His fighting skills had been crushed, his battle awareness had been crushed, and even his temperament and ability to withstand pressure were miles behind his opponent's. He'd been utterly and completely humiliated.
He was so angry he could barely contain himself!
"But aside from Bibi Dong and Tang Chen, she has the highest talent and the greatest potential. She's the best candidate to help me recover..."
"Her temperament and fundamentals are just too poor!!"
"Enjoy the last of your good times!"
"Once we're back in the Heaven Dou Empire, the devil training begins!"
"Heh heh heh—"
Qian Renxue had no idea what Ling Xiao was thinking. After being chewed out, she opened her mouth to argue, but swallowed her words before they could come out.
Over the years, she had devoted all her energy to building up the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's power and searching for the reason her Soul Power had vanished.
She truly hadn't honed her fighting skills.
And given her status,
she naturally had never had to endure any life-or-death trials.
But there were reasons for that, weren't there?
She wanted to argue,
but she knew that with Ling Xiao's sharp tongue, he'd surely say she was just making excuses,
that it was her own fault and she simply didn't know how to overcome difficulties.
But she still wasn't convinced.
She couldn't accept it!
She had clearly worked so hard, and she'd been just one step away...
"Teacher, could you restore my cultivation first? That won't get in the way of the trials..."
"Enough. I've made up my mind!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xiao's spiritual power spread out, enveloping the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
One Immortal Herb after another was plucked from the ground and flew into the Storage Soul Tool in his sleeve.
Qian Renxue watched helplessly as the Immortal Herbs that were supposed to restore her cultivation
went into her teacher's pocket, one plant after another.
She gritted her teeth,
then curled up in a corner of her sea of consciousness and sulked.
As for Dugu Bo,
when he saw that Ling Xiao had been quiet for so long,
he began to fret over whether he'd offended the man somehow, or whether this unpredictable powerhouse had suddenly changed his mind.
Only when he saw the Immortal Herbs being gathered up one by one
did his heart finally settle, though each plant's loss made it ache.
"Good, he's taking them. That means the matter's settled!"
Hidden behind a rock, Tang San was still feeling secretly moved. When he saw this, he nearly jumped to his feet.
"Wait—"
"Why is Dad taking all the Immortal Herbs?"
Did he recognize them?
Given the Clear Sky Sect's standing as the greatest sect under heaven, it wouldn't be strange if he recognized a few.
But no matter how he looked at it, something seemed off...
It was as if the other man had been after the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from the very beginning.
After gathering all the Immortal Herbs, Ling Xiao looked toward the two pools at the very center.
The most precious things in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
had never been the Immortal Herbs.
They were the remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings beneath the pools.
The entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was merely a thin skin of growth formed atop the energy that seeped from the dragon bones.
"Wait here. I'll deal with your matter later!"
Ling Xiao ordered Dugu Bo,
then leaped—
straight into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Dugu Bo's heart lurched.
Even he wouldn't dare touch these waters.
And that mysterious powerhouse had jumped straight in? Wouldn't he be reduced to dust?
But then he remembered how the man had beaten him to a pulp without even using his Martial Soul.
His cultivation was unfathomable,
so he must have his reasons. He likely knew this treasure land far better than Dugu Bo ever could. Who was Dugu Bo to worry about him?
Only then did Dugu Bo manage to steady himself.
Behind the rock,
Tang San was still puzzling over why his "dad" had taken all the Immortal Herbs.
Then, in the next instant, he saw that figure plunge into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with a splash.
He was stunned.
Without the protection of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, the clashing forces of extreme ice and fire would blast a person to bits in an instant!
Even in his previous life, he wouldn't have dared try something like that.
But it was too late to stop him now.
"What is Dad thinking? Can't he see how dangerous that water is?"
"No, no—"
"Dad may be wild and unconventional, but he's no reckless fool!"
Tang San broke out in a cold sweat.
"He must have his reasons!"
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
"That's it!"
"I've got it!"
Tang San slapped his thigh.
"Dad must be like me—he's been reborn too!"
"Now it all makes sense!"
He remembered telling Tang Hao about the effects of certain Immortal Herbs.
He and Ah Yin had even spent a long time at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
So it wasn't strange that Tang Hao knew its secrets.
He'd taken all the Immortal Herbs, surely not to keep them for himself, but to secretly give them to Tang San later,
or perhaps to deliberately withhold them,
using them as bait to spur Tang San to cultivate... just like what happened in Slaughter City.
This was Dad's test for him!
Tang San felt that this really was Tang Hao's style.
He loved keeping things hidden.
But he hadn't expected Tang San to be reborn.
His good intentions had backfired.
Still, Tang San didn't blame him.
How could Tang Hao have known that Tang San had returned with the memories of two lifetimes?
"But... did Dad jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well just to temper his body?"
"No, it must be..."
Tang San suddenly understood.
"The remains of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings!"
"Dad must be trying to obtain their power and bear the burden of revenge all by himself!"
After becoming a god, he had indeed discovered what was hidden below.
But by then, he hadn't cared for it,
and couldn't bring himself to destroy this treasure land that had changed his life, so he had left it untouched.
In this life, his strength was insufficient,
and he had already decided to follow the Sea God's path to godhood,
so he hadn't paid it any attention either.
"So Dad has been doing so much in secret, carrying the weight of everything all along!"
And what about him?
He'd been lost in the joy of reuniting with Xiao Wu...
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed.
"Dad, don't worry."
"From now on, I'll devote myself entirely to cultivation. I absolutely won't let you bear all this pain alone!"
Now that he understood "Dad's" good intentions, Tang San had no plans to expose him.
Instead, he chose to—
carry the burden in silence too!
Meanwhile,
after plunging into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ling Xiao released a wisp of spiritual power and formed a thin film of light around himself.
The scorching and freezing waters couldn't touch even a single hair on his head.
Above, the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were clearly divided.
The same was true below—
one red stream and one blue stream wound around each other, like an enormous double helix, twisting down into the depths of the earth.
Ling Xiao followed the spring downward.
After about the time it took to brew a cup of tea,
he saw a glowing barrier at the very bottom, like the entrance to something.
With a splash,
he leapt through it, passing through the layer of light as if passing through a bubble.
Inside was an immense space.
At its very center,
two skeletons, each dozens of meters tall, were entwined together,
radiating faint blue and red energy.
The energy drifted upward, passed through the membrane in the cavern roof,
and turned into two streams of water,
eventually forming the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well above.
"Disciple, what are you doing? Fallen asleep?"
After hearing no response from Qian Renxue for a long time, Ling Xiao called out in her sea of consciousness.
"Look what good stuff your master found!"
Before you continue