Absorbing the Ice-Fire Dragon King's Remains to Forge a Red-Blue Heterochromatic Soul Ring

Two skeletons lay horizontally at the bottom of the spring.

Though they had been buried for who knows how many years, the bones remained as crystalline as jade, emitting a faint, ghostly glow.

One was as white as snow, radiating a biting chill that caused the surrounding spring water to nearly freeze into ice; the other was as crimson as flame, emitting a scorching heat that cracked even the stones at the bottom of the water.

The Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King.

Even with only their skeletons remaining, those two diametrically opposed dragon auras continued to intertwine and collide at the bottom of the spring, turning this area of water into a forbidden zone that no living soul could approach.

If not for the membrane of light emitted by the Silver Scale in his embrace, Qian Anci had no doubt that he would have been torn to shreds by these two forces at this very moment.

"No wonder the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well can nourish so many immortal-grade medicinal herbs."

Qian Anci whispered in his heart.

"After these two Dragon Kings fell, the essence of their flesh and blood merged entirely into the spring water, while the residual Dragon Soul power within their bones has been continuously releasing outward."

"After ten thousand years, it would be strange if this valley didn't become a treasure trove."

Just as he was thinking this, a violent tremor suddenly erupted from within his body.

It was the Shadow of Pollux.

That Bone Dragon, which had been silent for so long, was now rearing its head and roaring within his sea of consciousness, the ghostly blue soul fire in its eye sockets dancing frantically.

Qian Anci had never seen it so restless; even the Scythe of Death in the palm of his right hand was trembling slightly.

"Anci."

Castorice's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a rare note of gravity.

"Pollux is craving."

"Craving what?"

"Those two dragon bones."

"After the Dragon Clan falls, most of their power dissipates over time, but a portion of their origin essence remains within their skeletons. These two Dragon Kings have been dead for at least ten thousand years, yet the Dragon Soul power in their marrow has not yet fully dispersed. Pollux wants to devour them and transform them into your spirit ring."

Qian Anci was silent for a moment.

"You mean... to refine the residual power within the dragon bones directly into a spirit ring?"

"The remains of a Dragon King are, in themselves, top-tier materials."

"Although it is not a complete spirit beast sacrifice, the Dragon Soul essence remaining within these two dragon bones is sufficient to condense a fourth spirit ring."

"Ice and fire fused into one, dual-natured and dual-colored."

"Then let us begin."

Qian Anci asked no more and sat cross-legged between the ice and fire dragon bones.

"Empty your mind. And, endure the pain."

"May death protect you, Anci."

As soon as the words fell, a terrifying, indescribable suction force erupted from within his body.

The Shadow of Pollux slowly manifested behind him, its massive frame stretching out within the spring water, its bone wings unfurling to blot out the sky.

Those ghostly blue soul-fire eye sockets stared fixedly at the two dragon bones before him, emitting a dragon roar that shook the very soul.

The ice and fire dragon bones seemed to respond to some calling, the skeletons that had been silent for ten thousand years beginning to tremble.

A wisp of crystalline white light drifted out from the Ice Dragon bone, and a wisp of crimson light drifted out from the Fire Dragon bone, like two small snakes slowly swimming toward Qian Anci.

The moment the light touched the center of his brow.

Qian Anci's body stiffened violently.

He felt as if he had been thrust into the glaciers of the Far North and the magma of the earth's core simultaneously.

Half of his body was so cold his blood nearly froze, while the other half was so hot his meridians felt as if they were about to burst.

Two diametrically opposed forces collided frantically within him, every inch of his flesh and blood becoming a battlefield.

"Endure."

Castorice's voice echoed in his mind.

"If you give up now, not only will all previous efforts be wasted, but these two forces will also spiral completely out of control within your body."

Qian Anci gritted his teeth, swallowing the scream that had almost escaped his lips.

Just then, the Silver Scale on his chest suddenly flared with brilliant light.

A third force joined the battlefield.

Unlike the violent nature of ice and fire, this force was as gentle as water, yet carried an irresistible majesty.

It flowed slowly through Qian Anci's meridians, and wherever it passed, the forces of ice and fire grew quiet, like mischievous children encountering an elder.

"Sister..."

Qian Anci whispered in his heart.

The scales of the Silver Dragon King were not merely a protective talisman, but a catalyst.

Though the power within the bones of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings was violent, it was, at its core, the origin of the Dragon Clan.

The aura suppression from a superior of the same Dragon Clan was enough to turn their boiling rage into docility.

I know not how much time had passed.

Fine, phantom dragon scales began to emerge across the surface of Qian Anci's body.

Fluorescent white on the left, crimson red on the right; the two types of scales flickered alternately across him, eventually converging slowly to form a red and blue intertwined dragon crest at the center of his brow.

His soul power was also climbing steadily.

Level forty-one.

Level forty-two.

Level forty-three.

Level forty-four.

Level forty-five.

Meanwhile, behind him, the body of the Shadow of Pollux was undergoing a transformation.

Faint ice-blue and crimson patterns began to emerge on its original frame, intertwining and wrapping around its bones.

Finally.

Qian Anci slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his left eye, an ice-blue dragon shadow flashed and vanished. Deep within his right eye, a crimson dragon shadow followed suit.

At the same time, a brand-new soul ring rose slowly from beneath his feet.

It was not the color of an ordinary soul ring.

The ring was half-red and half-blue, with ice-blue and crimson intertwined like two dragons chasing each other's tails.

The two lights flowed ceaselessly across the ring; at times the blue light overwhelmed the red, radiating a biting chill, and at others, the red light surged over the blue, billowing waves of heat.

Fourth soul ring. Ice and Fire dual-colored.

Qian Anci raised his right hand, and the Scythe of Death condensed in his palm.

With a thought, he switched the soul ring to its Ice Dragon form.

In an instant, the blue light on the ring flared, and a piercing cold spread from him as the center, freezing the surrounding spring water into a thin layer of ice.

He flipped his hand, and the soul ring shifted to its Fire Dragon form.

Crimson radiance flared, the newly formed ice melted in an instant, and the spring water began to bubble.

"Condensed from the residual dragon soul essence of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings."

Castorice's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a hint of exhaustion but also a sense of gratification.

"Though it is but a single soul ring, it possesses the origin power of both the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings."

"In Ice Dragon form, attacks carry extreme cold erosion, slowing the enemy's speed and stagnating their soul power. In Fire Dragon form, attacks carry heaven-burning flames, scorching the enemy's soul power and blood essence."

Qian Anci stood up, feeling the surging soul power within his body.

Level forty-five Soul Ancestor.

On the Scythe of Death, four soul rings pulsed slowly.

Purple, black, black, and the newly condensed ring, intertwined with red and blue.

At the same time, on the Underworld Wasteland within his sea of consciousness, the Shadow of Pollux let out a roar toward the sky.

The moment the fourth soul ring of the Scythe of Death condensed, a fourth grayish-white halo quietly emerged upon its body.

"What is the fourth soul skill of Pollux?"

"Dragon Transformation: Ice and Fire Dual Form."

"The Bone Dragon breath can switch between ice and fire attributes; when used in conjunction with your Dragon Transformation, the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon Transformation will increase exponentially."

The corners of Qian Anci's mouth curled upward slightly.

He stepped onto the water, broke the surface, and landed steadily on the bank.

Dugu Bo was standing not far away, and as he saw him emerge, his vertical pupils swept over him.

The old man had seen Qian Anci dragged to the bottom of the spring by an inexplicable suction force earlier and had approached to investigate, only to be forced back by the terrifying aura of intertwined ice and fire.

It was not that he hadn't tested that power; over the years, he had tried to dive into the spring, but he could never withstand the crushing alternation of extreme cold and extreme heat, forced to retreat after no more than five zhang.

Naturally, he would not risk his life for a boy he had just met, but he had not left either.

Qian Anci's aura had vanished at the bottom of the spring for nearly two hours.

Dugu Bo stood on the bank with his hands behind his back, his expression shifting between light and shadow. If this brat really died down there, who would detoxify his granddaughter?

Just as he was thinking this, the water broke.

Qian Anci stepped out from the bottom of the spring, soaked to the bone, yet his soul power had leaped from level forty to level forty-five.

Four spirit rings pulsed slowly behind him, one of which was half-red and half-blue, currently fading in intensity.

Dugu Bo's gaze fell upon that dual-colored spirit ring, his vertical pupils constricting.

"...What the hell."

He held it in for a long time, only managing to squeeze out those three words.

Qian Anci shook the water droplets from his robes, his expression calm.

"I have kept Senior Dugu waiting."

"Who was waiting for you?" Dugu Bo let out a cold snort and turned his face away. "This old man was merely afraid you would die down there, leaving no one to detoxify Yan Yan."

Qian Anci let out a soft laugh, choosing not to expose him.

He lowered his head to glance at the Silver Scale in his embrace; its luster had dimmed slightly compared to before.

"About what just happened..."

"This old man saw nothing."

Dugu Bo did not wait for him to finish, flicking his sleeves before turning and walking toward the stone house.