The moment Jiangmo Douluo's cultivation was interrupted, he decided he wouldn't stand for it—not even if the culprit was his own older brother. As he spoke, he summoned the Coiling Dragon Staff, ready to fight his brother to the death.
"Little niece, let's have some melon! Hurry!"
"What's that?"
Jiangmo Douluo eyed the melon skeptically. It was way too small—smaller than his hand. Is this melon even ripe?
"It's good stuff! It's... it's an Immortal Herb! It can increase your strength!"
The moment he heard it could increase his strength, Jiangmo Douluo took the Earth Dragon Golden Melon without another word, broke it open, and wolfed it down, biting off one chunk after another.
Jiangmo Douluo thought, I want to get stronger so badly. I... I dream about it!
Qianjun Douluo ate his melon a little more elegantly, but only a little. Compared to his younger brother, all he did differently was use the Coiling Dragon Staff to split the melon open. As for how he ate it, there was no difference at all.
Not long after finishing their melons, the two sat cross-legged on the ground, palms turned upward, and began cultivating.
"What about me? What about me?" Bibi Dong asked excitedly, pointing at her mouth. "Ah~~~"
"Wait a moment, Sister Bi. Your Immortal Herb is harder to pick. I need to get ready first."
Without a doubt, Bibi Dong was lively and full of energy, having never been locked in Qian Xunji's secret chamber.
Qian Xunqian planned to pick the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot to forge the Ice and Fire Golden Body, then dive to the bottom of the Yin Spring to pick the Nether Soul-Eater Flower, whose properties were extremely cold.
With the Fragrant Silk Martial Soul, she was naturally attuned to Immortal Herbs. She didn't need to brave the freezing cold and scorching heat to pick the two herbs like Tang San had.
After taking the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, Qian Xunqian casually shrugged off her clothes and leaped into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well with a splash.
Extreme cold and extreme heat surged through her body. Qian Xunqian gritted her teeth and endured. This was a sensation no human could bear. It felt as though all the meridians in her body had been severed, then stitched back together.
The agony was almost as bad as being crushed beneath the tires of a heavy truck.
Her bones creaked, and her heart seemed to stop beating.
At least her mind was still clear.
Thank goodness. The most precious thing I've got is my brain. If I end up a fool, I'm done for!
On the shore, Bibi Dong was beside herself with worry. A whole day and night had passed since Qian Xunqian went under, and she still hadn't come back up. If Qian Xunqian hadn't explained beforehand, Bibi Dong would have jumped in to save her no matter what.
What did an Immortal Herb matter compared to her best friend's life?
Though Qian Xunqian was a research nerd, she usually kept herself fit. Combined with her mental-type Martial Soul, she had tremendous endurance and managed to endure the difficult ordeal.
With a boom, the Monkey King emerged!
Qian Xunqian landed on the shore with a cocky smirk. She dried herself off and got dressed.
"Sister Bi, this is the Nether Soul-Eater Flower, which grows at the source of the Yin Spring. It draws on the spring's extreme cold, and it also has a trace of death energy. Take it quickly, or my hand's going to freeze off!"
"Oh... okay. So how do I eat it? Do I just swallow it whole?"
"Very clever!" Qian Xunqian gave her a thumbs-up. "Swallow it whole. Even the stem and leaves are infused with the Yin Spring's energy, so don't waste them!"
Bibi Dong nodded vigorously, then opened her mouth wide, stuffed in the Nether Soul-Eater Flower, and swallowed hard.
As soon as it went down, Bibi Dong felt awful, as though millions of ants were crawling all over her body.
The Immortal Herb's power of extreme Yin and death energy coursed through her body, surging and crashing as if it meant to remake her entirely.
Before long, Bibi Dong began to sweat. Then she started exhaling scalding steam.
If Qian Xunqian hadn't dodged in time, she would have been scalded to death by the steam.
"Just as you'd expect from a flower that grows in a place of extreme Yin! It's forcing the Yang energy out of Sister Bi's body as soon as it takes effect. What a domineering herb!"
"Second Soul Skill: Holy Light Illumination!" Golden light shone from Qian Xunqian's eyes, enveloping Bibi Dong.
Holy Light Illumination was a wide-area group cleansing and healing Soul Skill. Her Soul Power Level was low, so its healing effect wasn't great, but some help was better than none.
Bibi Dong spent a full day and night absorbing the herb. During that time, the former owner of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well—currently an 88th-level Soul Douluo—Dugu Bo arrived!
When he saw that someone had occupied his medicinal garden, Dugu Bo flew into a rage. He charged into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, and then...
Then Qian Jun and Jiangmo, who had just advanced to level 96, gave him a look.
That single glance surpassed even Dugu Bo's Soul Bone Skill, Medusa's Gaze.
Dugu Bo was petrified on the spot. He didn't dare breathe, and his expression changed in an instant.
"Your Excellencies, two Titled Douluo, what brings you to my humble abode?"
Jiangmo Douluo spun the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand and smiled.
"Brother Dugu, we're taking this place for the public good!"
Dugu Bo: "?"
"Your Excellency, what do you mean by 'taking it for the public good'?"
Though Jiangmo Douluo usually seemed like a brawny brute who lived for the thrill of battle, he was actually shrewd beneath the surface.
"Brother Dugu, I'll make the decision for you. From now on, you're an elder of our Spirit Hall, and your medicinal garden naturally becomes public property of the Spirit Hall!"
Pfft! Dugu Bo was bitter inside. What about the law? What about justice? How can you make decisions for me?
But after glancing at the Coiling Dragon Staff gleaming with golden light, Dugu Bo swallowed his anger.
"All right, Uncle Jiangmo, stop teasing him."
Ah! Here came the one playing good cop.
"Senior Dugu, the four of us came to Sunset Forest to hunt for Soul Rings. We stumbled across this place by chance. Since none of the Immortal Herbs and medicines here seemed damaged, we thought they had grown here naturally and belonged to no one."
Dugu Bo thought, Why do I feel like you're calling me blind for not knowing what these herbs do?
"But we never imagined this place belonged to Senior Dugu. Please forgive us for the offense!"
Seeing the girl's polite attitude, Dugu Bo shot a resentful glance at Qian Jun and Jiangmo, then magnanimously said:
"Not at all! Not at all! I was occupying this treasure land without even realizing it. From what you've said, Miss, I take it you know the properties of these plants and flowers?"
"Exactly. I know all the medicinal plants here. Some can increase Soul Power, some can improve a Soul Master's talent, and others can detoxify and heal injuries. This really is a rare treasure trove!"
As soon as Dugu Bo heard that some could detoxify, he hurriedly asked, "Miss, do you know which herbs here can cure poison?"
"Hmm? Of course. But why do you ask, Senior Dugu? Could it be...?"
Seeing that she'd figured it out, Dugu Bo stopped hiding the truth. He explained the symptoms of his poisoning and asked Qian Xunqian to treat him.
Finally! I've been waiting for you to say that, Dugu Bo!
There was a difference between volunteering to cure Dugu Bo and having Dugu Bo ask her for help.
In the latter case, she held the initiative. That was why, despite knowing the original story, she hadn't gotten to the point and had kept teasing Dugu Bo.
Nearby, Qian Jun and Jiangmo Douluo heard that Dugu Bo, who toyed with poison, had been poisoned himself, and burst out laughing.
After all these years, the two had seen every kind of monster and demon, and thought they had become impossible to amuse.
They hadn't expected to be so easily defeated by Dugu Bo.
They laughed so hard that neither could catch his breath, and both died. Dugu Bo, meanwhile, achieved the unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated feat of killing two Super Douluo as a Soul Douluo.
Later histories would call this episode "Dugu Bo Laughs Qian Jun and Jiangmo to Death"—all of the above was a joke.