Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

Lin Qing realized that the so-called Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and some of the peerless Immortal Herbs within it had been recorded in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record from Tang San's previous life.

The old poison monster before him probably didn't know its name, but if Lin Qing said it, he might understand what Lin Qing meant.

Lin Qing said, "I know you found a treasured place with a spring that combines both extreme yang and extreme yin, ice and fire.

"The main reason you've been able to suppress the poison that has left you critically ill is that you cultivate beside it."

Shock appeared on Dugu Bo's face. The treasured place he had found lay deep within the Sunset Forest.

A vast maze-like barrier surrounded the spring of extreme yang and extreme yin. Many high-level Soul Beasts, drawn by its presence, also lived outside the poisonous barrier.

Few people on the continent knew of it, yet this little child before him, whose mother's milk had scarcely dried on his lips, actually knew his secret.

Lin Qing could even accurately tell that he relied on the presence of the ice and fire spring to suppress his poison.

Dugu Bo looked troubled. "How did you learn of it?"

"You don't need to know how I learned of it," Lin Qing said. "You only need to know that I have a way to help both of you get rid of the poison. But I need to go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well..." Dugu Bo rolled the words over in his mouth, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly. "I've never heard that name."

"I have," Lin Qing said. "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well gathers the extreme yang and extreme yin Qi of heaven and earth. It is a treasured place with a spiritual spring rarely found in the world.

"Jade Phosphorus Snake poison belongs to yin and must be balanced with warm yang power; the snake poison has penetrated the bone marrow, so it must also be gently nourished with soft yin power.

"Ice and fire mingle there, making it the most suitable place to remove the poison."

Dugu Bo was silent for a long time. He stood deep within the Sunset Forest, moonlight spilling through gaps in the canopy overhead and falling across his aged, sharp-featured face.

His vertical pupils flickered between light and shadow, as though he were weighing something in his heart.

At last, he spoke. "If you truly have that ability, never mind the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, I'll give you whatever you want.

"But if even half a word you've said is false-" He paused, his voice low and deep. "I need only lift a hand, and your little life will be forfeit."

Lin Qing didn't back down. Meeting Dugu Bo's gaze, he said calmly, "Let's go. Lead the way."

The Sunset Forest was more dangerous at night than during the day.

Dugu Bo walked in front, a faint dark green mist emanating from his body.

The Soul Beasts lurking in the darkness caught its scent and retreated one after another, as though they had encountered a natural predator.

Lin Qing followed close behind, vaulting and springing between tree trunks, stepping over moss-covered roots and crossing winding, twisted vines.

Lin Qing followed close behind, his gaze sweeping over the dim shadows of the trees on either side and the green eyes that occasionally lit up in the grass.

As they passed through a low-lying area filled with poisonous miasma, Lin Qing noticed that the pale purple mist automatically drew back a foot when he approached, as though pushed aside by something invisible-it was Bamboo Breath.

The Bamboo Breath inside him was circulating on its own, purifying the surrounding poison gas and turning it into wisps of barely perceptible pure Qi that were absorbed into his body.

Dugu Bo's steps faltered. He didn't turn around, but something indistinct entered his voice. "There really is something strange about your body."

"You flatter me, Senior," Lin Qing said. "It's only a Martial Soul Mutation. I was born with a special constitution, that's all."

"Born with it?" Dugu Bo snorted and asked no more.

As they went deeper into the poisonous barrier, an incomparably rich presence of life rushed toward them.

It was mixed with the scents of medicinal herbs, earth, spring water, and a certain ancient presence that defied description.

It was as if a hundred years of spring had blossomed all at once, as if the breath of a thousand bamboo groves had rushed into his nostrils together.

He couldn't help taking a deep breath. In that instant, he felt every pore in his body open, and Bamboo Breath circulated madly within him, as though cheering, as though paying homage.

"I can smell it." Lone Bamboo's voice was no longer calm, carrying a slight tremor.

A quarter of an hour later, they passed through the last layer of poisonous miasma and came to a secluded valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Lin Qing stopped.

The sight before him shook him to his core.

In the center of the valley, two pools of spring water nestled against each other. One was deep blue as jade, with cold vapor curling upward and a thick layer of white frost coating the surrounding rocks;

the other was scarlet as blood, its heat rising like mist, even the air rippling slightly around it.

The two springs met, yet their meeting point was like the boundary between two worlds. Cold and heat, yin and yang, stillness and motion had faced each other here for tens of thousands of years beyond counting.

Strange flowers and exotic plants grew all around the springs. Their leaves were plump and their colors vivid; some glimmered faintly in the moonlight, like living lanterns.

The presence of life in the air was so rich it had almost taken tangible form. With every breath Lin Qing took, he felt the Bamboo Breath circulating rapidly within him.

As far as the eye could see, there were vast numbers of plants in all manner of strange shapes. They were probably the so-called Immortal Herbs.

"I've arrived," Lin Qing said. "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

When his feet landed on the grass, he felt warmth beneath them, along with a faint pulse, like the beating heart of the earth.

He crouched down and touched the soil with his fingers-it was warm and soft, with a trace of moist warmth.

Bamboo Breath seeped underground of its own accord through his fingertips. In that instant, he felt an indescribably vast surge of life energy rise from deep beneath the earth.

It flowed through his fingertips, his meridians and his bones, surging into every limb and bone in his body.

Suddenly, the Bloodline Soul Ring emerged behind him beyond his control. Rings of blue-green light spread outward, responding to the rich presence of life in the valley.

The presence of life gathered around him.

The strange flowers and exotic plants nearby seemed to sense something. Their leaves trembled slightly and tilted gently toward Lin Qing.

Shock appeared on Dugu Bo's face. "That green Soul Ring behind him... its affinity with life force is so high.

"He really is a Little Monster. I never expected that, after living to such an age, I still wouldn't be able to see through the secrets of this little fellow."

The emerald-green Bloodline Soul Ring behind Lin Qing spun, shining with dazzling light.

A force surged from his sea of consciousness throughout his body, and he felt his field of vision expanding-no, it was his perception that was expanding. He seemed able to sense the perspectives of every plant in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

His Bamboo Heart could sense every Immortal Herb.

Lone Bamboo's voice reached him. "Your Soul Power is too low right now. It would be somewhat difficult to cure them of their poison.

"I know every medicinal herb here. If I can use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the Immortal Herbs to fuse the bloodline here,

"give me three days and I can complete it. Once the fusion and awakening are complete, you'll be confident of completely curing the Jade Phosphorus Snake poison in his body."

Lin Qing nodded, then turned to Dugu Bo. "Senior, give me three days to cultivate here with the help of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and use these medicinal herbs to prepare an antidote for you."

"All right," Dugu Bo finally said. "If you're truly confident you can cure my granddaughter's poison, I'll trust you this once. What harm is there in giving you five days?"

"You may do as you please with the medicinal herbs here. As for the ice and fire lake in the middle, you'd best not touch it. Even I can't endure being in it for long."

Lin Qing cupped his hands in acknowledgment, then turned to face the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

[End of chapter ten]