"Yue Guan?" Qian Daoliu frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, he finally dug that name out of his memory.
"The Soul Douluo at level eighty-three who spent all day posing with an orchid hand?
Wouldn't taking him along slow us down?"
"We need his brain, not his fighting."
At this point in the timeline, Yue Guan was probably still painfully grinding out seniority, nowhere near the threshold of becoming a Titled Douluo.
But he was currently the closest thing Douluo Continent had to a botanical encyclopedia. Without him, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well would be nothing but starving beside a mountain of gold.
"Fine! We'll do as you say!" Qian Daoliu acted swiftly and decisively, immediately sending someone out.
"Summon Yue Guan. Have him report to the Elder Hall at once."
A short while later.
In the outer hall of Spirit Hall, Yue Guan was watering his beloved potted plants in his own courtyard when he received the summons.
"The Worship Hall? The Grand Pontiff is personally summoning me?"
Nervousness filled Yue Guan's face, which was even more delicate than a woman's.
He had only recently advanced to level eighty-three as a Soul Douluo. Normally, it was difficult enough for him to even catch a glimpse of the Pope.
Why was the Grand Pontiff looking for him? Had he been found out for secretly using the Pope Hall's premium flower fertilizer two days ago?
With a heavy heart, Yue Guan arrived at the Elder Hall, trembling with fear.
The moment he entered,
Grand Pontiff Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, while beside him stood a handsome man with shoulder-length white hair and deep, unfathomable eyes.
Was that the Pope?
When had the Pope become like this?
"This subordinate, Yue Guan, pays respects to the Grand Pontiff! And to... Your Holiness the Pope!"
Cold sweat poured down Yue Guan's face. Why had the Pope's aura become so...
And what was with that head of white hair?
"Rise."
Qian Xunji looked down at the trembling, effeminate man before him, a capitalist's smile curling across his lips. "Yue Guan, pack your things.
My father and I are taking you to Sunset Forest to stock up."
Sunset Forest.
With the system's guidance,
the group quickly found the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The three of them descended to the bottom of the valley. At this time, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was completely unclaimed territory.
Dugu Bo, that Old Poison, was probably still off somewhere playing with snakes, suffering from snake venom as a Soul Sage.
What greeted their eyes was an extraordinary spring where scarlet and azure waters intertwined, surrounded by a ring of plants radiating precious light in every color.
Yue Guan had been trembling with fear the entire way. His legs were still weak when he landed, but the moment he clearly saw the scene around him, his entire body froze. His peach-blossom eyes widened as round as bells.
"This... this is one of the legendary Three Great Treasure Basins, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
Yue Guan's voice trembled.
He scrambled toward a white herb that emitted icy air, his hands hovering in midair, wanting to touch it but not daring to.
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, that's Infernal Delicate Apricot, and... heavens, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum."
Yue Guan felt that he had never fought such a wealthy battle in his life.
Seeing Yue Guan's uncultured appearance, Qian Xunji patted him on the shoulder and spoke calmly.
"Since you recognize them, get to work. Use your most professional methods: jade for jade, gold for gold. Don't damage their roots or medicinal properties."
"I want every Immortal Herb here."
Yue Guan shuddered all over, immediately putting away that lovestruck expression as his face turned incomparably solemn.
He pulled out all kinds of jade boxes and golden scissors from his Storage Soul Tool, swiftly getting to work as Spirit Hall's strongest old farmer.
As a plant-type Soul Douluo who loved flowers more than life itself, having him do this was even more motivating than granting him a promotion or a fortune.
Watching the busy Yue Guan, Qian Xunji turned to Qian Daoliu and said,
"Father, the feng shui of this place is excellent. Plants can grow here at ten times their normal speed. It can continue producing in the future. Once we return, send two trustworthy elders here to remain stationed permanently. Establish a restricted zone around the perimeter. Anyone who enters without permission dies."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly.
Having discovered such a treasured land that seized the fortune of heaven and earth, they naturally would not let it go.
Very soon, Yue Guan had stripped the outer area clean of all the oldest Immortal Herbs and respectfully laid them out before Qian Xunji.
Qian Xunji swept his gaze across the pile of radiant Immortal Herbs.
He naturally had no use for the twin ice-and-fire herbs. His Martial Soul was now the Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel, following a path of ultimate darkness, destruction, and devouring. He could save them for his future children.
Soon, his gaze settled on a strange lotus that was pitch-black from stem to petal, its petals slowly rotating like miniature black holes.
"Your Holiness the Pope has a keen eye."
Following his gaze, Yue Guan lowered his voice and explained,
"This is the Nether Soul-Devouring Lotus, which grows at the edge of the Yin-Yang Well's most yin location.
"It naturally contains the power of shadow and devouring. If an ordinary Soul Master touches it directly, his Soul Power will be drained dry in an instant, leaving him a withered skeleton."
"This one."
Qian Xunji wasted no words. He reached out and drew the Nether Soul-Devouring Lotus into his palm.
Fallen Angel Soul Power instantly wrapped around the lotus, forcibly suppressing its backlash before he swallowed it.
There was no violent clash of energy, nor any agonizing cleansing of marrow and remolding of flesh.
The moment the Nether Soul-Devouring Lotus entered his body, it transformed into an incomparably pure black torrent, which the Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel within him greedily devoured completely.
Qian Xunji's Soul Power, which had been stuck at level eighty-nine, broke through beneath the cleansing surge of this extreme darkness from the same origin as easily as a sheet of thin paper being pierced.
Level ninety came naturally.
The moment his Soul Power broke through, the system notification sounded in his mind as expected.
[Detected that the host has successfully intercepted an Immortal Herb, severing a major opportunity for the original protagonist group] [Mission rewards issued: one Adaptive Soul Ring, comprehensive basic Soul Tool technology manual]
Without any warning, ripples spread through the surrounding air.
A colorless Spirit Ring simply appeared out of thin air above Qian Xunji's head.
Though it looked utterly ordinary, its aura seemed innately compatible with his Fallen Angel Martial Soul.
At the same time, a memory crystal engraved with intricate arrays silently fell into his palm.
Qian Daoliu, standing beside him, was shocked inwardly.
As a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, his perception of the surrounding space was sharp to the extreme.
There had absolutely been no energy fluctuations there a moment ago, yet this strange Spirit Ring and that peculiar crystal
had simply descended directly into reality.
No soul beast had died. This was true creation from the void.
Qian Xunji stood up, casually playing with the memory crystal containing Soul Tool technology in his hand as he met Qian Daoliu's gaze.
"Father, the gods' gift has arrived."
Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again several seconds later, the last trace of doubt in his eyes had completely vanished.
Other than a supreme god truly standing above all living beings,
there could be no second power in this world capable of performing such an unreasonable miracle.
He now firmly believed that behind his son stood a mysterious existence far surpassing the Angel God.
Before you continue