The Sunset Forest was a soul beast forest located near Heaven Dou City. While not as vast as the Star Dou Forest, it contained a wide variety of soul beast species.
Dugu Bo's residence was situated deep within the Sunset Forest, nestled in a circular valley. The perimeter was shrouded in a toxic mist personally applied by Dugu Bo, making it difficult for ordinary soul beasts to reach the area. At the very center of the valley lay the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
They traveled at great speed along the way; despite his age, Dugu Bo's footwork was highly refined.
Upon arriving at the entrance of a cave, he had just set Jiang Chen down.
Jiang Chen immediately rushed to the side and began to vomit. Dugu Bo asked in confusion. "Why are you dizzy? Where did that energy you had when you were cursing people go?"
Wiping the residue from the corner of his mouth, Jiang Chen's face turned ashen. "You tell me, how many days has it been since you bathed? The smell from your armpits is practically blinding. Do you think it was easy for me along the way?"
After speaking, he returned to the edge of the cliff and continued to retch.
Dugu Bo took a tentative sniff and found that, as Jiang Chen said, the scent was indeed pungent. He cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment. "Let us go inside. It is late today; Grandpa will perform your Martial Soul Awakening tomorrow."
After his bout of vomiting, Jiang Chen felt much better. After eating some fruit inside the cave, they both drifted off to sleep. The cave was not large; Dugu Bo usually slept there alone, and he was currently sitting to the side in meditation.
In his fight with the two Titled Douluos today, he had sustained significant internal injuries.
Gazing at Dugu Bo, who was still healing, Jiang Chen felt a pang in his heart. 'The way he defended me today was truly cool.'
Since losing his parents, Jiang Chen had been wandering for three years, tasting the coldness of the world. This was the first time he had felt the care of a relative. Originally, he should have awakened his Martial Soul at age six.
However, following the fall of his city to the Star Luo Empire and the death of his parents, Jiang Chen had begun three years of displacement. Receiving the care of a relative once again made him feel a profound sense of warmth.
He was filled with anticipation. 'What will my Martial Soul be?'
It was said that children inherited from their parents, but since he had never seen his parents use a Martial Soul while growing up, it remained unknown.
The center of the valley was where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located, and bursts of light occasionally flashed from within the cave. Jiang Chen was also filled with curiosity about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Without Dugu Bo's knowledge, he slowly began to walk toward its location.
Coming to the cave's opening, he found a sheer cliff face.
Thick clouds obscured the environment below, preventing others from entering. One fall meant certain death.
Looking down at the bottomless valley, Jiang Chen thought for a moment. 'Forget it. Life is more important.' In the original story, Tang San had used the Eight Spider Lances to descend. Since he hadn't even awakened his Martial Soul yet, true adventure was still waiting for him. 'The world is vast, but survival comes first.'
Rubbing his bleary eyes, Jiang Chen intended to return to the cave to rest. Unexpectedly, he tripped over a loose stone.
Before he could react, his body plummeted through the clouds. He didn't even have time to scream.
At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, there was a frigid pool and a scorching pool. Immortal Herbs were everywhere; plants such as the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and the Yearning Heartbroken Red were scattered across the ground.
In the center of the valley was a deep pool. One half of the spring water was fiery red, and the other half was milky white. They were formed together like a Bagua diagram, coexisting without encroaching on one another.
Suddenly, a figure crashed violently into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
With a loud "splash," the person sank rapidly to the bottom of the pool, sending ripples through the water.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well remained silent, the surface of the water shimmering.
After Jiang Chen accidentally slipped from the mountain peak, he had inadvertently landed in the spring formed by the convergence of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
His entire body felt a wave of intense heat followed by a wave of extreme cold; the sensation of "two heavens of ice and fire" was not pleasant.
Yet at that moment, two distinct powers from the bottom of the pool converged within Jiang Chen's body. The arrival of these two forces allowed him to completely adapt to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
His body returned to normal, and he could even breathe within the spring. 'What kind of godly maneuver is this?'
A majestic voice drifted from the bottom of the pool.
"Youth, come, come here..."
The voice echoed in Jiang Chen's ears, giving him goosebumps. 'Please don't let there be ghosts in the middle of the night.'
But this was the Douluo Continent; there were no ghosts unless one's own heart held them.
The voice appeared again as usual. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Jiang Chen slowly swam toward the bottom of the pool.
Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in front of him, giving him a fright.
Patting his chest, he mustered his courage and asked. "Who... who are you? Are you human or..."
They were a man and a woman. The man was exceptionally handsome, and the woman was stunningly beautiful.
The man smiled. "Youth, do not be afraid. Whether we are human or ghost is no longer important. What matters is that I see your skeletal structure is extraordinary; you are clearly a genius. Therefore, I have come to give you..."
"The Buddha's Palm?"
The man stumbled and cleared his throat. "What is Buddha's Palm? To put it briefly, we as a couple do not have much time left. Thus, we wish to find an heir, so..."
"So you found me."
The woman shook her head and smiled. "It was not us who found you, but you who found us. All of this was determined by fate."
"Fate?" Jiang Chen thought for a moment. It really was quite a coincidence. This morning, he had stepped on a rounded log to dodge the Ghost Douluo's attack, and tonight he had ended up in a pool-bottom fright. Fortunately, the two had no ill intent. As for "fate," it was truly ethereal.
"Follow us."
He slowly descended with the man and woman. In a short while, they reached the deepest part of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The space here was vast, but the sight before him truly shocked Jiang Chen.
Massive skeletons stretching for thousands of meters stood with an imposing aura, the bones still shimmering with light. They looked like giant dragons that had died long ago—and there were two of them.
'Giant dragons? Two of them? The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings!!!'
Looking at the man, the woman, and the massive skeletons, Jiang Chen's eyes widened. He said in disbelief. "The Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King!"
"Hahaha..."
The man laughed for a long time. Looking at Jiang Chen, he said with a smile. "You recognized us at a glance; we truly are fated. To tell you the truth, I am the Fire Dragon King, and beside me is my wife, the Ice Dragon King. We fell countless years ago, but as time passed, this place gradually formed a frigid pool and a fiery pool. Our lives have reached their end. Therefore, we wanted to find an heir, and your appearance has solved the problem that troubled us."
Jiang Chen was stunned. 'Am I dreaming today?' First, he was haphazardly acknowledged as a grandson, and now he was facing the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King. 'Could it be that my "cheat code" has finally arrived?'
"Find an heir? What do you mean by that?"
The Ice Dragon King said. "Do you still not understand? We are now both Dragon Souls; our bodies decayed long ago, leaving only our souls to drift. Therefore, we as a couple have made a decision: let us become your Martial Souls."
(End of Chapter)
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