Chapter 19: Wait, Your Highnesses! A Misunderstanding!

A faint red light shrouded the Eight‑Corner Profound Ice Grass, while the Flaming Apricot Grace was veiled in a light white mist.

After these two celestial herbs intersect, each is restrained by the other's aura, and after ten breaths their effects vanish entirely.

And within those ten breaths lies the optimal moment to ingest them.

Without hesitation, Qian Renxue tossed her storage bracelet aside in midair, swooped down, grabbed the two deadly celestial herbs from the ground, and swallowed them.

Both elixirs are poisonous, yet once restrained by their opposing star, they lose their former harshness, melt on the tongue, turn into fluid that slides down the throat, moistening the palate with a lingering fragrance.

The taste is acceptable, but it isn't as sweet as the previous yujin.

She withdrew her martial soul into her body—in barely three breaths—Qian Renxue's body shivered violently, then a layer of icy blue rose from beneath her jade feet; in an instant she turned entirely blue, followed by a surge of red, blue and red alternating in a most bizarre display.

This simple alternating process, the clash of two extreme elemental auras, forced a mask of pain onto Qian Renxue's usually cool visage—so painful. Crucially, to achieve the effect she had to suppress her own automatic protective aura of extreme light and extreme sanctity, as if during surgery you had to physically hold back the doctor administering anesthesia.

Qian Renxue could no longer maintain elegance; she staggered toward the convergence of the frigid Yin Spring and the scorching Yang Spring within the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye.

With a splash, Qian Renxue plunged into the spring, sinking instantly.

The spring inside the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye erupted in huge splashes as Qian Renxue dove in; after a short while, the waters surged and she silently sank. The surface calmed again, the milky white and crimson remaining starkly distinct. Mist still lingered in the air, and everything returned to silence.

Within the spring.

Qian Renxue steadied her mind and employed the Inner Breath Technique, which Qian Daoliu had learned years ago on Sea God Island while pursuing the goddess, and had passed to Qian Renxue during his recounting of his glorious years.

Although the ice and fire energies had partially neutralized earlier, once inside her body they still churned wildly; the medicinal potency of the celestial herbs was terrifying. The clash of ice and fire caused an instantaneous energy burst that made Qian Renxue suffer excruciating pain, yet she could not lose consciousness.

She was not proficient in the Inner Breath Technique; it could only function while she was conscious. Her body continuously ran the Blazing Sun Meditation; if she were to faint, the body would autonomously revert to the meditation, not the Inner Breath Technique.

Fortunately, the previously ingested celestial herbs seemed to take effect; golden light attached within Qian Renxue, easing her pain as her body, meridians, and organs underwent repeated tempering.

Otherwise, she would have fainted from the pain, been scorched or frozen by the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye, and drowning here would have been absurd.

Morning sunlight gently bathed the ground; dew slipped between the herbs, pattering, adding a hint of liveliness to the otherwise silent valley floor.

The calm spring suddenly seemed to boil, spewing tiny bubbles.

Then, with a "boom—" a figure burst out of the spring where heat and extreme cold converged, a powerful aura sweeping the valley. Three pairs of wings spread like a canopy, half tinged red, half icy blue, flashing and then turning pure white. The figure bore long golden hair cascading to the hips, slender straight legs, and not only was the hair silky but possessed a golden‑crystal sheen; words could not describe her stunning beauty, her skin was fair. Her eyes were extraordinarily beautiful, long curled lashes, violet irises clear and transparent.

Qian Renxue stared at her naked body, her pretty face flushing, and hurriedly retrieved her storage bracelet to clothe herself.

After dressing, Qian Renxue spread her wings and flew to the mountain peak.

Deep within the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Aspect Eye lie the relics of the Ice‑Fire Dragon King. Though Qian Renxue can now freely descend into the Eye, the depth feels too perilous; she only glanced from afar and decided to wait until after the Seven Rings.

Ci Tun is currently sparring with Dugu Bo; calling it a battle would be inaccurate—it's more of a play.

Dugu Bo had only gone home today to see his son and granddaughter, never expecting to find the two standing at his doorstep upon his return.

"Damned, the house was robbed, how bold!" enraged, Dugu Bo immediately let his martial soul possess him; his white hair and eyes turned deep green, a massive jade‑scaled serpent head enveloped him, two yellow, two purple, four black, eight soul rings radiated an awe‑inspiring aura, crushing down on Ci Tun and She Mao. He isn't one to be patient; if they like to come, they should stay and not leave! Ci Tun and She Mao exchanged a glance.

"Jade‑scaled serpent? That's also a poison play, are you in?" She Mao asked with a strange expression.

"Then I'll take it. Playing poison in front of me, you've got guts!" Ci Tun sneered disdainfully.

Dugu Bo, furious, shouted: "Sixth soul skill, Serpent Emperor's Rage!" He seemed to transform into a true jade‑scaled serpent; powerful soul power ripples erupted around him, forming a vast emerald poison‑mist vortex that spun wildly, with serpentine shadows flickering, exuding a heart‑pounding pressure. Then countless fine energy poison needles shot out from the vortex like a downpour toward the two.

Brilliant colored light mingled with unparalleled surging soul power erupted suddenly. Nine dazzling soul rings appeared at Ci Tun's feet—two yellow, three purple, four black. After his Douluo martial soul possessed him, Ci Tun transformed into a massive, terrifying Ci Tun avatar, his body cloaked in a dense armor of spines of varying lengths, arranged irregularly and gleaming with a cold, forest‑like radiance.

Ci Tun opened his massive mouth and inhaled; his belly swelled rapidly as if inflated, swallowing the poison‑mist vortex and needles released by Dugu Bo in one gulp, and the tips of his spines turned emerald.

Ci Tun possesses the ability to ingest toxins and convert them into his own attack power. In other words, the more poison gas or liquid Dugu Bo releases, the more potent the venom on Ci Tun's spines becomes.

"Poison‑type Title Douluo!" Dugu Bo was not startled but delighted; still a Beast martial soul Title Douluo! "Wait, Your Highnesses, it's a misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding," Dugu Bo smiled ingratiatingly, saying that as long as he could cure his son's poison, a little face‑saving was nothing.

"You old fool always come down with a lethal move; your temperament is quite ruthless, interesting," Ci Tun wasn't angry; after all, they had trespassed into someone's courtyard, getting angry was natural. Now his sudden change of attitude suggested he wanted something; the young master hasn't finished his cultivation, so playing along is rather entertaining.

Ci Tun also felt a hint of talent appreciation; this man appeared to be in his sixties, and perhaps in the future he could become another poison‑playing Title Douluo.

One day I wrote four chapters until I burned out. But the later parts got smoother; I love writing martial soul possessions and battle scenes. For Ci Tun's martial soul possession I watched a half‑hour video of that spiny creature in the water, haha~ (￣▽￣～)~ So amusing (End of chapter).