Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King!

"Stop!" the old clan chief shouted sternly, his voice filled with endless exhaustion and fear.

Before his words had even faded, the guard snorted coldly and stepped forward.

Light flared beneath his feet as four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose in succession. Dense Soul Power surged forth, instantly bearing down on the young clansman and forcing him back again and again, his face deathly pale.

A four-ringed Soul Ancestor!

The old clan chief slowly rose to his feet and brushed the dust from his knees.

He cast one final, lingering look at the residence that had once belonged to the Li Clan but now completely shut them out. A trace of desolation flashed through his eyes.

"Let's go..."

His voice was hoarse, as if all his strength had been drained away.

"Leave Spirit City. Go far away."

The following morning, the rising sun had just begun to crest the horizon.

A ragged convoy slowly passed through Spirit City's grand gates.

Inside the convoy, the old clan chief sat in a jolting carriage, watching Spirit City gradually recede behind him. At last, two murky tears slid down his cheeks.

Deep within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, time seemed to have lost all meaning.

The Yin-Yang Creation Fire clung tightly to Zhang Qingxuan's body like a layer of flowing liquid glass.

Rather than being extinguished by the violent ice and fire energy around it, the flames resembled a greedy young beast, constantly devouring the incomparably pure ice and fire power in its surroundings with faint sizzling sounds.

As he descended deeper, the ice and fire power around him grew increasingly pure.

Within Zhang Qingxuan's body, the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram spun madly. The Green Leaf Sword rang with sharp sword cries, and the agitation of his Martial Souls conveyed a clear message—a feast lay right ahead.

"Even these two can barely hold themselves back. It seems the destination is right ahead."

After descending another hundred meters or so, his vision abruptly opened up.

A translucent barrier woven from extreme ice and fire energy stretched across the path before him. Like a natural boundary wall, it completely isolated the worlds within and without.

Zhang Qingxuan did not hesitate. The Creation Fire around him swept forward, and he slipped through it like a fish.

The sight within the barrier made Zhang Qingxuan's pupils contract.

This was not the cavern he had imagined, but a magnificent underground plaza built from countless icy-blue and crimson crystals!

The ground was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the distorted energy currents overhead.

At the center of the plaza, two enormous dragon skeletons, so vast their ends could not be seen, lay quietly at rest. They were entwined in an extraordinarily bizarre posture, as though they had crossed the boundary between life and death.

Even after tens of thousands of years, the remaining bones still exuded a terrifying pressure that made one's soul tremble.

A mere glance was enough to sense what a world-destroying realm these two had reached in life.

Then Zhang Qingxuan's gaze passed over the dragon bones and locked firmly onto the two clusters of origin floating directly above their skulls—one an icy essence like Absolute Zero, the other a blazing sunfire capable of burning all things to ash. They were the ultimate condensation of the laws of ice and fire.

Just as Zhang Qingxuan lifted his foot and was about to touch the origins, a sudden change occurred!

The energy throughout Ice-Fire Plaza boiled madly, rushing along the two dragon skeletons and gathering in a frenzy.

Drawn by those two clusters of origin power, two illusory yet supremely sacred figures slowly condensed into form.

On the left stood a woman in red, flames blazing around her as sparks capable of incinerating the eight directions danced in her eyes. On the right stood a woman in blue, cold air swirling around her, while a rhythm capable of freezing time and space flowed through her hair.

The two slowly opened their eyes in midair, their gazes like lightning as they instantly locked onto the intruder.

"After all these years... someone has finally come." The Ice Dragon King's voice was ethereal and distant, carrying a sigh of relief.

"Yes. Since this secret realm was born, you are the first person to discover it and successfully reach its core." The Fire Dragon King continued, unable to hide the gratification in her tone.

The next instant, the two Dragon Kings' voices overlapped, carrying the unquestionable majesty unique to gods. "Human, we are the First-Level Gods, the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King."

"Are you willing to accept our inheritance?"

Had it been anyone else, even the continent's greatest powerhouse would likely have been so excited that they fell to the ground in gratitude.

After all, the inheritance of a First-Level God was a direct path to the God Realm, an unreachable shore that countless people could never attain even after exhausting their entire lives.

Yet Zhang Qingxuan merely raised an eyebrow. Then, under the expectant gazes of the two Dragon Kings, he decisively shook his head.

"I'm not willing."

The air instantly froze.

A clear look of astonishment appeared on the illusory faces of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King.

They had deliberately emphasized their status as First-Level Gods and had even used divine pressure to suppress him, yet they still could not shake this man's resolve?

"Why?" The Fire Dragon King frowned slightly, her tone gaining traces of confusion and irritation.

"By obtaining our inheritance, you can ascend to the heavens in a single step and spare yourself countless years of arduous cultivation. This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

A faint, indifferent curve appeared on Zhang Qingxuan's lips. His gaze was as deep as a sea of stars as he looked directly at the two dragon souls, his words filled with absolute confidence.

"Because I don't need it."

His voice was not loud, but every word landed with force. "Even without your charity, I, Zhang Qingxuan, will still enter the Godhood Realm in the future. And perhaps... I will go even further."

After a pause, his eyes gleamed like torches, as though he had seen through everything. "Besides, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If I'm not mistaken, this so-called inheritance must come with a certain price attached, right?"

The two Dragon Kings fell silent.

They neither refuted him nor grew angry, because the instant Zhang Qingxuan entered the barrier, they had already seen through his true capabilities.

Not yet twenty years old, yet already possessing the cultivation of a Soul Douluo and spiritual power in the Spirit Abyss Realm. Three-Life Martial Soul, along with two great spiritual treasures of heaven and earth accompanying him...

Possessing even one of those would have been enough to make someone a blazing prodigy capable of suppressing an era.

Yet this man possessed every miracle.

Such an existence would indeed not stop at becoming a First-Level God in the future. Even challenging the position of God King was no fantasy.

When faced with a genius of limitless potential like this, threats and temptations were clearly the most foolish methods.

"You want these two clusters of origin?" The Ice Dragon King reined in her emotions and adopted a negotiating posture.

"Yes, I do." Zhang Qingxuan admitted it openly, making no attempt to hide his greed.

"If you are willing to save the Soul Beast race and help it restore its former glory, then this Ice and Fire Origin, along with all the insights into laws we accumulated in our lives, can be given to you." The Ice Dragon King promptly offered her bargaining chip, hope shining in her eyes.

Faced with such an enormous reward, Zhang Qingxuan merely sneered and shook his head again without hesitation.

"Then I don't want it."

"Why?" the Ice Dragon King asked urgently, her divine soul trembling.

"With your talent, your future achievements are limitless. Saving the Soul Beast race along the way would be nothing more than a simple gesture. Why not do it?"

"The current Soul Beast race is divided among countless factions, each attacking the others. They are nothing but a disorganized rabble!" Zhang Qingxuan snorted coldly, his eyes sharp as blades.

"Besides..."

He paused, looking at the two dragon souls that were gradually dimming, and spoke those heart-piercing words one by one.

"To be honest, I have always believed in one saying—better a godlike opponent than piglike teammates!"