Before the severed vines could hit the ground, the entire valley shook violently.
Soil heaved, rock walls split, and hundreds of vines burst from the earth at once, crisscrossing to seal off the three intruders' retreat. Above them, broad leaves pressed down, their edges razor-sharp.
At the same moment, the Icefire Spring surged. Scarlet water rose dozens of meters into the air, and scorching heat swept across the ground.
On the other side, the milky-white spring stirred as well. Bitter cold spread rapidly, coating every flower, blade of grass, and patch of ground in thick ice.
Fire and ice closed in from both sides. The temperature at the heart of the valley spun completely out of control.
Tang Ya had barely released her Sinful Blue Silver Grass when the oncoming heat forced her back several steps.
"What's going on? Is there someone else here?" Tang Ya asked, her face full of alarm.
"It's more than that."
Long Xiaoyao stood before the other two, his broad black robe snapping in the surging energy.
"This place is ideal for plants to grow. Who knows how many years they've spent here? As we saw on the way in, many have gained intelligence. A few have even cultivated for a hundred thousand years."
Long Wushang looked toward the springs. A strange plant was slowly rising on each side.
To the left stood a scarlet flower wreathed in rolling flames. An extraordinarily pure fire-attributed energy gathered within its stamens.
To the right stood a large, eight-pointed white herb. Frost covered every leaf, and bitter cold poured ceaselessly from its roots.
The records in the illustrated compendium flashed through Long Wushang's mind.
"Infernal Delicate Apricot."
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass."
The two Immortal Herbs faltered when they heard their names. Then even fiercer waves of fire and ice surged skyward.
"Outsiders, leave this valley at once!"
The powers of fire and ice intertwined, forming a powerful will that resounded throughout the valley.
"No humans may set foot here!"
Countless leaves stood on edge. Several plants with tens of thousands of years of cultivation attacked first, hurling vines, pollen, poisonous mist, and razor-edged leaves from every direction. Even the rock walls on either side shattered under the assault.
"How dare you! A pack of beasts thinks it can stop me?"
Long Xiaoyao's expression darkened, and he stepped forward without hesitation.
His Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul possessed him in an instant, and nine Soul Rings rose one after another beneath his feet.
Terrifying darkness spread into a vast domain, forcibly covering the heart of the valley.
The light rapidly dimmed. Every incoming vine bent beneath the crushing force. Several weaker plants were pressed flat against the ground, their roots trembling.
But the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass did not retreat.
Rooted beside the two springs, they had an almost endless supply of fire and ice to draw upon.
A scarlet wave of fire broke through the dark domain. Bitter cold followed close behind, and the two forces converged in midair before slamming straight toward Long Xiaoyao.
Long Xiaoyao thrust both hands forward. His Soul Power condensed into two dragon claws that seized the torrent of fire and ice.
The three forces collided wildly at the center of the valley. Nearby herbs bowed their branches and leaves, while cracks tore across the ground.
"Wushang, don't destroy the springs!" Long Xiaoyao warned when he saw Long Wushang preparing to summon his Demon Puppet.
"I know." Space twisted behind Long Wushang, and the Original Sin Demon Puppet descended once more.
The divine ring representing Gluttony lit up, and a pitch-black vortex appeared beneath the torrent of fire and ice.
A tremendous suction erupted. Nearly half the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy flowing toward the two Immortal Herbs was snatched away on the spot.
The flames around the Infernal Delicate Apricot swiftly weakened, and the frost on the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass's leaves began to recede.
The two Immortal Herbs immediately sensed something was wrong and frantically drew more energy from the springs. But the faster they drew, the harder the black vortex pulled.
"Impossible!"
"How can you steal the Icefire Spring's power?"
Standing before the Demon Puppet, Long Wushang let the blast of energy sweep his black hair back. "Nothing in this world is impossible."
He pressed both hands downward. The vortex expanded again, and with so much Heaven and Earth Origin Energy cut off, the surrounding Immortal Herbs' attacks visibly weakened.
"Xiao Ya, to the right!"
Tang Ya had been waiting for this chance. Dozens of dark-gold strands of Blue Silver Grass shot along the ground, avoiding the poisonous plants and winding around the vine-like plants leading the attack.
This time, she did not devour indiscriminately. Her Sinful Blue Silver Grass clamped tightly around their roots and drew only the Soul Power stored in their vines.
A giant vine with over fifty thousand years of cultivation thrashed wildly. Its tendrils lashed at Tang Ya one after another, only for a dark dragon claw Long Wushang released with a wave of his hand to smash them apart.
"Settle down!"
Tang Ya seized the opening and activated her fifth Soul Skill.
Dark-gold markings raced across the giant vine's surface, and the energy inside it flowed through the Sinful Blue Silver Grass into Tang Ya.
Her cheeks flushed. Her Soul Power kept rising, and the Blue Silver Grass beneath her feet grew thicker.
The giant vine sensed its strength draining away and fell into a frenzy.
It tore up some of its roots and desperately tried to burrow back underground. Tang Ya's eyes hardened, and she yanked back with both hands.
"Weren't you fierce when you were ganging up on us?"
The giant vine lost its balance. Tang Ya dragged its massive body out of the soil by sheer force.
Meanwhile, Long Xiaoyao had completely suppressed the two Immortal Herbs.
The shadow of the Dark Sacred Dragon coiled above the valley, its two claws sealing off the terrifying powers of fire and ice.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot tried to draw on the fire spring for a counterattack, but Long Xiaoyao's Eighth Soul Ring suddenly flared.
Darkness sealed off the space on every side, forcibly severing the two Immortal Herbs' connection to the Icefire Spring for a moment.
A moment was all he needed.
Long Wushang flashed across the battlefield and appeared directly between the two Immortal Herbs.
The Original Sin Demon Puppet raised both arms, and immense pressure crashed down.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot's petals folded tightly inward. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was crushed almost flat against the ground.
Every other plant still resisting fell still. Countless vines froze in midair, no longer daring to attack.
Long Wushang studied the two Immortal Herbs before him. Both had gained intelligence and cultivated for a hundred thousand years. If he consumed and refined them as they were, he could not be sure his body would withstand it.
"Human, I admit you're strong. But I warn you, this place belongs to someone. You'd best not act recklessly, or the consequences will be more than you can bear."
The Infernal Delicate Apricot continued threatening the impassive Long Wushang. Beside it, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Long Xiaoyao looked at them with a flicker of disdain. He increased the force in his hands, making the two Immortal Herbs wail in agony.
A cold glint crossed Long Wushang's eyes as he watched. They really don't know when to stop. If they insist on being so defiant, there's nothing more to say. They can obediently become nourishment for my servants.
Under Long Wushang and Tang Ya's gaze, dazzling divine light burst from Long Xiaoyao's eyes again. A purple-green, eye-shaped sigil slowly emerged on his forehead, radiating the boundless aura of Destruction and endless life.
It was the fusion of the Blade of Life he had recovered and the Destruction Core in his Spiritual Sea—a product born from the union of pure destruction and pure life: the Eye of Creation.
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