The frigid and scorching springs fell like rain.
Yu Shuangbai floated in midair, a pair of crystalline wings on his back, their edges traced with crimson patterns.
His eyes were no longer uniformly ice-blue.
One was as cold as blue ice, the other as hot as red flame.
His skin was fair as snow, divine light held within.
He looked like a god descended into the mortal world.
"Xiao Shuangbai!"
The Snow Empress hurried forward and pulled him into her arms.
She held him tight, as if she wanted to meld him into her very body.
Yu Shuangbai didn't resist. He merely patted her back and gently reassured her:
"Elder Sister Xue'er, I'm back."
His heart felt light, the knot in his chest finally undone.
Yu Shuangbai no longer felt uneasy about the future.
He had already touched the realm of the gods!
Becoming a god was no longer a problem.
All he needed was time.
And to decide what path he would take to godhood!
Dugu Bo watched the two figures embracing in the sky.
His expression was complicated.
He could tell.
Ever since Yu Shuangbai emerged from the spring at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, some indescribable, earth-shaking change had taken place within him.
And there was also a hint of inexplicable danger...
After stepping out of the Snow Empress's embrace, Yu Shuangbai gently took her hand and descended to the ground.
The wings on his back folded together.
Nearby, Dugu Yan's cheeks flushed. She raised a small hand to cover her eyes.
Yu Shuangbai's upper-body clothing had been completely torn apart as his wings unfurled.
His sculpted torso, a work of nature's finest craftsmanship, was bare in the open air.
His perfect, art-like muscles made Dugu Yan cover her eyes—though she left a few gaps through which she secretly peeked—and swallow.
A sudden urge to reach out and touch him rose within her.
It was no wonder Dugu Yan reacted that way.
It wasn't that she was a lovesick fool.
After being tempered by the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, Yu Shuangbai's body could now be called perfect.
The Snow Empress keenly noticed Dugu Yan's gaze.
She frowned.
With a cold snort, she took a white robe from her Soul Tool and draped it over Yu Shuangbai with a possessive air.
With the beautiful sight gone, Dugu Yan could only sigh regretfully to herself.
"Senior Dugu, I'm now completely certain that I can rid you and Miss Dugu Yan of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison without any side effects."
"No rush."
Dugu Bo waved a hand.
"It's getting late. You should get some rest first. We can begin tomorrow."
He was eager to get rid of the poison in his and Dugu Yan's bodies, too.
But when he noticed the fleeting weariness in Yu Shuangbai's eyes, he suppressed the urge.
The poison in his and Dugu Yan's bodies wasn't going anywhere.
There was no need to hurry.
It would be better to let Yu Shuangbai rest and get into the best possible condition before treating them.
"Mm." Yu Shuangbai didn't refuse.
After all, he would always fulfill any promise he made.
"I've arranged rooms for you. The conditions are limited, so they aren't luxurious. You'll have to make do for tonight."
"You've been thoughtful, Senior Dugu."
Yu Shuangbai wouldn't demand a luxurious room.
Could anything be more humble than the place he'd lived in the Far North?
There hadn't been any extra furniture in his home there.
Just a house made of ice, an ice table, an ice chair, and an ice bed.
Yu Shuangbai's standards for a place to live were simple.
As long as it was livable.
After comforting the Snow Empress, Yu Shuangbai went to the room Dugu Bo had prepared for him.
He took off his outer robe, got into bed, and pulled up the quilt.
He closed his eyes. Before long, his breathing grew even, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Strictly speaking, however, Yu Shuangbai wasn't truly asleep.
His consciousness had sunk into his Sea of Consciousness.
A few new things had appeared in what had once been an empty expanse.
Two crystal cores, one blue and one red.
They were the Godheads of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King.
There was more.
Two beautiful figures stood there.
One wore a red dress and had a voluptuous figure.
Her lips were like flames, and her smooth hair spilled down her back like fire. Her entire being radiated a sultry, exotic charm.
The other wore a blue dress and had a gentler, colder air about her.
The body Yu Shuangbai had formed from his spiritual power approached the two figures, and he spoke softly:
"Are you both all right, Seniors?"
That was right.
These two figures were none other than the souls of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King from beneath the spring at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
After giving up their Godheads and sacrificing their last remaining strength to Yu Shuangbai, they should have vanished from the world, their souls scattered beyond recovery.
But perhaps it was the strange reaction caused by the simultaneous sacrifices of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King.
Or perhaps it was due to Yu Shuangbai's own unusual power.
Whatever the reason, the Dragon Kings' souls hadn't been completely destroyed.
Instead, they had remained in Yu Shuangbai's Sea of Consciousness.
They had become something like Electrolux, the Death God of Holy Spirits from Douluo II.
"Not bad. At least it's better than staying in that lightless space."
The Fire Dragon King sounded quite pleased.
Though she and the Ice Dragon King had sacrificed themselves expecting their souls to be scattered, keeping their consciousness in the world was certainly better.
Though they were dwelling in Yu Shuangbai's Sea of Consciousness, both Dragon Kings were already quite content.
At least now, with Yu Shuangbai's permission, they could observe the outside world through his eyes.
By comparison, during the tens of thousands of years they had spent beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they had known nothing but endless solitude and the feeling of their dragon souls slowly fading away.
Life in Yu Shuangbai's Sea of Consciousness was simply wonderful.
The Ice Dragon King nodded slightly as well.
Clearly, she was satisfied with how things were, too.
"Though we don't know the exact reason,"
"our dragon souls are now remarkably stable."
"But we're bound to you completely. Leaving is no longer possible."
Though she said that, the Ice Dragon King didn't seem to mind.
So what if they were bound together?
Even without this, their souls should have been scattered long ago.
At least now they could see what the world looked like in a later age through Yu Shuangbai's eyes.
"Of course, we won't live in your Sea of Consciousness for free."
"If you have any questions about cultivation, just come to us."
"Think of it as rent for staying in your Sea of Consciousness."
The Ice Dragon King spoke softly.
The Fire Dragon King beside her nodded in agreement.
"Then I'll be relying on you both from now on, Seniors."
Yu Shuangbai was delighted.
That meant that in addition to the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, two teachers who were Super Douluo and Limit Douluo, he now had two more teachers at the Half-Step God King level.
His path of cultivation would be smooth sailing.
Before you continue