"Finally cleared it out… that feels amazing."
Looking at the valley that had been stripped completely bare, an indescribable sense of satisfaction surged through Bai Mu.
With all the Immortal Herbs now in his possession, he no longer had to worry about Dugu Bo suddenly deciding, on a whim, to destroy an herb he needed.
He turned his gaze to the only thing left behind—the strange spring where red and blue intertwined—and muttered softly,
"Don't worry. Let that old man keep you company a little longer. Once I level up a bit more, I'll take you back from him."
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was the burial ground of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, containing the Ice and Fire Origins of those two Dragon Kings.
Because of that, it had formed this blessed land—a treasure basin where plants could grow at ten times their normal speed.
Bai Mu had little interest in most places on the Douluo Continent, but the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was different. This place could only belong to him.
With it, he could later cultivate Immortal Herbs at the fastest possible speed.
"Speaking of which, it's time to enjoy the fruits of victory."
He sat down cross-legged, looked into his storage bracelet, and began carefully selecting which Immortal Herbs to consume this time.
"The Ice and Fire Body Refining needs time and the right environment. I'll put that off for now."
"Once I fully take over this place, I'll find an opportunity to use Blazing Apricot Delicate and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass to help Zygarde temper an Ice–Fire Golden Body."
The temptation of complete immunity to water and fire was strong, but Bai Mu chose restraint.
"Earth Dragon Golden Gourd… this one's extremely valuable. It feels like it has a much bigger use. I'll let it mature a bit more."
"For now, I'll prioritize Immortal Herbs that aren't very useful to me, and use them to split Z-Cells."
So which Immortal Herbs were considered "useless" to him?
The first was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.
Even now, Zygarde still couldn't use Fire-type moves, and Bai Mu didn't have any subordinates or companions with Fire-attribute spirits. For the time being, this thing was only suitable for recycling—he'd keep a seed and eat the rest.
Huo Wu?
They weren't even familiar with each other. After humiliating her several times at the Great Spirit Arena, there was no way he'd ever give her an Immortal Herb.
As for the others, the Ethereal Fragrant Immortal Product could counter all poisons. To prevent Tang San from stirring up trouble through poison techniques, he decided to keep it for now.
"Hm? What's this?"
Bai Mu suddenly noticed a peculiar piece of bamboo inside his bracelet. It was pitch-black like ink, yet warm and smooth like jade.
Ink Jade Divine Bamboo—an Immortal Herb that could enhance plant toughness and strengthen grass-attribute spirits.
"I wonder if this will improve Zygarde's control over plants."
"Whatever. Let's give the kid some supplements first."
After making his decision, Bai Mu left behind roots to cultivate seeds, then took out the two Immortal Herbs.
"Little Soft, this Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is yours."
"Z2, this Ink Jade Divine Bamboo is yours."
He tossed the herbs to the hound and the snake respectively.
"Awoo~"
Little Soft and Z2 swallowed them whole and quietly began digesting the Immortal Herb energy.
As for Bai Mu himself—
"I'll go with Autumn Water Dew."
After some thought, he chose Autumn Water Dew, the gentlest option and the least likely to conflict with other medicinal energies.
Coincidentally, mental strength was his biggest weakness right now.
He held the Autumn Water Dew in front of him, tilted it slightly, and let the dew drip into his mouth.
Then he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and used the Great Sun Contemplation Method to refine it completely.
A cool sensation instantly spread through his head, washing over every strand of his mental pathways.
He could clearly feel his mental power skyrocketing at an astonishing rate.
An even more remarkable change occurred in his eyes.
Under the nourishing stimulation of the Immortal Herb, a cool yet burning sensation spread from his eyeballs, and the Eye of Time Drilling fused with him even more perfectly.
His precision in controlling the Time Domain improved once again.
Although the flow-rate influence was still only ten percent, the activation speed and range control became far more refined.
At the same time, Prince Xue Xing finally found Xue Beng in the slums of the city.
Compared to last time, however, Xue Beng's condition was far worse.
When he was discovered, he was filthy and surrounded on all sides, receiving what could only be described as a "collective blessing."
The scene was so surreal it felt as though "Chrysanthemum Terrace" was playing in the background.
Xue Beng, unfortunately, seemed to be enjoying it far too much.
"Disgusting."
Dugu Bo frowned, his aged face stiff as he dealt with the people involved.
"This is the last time," he said coldly to the pale-faced Xue Xing. "If it happens again, find him yourself."
With that, he left without another glance.
Xue Xing clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
"Damn it… Don't let me find out who you are!"
—
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
"So clear…"
When Bai Mu opened his eyes again, the world had completely changed.
The flow of spirit power in the air was visible to him, like countless strands of light weaving through space. Even the veins of leaves a hundred meters away were perfectly distinct.
Buzz!
As he immersed himself in this clarity, his mind trembled slightly, and a special message surfaced.
You have successfully absorbed Autumn Water Dew. Your vision and mental strength have greatly increased. You have awakened a new move—Detect.
"I actually learned this move?"
Bai Mu's eyes lit up.
Detect was a defensive divine skill with effects comparable to Protect.
Although it couldn't match the absolute defense of a High-Grade Paragon Golden Body and was prone to failure if used consecutively, it had no limit on the number of times it could be used.
"With this, my survival ability has gone up another level."
Just thinking about his growing collection of trump cards filled Bai Mu with a profound sense of security.
At that moment, a sudden wave of heat surged nearby.
'I'm fired up!'
An excited mental fluctuation came from Little Soft.
Bai Mu turned his head to see Little Soft's body erupting with blazing flames.
The temperature wasn't terrifying, but the power within those flames felt capable of reducing anything to ashes. At the same time, the fire carried a sacred aura, as if it could purify all things.
Another stream of information appeared.
Zygarde has successfully absorbed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and awakened a new move—Sacred Fire.
"Holy crap! Little Soft, you're on fire! You're actually on fire!"
Bai Mu was so excited he nearly jumped up, his eyes even growing a little misty.
Until now, Zygarde still hadn't been able to breathe fire.
And now, just by eating an Immortal Herb, it had learned it instantly.
As expected—cheating was the way to go.
"Immortal Herbs really are amazing. You've got to eat Immortal Herbs!"
'I shall use sacred flames to burn away the world's evils,' Little Soft transmitted solemnly. 'Anyone who opposes me is evil.'
"Yes, yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
Bai Mu laughed helplessly. He hadn't expected Little Soft to turn out to be such a chuunibyou dragon.
On the other side, Z2 gently flicked its tail, its body glowing faintly.
The next moment, dozens of grotesque, thorn-covered vines burst from the ground with a sharp swish.
Zygarde has successfully absorbed the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo and awakened a new move—Frenzy Plant.
"Nice!"
Bai Mu clenched his fist in excitement.
Frenzy Plant was an ultimate grass-attribute move with terrifying power.
Although it carried side effects similar to Time Roar, in the real world, those drawbacks could be completely ignored as long as the body was strong enough.
It might be troublesome in Dragon Hound form, but once Z2 became Z-Snake, the side effects would be meaningless.
More importantly, when combined with the plants summoned through ecological control, this move could instantly turn the battlefield into a miniature nuclear zone.
On top of that, Bai Mu could feel his Z-Cell count surge by ten.
Once the Immortal Herb was fully digested, he could gain ten more.