"Are you really sure there is treasure here? If you're lying, I'll eat you on the spot!"
Bing Di puffed up her cheeks, trying to look fierce, though her glittering eyes made the threat oddly adorable.
Cheng Yang scratched the back of his head, uncertainty flashing in his gaze.
"Probably… yes?"
"Probably?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
Truth be told, Cheng Yang wasn't entirely sure.
He didn't even know what era this was.
Judging by the surroundings, it was likely before the events of Douluo 1, but by how much, a hundred years?
For a soul beast, a millennium wasn't long, but for certain herbs, it could mean an entire life cycle.
And to make things worse, he didn't know the exact location.
The Sunset Forest was big, large enough to rival a country.
Finding a hidden spring here would be like finding a needle in a spirit beast nest.
"Don't say 'probably'!" Bing Di huffed, biting his arm hard enough to leave a neat row of tiny teeth marks.
Her glare was fierce, but Cheng Yang could feel it; that bite drained a sliver of his soul power.
One ten-thousandth, maybe, but still enough to make him sweat.
"Ow, ow! Okay, okay! Don't eat me!" Cheng Yang yelped, rubbing the mark.
"I'm useful! Really! I can guarantee it's in this forest. I just… don't know exactly where."
Bing Di crossed her arms.
"Ugh, you're hopeless. Fine! Tell me what this 'secret realm' looks like. I'll help you find it."
"It should look like a place full of rare herbs," Cheng Yang said, his tone turning thoughtful.
"Poison miasma all around. In the center, two springs, one icy, one fiery. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The two elements there are so extreme that they balance each other perfectly."
Bing Di tilted her head, considering.
Then she closed her eyes, and a wave of spiritual energy rippled out from her.
The air seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.
Cheng Yang could feel the pressure; her mental perception stretched far, much farther than his meager few kilometers.
Her consciousness brushed through the forest, sweeping over trees, rivers, and sleeping beasts across a hundred miles.
Moments later, her eyes snapped open.
"Found it. There's a poisonous barrier ahead. I can't sense inside it, but that has to be the place. Let's go!"
Before Cheng Yang could respond, she grabbed his wrist and took off like a bolt of icy wind.
He stumbled behind her, legs barely keeping up.
The forest was alive with the sounds of hidden creatures, but as soon as they felt Bing Di's aura, an ancient power nearly four hundred thousand years old, everything went silent.
Even the century-old soul beasts trembled and stayed hidden, unwilling to draw her attention.
"At least nobody's trying to eat me this time."
"Did you say something?" Bing Di asked sweetly, her grip tightening.
"N-nope!"
They reached the edge of the forest.
Before them loomed a wall of green mist so thick it looked solid.
The poisonous fog shimmered faintly, swirling like a living thing.
Even from here, Cheng Yang could feel its deadly nature; just breathing near it made his skin crawl.
"If I walk into that, I'll drop dead before I take three steps," he muttered, rubbing his chin.
"So, genius," Bing Di said impatiently, "how do we get in?"
Cheng Yang thought for a moment.
"Ultra-low temperature should disperse the poison. You can handle that, right?"
The Ice Emperor smirked.
"Of course. Watch and learn."
She raised her hand, her fingertip glowing icy blue.
A concentrated beam of freezing light shot forward, carving a shimmering tunnel through the miasma.
The air itself seemed to crystallize as the poisonous fog retreated, leaving a clear path.
Cheng Yang blinked.
"Uh… isn't that the same attack you used when you were chasing me?"
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" she asked, her tone smug.
"Nope! Perfectly fine!"
He forced a smile. Inside, he was sweating bullets.
The same move that almost froze him solid now doubled as a pathfinder, how poetic.
"Then stop staring and move!" Bing Di said, already dashing into the passage.
Cheng Yang sighed and followed, the cold air biting at his face.
He couldn't help thinking about escaping, but he still didn't know how to fly, and Bing Di refused to teach him.
His legs were no match for her speed.
For now, he could only follow and hope she didn't decide to snack on him later.
At the same time, deep within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a young man with jade-green hair and eyes stood beside the twin springs, one blazing red, one icy blue.
The mingling energies lit his face in shifting colors. Sweat ran down his brow, but his smile was triumphant.
"It really exists… the treasure of heaven and earth!" he breathed.
"Worth every miserable day I spent wading through poison."
"From now on, this place belongs to me."
"The miasma here is strong, but it's still weaker than my own Green Scaled Snake venom. Hmph! One day, when I reach the Title Douluo level, the world will know me as Poison Douluo!"
He clenched his fist dramatically toward the air, his youthful voice echoing through the valley.
Just then, a pair of figures emerged from the dispersing mist, one glowing faintly blue, the other looking more exhausted than heroic.
Cheng Yang stumbled out first, coughing lightly.
"Man, that stuff could melt a dragon's lungs…"
Then he heard the boy's bold declaration and froze. His gaze landed on the green-haired youth, and his eyes widened.
"Wait, green hair, green pupils, snake venom, ambition… No way. That's not Dugu Bo. He's so young! Kinda… cute, even."
Bing Di's brows twitched.
"Who cares what he looks like! That human brat dares to claim my treasure? This is clearly my territory!"
With her girly form and melodic voice, her declaration didn't sound threatening at all.
The fact that she was wearing the outfit Cheng Yang had picked, a frilly, almost doll-like dress, didn't help.
Cheng Yang had to bite back a laugh.
Dugu Bo frowned, offended. "Woman! Who are you calling a brat?"
"Watch your tone, little snake!" Bing Di snapped, her eyes flashing frost-blue.
"I found it first!" Dugu Bo shouted, his pride flaring.
"And in this world, whoever has the bigger fist decides ownership. Don't like it? Prove me wrong!"
Cheng Yang gave him a thumbs-up.
"I admire your spirit, kid. Not everyone's brave enough to pick a fight with the Ice Emperor."
"...What?" Dugu Bo blinked, confused.
"Ice… what?"
The words didn't register immediately.
Then his instincts screamed.
Emperor.
On the Douluo Continent, only beings of terrifying power dared use that title.
Bing Di stepped forward, her gaze cold as winter dawn.
Frost spiraled outward from her feet, freezing the grass in a widening circle.
"You talk too much."
Dugu Bo's heart thumped in his chest.
He wanted to retreat, but pride wouldn't let him.
His spirit rings lit up in a flash: two yellow, one purple, three rings rising in rhythm.
"Dugu Bo! Level thirty-four Control-type Spirit Master!"
His voice shook slightly, but he held his ground.
"Please… advise!"
Green mist erupted beneath him, spreading in waves.
The poisonous vapor hissed as it corroded the ground, twisting plants into black sludge.
For a human of his age, his talent was incredible.
Against anyone else, this poison would've been death.
But the Ice Emperor didn't even flinch.
From Cheng Yang's perspective, it looked like a mismatch, but Dugu Bo had spirit and brains.
He quickly retreated, forming poison arrays with flicks of his fingers, trapping the battlefield in layers of toxic vapor.
The air shimmered with danger.
Bing Di moved like flowing ice, her form a blur of blue light as she stepped onto the poisoned ground.
Frost bloomed beneath her bare feet, neutralizing the toxin instantly.
From Dugu Bo's eyes, the battle felt unreal. Every poisonous burst he threw out was frozen midair before it could even touch her.
His poison gas turned into glittering green crystals that fell like rain.
"Impossible…" he hissed, retreating again.
"Even the poison froze?!"
Bing Di's voice was calm, almost bored.
"Your control isn't bad. But poison works best when the enemy needs to breathe."
With a wave of her hand, a storm of icy wind swept forward.
It wasn't just cold, it was heavy, carrying a crushing force that made Dugu Bo's lungs seize.
His poison couldn't spread; it collapsed inward, freezing solid around him like emerald glass.
Cheng Yang whistled from the sidelines.
"She's going easy on you, kid. I'd start running if I were you."
"Shut up, Cheng Yang!" Bing Di barked, cheeks puffing slightly.
She didn't notice the faint smile tugging at his lips.
Dugu Bo, panting hard, slammed his palms into the ground.
"You think I'll lose that easily?! Green Scaled Domain, Venom Surge!"
The ground beneath him cracked as a wave of venom burst outward.
This time, it was thicker, hotter, burning through the frozen layer.
Bing Di's expression shifted slightly; she hadn't expected the boy to adapt so quickly.
Cheng Yang leaned forward.
"Not bad. He's learning mid-fight."
The poison hissed against her icy aura, creating a violent reaction; the air shimmered as heat and frost collided.
For the first time, the Ice Emperor was forced to move back a step; the hem of her dress was singed black at the edge.
Her lips curved into something like approval.
"You have spirit, human. I'll remember your poison."
Then she raised her hand.
A sharp crack of energy echoed through the clearing as her finger pointed skyward.
Frostlight surged from her body, forming a massive spear of ice that pierced the heavens before slamming down toward Dugu Bo's position.
Cheng Yang blinked.
"Ah… there it is. Her 'I'm done playing' moment."
The impact exploded in a burst of ice and poison vapor, the shockwave rippling across the valley.
The poison shattered like glass, the two elements, fire and ice, dancing madly in the air as the environment itself protested their clash.
When the smoke cleared, Dugu Bo was half-buried in a pile of ice shards, his hair a mess, his green robes torn, but his eyes still burning with stubborn defiance.
Bing Di lowered her hand, expression calm again.
"You're lucky I wasn't serious."
Dugu Bo coughed, forcing a shaky grin.
"Tch… I'll remember this, Ice Emperor. One day, I'll be the one to stand above you."
Cheng Yang chuckled softly.
"Good attitude. You'll live longer with that kind of drive."
He walked over, helping the boy sit up despite Bing Di's glare.
"Don't take it personally. She just hates losing territory."
Bing Di folded her arms, muttering something about "territory rights" and "smelly snakes."
For a moment, the tension faded, and the three of them stood at the edge of the twin springs, the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well shimmering beside them.
A strange calm settled over the place, as if even heaven and earth were waiting to see what these three would do next.
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