Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well
Soaking in the extreme Yin-Yang spring water, Li Chang'an slowly opened his eyes. His consciousness had returned to his physical body from that mysterious plaza.
At this moment, after merging with the statue, Li Chang'an naturally acquired some information—memories inherited through his bloodline. These memories revealed the truth about the mysterious plaza and the ancient, solemn statues within.
That plaza, with its array of statues, did not truly exist in reality. It was more like a dream-like illusion.
The so-called plaza and statues were merely manifestations shaped by his subconscious perception. If someone else entered this space, they might perceive entirely different forms.
In essence, Li Chang'an had just been in a dream-like state.
As for the statues in the plaza, they represented the various bloodlines deeply rooted in his soul. The statues' ashen and lifeless appearances symbolized dormant bloodlines yet to be activated.
Li Chang'an still couldn't fully comprehend why his previous life's bloodline contained so many mythical beast lineages. However, he speculated that his ancient ancestors might have hunted and consumed these mythical beasts, integrating their bloodlines into their genes, which were then passed down to their descendants.
After all, ancient texts like the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (Shan Hai Jing), which modern people often regard as records of mythical beasts, could also be interpreted as exotic culinary guides. Such records suggest that ancient people indeed hunted and consumed these creatures, making the inheritance of their bloodlines plausible.
As for why these bloodlines persisted even after his reincarnation, the only explanation was that the bloodlines of these mythical beasts were not limited to the physical body. Instead, they were deeply imprinted in the soul, forming intricate genetic templates. Since Li Chang'an's soul originated from his previous world, he naturally carried these mythical bloodlines with him.
In his original, law-depleted world, Li Chang'an would never have been able to activate these ancient mythical bloodlines in his lifetime.
But in the world of Douluo, he now had the possibility of awakening these ancient bloodlines.
By consuming the Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs and bathing in the unique environment of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he had inadvertently activated one of his mythical genes!
The previously lifelike statue standing out among the ashen ones in the plaza symbolized the initial activation of a bloodline.
"Who would've thought that eating some celestial herbs and soaking in a hot spring could unexpectedly awaken my dormant bloodline?" Li Chang'an thought to himself.
Yet he didn't blindly assume that the mythical beast bloodlines from his previous life were necessarily superior to this world's divine beasts.
After all, without direct comparison, who could say which was stronger? Myths were often exaggerated. Whether these mythical beasts were truly as powerful as described remained unknown. Moreover, since his ancestors had hunted and consumed them, their prestige was inevitably diminished.
In his past life, Li Chang'an was an ordinary person. If not for reincarnation and the coincidental awakening of his ancient bloodlines, he might have continued to believe that his previous world was merely an ordinary technological world.
So, despite the activation of his mythical beast bloodline, he wasn't overly excited. After all, the bloodline had only been partially activated. He still needed to awaken it fully to truly access its power.
How to Awaken the Bloodline?
The answer was simple: Energy!
Pure and immense energy!
Though the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Spring was rich in energy, its quality wasn't pure enough to fully awaken his bloodline.
Li Chang'an shifted his gaze downward—to the depths of the spring.
"After all, this is the corpse of a divine beast. Immortality and incorruptibility should be the basics, right? I wonder if its meat is edible or if it contains a lot of energy?"
"Also, I remember that divine beasts in this world are supposed to have inner cores, right?"
"If I can find the Ice and Fire Dragon King's inner core, its divine power should be enough to fully awaken my bloodline!"
Without hesitation, Li Chang'an turned and dove deeper into the spring's depths.
After consuming two celestial herbs, he felt entirely at ease in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Spring. He no longer needed oxygen; the energy in the surrounding spring water supplied all the nutrients his body required.
Like a fish in water, he swam freely and effortlessly downward.
As Li Chang'an dove deeper, the passage around him widened, and the temperature of the water became more extreme—hotter and colder at the same time.
The water in the spring contained the elemental energies of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, making it extraordinarily dangerous. Without the resistance gained from the two celestial herbs, he would have been corroded entirely just by touching the water.
The further he went, the greater the resistance he faced.
The passage leading downward seemed like a path to the abyss itself!
Li Chang'an felt a chill deep in his heart, but the potential benefits awaiting below pushed him forward. Determined, he continued downward with all his might. The passage expanded further into a massive space.
The peculiar sight brought a scene to his mind—the two Dragon Kings' corpses crashing down like meteors, piercing the ground with terrifying force, and burrowing deep into the earth. At this depth, their opposing elemental powers must have exploded violently, akin to a volcanic eruption!
Over countless millennia, the eruption site stabilized, the surrounding earth forming a basin, and the opposing forces of ice and fire slowly harmonized under nature's influence, ultimately creating the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Spring.
Nature's wonders were truly astonishing, Li Chang'an thought with awe.
As he continued downward, the energy in the water grew purer, signaling his proximity to the core. The surface energy of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Spring was merely a diluted remnant.
Yet even this diluted energy had created a treasure trove on the surface. It was a testament to the power of the two Dragon Kings when they were alive.
According to records from his previous life, these two Dragon Kings were said to be peak first-class gods, just below the God King level. Even their residual power after death had created such a miraculous site. Clearly, the gods of this world were far from weak.
"I wonder if fully awakening my ancient mythical bloodline would make me stronger or weaker than the gods of this world," Li Chang'an mused.
But that would only become clear with time. For now, he dived deeper into the abyss, chasing his goal.
(End of Chapter)