After one last look at the ropes tied on both sides, Yu Tianshuo took a deep breath.
With a sudden yank, he leaped into the lake the moment the rope landed in his hand.
As he entered the center of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his head underwent Dragon Transformation. He opened his jaws and swallowed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot in one gulp.
Then he returned to normal and sat cross-legged, beginning to refine the two Immortal Herbs.
Their toxins were nowhere near as potent as he had imagined. The poison resistance that came with his Golden Scale Dragon Martial Soul was enough to hold them back.
Seeing how smoothly his plan was going, Yu Tianshuo couldn't help speeding up his absorption. At the same time, he absorbed the water of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Time passed, second by second.
The miniature Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well forming inside him from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot gradually took shape.
Suddenly, his thoughts raced.
If absorbing the energy here can form a miniature Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well inside me, could I use that energy to condense my first Soul Core ahead of time?
He acted on the thought. The instant the miniature Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had fully formed inside him, Yu Tianshuo drew on the energy of the wells inside and outside his body and began trying to condense his first Soul Core.
At that moment, Yu Tianshuo devoted his entire mind to absorbing energy and condensing his Soul Core.
He failed to notice that, with him at its center, the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was greedily drawing in the energy around it.
The water level in the lake steadily fell, and the surrounding plants began to wither.
It wasn't until Yu Tianshuo began absorbing the Dragon Might at the bottom of the lake that the process finally slowed.
But this act had alarmed the remnant souls of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King at the lake's bottom.
The awakened Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King stared up at the lake in terror.
But when they saw a human absorbing the energy they had released, both remnant souls' eyes widened.
The two remnant souls hurriedly exchanged words, their voices full of fear.
"Third Brother, what in the world is going on?"
"How can a mere human absorb the energy we've scattered?"
Even after death, the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King possessed energy close to its source—and not just anyone could absorb it.
Even the so-called Titled Douluo of the present world would suffer torn meridians at best, or explode and die at worst.
But what were they seeing now?
A mere human Soul Master was boldly absorbing their energy—and seemed perfectly fine afterward.
How could that not leave them shocked and terrified?
But as he gradually calmed down, the Ice Dragon King, whom the others called Third Brother, thought of a possibility.
He voiced his guess.
"Fourth Brother, could it be that the one up there isn't human?"
The Fire Dragon King, called Fourth Brother, froze at that. But after a moment's thought, he decided it made a lot of sense.
He continued, "Could he be Father, reincarnated with his power and cultivating anew?"
"But that can't be right. I can't sense any aura in him that shares our lineage."
That question made the Ice Dragon King uncertain, too.
He hadn't sensed an aura of their shared lineage, either.
But just then, terrifying Dragon Might erupted from Yu Tianshuo and spread in every direction. A mighty, fearsome golden dragon appeared behind him!
"Golden Dragon King?!"
The appearance of the golden dragon's shadow nearly scared the two Dragon Kings out of their wits.
Before they could react, golden dragon scales began to appear across Yu Tianshuo's skin.
His form gradually transformed into that of a dragon.
The Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King gaped at the sight.
But they had no time to keep staring in shock. Yu Tianshuo's absorption speed began to increase again.
This time, though, he wasn't absorbing the energy scattered around him. He was targeting the two dragon corpses at the bottom of the lake.
"Holy crap! Third Brother, he's coming for us!"
The Fire Dragon King was horrified to see his remains begin floating toward Yu Tianshuo at the lake's surface.
Before the Ice Dragon King could think of a way to respond, his own body began to rise, too.
"Holy hell!"
Yu Tianshuo gave them no chance to escape. The Dragon Might within him pressed down on both Dragon Kings, leaving them too afraid to resist.
All they could do was let Yu Tianshuo's dragon body absorb them.
As he faced his final moments, the Fire Dragon King spoke to the Ice Dragon King with grim resolve.
"Third Brother, there's something I've kept from you all these years. I was the one who made that female dragon you loved disappear."
"I had my eye on her, too, so I spent some time winning her over. Later, afraid you'd get angry, I hid her away."
The Ice Dragon King emerged from his terror and looked at the Fire Dragon King strangely. Then he hesitated before replying, "Huh? I knew about that. Back then, she used to visit my cave every now and then."
Now the Fire Dragon King was the one left utterly bewildered.
Once he put the pieces together, he flew into a rage and was about to speak—but Yu Tianshuo sucked their corpses and remnant souls into his body.
All that was left for the world to hear were a few words:
"Third Brother, I'll be damned—"
The Ice Dragon King could only smile helplessly at the sight. Then he sighed and said, "You're still too green, you silly little brother."
With that, he closed his eyes and calmly accepted his fate of being devoured.
After the Ice Dragon King's remains were devoured, Yu Tianshuo's dragon body fell deathly still.
As time passed, Yu Tianshuo gradually absorbed the remains of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King completely.
The surrounding air seemed affected by the process, growing unusually heavy, as though it were waiting for something important to happen.
An hour passed.
Two hours passed.
Then, two and a half hours later, the dragon body in the lake finally stirred.
The enormous dragon body began to tremble faintly, as if slowly waking from sleep.
Then it stretched out, each movement stiff, yet imbued with an indescribable sense of power.
Only when the dragon body had fully stretched out did it become clear that Yu Tianshuo's dragon form had reached fifteen meters in length!
And Yu Tianshuo was still only a Soul Grandmaster without a Second Soul Ring!
Sunlight filtered through the surface of the lake and fell upon Yu Tianshuo's dragon body, draping him in a golden radiance.
The light made him look even more majestic and imposing, and lent him an air of authority that brooked no trespass.
His dragon eyes cracked open, at first clouded with confusion. After a while, his gaze gradually cleared.
Yu Tianshuo's consciousness returned as well. He began to feel the surging power within him.
It rushed through his meridians like a raging torrent, filling every cell with vitality.
Feeling this mighty power, Yu Tianshuo was overcome with delight.
To his surprise, he also discovered that he could still use the abilities he had gained from absorbing the Immortal Herbs.
But before he could try them out, a noisy voice rang in his mind.
He could only make out a few words:
"Third Brother! I'll be damned—"
Before you continue