The Chatty Immortal Herb

"Since... you're members of the Tang Sect, and you managed to pass through the Seven-Colored Poison Miasma to reach this place, you qualify to gather herbs. Go on in."

The voice of the hundred-thousand-year-old Jade Phosphorus Nine-Absolute Flower was low and deep.

As the words fell, the dense poison cloud covering the way ahead slowly churned and parted to either side, revealing a narrow but distinct passage.

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Feng bowed slightly in respect. Then his Fire Wings beat once behind him, and he carried Tang Ya swiftly through the deadly sea of Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers.

At the end of the sea of flowers stood the towering edge of the valley.

The cliff face was steep, nearly vertical, as if cleaved by a giant axe. Faint poisonous mists still hung above it, and all manner of vines crawled over the rock crevices and sheer slopes.

Quite a few had already cultivated into Soul Beasts, radiating considerable auras. But none had cultivation of ten thousand years; the strongest came close, yet they were nowhere near as dangerous as the sea of Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers they had just crossed.

For Lin Feng, this cliff was no great obstacle. His Nirvana Phoenix Fire hadn't taken much out of him while they crossed the sea of flowers.

"Xiao Ya, once we get over this cliff, we'll be at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Hold on tight."

"Mm." Tang Ya answered softly, tightening her arms around him.

Lin Feng didn't delay any longer. His Fire Wings beat at full strength, carrying them both rapidly up along the steep cliff face.

Sure enough, they hadn't flown very high before the deep-blue vines clinging to the cliff were roused. They lunged at them like countless tentacles, trying to wrap around them and drag them down.

Lin Feng was prepared. The Nirvana Phoenix Fire around him flared slightly. As the flames swept over the attacking vines, they recoiled as if they'd touched a branding iron, daring not approach again.

The two continued upward, breaking through the nuisance of the vines, and finally reached the top of the cliff.

At last...

Standing at the edge of the cliff, they looked down over the valley. For a moment, both of them were stunned.

If the outside was a hell where death lurked at every step, then this place... was practically a paradise forgotten by the mortal world.

Lin Feng dispelled the protective shroud of Nirvana Phoenix Fire around them. The long-missed, impossibly fresh air rushed in at once, so rich with the energy of heaven and earth that it seemed almost tangible.

He and Tang Ya drew several deep breaths in unison. Even the nerves they'd kept taut for days amid the poisonous miasma seemed to relax.

The Seven-Colored Poison Miasma, the sea of Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers, the Jade Phosphorus Poison Cloud, and the deadly poisonous vines on the cliff—four lethal trials in all. The defenses around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well were truly vicious.

The most deadly of them was undoubtedly that sea of flowers. It actually concealed a ten-thousand-year-old poisonous monster.

That old dog Tang had really gone to great lengths...

If Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass aura hadn't been recognized, then with Lin Feng's Soul King cultivation and Ultimate Fire alone, getting through that sea of flowers would have taken a terrible toll. And that was without even mentioning outsiders.

The valley wasn't especially large, but the sight within was enough to drive any Soul Master mad.

All kinds of plants, some familiar and some unknown, grew thickly. Exotic flowers and rare herbs glimmered like precious gems, and almost every plant was surrounded by a different degree of Soul Power fluctuation.

Flowers that should have bloomed in different seasons competed for attention here all at once. Fruits that should have ripened at different times hung heavy from the branches together, as if the seasons had no meaning in this place.

Most astonishing of all, nestled at the center of the valley and surrounded by this thriving greenery, lay a lake—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The lake was sharply divided into two halves.

One half was pure icy white, exhaling waves of white mist. Even from a distance, they could feel a chill that pierced straight to the bone.

The other half was a blazing red. The water rolled gently like molten lava, sending up waves of heat visible to the naked eye.

One cold, one hot; one white, one red. They flowed together yet remained clearly divided, like a gigantic, flawless Taiji diagram carved by nature. The unimaginable abundance of energy of heaven and earth throughout the valley came from this very place.

"So that's... the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well." Tang Ya gazed at the wonder below and murmured, her eyes full of astonishment and hope.

"Let's go down."

Holding Tang Ya, Lin Feng slowly flew down from the cliff to the valley floor.

From here on, they would have to explore on their own. The map Mu En had given him only went as far as the sea of Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers; the valley beyond was entirely blank.

Even Limit Douluo Mu En had likely never truly set foot inside this Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Lin Feng gently set Tang Ya down, then released Spiritual Detection and cautiously swept it over this flourishing yet unfamiliar valley. He also used Soul Power to carry his voice gently across the area. "We are members of the Tang Sect in this era. We have come as promised to seek herbs."

"It's been over a thousand years since anyone came in. I was starting to think all you Tang Sect people had died out."

A woman's voice, tinged with lazy amusement, rang directly in Lin Feng and Tang Ya's minds.

Lin Feng's Spiritual Detection immediately locked onto the source of the voice.

It was a strange plant growing on the bank where the red and white springs met.

It had no leaves, only a pale-pink stalk nearly a zhang long, topped by a huge flower three feet across. Its crystalline petals looked as if they'd been carved from pink crystal.

Not a single other plant grew within ten zhang of it, making it stand out in this valley where all things flourished.

"Forgive my boldness, senior, but might you be the Aromatic Silk Beauty?" Lin Feng already had a guess. He took Tang Ya's hand, and the two soon came up to the strange, enormous flower. Then he asked respectfully.

"So the Tang Sect people still remember that name. Good, good." The lazy woman's voice held a hint of satisfaction, then turned a little coy. "You don't have to call me senior. You're making me sound old. Just call me Youyou. Isn't that a lovely name?"

"Uh... Sister Youyou, all right," Lin Feng replied awkwardly. This sister was probably rather old.

"Come on, come closer," the Aromatic Silk Beauty said eagerly. "Keep me company and chat for a while. I haven't seen anyone come in for a thousand years. Tell me, what's the outside world like now? If you make me happy, maybe... if I'm in a good mood, I'll give you something nice."

"Sure, Sister Youyou," Lin Feng replied, about to step forward.

"Xiao Feng, watch out for a trap," Tang Ya warned in a low voice, anxiously tugging at his sleeve. "She's a monster that's lived for a hundred thousand years..."

"Hey! You little girl over there, what are you saying?" The Aromatic Silk Beauty's voice immediately rose, brimming with displeasure. "What do you mean, a hundred thousand years? I'm not that old! I'm only nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years old. I'm still young, all right? This place is already a rare treasure land, with plenty of energy of heaven and earth. We Plant-type Soul Beasts grow very quickly here, almost ten times faster than outside."

She seemed to have opened the floodgates, launching into a nonstop explanation. "Besides, a Soul Beast's cultivation and its age have never been the same thing. The higher its cultivation, the greater the difference—sometimes dozens of times! Those nasty animal-type Soul Beasts raise their cultivation by hunting and devouring other Soul Beasts. Plenty of them reach a hundred thousand years of cultivation before they're even five thousand years old! It's not easy for us plants. We can only slowly absorb the energy of heaven and earth to cultivate. Of course, that doesn't include those nasty creatures that prey on plants..."

"Stop, stop! Thank you for the explanation, senior... I mean, thank you, Sister Youyou. We understand..." Lin Feng's head was beginning to ache from listening. He quickly interrupted the chatty Immortal Herb's lecture.

"Hurry up and come talk to me! Or else... or else I'll call those hot-tempered fellows over to beat you up!" The Aromatic Silk Beauty's voice carried a petulant threat, but there was no real malice in it. She sounded more like a bored child throwing a tantrum.

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Ya. I'm here. Let's go over."