Having escaped the first wave of pursuit from the Star Luo Empire, Ling Ye continued his journey with Zhu Zhuqing.
Instead of taking the official route, he relied on the Holy Spirit Puni Martial Soul's keen perception of the energy of heaven and earth to traverse the remote mountains and forests.
The poison in Zhu Zhuqing's body was quickly neutralized by the pills provided by Ling Ye, and her injuries were almost completely healed.
She continued to follow in silence, but the look in her eyes as she gazed at Ling Ye's back grew increasingly complicated.
That bizarre assassination attempt made her completely convinced that this man was not as simple as he appeared.
She tried to investigate him secretly, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea; she couldn't figure out his background at all.
That day, they passed through a primeval valley shrouded in mist and miasma.
The energy here is extremely chaotic and toxic, and even spirit beasts are rarely seen.
"Stay close to me, getting caught in this poisonous fog can be troublesome," Ling Ye instructed without turning his head, emanating a faint, shimmering white aura that subtly purified the approaching poisonous fog.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently and followed closely behind him.
She discovered that as soon as she got close to Lingye, the dizzying poisonous fog would thin out considerably.
As he walked, Ling Ye suddenly stopped, a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Zhuqing asked warily.
"Such strange energy fluctuations..." Ling Ye murmured to himself. His Holy Spirit Puni Martial Soul was trembling slightly within his body, conveying an extremely strong emotion of intertwined desire and vigilance.
Deep in the valley ahead, there seemed to be two completely opposite yet perfectly integrated extreme energies!
An extreme chill, an extreme heat!
The quality of this energy was so high that it far surpassed any rare and precious treasure he had encountered before!
"Come with me, and be careful." Ling Ye's expression turned serious as he gestured for Zhu Zhuqing to follow.
The two traveled several more miles, and the surrounding vegetation began to become strange. On one side were blue exotic flowers covered with ice crystals, and on the other side were red exotic grasses burning with illusory flames.
The energy in the air is also divided into two distinct streams, one side is icy cold and the other is scorching hot.
If Ling Ye's Holy Light hadn't naturally emanated, harmonizing some of the extreme energy, Zhu Zhuqing probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Finally, they passed through the last dense, seven-colored poisonous miasma, and the sight before them made them both gasp in shock!
This is a huge valley basin that looks as if it was created by a meteorite impact.
At the very center of the valley is a peculiar spring. The spring water is half milky white and half crimson, blending together yet not interfering with each other, constantly emitting spiritual energy of both ice and fire attributes!
It is the legendary treasure basin of heaven and earth, the eye of ice and fire!
Centered around this spring, countless rare medicinal herbs that have long since disappeared from the outside world grow on the surrounding land!
Fragrant and elegant herbs, such as the Acacia Heartbreak Red, the Extraordinary Chrysanthemum, the Eight-Petaled Fairy Orchid, the Fiery Apricot, and the Eight-Cornered Mysterious Ice Grass, are scattered throughout the valley like cabbages. They are at least a thousand years old, and many are even ten thousand years old!
A rainbow of light filled the air, illuminating the entire valley like a fairyland!
"This...this is..." Even though Zhu Zhuqing came from a noble family in the Star Luo Empire, she had never seen such a shocking sight before, and she was completely stunned.
Ling Ye's heart was pounding! He'd struck it rich! This was the real treasure trove!
Compared to what we found in the Star Dou Great Forest, those were just appetizers!
However, just as the two were stunned by this fairyland-like scene, an invisible pressure suddenly descended!
The energy of the entire valley seemed to come alive!
red lotus!
The ground trembled, and countless thick, thorny, dark green vines burst forth from the earth, lashing and coiling towards the two from all directions! The vines shimmered with an eerie, poisonous light, and moved with astonishing speed!
At the same time, the spiritual energy surging from the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire also became violent. Extremely cold ice mist, enough to freeze the soul, attacked from the left, and blazing flames, capable of incinerating steel, swept in from the right!
They were attacked from three sides and instantly killed the two!
"Watch out!" Ling Ye shouted, pulling Zhu Zhuqing behind him.
The Holy Spirit Puni Martial Soul instantly possessed them! Three extraordinary soul rings, black, black, and black, rose up, and a dazzling seven-colored holy light burst forth, forming a gentle yet indestructible light shield that protected the two of them.
Sizzle!
Bang bang bang!
The poison ivy lashed against the light shield, producing a tooth-grinding corrosive sound, but it could not break through!
The combined energy impact of ice and fire slammed into the light shield, creating violent ripples, but were continuously neutralized and purified by the holy light!
Ling Ye frowned slightly.
He sensed that what was attacking them was not a specific soul beast, but the consciousness of the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well Valley!
It is the spirit of this precious land that has been born of its own nature, rejecting all outsiders!
"Is this place haunted?" Ling Ye understood.
It is not surprising that such a blessed land, imbued with the spirit of heaven and earth, would give rise to a faint consciousness over the years.
It instinctively protects the magical herbs here and drives away invaders.
Protected by Ling Ye, Zhu Zhuqing stared wide-eyed at the three soul rings that overturned her understanding, feeling the martial soul pressure that warmed and trembled her soul. Her small mouth was slightly open, and she was completely shocked!
Black, black, black?! The third spirit ring is almost black with a hint of red!
How...how is this possible?! Isn't he a Soul Master? And what is this Martial Soul? It's so majestic and sacred, it makes one want to bow down and worship!
All previous doubts and speculations were confirmed at this moment!
This man has been pretending all along! His strength is unfathomable!
"Stay inside the light barrier and don't move!" Ling Ye ordered in a deep voice, without having time to explain.
The attacks from outside grew increasingly fierce, and the energy of the entire valley seemed to be mobilized. The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire was boiling incessantly, spewing out even more terrifying streams of extreme cold and heat.
The power of this domain spirit, relying on the entire Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, is almost inexhaustible!
Ling Ye's eyes narrowed, and his second soul ring lit up!
"Second Soul Skill, Holy Light!"
A thick, golden-white beam of light suddenly shot out, not attacking the vines or the ice and fire, but shooting straight towards the top of the spring of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. That energy was from the core area of the entire domain's consciousness!
Boom!
A burst of golden light erupted as sacred energy clashed violently with chaotic ice and fire energies, causing the entire valley to shake.
The attack from that area clearly faltered, as if it had been somewhat stunned by the blow.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ling Ye pulled up Zhu Zhuqing, who was still in a daze, and quickly retreated, temporarily leaving the core area of the valley and returning to the edge of the Seven-Colored Poisonous Mist.
The attack from the domain gradually subsided, the vines retreated underground, and the ice and fire energy returned to the spring, as if nothing had happened. Only the garden full of immortal herbs still emitted an alluring luster.
Ling Ye breathed a sigh of relief and put away his martial spirit.
That attack just now seemed simple, but it actually consumed a lot of energy. Moreover, he felt that it only temporarily disturbed the spirit of the domain and did not really hurt it.
Zhu Zhuqing stood there, still immersed in the huge shock, looking at Ling Ye with an extremely complicated expression.
Who exactly is he? With such a terrifying martial spirit and strength, why would he pretend to be a weakling? And why would he save a fugitive like himself who has nowhere to go?
Ling Ye smiled as he looked at her dazed expression, then waved his hand in front of her eyes: "Snap out of it. What's wrong, were you scared stiff?"
Zhu Zhuqing snapped back to reality, instinctively taking a half-step back. Her purple eyes remained wary, but more than that, they showed a sense of helplessness.
Knowing that the other party's true strength far exceeded her expectations, she was at a loss as to how to get along with them.
"You...you..." Her voice was a little hoarse.
"Who I am is not important." Ling Ye interrupted her, his gaze returning to the magical valley. "What is important is that the immortal herbs here are of great benefit to us. However, to get our hands on them, we must first figure out how to deal with that 'big guy' inside."
He stroked his chin, gazing at the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire, which concealed a raging power beneath its calm surface, his eyes gleaming with excitement and a sense of challenge.
Forcing our way in is definitely not an option. The power of that domain spirit is almost connected to the entire treasure land, and if we keep dragging it out, we'll only suffer losses.
We need to come up with a clever solution.
How can I gain the approval of the spirit of this realm, or at least temporarily deceive it?
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(End of chapter)