"This contains information about the Immortal Herbs here. Their forms, medicinal properties, and harvesting methods are all clearly marked. Just follow the instructions."
Hearing Ye Qiong's explanation, Tribbie flipped through the book. Sure enough, it contained plenty of information.
So she nodded, turned, and walked toward the rock wall beside the spring, consulting the illustrated guide as she began identifying the herbs.
Ye Qiong didn't follow her. His gaze had settled 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 of the pool and crouched down, placing one hand on either side as he carefully sensed the energies.
"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well... it certainly lives up to its name."
Ye Qiong remembered the lore about this place.
It was said that the remains of two Dragon Kings lay beneath the spring.
Their powers had fused together, forming this wondrous spring.
Could the power of those two Dragon Kings still remain here?
Ye Qiong stood and took a deep breath, then looked at Tribbie.
"Teacher Tribbie."
Tribbie, who was gathering Immortal Herbs, looked up.
"Keep gathering. I'm going to take a look beneath the spring."
She paused and glanced at the spring, immediately wanting to stop him.
"Dean, we don't know what's down there..."
Ye Qiong waved a hand.
"Don't worry. I'll just take a look and come right back. Besides, with my strength, I don't need to fear any danger."
Tribbie fell silent for a moment at his words, but in the end, she nodded.
"All right. Be careful."
Ye Qiong leaped into the pool.
Clutching the book, Tribbie gazed at the water's surface as it settled back into stillness and murmured softly,
"I hope you come back safely."
At the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Ye Qiong discovered that in the gloomy depths, there really were two enormous dragon skeletons.
One was scarlet as molten lava, the other a deep blue like solid ice.
The sight of the two dragon skeletons immediately filled Ye Qiong with delight.
But just as he approached to touch them, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him.
The next second, he found himself standing in an endless void.
Before him sat two colossal dragons upon thrones.
Their bodies loomed as large as mountains, their heads held high in the air.
Standing before them, Ye Qiong felt like an ant.
Were these the Water Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King?
"At last, someone has made it here."
An ancient, weathered voice echoed through the space.
Ye Qiong stared at the two Dragon Kings, momentarily stunned.
What the hell? They're alive? They can actually talk.
"Human, there is no need to be surprised. We are the lingering thoughts of the Dragon Kings, slumbering here. Your arrival has awakened us."
"We have waited many years—so long that even our remaining thoughts are nearly worn away by time."
Ye Qiong looked up at the two colossal figures. After a few seconds of silence, he asked,
"Why did you bring me here?"
The Water Dragon King lowered his gaze, his voice deep as an echo from the abyss.
"Our remnant souls cannot hold on much longer. Our power is constantly fading. In another hundred years, even this Remnant Thought Space will collapse completely."
The Fire Dragon King picked up where he left off.
"Rather than let this power vanish into the void, we would rather entrust it to someone living."
Ye Qiong furrowed his brow slightly.
"So you want to pass your inheritance on to me?"
A trace of satisfaction flashed in the two Dragon Kings' eyes.
"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 from our power. We didn't choose you at random."
Ye Qiong considered it.
Although his strength was already formidable,
there was no such thing as having too much power.
Besides, this was the inheritance of two Dragon Kings.
Thinking this, Ye Qiong nodded.
"I accept."
The two Dragon Kings' gazes softened.
"Good."
Then Ye Qiong saw both Dragon Kings raise their claws at the same time.
Two beams of light shot from their palms, each entering one of Ye Qiong's arms with unerring precision.
The next second, scorching heat and bitter cold flooded into his bones at once.
The two forces began to tear at each other, then gradually merged.
The sensation made Ye Qiong frown, but he didn't make a sound. He simply endured the baptism of the two powers.
A moment later, the light faded.
He felt two Soul Bones in his hands.
The Left Palm Bone of the Water Dragon King, and the Right Palm Bone of the Fire Dragon King.
And they were dragon bones of a quality that far surpassed Soul Bones from soul beasts!
Ye Qiong was stunned. He hadn't expected the two Dragon Kings to give him these two dragon bones.
The two Dragon Kings looked at Ye Qiong, their voices carrying a hint of approval.
This human had absorbed the power even faster than they had imagined.
The two Dragon Kings fell silent for a moment. Their bodies had grown hazy and were beginning to flicker.
Their time was nearly up.
Ye Qiong sensed it keenly as well.
He looked up at them, concern on his face.
"Honored seniors, what's happening to you...?"
The Fire Dragon King let out a deep sigh.
"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 needn't worry about us. Our true bodies died long ago. We're now no more than a remnant thought lingering in this world."
"For tens of millions of years, we've waited here for the one fate destined to find us. 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.
"That's right. But, little human, there's one more thing we must do before we disappear."
Ye Qiong nodded solemnly.
"Please, tell me."
The Water Dragon King swept a claw through the air.
A colossal screen of water took shape in the void.
The next second, an image appeared on the screen.
It showed the starry sea at the dawn of chaos, dragons soaring across the cosmos, and the myriad races bowing in worship.
The Water Dragon King's voice sounded.
"In the era before time had been anchored, the immortal Dragon God awoke from the chaos."
"It was one of the oldest wills in the universe, its body spanning the sea of stars."
"With its own bloodline, it created the Nine Great Dragon Kings, granting us nine stable elemental origins: water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, space, and time."
On the screen, nine dragon silhouettes coiled and crossed around a radiant orb at the center, more brilliant than a galaxy.
Ye Qiong's gaze fixed on the orb, and something stirred in his heart.
In his previous life, he had encountered lore about the Dragon Clan in the novel Douluo Continent,
but he could no longer remember much beyond those scattered fragments.
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 grew heavier.
"It wanted to elevate the Divine Dragon Realm into a God Star, making its Divine Realm an existence that even the laws of the universe could not ignore."
"During the God-Sealing Ceremony, the powers of the Space Dragon King and the Time Dragon King ran wild under the assault of the laws of the universe, throwing spacetime into disorder."
"The Dragon Clan Crown Prince died saving the Dragon God."
As they spoke, the image shifted abruptly.
Before you continue