Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye

Lin Rong did not need to think to know that after Ning Rongrong absorbed the Emerald Bird's Soul Ring, the phantom of the eighth level of her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul had surely solidified considerably.

That was why Ning Fengzhi had sent someone to deliver this fan to him, along with two million Gold Soul Coins as thanks.

"Ning Fengzhi truly is an old fox. He would rather spend two million Gold Soul Coins to repay a favor than leave it owed."

"But then again, a man who can keep both the Sword and Bone Douluo so obedient would hardly be willing to owe someone a favor that would be difficult to repay."

After all, Ning Fengzhi had been praised by Tang Hao as "a man of great talent."

To receive such an evaluation from Tang San's father carried considerable weight.

As for whether those words mocked Ning Fengzhi for being merely a support-system Soul Master who had to be smooth and accommodating in every direction, or whether they were sincere praise for his great talent, that was open to interpretation.

Lin Rong casually placed the fan back onto the tray and waved a hand, signaling for the Old Butler to deal with it as he saw fit.

The lingering late-summer heat had lasted for nearly ten days, and the beginning of the month of late autumn was drawing ever closer.

"The closer that day gets, the more excited I become."

"Looks like my state of mind still needs improvement."

Lin Rong sorted through his emotions, calmed himself, and continued cultivating.

Several days later.

Late at night, all was silent.

After some time passed, midnight arrived, marking the beginning of the month of late autumn.

At this moment, Dugu Bo was at home keeping vigil through the night with Dugu Yan.

At the same time, outside Heaven Dou City.

A faint spatial ripple spread through the air, and Lin Rong, dressed in black, appeared near the outskirts of the city alongside the Old Butler.

The two did not speak. The instant they appeared, the Old Butler took Lin Rong and rushed at full speed toward Sunset Forest.

Before long, the two arrived at the poisonous formation Dugu Bo had set up.

After taking the antidote and passing through the poisonous formation, a hill roughly five hundred meters tall appeared before them.

As they neared the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, Lin Rong had already sensed faint traces of both extreme cold and extreme heat through the properties of his martial soul.

Recalling the original work's description of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, Lin Rong activated his Vine Dragon Domain to envelop both himself and the Old Butler before making his way toward the mountaintop.

Under the cover of night, Lin Rong and the Old Butler quickly reached the summit.

Thick heat continuously billowed up from the hollow in the mountain, obscuring the situation below the cliff.

Seeing this, the Old Butler said, "Young Master, the situation beneath the cliff is unclear. How about this old servant goes down first to investigate? Once I have confirmed it is safe, I will come back up and bring you down."

"Don't worry, Grandpa Yu." Lin Rong shook his head slightly and said softly, "Ancient records state that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye is filled with two extreme forms of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy, one freezing and one scorching. Under normal circumstances, even a Titled Douluo cannot remain there for long."

"Therefore, Dugu Bo would not have left any hidden measures below. There is simply no need."

"And at this moment, Dugu Bo himself is at home celebrating his granddaughter's birthday. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye is completely empty right now."

"So, Grandpa Yu, just take me down directly."

"The effect of my Talent Domain can isolate and transform those two extreme kinds of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy."

"With this layer of protection, neither of us needs to worry about our safety for the time being."

After hearing this, the Old Butler did not persist.

However, out of caution, he activated his martial soul before taking Lin Rong down with him.

Amid the dense heat, the Old Butler held Lin Rong as they plummeted rapidly through the air, finally landing steadily on the valley floor.

After landing, the Old Butler first surveyed the surroundings out of habit. Only after confirming that the area was safe did he carefully set Lin Rong down from his arms.

Lin Rong merely cast a brief glance at the milky white and vermilion two-colored hot spring in the center of the valley before withdrawing his gaze and quietly instructing the Old Butler, "Grandpa Yu, time is of the essence. Please take away every medicinal herb here, including all soil within three feet beneath them."

As he spoke, Lin Rong handed the Soul Tool, Azure Dragon Vine, from his wrist to the Old Butler.

Among the twelve storage jade beads on the Azure Dragon Vine, the three Dragon Pattern Jade Beads, like Dugu Bo's Ruyi Bag of Treasures, were capable of storing living things.

The medicinal herbs here could retain their vitality if stored inside them.

The Old Butler did not say anything further. After taking the Azure Dragon Vine, he immediately began to act.

Lin Rong did not remain idle either. After sensing his surroundings for a moment, he headed directly toward a certain spot.

Before long, Lin Rong arrived before a medicinal herb.

It was a herb that was crystalline and snow-white throughout, every blade seeming as though it might drip with water.

From afar, the snow-white herb looked slender and curved, like the neck of a swan.

This herb had a beautiful name: Snow Swan Kiss.

It was nonpoisonous itself, yet it could make any toxin proliferate hundreds or thousands of times over.

In the original novel, Tang San had used this very item to destroy Slaughter City.

Lin Rong looked at the Snow Swan Kiss before him, crouched down, and carefully harvested it from the soil according to the method in the Herb Illustrated Handbook, his hands wrapped in pure life force.

"This thing is far too dangerous. Grandpa Yu has no effective defensive measures, so it's safer for me to harvest it myself."

After saying that, Lin Rong turned to look at the hot spring in the distance, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"After the Snow Swan Kiss was thrown into Hell Road, it destroyed Slaughter City. What would happen if I threw it into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye instead?"

"I'm really curious. I really want to try it!"

Lin Rong abruptly shook his head and hurriedly recited the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, suppressing that terrifying thought.

It would still be of great use in the future. He had better not do something so suicidal.

About two hours later.

Old Butler had completed his task, digging up the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye three feet deep.

Within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, aside from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, all the other herbs, along with the soil that had absorbed the hot spring's energy, had been stored inside the Azure Dragon Vine.

All that remained in the valley was land that had been dug over in neat rows, spotless and bare.

At the edge of the hot spring.

Seeing that the time had come, Lin Rong took out two daggers.

The two daggers were made from different materials. One was forged from refined iron, while the other was made of jade.

The Herb Illustrated Handbook recorded:

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass could only be harvested with something made of metal.

The Infernal Delicate Apricot could only be plucked with a jade tool without diminishing its medicinal properties.

Although Lin Rong did not intend to absorb them himself, since he had already decided to temporarily damage the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, he naturally had to preserve the medicinal properties of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot as completely as possible.

Two Banyan Tree roots appeared in midair.

Under Lin Rong's control, they coiled around the two daggers and cleanly cut down the two highly poisonous Immortal Grade Medicinal Herbs.

He then threw the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass into the blazing hot spring and the Infernal Delicate Apricot into the freezing cold spring.

The instant they were thrown in, the hot spring erupted with a piercing screech.

The two extreme energies of freezing cold and searing heat collided, producing vast amounts of mist that surged into the air. Even the waters of the two springs splashed out in every direction.

Fortunately, Lin Rong had the foresight to retreat beforehand, so he was not affected by the spring water.

"Done. Without several decades, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye probably won't be able to recover its former effects."

Finally, Lin Rong took out a massive violet-gold chrysanthemum. It was one of the Immortal Grade Medicinal Herbs—the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

Carefully controlling his strength, Lin Rong used a faint trace of Soul Power to shake off several petals.

Though those petals were tiny, they stood out conspicuously against the neatly dug earth.

"Chrysanthemum Douluo Guang Yue, I'll have to trouble you to take the blame for this."