Soon, Tai Yi made his way down to the bottom of the spring. When he reached it, he discovered that there was another world beneath the water. The space below was enormous, completely unlike the world above, and seemed to be cut off by some kind of force. There was no water down there.
Just then, God of Destruction's voice rang out in Tai Yi's mind:
"Just as I thought. These two dragons died here."
As God of Destruction spoke, Tai Yi saw the two skeletons before him: the intertwined remains of two dragons. Each skeleton contained a glowing Spirit Bone, one red and one blue.
Tai Yi could sense that the energy in the spring above came from those two Spirit Bones. More precisely, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been formed by the two Spirit Bones.
Looking at them, Tai Yi instinctively reached out to take them. But as he drew near, he felt a force stop him, preventing him from getting any closer.
God of Destruction said, "Those beasts are dead, and they still won't let anyone rest in peace."
Then God of Destruction continued, "Don't worry. Their corpses still carry a trace of divinity. You're still a mortal, so it's normal that you can't get close. I'll help you."
As soon as God of Destruction finished speaking, a force shot from the mark between Tai Yi's brows. It reached the two skeletons, wrapped around the Spirit Bones, and drew them out.
Then Tai Yi saw that, once the Spirit Bones were separated from the skeletons, the remains—which had still carried a trace of imposing power—crumbled to dust.
All that remained at the bottom of the spring were the two Divine Spirit Bones of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.
God of Destruction said, "Tai Yi, you can absorb the Ice Dragon King's left arm bone and the Fire Dragon King's right arm bone now. Absorb both at the same time to keep the ice and fire in balance. With the tempering you've already undergone in the spring, and with me separating some of the Spirit Bones' power to make your third Spirit Ring and seal away some of their energy, you'll be able to absorb both perfectly.
"Later, as your Soul Power grows, my seal will gradually lift, until you've completely absorbed both Spirit Bones."
Hearing this, Tai Yi said, "In that case, I'll get started."
Then Tai Yi stepped in front of the Spirit Bones and placed one against each of his hands.
The next moment, he wrapped them in Soul Power and began absorbing them.
But this time was different from absorbing the ice and fire energy in the spring. Tai Yi was absorbing Spirit Bones directly, replacing his own bones. In just a second, he felt a stabbing pain—an agony that seemed to pierce his heart.
The next moment, he seemed to see two dragons before him. They were the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.
Then he heard the Fire Dragon King's voice:
"I can't believe that after all these years, a mere mortal dares to absorb our Spirit Bones."
The Ice Dragon King spoke as well: "That's right. And you carry two presences that disgust us, as well as one that makes our hearts tremble."
The next moment, the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' remnant souls seemed to notice the mark between Tai Yi's brows. They instantly erupted, shouting, "You're the inheritor of Destruction and Life! You're a lapdog of the Divine Realm! You deserve to die! You dare to absorb our Spirit Bones? Die!"
As soon as they finished speaking, Tai Yi felt the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' remnant souls unleash the last of their strength and charge toward his sea of consciousness, intent on killing him.
But it wasn't that easy. God of Destruction had been prepared. The instant the two remnant souls made their move, he casually struck them down, erasing them. When it was over, God of Destruction remarked, "You've been dead for so many years, and you still won't behave."
Then God of Destruction said to Tai Yi, "All right. I'll separate some energy from the Spirit Bones and turn it into your third Spirit Ring. So get ready to absorb the Spirit Bones and the Spirit Ring at the same time."
Tai Yi was in too much pain to speak, so all he could do was grit his teeth and nod.
Then Tai Yi saw two streams of energy separate from his left and right hands, forming a red-and-blue Spirit Ring in front of him.
God of Destruction said, "This Spirit Ring was created from the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' Spirit Bones. It's only a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for now, but its age will increase as your Soul Power grows, and it will eventually become a Divine Spirit Ring. Start absorbing it now. I've also sealed away most of the power in the Spirit Bones. The little that remains won't affect you."
Hearing this, Tai Yi replied through his sweat, "I understand."
Tai Yi was still feeling that stabbing pain, but he also knew that after God of Destruction sealed the Spirit Bones, their power was no longer as fierce as before. At least now he could speak.
The red-and-blue Spirit Ring before him then settled around Tai Yi, and he began absorbing it. He had thought that absorbing the two Spirit Bones was already difficult enough, and that adding the Spirit Ring would put even more pressure on him, pushing his body past its limits.
But the opposite happened. Tai Yi found that once he started absorbing the Spirit Ring, the pressure on his body was no longer as fierce as before. Instead, the Spirit Ring and Spirit Bones complemented each other, making the absorption go more smoothly.
As time passed, Tai Yi successfully absorbed the special Spirit Ring. All that remained was to focus on absorbing the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' Divine Spirit Bones.
Meanwhile, outside, Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue, and Yue Guan had all arrived at the spring. Qian Renxue had finished absorbing the Immortal Herb, and her Soul Power had smoothly reached level fifty. However, refining the Immortal Herb had taken her a whole day.
Qian Renxue realized that she had finished refining the herb, but Tai Yi still hadn't returned. Worried, she brought Qian Daoliu and Yue Guan to the spring to look for him.
Qian Daoliu had tried to go down into the spring to search for Tai Yi, but each time he reached a certain depth, a force stopped him from going any farther. Fortunately, he could still see Tai Yi below, sitting cross-legged as he absorbed the Spirit Bones. So Qian Daoliu returned to shore and told Qian Renxue what he had found. After that, they waited for Tai Yi beside the spring.
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