"."
"At 30, I reached Rank 70 and obtained my second inherited spirit bone."
"With two inherited spirit bones, I was basically set to become the next sect leader."
"But who would've thought—"
Tang Hao used his remaining arm to gently stroke the Blue Silver Emperor vines wrapped around his shoulder, a look of happiness flashing across his face—
Then, guilt took its place.
"I failed the sect."
"I can never return, but you must. Take these two inherited spirit bones."
"Offer them at your grandfather's grave, and kneel there for three days in my place."
"Once you return to the sect and reclaim your lineage, listen to your uncle in all matters."
"In the future—"
"When the Clear Sky Sect rises again, you must give it your all."
"The sect fell because of me. I need you to bring it back to glory."
Tang Lan said nothing.
He stored the spirit bones away and activated his Blue Silver Life Domain.
Summoning the life energy of the millions of plants in the Sunset Forest,
Then, using the Life Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone as a conduit,
He transformed that energy into the purest life force and infused it into Tang Hao's body—
Triggering limb regeneration.
However—
Even though Tang Hao's rank had dropped to 80, his physical body was still that of a Rank 96 powerhouse.
The regeneration was extremely slow.
So—
Tang Lan pulled out a ten-thousand-year Fire Ganoderma and shoved it into Tang Hao's mouth.
"Swallow it." Tang Lan commanded coldly. "Activate Nine Yang Divine Art to accelerate limb regrowth."
Tang Hao was stunned.
He never expected his own son to possess such an ability.
Even Healing-type Title Douluos would struggle to regenerate limbs for someone of their level—
Yet his son, a mere six-ring Soul Emperor, could?
"Smack—"
A Blue Silver Emperor vine whipped across Tang Hao's face, snapping him out of his daze.
Grimacing, he swallowed the Fire Ganoderma and activated Nine Yang Divine Art,
Synchronizing its energy with his regenerating limbs.
Yang Wudi's Heartache
Nearby—
Yang Wudi, who had never seen anything like this, was receiving a "special lesson" from Dugu Bo.
Only now did he truly understand just how much of a treasure trove the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was!
And at the same time—
He learned that his Precious Fragrant Mystical Orchid,
And numerous other immortal herbs, had already been "shared and consumed."
That realization hit him like a hammer to the heart.
"How could you just EAT the immortal herbs?!"
Yang Wudi clutched his chest as if his soul had been shattered,
"They should be refined into medicine! That way, the human body can absorb them more efficiently!"
"Such waste! Such absolute waste!"
Tang Lan glanced over—
Then casually tossed a 5,000-year-old Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng his way.
"Hall Master Yang, find a good spot and plant this again."
"As for the other immortal herbs, I left the roots intact. Next time, remind the new sect master—not to eat them raw."
Yang Wudi's face twitched violently.
Good lord!
Even with the accelerated growth of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, these herbs would still take thousands of years to fully mature again!
Would he even live to see that day?!
Yang Wudi shut his mouth immediately.
He carefully planted the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng in a central spot, avoiding the existing herb roots.
The moment he finished, the herb began to glow with vitality.
His eyes burned with excitement—
It actually survived?
Then, a thought struck him.
He stepped further out into the periphery,
Took out the medicinal herb seeds Tang Lan had given him,
And planted each one according to its elemental affinity.
By the time he was done—
Half a day had passed.
And the herbs he planted had already begun sprouting!
"This is unbelievable!" Yang Wudi's entire body trembled with excitement. "Then normal hundred-year herbs would only take a month to mature?!"
For the first time—
He truly believed that the Tang Sect's Medicine Hall would become its new core strength!
But then—
His expression turned strange as he looked at Dugu Bo.
"Elder Dugu, you've controlled the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for over a decade?"
"Then… why are you only at Rank 93?"
"And… you don't seem to have any traces of immortal herb energy on you. You never consumed any?"
"I just checked—Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Glorious Amaranth, Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma—these were all compatible with you."
Dugu Bo: The Roasting Begins
Dugu Bo:
⬇⬇⬇
(▼皿▼#)
Why did you have to bring that up?!
He thought about how he had access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for so many years, yet the Jade Phosphor Clan never thrived.
Sure, they grew some herbs,
But because they didn't know how to refine medicine, they only planted whatever sold for high prices.
Wasting this prime location for nothing…
But could he admit that?
Absolutely not!
"Hmph!"
Dugu Bo flicked his sleeve and strode toward the outskirts of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"The poison barrier is getting weak. I'll go reinforce it."
Yang Wudi could clearly see through Dugu Bo's excuse.
His face twitched violently.
Why wasn't it his clan that discovered this treasure first?!
The Po Clan used to live in Heaven Dou City, too!
Three Days Later
Tang Hao's arm and leg had fully regrown.
However, since he had removed his spirit bones, he had also sacrificed two of his spirit rings.
Thus, his rank remained stuck at Level 80.
"Father, you can replace the lost rings by hunting spirit beasts of the same species."
"The age of the new rings doesn't matter."
"Once you regain those two rings, excluding the boost from the removed spirit bones, you should be back at around Rank 95."
Tang Hao nodded thoughtfully.
The rings he lost were his first and third, only 400 years and 1,500 years old.
Even if he needed the same type of spirit beast, it wouldn't be hard to find a 10,000-year one.
Damn! Was this actually a blessing in disguise?
A Bold Plan—The Ice Empress!
"Father."
Tang Lan spoke again—
"Come with me for a while. I want to take you to the Star Dou Forest to see if you can obtain two spirit souls."
"After that, I'm heading to the Extreme North to help Shui Bing'er obtain the power of Ultimate Ice."
"My target is a 380,000-year-old beast—Ice Empress, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion."
"I need you there to back me up."
The Shocked Reactions
Tang Hao, Yang Wudi, and Dugu Bo—
Even Ah Yin manifested her spiritual projection.
All of them stared at Tang Lan in disbelief.
"A 380,000-year-old beast?!"
Tang Hao frowned deeply.
"If I were at my peak, this wouldn't be a problem… but right now, I can only protect myself."
"Lan'er, isn't this too reckless?"
Ah Yin's voice carried deep concern.
"Ice Empress has been famous for ages, and the Extreme North is her territory."
"Are you really planning to—"
"Wait!"
Dugu Bo suddenly interrupted.
"You little monster! I've seen that Shui Bing'er girl before—she's only around Rank 40!"
"Her fourth spirit ring… can handle 380,000 years?!"
Meanwhile, Yang Wudi just stood there, mouth agape, at a complete loss for words.
His sect master was insane.
That was a 380,000-year-old savage beast!
Even a Peak Rank 98 Titled Douluo would struggle against her in the Extreme North.
And you're saying you want to target her?!
Ah Yin's Doubt
"Lan'er… are you planning to make Ice Empress sacrifice herself?"
Ah Yin finally realized his true intention.
But she immediately shook her head in disbelief—
"Impossible!"
"Without an emotional bond, why would she sacrifice herself?"
"If you try to use force, with her pride, she would rather self-destruct and take you with her!"
"She wouldn't even leave behind a ring or a spirit bone!"
As a 100,000-year-old soul beast herself, Ah Yin knew the mentality of these ancient creatures well.
Tang Lan's Strategy—A Deal with the Ice Empress
But—
"Mother, you're forgetting one thing."
Tang Lan smiled.
"Ice Empress is already 380,000 years old."
"In just over 10,000 more years, she'll face the Divine Tribulation."
"And with her current strength, she absolutely cannot survive it."
"But with my Spirit Soul Equality Contract, she can become Shui Bing'er's spirit soul."
"When Shui Bing'er ascends to godhood in the future, she can take Ice Empress with her to the Divine Realm—where she will achieve eternal life."
"So the choice is simple—"
"Get hammered to death by me and Father right now."
"Or sacrifice herself to avoid the Divine Tribulation and have a shot at immortality."
"If it were you, which would you choose?"
With this plan, Tang Lan wasn't gambling on brute force—
He was making a logical trade.
This wasn't just about power.
This was about offering the Ice Empress an opportunity she couldn't refuse.
(End of Chapter)