Within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Valley, time passed silently amidst the dense tides of energy. Yu Yuanchen sat quietly by the spring, his aura perfectly rounded and restrained, as if he had merged into one with the world around him.
While acting as a guardian for Ye Zhilan, he was also carefully contemplating the sense of perfect coordination his body presented after achieving Ice Fire Immunity.
After about half a day, the halo of bright gold and milky white that enveloped Ye Zhilan in the center of the valley suddenly flared with intense light! A vast Life Aura surged forth like a spring tide, intermingled with an indescribable, noble status that felt as if it could command all the plants in the world.
The halo slowly receded, eventually sinking entirely into Ye Zhilan's body. Her already exquisite and peerless face now possessed an even more ethereal, immortal charm; her skin was so supple and radiant it seemed as if it could be pinched to draw water, and her entire being exuded a refreshing fragrance of vegetation.
She exhaled a long breath of stale air and slowly opened her beautiful eyes. In that instant, the shadows of ten thousand plants seemed to grow endlessly within the depths of her pupils, filled with an indescribable vitality and spirit.
"Level Seventy!" Feeling the vast soul power surging within her body, far exceeding what she had possessed before, a look of incredulous joy appeared on her pretty face. The medicinal effects of the two immortal herbs had complemented each other, forcefully pushing her soul power from level sixty-five to the bottleneck of level seventy. She was now only one soul ring away from officially stepping into the Soul Sage realm! This was not just a surge in soul power level, but a slight leap in her life level.
However, the greater change came from her spirit.
With a thought, she subconsciously summoned her spirit. It was no longer the single, pure white Nine Heart Begonia of the past, but a much more miraculous flower.
The main body of the flower remained in the form of a begonia, yet it was far more intricate and magnificent. The petals displayed a noble white-gold hue, while the stamen was wreathed in milky-white Immortal Spiritual Qi. The entire begonia seemed to have come alive, creating a wondrous resonance with all the immortal herbs and exotic flowers in the vicinity.
Even more peculiar was that countless tiny green specks of light swirled and danced around the flower. Upon closer inspection, those specks were actually miniature shadows of ten thousand plants! The entire spirit radiated vast life force and a strange majesty that commanded all vegetation.
"Brother Yuanchen, my spirit..." Ye Zhilan looked at Yu Yuanchen in excitement, her voice trembling slightly, "It has evolved! I can feel it—the shackles of the Nine Heart Begonia have been broken!"
She couldn't wait to share her experience: "Not only has the original healing effect been greatly enhanced, but... my body seems to have been nourished by my spirit in return!" She extended her slender jade hands and used her fingernail to lightly scratch a shallow bloodstain on her other arm.
A strange scene occurred: the shallow scratch healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few seconds, it recovered as if nothing had happened, leaving not even a trace! "I feel my whole body is filled with endless vitality; some minor injuries can heal almost instantly! My physique has also improved significantly."
After speaking, Ye Zhilan leaped lightly, as agile as a swallow. She threw a casual punch that carried a sharp sound of breaking air, striking a green stone nearby. The stone shattered, leaving a deep fist print in its place. Yu Yuanchen saw clearly that Ye Zhilan hadn't used a shred of soul power just now.
A look of surprise flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. He took Ye Zhilan's hand and probed with his soul power, then mused, "From my observation, your physical strength alone is now no weaker than some of the weaker tool soul masters or agility attack system beast soul masters of the same level!"
After a pause, Yu Yuanchen continued his analysis: "The Aromatic Silk Beauty is the king of immortal herbs, and the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid has a mild and mellow medicinal nature. Their combination likely completely ignited the vast Life Origin contained deep within your Nine Heart Begonia spirit. This Life Origin may have been used mostly for external healing in the past, but now it has begun to truly nourish you, giving you the prototype of an immortal body. Such a stroke of fortune is truly heaven-defying."
Ye Zhilan's beautiful eyes grew even brighter. She activated her spirit again, and with a thought, she tried to point toward an ordinary medicinal herb not far away. The herb seemed to receive some kind of summons; its leaves moved without wind and slowly bent toward her, as if worshipping a monarch.
She moved her thoughts again, and a rustling sound came from the ground as several tough vines broke through the soil, dancing around her like spirit snakes.
"Also, I think... I can control plants!" Ye Zhilan was both shocked and delighted. "Although it's still very weak, I can feel their emotions and guide their growth and movements!"
Yu Yuanchen was even more surprised, but he still nodded slightly and analyzed: "The Aromatic Silk Beauty possesses the status of the 'king of immortal herbs' and can command all flora. This status, combined with your spirit and your previous cultivation in the nature change of wood attribute soul power, has sublimated, allowing you to derive the ability to control plants. It can be considered reasonable."
"This is not forced control, but more like a natural guidance and blessing from a higher life form to a lower one. In time, it may develop into a unique control system ability. This ability has infinite uses; it can be used for both offense and defense, enough to grant you the means of a control system soul master," Yu Yuanchen added.
After listening to Yu Yuanchen's analysis, Ye Zhilan nodded in agreement and continued to perceive the changes in her spirit. Suddenly, the joy in her eyes was replaced by a deeper emotion. She closed her eyes and carefully sensed the changes deep within her bloodline.
After a long while, she opened her eyes abruptly, and tears flowed uncontrollably—tears of extreme excitement and relief.
"Brother Yuanchen... it's broken... it's really broken!" Her voice choked with sobs, filled with unspeakable ecstasy. "I can feel it... that curse, the fateful curse that only two Nine Heart Begonia soul masters could exist at once... it has disappeared! From now on, the descendants of the Ye Family will never be bound by this again!"
This nightmare that had plagued the Ye Family for countless generations had finally been terminated in her generation! For the entire family, this was a heaven-sent gift!
A massive sense of joy and gratitude instantly overwhelmed Ye Zhilan's reason. She could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart; she lunged forward, wrapped her arms tightly around Yu Yuanchen, and stood on her tiptoes, pressing her soft, moist lips against his without hesitation.
This kiss was sudden, yet it felt like the natural culmination of events. It was as if she were pouring all the risks, all the gratitude, and all her affection into it.
Yu Yuanchen was slightly stunned, then felt the light trembling of the delicate body in his arms and the warmth of her lips. The softest part of his heart was touched. He was not cold-hearted; with such deep affection from a beauty who had accompanied him throughout this journey, how could he remain unmoved? He slowly raised his hands, gently wrapping them around Ye Zhilan's slender waist, and responded to this kiss filled with joy and determination.
Within the valley, the swirling seven-colored mist flowed slowly, the Ice and Fire spring eyes bubbled, and the exotic flowers and plants bloomed quietly, as if blessing the lovers. After a long time, they parted.
Ye Zhilan's cheeks were flushed like ripe apples, looking stunningly beautiful. She buried her head deep into Yu Yuanchen's chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat, her heart filled with peace and happiness.
"Brother Yuanchen, thank you... thank you for everything you've done for me." Her voice was as faint as a mosquito, yet sincere and heartfelt.
Yu Yuanchen gently stroked her hair and whispered, "Between us, there is no need for thanks. Besides, apart from the opportunity, this is a breakthrough you achieved through your own efforts."
Yu Yuanchen pondered for a moment, looking at the brand-new begonia flower. "The name Nine Heart Begonia is no longer enough to describe its current miraculous nature. It has fused the essence of the king of immortal herbs, undergone a leap in life level, and contains infinite vitality and possibilities. Perhaps it can be called—the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia."
"Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia..." Ye Zhilan murmured the name, liking it more the more she said it. She looked up, her eyes full of radiance. "Good! From now on, my spirit shall be called the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia!"
After her excitement subsided, Ye Zhilan noticed the change in Yu Yuanchen's aura—a feeling of being perfectly rounded, flawless, and unfathomable. Being highly intelligent, she immediately thought of Yu Yuanchen's act of consuming the immortal herb and jumping into the spring eye earlier, and asked with concern, "Brother Yuanchen, your ice and fire body tempering..."
"It is complete." Yu Yuanchen smiled calmly. "Now, this ice and fire spring water is like a hot spring bath to me. I intend to take this opportunity to explore the bottom of the spring eye."
Hearing this, a trace of worry flashed in Ye Zhilan's eyes, but seeing Yu Yuanchen's confident and composed look, and thinking of the unfathomable strength he had just displayed, she swallowed her words of dissuasion. She knew well that the man before her had high aspirations and was by no means a creature of the pond. She squeezed his hand tightly and said softly, "Be careful in everything. I will wait for you here."
Yu Yuanchen nodded: "Rest assured, I will return shortly."
He walked to the intersection of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, took a deep breath, and leaped, diving into the spring water once again.
Unlike the energy impact he felt during his body tempering earlier, the spring water was now incredibly docile toward him. The extreme cold and extreme heat energies flowed over his body, and instead of causing any discomfort, he felt a sense of ease, like a fish in water.
His entire body radiated a faint golden-red halo—the manifestation of his Ice Fire Immunity—which completely isolated the terrifying power of the spring water.
Yu Yuanchen swam like a fish toward the deepest part of the spring eye. The further down he went, the dimmer the light became. Everything around him was pitch black, and the water pressure increased sharply, enough to crush refined iron.
But for Yu Yuanchen's now monstrous physique, although the water pressure was strong, it was far from his limit. His Spiritual Power spread out like a tide, sensing the environment underwater.
After diving about a hundred meters, a faint light appeared from below. The light was not the color of the spring water, but originated from even deeper down. Yu Yuanchen accelerated his descent, and after another few dozen meters, the view suddenly opened up!
The bottom of the spring was not silt, but a huge, mirror-smooth jade platform. Resting on the platform were two colossal beast skeletons that were shocking to behold!
One skeleton was a deep ice-blue, its bones crystal clear as if carved from ten-thousand-year black ice. Even after being silent for eons, it still radiated an extreme chill capable of freezing the soul and an indescribable, ancient Dragon Might.
The other skeleton was a blazing crimson red, its bones like cooled lava, with dark red flame patterns slowly flowing on the surface. It radiated a terrifying heat capable of burning the world, along with an equally vast Dragon Might!
The two dragon skeletons were intertwined, their bones covered in shocking scars, as if they had experienced a battle of the gods so tragic that they had perished together here.
Their size far exceeded any soul beast Yu Yuanchen had ever seen. Even as mere skeletons, they exuded a supreme majesty belonging to the spirit-level domain, transcending the mortal world!
The remains of the Ice Fire Dragon King! The place where two true God Kings, two of the Nine Great Dragon Kings under the Dragon God, had fallen!
Although he had long since guessed it, seeing this scene that resembled a miracle with his own eyes still stirred up monstrous waves in the heart of Yu Yuanchen.
He could clearly feel that within these two dragon skeletons, there still resided unimaginably Vast divine power and incomplete Law Fragments! This was the true root cause of the formation of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and also the greatest treasure of this place.
He slowly approached, and the closer he got, the more intense the invisible pressure originating from the level of life became. However, the moment his palm was about to touch the Ice Blue Dragon Skeleton—
"Hum—!"
The two dormant dragon skeletons suddenly erupted with dazzling Ice Blue and Crimson Divine Light! Two Dragon Soul Phantoms, solidified countless times over and radiating monstrous fury and boundless sorrow, ascended from the skeletons! The dragon souls were as solid as Substance, with flames of anger burning within their Dragon Eyes, emitting silent roars as they carried the divine power of the ice and fire origins, rushing toward Yu Yuanchen like two Torrents of Destruction!
This impact was far beyond anything comparable to the dissipated energy in the Spring Water from before! This was the residual obsession and instinctive counterattack of god-level dragon souls!
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan