Following this, various jade knives, metal tools, and jade boxes appeared before the two of them.
Dugu Feng's Scorpion Pincers proved especially effective for harvesting herbs.
Nearby tonics—Snow Silkworms, Cinnabar Lotuses, Dragon Mushrooms, and Dragon Ginseng—were swiftly collected by the duo, with over half taken.
Once refined into medicine, these would be enough to elevate the Soul Power of every Soul Master in their family by one or two levels.
After gathering these beneficial herbs,
Dugu Shuo approached a large, pale pink flower.
This flower had no leaves, only an enormous blossom with petals as clear and translucent as crystal, exuding a faint, delicate fragrance.
"Secluded Fragrance Kirin Immortal—the bane of all poisons, capable of neutralizing any toxin.
A pale pink barrier surrounds it. Within this barrier, no poison can take effect.
Ah, I once thought this miraculous Immortal Herb was merely a myth, but it truly exists!"
Dugu Shuo sighed in admiration.
"Feng'er, take it. With this herb, even if your Second Grandfather tries to scheme against you in secret, he won't succeed!"
Dugu Shuo instructed.
"Yes, Father!"
Naturally overjoyed, Dugu Feng claimed it without hesitation.
Father and son busied themselves once more, gathering useful poisonous herbs, taking samples of each variety.
Naturally, they didn't overlook the various Immortal Herbs either.
Once the collection was complete,
Dugu Shuo signaled for Dugu Feng to choose and absorb his share first.
Without hesitation, Dugu Feng selected the Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew.
"Father, I plan to absorb a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast for my fourth Spirit Ring.
With the enhancements from my Domain and External Soul Bone, my physical strength is sufficient to endure it. The only shortcoming is my spiritual power.
This Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew will perfectly compensate for my lack of spiritual strength!"
Dugu Shuo nodded approvingly.
"Feng'er, you've made the right choice.
The Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew has a gentle medicinal nature, making it easy to absorb. It will greatly benefit you.
Since breaking through to Soul Douluo, I've come to realize the importance of spiritual power in cultivation. The stronger it is, the faster one's progress.
Go ahead and absorb it, Feng'er. I'll guard you."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Feng immediately retrieved the Immortal Herb.
Though classified as an Immortal Herb, the Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew appeared unremarkable among the other plants. The herb was entirely emerald green, with three snow-white leaves.
At the center of each leaf were five dewdrops—fifteen in total—glistening like morning dew.
Supported by his Eight Spider Lances, Dugu Feng assumed a relaxed posture.
Then, lifting the entire herb, he gave it a gentle shake, causing all fifteen dewdrops to fall into his mouth.
The moment the dewdrops left, the Immortal Herb crumbled into dust, scattering into the air.
The dewdrops were the essence of the herb, containing all its energy.
As the dew entered his body,
a cooling, soothing sensation surged toward his brow and eyes.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, the seat of one's consciousness.
And the brow is where the Sea of Spirit resides.
Dugu Feng could not yet perceive his Sea of Spirit.
All he could sense was that, under the influence of this sensation, all his Soul Power was converging toward his brow,
as if trying to unblock an acupoint.
Suddenly, he shuddered.
A frigid energy erupted from his Scorpion Pincers, surging straight toward his brow.
"Is this the Slaughter God Domain?"
The ripples of killing intent condensed by the Slaughter God Domain had always been attached to his External Soul Bone.
Now, they had also joined in opening up the acupoint.
A Domain is the materialization of aura and spiritual power.
This thought suddenly emerged in Dugu Feng's mind.
"Boom!"
Dugu Feng's glabella exploded.
Under the impact of multiple energies, it directly burst open.
This acupoint was the Upper Dantian, the Sea of Spirit that contained spiritual power.
It had been opened during the Soul Expert stage.
Beside him, Dugu Shuo stared intently at his son. At first, everything seemed normal, but suddenly, an intense killing intent erupted from the boy.
It enveloped the surroundings.
This made Dugu Shuo somewhat alarmed.
Could something have gone wrong while absorbing the mild-natured Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew?
Old Snake also halted his cultivation and approached, clearly startled by the commotion.
At this moment, Dugu Feng's glabella was glowing brightly, his eyes radiating golden light.
Even his entire head was illuminated by faint golden threads.
This extraordinary phenomenon lasted for several hours before finally subsiding.
The golden light receded back into Dugu Feng's glabella.
Simultaneously, his aura stabilized.
Slowly opening his eyes, Dugu Feng felt as though an entire century had passed.
His spirit seemed to have undergone purification, allowing him to clearly sense his spiritual power.
From his glabella downward.
Every meridian, his Soul Power, muscles, bones, and even his two External Soul Bones were now vividly perceptible.
His spiritual power could now inspect the conditions within his body.
With each blink of his eyes, golden light flashed, dispersing some of the surrounding mist.
For an instant, the entire valley brightened before dimming again.
"Feng'er, how do you feel?" Dugu Shuo quickly asked.
The family records only mentioned that consuming the Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew could enhance spiritual power, but they never described such a dramatic reaction.
"While absorbing the Autumn Water Piercing Gaze Dew, my Slaughter God Domain also amplified my spiritual power, jointly opening the Sea of Spirit in my glabella. Now, my spiritual power has greatly increased.
Even the Slaughter God Domain has grown much stronger!"
Dugu Feng said joyfully.
Dugu Shuo and Old Snake were once again stunned.
Most Soul Masters could only clearly perceive the Sea of Spirit when they reached the Soul Emperor stage, nearing Soul Saint, which was when they began comprehending their Martial Soul Avatar.
Before that, they could only utilize weak spiritual power, far from the level of self-awareness.
Yet Dugu Feng had already achieved this.
"Most Soul Masters face danger when absorbing Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beasts at the Soul King stage because the spiritual impact of such beasts is too strong.
By the Soul Emperor stage, the risk is greatly reduced.
But since you can now perceive the Sea of Spirit—something only achievable at the Soul Emperor stage—I suspect the spiritual impact of a Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beast will pose little threat to you, Feng'er!"
Dugu Shuo observed keenly.
If his son could absorb a Ten-Thousand Year Spirit Ring as his fourth, it would be unprecedented.
Dugu Shuo steadied his emotions and turned his gaze to the side of the Ice and Fire Eyes.
"Feng'er, there are two more Immortal Herbs here: the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb and the Blazing Apricot Delight.
Both are top-grade poisonous herbs, containing extremely potent cold and fire toxins. Even Storage Soul Tools cannot contain them.
The cold toxin in the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb can chill the heart and freeze the core. Merely approaching within ten meters of it will make one feel an invasive cold. Prolonged exposure leads to fatal cold toxin invasion, with no cure.
The Blazing Apricot Delight is the same, only the opposite in nature."
Dugu Shuo explained with reverence.
Dugu Feng also looked at these two Immortal Herbs, which were indeed quite extraordinary.
Old Snake gazed at them in amazement as well. Though he had never heard of Immortal Herbs before, their names alone indicated their rarity.
The Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb was a large white flower with eight petals, its center sparkling with crystalline stamen like shards of ice. The Blazing Apricot Delight was a fiery red plant resembling a cabbage in form.
(End of Chapter)