The two crossed the last cliff and passed through that layer of lingering mist-
In an instant, the world opened up before them.
An enormous basin lay before their eyes, and in its deepest reaches, two pools nestled quietly against each other.
One was crimson as molten lava, the other azure as ice. The two pools lay side by side, yet remained sharply divided. At the boundary between red and blue, wisps of white mist rose constantly, intertwining and circling in midair like two dragons at play.
Mutually nurturing, mutually restraining.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The place where the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings had fallen, and an unparalleled treasure ground that gathered the wonders of heaven and earth into itself.
Yet the instant the two descended to the valley floor-
The entire valley suddenly came "alive."
Around the pools, the immortal herbs that had seemed motionless awakened almost simultaneously.
Branches and leaves trembled, flower buds parted slightly, and strands of consciousness, some strong and some weak, awakened among the flowers and grasses, converging and colliding in a soundless commotion.
"Someone's here!"
"Two... no, those two auras-hiss! So powerful!"
"They're up to no good! Get ready to show them a thing or two!"
The immortal herbs rubbed their hands in anticipation, mustering their soul power and poised to strike-this was their territory, after all. In ten thousand years, no one had ever reached the pools alive!
Yet the next second.
When that undisguised aura, unfathomable as an abyssal sea, spread outward-
All the commotion abruptly ceased.
The immortal herbs poised to attack froze, then all chose the same strategy:
Play dead.
Leaves drooped, buds closed, and even the spiritual energy swirling around them was completely withdrawn.
At a glance, the valley full of immortal herbs instantly became