Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

Besides the Earth Crystal Fruit, River of Forgetfulness Autumn Water Dew was also indispensable.

After all, it was a precious treasure capable of enhancing spiritual power. The higher his spiritual power, the greater the age limit of the next spirit ring he could absorb.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, he had already selected an immortal herb for her, called the Myriad Shadow Heart-Returning Vine.

It resembled the outline of a spirit cat formed by countless slender black vines entwined together. Each vine was a tiny phantom, splitting into thousands of faint shadows whenever it swayed.

Of course, that was merely wishful thinking.

Dugu Bo had yet to come looking for him, and he had not yet entered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He did not even know whether those two immortal herbs truly existed there.

For now, it was all empty talk. Shi An raised his head toward the sky. The heavens were a clear azure, white clouds drifting slowly by. All he needed to do was wait.

Days passed one by one. That afternoon, Shi An sat cross-legged on the ground as usual, cultivating slowly.

The power of the earth surged through his meridians like an endless river, while the spirit power within his body steadily increased bit by bit.

At dusk, the setting sun was blood-red. Night and the afterglow intertwined, turning the sky a blue that was almost black.

Shi An was about to head to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena to meet up with the others when his body suddenly froze, his pupils contracting sharply.

In a pavilion not far away sat an elderly man with green hair and green robes.

Shi An had not sensed the slightest tremor from the earth.

"Kid, you're awake?" The newcomer was none other than Dugu Bo. He studied Shi An with interest and said,

"At such a young age, you've already broken through to Spirit King. You truly are a heaven-blessed talent."

No matter how cautious Shi An was while cultivating, his spirit power would sometimes spread outward.

The instant those leaked spirit power fluctuations were detected by Dugu Bo, his true realm was exposed.

"Senior Dugu, forgive this junior for failing to welcome you from afar."

Shi An bowed in salute. His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, and his expression showed little change.

Dugu Bo had waited here rather than directly abducting him as he had Tang San, which already made his stance clear.

"Boy." Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. The teasing look on his face abruptly vanished as he fixed Shi An with a chilling gaze and said,

"Yanyan repeated your words to me exactly as you said them."

"Those words were interesting, and they made sense."

"I want to know... who else have you told?"

Shi An knew that Dugu Bo did not want anyone else to know he had been poisoned, so he immediately stated,

"Senior Dugu, rest assured. This junior is not so suicidal. It was only when I saw Senior Sister Dugu Yan suffer an episode that I vaguely began to suspect it. I have not told those words to anyone else."

Dugu Bo was silent for a long while before asking, "Are you truly confident in that method you mentioned?"

"Storing the toxins in spirit bones is only a temporary solution, not a permanent cure."

"What do you mean?"

"Spirit bones are merely tools, like buckets used to hold water. But buckets have a capacity too. Once the water overflows the bucket..."

Shi An used an analogy but did not finish his sentence. Dugu Bo naturally understood the rest.

"You've said so much, boy. You surely didn't come just to tell me this."

"You must have a better solution."

Dugu Bo squinted at him, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the stone table.

"I do, but can Senior Dugu offer an appropriate reward?"

Shi An looked directly into his eyes as he spoke.

"Boy, do you dare come with me?" Dugu Bo looked at him, a mysterious yet exceedingly unpleasant smile appearing on his face.

Shi An's eyes flickered slightly. Where could Dugu Bo take him?

Aside from the Dugu Residence, there was only the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Shi An held his head high and thrust out his chest, as though he would dare venture forward even if a mountain of blades and sea of flames lay ahead.

"Good boy, you've got guts." Dugu Bo grabbed Shi An by the shoulder and transformed into a streak of green light that shot into the sky.

A powerful wind pressure blasted against him, making his robes flap violently. Shi An only felt himself rising at incredible speed as he whistled toward an unknown destination.

Outside the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

The members of the Heaven Dou Team and their mentor, Chen Kui, had all assembled. Seeing that Shi An had yet to arrive, Chen Kui turned to Zhu Zhuqing and asked,

"Zhu Zhuqing, have you seen Shi An? Why isn't he here yet?"

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, her face also carrying some confusion. "I don't know either. He didn't tell me."

"Forget it, we'll go in without him." Chen Kui shook his head and led everyone inside.

Within Sunset Forest, a streak of green light crossed the sky, flying toward the heart of the forest.

Seeing the forest below, Shi An rejoiced inwardly, though his face remained calm.

He turned to look ahead, where a poisonous miasma shaped like an upside-down bowl entered his view.

Dugu Bo flew straight through the miasma, carving open a passage the moment he came into contact with it.

Beyond the poisonous miasma lay a stretch of mountainous terrain. White mist continuously rose from its peak, and a pungent scent of sulfur mixed with an odd smell entered his nose.

Without pausing in the slightest, Dugu Bo flew directly to the mountaintop.

Looking down, Shi An saw a basin. At its center was a pool neither too large nor too small.

The water was divided into milky white and crimson red, distinct and separate, never mixing with each other.

Around the pool, strange and radiant herbs grew in scattered patches, each exuding a unique aura.

Shi An's eyes went wide. Immortal herbs!

And there were many of them: Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, Dew of Gazing Through Autumn Water, and more. As far as the eye could see, they were all precious medicinal herbs.

Seeing Shi An's expression, Dugu Bo breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Boy, this is a herb garden I acquired by chance."

"As long as you can cure Yanyan, you may pick whatever herbs you want from here."

Shi An came back to his senses, a smile appearing on his face.

His long preparations had not been in vain. He had even cast aside a man's most precious dignity, and now he could finally get his hands on the immortal herbs.

Shi An looked at Dugu Bo and slowly said, "Senior Sister Dugu Yan only needs to absorb a spirit bone."

"Boy, are you toying with me? Didn't you say this method only treats the symptoms and not the root cause?" Dugu Bo's expression instantly darkened, his eyes staring at Shi An like cold venomous snakes.

"Senior Dugu, you're mistaken." Shi An explained unhurriedly. "An ordinary spirit bone certainly won't work."

"But what if it's a poison-attribute external spirit bone?"

Dugu Bo froze. "A poison-attribute external spirit bone... You mean for Yanyan to absorb a poison-attribute external spirit bone? External spirit bones transform and evolve as their owner grows stronger."

"That would be equivalent to having a bucket that could never overflow. Yanyan would never again be eroded by the toxins."

Dugu Bo's eyes grew brighter and brighter, but then they completely dimmed. "And you still say you're not toying with me? External spirit bones are already exceedingly rare, let alone poison-attribute external spirit bones!"