The scenery within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Valley is magnificent and wondrous, far exceeding anything one could imagine from the outside world, as if it were a forgotten fairyland.
The entire valley is not particularly vast, yet it seems to have condensed all the spiritual essence of heaven and earth. The most eye-catching feature is the strange lake at the center of the valley. The oval-shaped surface is clearly divided into two, presenting two distinct colors and states.
One side of the lake is milky white, calm and waveless, yet it radiates an extreme chill that makes one's teeth chatter, as if it could freeze the soul. Wisps of milky white cold air rise from the water surface like thin veils.
The other side of the lake is vermilion, constantly churning and boiling. Scorching bubbles continuously surge from the bottom of the lake and burst, bringing up waves of white steam. The heat is searing, as if it could melt metal and stone.
The most peculiar thing is that these two extreme energies of ice and fire, which are diametrically opposed and should have clashed violently, remain distinct within the same lake. It is as if there is an invisible boundary between them, neither encroaching upon the other, each remaining strictly on its own side.
The billowing water vapor that permeates the entire valley is generated precisely at the junction of these two springs, rising upward until it slowly dissipates at the valley entrance.
Nourished by these two extreme energies of ice and fire, the area around the lake is covered with all kinds of strange plants in various shapes and forms that have long been extinct in the outside world, looking like an ocean of vegetation.
Every single plant radiates treasure-like light of varying intensity. The rich medicinal fragrance is mixed with extremely pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth; taking a single breath makes one's soul power leap and one's spirit soar.
There is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, several meters tall, with petals as brilliant as gold and stamens that radiate light and heat like a small sun;
There is the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, blood-red throughout, with a heart-shaped flower that trembles slightly, containing a power of pure, unadulterated emotion;
There is the Aromatic Silk Beauty, whose vines are crystal clear like sapphires, with a large flower blooming at the top, emitting a seven-colored halo capable of suppressing all poisons;
There is the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, purple-black throughout, with leaves as straight and sharp as swords, exuding a sharp aura;
There are also the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone... countless immortal herbs that only exist in the records of the most ancient classics grow here as lushly as common flowers and grasses, competing in beauty.
This is the legendary Cornucopia—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well! The supreme holy land that all plant-type Soul Masters and pharmacists dream of!
Ye Zhilan stood at the valley entrance, looking at the dreamlike, treasure-radiating spectacle before her. She was completely stunned, her breath hitching involuntarily. Her Nine Heart Begonia Spirit manifested spontaneously without her control; its pure white petals trembled slightly, conveying an unprecedented sense of joy, longing, and intimacy.
To her spirit, the energy environment here felt like returning to its source of birth, filled with incomparable affinity.
"This... this is incredible... Is this the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" she murmured to herself, her beautiful eyes shimmering with wonder, filled with shock and irrepressible joy.
Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept slowly over the immortal herbs radiating various treasures and pungent medicinal scents. His expression remained calm, his eyes showing no ripples.
With his current Level 90 cultivation, the condensed thunder soul core, and the foundation of the Thunder God Seal at the center of his brow, while these immortal herbs could certainly consolidate his foundation and save him a great deal of tedious cultivation time, their effect on the substantive improvement of his soul power and the further evolution of his spirit was already limited.
His goal had never been limited to these easily accessible immortal herbs.
"Zhilan," he said, his voice breaking the silence of the valley and waking Ye Zhilan from her shock. "The energy environment here is extremely compatible with your Nine Heart Begonia Spirit. It is an excellent place for cultivation and a rare opportunity. I have chosen two immortal herbs suitable for you."
He led Ye Zhilan to one side of the valley. The first thing that caught their eyes was an extremely special immortal herb. Its lower stems and leaves were like a curtain of vines, finely combed, but at the top was a golden tulip. Its rich fragrance made one feel clear-headed and refreshed, and that magnificent gold gave a feeling of nobility, elegance, and grace.
"This is the Silk Tulip, known as the king of immortal herbs," Yu Yuanchen said, pointing to it. "It is born from absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and the radiance of the sun and moon. Its function is to consolidate the foundation, expel impurities from the body, and greatly improve the quality of soul power and future cultivation speed. Its medicinal properties are mild and mellow, making it the most suitable for you."
Then, his gaze turned to another immortal herb nearby. It was a flawless white eight-petaled orchid. The petals were like the finest mutton-fat jade, trembling slightly. Its entire body was snow-white and crystal clear, giving a sense of being aloof from the world and untainted by the mundane, emitting a faint, soft white light and a tranquil fragrance.
"This is the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid," Yu Yuanchen continued. "Its medicinal properties are also mild. It functions to nourish yin and replenish yang, benefit qi and nourish blood, and even nourish the divine soul and stabilize the foundation. As far as I know, these two are the Mandarin Duck Immortal Herbs that complement each other. Taking them together yields even better results, and they are a perfect match for your Nine Heart Begonia Spirit."
Ye Zhilan looked at the two immortal herbs, feeling her soul power stir and her mind clear just by being near them. She was incredibly excited. The secret illustrated manual passed down in her family did indeed contain images and brief records of these two herbs, and she knew how precious and rare they were; any one of them would be enough to drive outside Soul Masters mad. "Brother Yuanchen, this... this is too precious..."
"Between us, why say such things?" Yu Yuanchen smiled slightly, his tone gentle but firm. "The opportunity is right before us; how can we miss it? Take them and absorb them as soon as possible, and I will act as your guardian. The energy here is abundant; this is the best timing."
"Mm!" Ye Zhilan took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in her heart, and nodded heavily. Following the specific methods recorded in her family's manual, she carefully cut the Silk Tulip with a metal dagger and picked the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid with a jade utensil.
She first swallowed the petals of the Silk Tulip and immediately felt a mild yet vast, sea-like pure energy dissolving within her. Not daring to be negligent, she immediately found a place with peaceful energy, sat cross-legged, and exerted her soul power to guide and absorb the medicinal power.
Afterward, she consumed the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid. The two medicinal powers, which were of the same origin and complementary, merged perfectly within her, causing her body to emit a soft halo of intertwined light gold and milky white. Her aura continued to rise and condense at a steady and rapid pace, clearly gaining tremendous benefits.
Seeing that Ye Zhilan had successfully entered a state of deep cultivation with a steady aura, Yu Yuanchen felt relieved. His gaze turned toward his own target, his eyes becoming sharp.
He walked to the side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his eyes landing on the two most distinct plants growing right on the bank adjacent to the two springs.
One was on the bank of the milky white cold spring—a large white flower, shaped like a peony, octagonal, but without leaves, with stamens flickering in the center. It emitted no fragrance. The petals were crystal clear, as if carved from the finest ice crystals, radiating an extreme chill that made the soul tremble. This was the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
The other was on the bank of the vermilion hot spring—a plant that was fiery red throughout, with a strange shape like a cabbage, yet it emitted a scorching aura. Its leaves seemed to have invisible flames dancing continuously, and the surrounding air was slightly distorted by the high temperature. This was the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, his eyes firm. He chose these two immortal herbs not for the slight increase in physical strength they could bring—with his physique, which had been tempered by the Thunder Tribulation and had condensed a soul core, such an increase was of little effect.
What he truly needed was the byproduct he would gain after taking them and experiencing the extreme process of ice and fire intertwining to temper himself—absolute immunity to the two extreme attributes of ice and fire!
Only by obtaining this immunity could he enter the deepest part of the Ice and Fire Well without hindrance to explore the greatest secret hidden here, which was also the ultimate goal of his trip—the divine remains of the Ice Fire Dragon King, a true God King level existence that had fallen here!
Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Yuanchen struck like lightning. He first used his soul power to protect his palm and used a specially made cold iron dagger to precisely and quickly cut the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. The moment the immortal herb left the ground, an extreme cold backlash struck, and the blade of the dagger was instantly covered with a thick, indestructible layer of black ice.
He did not stop, his footsteps shifting to reach the other side. With the same swift technique, he used a piece of warm jade to cut the Infernal Delicate Apricot. The scorching aura rushed toward him, and the warm jade piece instantly turned red, as if it were about to melt.
As the two immortal herbs with diametrically opposed attributes left the ground, they immediately erupted with terrifying energy fluctuations. The aura of frost and fire collided, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly. Within ten breaths, Yu Yuanchen quickly stuffed both immortal herbs into his mouth and swallowed them without hesitation after chewing a few times!
"Boom—!"
It was as if a ten-thousand-year iceberg and an underground volcano had been detonated simultaneously within his body! Two tyrannical, peerless torrents of energy—one extremely cold and one extremely hot, enough to instantly destroy a Soul Douluo—exploded and raged wildly within him!
Half of his body was instantly covered in thick ice-blue frost, his blood nearly freezing; the other half became scorching red, as if magma were flowing beneath his skin. The intense pain, enough to drive one mad, felt as if it were tearing his entire body apart!
Yu Yuanchen let out a muffled groan, the veins on his forehead bulging, but his eyes remained calm. He leaped and jumped directly into the center of the spring where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well converged!
"Splash!"
The moment his body was immersed in the spring water, the direct stimulation of the extreme ice and fire energy from the outside combined with the medicinal power of the immortal herbs erupting within him to completely envelop him! The spring water churned and roared violently, and the energy of ice and fire surged wildly into his body, performing the most cruel yet effective tempering!
Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged at the bottom of the spring, centering his mind and exerting his family's meditation method to the fullest. The Thunder God Seal at the center of his brow glowed brightly, and the thunder soul core in his Dantian spun wildly at an unprecedented speed. Vast and majestic purple-gold Thunder True Essence surged out like the most loyal guards and the most efficient furnace, forcibly guiding, suppressing, and refining the two violent, alien energies. He cleverly used the ice and fire power of the external spring water to, in turn, wildly temper every inch of his flesh, every meridian, and every bone!
This process was extremely painful, enough to cause those with weak minds to suffer a mental breakdown. But for him, it was not unbearable.
His physique had long since transcended the mundane, having been tempered multiple times, and his foundation was far deeper than one could imagine. His will had also become tenacious and unshakable through countless trials; this bit of pain was nothing to Yu Yuanchen.
Although the power of ice and fire was tyrannical, it could not truly shake his foundation. Instead, under the coordination and control of his supreme Thunder True Essence, it was cleverly used to identify every subtle flaw and deep-seated omission in his physique that had previously been undetectable or unreachable, ruthlessly shattering them, and then completely reshaping him in a more perfect and powerful way!
His body was like a piece of divine iron being forged by the most extreme Ice and Fire Power in the world, steadily advancing toward the Perfect Realm of flawlessness, purity, and immortal perfection!
Time flowed slowly amidst the extreme pain and tempering. Within the Spring Eye, energy surged and roared, with lightning flickering faintly, creating a terrifying spectacle.
However, after only about an hour, the energy fluctuations in the Spring Water, which had been violently raging and causing palpitations, began to calm down and recede at an astonishing speed, eventually becoming completely internalized.
Splash!
The sound of water rang out as the figure of Yu Yuanchen broke the surface and landed lightly back on the Shore.
At this moment, his skin was as lustrous as jade, faintly revealing a layer of imperceptible pale golden radiance. All traces of pain had long since vanished, replaced by a profound aura of perfection and seamless unity. His eyes were even more Deep and Vast, as if they could contain all things. The Ice Fire Gold Body Refinement was complete!
Not only that, but with a slight shift of his Thought, he could clearly feel an absolute Affinity and Control over both ice and fire elemental energies. Ordinary Ice Element or Fire Element energy would likely be unable to burn or freeze even a fraction of his skin. The Ice Fire Immunity had been perfectly acquired!
He turned his gaze toward Ye Zhilan, who was still cultivating with her eyes closed. Seeing the radiance flowing around her and her aura being more than a notch stronger than before, it was clear that her Immortal Herb Absorption had reached the most critical moment and she was steadily advancing toward a better Realm.
Yu Yuanchen did not disturb her. He walked to the side silently and sat down Cross-legged, acting as her Guardian while silently sensing his own more perfect state, waiting for the moment to explore the final treasure to arrive.
Within the valley, energy hung in the Miasma, quiet and peaceful, with only the radiance of the immortal herbs and the steam from the Spring Water weaving together into an eternal Scroll Painting.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan