Ice and Fire Temper the Golden Body

"Dugu Bo, your poison came from your martial soul. This is a flaw in your martial soul. After accumulating for so many years, the toxins have already seeped into your marrow. Even with your profound soul power, surviving until now was nothing short of a miracle."

Qiangu Aoshi casually exposed the truth behind Dugu Bo's poisoning.

Dugu Bo's eyes widened, and a flame called hope ignited in his gaze.

Being able to describe his symptoms and even identify the cause of his poisoning made Dugu Bo increasingly certain that Qiangu Aoshi could help him detoxify.

"Please, Holy Son, cure me of this poison. I will be endlessly grateful. From now on, I will obey your every command. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west."

Dugu Bo truly wanted to live, so he immediately poured out a long string of pledges of loyalty to Qiangu Aoshi.

Qiangu Aoshi did not immediately explain how to detoxify him. Instead, he strolled around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"This truly is a treasure land. Its extreme heat and extreme cold both suppress poison, making it useful for keeping your toxins under control."

"And it is exceptionally suitable for plant growth. The herbs in this valley are all immortal-grade medicinal plants. Every single one could transform an ordinarily gifted soul master into a genius."

Dugu Bo was so anxious that he scratched at his ears and cheeks. Seeing Qiangu Aoshi's unhurried manner, he felt as though his heart had risen into his throat, leaving him in torment.

Qiangu Aoshi bent down and picked up a black stone from the ground. It was Blackbane Stone, and a small white flower grew from it.

"Take this Lovesick Heartbroken Red, for example. It can revive the dead and regrow flesh on bare bones, but it is exceedingly difficult to pick. It requires blood of true love to nourish it, and it chooses its own master."

This was a perfect chance to see just how deep Zhu Zhuqing's feelings for him were.

"Zhuqing, come here. Spit a little blood onto it."

Zhu Zhuqing jogged over. She had heard Qiangu Aoshi's explanation: the Lovesick Heartbroken Red needed blood of true love to nourish it.

She felt somewhat uneasy.

As for Qiangu Aoshi, she herself could not tell whether her feelings were more love, more gratitude, or more dependence.

She used her soul power to forcefully strike her heart meridian. Her face turned pale, and as her red lips parted, she spat out a thread of crimson blood onto the white flower.

In an instant, the white flower bloomed with golden-red light. Under that glow, Zhu Zhuqing's expression became somewhat dazed as memories of meeting and coming to know Qiangu Aoshi flooded uncontrollably through her mind.

At once, the Lovesick Heartbroken Red, already dyed golden-red, fell from the Blackbane Stone and landed squarely in Zhu Zhuqing's arms.

Qiangu Aoshi revealed a satisfied smile.

Zhu Zhuqing had devoted herself wholeheartedly to him. As expected, she had gained the Lovesick Heartbroken Red's recognition.

"Eat it. The Lovesick Heartbroken Red can remold your body and transform you completely. The deficiencies in your innate foundation will be rebuilt."

A smile appeared on her pale little face, blood still staining the corner of her lips. It was tragically beautiful and striking.

Zhu Zhuqing knew that her greatest problem was her insufficient talent. Her innate soul power had only been level seven.

Under normal circumstances, at best she could cultivate to the Soul Sage realm, with a chance of touching the threshold of Soul Douluo.

If she could truly be reborn and transformed, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes sparkled. Then she would not need to fear Qiangu Aoshi putting on his pants and refusing to acknowledge her in the future.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded at Qiangu Aoshi, then looked at the Lovesick Heartbroken Red.

"Lovesick Heartbroken Red, I'm counting on you."

She walked to a corner and swallowed the Lovesick Heartbroken Red. A surge of medicinal power erupted within her body, circulating through her internal organs and spreading through her limbs and bones, restoring rosy color to her pale face.

Her aura and vitality visibly grew.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo became even more restless. He edged closer to Qiangu Aoshi and cautiously asked,

"Holy Son, um... my poison..."

Qiangu Aoshi had whetted Dugu Bo's appetite enough before he finally said unhurriedly,

"Relax. I know what I'm doing."

"These two herbs are called Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot. They are the essence of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"The extreme heat and cold of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well can help suppress your toxins, while these two immortal herbs can completely resolve them."

Dugu Bo's eyes flashed brightly. He had guarded the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for more than a decade, yet had possessed a mountain of treasure without realizing it.

The method to cure his poison had been right beneath his nose all along.

He felt some regret. Had he known this earlier, he would not have needed to submit to Qiangu Aoshi and become his lackey.

Now that he had already said the words, he could not deny them even if he wanted to.

"Thank you for your guidance, Holy Son. If I can be cured, then you will be my benefactor."

After saying that, Dugu Bo moved to pick the two ice-and-fire immortal herbs.

Qiangu Aoshi reached out and stopped him.

"I'm not finished. These ice-and-fire herbs have tyrannical medicinal properties. They can dissolve your toxins, but they will also dissolve all the poison arts you have cultivated. If you eat them directly, you will become useless afterward."

Dugu Bo staggered back in fright and looked at Qiangu Aoshi with uncertainty.

"Holy Son, what do you mean? These ice-and-fire herbs will dissolve all my poison arts. Is there no way to have the best of both worlds?"

Qiangu Aoshi personally walked over to the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot.

"It is not impossible."

"I will first consume these two immortal herbs and let them neutralize each other within my body. Their tyrannical medicinal properties will then be greatly reduced."

"Then I can give you some fresh blood containing the medicinal power of the ice-and-fire herbs. Refine one drop every day at noon. In as little as one month, or as long as three months, your toxins will be completely eliminated without affecting your poison arts."

Dugu Bo was somewhat uncertain. He did not know whether Qiangu Aoshi was deceiving him, but Qiangu Aoshi was the only person he could trust now.

"Will it have any effect on you, Holy Son?"

Qiangu Aoshi turned his head, his gaze falling upon the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"The process of absorbing the ice-and-fire herbs will certainly be painful. Extreme heat and cold entering the body will torture a person until they wish they were dead, but it will also temper the body. As long as one endures that pain, it will bring enormous benefits."

For Qiangu Aoshi, the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot would not offer much help.

His body was already exceptionally strong.

But these two immortal herbs were the key. After absorbing them, he could enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. In the future, he could dive to the bottom of the lake and use the origins of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King to temper a true golden body.

He turned back and said,

"Stay here and do not wander off. I will absorb the ice-and-fire herbs."

With that, Qiangu Aoshi used an iron ruler and a jade knife respectively, harvesting the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot with their proper methods.

Activating Mysterious Jade Hand, his hands turned jade-colored, becoming indestructible and immune to all poisons. Using the force-manipulating technique of Crane Control, Dragon Capture, he seized the ice-and-fire herbs.

In an instant, extreme heat and cold began corroding his palms. Fortunately, once the two immortal herbs drew close, their opposing energies began to neutralize each other, preventing him from suffering severe harm.

While the herbs' medicinal properties were neutralizing, he wolfed down both herbs in a few bites. Then, as though drunk, he staggered toward the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

With a splash, he fell in...