Taking the Immortal Herbs, Entering the Well

Dugu Bo watched Bai Yi.

He had lived for over seventy years and had long since come to terms with life and death.

But he could not let go of his granddaughter. Being able to cling to life for a few more years was not bad either.

"Fine."

Bai Yi said,

"Sit down first. I'll help you deal with the poison in your body for now."

Dugu Bo did not hesitate and sat down cross-legged.

He sat upright, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees, waiting for Bai Yi to begin.

But Bai Yi walked behind him and pressed a hand onto the top of his head.

Dugu Bo's expression visibly stiffened.

He had lived for over seventy years. As a Titled Douluo, he was someone who could throw his weight around throughout the Heaven Dou Empire. No one had ever dared to hold down his head while talking to him like this.

This posture was awkward and uncomfortable, leaving his old face with nowhere to hide.

But he endured it.

Bai Yi closed his eyes and injected the magical power of the Great Immortal Art of Grand Quality through his palm into the crown of Dugu Bo's head.

The magical power traveled downward through his meridians, passing through his head, neck, chest, and dantian as it continued down.

The meridians within Dugu Bo were far more complicated than his granddaughter's. Decades of poison had already grown together with his channels.

Bai Yi did not rush to clear it away.

He slowly wove magical power around Dugu Bo's dantian, like weaving a netted pouch.

The ability of the Seventy-Two Transformations came into play here.

Rather than directly stripping away the poison, Bai Yi created a container capable of holding it.

He drew the free-floating toxins within Dugu Bo, along with part of his Soul Power, into his dantian and condensed them into a gray Poison Core.

This Poison Core was not as perfect as Bai Yi had truly wanted.

Dugu Bo's Soul Power was too powerful. Bai Yi was only a Soul Elder and had no way to completely seal away a Titled Douluo's Soul Power.

But he had extracted most of the most dangerous toxins. The remaining portion would be slowly absorbed by the Poison Core and would no longer erode Dugu Bo's body every day as before.

Dugu Bo felt a long-lost sense of ease.

The blockage and stabbing pain within his body gradually faded, as though someone had moved away a boulder pressing against his chest.

He opened his eyes, glanced at his palm, then looked up at Bai Yi, his gaze filled with unmistakable shock.

He could not understand it.

How could a ten-year-old child accomplish something like this?

Even the most outstanding soul masters he had seen might not possess such methods.

He had once guessed that Bai Yi might come from some hidden sect or clan, but what had happened today made him even more certain of his judgment.

There had to be someone behind this child, and those people stood at a level even higher than him, a Titled Douluo.

He did not ask further.

Even if he asked, he might not get an answer, and he might even sour their relationship.

The old man made a decision in his heart.

He would never become enemies with Bai Yi.

No matter what this child wanted to do, he would cooperate as much as possible.

Being wronged a little did not matter when it came to someone who could save his life.

Bai Yi withdrew his hand. His face was somewhat pale, and his voice carried obvious exhaustion.

"Your toxins have seeped into your very bones. This can only suppress them temporarily. If you want to be completely cured, you'll have to wait until I become a Titled Douluo."

Dugu Bo said nothing.

By the time Bai Yi became a Titled Douluo, given this child's talent, that day would not be far off.

But that also meant he needed to ensure Bai Yi stayed alive until then.

He spoke.

"Fine. Before you become a Titled Douluo, I'll guarantee your safety."

Bai Yi glanced at him, his expression turning somewhat strange.

He had the Seventy-Two Transformations and the Somersault Cloud. As long as he wanted to run, practically no one could hold him.

Did he think Bai Yi did not know?

This old man had always held a grudge against Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo of Spirit Hall.

When he encountered those two in the future, it was hard to say who would be saving whom.

Bai Yi continued,

"Next, I need to cultivate in this well for seven times seven, forty-nine days. Stand guard outside and don't let anyone disturb me."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"Forty-nine days? You're not joking, are you, boy? Even I can't stay in this place for long."

Bai Yi said,

"I have my own method. You only need to stand guard outside."

Dugu Bo watched him for a while without asking any more questions.

"Fine. Handle it yourself. Just don't make me collect your corpse after forty-nine days."

He paused, his tone growing heavier.

"During this time, even if Spirit Hall comes barging in, they won't get inside."

Dugu Bo turned and left.

Bai Yi was the only one left in the valley.

He did not hurry into the well.

Instead, he first circled the spring pool, examining the plants growing along both banks.

For now, he only needed three things.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass grew beside the Cold Extreme Yin Spring, its leaves ice-blue.

The Infernal Delicate Apricot grew beside the Blazing Yang Spring, its entire body crimson.

The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum grew in the rock crevices at the very edge. Its petals were pale gold, and it resembled a shrunken chrysanthemum.

First, he would use the Sky Chrysanthemum to strengthen his body, then use the other two herbs to bolster his resistance to ice and fire.

Otherwise, he would have a hard time remaining within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for forty-nine days.

Bai Yi crouched and picked the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum first.

He put the petals into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed them.

A warm current rose from his stomach and spread through his meridians toward his limbs.

A faint golden sheen appeared over his skin, while the Great Immortal Art of Grand Quality within him began circulating noticeably faster.

His Soul Power was growing, and his physical body was becoming more solid as well.

He closed his eyes and felt it for a while. Once the golden glow faded, he checked the changes in his Soul Power.

Level thirty-four. It had risen four levels from before.

He stood and walked to the edge of the spring pool, bending down to pick the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

He first took a bite of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

The icy leaves melted in his mouth. The chill slid down his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his entire body.

A thin layer of white frost formed over his skin, and the breath he exhaled turned into white mist.

Then he took a bite of the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

A scorching sensation exploded from his stomach and collided with the cold within him, creating a violent clash inside his body.

Steam began rising from his skin. The white frost melted and reformed, reformed and melted again.

But the clash did not last long. The powers of ice and fire gradually settled into balance within him, eventually fusing into a neutral energy that sank into his meridians.

He felt that his body had become different.

Perhaps he, like the Tang God King, had become immune to fire.

Bai Yi rolled his wrist, removed his outer robe, and stepped into the well.

At the point where the Cold Extreme Yin Spring and Blazing Yang Spring met, half the water was freezing and half was boiling.

The instant he stepped into the spring water, cold and heat surged up from the soles of his feet at once, rushing up his legs.

He gritted his teeth and continued forward until the water reached his chest.

He closed his eyes and began circulating the Great Immortal Art of Grand Quality.

The forces of ice and fire madly battered his body and meridians, each impact bringing intense stabbing pain.

But his cultivation over the past two years had not been in vain.

His body slowly evolved under the tempering of ice and fire. His muscles grew tougher, his bones denser, and his meridians wider.

The magical power within him also circulated at high speed, like an unceasing river washing over every inch of skin battered by ice and fire.

Bai Yi stood in the center of the spring, the water slowly swirling around him.

White mist and steam continuously rose from the alternately cold and hot water, meeting in midair before dispersing.