Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 38: The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

After a moment of thought, Yang Potian and his father started heading in the direction from which the toxic fog seemed to be emanating.

As they advanced, the poison in the air grew denser. Yang Potian, now at level 22, found it impossible to resist its effects, and the thickening fog made it clear why this place had stayed hidden from others, with even spirit beasts avoiding the area.

At this point, Yang Zhentian pulled out two antidote pills. He took one himself and handed the other to Yang Potian. "This is one of our family's antidote pills. It's highly effective and should protect us from most poisons."

After swallowing the pill, Potian felt an instant sense of clarity; it seemed to create a barrier between him and the toxic fog, making him feel completely unaffected by the surrounding poison.

"This antidote pill is quite something!"

"Of course, son! It's one of the best antidotes passed down in the Yang clan. Do you want me to teach you how to make it when we get back?"

Without waiting for a response, Zhentian used his spirit power to shield Potian and quickly moved deeper into the toxic fog.

Their path led them to a 500-meter-high hill in the forest, crowned with an inverted cone-shaped depression. Thick steam rose from the crater, mingling with a sulfuric smell, and the intense toxic fog reduced visibility. Even a careful search would have made finding this hidden valley almost impossible. The air's toxicity weakened their sensory abilities, which explained why no one had discovered this place.

"Be cautious, son. I'm taking you down now," Zhentian said, taking Potian's hand before jumping into the ravine.

As they reached the bottom, they found themselves facing an extraordinary sight: a hot spring split down the middle. The water on one side was milky white, while the other side was a vivid crimson. Strangely, the two halves stayed distinct, each maintaining its own color and temperature, and the steam rising from their border formed the poisonous mist outside.

Around the spring was a lush variety of plants—every kind of flora imaginable thrived here, making it look like a botanical paradise.

Yang Potian recognized many plants immediately from his family's Comprehensive Douluo Herbal Compendium and Poisonous Plants of Douluo, including Lovesick Heartbreak Red, Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum, Fragrant Odd Velvet, Diamond Vajra Fruit, Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, Crystal Jade Bone Grass, and Phoenix Crest Sunflower.

Potian's rough estimate was that he could see at least twenty or thirty immortal-grade herbs, and there were likely more buried below ground. This was far more than the collection Tang San had divided among the Shrek team in the original story.

His father, Yang Zhentian, stood in awe, unable to believe his eyes. He carefully plucked a Fragrant Odd Velvet and inspected it as if gazing upon a rare treasure, unable to hold back an ecstatic laugh.

Potian watched his father with a slight smirk. Dad's acting just like Grandpa did in the original story, he thought. All it takes is one rare herb to almost drive him mad.

Not wasting any time, Yang Potian took advantage of his father's distraction to start harvesting herbs on his own.

When Potian had first become a Spirit Master, his grandfather Yang Wudi had gifted him a storage bracelet with a capacity of fifty cubic meters, though it couldn't store living things. Anticipating this day, he had also prepared over a hundred jade boxes.

Potian's plan was straightforward: harvest all the immortal and ten-thousand-year herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. There was no point in leaving anything valuable behind for others to find.

Following the methods in his herbal guides, he started digging up each herb. Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum, harvested; Lovesick Heartbreak Red, harvested; Odd Velvet Datura, harvested; Diamond Vajra Fruit, harvested; Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, harvested; Crystal Jade Bone Grass, harvested; Phoenix Crest Sunflower, harvested; Snow Silkworm, harvested; Cinnabar Lotus, harvested; Dragon's Beard Grass, harvested; Primordial Essence Herb, harvested; Black Jade Divine Bamboo, harvested; Starlight Spirit Pearl, harvested…

After a full hour of work, he had taken nearly all the herbs aged ten thousand years and above, leaving only a few. Being a skilled herbalist, he had thoughtfully left the roots intact so they could regrow.

It was only then that his father, Yang Zhentian, came out of his fascination with the Fragrant Odd Velvet.

When he looked around, his jaw dropped. The once-thriving landscape now looked as if a horde of wild animals had trampled it, with pits and holes everywhere. Though many plants still dotted the area, the most valuable and powerful herbs had vanished.

"Son, did you seriously harvest every single one of these herbs?" he asked, struggling to hide his disbelief. "These are all priceless treasures!"

Potian calmly placed another herb into a jade box and then stored it in his spatial ring. "Dad, if we don't take these herbs, someone else might find this place and make off with them."

"But son, you cleaned this place out completely!" Zhentian protested.

"Actually, Dad, I left all the thousand-year herbs behind for our clan to use in the future. I even left the roots intact so that they can grow back," Potian replied.

Zhentian was at a loss for words. Did my son just leave behind all the 'cheaper' herbs for our clan while he took all the premium ones?

Once Potian finished harvesting, he walked over to his father.

Zhentian's face grew serious. "Son, why did you harvest so many of these herbs? Do you have a plan?"

"Dad, you should understand the value of these immortal herbs. If word about this gets out, our Yang clan could face serious consequences."

"Then why take them all?"

"Because we're family, Dad. We should be cautious with others, even those within our clan. It's hard to see into another's heart."

Zhentian looked taken aback. "I won't allow you to say that about our clan members. These people have given their lives and blood for our family, many sacrificing everything for it."

"I know they've contributed," Potian replied calmly. "But there are still many valuable herbs left here for them, aren't there?"

Zhentian glanced around at the remaining herbs and shook his head, stunned. My son seems to be hoarding treasures like a dragon.

(End of Chapter)

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