Black Dragon Kneels Before Lord

After the others dispersed, Tang Wulin did not leave.

He stood there, looking at the huge pale pink tulip in front of him.

The face on the petal also looked at him, its expression gentle, with the patience unique to an elder.

This patience isn't something you can fake; it's a composure that naturally develops after witnessing countless intruders over the long years.

"Senior," Tang Wulin began, "I would like to request a Immortal Herb for a friend of mine. He was supposed to be with us, but he can't come now."

He spoke with great seriousness, as if he were asking for something that rightfully belonged to his own family.

The petals of the Aromatic Silk Beauty trembled slightly.

"What's your friend's personality type?"

Tang Wulin paused for a moment, considering how to phrase it, "The Yin Force. The Moon Martial Soul."

The Aromatic Silk Beauty fell silent.

A hint of unease appeared on that mature and composed face, and the pale pink halo around the edges of the petals dimmed as well.

"The Yin Force," she repeated slowly, "There is indeed a Immortal Herb in this valley that can match a Yin-attribute Soul Master."

"Where?" Tang Wulin immediately asked.

Aromatic Silk Beauty looked at him, as if gauging the extent of the young man's determination.

Then he saw the Ice-Fire Seal in Tang Wulin's hand.

The interplay of red and blue light flowed quietly across the print, like a silent testament.

His gaze lingered on the Ice-Fire Seal for a long time.

That seal wasn't something any Tang Sect disciple could obtain. The fact that this young man could obtain the Ice-Fire Seal itself indicated that he might be the next Tang Sect Master.

His petals gently unfurled, as if he were sighing.

Then he looked up at the stone wall of the valley.

"The Black Jade Lunar Ganoderma. It's located on the top, surrounded by a gathering of Yin energy. Ordinary people wouldn't even dare to approach it; the sheer chill from it would be enough to give them a hard time."

"But whether you can get it depends on your own ability."

"Thank you, senior."

Tang Wulin bowed respectfully to Aromatic Silk Beauty, then turned and ran towards the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He called back to the others, "You guys choose first, I'll go find one for Jing Heng!"

Xie Xie the fastest; he had already circled the entire valley while Tang Wulin was talking to Aromatic Silk Beauty.

Gu Yue didn't choose. She stood at the edge of the valley, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the others, and her gaze swept over them one by one.

Xie Xie carefully put away his Immortal Herb, then glanced back— Tang Wulin was still struggling on that cliff face.

He shouted in that direction, "Wulin! Are you sure you can handle this?!"

"Go ahead and try if you dare!" Tang Wulin's voice was tinged with anger.

When Tang Wulin returned to the valley entrance carrying the Black Jade Lunar Ganoderma, everyone else had been waiting for quite a while.

He carefully put away the Immortal Herb that belonged to Jing Heng, and then he found himself in a dilemma.

"Uh... Senior." He turned around, looked at Aromatic Silk Beauty, and scratched the back of his head.

"How about you help me pick one out?"

Looking at the utterly clueless expression on his face, Aromatic Silk Beauty let out a soft sigh. "Boy, show me your Martial Soul."

Tang Wulin responded and raised his right hand.

Blue Silver Grass emerged in response, dozens of blue-gold vines spreading out from the ball of Soul Power in his palm, the supple grass leaves swaying gently in the air.

All the Immortal Herb in the valley turned their gazes to the green-gold Soul Ring on the Blue Silver Grass.

The green of that Soul Ring wasn't ordinary green; it was an extremely rich and translucent emerald green, like an entire primeval forest condensed into a thin halo.

A halo slowly swirled across the surface of the Blue Silver Grass, its aura causing the entire plant in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to tremble slightly.

The petals of the Aromatic Silk Beauty trembled suddenly, and for the first time, a look of obvious surprise appeared on that mature and composed face.

The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid opened its eyes from its slumber, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew the silver liquid flowing from its veins stopped. Even the ordinary poisonous plants without any intelligence growing in the rock crevices turned their leaves toward Tang Wulin.

"Son of Nature?!" Aromatic Silk Beauty's voice suddenly rose, no longer the graceful, unhurried tone, but with a hint of urgency.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Immortal Herb in the valley lit up.

That light wasn't aggressive; it was more like a silent worship.

"Even if an ordinary Soul Master stands here for a lifetime, it would be an immense stroke of luck to gain the recognition of a single Immortal Herb. But you are the possessor of the Son of Nature, and any Immortal Herb in this valley would be willing to become your Soul Spirit."

He paused, the urgency in his tone slowly fading, replaced by a somewhat abrupt, tentative tone that seemed out of place for a ten-thousand-year-old Immortal Herb: "If you are willing, may I have the honor of becoming your Soul Spirit?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

He was stunned for a moment, blinked, opened his mouth slightly, and his mind raced before he realized he hadn't misheard.

A celestial herb, the king of Immortal Herb that had lived for countless millennia within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, took the initiative to ask if it could become his Soul Spirit.

"Certainly!"

He grinned, his smile as pure as mountain spring water. "It's my honor that you've come, senior."

A pale pink light emanated from the heart of the Aromatic Silk Beauty and slowly flowed towards Tang Wulin's brow.

The enormous tulip began to shrink, its petals closing one by one, and with each petal closing, the light on the flower became a little brighter.

All the Immortal Herb in the valley swayed at the same time, as if holding some ancient and solemn farewell ceremony.

Just then, a hand reached out from the side and gently grasped Tang Wulin's wrist.

It wasn't very powerful, but it was very stable.

"Wait a moment."

The sound of the Gu Yue.

Tang Wulin turned to look at her, and the light of the Aromatic Silk Beauty paused slightly.

Gu Yue stood beside him, her pupils reflecting the light of the Aromatic Silk Beauty, her expression calm, so calm that it seemed out of place with the grand scene of Immortal Herb rustling all around.

Her fingers were clasped around Tang Wulin's wrist, her fingertips slightly cool.

"Before you absorb the Aromatic Silk Beauty, I have something to tell you."

Tang Wulin looked at her, his smile still on his face, but a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes. "What did you say?"

"Gu Yue?" Ye Xinglan looked at the person who had taken a step forward.

But the next second...

boom--

Ye Xinglan, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, Yuanen Yehui all knelt down at the same time.

"Ugh--!"

A black figure stood right behind them.

Tang Wulin turned around abruptly, "Hmm...?"

He grabbed Gu Yue, pulling her behind him and shouting, "Who are you?! How did you get in?! What do you want?!"

The black figure opened its eyes, revealing golden pupils within, "I am... the Emperor, Heaven."

"Di Tian ... Golden... Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King — Di Tian?!" Tang Wulin repeated the name, his fingers tightening.

Di Tian's gaze fell on him.

That gaze was so calm that it gave one the illusion that the young captain's anger, vigilance, and protective stance towards his comrades were merely natural phenomena worth observing, rather than emotions that required a response.

"Di Tian! This is not a place for you! Aren't you afraid of incurring divine punishment?!" Infernal Delicate Apricot shouted angrily.

Di Tian did not answer, but merely gave her a cold glance.

He looked at Tang Wulin again, for a long time, so long that Tang Wulin felt his back begin to go numb.

Then Di Tian withdrew his gaze.

He took a step forward.

It was just one step, without releasing any additional pressure, but Tang Wulin felt as if his arm, which was blocking Gu Yue, had been struck by an invisible iron hammer.

He didn't back down an inch.

Di Tian ignored him.

Those golden vertical pupils passed over Tang Wulin's shoulder and landed on Gu Yue.

Then he did something that no one could understand: he knelt down on one knee.

"My Lord, Yun Jingheng is trapped in Shrek City as planned. With me here, no one will interfere with you."