"I've examined your body before, Wulin. It bears traces of tempering by the power of ice and fire. That's a good thing."
"Next, you need to swallow the Blazing Gel and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal together. Once their effects take hold, jump into the point where the two springs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well meet. That will keep the spring water from harming your body."
"With your enhanced spiritual power, you should just barely be able to stabilize the ice and fire energy inside you. After that, the two energies will neutralize each other on their own. The infernal delicate apricot and the octagonal mysterious ice grass will also watch over you from outside. If you run into danger, they'll step in to help stabilize the energy within you."
Niu Tian explained the steps of the refinement process and the precautions to take. Only after making sure Tang Wulin truly understood did he hand him the Blazing Gel and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal.
Tang Wulin took them, one in each hand. One was scorching hot, the other freezing cold. Seeing how easily Niu Tian had held them, he had assumed it would be simple. Only once they were in his own hands did he realize that without soul power protecting him, he would probably be injured within moments.
"Can I really swallow these?"
Tang Wulin stared at the translucent, fiery-red lump of Blazing Gel. It was a full one and a half times the size of an ordinary adult's fist. He brought it near his mouth to roughly compare their sizes, regarding it with a miserable expression.
But when Tang Wulin raised the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal in his other hand, their auras mingled, and each began to melt under the other's power. Startled, he hurriedly stuffed them into his mouth.
Unlike what he had imagined, they were not too large to fit. Upon contact, they rapidly melted into liquids that mingled together and flowed down Tang Wulin's throat.
The power of ice and fire swiftly spread through Tang Wulin's body, coursing through every limb and bone and scouring his meridians.
"Aaargh!"
Tang Wulin could not suppress a cry of pain. Two-colored light appeared over his body, half blue and half red. Then the two lights began to intertwine and merge, forming a dazzling display.
Tang Wulin tried to cast aside every distracting thought, steady the blood essence within him, and spread out all his spiritual power to stabilize the power of ice and fire inside his body.
The two ultimate powers, one ice and one fire, collided and cycled madly through his meridians and flesh.
Ultimate cold froze his blood essence and soul power, while ultimate heat seared his flesh. Destruction and rebirth played out over and over inside him. Agonizing pain swept through his entire body, almost robbing him of consciousness.
Green life energy slowly emerged from deep within his limbs and bones, constantly repairing his body and finally giving Tang Wulin a moment to catch his breath.
"Wulin, jump!"
Niu Tian's sharp call suddenly reached his ears. Tang Wulin barely managed to control his body and leaped into the dividing line of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The spring water, normally powerful enough to freeze Tang Wulin until he cracked or melt him away, did neither now. It merely enveloped his body tightly. The ultimate power of ice and fire continuously invaded him from outside, resonating with the ice and fire power within him.
"Just right."
Tang San, who had once again "risen from the dead," guided the power of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the two heavenly treasures Tang Wulin had swallowed toward the Golden Dragon King's third seal.
Amid the excruciating pain, Tang Wulin barely maintained consciousness through his extraordinary willpower and spiritual power far beyond that of his peers. Even he did not know when he might reach his limit and pass out.
His father's instructions sounded in his mind again. Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and did his best to control the power of ice and fire within him.
The seal opened, and the power belonging to the Golden Dragon King behind it finally revealed its might.
The Golden Dragon King bloodline within Tang Wulin suddenly boiled. Brilliant golden patterns crawled out from beneath his flesh, covering his torso and limbs before transforming into dragon scales that filtered out the ferocity within the ice and fire springs. The domineering, vast power of the Golden Dragon King became an invisible balance, firmly steadying the constantly destabilizing power of ice and fire.
Ultimate fire, ultimate ice, and the Golden Dragon King's power formed three mutually supporting corners within Tang Wulin's body. Like the three legs of a tripod, they established a relatively fragile balance.
Though the Golden Dragon King's power was noble and domineering, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had no humble origins either. Its unique terrain had formed when the bodies of the Water Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King, two of the Nine Great Dragon Kings under the Dragon God, infused the spring water after their deaths. The water contained an unending supply of dragon energy and ultimate power.
Although the Golden Dragon King's power could suppress them, it was ultimately water without a source, limited in quantity. Soon, it obediently yielded and merged into Tang Wulin's body.
All one could say was that with God King Tang making minute adjustments inside his body, the timing had been chosen with exquisite precision. Absorbing the power of the Golden Dragon King's third seal so smoothly was only natural.
"The boy is fine. To think he balanced the power of ice and fire inside him so smoothly. He truly is extraordinary."
The infernal delicate apricot's astonished voice rang out. Under Niu Tian's oppressive might, she had no choice but to monitor Tang Wulin's condition carefully to prevent any mishaps.
Yet she found that Tang Wulin had successfully absorbed it. Although a power had surged up within him that made even her feel an urge to submit, that was none of her concern. Successful absorption was a good thing.
"That's good."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, their tightly clenched hearts easing somewhat. Tang Wulin's agonized appearance earlier had truly given them a fright. It was wonderful that he was all right now.
Just as everyone began to relax, something unexpected happened.
Two earth-shaking dragon roars rang out from the void. One held coldness within its gentleness; the other held warmth within its fury.
Surging golden blood essence soared into the sky, forming a golden pillar of light dozens of yards tall that pierced the poisonous mist above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Dragon cries shook heaven and earth. The domineering, majestic pressure of the Golden Dragon King swept across the entire valley, as though answering the two dragon roars from before.
Tang Wulin, however, had no idea what was happening. He was still immersed in the changes taking place within his body.
The ice and fire radiance around him slowly receded. His golden scales faded and vanished beneath his skin. Though his skin returned to normal, it now carried a subtle, lustrous sheen.
His strength surged severalfold, and his flesh transformed once again. The area his dragon scales could cover expanded dramatically, and his muscles and bones grew stronger and tougher. From this moment on, Tang Wulin's physical strength rose to an entirely new level.
The embryonic form of his second Blood Essence Soul Ring also slowly condensed within his dantian. Mighty golden bloodline power lay dormant within it, waiting only for the fourth seal to break before it could take shape.
While Tang Wulin reaped rich rewards, the Golden Dragon King's draconic pressure, which originated from the Dragon God, stirred the hidden aura of the Dragon God. The auras of two dragon souls that had slumbered for countless ages were abruptly awakened.
The sky above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well changed dramatically. The poisonous mist, only just pierced by the golden bloodline power, was suppressed again by the ultimate power of ice and fire. The two powers each occupied one half, filling the entire sky.
"The powers of those two have been stirred!"
"We're going to die! We're going to die!"
Youyou's panicked voice rang out. Faint light appeared on the surfaces of the plant soul beasts around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as well. Under that overwhelming pressure, they shook wildly, as though trembling in terror.
It was little wonder Youyou was afraid. They were only plants, after all. Although they could grow rapidly by drawing on the special power produced by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, direct contact with the spring water on either side would still kill them swiftly.
Even the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, who had once been on the verge of reaching a million years, could not withstand the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.