DD2 [562-563] (Patreon)

Chapter 562: Gu Yuena's Sorrow, the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well

Outside Heaven Dou City.

Sunset Forest.

Vivid emerald blossoms bloomed in splendor. Layer upon layer of mist veiled the sky; each billow of fog was like cotton, gently rolling as if a sea of clouds were steaming.

The mist seemed alive—expanding and contracting with a rhythmic cadence. Its colors were bright and prismatic, carrying an uncanny vitality.

"Buzz!"

A flash of silver; space trembled.

A vortex suddenly appeared in midair, and two figures stepped out of it.

Silver hair streaming, robes fluttering—Gu Yuena tread upon the void. Her features were exquisite, otherworldly. Amethyst eyes flickered, exuding a mysterious nobility.

"So this is the place you spoke of—the tomb of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings?"

Her red lips parted slightly as Gu Yuena swept her gaze below, violet eyes rippling with light.

Su Yu held Gu Yuena's soft hand in his left palm—warm, smooth, and silken, irresistibly pleasant to the touch.

His starry eyes swept across the scene; he nodded slightly. "There is an Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well here—an extreme hot spring and an extreme cold spring together forge this blessed land."

"These Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flower are able to grow so lush largely thanks to the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well."

As his words fell, Su Yu gently released Gu Yuena's hand. With a light step, he pierced through the fog and reached the deepest part.

It was a valley. Though not large in area, it teemed with all manner of plants.

Wherever the eye fell, flowers vied in splendor; various flora bore heavy fruit, shedding a faint treasure-like glow.

Most striking of all was a lake at the valley's center, split cleanly into two halves: milky white and fiery red.

From the two halves rose purest cold and searing heat.

Dense heaven-and-earth essence surged from the lake, filling the entire valley.

Gu Yuena's gaze was drawn to the lake at once. Her violet eyes rippled, and faint sorrow and wistfulness flickered within.

"This fluctuation of energy—so it really is them."

She murmured softly. Having seen it with her own eyes, if she still couldn't recognize the source of this ice-fire power, she would no longer be Gu Yuena.

"Their remains should be at the bottom of this lake."

Gu Yuena spoke.

Su Yu nodded. "That's why I asked you to come. Na'er, I'm counting on you."

Gu Yuena's response was noncommittal. Her gaze swept over the surrounding plants; her fine brows arched slightly.

With her vision, it was easy to see how unusual these plants were.

To put it bluntly, the flora here were all treasures rarely found in the outside world.

"Leave these little fellows to me."

Understanding, Su Yu lightly let go of Gu Yuena's hand. With a step, he arrived above the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.

Upon seeing that familiar figure, the immortal herbs around him all trembled with fear.

Especially the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot rooted in the twin springs—they looked as if they had seen a ghost.

"Human, y-you… why are you here again?"

A large violet blossom narrowed its petals, its voice quivering.

Ever since Su Yu had robbed it of the Beautiful Silk Tulip, the last person it wanted to see was him.

This guy Su Yu was basically a bandit.

"That's right, you took quite a lot last time. We don't have any essence left to give you."

Another shaky voice came—it was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

When Su Yu left last time, he took away plenty of immortal herb essences, including its own.

"You already took my Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal. I don't have any new core for you."

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass spoke timidly, terrified.

Don't forget, Su Yu possessed ultimate ice; it felt that it might be in the most dangerous position of all.

The many immortal herbs chattered one after another; only the Infernal Delicate Apricot remained silent.

It was terrified of Su Yu.

Last time, he had even sliced off part of its main body. Merely seeing him, it didn't dare utter a peep.

"Enough!"

Su Yu's sword-like brows knit; a tyrannical aura burst forth.

This pressure, nearly surpassing the quasi-god realm, descended like Mount Tai, forcing the immortal herbs to bow low.

"Th-this…"

The Beautiful Silk Tulip was terrified to the core, its body trembling under the oppression.

The other immortal herbs also shivered, a strong sense of mortal peril wrapping their hearts.

Faced with this overpowering pressure, they couldn't even muster the will to resist.

"This time, I've come only to take what belongs to my dragon clan."

"You have two choices: come with me, or stay here and wait for death. There is no third path."

Su Yu's voice was indifferent, brooking no argument.

"W-what do you intend to do?"

A bad premonition rose in the Beautiful Silk Tulip's heart. Perhaps Su Yu had come to do something earth-shattering.

Su Yu looked at it coldly. "You speak too much. This is not for you to ask."

Without waiting for their consent, he waved his right hand. One by one, unawakened herbs rose into the air,

then, like swallows returning to their nests, they shot toward Su Yu and slipped into the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse at his waist.

Seeing Su Yu's strip-the-earth sweep, the immortal herbs understood: he intended to take everything in one net.

"Y-you can't do this!"

Though afraid, the Beautiful Silk Tulip still tried to stop him.

But Su Yu ignored it. Under his pressure, these herbs had no ability to resist.

A pressure beyond quasi-god was enough to render these herbs—each comparable to a Title Douluo—completely immobile.

One after another, herbs were harvested by Su Yu, gradually including those ten-thousand-year-old herbs that had developed intelligence.

The immortal herbs watched anxiously, but could do nothing.

After about half an hour, Su Yu had categorized and stored the herbs in the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse.

His gaze swept across the remaining immortal herbs. Su Yu spoke blandly, "Today, I'm taking my dragon clan's possession. This Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well will gradually lose its wonder in the future."

"If any of you are willing to follow me, I can arrange a new place for you."

"If you're firmly unwilling, don't blame me for being rude."

"Th-this is robbery—banditry!"

The Black Jade Divine Bamboo protested.

At this point, who couldn't understand?

Su Yu intended to ruin the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.

How could they allow that?

Moreover, Su Yu had no credibility whatsoever with them.

Their impression of him was abysmal.

"I'm merely reclaiming what belongs to my dragon clan. This Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well has always been ours."

"Strictly speaking, everything that grows here belongs to the dragon clan as well. Giving you a choice is me saving face for you."

"At the root, you have no right to refuse."

Su Yu snorted coldly, his aura growing even sharper.

Chapter 563: The Immortal Herbs Surrender, the Dragon Kings' Remnants

It was as if the air itself howled. Invisible pressure bore down so that none of the immortal herbs could raise their heads.

These herbs had nearly never suffered setbacks.

They had never encountered someone as domineering and unreasonable as Su Yu.

Resisting was out of the question.

Before Su Yu, they had no room to resist.

"Na'er, begin."

Su Yu grabbed with both hands, forcibly yanking the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot from the yin-yang twin springs.

This brute force made the other herbs shiver even harder.

"Live, or die?"

Su Yu's tone carried no emotion, only cold indifference.

Confronted directly by his gaze, the two herbs were the first to be drowned by the invisible pressure.

"I'm willing to follow you."

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass spoke decisively, without the slightest hesitation, leaving the Infernal Delicate Apricot stunned.

"Oh?"

Su Yu's eyes flickered with surprise.

"I've been here for ten thousand years," said the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. "I'm tired of everything here. I want to follow you to see a wider world."

Su Yu's brows lifted slightly. In the original, this herb left with Huo Yuhao.

It seemed its intention hadn't changed.

Eyes lowered, Su Yu said calmly, "You're good, but your age is too low for me."

"Don't worry—I'll find a suitable master for you."

He had decided to leave the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass for Meng Hongchen.

With hundred-thousand years of cultivation, it would be perfect as Meng Hongchen's eighth soul ring.

Because it is a special immortal herb, it's far stronger than an ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beast.

"Octagonal, you…"

The Infernal Delicate Apricot was shocked; the others were equally incredulous, unable to understand its thinking.

"Jiao Jiao, instead of staying here forever, it's better to follow the lord and see a new world. Believe me—following him won't disappoint you."

Sensing Su Yu's aura, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had great confidence in him.

How long had it been? Not even two years, yet Su Yu had grown so terrifyingly strong.

It believed his eventual achievements would not be inferior to that person from ten thousand years ago.

Following Su Yu, while seemingly reckless, was in fact wise.

The Infernal Delicate Apricot fell silent.

Its feelings toward Su Yu were complicated.

Fear outweighed approval by far.

"But we can't leave this place. We're plant-type soul beasts—away too long and we can't survive."

That was their common flaw.

Their cultivation came from the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, making them highly dependent on it.

They couldn't just live anywhere.

Especially the two of them, with extremely polar attributes and very strict environmental needs.

"This…"

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass looked to Su Yu. What the Apricot said was indeed a problem.

"My Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse can sustain immortal herbs," Su Yu said. "In the short term, you can stay inside."

"Later, I'll find you a suitable master."

The Infernal Delicate Apricot was extraordinary—

Whether as a soul ring or as a herb body, it was supreme.

Part of its essence and main body had once helped Ma Xiaotao break through to ultimate fire.

Its attribute was ultimate fire, making it suitable for Ma Xiaotao or Di Mingli.

Ma Xiaotao's Ultimate Fire Phoenix and Di Mingli's Three-Eyed Golden Lion both possessed ultimate fire.

Either could make use of the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

Hearing this, the Apricot finally agreed.

It had no choice—refusal meant death.

Su Yu's stance hardly suggested he would allow refusal.

The Apricot chose to be practical; it didn't want to die so pitifully.

"Na'er!"

After putting away the two herbs, Su Yu called softly.

Gu Yuena glided to a position above the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.

Her violet eyes swept lightly over the springs, growing increasingly deep.

She formed seals with both hands and lifted gently, as if an invisible force spread outward.

The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well began to tremble; the entire valley shook with it.

"Th-this is…"

The Beautiful Silk Tulip and the others instinctively felt something was wrong, as if doomsday was approaching.

But Su Yu and Gu Yuena had no time for them. As the twin springs quivered, something seemed to be drawn forth.

Gurgle, gurgle!

Cold and hot springs overflowed, spreading outward.

Many herbs hastily retracted their roots and leaves, scrambling to avoid the flow.

Though they had grown by the Yin Yang Well and could adapt to its environment,

that didn't mean they could directly touch the spring water.

Only the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot could survive directly in the springs.

As for the others, contact with such extremes would mean instant annihilation.

"Help! He's killing herbs!"

The Beautiful Silk Tulip shrieked. Being a neutral herb, even a touch of either spring would spell its doom.

Panic spread among the herbs as they swayed in fear.

"Noisy."

Annoyed, Su Yu glanced over just as the Beautiful Silk Tulip leapt straight into his arms.

"Save me!"

Faced with mortal peril, it was the quickest to defect.

Su Yu chuckled, pinched it up, and tucked it into the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse.

With its example set, the others, after some struggle, also chose to go with Su Yu.

Go with him, or die now in the springs—an easy choice,

even if it wasn't one they wanted to make.

After stowing all the herbs away, a faint smile flashed in Gu Yuena's eyes and her movements quickened.

Large swathes of the cold and hot springs overflowed, nearly flooding the entire valley.

With a crashing roar, two colossal forms emerged from the Yin Yang Well.

Sheets of springwater pattered down like rain as the two giants gradually revealed themselves.

They were towering remains, hundreds of meters long—one entirely fiery red, like living flame,

the other pure blue, shrouded in layers of frost.

Ultimate heat and ultimate cold answered one another.

An unimaginably dense heaven-and-earth essence spread from the two skeletons through the valley.

In an instant, vine-type soul beasts on the cliff walls began to grow wildly.

"Roaaar!" ×2

Two high, resonant dragon roars rang out. The fearsome dragon might nearly froze space itself.

On the twin skeletons, blue and red lights entwined, forming twin streams of energy.

The streams roamed and gradually took shape as two illusory dragon shadows.