Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Seeing that Chen Ming was unharmed, Dugu Bo breathed a sigh of relief. Supporting Chen Ming, he walked slowly toward the deeper part of the area. Along the way, Chen Ming noticed that the heat here was not constant but seemed to fluctuate rhythmically—almost like the breathing of some living being, exchanging the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

As they ventured deeper, the surroundings began to teem with vitality. Even just glancing around casually, Chen Ming spotted several rare herbs that would fetch a high price in the outside world.

Some of these herbs grew extremely slowly, others bloomed only briefly, and some could only grow in very specific conditions. Yet here, these herbs—considered treasures in the outside world—were as common as roadside weeds, growing together haphazardly without any sense of rarity.

Chen Ming crouched down and poked at a nearby weed. After Dugu Bo nodded his approval, Chen Ming gently uprooted it.

"A thousand-year-old He Shou Wu? Its shape, its color, its quality... Outside, this He Shou Wu would easily sell for thousands of gold soul coins, wouldn't it?"

He Shou Wu wasn't an extraordinarily rare medicinal herb, but once it aged past a certain point, its value skyrocketed.

An aged He Shou Wu could enhance cultivation speed for humans and even extend the lifespan of soul beasts, placing them within the realm of heavenly treasures. Its mild and attribute-less nourishing properties made it a prized item, one typically only seen at auction houses.

In the outside world, a single piece of He Shou Wu could spark a fight among Soul Masters. Even ordinary families would carefully slice it into thin pieces for use during cultivation.

Yet here, in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it was nothing more than a roadside weed. If Chen Ming hadn't noticed it, he might have even stepped on it.

"Here, this stuff is worthless," Dugu Bo remarked smugly, watching Chen Ming's astonished expression.

"Over there, there, and there..." Dugu Bo pointed to various areas nearby.

"In all these spots, thousand-year-old He Shou Wu grows in clusters, as common as wild grass. If you're interested, you can dig up as much as you want later."

"Whew..." Chen Ming clicked his tongue, stood up, and casually tossed the He Shou Wu into his storage soul tool before gazing deeper into the area.

"This place is a treasure trove. Just these He Shou Wu alone would be worth a fortune outside."

"Indeed." Dugu Bo nodded in agreement, though his expression soon turned somber as he sighed.

"Unfortunately, I don't recognize the most precious herbs that grow in the innermost part of this place."

"Those herbs are the most valuable treasures here, yet I don't know a single one of them."

"Years ago, I followed my martial soul's instincts and tried eating one of those herbs. The result? I was nearly tortured to death. My soul power even dropped several levels, and I barely escaped with my life..."

"Is there another herb like that here? I'd like to take a look," Chen Ming said, intrigued by the story.

In general, anything guided by one's martial soul was bound to be valuable. Even if it wasn't a life-changing supplement, it shouldn't cause harm.

In a place full of immortal herbs, the treasures here were undoubtedly priceless.

If something went wrong after consuming one, it didn't necessarily mean the herb was problematic; perhaps Dugu Bo had consumed it improperly, causing a side effect. If the correct method of use could be found, the herb might bring great benefits to both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

"There are still some of those herbs left." Dugu Bo thought for a moment before pointing in a direction.

"There are a few plants like that over there, though their age is slightly less than the one I ate. Back then, even though I was nearly killed, I still replanted the seeds of that herb in its original spot."

"Shall we go take a look?" Dugu Bo, recalling his purpose for being here, became interested in the herb that had nearly killed him.

"Let's take a look," Chen Ming agreed, walking in the direction Dugu Bo had indicated.

After a while, they stopped, and Dugu Bo pointed to several vines on the ground in front of Chen Ming.

"It's those things." Looking at the vines, Dugu Bo shuddered, recalling the excruciating experience from before. Chen Ming crouched down, carefully observing the vines.

If not for the roots still visible in the ground, Chen Ming might have mistaken the vines for a type of snake-like soul beast in disguise.

The vines had patterns resembling those of snakes, and when touched, their texture felt like scales.

Each vine had several small buds, which, upon closer inspection, looked like the claws of dragon-type soul beasts.

Chen Ming noticed that the number of buds varied; the vines had at least five and at most seven buds.

The most mature vine appeared to resemble a snake-like soul beast with dragon bloodline traits. The scale-like patterns on this vine were far more distinct than those on the others.

Even just by looking, Chen Ming could tell that this herb would greatly benefit snake-type soul masters and soul beasts. The problem was that he didn't recognize it.

The immortal herbs Chen Ming was familiar with were limited to the ones mentioned in novels from his previous life, and these vines weren't among them.

"I don't have a guide to immortal herbs. Do I have to go find Yang Wudi, Chrysanthemum Douluo, or even Tang San to learn about these herbs?"

The thought frustrated Chen Ming.

His martial soul was unique, so the immortal herbs suitable for the Shrek Seven Devils in the original story might not be the best for him. But getting a comprehensive guide to immortal herbs wasn't an easy task. Even if he managed to obtain one, there was no guarantee it would include information on the herb most suited to him.

"If only the immortal herbs could speak and tell me their names and properties," he thought wistfully.

That's when inspiration struck him, and an idea lit up in his mind like a lightbulb. Excited, he clapped his hands, startling Dugu Bo.

"Xiao Ming, are you okay? Don't tell me this thing has hallucinogenic poisons?"

"Grandpa, I'm fine. I just thought of a way to identify the properties of these herbs," Chen Ming replied as he sat cross-legged on the ground, placing one of the five-bud vines in his lap.

Closing his eyes, Chen Ming began to carefully channel his spiritual energy, attempting to attune himself to the herb.

Spiritual energy was different from mental power; it was more profound and difficult to describe. While mental power might not be able to discern a herb's properties, spiritual energy just might.