Chapter 58: Plunder Treasure Chest

The absorption of a soul bone inherently carries no risks, especially since the soul bone Dugu Yan was absorbing was of the same origin as her martial soul; even less would any accidents occur.

Seeing Dugu Yan immersed in the absorption of the soul bone, Dugu Bo's gaze immediately returned to Shi Quan, "Xiao Quan, come with me."

Following Dugu Bo out of the cave again, Dugu Bo led Shi Quan as they climbed up along the mountain path, and soon, under Dugu Bo's guidance, Shi Quan arrived at the summit.

Upon seeing the terrain before him, a trace of shock could not help but ripple through the depths of Shi Quan's eyes; the charm of nature is indeed unique.

Who could have imagined that within a hill of four or five hundred meters, such an inverted cone-shaped mountain hollow was hidden, and that within this hollow, not only was a treasure land like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well concealed, but it also buried the remains of the two great Dragon Kings of Water and Fire?

Looking at the thick heat rising within the hollow, Shi Quan asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Senior, is there a hot spring down there?"

Dugu Bo laughed: "You can tell there's a hot spring down there just from this heat?"

"It's mainly because this heat carries a scent of sulfur; generally, this situation only occurs near volcanic hot springs," Shi Quan explained.

"You kid certainly know a lot, but this below is not a volcano, nor is it an ordinary hot spring." As Dugu Bo spoke, he walked to the edge of the cliff and earnestly warned: "Xiao Quan, the aura down below is extremely formidable. If you feel any discomfort after entering, you must tell me immediately. If you are the slightest bit careless, at best your foundation will be damaged, and at worst, your body will explode and you will die. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Senior." Shi Quan nodded earnestly.

"Then let's go." Dugu Bo nodded, picked up Shi Quan once more, leaped, and jumped straight off the cliff with him.

Before long, with a *thud*, the feeling of weightlessness vanished, and the sensation of having his feet on solid ground returned.

It was also at this moment that the system's familiar voice sounded once again.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for being the first to arrive at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, triggering the Plunder Treasure Chest. It has been opened for the host; congratulations to the host for obtaining the Automated Alchemy Furnace."

"Plunder Treasure Chest?" A wave of wild joy surged in Shi Quan's heart; he had actually triggered a new type of treasure chest.

Most importantly, there was this reward, the Automated Alchemy Furnace; just from this name, one could see that this reward was clearly aimed at the many Immortal Herbs of this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

A wave of rewards, taking off immediately.

"The extremely hot and extremely cold aura here can suppress almost all toxins. How do you feel? Can you help out?" Before Shi Quan could even check his reward, Dugu Bo's questioning voice suddenly arrived.

"Uh..." Shi Quan came back to his senses, and a slightly awkward voice sounded, "Aside from feeling hot for a moment and cold for a moment, I don't seem to have any special feelings."

"What?" Dugu Bo looked at Shi Quan in shock and uncertainty, "How is it possible to have no feeling?"

As he spoke, Dugu Bo raised his hand and placed it on Shi Quan's shoulder to check Shi Quan's body. He didn't know until he checked, but upon this check, Dugu Bo's eyes widened instantly.

The extremely hot and extremely cold aura in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—as long as one is within it, the two auras will constantly invade, and the two contradictory auras will continuously collide within a person's body.

But the situation inside Shi Quan's body was a different matter. Even though they were two contradictory auras, after entering Shi Quan's body, for some unknown reason, these two clearly contradictory auras had eerily calmed down, without producing any conflict. This feeling was like the pool water in the middle; the two forces were distinct, yet they could coexist in one place.

"What exactly is going on with your body, kid? Why did this water and fire energy calm down once it entered your body?" Dugu Bo began to grope him up and down with a look of astonishment.

Yet no matter how he checked, he discovered no mystery within it, as if these water and fire auras were unwilling to harm Shi Quan.

"I don't know either. Perhaps... my martial soul mutated? Or my soul power is special? Or is it because I absorbed a soul ring beyond my level?" Shi Quan also feigned an ignorant appearance.

He had long since anticipated the current situation.

The Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Art harmonizes yin and yang; even the power of yin and yang can coexist within Shi Quan's body, so how could mere water and fire power stir up waves within him?

Although the water and fire power would not impact him, this water and fire power was, after all, the power of two extremes. Relying on Shi Quan's current strength here, he would still feel restless from the heat one moment and like it was the dead of winter the next; feeling cold one moment and hot the next was also quite uncomfortable.

"Strange..." Dugu Bo unwillingly checked again carefully, but still gained nothing, and could only assume Shi Quan's body was special.

Looking out, the entire valley was rendered in distinct red and blue colors, including the oval-shaped water pool located in the center of the valley. Thick water mist rose from the intersection in the center of the pool, rising straight up to the mountain pass and dispersing, covering and shrouding the space above the entire valley.

And on the banks around the pool were lush plants of various colors.

"Senior, the aura all around here should be emitted by this water pool, right?" Shi Quan changed the subject.

Dugu Bo nodded and explained: "That's right. These two hot springs contain extremely cold and extremely hot auras, but I don't know what reason caused these two forces to coexist in this pool. The power contained in the two hot springs is extremely terrifying; even I dare not touch them at will. Remember, you must never touch them."

Shi Quan nodded, his gaze falling on two herbs in the water pool, "Senior, what are the two herbs in the middle of the water pool?"

"I don't know either. I can only be certain that these two herbs are both highly poisonous; an ordinary person would die the moment they touched them."

"Poisonous herbs?" Shi Quan shook his head and said regretfully: "I was still thinking that these two herbs might be able to help you solve your martial soul problem, Senior?"

Dugu Bo was stunned for a moment and hurriedly asked: "Xiao Quan, what do you mean by that?"

"Senior, didn't you say that the aura all around here can suppress the toxins in your body? These auras all originate from this water pool. And these two herbs grew by absorbing the water and fire power in the pool; the water and fire power they contain should also be able to suppress the toxins in your body.

I was just thinking, could you, Senior, use the power of these two herbs to suppress or force the toxins in your body to transfer into your soul bone? But if you say these two herbs are both poisonous, then that certainly won't work."

"This kid is quite thoughtful, still thinking about detoxifying this old man." Dugu Bo nodded, his heart warming involuntarily. In his view, this behavior of Shi Quan subconsciously considering things for him was truly caring about him.

"Senior, this junior does not understand pharmacology, but I do know the principle that things turn into their opposites when they reach an extreme. The water and fire power in this pool is too powerful, and I fear these two herbs are the same. If you truly find a way to use these herbs, Senior, remember not to use them directly; you must dilute them. Otherwise, I worry that the power in the medicine is too strong and will instead wear away all the toxins in your body. If the detoxification fails and you end up with no poison left, I fear all your abilities will vanish into thin air."

Shi Quan knew that after he brought this up, Dugu Bo would definitely find a way to use the power of the Blazing Apricot Delicate Flower and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass to detoxify. Reminding him would also prevent Dugu Bo from actually researching a way to consume these two Immortal Herbs and then courting death by eating them all at once.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo was startled. He had originally intended to try and see if he could consume the two Immortal Herbs. Hearing Shi Quan say this, he broke out in a cold sweat. He had never thought about it from this perspective; if he really found a way to consume these two herbs and ate them, he dared not imagine the outcome.

"Good child, you have put your heart into this. 'Senior' and such is too formal; from now on, just call me Grandpa like Yan Yan does." Dugu Bo felt gratified and finally accepted Shi Quan.

A flash of excitement crossed Shi Quan's eyes, and he said straightforwardly: "Okay, Grandpa Dugu."

A simple change in address declared that Dugu Bo was no longer a threat to him.

"Grandpa Dugu, are the herbs here all planted by you?" Shi Quan looked around and then asked.

"No, only a portion of the herbs here were transplanted by me; the rest were originally here." Dugu Bo continued to warn: "I don't recognize many of the herbs here, and many of them are poisonous. You must never touch them at will."

"Mm, I can feel that the vitality of these herbs all around is very strong." Shi Quan nodded.

"You can feel the vitality of plants?"

Shi Quan explained: "Because my Blue Silver Grass has a Life Attribute mutation, I have a strong sense for the vitality of plants."

"So that's how it is." Dugu Bo nodded, "It's just a pity; if your Blue Silver Grass could sense the medicinal properties of these herbs, that would be a great help to me."

"Grandpa Dugu, perhaps I can try." Shi Quan said something startling.

"You can really sense the medicinal properties of herbs?" Dugu Bo stared at Shi Quan with wide eyes.

"I'm not sure either. In the Blue Silver Grass evolution theory I've been studying, when Blue Silver Grass cultivates, it can resonate with the surrounding plants, producing a state of shared vitality and nourishment. In this state, I have a special sense that allows me to experience the emotions of plants; perhaps I can use this to determine the specific medicinal properties of these plants."

Dugu Bo said excitedly: "Hahaha, good, good, good! Heaven is truly helping me. The water and fire aura here has no effect on you, which is perfect for cultivation. Xiao Quan, hurry and try. If you can help me determine the medicinal properties of these herbs, I might be able to concoct a potion myself to solve my martial soul problem."

"No problem."

Shi Quan found an empty spot, sat cross-legged, and asked in his mind: "Ameng, are you sure I can sense the specific medicinal properties of these herbs?"

"Don't worry, A-Quan. You must not underestimate the ability of Natural Affinity. Relying on the Blue Silver Grass martial soul to determine medicinal properties is not difficult. However, the specific consumption methods for these Immortal Herbs and Spirit Herbs can only rely on your own research for now. If your strength were a bit stronger, you wouldn't need to be so troublesome; you could communicate directly with these Immortal Herbs and Spirit Herbs."

Xiaomeng's confident voice rang out in Shi Quan's mind. If not for Xiaomeng's reminder, Shi Quan would have had no idea that Natural Affinity and the Blue Silver Grass martial soul could have such an effect when combined...