It felt like it was going crazy. Although it didn't know who the other party was, the trembling sensation in its body made it feel the aura of death very clearly.
However, Gu Yuena acted as if she didn't notice anything. Her calm purple eyes swept over the trembling plant soul beasts around her, and she lightly opened her lips. Her voice echoed from all directions like the majestic might of thunder.
"Now, kneel before me!"
All the plant soul beasts present trembled at her command. They bent their branches as if kneeling toward Gu Yuena.
Huo Yuhao, standing nearby, was stunned. Despite spending so much time with her, Gu Yuena had always maintained a peaceful demeanor around him. This was the first time he had seen her like this.
He gently squeezed the soft hand still held in his, speaking softly.
"Let me talk to them."
"…Okay."
As a soft hum sounded beside his ear, the terrifying pressure instantly receded like a tide. The sense of surviving a disaster made the plants shiver again, yet none dared to raise their branches, still maintaining their kneeling posture.
Huo Yuhao ignored them and turned his attention to the delicate flower in front of him. His voice was calm as he asked, "May I ask what your name is?"
"I don't have a name, but you can call me Youyou."
Perhaps because Huo Yuhao seemed easier to talk to, Youyou's body trembled slightly, her emotions calming down a bit.
"You're a good human, so… I won't hold it against you for intruding into our home."
Then, with clear dissatisfaction toward Gu Yuena's earlier words, Youyou continued, "And we're not being kept here. The poisonous barrier surrounding us was set up by that person to ensure our safety and prevent humans from entering."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance, both knowing what the other was thinking. Although Gu Yuena's face remained expressionless, Huo Yuhao could tell from her eyes what she meant.
She didn't want to talk to a fool.
Afraid of catching it.
Struggling to hold back a laugh, Huo Yuhao cleared his throat and calmly asked, "Youyou, since you say the poison barrier is for protection, let me ask—can any other plants leave here besides you?"
His calm question echoed in the ears of all the plant soul beasts, drawing a silence.
This was exactly what Huo Yuhao expected. One major reason the Eight-Petal Immortal Herb agreed to become his spirit in his past life was that the poisonous barrier also trapped them, making it impossible to leave.
In fact, without the help of the Youxiang Qiluo Immortal Herb to resist the poison, the plants here couldn't even survive near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It was this fact that allowed Youyou to become the spokesperson for this place.
"Even if… even if things are as you say," Youyou's tone wavered, her beliefs shaken, "that person still helped us. They made arrangements so we could better use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to improve our cultivation."
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched as he looked at the large pink flower in front of him with sympathy.
"Anyone who raises livestock will always try to fatten them up. You should understand this, right?"
As Youyou fell silent, Huo Yuhao spoke calmly, "I'm sure you've already found the answer, haven't you?"
After saying that, he no longer looked at her and pulled Gu Yue Na toward the icy spring that emitted a chilling cold.
Thanks to Gu Yuena's overwhelming presence, the plants along the way hurriedly moved to avoid them. As they neared the spring, Huo Yuhao began to feel the terrifying cold, and instinctively shivered.
Although he possessed an ice attribute martial soul, the quality of the ice energy from Brother Tianmeng wasn't very high. Combined with his low cultivation level, he couldn't fully resist the terrifying cold of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Here will do."
Fortunately, Gu Yuena didn't take him any further. She stopped and focused her gaze on the icy white spring water not far away, her voice taking on a rare seriousness.
"The process may be quite painful. If you can't bear it, scream."
"Alright."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged, releasing his ice-attribute martial soul. As this martial soul had only absorbed the ice energy provided by Brother Tianmeng so far, it was still classified as an elemental-type martial soul. Apart from the faint cold aura surrounding him, it didn't give Huo Yuhao any other notable traits.
"I'm ready."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly. A familiar aura, unique to the Silver Dragon King, spread from her. In an instant, the entire valley surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well began to tremble violently, as if reacting in a chain.
"W-What's happening?!"
All the plants looked at the spring in fear, their natural instincts allowing them to sense the terrifying energy hidden beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Is… that a dragon?"
Youyou's voice trembled. Only after sensing the draconic energy in the well did she understand what Gu Yuena had meant earlier when she referred to them as "parasites relying on the blessings of the dragon race to gain sentience."
"I've lived here for so long, and I never knew there was something like this under the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well…"
The previously calm lake surface began to boil, and with the surge of the Ice Dragon King's residual energy, the already terrifyingly cold temperature plummeted further. Frost rapidly spread across the air above the lake.
Not only that, but the scorching red spring also reacted similarly. The surrounding plants had no doubt that even the smallest drop of this water would be enough to burn the entire valley to ashes.
However, their concerns were unnecessary. Under Gu Yuena's control, the spring water seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to escape in the slightest.
As time passed, two beams of light suddenly shot into the sky from the lake, their blinding brilliance forcing everyone to squint. After a few seconds, the light dimmed, revealing two dragons made of water.
One was white, the other red. Although they appeared to be formed from the lake water, the energy they radiated far surpassed that of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"This…"
Even from a distance, Huo Yuhao could clearly sense the terrifying power within the two dragons. His throat tightened as he glanced at Gu Yuena.
"Weren't you just going to let me absorb a little?"
"I said you could absorb a little, not that we'd only take a little."
Gu Yuena looked at the two dragons, her voice unusually excited. "I'll seal the rest and take it with me. But I didn't expect that the souls of these two dragons hadn't completely dissipated—what a pleasant surprise."
"Will they help you?"
"Mm. Their power is useless to me, but their souls can help restore my strength. And with their cooperation, sealing them will be much easier."
Huo Yuhao's expression twitched, and he asked, "What about the Fire Dragon King?"
"It's for you to absorb as well."
As Gu Yue Na spoke, she gestured with her hand. The two dragons, their eyes flashing with excitement, rushed toward her eagerly.
"The energy of these two Dragon Kings, even if you only absorb a sliver, would be fatal to you. You should be thankful there are two Dragon Kings here, and that they're the opposing elements of ice and fire."
As Gu Yuena did something mysterious, the two dragons shrank as they approached, eventually transforming into two thumb-sized orbs—one red and one white—with intricate dragon patterns on their surfaces.
"Are those… dragon cores?"
As Huo Yuhao muttered in confusion, two faint shadows emerged from the dragon cores and quickly merged into Gu Yuena's body.
"A single attribute would quickly destroy your body, so you must absorb both at once to maintain balance. It will also greatly improve your physique."
Listening to her explanation, Huo Yuhao suddenly recalled something from a past life—an alchemical body achieved by simultaneously absorbing the Eight-Petal Immortal Herb and the Fiery Apricot Inferno. His expression turned odd as he nodded.
"So this is the upgraded version of the Ice and Fire Alchemy Body?"
"Now that you understand, let's begin."
With a simple gesture, Gu Yuena directed two threads of energy from the dragon cores into Huo Yuhao's chest.
Agonizing pain descended instantly.
(End of Chapter)