Herbs one by one, starting with the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Immortal Herbs were very different from ordinary medicinal plants.
They had to be picked using special techniques, or most of their medicinal properties would be lost.
He planned to pick all the Immortal Herbs first, then use his storage ring to sweep up everything else.
Halfway through, Qin Xuan couldn't help sighing.
"Alas, it's a pity they're all Immortal Herbs of extreme yang, with none suitable for me to consume. So be it. I'll give them all to my friends later."
He picked quickly. In less than ten minutes, he had gathered seven or eight Immortal Herbs.
As he picked the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, a girl's face appeared in his mind—cool on the outside but warm within, dressed in black leather and as catlike as a kitten.
"I wonder how Zhu Zhuqing is doing now."
"How could a heartless scumbag like Dai Mubai ever deserve Zhu Zhuqing?"
"I crossed over to the Douluo Plane, so it's only natural that I'll end up in a fight to the death with Tang San."
"Zhuqing is a good girl. If she hadn't secretly given me ten Gold Soul Coins back then, I wouldn't have lasted long enough to meet Qian Renxue."
"I'll have to find time to talk to Zhu Zhuqing. I don't want to see her join Tang San's side and become my enemy, fighting against me like a traitor in our own house."
"Even worse, I don't want to see her become a pawn in Dai Mubai's Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"And I have to give Zhuqing this Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone myself. Consider it repayment for those ten Gold Soul Coins she gave me."
Putting those thoughts aside, Qin Xuan stored the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone in his storage ring.
He then picked several more Immortal Herbs. Once he had gathered every Immortal Herb on dry land, dark energy enveloped his body, and he plunged into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Tang San had been level thirty-four when he first entered the Herb Garden. Qin Xuan was also level thirty-four now. It really seemed like fate—an uncanny coincidence.
But Tang San had already been thirteen at the time, while Qin Xuan was only eight!
Though both were Soul Elders, their mental strength and physical resilience were on completely different levels.
If Tang San had been able to pick the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot back then, then Qin Xuan could do it too!
In less than five minutes,
Qin Xuan successfully picked the two Immortal Herbs deep within the spring.
He leaped out of the water and landed steadily on the ground.
Qin Xuan released his Soul Power, shaking every last drop of water from his clothes.
"I've gathered all the precious Immortal Herbs. Next..."
He glanced around the Herb Garden, then channeled his Soul Power into his storage ring.
Whoosh—
A fierce wind rose all around them.
The storage ring unleashed a tremendous force of suction, swallowing everything in its path.
Herbs and trees—even the grass itself—were uprooted and sucked into the storage ring.
Before long, everything in the Herb Garden had been swept away, save for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The area was left strewn with bare yellow earth, as if the Herb Garden had never existed.
"If the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well weren't impossible to carry away, I really wouldn't want to leave it for Old Poison."
"I bought a lot of things back in Spirit City, and now I've swept away the whole Herb Garden. There's barely any room left in my storage space."
"Looks like I'll have to find a suitable place to cultivate these herbs after I leave. I can't keep the whole Herb Garden in my storage ring forever, can I?"
Muttering to himself, Qin Xuan turned and hurried away from the scene without looking back.
Several days later,
a streak of green light flew into the Herb Garden.
Dugu Bo stared at the desolate land. He stood there dazed for a long while before finally coming back to his senses.
His eyes bloodshot, he roared in anguish:
"My... my Herb Garden!"
"Who did this?!"
Looking at the only thing left, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Dugu Bo dropped to the ground with a thump.
"I risked coming here today because I wanted to take the herbs away. I never thought someone else would beat me to it!"
"Who could it have been?"
Once his emotions had settled a little, Dugu Bo fell into deep thought.
"Could it have been Yue Guan—or that junior by Bibi Dong's side?"
"Given Bibi Dong's status, she shouldn't care for the herbs in my garden."
"In any case, Spirit Hall must have been behind this!"
"Bibi Dong, you damaged my foundation and destroyed my Herb Garden. You're truly despicable!"
"One day, I'll destroy Spirit Hall with my own hands!"
Dugu Bo's enraged roar echoed through the valley for a long time before finally fading. He was clearly beside himself with anger.
On this continent, only Tang San and Qin Xuan truly knew how to recognize Immortal Herbs.
If Bibi Dong had known the value of those herbs, she would have taken them all in her Soul Tool after driving Dugu Bo away. How could Qin Xuan have gotten the chance to scoop them up?
Yue Guan was even less likely to have come.
Sunset Forest lay deep within the Heaven Dou Empire, more than a thousand kilometers from Spirit City.
As an elder of Spirit Hall, Yue Guan had plenty of daily responsibilities. Why would he keep track of that Old Poison's whereabouts?
With his foundation damaged, Dugu Bo wouldn't be able to recover to the Titled Douluo realm for at least five years!
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