Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

After calming down Dugu Yan, Chen Ming returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and started examining his little treasures.

The first thing Chen Ming inspected was the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, upon which he had previously performed a modification. The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew remained at its original spot, showing no significant changes. However, next to it, a thousand-year-old Purple Spirit Mushroom had been transplanted into the ground.

A month ago, Chen Ming had experimentally grafted a Purple Spirit Mushroom—which he had thoroughly purified of all spiritual impurities—onto the roots of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. Due to Chen Ming's modifications, the Purple Spirit Mushroom was still alive but could not resist external influences. Even when exposed to the foreign nature of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, there was no sign of rejection.

Over time, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew gradually adapted to this external organ and began absorbing the soul power and vitality stored within the Purple Spirit Mushroom. Before Chen Ming left, there were no abnormalities. Upon returning, he discovered that the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew had nearly drained the medicinal essence stored inside the Purple Spirit Mushroom.

The grafted Purple Spirit Mushroom now looked desiccated, as if it had been air-dried, leaving only a thin, hardened shell standing on the ground. Chen Ming placed his hand on the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew to assess its condition, finding that its essence had grown considerably stronger compared to when he left.

Although it would still take a long time before another drop of dew could be refined, the current progress indicated a promising development. Chen Ming's experiment had proven successful: he could use other medicinal plants rich in soul power and vitality to nourish the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and harvest even more of its precious essence.

In Chen Ming's eyes, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was no longer just an immortal herb growing in the ground, but a hen that could lay golden eggs. Although this hen's feed was undoubtedly expensive, the allure of those golden eggs was too tempting to ignore.

"Grow well, now," Chen Ming said with a sinister smile, reminiscent of a thousand-year-old vampire. He reached out to pat the roots of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. For a moment, it seemed as if a monocle had appeared on his nose, making him look anything but trustworthy. Despite lacking sentience, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew trembled slightly, as if it had encountered its natural predator.

After dealing with the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Chen Ming turned his attention to the remaining immortal herbs. He only glanced briefly at herbs like the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which had little value to him. Most of his focus was on the herbs that were truly beneficial to his cultivation.

The Star Luo Holy Pearl swayed its leaves gently, and the fruit on its top remained round and full. Chen Ming placed his palm on the fruit and infused it with spiritual energy, sensing a faint response from the herb.

Over the past few months, Chen Ming had been watering the Star Luo Holy Pearl with his blood, imbuing it with soul power and vitality. Every night, he also practiced absorbing the power of the stars, mimicking the Star Luo Holy Pearl. Through these efforts, his compatibility with the Star Luo Holy Pearl gradually increased. In a short time, he would likely be able to refine the fruit into his soul core.

Once he consumed the Star Luo Holy Pearl, Chen Ming could then focus on other immortal herbs. Next on the list was the golden Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

During this period, Chen Ming had been observing the essence of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, hoping to uncover the secret behind its legendary Diamond Body. He had already made some progress, and in time, he might be able to transform this knowledge into a self-created soul skill. Once his experiments were complete and he had absorbed the Star Luo Holy Pearl, he could consume the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum to further temper his body.

As for the Aromatic Silk Beauty, Chen Ming also conducted some research. He gradually gained a better understanding of how this herb used non-elemental soul power to neutralize poisons. A while ago, he had even plucked a few petals to collaborate with Dugu Bo on crafting a special medicine.

The most important herb, however, was the Snow Swan Kiss.

Despite still being unable to get too close to it, Chen Ming's Spiritual Eye allowed him to observe its essence and soul power flow from a distance. Although this method was less effective than direct contact, it was better than nothing. Chen Ming had some ideas about how to use this herb to enhance his strength, but he lacked the necessary materials to even begin experimenting.

Direct absorption was out of the question, but Chen Ming considered refining the Snow Swan Kissexternally—similar to using a dragon's core—and employing it as an external amplifier.

As for the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Chen Ming had yet to come up with a reliable solution. Three months wasn't enough time to handle everything, and these two herbs, which offered relatively little improvement to him, were naturally lower on his priority list.

That said, Chen Ming wasn't entirely without ideas.

While flipping through a soul beast compendium recently, he remembered reading about a soul beast before his transmigration—one that possessed ice, fire, and poison attributes. This creature was known as the Red Eyed Ice Toad.

Highly unique, this soul beast was the martial soul of Meng Hongchen, the granddaughter of Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, during the Douluo Dalu 2 era. The Red Eyed Ice Toad resided in the Extreme North, primarily an ice-element creature with fire-element eyes. It gained potent cold poison by alternating between its ice and fire attributes.

Soul masters with this martial soul were similar to the Dugu family in that their bodies were often eroded by their poison. Few ever reached high levels of cultivation. Even within the soul beast world, the Red Eyed Ice Toad was a rare and eccentric species.

Chen Ming believed that studying this soul beast could greatly aid his research into the coexistence of ice and fire attributes. If successful, he might even enhance the toxic effects of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot after consuming them, instead of eliminating their poisonous properties.

However, obtaining a Red Eyed Ice Toad was no simple task. It lived in the Extreme North, where high-level soul beasts were as numerous as those in the Star Dou Forest, and the environment was a hundred times harsher—entirely unsuitable for human survival. Even in the Douluo Dalu 2 era, it remained an absolute death zone. Losing a Titled Douluo there was not uncommon.

Moreover, the extreme cold and heat of the region naturally counteracted poisons, making it especially unsuitable for poison-type soul masters.

To put it bluntly, someone like Dugu Bo would have a high chance of dying there. Encountering a ten-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion or Titan Snow Demon would already pose significant trouble. And if a hundred-thousand-year ice-element soul beast appeared…

There would be no chance of escape—it would be certain death.

Thus, Chen Ming didn't hold out much hope for obtaining a Red Eyed Ice Toad. Even if he ventured to the Extreme North, he would need capable teammates to stand any chance of success.