Time flew by. After about three to five days, Tang Hao and Li Si finally arrived at the Sunset Forest.
With a Title Douluo "carrying him," their travel speed had naturally been blazingly fast.
This was even without Tang Hao using his full strength—after all, they were simply traveling, and there was no need to rush.
"The exact location, I'm not too sure. But the place is surrounded by Bilin Flowers planted by Dugu Bo. Finding it shouldn't be too difficult."
Li Si didn't even look at Tang Hao as he spoke indifferently.
If it weren't for the need to ensure his access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he wouldn't have called Tang Hao along or told him about this place.
Tang Hao nodded. Since there were clear landmarks, it wouldn't take long to find it.
With his Rank-95 strength, he was effectively invincible in the Sunset Forest. Even the strongest soul beasts wouldn't pose a problem.
The two wandered through the forest, and whether it was because Li Si was the protagonist or not, they stumbled upon the right location in less than two hours—long before sunset.
Before them lay a small mountain, encircled entirely by Bilin Flowers.
"This should be it."
Li Si's eyes lit up with excitement.
It wasn't easy—cough—actually, that was pretty easy!
The Bilin Flowers were poisonous, but for Tang Hao, a Rank-95 Title Douluo, and Li Si, who possessed the Xuantian Record, they were hardly a threat.
The two chose brute force—simply walking straight through the toxic flowers.
Within moments, they reached the summit.
What they saw was not what they expected.
The mountain, oddly enough, appeared hollow. From above, the terrain sloped inward, forming a massive basin-like depression surrounded on all sides by peaks.
In the center lay a mysterious landscape of mist-shrouded springs, emanating two distinct colors—one icy blue, the other fiery red.
"No doubt about it. This is the place!"
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
The burial ground of the Water and Fire Dragon Kings!
Tang Hao's usually stoic face showed a rare trace of awe as he gazed at the bizarre yet wondrous sight before him.
Without a word, he grabbed Li Si's shoulder and leapt toward the springs below.
Li Si remained expressionless. By now, he was used to being "carried around." This level of movement couldn't shake him.
Upon landing safely at the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Li Si scanned his surroundings.
He wasn't looking for the treasured herbs—at least, not yet.
He was searching for Dugu Bo.
After circling the area and finding no trace of him, Li Si shook his head.
"That old poison geezer isn't here? Even better!"
"Xiao San, is this the place you were talking about—the one that can bring Ah Yin back?"
Tang Hao frowned, his gaze scanning the colorful flowers and herbs growing around the springs.
While they looked beautiful, he had no interest in sightseeing.
"Yes. There's no need for me to explain further—you wouldn't understand anyway. Just do as I say."
Li Si waved a hand dismissively, clearly not in the mood to explain the intricacies of the place to the "iron-headed" Tang Hao.
He turned his focus back to the surrounding area, muttering to himself,
"All these precious herbs… leaving them for the original protagonists? Bah! Why should I? I'll take them for myself!"
As he thought this, a strange sensation tugged at his mind—something beneath his feet seemed to be calling to him.
Without hesitation, Li Si began digging.
Tang Hao, watching this unfold, was utterly bewildered.
Moments later, Li Si unearthed three golden tubers, shimmering brightly as they emerged into the air.
"Earth Dragon Golden Gourds?! Three of them!"
Li Si's eyes widened in surprise, though he quickly understood why he had been drawn to them.
It was likely due to the Golden Holy Dragon bloodline within him, however faint it was.
His body instinctively craved these tubers.
Salivating slightly, Li Si fought back the urge to devour all three.
After a moment's thought, he shook his head.
"A true man knows when enough is enough."
"Two of these Earth Dragon Gourds could completely resolve the Martial Soul backlash plaguing Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan."
"This place belongs to Dugu Bo, after all. If I take everything, what makes me any better than that hypocrite Tang San?"
Making his decision, Li Si took only one Earth Dragon Gourd, carefully reburied the remaining two, and concealed the spot.
"I'll need some time to refine this Earth Dragon Gourd. If Dugu Bo returns in the meantime, just tell him we have a way to cure his poison."
Without waiting for Tang Hao's response, Li Si sat cross-legged and bit into the Earth Dragon Gourd.
Tang Hao: "???"
Sigh~
Tang Hao let out a deep breath.
His son wouldn't even call him "father" anymore.
Maybe once Ah Yin was revived, he'd consider "starting over" with another child.
As time passed, Li Si's meditation was suddenly interrupted.
His eyes snapped open, and he cried out,
"Energy! I need massive amounts of energy!"
Li Si had discovered a troubling issue.
The Golden Holy Dragon bloodline within him was like an insatiable abyss.
After absorbing the Earth Dragon Gourd's energy, his bloodline had grown stronger—but it had only deepened the chasm of power his body craved.
At this point, he faced two options:
Ignore the bloodline's demands for now and allow it to grow naturally.Seek out vast quantities of energy and fully awaken the Golden Holy Dragon bloodline right away.
If he chose the second option and activated the bloodline, things would change dramatically.
His current status as a food-type Soul Master—even with Tang Sect techniques—meant his attack power was still limited.
But with the Golden Holy Dragon bloodline awakened, he would gain an entirely new source of strength.
It would be akin to how Tang Wulin used the Golden Dragon King bloodline in another timeline.
…Not that Li Si planned to have a son named "Tang Wulin." In fact, maybe he just wouldn't have kids at all!
"I can't overthink this!"
"If I let Lin Fan decide for me, who knows what nonsense he'd come up with!"
Li Si shook his head violently, clearing his thoughts.
Under Tang Hao's puzzled gaze, Li Si stood up, strode over to the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and ate it whole.
Tang Hao's eyes widened.
"That's…!"
He recognized this plant immediately—it was the Martial Soul of Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had once chased him and Ah Yin.
Moments later, Li Si grabbed the Beautiful Silk Tulip and devoured it as well.
"Is this kid… eating flowers now? Is he changing his diet?"
Tang Hao scratched his head, utterly baffled.
A day later, Tang Hao surveyed the ruined landscape of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
It looked as though a herd of cows had trampled through it.
Meanwhile, Li Si lay soaking in the spring, his body greedily absorbing its energy.
Tang Hao stared at him blankly.
"Did… did he just eat everything?"
Aside from the two reburied Earth Dragon Gourds and a single "rock," every herb and plant in the area had been devoured.
Even the toxic herbs hadn't been spared.
This child… is insane.
At that moment, Li Si's body began to glow faintly as the energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well flowed into him.
(End of Chapter)