"You're taking this too far, Senior. There's no need to slave away for me. All I want is this herb garden and your inner core. There's nothing else I particularly want."
Huo Yuhao was not surprised in the slightest by Dugu Bo's words, because he knew how much Dugu Yan meant to him.
In truth, things had gone so smoothly today because of his identity.
Had he been an ordinary person, Dugu Bo would never have listened to any of his nonsense, much less let him try. Things would have been dead in the water from the very start.
All he could say was that there was a gulf between one person and another.
Qian Renhan and Huo Yuhao led two completely different lives.
One stood high above the world; the other was as lowly as an ant.
"We can do it now?" Dugu Bo asked. "Don't we need to prepare anything?"
"We need a Soul Bone. That's why I brought one." Huo Yuhao paused, then continued, "I'd like to know how many limb bones you've absorbed, Senior."
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. Had anyone else asked, he might have attacked and killed them outright.
After all, Soul Skills and Soul Bones were taboo subjects for Soul Masters. Even family members would not casually ask about them.
But after a moment's hesitation, he still answered, "I only have two limb bones: a left arm bone and a right leg bone."
"Then neither conflicts with the Soul Bone I brought. Senior, do you want to use this Soul Bone yourself, or save it for your granddaughter, Dugu Yan?"
"Does it make a difference? Naturally, I'll save it for my granddaughter!" Dugu Bo frowned slightly, realizing there was more to this than met the eye.
And soon, Huo Yuhao spoke again.
"My treatment is very simple. Simple and brutal, with immediate results."
"All you need to do is force all the harmful toxins in your body into one of your limbs, such as an arm or a leg. Once you've driven them all out, just cut off the corresponding limb."
"What?" Dugu Bo had thought Huo Yuhao had some brilliant trick up his sleeve, only for him to spend all that time squeezing out a steaming pile of crap.
The method Huo Yuhao proposed was indeed feasible.
It was, in fact, a way to purge the poison: use a special method of guiding Soul Power to wrap around the toxins and expel them from the body through a particular point. A thorough cleansing would probably prevent a relapse for more than ten years.
However, these toxins were extremely potent. Once they were expelled through a part of his body, that part would inevitably rot. Even without Huo Yuhao saying so, it would have to be cut off, or the rot would spread throughout his body and might even make things worse.
If cutting off an arm or a leg were all it took, he would have done it long ago. But he simply could not bring himself to do it!
Huo Yuhao was not surprised by Dugu Bo's reaction. It was perfectly normal. "Senior, don't get worked up yet! Since I said we needed to prepare a Soul Bone, naturally, I have a follow-up plan."
"After you expel the toxins through a limb, you must quickly cut off the infected arm. At that point, I'll use the Soul Bone along with my own special ability to help you regrow it."
"Once the bulk of the toxins in your body have been cleared away, most of your pain should subside. Then you only need to force the remaining toxins into the Soul Bone bit by bit. After that, you'll never have to endure the pain of snake venom again."
Huo Yuhao explained it step by step, brimming with confidence, while Dugu Bo grew increasingly stunned. What Huo Yuhao was saying was simply too incredible.
Regrow a severed arm? Could anyone actually do that?
Wasn't that the power of a god?
Yet Huo Yuhao's expression told him that he was not lying, leaving Dugu Bo in a quandary.
He didn't dare try this! Gamble on this boy being able to regrow his severed arm? Wasn't that far too outrageous?
"Kid, are you serious?"
"That's why I said it depends on whether you dare, Senior. If you lose the gamble, the worst that happens is you lose an arm. But if you win, your granddaughter can definitely be saved."
Still, seeing Dugu Bo's hesitation, Huo Yuhao understood.
"Take your time and think it over, Senior. Whenever you've made up your mind, just call me."
With that, Huo Yuhao paid no further attention to Dugu Bo's hesitant gaze and walked straight toward the springs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He had already given Dugu Bo the Soul Bone, completing their first transaction. He could now use the Immortal Herbs here as he pleased.
Although he did not know every variety of Immortal Herb here, he knew the plot and the effects of several important ones. That was enough.
He had come to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to temper his body, using Immortal Herbs to strengthen his physique and refine his Soul Power.
Of everything in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot interested him most.
Without the slightest hesitation, he ran to the cold spring first. Using a specially made blade, he harvested the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and held it tightly in his hand.
He used sacred power to resist the extreme cold as he hurried toward the scorching hot spring.
Using another special method, he harvested the Infernal Delicate Apricot as well and held it in his hand. At once, he felt as though his hand were about to burst into flames.
Only after experiencing Immortal Herbs firsthand could one understand their power.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao was experiencing two worlds of ice and fire. Had it not been for his innate god-level Martial Soul, his powerful physique, and the life force of the Blue Silver Emperor's hundred-thousand-year right leg bone healing him, both his hands would probably have been ruined.
After picking the two Immortal Herbs, Huo Yuhao immediately combined them and swallowed them.
Dugu Bo's jaw dropped at the sight. He shot over, staring at Huo Yuhao in horror.
He had also studied these two unusual plants. One was extremely cold, the other extremely hot. They could not even be touched, let alone eaten!
Yet Huo Yuhao had swallowed these two dangerous herbs right before his eyes. This kid's gone mad! If he dies here, won't that old lunatic Qian Daoliu come charging over to kill me?
It's over, it's over. My peaceful life is about to vanish. It looks like I'll have to take Yanyan and flee to the ends of the earth right away.
This kid has no idea what death looks like. He's utterly insane.
As the two Immortal Herbs with ultimate attributes entered his body, Huo Yuhao immediately suffered a violent reaction. Half his body turned red, and the other half turned blue. He truly was caught between two worlds of ice and fire.
Huo Yuhao was engulfed in agony, his face twisting as he screamed wildly, as though he were suffering the cruelest torture in the world.
This was a burning that spread from the inside out, so its severity was plain to see. But a moment later, the Blue Silver Emperor's hundred-thousand-year right leg bone activated. Pure life force flowed throughout his body, repairing the damaged areas and easing his pain.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao leaped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The Ice and Fire Golden Body tempered the organs and meridians within, and the flesh without.
After consuming the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, he needed to enter the springs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, harmonizing ice and fire and undergoing repeated refinement to fully complete the process.
Before you continue