Entering the Treasure Land, Preparing to Act

"Fengzhi, are you really comfortable letting Xiao An go with Dugu Bo?"

Sword Douluo gripped the Seven Kill Sword and watched Dugu Bo and Mo An enter the poison formation ahead together. He was uneasy.

"Uncle Jian, don't worry. Dugu Bo may have a poor reputation, but as far as I know, he isn't one to break his word. Besides, you and I will be staying in Soul Hunting Town outside the Sunset Forest. He won't dare make a move against Xiao An lightly."

Ning Fengzhi also watched their retreating figures. He wasn't worried about Mo An's safety. What he wanted to know was how Mo An had persuaded Dugu Bo.

Years ago, Ning Fengzhi had tried to win Dugu Bo over. He had turned on every ounce of his charm, yet despite never having had a door shut in his face anywhere else, he had been soundly turned away by Dugu Bo.

So how had Mo An struck a deal with someone as eccentric as Dugu Bo?

"True. Dugu Bo doesn't look like he intends to give Xiao An trouble. If anything, he looks like he needs Xiao An's help."

After exchanging a few more words on the hilltop, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo left the Sunset Forest and returned to their quarters in Soul Hunting Town. They briefly explained the situation to Ning Rongrong, then settled in to wait.

Dugu Bo dragged Mo An through the poison formation to an inverted-cone valley. They stood at its rim, atop the mountain. Thick steam rose from below, and the smell of sulfur hung in the air.

Still in his Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Martial Soul Possession state, Mo An looked down over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and couldn't help exclaiming, "No wonder the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is one of the Three Great Treasures. This place truly is blessed by heaven."

In Mo An's eyes, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well held not only ice and fire spiritual energy so dense it was almost viscous, but also a kind of Red-Blue Qi he had never seen anywhere else.

Knowing something about how the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had formed, Mo An ventured that this Red-Blue Qi was what allowed herbs here to grow ten times faster. Its source was likely the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.

"One of the Three Great Treasures? There are two other places that can rival the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? Tell me about them."

Hearing that two other places could compare, Dugu Bo began to entertain an idea: he could hand this place over to Mo An, then seize another treasure land to grow herbs.

As Dugu Bo saw it, with his status and strength as a Titled Douluo, the world was vast. Where couldn't he go? What couldn't he claim?

"The other two are Qiankun Asking Love Valley and the Lake of Life. Qiankun Asking Love Valley is where the God of Love fell. Supposedly, it lies on another continent far across the sea. The Lake of Life is the lake at the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest."

Mo An saw no reason to hide what he knew about the Three Great Treasures.

The terrain now was different from how it would be ten thousand years later. He genuinely had no idea where Qiankun Asking Love Valley was.

As for the Lake of Life, Dugu Bo was welcome to claim it if he had the ability. Mo An wouldn't object in the slightest.

After hearing Mo An's explanation, Dugu Bo couldn't help rolling his eyes.

The lake at the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest—was that somewhere he could lay a finger on?

Qiankun Asking Love Valley made Dugu Bo's brow knot even tighter. What did he mean, where the God of Love fell? And another continent far across the sea? What was any of that supposed to mean?

Faced with Dugu Bo's eye roll, Mo An spread his hands. If the other two treasure lands were easy to claim, would he need to scheme for Dugu Bo's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?

Dugu Bo was left speechless. He grabbed Mo An by the collar, flew down into the valley, and landed at the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

From there, Mo An could see the entire well.

The hot spring at the valley's heart wasn't large, but it was divided into two sharply distinct halves. On one side lay milky-white spring water that radiated cold; on the other, vermilion water that gave off astonishing heat.

Steam rose slowly where the cold and hot springs met, creating a small, humid pocket of climate and filling the place with the smell of sulfur.

Looking outward from the Ice and Fire Spring Water at the center, Mo An spotted several precious Immortal Herbs. Farther out grew rare herbs of astonishing age.

Any one of the herbs here could fetch a high price and drive the Breaking Clan wild.

Standing at the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo explained, "There's a peculiar energy Shockwave inside. If you can't withstand it, you'd better stay here and tell me what to do."

"I'll give it a try first."

Steadying himself, Mo An entered Martial Soul Possession, circulated his Soul Power at full strength, and walked steadily into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As soon as he entered, a Shockwave formed by the collision of extreme ice and fire spiritual energy rushed at him. Fortunately, the enhancement from his Immortal Herb Martial Soul, Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, was considerable. Whale Rubber had also strengthened his body to a level comparable to a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster's. Together, they let him withstand the Shockwave head-on.

Dugu Bo had been watching Mo An closely, ready to step in and save him at any moment. Seeing Mo An, who didn't even have a Soul Ring yet, take the well's energy surge head-on, he couldn't help muttering, "What a monster."

"Senior Dugu, please guard me here. Don't intervene unless I call for help. If I haven't woken up by the time we agreed on, sorry for the trouble, but please tell Uncle Ning and Grandpa Jian."

Back then, Tang San and Dugu Bo had been enemies, so Tang San had needed to guard against him.

Now Mo An and Dugu Bo were friends bound by mutual interests. Mo An had no need to guard against him. Keeping Dugu Bo here to protect him would put him to the best possible use.

"What you're about to do could put your life in danger?"

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow at Mo An. Mo An was currently his only hope of curing the Jade Scale Snake Poison in his body. If Mo An died, who would cure him?

"It's not dangerous. I'm just not sure exactly how long it'll take."

After saying that, Mo An headed toward the spring water at the heart of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He was merely following in someone else's footsteps. Tang San had already shown him how in a future that no longer existed. What danger could there be? At worst, he would be unconscious for a while.

Beside the Extreme Cold Yin Spring, Mo An spotted the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, shaped like an eight-pointed star and glimmering at its center like ice crystal.

By the scorching Yang Spring, he found the Infernal Apricot Delicate, fiery red all over and shaped like a cabbage.

After gauging the distance between the two Immortal Herbs, Mo An took the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Silkworm Silk Gloves and a Dagger sharp enough to sever a hair blown across its blade from the Azure Jade Ring. Then he tossed the ring onto the ground nearby.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Silkworm Silk Gloves had been made by a Divine Craftsman of the Strength Clan at the Azure Bamboo's request, for harvesting treasures with unknown effects. To Mo An, they were somewhat like an equipment version of the Mysterious Jade Hand.

The razor-sharp Dagger was for harvesting the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.