The effects of the 'Fiery Apricot Tender Love' and the 'Eight-Pointed Ice Jade Grass' were exact opposites of each other, but the former could not be cut with metal — only jade could be used to harvest it without diminishing its potency.
Although Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand wasn't truly jade, its effect was practically identical. It was under the power of the Mysterious Jade Hand that he successfully dug the herb from the earth.
To prepare for this earlier groundwork, pain had already begun spreading through Tang San's body.
He had been stationed beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for quite some time now. Throughout the process, he had done his best to position himself at the confluence of the well's two extreme hot springs, and the 'Fragrant Fairy Flower' had provided some suppression against both cold toxins and fire toxins.
But his body was already showing its reaction.
Especially after harvesting both of these extreme heavenly-grade herbs in succession, the reaction had grown far more pronounced. Cold and hot energies erupted in violent alternation inside him. By now, Tang San's face was shifting between pale blue and flush red, his internal qi and blood churning wildly, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill was becoming increasingly unable to keep them in check.
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo knew full well how formidable the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was. He had never even brought his granddaughter Dugu Yan here, fearing that the ambient energy would harm her. As for himself, his entire body was saturated with deadly poison — the well's dangers actually became benefits for him, so it posed absolutely no problem.
This time, bringing Tang San here served a dual purpose. The old monster wanted to appear generous on the surface, but he also wanted to see whether Tang San, who claimed to be able to cure his poison, could survive in a place like this. If Tang San could withstand the full might of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and still resist his lethal poison afterward, then Dugu Bo could truly believe that Tang San possessed the ability to cure him.
Heavenly-grade herbs — supreme treasures, Tang San sighed inwardly. He knew that if it weren't for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's presence, any single one of these heavenly herbs would have been guarded by some lethally toxic creature.
Here, however, no living thing could easily survive. The herbs remained, but they lacked guardians. Still, no matter how magnificent a heavenly herb might be, one had to understand its properties before using it — otherwise, instead of bringing benefit, it could take one's life. Even those supremely nourishing heavenly herbs, without the proper method of consumption and other medicines to neutralize their effects, could just as easily nourish someone to death.
Two strands of Blue Silver Grass lashed out like bolts of silk, falling toward the two herbs simultaneously. The instant the tips of his Blue Silver Grass coiled around both plants, Tang San exerted lightning speed, whipping both herbs into the air and sending them hurtling back toward himself.
At the same time, his hands shot out together, and with a swift motion he severed both strands of Blue Silver Grass. Without Soul Power to reinforce them, the grass's toughness was limited. Under the cutting edge of his Mysterious Jade Hand, they separated in an instant.
Tang San's choice was undoubtedly correct. Barely one second after he cut the two strands, the Blue Silver Grass on his left had frozen into an ice rod, while the one on his right had crumbled to flying ash. If he had allowed the herbs' potency to flow through the Blue Silver Grass directly into his body, then before he could even use them, he would have met his end first.
Both herbs landed on the ground in front of Tang San with no discernible difference in timing. Strangely enough, moments before they had been radiating extreme cold and extreme heat respectively, yet now that they were brought together before Tang San, both the frigid and scorching auras vanished simultaneously.
A faint crimson glow settled over the Eight-Pointed Ice Jade Grass, while a thin veil of white mist descended upon the Fiery Apricot Tender Love.
Tang San knew he could not hesitate for even a heartbeat. After these two herbs came into contact with each other, their opposing auras would mutually suppress one another, but within ten breaths their potency would vanish entirely.
And those ten breaths were the perfect window for consumption.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tang San snatched both poisonous heavenly herbs from the ground and stuffed them into his mouth in large mouthfuls.
Though both herbs were highly toxic, their savagery had been neutralized by each other's presence. They dissolved the instant they touched his tongue, turning into a fragrant nectar that slid down his throat. Tang San felt his salivary glands stir, a pure, clean fragrance flooding his palate.
Truly delightful in taste, Tang San thought to himself — let's hope the aftermath won't be too violent.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he was rapidly tearing off his clothes. He stopped circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill and retracted the Eight Spider Lances from his back and the surrounding Blue Silver Grass back into his body.
In barely the span of three breaths, Tang San's body convulsed violently. Then, an icy blue layer surged upward from his feet — in the blink of an eye, his entire body had turned completely blue. Moments later, a layer of crimson rose to take its place, making Tang San look for all the world like a freshly boiled shrimp.
Blue, then red, alternating — an utterly bizarre sight.
Yet it was this seemingly simple alternation that nearly shattered Tang San's mind. The onslaught of two diametrically opposed energies inflicted pain that even surpassed what he had experienced when absorbing the Man-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring.
He barely retained half control over his own body. He drew in a deep breath and stumbled forward one step.