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"Kid, this is an incredibly valuable item, try to be gentle with it."
Staring at the medicinal pill that had been tossed to him so carelessly, Dugu Bo nearly tripped over his own feet. He looked extremely flustered as he carefully caught it and held it in his palm, cradling it as if it were his own son. A look of sheer, unrestrained joy spread across his aged face.
"Why are you so nervous? If it breaks, I can just refine another one," Tang Chan said, pouting slightly, then couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
Dugu Bo immediately rolled his eyes, annoyed, and snorted. "Refine another? The Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline I extracted has all been used up by you. Where am I supposed to get the materials to refine another one?"
Tang Chan's lips curved into a strange smile. "That's not difficult, is it? I don't think you completely drained that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang's bloodline earlier. Worst case, we can just secretly grab him and extract some more, right?"
"Holy crap! A repeat performance, huh?" Dugu Bo swore, mimicking Tang Chan's tone. He immediately shook his head with a bitter smile. "You kid… you're practically a living King of Hell. Yu Xiaogang meeting you in this life is truly eight lifetimes of bad luck."
With those words, Dugu Bo stopped hesitating. He sat cross-legged right where he was, gently placed the medicinal pill in his mouth, bit it, and swallowed.
The instant the medicinal pill entered his body, it transformed into an intensely scorching current that surged through Dugu Bo's meridians. This energy felt like a raging fire, making all the blood in his body boil. His veins bulged beneath his skin, and his face twisted from the immense energy he was enduring.
Immediately after, a dense green light burst from his body, illuminating the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Within that light, faint, deep Dragon roars could be heard. Behind Dugu Bo, the spiritual Qi of the world began to gather continuously. A green phantom gradually condensed into shape. Initially, it looked like a giant Bi Lin Snake covered in scales, with cold, eerie eyes and bared fangs.
As the medicinal pill's energy continued to permeate his being, this illusory great serpent began to transform. A pair of sharp Dragon horns slowly grew on its forehead, and the cold serpent scales gradually receded, transforming into emerald-green Dragon scales that shimmered like carved jade. Following this, the serpent's body stretched continuously, its spine arched, and the rudimentary forms of four limbs gradually appeared.
"Roar—"
Accompanied by a deafening Dragon roar that echoed through the valley, the phantom completed its transformation, finally becoming a majestic green Dragon coiling behind Dugu Bo, exuding overwhelming power. Dugu Bo's aura also surged at this moment, with emerald light rolling around him. It no longer carried only the breath of a poisonous beast; instead, it held the awe-inspiring majesty of the Dragon Clan that dominates the world.
The sound waves generated by the Dragon roar swept across the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The previously calm lake surface suddenly rippled. Ripples spread out in layers, as if responding to the recent Dragon roar.
"What's going on? This feeling..."
Just then, Xiao Ruier's brows furrowed slightly. She clearly felt that in that instant, something at the bottom of the lake seemed to be calling her. This feeling had occasionally flashed through her heart the first time she came to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It was just that this time, it was far more obvious.
Xiao Ruier instantly appeared before Tang Chan. Her clear eyes gazed at the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and she took a deep breath, speaking with a solemn expression: "I feel like there must be something down there! And it's related to the Dragon Clan. Just now, I had a strange summons in my heart, and this summons is coming from the bottom of this lake."
Hearing this, Tang Chan was slightly startled, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. As if reminded by Xiao Ruier, he suddenly recalled something and thought to himself: I remember in the original work, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was formed after the demise of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King, two of the Nine Great Dragon Kings.
Rui'er has the bloodline of the Golden Dragon in her, so it's not impossible for her to sense their lingering aura. I just don't know if these two Dragon Kings left any legacy after their deaths? If there are Spirit Bones, then wouldn't I...
Thinking of this, a gleam flashed in Tang Chan's eyes, and he immediately said, "I'll go down and take a look."
Xiao Ruier's expression grew anxious, and she quickly reached out to stop him, her tone carrying a hint of worry: "No! This lake water is already very strange, being extremely Yin and extremely Yang. With your current strength, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand the energy within it."
Tang Chan waved his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said earnestly, "Don't worry. I've already consumed the immortal-grade medicinal materials here, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fierce Flame Apricot Jiao, and used the ice and fire for body refining. Now, this lake water can no longer harm me. Since you sense that there might be something down here, I'll go down and investigate."
"But..." Staring intently at the lake surface, Xiao Ruier frowned slightly, still feeling uneasy in her heart. "If there really is some powerful, ancient existence down there, with your current strength..."
However, before she could finish her sentence, she heard a splash. Tang Chan had already leaped in, splashing a large amount of water. He completely submerged into the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The lake surface quickly returned to calm, leaving only spreading ripples.
According to Tang Chan's estimation, one's strength would need to be at least above level ninety-five to freely dive in this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. In the original work, Tang San, fearing that Dugu Bo would go back on his word and kill him, secretly consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fierce Flame Apricot Jiao for body refining, which allowed him to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to take refuge. Half a year ago, Tang Chan also consumed these two immortal-grade medicinal herbs and underwent ice and fire body refining. Therefore, he is now able to freely dive in this lake water.
Upon submerging into the lake water, Tang Chan immediately felt an immense pressure constantly surging from all directions. However, as he slowly released the spirit power within his body, the incoming pressure also gradually weakened considerably.
The bottom of the lake was pitch black. Through his vast mental force, Tang Chan could barely make out some of the surrounding environment. His gaze swept around, and he quickly swam downwards, rushing toward the depths.
As he continuously descended, he only felt the lake water from all directions pressing down on him like heavy mountains, fiercely squeezing his body. This pressure was so suffocating that even with his full spirit power circulating to resist it, he still felt a tightness in his chest, as if his body was about to be torn apart.
No, if this continues, even with the protection of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fierce Flame Apricot Jiao, I might be crushed to death by the water pressure at the bottom of the lake. Maybe I should go back first...
Just as this thought arose, and Tang Chan was about to turn around and head back to the shore, his eyes caught a glimpse of something. A strange light emanated from the depths of the lake.
Looking closely, two swirling light circles, one red and one blue, floated silently in the darkness not far away. They clung tightly to each other, yet seemed to be in opposition. Because the swirling light circles were transparent, they did not obstruct Tang Chan's vision. When his gaze swept past the swirling light circles, he was immediately dumbfounded.
Within these swirling light circles, there was nothing else. Instead, there were two Dragon-shaped phantoms composed of pure energy, less than a zhang long, with layers of crystal-clear Dragon scales, transparent Dragon horns, and elegant, nimble Dragon whiskers.