"What's written here is information about the Immortal Herbs in this place. Their appearance, medicinal properties, and how to pick them are all clearly marked. Just follow the instructions."
After hearing Ye Qiong's explanation, Tribbie flipped through the book. Sure enough, it contained plenty of records.
So she nodded and turned toward the rock wall beside the spring, beginning to identify the herbs by comparing them with the illustrations.
Ye Qiong didn't follow her. His gaze had fallen on the spring at the center.
One half of the spring was scarlet, the other a deep blue.
It was the Ice and Fire Spring at the heart of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
He walked to the edge, crouched down, and placed one hand on either side, carefully sensing the water.
"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well... lives up to its name."
Ye Qiong remembered the lore surrounding this place.
They said the remains of two Dragon Kings lay beneath the spring.
Their powers had fused together, forming this extraordinary spring.
Could the power of those two Dragon Kings still be here?
Ye Qiong stood up, took a deep breath, and looked toward Tribbie.
"Teacher Tribbie."
Tribbie, who was picking Immortal Herbs, looked up.
"Keep picking. I'm going down to take a look."
She paused and glanced at the spring, immediately wanting to stop him.
"Dean, we don't know what's down there..."
Ye Qiong waved his hand.
"Don't worry. I'll only take a look and come right back up. Besides, with my strength, I'm not afraid of any danger."
Tribbie fell silent for a moment at his words, but eventually nodded.
"All right. Be careful."
Ye Qiong leaped into the pool.
Clutching the booklet, Tribbie watched the water's surface settle again and murmured softly,
"I hope you come back safely."
At the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Ye Qiong discovered that two enormous dragon skeletons really did lie in the shadowy depths.
One was scarlet as molten lava, the other deep blue as solid ice.
The sight of the two dragon skeletons immediately filled Ye Qiong with delight.
But just as he leaned closer to touch them, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over him.
The next second, he found himself standing in an endless void.
Before him sat two colossal dragons on their thrones.
Their bodies were as vast as mountains, their heads held high above him.
Standing before them, Ye Qiong felt no bigger than an ant.
Were these the Water Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King?
"At last, someone has made it here."
An ancient, timeworn voice echoed through the space.
Ye Qiong stared at the two Dragon Kings, stunned.
What the hell—were they alive? They could actually talk!
"Human, there's no need to be surprised. We are the lingering remnants of the Dragon Kings, sleeping here. Your arrival has awakened us."
"We have waited for many years—so long that even our remaining thoughts are nearly worn away by time."
Ye Qiong looked up at the two towering figures. After a few seconds of silence, he asked,
"Why did you bring me here?"
The Water Dragon King lowered his gaze, his voice rumbling like an echo from the abyss.
"Our remnant souls can't hold on much longer. Our power is constantly draining away. In another hundred years, even this space of lingering thoughts will collapse completely."
The Fire Dragon King continued,
"Rather than let this power dissipate into the void, we would rather pass it on to someone living."
Ye Qiong furrowed his brow slightly.
"So you want to give me your inheritance?"
A glimmer of approval flashed in the eyes of both Dragon Kings.
"Exactly. You're clever, human. We need an heir to preserve the origins of water and fire in this world."
The Fire Dragon King continued,
"You crossed the spring formed by our power. We chose you for a reason; it wasn't a random decision."
Ye Qiong considered it.
Though he was already quite powerful, more power was always better.
Besides, this was the inheritance of two Dragon Kings.
Thinking this, Ye Qiong nodded.
"I accept."
The gazes of the two Dragon Kings softened.
"Good."
Then Ye Qiong saw both Dragon Kings raise their claws at the same time.
Two beams of light shot from their palms and sank precisely into his arms.
The next moment, searing heat and bitter cold poured into his bones.
The two forces began to tear at each other before finally merging.
Ye Qiong frowned at the sensation but didn't make a sound. He simply endured the cleansing of the two powers.
After a while, the light faded.
He could feel two Soul Bones in his hands.
The Water Dragon King Left Palm Bone and the Fire Dragon King Right Palm Bone.
And they were dragon bones of a quality that completely surpassed Soul Bones from soul beasts!
Ye Qiong was stunned. He hadn't expected the two Dragon Kings to give him these dragon bones.
The two Dragon Kings looked at Ye Qiong, their voices betraying a hint of satisfaction.
This human had absorbed the power even faster than they'd expected.
The two Dragon Kings fell silent for a moment. Their bodies had already turned indistinct and were beginning to flicker.
Their time was nearly up.
Ye Qiong sensed it keenly, too.
He looked up at them, concern on his face.
"Esteemed seniors, what's happening to you...?"
The Fire Dragon King sighed deeply.
"Alas, we're about to disappear."
The Water Dragon King looked down at Ye Qiong, doing his best to keep his voice calm.
"Little human, you don't need to worry about us. Our true bodies died long ago. We're nothing more than a wisp of lingering thought left in this world."
"For tens of millions of years, we've waited here for the one fate had chosen. Now that we've left behind the inheritance held within our bodies, our wish has been fulfilled."
The Fire Dragon King gave a slight nod.
"Indeed. But little human, before we disappear, there's one more thing we must do."
Ye Qiong nodded solemnly.
"Please, go ahead, senior."
The Water Dragon King moved his claw.
A vast screen of water took shape in the void.
The next moment, an image appeared across it.
It showed the starry sea at the dawn of chaos, dragons soaring through the cosmos, and then the myriad races bowing in worship.
The Water Dragon King's voice rang out.
"In an era when time had yet to be anchored, the immortal Dragon God awakened from chaos."
"He was one of the oldest wills in the universe, his body spanning the starry sea."
"Using his own bloodline, he created the Nine Great Dragon Kings and bestowed upon us nine stable origins: water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, space, and time."
On the screen, nine dragon shadows coiled around one another, circling a mass of light at the center, more radiant than a galaxy.
Ye Qiong fixed his gaze on that radiant mass, his heart stirring slightly.
In his previous life, he'd encountered lore about the dragon clan in the novel Douluo Continent.
But those scattered details had grown hazy in his memory.
Still, he knew a little about the Dragon God.
So Ye Qiong asked directly,
"What happened to the Dragon God?"
The Water Dragon King's voice turned even heavier.
"He wanted to elevate the Divine Dragon Realm into a God Star, making a God Realm an existence that even the laws of the universe itself could not ignore."
"During the Apotheosis Ceremony, the powers of the Space Dragon King and the Time Dragon King spiraled out of control under the impact of the laws of the universe, throwing space and time into chaos."
"The Dragon Prince died saving the Dragon God."
As they spoke, the scene on the screen changed abruptly.