Snow Empress met Ye Feng's resolute gaze and did not stop him again. She silently stepped aside.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Ye Feng smiled to reassure her, then walked between the two Immortal Herbs. He took a deep breath and adjusted himself to his peak condition.
Dugu Bo watched from the side, his scalp tingling.
"Mad! He's completely mad!"
"The herbs and spring water are both highly toxic. Even I wouldn't dare touch them. Jumping in is no different from suicide!"
Snow Empress cast him a cold glance, and the terrifying pressure of a ferocious beast instantly silenced him.
"Say one more word, and if he dies, you die."
Dugu Bo shuddered all over and immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
Ye Feng ignored Dugu Bo's muttering and swept his gaze back and forth between the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
"Which one was I supposed to pick first... Forget it, I'll take them together!"
He moved both hands at once. His left hand grabbed the blazing-red Infernal Delicate Apricot, which radiated scorching heat, while his right reached for the ice-crystal-covered Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, which exuded an all-pervading chill.
"Hiss—!"
The instant he touched them, Ye Feng's entire face twisted.
His left hand felt as if it were clutching a red-hot branding iron, while his right seemed to be gripping ten-thousand-year ice. Two extreme agonies surged up his arms and slammed straight into his head.
"Damn, this is even more intense than Evil Fire Backlash!"
Ye Feng gritted his teeth and violently tore both Immortal Herbs free. He stuffed them whole into his mouth without chewing and swallowed them directly.
"Ugh, aaah—!"
In an instant, the domineering forces of ice and fire exploded within his body.
The left half of his body felt as though it had been drenched in magma, while the right half seemed to have fallen into an ancient glacier.
He felt his meridians, bones, and organs being frantically torn apart and tempered. His whole body seemed as if it were about to be ripped in half.
Splash!
Without hesitation, Ye Feng leaped into the point where the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well converged.
Sizzle—!
The spring water instantly boiled. Red and white water surged wildly into Ye Feng's body, intertwining and colliding with the two forces of ice and fire.
In an instant, Ye Feng was wrapped within a cocoon of red and white light.
The surface of his skin alternated between glowing red like heated iron and becoming coated in frost, producing sharp cracking sounds.
"How... how is this possible?!"
Dugu Bo's eyelids twitched violently as he stared in utter disbelief.
He understood the power of the ice and fire spring water all too well.
The forces of extreme ice and extreme flame within it were something even a Titled Douluo like him did not dare endure for long.
Yet now, a kid who had not even reached Soul Grandmaster had not only held on, but was actually absorbing the ultimate power within the spring water?!
Where the hell had this freak come from?
Snow Empress stood quietly by the spring, her icy eyes fixed on Ye Feng as he drifted in the water. Her fingers slowly curled within her sleeve.
A day and a night later.
The cocoon of light in the spring gradually stabilized. The red and white radiance no longer clashed violently, but instead began to slowly merge.
In the end, it transformed into a strange pale gold, like molten gold flowing freely.
"Crack..."
The first fracture appeared on the surface of the light cocoon, followed by cracks spreading across it like a spiderweb.
Boom!
The pale-gold cocoon exploded, and a figure slowly rose from the spring water.
Droplets slid down his lean, powerful body. His skin had become pale gold, smooth like warm jade yet faintly gleaming with a metallic luster.
His originally fiery-red short hair seemed to have grown a little longer, and the tips had taken on a touch of icy blue.
Beside the crimson-gold phoenix mark between his brows was an additional, faintly visible pattern of ice crystal.
Ye Feng opened his eyes, and flashes of crimson gold and icy blue flickered through them before vanishing.
He clenched his fist, his bones crackling sharply as an unprecedented sense of power filled his body.
"It worked! The Ice and Fire Golden Body!"
Ye Feng grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Dugu Bo stepped closer and carefully examined Ye Feng, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Ice and fire in one body, with such perfectly harmonious energy... Kid, what kind of physique is this? I've never even heard of it!"
"A secret family recipe. Not for public release."
Ye Feng chuckled. "Still, I have to thank you, Senior, for sponsoring me with this precious land!"
Not only had he forged the Ice and Fire Golden Body, but his Soul Power had risen four levels in a row. With the [Upgrade Refund] added in, his Soul Power had now reached level twenty.
As long as he obtained a Soul Ring, he could immediately rise another level.
The only pity was that his fire attribute had not improved.
But that made sense. The Nether Karma Fire Phoenix was already Ultimate Fire. Taking another step forward would enter the realm of gods.
That gap was not something Immortal Herbs could bridge.
Dugu Bo's mouth twitched as he looked at the herbs he had painstakingly cultivated being ruined. His heart bled, yet he dared not voice his anger and could only force a dry smile.
"As long as you like them, little friend."
Ye Feng noticed Dugu Bo's strained tone and gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry, Senior. I won't take your herbs for nothing. I'll definitely give you a reward that satisfies you."
Dugu Bo gave two dry laughs but did not respond.
You're just a snot-nosed little brat, yet you're claiming you can offer a reward that would satisfy a Titled Douluo.
It might be believable if that icy Titled Douluo beside you said it.
Ye Feng noticed the trace of disdain on Dugu Bo's face but did not care. He continued on his own.
"Senior, whenever it rains, does the area below the third vertebra of your spine ache as if pricked by needles? And at midnight, does not only your Soul Power circulation become sluggish, but your scalp and the soles of your feet also suffer needle-like stabbing pains?"
"Am I right?"
With every sentence Ye Feng spoke, Dugu Bo's face grew a shade paler, and his breathing became more ragged.
"You... how do you know?!"
This was his greatest secret. Outsiders could never possibly know it!
Even Snow Empress, standing nearby, glanced over slightly.
She had not expected that a human Titled Douluo who cultivated poison techniques had himself already been deeply poisoned.
"Very simple."
Ye Feng smiled faintly. "Walk by the river often enough, and eventually your shoes will get wet. Your hair has a greenish tint, there is a gray haze in your eyes, and your breath carries a faint fishy sweetness. One look tells me your poisoning runs deep."
"Your poison technique is formidable, but unfortunately, it harms yourself almost as much as it harms your enemies. The toxins have backlashed and seeped into your marrow. If you drag this out another three to five years, even a Titled Douluo probably won't be able to endure it."
Dugu Bo's breathing quickened. His green eyes locked onto Ye Feng.
"You know so much... Does that mean you know how to solve it?"
"Of course."
Ye Feng nodded confidently. "Not only can I cure your poison, I can cure your granddaughter's poison too!"
At the word granddaughter, Dugu Bo was struck as if by lightning and froze in place.
He had never expected that Green Phosphor Snake Poison tormenting him would not be enough—that it would also come for his only family.
After a long while, Dugu Bo came back to his senses. At last, he made up his mind and spoke in a deep voice.
"As long as you can cure my poison and my granddaughter's, then my life, Dugu Bo's life, is yours!"
Ye Feng smiled faintly and raised a hand toward the Ice-Fire Spring Eye behind him. "Actually, curing Green Phosphor Snake Poison is very simple."
"All this time, you've been using the spring water to suppress the snake poison. That's simply wasting a priceless treasure."
"All you need is a Soul Bone, combined with the Ice-Fire Spring Eye's suppression of toxins, and you can transfer all the poison in your body into the Soul Bone."
"Then, you will no longer need to worry about Green Phosphor Snake Poison backlashing. Once the toxins are purged, your strength can even break through further."
Before you continue