After seeing Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan off, Lin Chen did not leave the valley immediately.
He stood on the shore of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, looking down at the Taiji-shaped spring.
The milky white and dark green springwater did not mix, slowly swirling within the well and forming a massive yin-yang fish pattern.
Heat and frost intertwined as they rose, forming a hazy mist above the water's surface.
His purpose in coming here was not merely to help Dugu Bo remove the poison.
Beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay the remains of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King.
The two Dragon Kings had fallen in ancient times. Their bodies had transformed into this miraculous spring, while their dragon souls still slept in the deepest part of the well.
Lin Chen raised his right hand, and a gray mark appeared in his palm. His first soul ring lit up: Five Elements Law.
The Water Law and Fire Law activated at the same time. Two rays of light covered his body, forming a thin protective barrier. He took a deep breath, then leaped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The instant he entered the water, two utterly different forces surged toward him at once.
The springwater on the left was boiling hot, while the water on the right was freezing to the bone. Even with two layers of laws protecting him, he could still feel the crushing pressure brought by the extreme temperature difference.
He continued diving downward.
The well was far deeper than he had imagined. The farther down he went, the more extreme the temperature difference became, and the darker the surroundings grew. After sinking several dozen meters, his feet finally touched the bottom.
The bottom of the well was much wider than the surface, like an underground cavern. The surrounding stone walls were covered in dense cracks, faint red and blue light shining through them and casting the entire cave in a dreamlike glow.
At the very center of the cavern lay two enormous skeletons.
The skeleton on the left was entirely icy blue, crystal clear, as though carved from ten-thousand-year ice. Even as bare bones, it still radiated piercing cold, causing a thin layer of ice crystals to form in the surrounding springwater.
The skeleton on the right was entirely crimson, like red-hot iron. It radiated blazing heat, making the surrounding springwater bubble and boil.
Ice Dragon King. Fire Dragon King.
The two dragon skeletons lay facing one another, skull to skull, as if locked in their final confrontation while alive—or in eternal companionship after death.
Lin Chen landed between the two dragon skeletons, and the rock beneath his feet gave a faint tremor.
He could sense two consciousnesses awakening.
Ancient and immense, those consciousnesses carried the stillness of ten thousand years of slumber as they slowly awakened from deep within the dragon bones.
Like beings roused from a long dream, they gazed in confusion at the human who had intruded upon their resting place.
The next instant, two beams of light rose from the dragon bones.
One was icy blue, and the other crimson.
They met in the air and transformed into two slender figures. Lin Chen looked up, and when he saw them clearly, he could not help but freeze for a moment.
Unlike the giant dragon forms he had imagined, two women stood before him.
The woman on the left wore a long icy-blue dress. Her hair was white as snow, her skin pale as frost, and her exquisite features seemed sculpted from ice and snow.
There was a distant chill in her eyes and brows, like an unreachable iceberg that no one dared approach.
The woman on the right wore a crimson dress. Her hair blazed like fire, her skin was white as snow, and her striking features were vividly beautiful. A burning presence filled her gaze, like a roaring flame—passionate and unrestrained.
The Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King had both appeared in female form.
"Human..." The Ice Dragon King spoke, her voice as cold as clashing icicles. "Why have you entered this place?"
"Little brother, this isn't somewhere to play." The Fire Dragon King spoke as well, a lazy smile in her voice. "One wrong move, and you could lose your life."
Lin Chen recovered himself, his expression returning to calm. "I came to take your dragon souls."
As soon as he spoke, the cavern fell silent.
The two dragon souls exchanged a glance, then laughed at the same time.
"Take our dragon souls?" The Fire Dragon King wiped at tears that did not exist from the corner of her eye.
"Little brother, do you know how many people have said that over the past ten thousand years? Not a single one of them walked out alive."
"I know," Lin Chen said. "But I'm not them."
The Ice Dragon King looked at him coldly. "What makes you think you can do it?"
Lin Chen did not answer. He raised his right hand, and the gray mark in his palm lit up. Five Nine-Colored Soul Rings slowly rose, revolving around his body.
The powers of the Five Elements Law, Yin-Yang Law, Destruction Law, and Life Law intertwined and flowed through him, releasing an aura that startled both dragon souls.
The phantoms of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King trembled at the same time.
"This is... the aura of creation?" For the first time, ripples appeared in the Ice Dragon King's voice.
"Impossible... The Creator God fell ten thousand years ago..." The Fire Dragon King lost her smile as well, her expression turning solemn.
"But that mark... it truly is the Creator God's primordial imprint..."
The two dragon souls remained silent for a long while.
They could sense the Creation Mark on Lin Chen's body. It was the Creator God's primordial imprint, the most ancient and purest power in this world.
If anyone in this world could carry their dragon souls, it could only be someone bearing the Creation Mark.
"Little brother, what is your name?" the Fire Dragon King asked, far more serious than before.
"Lin Chen."
"Lin Chen..." The Fire Dragon King repeated his name, then turned to the Ice Dragon King. "Sister Ice, what do you think?"
The Ice Dragon King fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "His body can indeed bear our power. Moreover, the Creation Mark would not choose someone with a wicked heart. Of that, I am certain."
She looked at Lin Chen. Her gaze was still cold, but it now held a trace of approval. "Lin Chen, we can give you our dragon souls. But we have two conditions."
"Please tell me."
"First, our dragon souls need somewhere to reside. We will become two rings and be worn on your hands. Normally, we will sleep and recuperate within the rings. When you need us, you may borrow our strength."
"Second," the Fire Dragon King took over with a smiling face, "you have to talk with us often. We've been trapped in this awful place for ten thousand years—we were bored to death. Now that we've finally met an interesting little brother, you can't let us stay bored."
Lin Chen paused, then smiled. "Deal."
The two dragon souls lit up at once, transforming into a blue and red pillar of light that flew toward Lin Chen's hands.
Lin Chen felt a chill on the ring finger of his left hand. An icy-blue ring appeared out of thin air, its setting a crystal-clear shard of ice that radiated faint cold.
His right ring finger warmed as a crimson ring appeared as well. Its setting was a fiery red gemstone that gave off gentle heat.
Ice Dragon Ring. Fire Dragon Ring.
The auras of the two dragon souls came through the rings, forming two clear connections within his mind.
"Not bad." The Fire Dragon King's consciousness came from the ring, carrying a hint of satisfaction. "The material of these rings suits our attributes very well. They're quite comfortable to live in."
"Mhm." The Ice Dragon King's consciousness came as well, as concise as ever. "Acceptable."
Lin Chen lowered his head to look at the two rings on his hands, feeling the new power within his body.
The powers of the Ice Fire Dragon King had already formed a connection with him. Though the fusion was only preliminary, he could feel a clear change in his physical constitution.
More importantly, he had gained the ability to unite ice and fire, and his understanding of the Five Elements Law had deepened as well.
"Let's go, little brother." Anticipation colored the Fire Dragon King's consciousness. "Take us outside and let us see what the world has become."
Lin Chen smiled and turned to swim toward the surface.
By the time sunlight fell upon his face again, it was already noon.
Lin Chen leaped out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and landed on a rock by the shore. He looked down at the two rings on his hands. Their icy-blue and crimson lights complemented each other beneath the sun, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Lin Chen." The Ice Dragon King's voice sounded in his mind. "The outside... has changed greatly."
Her voice carried complicated emotions, as though she was both sighing over the passage of time and recalling the past.
"Yes." The Fire Dragon King's voice sounded as well, carrying a rare hint of gentleness. "It's been ten thousand years... We're finally out."
Before you continue