Legacy of the Spirit Hall, Produced by Ju Hua Guan!

Yet what truly drew the trio's attention was the lake at the center of the valley.

It was an extraordinarily special lake.

The water seemed to be divided by some invisible force at its center, forming two completely different regions.

One side radiated bone-chilling cold. A faint icy mist covered the lake's surface, giving off extreme frostiness. The other side roiled like blazing flames, its scorching aura causing the surrounding space to distort slightly.

Ice and fire—two utterly opposing forces—had nevertheless achieved a bizarre balance here.

Red and white intertwined, like two peerless jades nurtured by heaven and earth, embedded in the heart of the valley.

The overwhelmingly dense life energy throughout the valley came from this lake where ice and fire mingled, from the countless immortal herbs and spiritual medicines growing here.

Sensing the immense life force in this place, both Long Xiaoyao and Tang Ya could not help revealing looks of astonishment.

Even Long Xiaoyao, with all his vast experience, could not help but sigh.

"What a wondrous place blessed by heaven and earth."

"I have lived for so many years and seen countless secret realms and treasure lands, but a place like this, one that gathers the power of ultimate ice and fire while nurturing so many heavenly treasures, is likely impossible to find anywhere else in the world."

His gaze continuously swept over the surroundings. The precious medicinal herbs hidden among the flowers and grass made even this Ultimate Douluo's heart stir.

"If I had discovered this place in my youth and cultivated with the natural energy here, perhaps breaking through to Ultimate Douluo would not have been so difficult."

Tang Ya, standing beside him, was likewise immersed in the shock brought by this treasure land.

She lowered her gaze to her Bluesilver Grass martial soul, and an unusual feeling rose within her heart.

If she could cultivate here for a long time and nourish herself with the pure life energy of this place, perhaps her Bluesilver Grass would never need to descend into corruption, nor would it need to rely on devouring attributes to awaken its potential.

Its own growth alone would be enough to reach an entirely new height.

Tang Ya paced around the area. As she looked at the dense clusters of exotic flowers and strange plants beneath her feet, the delight in her eyes gradually turned to hesitation.

She discovered that there were simply too many herbs here. Some had petals as clear as crystal, some had roots and stems covered in scales, while others grew crookedly, their surfaces constantly oozing strangely colored sap.

Judging by appearance alone, there was no way to tell which plants were precious medicines and which could kill.

Tang Ya had already suffered outside the poisonous miasma, so she naturally would not recklessly touch anything again.

"Master, how are we supposed to identify these things?"

She pointed at a purple flower not far away, her expression full of wariness.

"There are countless kinds of immortal herbs and spiritual fruits here. Most of them are things I have never seen or even heard of in the outside world."

"What if there are a few highly poisonous plants mixed in? Before we get any benefit, we might send ourselves to our deaths first. That would be far too unjust."

After saying that, she looked toward Long Xiaoyao again. He had lived for so many years and traveled across the continent; perhaps, with his experience, he could recognize some of them.

But to Tang Ya's disappointment, Long Xiaoyao quickly shook his head.

"I recognize only a very few things here."

He raised a hand and pointed at several crimson medicinal herbs growing near the cliff wall. "These look nearly identical to Fire Lingzhi, except their age is frighteningly high, and the fire-attributed energy accumulated within them far surpasses that of those outside."

"As for the others, even I have never seen many of them."

Long Xiaoyao's gaze turned grave as he slowly scanned the surroundings. "These herbs have absorbed the power of the Icefire Spring and grown for more than ten thousand years. Many have already surpassed the scope of ordinary medicinal herbs."

"If consumed incorrectly, not only you—even a Titled Douluo could be burst apart by their medicinal power."

Hearing Long Xiaoyao make it sound so serious, Tang Ya's face fell. "By the Great Offering's account, we went through all this effort to get in here only to leave empty-handed."

"We know the ground is covered in treasures, but we do not dare touch them or eat them. That is far too discouraging."

Long Wushang could not help smiling at her words.

This little girl had not stopped to think. Since he had dared to come here, how could he possibly have come unprepared?

Long before deciding to launch a surprise attack on Shrek, he had already included the Icefire Yin Yang Well in this operation's plans. He simply could not tell those people from the Holy Spirit Cult.

Over the years, aside from cultivating his martial soul at the Dragon Tomb, he had spent nearly all his remaining time studying soul tools and poring over ancient texts.

The Holy Spirit Cult had branch altars throughout the continent. As long as he had the Offering Hall issue an order, cult members everywhere would secretly gather herb catalogs, ancient fragments, and sect manuals for him, then send them back to headquarters through covert channels.

An ordinary soul master might not see more than a few precious ancient texts in their entire life.

But for the Holy Spirit Cult, as long as something still existed in the world, they could find a way to acquire it.

Long Wushang turned his wrist and took out a thick, ancient volume.

Its cover had yellowed with age, and its corners bore traces of repeated repairs. Many newly added pages were tucked inside as well.

The moment Tang Ya saw Long Wushang's action, she immediately leaned closer.

"What is that?"

"The Immortal Herb Catalog."

Long Wushang opened the first page, revealing extremely detailed drawings of medicinal herbs inside.

"The earliest incomplete copy was passed down from the era of Spirit Hall. After the Spirit Empire fell, Spirit Hall's legacy was divided among the three great empires, including the countless texts and secret manuals treasured by Spirit Hall. It is said that this volume was personally compiled by Yue Guan, the Chrysanthemum Douluo whose martial soul was an immortal herb, ten thousand years ago. It is a genuine antique."

"It originally contained only the first half. Over the years, I had people search the entire continent and cross-reference other ancient texts, restoring much of what was missing."

Tang Ya quickly flipped through several pages. Each page recorded the herb's appearance, growing environment, medicinal properties, and precautions for consumption.

For some herbs, even the color of their roots, the number of petals, and changes in scent after maturation were recorded in perfect detail.

Seeing this, much of the concern on Tang Ya's face immediately disappeared.

She stared at the herbs around them, her gaze growing increasingly fervent.

Every immortal herb here might alter a soul master's martial soul and foundation.

Even if each of them took only one, the benefits would be beyond estimation.

Not to mention, there was not merely one or two plants before them.

It was an entire valley!

Long Xiaoyao took the catalog and carefully read several pages. His previously furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"With this catalog, things will be much easier from here on."

"First identify their medicinal properties, then decide how to harvest them, so we do not damage the roots."

"The herbs here are too valuable. If we can preserve their seeds and roots, we should avoid destroying them whenever possible. Leave some blessings for future generations as well."

Long Wushang nodded. Just as he was about to continue deeper into the valley and begin gathering herbs, Long Xiaoyao's expression suddenly changed.

He spun around sharply and reached backward with his right hand. A jet-black dragon claw condensed in midair, directly seizing several thick vines that lashed out from behind the cliff wall.

Those vines were as thick as water barrels, their surfaces covered in serrated leaves.

Even after being caught by dark soul power, they continued twisting frantically, their immense force pressing layer after layer of ripples into the air.

"Fall back first. There really are high-level soul beasts in here!"

As though he had anticipated it, Long Xiaoyao clenched his fingers and instantly shattered the vines.