The next day.
The Icefire Yin-Yang Eyes.
"Ahah!"
Standing on a piece of neat and clean land, Dugubo screamed madly, his voice full of rage:
"Who did this? Who did this?!"
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Dugubo noticed a few petals of the Qitong Tongtian Chrysanthemum on the ground. Without thinking, he waved his hand and used his soul power to gather them into his palm.
"What is this? A chrysanthemum?"
"It feels so familiar, where have I seen it before..."
"Wait, purple chrysanthemum, with a faint golden glow—this is Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul, isn't it?"
Upon recognizing the origin of the object in his hand, Dugubo's expression instantly shifted between anger and confusion.
There was no mistake, Chrysanthemum Douluo was famous for his love of flowers.
Among the many rare herbs in this place, Dugubo didn't recognize many, but Chrysanthemum Douluo certainly did. He probably knew all of them.
As for motivation, the herbs here were worth Chrysanthemum Douluo's action.
In terms of strength, his poison formation set up around the valley could hardly block that flamboyant figure.
With both motivation and strength covered, it wasn't hard to deduce that the petals left behind by Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul were the key evidence.
Dugubo, with a heart full of resentment, looked at the Icefire Yin-Yang Springs at the center of the valley. The once powerful springs had now lost most of their effects. His hatred for Chrysanthemum Douluo surged to its peak.
But remembering the vast strength difference between himself and Chrysanthemum Douluo, Dugubo had to suppress the urge to exact revenge.
"Fortunately, although the springs have lost much of their power, they still emit the extreme cold and heat required to suppress the poison within me. So, I don't have to worry about the effects on my health for now."
After noticing this, Dugubo had even less reason to seek vengeance from Chrysanthemum Douluo. After all, his granddaughter, Duguyan, still needed his care—he couldn't die yet.
...
At the depths of the Duke's estate.
Inside a wooden cabin.
Ma Hongjun stared curiously at the soft and delicate herb in his hands.
"The Duke said this could completely solve the problem of my Phoenix Flame being impure."
"But... is this soft little herb that magical?"
The herb in his hand had red leaves with tips resembling a rooster's comb. Strangely, the veins in the leaves were golden.
Just holding it made the temperature inside the cabin rise a few notches.
"Alright, Hongjun," Xu Pan patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder, saying,
"The Duke said you can't chew this, you have to swallow it whole and then refine it."
"The refining process will be a bit painful, but once you succeed, you'll never have to worry about turning into a fat guy again."
"Uncle Xu, you're right." Ma Hongjun replied with a grin, thinking about how, after absorbing this herb, he would no longer worry about the Evil Fire turning him into an ugly fat man. His heart was overjoyed.
Then, Ma Hongjun's eyes casually glanced at the purple Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass in Xu Pan's hand, and he spoke again,
"Uncle Xu, you should absorb that Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass first. I'll protect you while you do it."
"You kid," Xu Pan laughed and scolded,
"You're calling me uncle, and you're going to guard me? That's not how it works."
"You take the Phoenix Comb Herb first, and I'll guard you."
Ma Hongjun nodded, answering, "Okay, understood."
At that very moment, in a remote deep mountain forest.
Lin Rong stood holding a herb with three snow-white leaves that were completely emerald green.
On each leaf's center were a few droplets of water, resembling the dew left behind in the morning.
"Will the Wangchuan Qiushui Dew allow me to fully cultivate the Xisui Jing to the state of Yuantong Guanzai? Let's see if you can do it. Don't disappoint me!"
With that, Lin Rong raised the Wangchuan Qiushui Dew to his face and slightly tilted it, letting the droplets fall into his mouth.
As soon as the water droplets left the leaves, the entire herb withered in an instant, turning to dust in his hand.
After completing the action, Lin Rong sat cross-legged, ready to cultivate the Xisui Jing to refine the powers of the Wangchuan Qiushui Dew.
Not far away, the old butler stood quietly, silently guarding his young master.
Time slowly passed.
The sun rose and set, and before long, evening arrived.
Inside the Duke's estate, in the wooden cabin.
Ma Hongjun's clothes had already turned to ash.
The Phoenix Comb Herb's extremely domineering medicinal power caused Ma Hongjun to release a large amount of black liquid all over his body as he absorbed it.
The black liquid oozed out and solidified on his skin, giving him the appearance of an elderly man who had lived in a desert for decades.
His entire body was a dark shade, with no white visible anywhere.
Xu Pan couldn't believe how much impurity Ma Hongjun's small body could purify.
Recalling what the Duke had said earlier:
The Phoenix Comb Herb and the Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass both possessed the ability to rebirth someone.
At first, Xu Pan had been somewhat skeptical.
But after witnessing the effects of Ma Hongjun absorbing the Phoenix Comb Herb, he was no longer doubtful.
He now looked at the Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass in his hand with growing excitement.
"I thought my soul emperor rank was going to be the peak of my life."
"But with the Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass given by the Duke, after this rebirth, the soul emperor rank is certain. Soul Sage is possible, and even Soul Douluo... I might even dare to dream about it."
Just as Xu Pan fantasized about becoming a Soul Douluo, a loud Phoenix cry suddenly echoed through the wooden cabin.
A surge of golden-red flames erupted from Ma Hongjun's body.
The flames shot up, immediately filling the cabin's roof, threatening to burn it to the ground.
Fortunately, the cabin had been specially constructed with a thousand-year-old wutong wood, effectively preventing the flames from bursting into the sky.
Ma Hongjun's body stretched out amidst the flames. Having spent a long time training near a volcano, his skin was now a healthy wheat color.
But now, his wheat-colored skin became fairer again, his golden-red hair fluttering behind him.
Flames swirled around his body, and a faint Phoenix pattern emerged on his back, resembling a Phoenix undergoing a rebirth.
A pure Phoenix pressure radiated from Ma Hongjun, adding a legendary aura to his presence.
"Uncle Xu, why are you staring at me like that? Did I become more handsome again?"
Amidst the flames, Ma Hongjun, with his usual narcissism, rubbed his cheek.
"The sensation feels so smooth and soft. My skin has become that good?"
"Enough!" Xu Pan couldn't help but cover his face and said helplessly,
"Stop admiring your bare egg-like face and put your clothes on."
"At such a young age, showing off like that!"
"Huh?" Ma Hongjun, in the flames, suddenly realized that his clothes had disappeared.
Realizing this, Ma Hongjun immediately blushed, covering his body and looking around for something.
"I got it, it's here."
Finding the soul tool that had fallen on the ground, Ma Hongjun quickly retrieved a set of clothes and put them on.
"Alright, Uncle Xu." Slightly embarrassed, Ma Hongjun continued,
"I finished absorbing the Phoenix Comb Herb. It feels amazing."
"Uncle Xu, you should hurry up and absorb the Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass, then I'll protect you."
Xu Pan naturally understood that Ma Hongjun was trying to change the subject to ease his embarrassment.
But Xu Pan didn't plan to call him out on it. Instead, he nodded, took the Nine-Leaf Spirit Grass, and swallowed it. He then sat down to refine its medicinal effects.
Meanwhile, far in the deep forest.
Lin Rong was also nearing the crucial moment of his cultivation.