Half an hour earlier.
Yan's consciousness slowly emerged from the depths of darkness.
As he opened his eyes, he was astonished to find himself still suspended within the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
He could clearly feel it — the soul power within his body had not only fully recovered but had also reached an unprecedented peak.
He had no idea how long he had been soaking within those twin springs.
From day to night, and night back to day — at least an entire day and night must have passed.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo seemed to be nowhere nearby.
During his long immersion in the twin springs, the medicinal energies of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot had been further refined and absorbed into his body.
Though consuming those two immortal herbs did not directly increase his soul power, they had tempered his body into one immune to all poison.
Originally, his Body of Blazing Flame had already granted him resistance against most toxins.
Now, even Dugu Bo's fearsome Bilin Serpent Emperor Venom could no longer threaten him.
He knew that by now Yue Guan must be worried sick.
This place remained dangerously unpredictable — he had to leave at once.
Without hesitation, Yan unfurled his wings, soaring upward like a phoenix reborn from fire.
With a burst of crimson light, he shot through the air, breaking past the boundary of the Icefire Yin Yang Well and leaving behind that mysterious yet perilous domain.
High above the clouds, he felt something different.
His body felt lighter than ever before, and the wings upon his back pulsed with newfound power.
Meanwhile, Yue Guan, having failed to find any trace of Yan, had returned once again to the hotel in Tokes City.
He paced back and forth in the room, anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Why hasn't that brat Yan come back yet? Don't tell me… something really happened to him?"
Dugu Bo's mocking words echoed in his mind, tightening the knot of worry in his chest.
"If anything truly happened to him, how could I ever face the Pope? Sigh…"
Just as Yue Guan's anxiety reached its peak, a familiar aura suddenly approached at high speed.
In the next instant, a streak of blazing red light burst through the window, landing in the room before him.
It was none other than Yan.
"Yan, you brat — you're finally back!"
Overcome with relief and joy, Yue Guan grabbed Yan by both shoulders, his expression glowing with excitement.
Yan, a little guilty, bowed his head.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, I'm sorry for making you worry."
As he spoke, he noticed Yue Guan staring fixedly at him, eyes filled with a complex and indescribable expression.
It made Yan feel somewhat uneasy.
"Elder Chrysanthemum… what's wrong?"
Yue Guan frowned slightly.
"Boy, that's what I should be asking you — what on earth happened to you?"
"Huh?"
Yan blinked, confused.
Without a word, Yue Guan pushed him toward the tall standing mirror beside the wall.
"See for yourself."
When Yan looked into the mirror, he was taken aback.
No wonder he had felt lighter and faster while flying earlier — he had truly changed.
His entire body had slimmed down, losing its earlier bulk.
Now, his frame appeared lean and perfectly proportioned, giving him a taller, more elegant presence.
His once fiery-red hair and eyes had deepened into a dark crimson hue.
The flame-like markings that had once danced across his skin were gone — only faint traces around his neck remained.
His facial features had also become sharper and more defined, and with the firmness in his gaze, he looked even more striking than before.
Yue Guan studied him in disbelief.
"Yan… what exactly happened during the day and night you were missing? Did you… eat something special?"
Yan nodded but didn't answer immediately.
He knew — these changes stemmed from the two deadly immortal herbs he had consumed.
When he'd first emerged from the Icefire Yin Yang Well, he had already sensed the transformation within his body, though time had not allowed him to examine it.
Now, closing his eyes, he quietly focused on the circulation of the cold and fiery energies within him.
Yue Guan stood silently nearby, careful not to disturb him.
Suddenly, Yan's eyes snapped open — and in that instant, his pupils blazed a vivid, molten red, brighter and more intense than before, as if burning with immense power.
His long dark-crimson hair shifted once more, turning back into brilliant scarlet, radiating dazzling heat.
The flame markings upon his skin reappeared in full, surging with greater dominance than ever.
Yue Guan could only stare in shock.
"Yan… what is happening to you?"
With a mere thought, Yan suppressed the energy within him — in an instant, the markings faded, and his hair and eyes returned to their calmer dark-red tone.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, the power of flame within me… I can now release or restrain it entirely at will."
Yue Guan nodded slowly, awe in his voice.
"Yes… I can see that. This is remarkable! If I'm not mistaken, you must have consumed a supreme-grade cold-attribute immortal herb, correct?"
Yan nodded again, then spoke solemnly:
"Elder Chrysanthemum, while flying out of Sunset Forest yesterday, I noticed a patch of toxic miasma below. I suspected it was something set up by Dugu Bo.
He claimed the entire Sunset Forest as his territory — meaning he likely hides something there.
So, while you were battling him, I took the opportunity to investigate."
"Not long after I entered the poisonous mist, I smelled sulfur in the air — and deep below, I sensed heat rising, as if from a hot spring.
Following that trace, I descended into a bottomless valley… and there, I discovered an extraordinary spring."
Listening intently, Yue Guan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"At the bottom of a sheer cliff… that must be an exceptionally rare and unique spring!"
"Indeed," Yan nodded, then carefully described to him the wondrous sight of the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
When Yue Guan heard it all, he was utterly stunned.
"To think such a mysterious place could even exist in this world…"
"Exactly. I never expected that by sheer accident, I'd stumble into Dugu Bo's secret paradise — a garden of immortal herbs."
"What?! A garden of immortal herbs?"
"Yes. Around the Icefire Yin Yang Well grow thousands of strange plants — all rare beyond compare, each one of them an immortal-grade treasure."
At those words, Yue Guan trembled with excitement.
He clenched his fists, his expression filled with envy and frustration.
"To think such a heaven-sent treasure trove would belong to that shameless old poison!"
Then, as if a thought struck him, a smile spread across his face.
"Yan… you ate your immortal herbs there, didn't you?"
"Mm."
"Then it's fate — you were destined to find that place! Since it was discovered by you, it no longer belongs to Dugu Bo. Once we report this to the Pope, the Icefire Yin Yang Well will come under the jurisdiction of Spirit Hall.
All those immortal herbs will belong to us!"
"That must never happen!"
Yan cut him off without hesitation, his tone firm.
Yue Guan blinked in surprise, puzzled by his sudden intensity.
"Yan, what's the matter with you?"
Yan's expression grew grave.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, I told you the truth because I trust you completely.
But that place — it must never be revealed to the Pope."
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