Visible to the naked eye, the red-and-white hues of emotion surrounding the Goddess of Love finally became harmonious and balanced after she withdrew a wisp of divine consciousness and absorbed it into her hundred-thousand-year cultivation.
The sharp, resentful air about her also softened.
The Goddess of Love raised a hand and sent out a ring of red-gold light, then clapped her hands. "All done."
The red-gold light rose through the air with a soft whir, transforming once more into a God Ring. It joined the first ring, working in tandem with it as both rings flanked the Dragon Emperor from behind.
—Lovesick Heartbreak Red Martial Soul, second ring: red-gold.
The Dragon Emperor lightly touched the God Ring, and information about the Soul Skill immediately flooded into his mind...
Lovesick Heartbreak Red possessed two attributes in total: life and mental.
Its life attribute was mainly reflected in its medicinal effects: reversing death and bringing life, regenerating flesh and bone;
As for its Mental Attribute, it manifested in Crow-Absolute Stone's ability to detect lies and the flower bud's power to strike straight at the heart and ask questions about love.
Thus, the second ring overseen by the Goddess of Love was sure to be a mental-type skill formed through the combined effects of Crow-Absolute Stone and the flower bud.
The Dragon Emperor was quite clever. He had only to close his eyes for a moment to unravel the second divine skill of his Body Martial Soul.
Extreme emotions flickered through his pure-gold eyes, but he sorted through them one by one until they all settled into calm.
"Whew~"
He breathed out a floral fragrance. At last, a trace of delight appeared on the Dragon Emperor's eternally impassive face. "I've gained a great deal."
He turned to the Goddess of Love. "I'm really looking forward to the third ring's Soul Skill for Lovesick Heartbreak Red."
The Goddess of Love only smiled faintly. "You will take the place of Crow-Absolute Stone and become the hardest thing in the world."
"Let's go."
The Dragon Emperor waved a hand. "It's time to wake up Younger Brother Fire and Younger Sister Water."
The Holy Dragon King followed closely behind him and advised anxiously, "My Emperor, the dragon souls of Younger Brother Fire and Younger Sister Water are nearly dissipated. If I forcefully wake them, might they...?"
"Don't worry," the Dragon Emperor said without breaking stride. "There's a gentle way to call them that doesn't involve forcing them."
With the Holy Dragon King and the Goddess of Love in tow, he walked halfway around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, arriving opposite the spot where Lovesick Heartbreak Red grew.
This was the fourth-best planting spot along the spring's edge, after the yin and yang poles and the place where Lovesick Heartbreak Red grew.
A huge flower resembling a colorful little sun monopolized a broad patch of earth there.
It was magnificent and grand, greedily drawing in the water and fire dragon energy around it.
Beneath its graceful, dazzling radiance, even the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, another immortal-grade plant, seemed reduced to a mere companion growing beside it.
This large, crystal-colored flower was none other than the plant known as the king of immortal herbs:
An eleventh-grade peerless immortal herb.
—Aromatic Silk Beauty.
The Dragon Emperor raised an eyebrow and glanced at the small orchid growing within the area occupied by Aromatic Silk Beauty. Somewhat surprised, he said, "You've even got a concubine growing here. You really have made yourself the local tyrant..."
Seeing that the enormous flower still didn't react, the Dragon Emperor stopped showing it any courtesy.
With the golden-red peony in his left hand, he strode forward and kicked the base of the tulip's stem.
"Ow~~"
A cry of pain that struck directly at the fragile hearts of men rang out dully along the boundary between red and blue.
Just then, a sharp shout rang out from the red side of the shore:
"Don't bully Xiangxiang!"
A beautiful woman in a red dress, with a strikingly lovely face, leaped from Infernal Delicate Apricot.
She landed beside Aromatic Silk Beauty and leaned against its stem, warily eyeing the three outsiders.
The Dragon Emperor looked at the stunning woman in red, then at the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid growing alongside Aromatic Silk Beauty nearby.
He was instantly dumbfounded. He's got a big one and still keeps a little one on the side. He really is the king of this place.
At that moment, a man's voice came from inside Aromatic Silk Beauty. "I'm fine, Younger Brother Fire."
A handsome, slender man in purple ancient-style robes emerged from the flower and patted Infernal Delicate Apricot, who was clinging to him.
The Dragon Emperor let out an unfriendly laugh. "Well, well. Look who's awake. The king of immortal herbs?"
Flattered by the praise, Aromatic Silk Beauty hurriedly slipped free of Infernal Delicate Apricot's arms.
He glanced at the golden-red peony and bowed. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'm merely a little colorful flower in your garden."
The Dragon Emperor's expression remained gloomy. "I've been here for so long. You're the local tyrant of this garden, and you didn't lead your followers to greet me. Fine. But you even led the way in pretending to be dead?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Hm?"
Lovesick Heartbreak Red swayed in the breeze on his left wrist. A rich peony fragrance spread across the spring, pressing down on the lush greenery until it could scarcely lift its head.
Even the unruly Infernal Delicate Apricot could barely stand upright for a moment.
Aromatic Silk Beauty hurriedly explained, "We didn't know why you'd come, but we also didn't dare disturb your enjoyment of the garden. So we kept our heads down, prepared to let you pick whatever herbs you wished."
"Oh?" The Dragon Emperor pinched Aromatic Silk Beauty beneath the chin with two fingers and lifted his face.
He turned it from side to side, inspecting it. "You've got a bit of charm."
"Are you sure I can pick whatever I like?" A playful smile curled the Dragon Emperor's lips.
Though Aromatic Silk Beauty's chin was being held up, he still managed to flatter him. "You honor me with your sharp eye and your praise. Perhaps..."
He ventured a tentative question. "Would you... pick a little less?"
The Dragon Emperor let go of his chin and turned to look at the red-and-blue pool. "I wouldn't be interested in you six motley things anyway."
With that, he simply put away the Lovesick Heartbreak Red on his left wrist, and the peony fragrance that had pressed down over the valley vanished as well.
"Whew~" Only then did Aromatic Silk Beauty let out a breath and bow slightly. "Thank you for sparing us."
Remembering what the Holy Dragon King had called the person before him, he decided to borrow that form of address. "My Emperor."
"May I ask why you woke me, Your Majesty?"
Hearing the respectful title, which was just one rank above "king," the Dragon Emperor turned his gaze back to him. "You've all been staying at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for so many years. Surely you have a way to contact the two dragon souls at the bottom of the pool?"
"We do." Aromatic Silk Beauty didn't dare hide the truth, but he couldn't help asking curiously, "May I ask what business you have with those two?"
The Dragon Emperor shot him a sidelong glance with his pure-gold eyes. "Don't ask what you shouldn't."
"Yes." Aromatic Silk Beauty called out to those around him. "Everyone, come out."
A blue-haired boy immediately rose from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass at the yin pole and jumped down.
Besides him, Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, Gazing Autumn Begonia, and Earth Dragon Golden Melon all poked their heads out from the verdant growth and floated over.
"You too, Little Ice, Mo Mo, Gua Gua, Younger Brother Fire. Come over here and pay your respects first," Aromatic Silk Beauty called, beckoning them.
"Yes."
The five immortal-grade Ferocious Beasts lined up and bowed their heads to the Dragon Emperor. "Greetings, My Emperor."
The Dragon Emperor didn't waste words. "Did you five hear what I asked?"
The five immortal-grade Ferocious Beasts exchanged glances with Aromatic Silk Beauty, then nodded in unison.
Purple, red, blue, green, black, and yellow.
Six streaks of strange light blossomed from their bodies, and six waves of intoxicating fragrance washed over them.
Author's note:
If the eleventh-grade Aromatic Silk Beauty was the king of immortal herbs in the original work,
then Lovesick Heartbreak Red, as a twelfth-grade herb, should be the emperor.
Whether animals or plants, they were all emperors. It really was a remarkable coincidence.
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