Bi Ji!

Inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, water vapor swirled, the interweaving of ice and fire creating a dreamlike mist throughout the valley.

Ling Xuqing sat cross-legged on a bluestone by the shore, a faint dark-gold light circulating around his body as he quietly regulated his breath.

Gu Yuena, Xiao Wu, and A Yin sat in a circle beside him, their gazes fixed on him with tenderness and concern.

Zi Ji stood quietly to the side like a loyal war god, keeping watch over the surroundings.

Just as everyone waited patiently for Dugu Bo to return, a strange fluctuation suddenly rippled from the edge of the horizon.

It was not soul power, but an extremely pure and dense aura of life.

This aura was like a spring breeze bringing rain, instantly dispersing the cold and toxic miasma that lingered year-round in the Sunset Forest.

"This aura..."

Gu Yuena raised her head sharply, a flash of surprise crossing her violet eyes. "It's Bi Ji from the Forest of Life!"

Before the words had even faded, a soft green light streaked across the night sky like a meteor, falling straight toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As the light dissipated, a woman dressed in a verdant green dress with a gentle and moving appearance appeared within the cavern.

She had long, emerald-green hair, and her eyes were filled with endless tenderness and compassion.

The moment Bi Ji landed, before she could even take in her surroundings, she froze completely.

Her gaze moved past Ling Xuqing and the others, locking firmly onto the Taiji-shaped Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well ahead, as well as the plants on the shore that emitted strange, brilliant lights.

"This... this is..."

Bi Ji's breathing stalled instantly, and her gentle eyes erupted with unbelievable shock and ecstasy.

"Tulip of Romance! Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red! Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum! Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid! Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma! And... and Fragrant Immortal Silk, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower!"

Bi Ji's voice trembled; she felt as if she were looking at the most precious treasures in the world.

As the top-tier fierce beast in charge of the Forest of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, she possessed an innate sensitivity to and love for plant-type immortal herbs.

"Heavens... to think there are so many supreme immortal herbs here that have long gone extinct in the outside world! And the environment they are growing in is actually the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where extreme cold and extreme heat perfectly blend!"

Bi Ji's eyes turned red with excitement. She stepped forward cautiously, as if afraid to disturb these sleeping spirits.

"Master, this... this is simply the supreme holy land for plant-type soul beasts!"

"Any one of these immortal herbs could make every person and soul beast on the Douluo Continent fight to the death!"

Bi Ji turned her head, looking at Ling Xuqing and Gu Yuena with an excited face, her voice carrying undisguised joy.

Gu Yuena smiled slightly and said softly:

"Bi Ji, you've come."

"These were all prepared for you."

"Prepared for me?" Bi Ji was stunned.

"That's right." Ling Xuqing opened his eyes at this moment. He stood up and looked at Bi Ji with a gentle gaze.

"Bi Ji, nice to meet you. I am Ling Xuqing."

Hearing Ling Xuqing's voice, Bi Ji finally snapped back to reality.

She hurriedly reined in her excitement, smoothed her skirt, and bowed deeply to Ling Xuqing.

"Bi Ji greets the Young Master!"

Bi Ji's voice was gentle and respectful.

Although she was a fierce beast of the Star Dou Great Forest, Zi Ji had already used mental transmission to tell her everything about Ling Xuqing's identity and his status as the successor of the Dragon God before she arrived.

"Bi Ji, no need for such formalities."

Ling Xuqing smiled slightly and reached out to help her up.

Xiao Wu and A Yin also curiously crowded around.

"Sister Bi Ji, your eyes were practically glued to those immortal herbs just now!"

Xiao Wu blinked playfully.

Bi Ji looked at the cute girl, her eyes full of affection. "Yes, Xiao Wu. As a soul beast in charge of life, how could I not be excited to see so many supreme immortal herbs?"

A Yin also smiled gently:

"Sister Bi Ji, this will be our home from now on. You can pick these immortal herbs whenever you like."

Hearing this, a warm current surged through Bi Ji's heart.

Just as everyone was chatting happily, Zi Ji suddenly frowned.

She looked around, scanning the area behind Bi Ji, and discovered that there was no other soul beast aura besides hers.

Zi Ji turned to look at Bi Ji, her tone carrying a hint of confusion and anxiety. "Bi Ji, didn't I send you a message? I told you to bring a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. The Young Master has broken through to level thirty and needs a soul ring. The Master requires it to offer itself as a sacrifice to become the Young Master's Soul Spirit, so that we may share the godhood in the future."

"But how... how did you come alone? Where is the soul beast?!"

Hearing Zi Ji's questioning, Xiao Wu and A Yin were also stunned, both looking at Bi Ji.

That's right, where was the hundred-thousand-year soul beast?

At Zi Ji's words, the excitement and joy on Bi Ji's face gradually faded.

She took a deep breath and looked past the others, straight at Ling Xuqing.

In those eyes that were originally filled with compassion and tenderness, only endless devotion and determination remained.

"Zi Ji..." she said softly, her voice carrying a sense of finality. "There are no other soul beasts."

"What?!" Zi Ji was shocked. "No soul beast? Then what is the Young Master supposed to do?!"

Bi Ji ignored Zi Ji's shock. She walked slowly to Ling Xuqing, knelt on both knees, and performed the most ancient and solemn Dragon Clan salute to him.

"Young Master, Master, Zi Ji."

Bi Ji raised her head, looking at Ling Xuqing with burning eyes, her voice firm and clear:

"I, Bi Ji, the Emerald Swan, with a cultivation of five hundred and eighty thousand years, am willing to offer myself as a sacrifice to the Young Master!"

"I am willing to become the Young Master's Soul Spirit!"

As her words fell, the entire valley fell into a deathly silence.

Xiao Wu and A Yin widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

Zi Ji gasped in shock.

Bi Ji, ranked fourth among the ten great fierce beasts, the matriarch of the Emerald Swan clan!

The most top-tier healing-type soul beast!

She actually wanted to offer herself as a sacrifice to the Young Master?!

Ling Xuqing looked at Bi Ji kneeling before him, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

He felt the sincerity and determination deep within Bi Ji's soul.

"Bi Ji, you..." Ling Xuqing started to speak.

But Bi Ji shook her head, interrupting him:

"Young Master, there is no need to persuade me."

"I have lived for hundreds of thousands of years and have witnessed too many partings."

"I know deep down that in this world where the strong prey on the weak, only by following the truly strong can one see hope for the future."

"You and the Master are that hope."

Bi Ji's eyes were filled with fanaticism and devotion:

"As long as the Young Master is willing to accept me, Bi Ji is willing to become the blade in your hand to clear your path of thorns;"

"I am willing to become the shield behind you to block all the wind and rain for you!"

"Even if I am shattered to pieces, Bi Ji will not regret it!"

After speaking, Bi Ji kowtowed heavily once more and waited quietly for Ling Xuqing's reply.

The scene was deathly silent.

Only the sound of the water from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well echoed slowly through the cavern.