"This time..."
"It can be considered a fruitful return."
On the way back, Tang Luochuan's face showed no particular emotion, but his mood was clearly quite pleasant.
The reason was simple—at a corner of Dragon Valley now stood the Icefire Yin-Yang Well Forest.
Not only were the Ice Dragon King, the Fire Dragon King, and the other seven Dragon Kings gathered together, but even the plant-type Soul Beasts led by the Six Ferocious Beasts had appeared within it.
"Where..."
"is this?"
Qiluo Tulip stood warily at the outermost edge of the forest, staring at the Dragon Souls that filled the surroundings, her eyes filled with confusion.
Dragon Souls? So many Dragon Souls, and even the weakest among them possessed strength no less than her own—just where was this place?!
"Dragon Lord, this is..."
"Huh?"
Not far from her line of sight, beside the two Dragon Lords of the Icefire Yin-Yang Well—the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King—stood a gathering of seven figures.
She could sense that these two mighty beings were now cheering like children, even bordering on exhilaration. What in the world was going on?!
"This is a world created by our master—Dragon Valley."
At this moment, the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King turned their gazes toward the Immortal Herbs led by Qiluo Tulip. Clearly in good spirits, they spoke up.
A world created by their master...
Perhaps, the glory of the past could be restored!
"Master?"
"Dragon God?"
Hearing this, Qiluo Tulip's eyes shone with excitement. She quickly nodded respectfully, lost in thought.
"This trip was truly worthwhile."
Tang Luochuan withdrew his thoughts, gazing at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. It really wasn't for nothing that he came here!
"This time..."
"It was truly a close call..."
However, compared to Tang Luochuan, Zang Xin was not in such high spirits at the moment. His face was anything but calm, and his heart was filled with lingering fear.
The conflict between the Icefire Yin-Yang Well and the Tang Sect was a minor matter. After all, given the Tang Sect's current strength, a few measly plant-type ferocious beasts were hardly a threat.
The only real challenge came from the two awakened Dragon Souls, but the most critical issue this time was that Na'er and Tang Luochuan had accompanied them.
One was Yun Ming's disciple, and the other was the most prodigious genius in Shrek Academy's history. If anything had happened to these two...
He would have had a hard time explaining it to Yun Ming.
Even as the deputy leader of the Tang Sect, even as one of the Shrek Seven Monsters who had once fought alongside Yun Ming, he would still be held accountable.
"Luo Chuan, Na'er, I'm afraid you won't be able to visit the Icefire Yin-Yang Well this time. I truly didn't expect such a situation to arise—it was my oversight..."
"I'll bring you here again after I've properly adjusted the situation at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. As for the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, Na'er, you can keep it."
Zang Xin quickly composed himself, forcing a smile as he hurriedly apologized.
"Lord Zang Xin, we understand," Tang Luochuan responded.
"Me too. I'll listen to Brother Luo Chuan," Na'er chimed in, nodding calmly. In truth, she had already obtained what she wanted from this trip.
Only then did Zang Xin let out a long sigh of relief, quickening his pace to escort the two back to Sea God Island first.
"Zang Xin, you..."
"Why are you back so soon?"
Not long after, on Sea God Island, Yun Ming, who was basking in the sunlight with Ya Li, froze momentarily as his gaze fell upon Zang Xin, who had just returned after leaving not long ago. He asked in confusion.
How could they have returned so quickly? Even if the two youngsters truly didn't want any rare treasures, they couldn't have finished touring the Icefire Yin-Yang Well in such a short time.
And the state Zang Xin was in...
"Zang Xin."
"Have you been in a fight?"
Even Ya Li frowned at this moment, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. She could tell at a glance that Zang Xin had clearly just gone through a fierce battle.
"It's nothing..."
"There was just a minor mishap over there."
Zang Xin wore an uneasy expression, somewhat embarrassed as he spoke, though he didn't elaborate too clearly.
He couldn't very well say that during this trip with Tang Luochuan and Na'er, he had nearly gotten the two of them killed... That would've been disastrous!
As for the situation at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well, it was, after all, a matter belonging to the Tang Sect. He would handle it himself upon returning, so there was no need to inform Yun Ming about it.
"A mishap?"
"Is everything alright?"
Hearing this, Yun Ming immediately frowned, deeply intrigued by the words, and asked.
"It's fine, Brother Ming."
"It was just some of the Immortal Herbs in the Icefire Yin-Yang Well trying to rebel. I can handle it myself. By the way, Na'er chose the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, and I've already given it to her..."
Seeing how concerned the other was, Zang Xin quickly shook his head with a smile, thinking Yun Ming wanted to offer help, and hurriedly explained.
However, before he could finish speaking, Zang Xin was surprised to find that Yun Ming's gaze had already swept past him, landing squarely on Na'er and Tang Luochuan behind him.
"Luo Chuan, Na'er, are you two alright?"
Yun Ming asked with concern. After hearing Zang Xin's words, he fell into silence. The spirit beasts had rebelled?
Although the Icefire Yin-Yang Well was under the Tang Sect's control, he had visited it before.
Those spirit beasts might have nearly 200,000 years of cultivation, but individually, their strength was at most equivalent to a Titled Douluo without Three-Word Battle Armor. How could they have beaten Zang Xin up like this?
"..."
Hearing this, Zang Xin silently swallowed the words he had been about to say. So, the concern wasn't for him after all!
In the end, he had misjudged the situation!
"Pavilion Master, with Senior Zang Xin's protection, Na'er and I are unharmed."
Tang Luochuan shook his head, speaking in a calm tone.
"Brother Ming, this was indeed my fault. I didn't anticipate something like this happening..."
"I need to return to headquarters now to gather people and deal with the situation at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well, so I won't stay long."
Beside them, Zang Xin quickly added, though his expression was noticeably more downcast. With that, his figure flickered and vanished once more.
"This Zang Xin..."
Yun Ming sighed helplessly. Even the Icefire Yin-Yang Well had to give him trouble—was this really the deputy leader of the Tang Sect?
"Teacher, since we're back so early, I'll go out again with Brother Luo Chuan now."
At this moment, Na'er spoke up, stepping forward to cling to Tang Luochuan's arm, a sweet smile on her face.
"..."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Seeing the other party's demeanor, Yun Ming could only respond helplessly with a wave of his hand, though a profound meaning flickered in his eyes.
By taking the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, Na'er wanted to prove whose feelings—this went without saying for him.
"Brother, you've retrieved the Icefire Yin-Yang Well, right?"
Meanwhile, on their way to the outer courtyard, Na'er blinked at Tang Luochuan and communicated telepathically.
"Hmm?"
"Na'er figured it out?"
Tang Luochuan's expression remained unchanged, neither confirming nor denying.
"After all, the Dragon Souls of the two Dragon Kings flew toward you earlier, plus your Dragon Valley Small World..."
"I think it must be there."
Na'er responded logically and methodically.
"As expected of our Na'er, so clever."
Tang Luochuan chuckled in agreement.
Indeed...
There was no hiding anything from the Silver Spear Goddess before him!
"Let's go find your Gu Yue-jie."
"We should update her on the current situation too."
Tang Luochuan said softly with a smile. The return of the last two Dragon Kings would surely bring Gu Yue great joy.
"I think that's a great idea!"
Beside him, Na'er obediently agreed.
Not long after, inside the outer courtyard dormitory.
"Luo Chuan, Na'er, what brings you here? Weren't you heading to the Icefire Yin-Yang Well?"
Inside the dormitory, Gu Yue welcomed Tang Luochuan and Na'er with a hint of confusion on her face. Clearly, even she...
Hadn't received any prior notice about Tang Luochuan's plans.
"Hehe."
"Gu Yue-jie, here's what happened."
Na'er explained softly with a smile.
As Na'er recounted the events, Gu Yue was momentarily stunned before raising a thumbs-up toward Tang Luochuan with a laugh.
"Luo Chuan, only you could pull this off."
This move was executed openly, dampened the arrogance of the Tang Sect's human forces, and even secured six Plant-Type Soul Beasts at the ferocious beast level...
Truly a windfall!
"The Icefire Yin-Yang Well is ownerless. Since the Tang Sect shamelessly claimed it as their own, I had no qualms taking it back."
Tang Luochuan shook his head and replied indifferently.
He was no saint, nor did he pretend to be as pure as some great Buddha. The Icefire Yin-Yang Well had been seized by the Tang Sect in the first place—if he could reclaim it...
Why not?