Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

In the sky, Snow Empress held Lin Yaoyang while Ice Empress flew beside them. The three figures swept over the endless snowfields, heading southwest.

Nestled in Snow Empress's arms, Lin Yaoyang felt the oncoming wind blocked by her aura. He comfortably narrowed his eyes.

"Xue'er, let's go take a look at Sunset Forest."

Snow Empress lowered her head and glanced at him. "Aren't we going back first?"

"After thinking about it, since we're already here, we might as well stop by Sunset Forest."

Lin Yaoyang said, "I want to see for myself whether the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, that natural treasure basin, really exists."

Snow Empress fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. We'll do as you say."

The three of them flew toward Sunset Forest.

Meanwhile.

Far North, outer region.

The wind and snow howled, leaving heaven and earth in a vast expanse of white. Fine ice crystals drifted through the gray sky, striking the face like needles.

Huo Yuhao tightened his cotton coat around himself, hunched his neck, and trudged through the snow with difficulty.

His lips had turned purple from the cold, his face was pale as paper, and he looked as though the wind could blow him over at any moment.

"Brother Sky Dream..." he called out in his mind, his voice trembling. "I'm here... I've reached the Extreme North... Where is that Ice Empress you mentioned?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in his mind, carrying a rare solemnity.

"Little Yuhao, hang on a little longer. Put on my shed skin first, and then I'll guide you with my spiritual power!"

Sunset Forest.

When Snow Empress brought Lin Yaoyang and Ice Empress above Sunset Forest, all three of them frowned slightly.

The scene here was completely different from Star Dou Forest.

Star Dou Forest was lush and vibrant, brimming with life.

Sunset Forest, however... gray-green poisonous mist shrouded the entire forest, sealing the world below tightly away.

Ice Empress looked at the greenish poisonous mist, surprise flashing through her eyes.

"How did Sunset Forest become like this?"

She remembered coming here long ago. Back then, although Sunset Forest had not been as prosperous as Star Dou Forest, it had still been a gathering place for Soul Beasts, with Hundred-Year and Thousand-Year Soul Beasts everywhere.

But now, looking down through the poisonous mist, the entire forest was steeped in deathly stillness. Not even the sound of birds could be heard.

"It should be the Jade Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers."

Lin Yaoyang said, "They continuously release poisonous mist. After the Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest are poisoned to death, their corpses become nutrients for them. After absorbing those nutrients, they keep releasing poisonous mist and poison even more Soul Beasts... It keeps cycling until it becomes what it is now."

Ice Empress glanced at him, a trace of surprise in her bright yellow eyes.

"You really do know quite a lot."

Lin Yaoyang smiled. "Bing'er, reading a few more books while cultivating isn't a bad thing."

Ice Empress pursed her little lips but did not argue.

Snow Empress said nothing.

She closed her eyes, and her immense spiritual power spread out, piercing through the poisonous mist and extending below.

A moment later, she opened her eyes.

"Let's go. It should be in that direction."

She wrapped Lin Yaoyang and Ice Empress in Soul Power and flew toward the thickest poisonous mist.

The deeper they went, the denser the poisonous mist became.

In the end, all they could see was a hazy sea of green. They could not even tell which direction they were facing.

If Snow Empress had not locked onto their direction with her spiritual power, an ordinary person would have long since lost their way here.

After passing through the final layer of poisonous mist, the view suddenly opened up.

A valley appeared before the three of them.

Ice Empress looked at the rings of Jade Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers outside the valley. The poisonous mist they emitted blanketed the entire valley.

Ice Empress asked doubtfully, "These flowers are arranged far too neatly. Why do I feel like these Jade Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers were planted here deliberately?"

Snow Empress looked over the surrounding environment and said, "That is very possible. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is a natural treasure basin. Perhaps someone discovered this place and wanted to claim its treasures for themselves, so they planted these Jade Phosphorus Nine Absolute Flowers here."

Ice Empress could not help cursing, "How despicable and shameless! Sunset Forest used to be a gathering place for Soul Beasts. Since entering, I haven't even seen a single Hundred-Year Soul Beast, only weak Ten-Year Soul Beasts!"

"Now not only can Soul Beasts no longer survive here, humans cannot enter either. Isn't that cutting off their own escape route?"

The three of them then passed through the valley and instantly seemed to enter another world.

The valley was not large. Towering rock walls surrounded it, covered in vegetation of every color, as though inlaid with colorful gemstones.

Above the valley, the poisonous mist resembled an upside-down bowl, tightly enclosing this patch of land as if protecting something.

Deep within the valley lay a lake with sharply divided halves.

One half was icy white, while the other was fiery red.

The icy-white half emitted faint white vapor, and every plant around it was covered in glistening frost. The light above the fiery-red half warped slightly, while the air itself distorted beneath the blazing heat.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Snow Empress looked at the lake, and shock flashed through her sky-blue eyes.

"Such a miraculous place actually exists in this world. Two opposing elements can coexist here so harmoniously."

Lin Yaoyang said, "Legend says that after the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King of the Dragon Clan fell, their Dragon Bones became this lake. That is why it is called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It is a marvel of heaven and earth, gathering an extraordinarily dense life aura. Plant-type Soul Beasts cultivating here for one year achieve the equivalent of ten years outside."

"Ten years?!" Ice Empress's voice rose several pitches.

She looked at the lake, her eyes filled with envy and shock.

Star Dou Forest had Lake of Life, while Sunset Forest had the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Among the three great gathering places for Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent, only the Far North had no sacred cultivation ground at all.

Ice Empress felt bitter.

Snow Empress withdrew her gaze from the lake and looked at the colorful plants throughout the valley.

"Yao Yang, are these the Immortal Herbs you mentioned?"

"Mm." Lin Yaoyang nodded. "Bing'er, Xue'er, let's see if there are any Immortal Herbs suitable for us. Ice-attributed, fire-attributed, light-attributed... There should be all kinds here."

Snow Empress and Ice Empress nodded, preparing to move.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"Stop... Stop right there!"

The voice trembled, as though it had taken all her courage to shout.

"Outsiders are not welcome here!"

The three of them followed the sound.

The speaker was a large pink flower. Its blossom was enormous, its petals layered upon one another, and its entire body emitted a faint pink glow.

Her flower stalk was as thick as an arm, deeply rooted in the soil beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Aromatic Silk Beauty.

Though her voice was loud, she was clearly lacking confidence. She could sense the terrifying aura emanating from Snow Empress.

That cultivation nearing seven hundred thousand years was something a plant-type Soul Beast like her could never hope to reach.

Yet she still forced herself to speak.

"This is that lord's territory. Leave at once, or face the consequences!"

Snow Empress looked at the pink flower, a disdainful smile curling at her lips.

"A mere hundred-thousand-year plant-type Soul Beast dares to block my path?"

Her tone was calm, but the crushing pressure of superiority made Aromatic Silk Beauty's petals tremble.

At that moment, another voice rang out.

"Youyou, why are you wasting words on them?!"

A fiery-red plant poked her head out from the side.

Her leaves flared like flames, and her entire body radiated scorching heat. She looked like she had quite the temper.

Infernal Delicate Apricot.

"Since they weren't sent by that lord, just attack them directly!"

Snow Empress's brows rose slightly.

Not only did the enemy refuse to surrender, she even dared to attack her?

You've got some nerve!

She snorted coldly, Soul Power rapidly condensing in her palm.

The temperature in the air plummeted. A crystal-clear Ice Sword formed in her hand. Its blade was transparent as ice and radiated biting cold.

The Ice Sword swung lightly.

There were no flashy sword techniques, no dazzling effects—just a simple swing.

A streak of sword energy shot from the blade, racing straight toward Aromatic Silk Beauty and Infernal Delicate Apricot!

Where the sword energy passed, the air froze, and a thin layer of frost formed across the ground.

Aromatic Silk Beauty and Infernal Delicate Apricot did not even have a chance to dodge before the sword energy swept over them.

"Ah—!"

Aromatic Silk Beauty let out a miserable cry, and the pink light on her petals instantly dimmed.

Infernal Delicate Apricot fared no better. A layer of white frost formed over her fiery-red leaves, and her scorching aura was suppressed until it could barely be felt.

"Stop hitting us! Stop hitting us!"

Aromatic Silk Beauty hurriedly begged for mercy, her voice on the verge of tears. "We're all Soul Beasts. Let's talk this out properly!"

Snow Empress put away her Ice Sword and snorted.

"I think you just needed a beating."