Word Count: 2,705 Words
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"Can't you suggest something normal for once?"
Ling Bai pinched the bridge of his nose in helpless exasperation. This woman's dictionary clearly did not contain the word 'shame.' Any sort of wild proposition could come tumbling out of that mouth.
"How about this one, then? I bet I'd have real talent for it."
Dugu Lin parted her red lips. Her dainty tongue flicked left and right like a little snake, the sight utterly, deliberately enticing.
"A snake spirit flicking her tongue, thirsty for yang energy."
Ling Bai quietly shifted his gaze away. "Wait for me outside."
"Don't keep me waiting too long~"
Dugu Lin blew him a flirtatious kiss and sauntered off with swaying hips.
Ling Bai turned and stepped into the bedroom. Ning Tian still lay fast asleep. Her sleeping face was peaceful, her breathing light. One milky‑white shoulder peeked out above the quilt, and her platinum-blonde hair was slightly mussed.
Compared to the sturdy frames of Assault Spirit Masters, auxiliary types were inherently more delicate. After a single night of shared rain and dew, exhaustion had claimed Ning Tian so completely that she could not lift even a finger before dropping into deep sleep.
Ling Bai's gaze swept past her butterfly-like lashes. He left a note on the bedside table, briefly explaining that he was stepping out for a while, that she didn't need to worry, and that she should keep poaching Shrek Academy's talent.
…
Out in the corridor, Dugu Lin was idly toying with her Nine Segment Jade. The moment she saw Ling Bai emerge, her boredom vanished, and she flashed him a beaming smile.
"Can we set off now?"
"We can."
The pair headed straight for Shrek City's east gate. On the way, Dugu Lin put on a rare serious expression:
"Our destination is within the Heavenly Soul Empire. From Shrek Academy, we travel to the capital, Heaven Dou City, then continue northeast. There's a spirit beast habitat there called the Sunset Forest."
Ling Bai made an 'OK' gesture. Six angelic wings unfurled from his back as he sprang into the sky, about to shoot off toward Heaven Dou City.
"Wait!"
Still on the ground, Dugu Lin cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "My cultivation hasn't reached Spirit Saint yet. I can't fly!"
"So?"
Ling Bai looked down at her from high above.
"Give me a ride?"
"Nice try. You've had this planned out all along. As if you'd come here without a flying Spirit Guidance Device."
Her ploy was punctured in a single sentence, yet Dugu Lin didn't show the slightest embarrassment. She simply produced an exquisite Class 6 flying Spirit Guidance Device, infused it with spirit power, and slowly rose to join him. The two of them shrank to black dots on the horizon and soon disappeared.
As Lord of the Sky, the Seraphim's flight speed was frighteningly fast, yet its spirit power consumption remained low. Dugu Lin's Class 6 flyer, by contrast, was a product of Shrek's Spirit Guidance Department and couldn't compare to the Sun Moon Empire's cutting-edge devices. After an hour of flight, she had to stop and rest for a quarter of an hour just to restore her spirit power.
As the sky darkened into evening, Ling Bai finally ran out of patience. He grabbed the back of Dugu Lin's collar and let her experience firsthand what the Seraphim's maximum speed truly meant.
"We're here."
A vast stretch of forest slowly came into view. Dugu Lin twisted her head, trying to peer up at Ling Bai over her shoulder.
From high above, the Sunset Forest looked shrouded in a faint, drifting mist that obscured even the vegetation within. The haze wasn't pure white but rather a blend of many colors.
"This is miasma. It's full of poison."
Dugu Lin let out a soft sigh. "For ten thousand years, Dugu clan ancestors have come to the Sunset Forest seeking a way to save themselves, only to vanish in the depths of the miasma.
Without the protection of your Seraphim, I'd never dare set foot here."
'They even kill Dugu clan members. Some creatures have really forgotten their debts.' Ling Bai's eyes turned cold.
Normally, not flying over a spirit beast gathering ground was common sense, but in truth the Sunset Forest had already ceased to be a proper spirit beast forest. There were barely any bird-type spirit beasts here, let alone any with the strength to threaten him.
He held their altitude at about a thousand meters, high enough that the miasma couldn't touch them. Ling Bai swept his gaze across the forest and instantly locked onto the direction where the poisonous fog was thickest. Seven spirit rings rose around him, and his 100,000-year sixth ring flared with blazing radiance.
Divine Skyfire!
BOOM—
Angelic holy fire raged outward in all directions. Amid the thunderous roar, the miasma below was dyed a vast field of red. At its core, the poisonous fog churned violently.
Ten thousand years' worth of accumulated miasma thinned at a shocking rate under Divine Skyfire's destructive power. The angelic flames spread ever outward.
Poison was an evil-aligned attribute. Ultimate Holy possessed the power to purify all toxins. Under its radiance, a massive hole tore open in the miasma's roiling core, revealing broad swathes of vegetation below.
Compared to the Star Dou Forest, plant life in the Sunset Forest was much sparser, and the species differed slightly. Heading north from here would take one directly into the Extreme North, so cold-resistant conifers dominated the landscape.
The surrounding miasma surged inward at alarming speed, squeezing together into a near-solid mass in the sky as it tried to seal the gap. Seizing that fleeting opening, Ling Bai grabbed Dugu Lin and plunged.
Whoosh—
Without warning, a black shadow lashed silently toward them.
Hanging in midair was undeniably the most dangerous position. Ling Bai's expression hardened. The Angel Sword condensed in his right hand, and Holy Sword Energy split the mist, streaking through the air like lightning.
A thick vine as big around as a man's waist, covered in seven‑colored patterns, swept through the air like a giant python. Its cultivation had reached the 10,000‑year level. Those seven colors were the mark of the poisonous miasma. The fact that it could move freely while drenched in that poison meant it carried a terrifying toxin of its own.
But to Ling Bai, any poison below the Ultimate level was meaningless. Golden light flashed, and the massive vine was sliced into countless fragments that drifted down to the forest floor.
More vines whipped forward. This time, Ling Bai didn't need to act. Dugu Lin flicked her wrist and flung out her Nine Segment Jade. The little creature was a rare variant spirit beast, the finest among Bamboo Leaf Green serpents.
The Nine Segment Jade shot forth like a bolt of emerald lightning. Jade light flickered, and the vines snapped apart inch by inch. When it returned to Dugu Lin's palm, the toxin on its fangs gleamed even more vividly, as if it had devoured the seven-colored poison coating the vines.
With the obstruction cleared, the last few hundred meters vanished in an instant. Ling Bai's terrifying physical strength compressed the air into a shrieking sonic boom as they dropped. The impact blasted a deep crater into the ground, splattering multicolored plant juices in every direction.
They landed unscathed. Beneath the miasma lay a world of seven colors. Brilliantly hued plants blanketed the entire ground so densely that not a speck of soil could be seen.
As they pressed deeper, the sight grew more and more unsettling. Massive skeletons lay scattered across the ground, and even the bones themselves gleamed in seven colors.
Crack!
A sharp noise rang out nearby. Almost in unison, the two of them gathered their spirit power and snapped their gazes toward the sound.
A giant skeleton tipped sideways. The base, corroded to powder, finally gave way. It shattered with a deafening crash, breaking into countless pieces. The rainbow hues on those fragments deepened as wisps of seven-colored mist began to ooze out.
Dugu Lin instantly tensed for battle, but a dazzling golden light unfolded into a barrier, sealing them in. Within a five-meter radius, the rainbow dust scattered and faded, and the poisonous miasma that had been curling toward them dispersed.
Angelic Domain.
"Let's go."
Ling Bai gestured for her to follow. Dugu Lin bounded over in a little hop and slipped her arm through his. Her jade-green eyes shone with awe. "Ooh, the holy power of the Seraphim... I'm totally in love!"
Under Ling Bai's protection, each threat was neutralized one by one, and survival felt close enough to touch. Curiosity and excitement boiled in her chest. The mystery and danger of the unknown only sharpened her senses.
As they ventured deeper, a spreading carpet of jade-green came into view. It was made up of low plants, only half a meter tall, that stretched to both sides. Each bore nine oddly shaped leaves that resembled human hands but with seven fingers. The larger ones even had nine. Large blossoms bloomed at their tips, and mist drifted from the pistils, spreading outward to merge into the seven-colored miasma.
"Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes…"
Dugu Lin's eyes hardened in an instant. Ling Bai felt her grip on his arm tighten noticeably.
"Ling Bai, do you know how the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes is cultivated?"
She posed the question out of nowhere, then answered it herself before he could speak.
"With Jade Phosphor Serpent poison."
Her body trembled uncontrollably. Ling Bai could feel the intensity of her reaction and could faintly sense the monstrous resentment erupting from the depths of her heart. It only flickered on the surface, yet its force was enough to overturn seas.
The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes used Jade Phosphor Serpent poison as its foundation. It was one of the most poisonous plants in the world. Its toxin had an extremely potent corrosive effect—known as the foremost in corrosion—and was also a terrifying neurotoxin. Once contaminated, both body and soul would perish.
Jade Phosphor Serpent poison had only two sources: Jade Phosphor Serpents… or Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit Masters.
"Don't let your thoughts run wild. Let's get inside first."
Blazing golden radiance burst from Ling Bai, bathing an area of dozens of square meters in molten light. All around, the large jade-green blossoms snapped shut and shrank back as if they had encountered a natural predator. Every Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes within the Angelic Domain folded closed. The jade phosphor mist thinned rapidly. Great swaths of seven‑colored powder drifted down to the ground, and the air cleared.
Once a Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes evolved into a Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Nine Absolutes, it would become a top-tier plant-type spirit beast with at least ten thousand years of cultivation. Thousands of such flowers filled the Sunset Forest. Without the Angelic Domain's elemental suppression forcing them to retreat, even a Titled Douluo would die within these miasma-filled depths.
Wherever the two passed, the Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes automatically cleared a path. Dugu Lin kept her head bowed. Her pupils had already become the cold vertical slits of a serpent.
The Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes guarded a valley whose edges were sheer cliffs, as if carved by a giant blade. The pair plunged through the clouds and descended for roughly three hundred meters before their vision cleared.
The sky above was shrouded by a canopy of seven-colored poison clouds, casting the valley in a dazzling wash of color as if a rainbow hung overhead. Seven-hued vines crawled across the cliff walls, turning the rock faces into glittering curtains of living gemstone.
Countless plants grew within the valley. Flowers of every color competed for splendor, and the various flora bore heavy fruit, each exuding a treasure-light of differing intensity. Even someone who knew nothing of botany would instantly sense that these plants were anything but ordinary.
A small lake lay at the valley's center, its surface split into two sharply distinct halves. One side was ice-white, sending up wisps of pale mist. The other was fiery red, the light above it subtly distorted by the heat.
'Mand... the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.'
Ling Bai couldn't help a wry sigh. It really did look like a mandarin duck hotpot!
Most of the plants growing around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had already birthed spiritual intelligence. With the arrival of humans, many stalks swayed gently. Some even turned to face the newcomers, radiating intense light.
Ling Bai tugged Dugu Lin along and flew down to land before a large pale pink blossom. It grew right where the two springs met. Within a hundred-foot radius, not a single other plant stood. The pale pink flower swayed gently in the rising mist, its petals as clear as carved crystal.
"Wakey wakey, Aromatic Silk Beauty."
"Eh? How do you know my name!"
A delighted female voice chimed out. The Aromatic Silk Beauty shook its large body, releasing a sweet, refreshing fragrance.
"It's been so many years since anyone came by! You two are incredible to have broken through the Jade Phosphor Poison Array outside!
That's right, I'm the Aromatic Silk Beauty. You can call me You You. This is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, one of the three great treasure troves of the mortal world, where countless immortal herbs grow!
You know what immortal herbs are, right? 'Such things should only exist in the heavens; how often can they be found in the mortal world!' Come on, talk with me! If I'm in a good mood, I might give you some benefits!"
The Aromatic Silk Beauty instantly revealed its chatterbox nature, its voice rattling on like a machine gun.
"Fine. Then let me ask you something."
Dugu Lin suddenly raised her head. Her jade-green eyes were shot through with blood, and her spirit power aura had begun to fluctuate wildly. It was the first time Ling Bai had ever seen her this out of control.
"We're not the first ones to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, are we?"
"Of course not," the Aromatic Silk Beauty replied, nodding.
"Did any of them leave alive?"
"Nope!"
You You's tone was cheerfully matter-of-fact. "We received our benefactor's kindness. Only his descendants are qualified to take the immortal herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Those fools were too greedy. They clearly weren't his descendants, yet they dared demand to take one of us, babbling about some 'fated tie' with their ancestors.
Hmph! We acknowledge only one benefactor!
And what's more, their bloodlines made perfect nourishment for the Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes. They just kept coming, one wave after another! Thanks to their nourishment, the Jade Phosphor Poison Array was able to grow into what it is today!"
The Aromatic Silk Beauty's voice rang with smug pride. The 'fools' it spoke of had long since become part of the poison array. It then glanced at Dugu Lin with sudden suspicion:
"You actually look… a little familiar…"
Ling Bai stepped smoothly in front of Dugu Lin. "What a coincidence. We're here to take immortal herbs too."
The Aromatic Silk Beauty shook its huge blossom. "Only his descendants can take immortal herbs. You'll have to prove your identity to me first by eating a medicinal herb.
What's your Martial Spirit? Release it and let me see."
"Alright."
Ling Bai smiled faintly. Six angelic wings stretched open to their full span. The illusory angel behind him radiated solemn majesty as holy aura surged outward. Even the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well rippled in response.
"S-Seraphim!"
The instant it saw the Seraphim, the Aromatic Silk Beauty shrieked. The spring water churned violently, then erupted upward, congealing into dual-colored flowers. In the blink of an eye, hundreds—then thousands—of blossoms had formed, crowding together behind the Aromatic Silk Beauty. In the center of each bloom, a resentful human face flickered into view:
"The Seraphim is our benefactor's mortal enemy!
Immortal herbs, heed my command! Slay the angel!"