Faced with this paradise-like realm, Tianmeng, who had been asleep within Zhou Sichen's spiritual sea, finally awoke. Viewing this bountiful land through Zhou Sichen's eyes, he couldn't help but exclaim:
"Sichen, where are you? We've struck gold! Hahaha…"
"I'm certain—there's no place on the entire Douluo Continent more suited for plant growth than this."
"The vitality here is at least five times greater than the core zone of the Star Dou Great Forest. How can a place like this even exist?"
Zhou Sichen smiled at Tianmeng's words and responded within his spiritual sea:
"Tianmeng, this land is called the Icefire Yin Yang Well. It's one of the three greatest natural treasure troves in the world."
Tianmeng was even more shocked by the answer. Even he hadn't known of this place, yet Zhou Sichen did?
"Sichen! You actually know this place?!"
Zhou Sichen nodded calmly.
"You have your secrets—and I have mine. All you need to do is trust me."
Hearing that, Tianmeng nodded solemnly. Now that their souls were bound together, their fates were intertwined—for better or worse.
What mattered most was that the stronger Zhou Sichen became, the brighter their shared future would be.
Now that Zhou Sichen had recognized this treasure land, its meaning was self-evident.
Tianmeng wasn't interested in investigating Zhou Sichen's past. What mattered was that he had a place in Zhou Sichen's future.
Just then, the gray-black bead in Zhou Sichen's spiritual sea—the one the size of a thumb—began to stir. A majestic figure emerged once more: Elder Yilius.
This overwhelming surge of life force was the perfect nourishment for him.
In the spiritual sea, Zhou Sichen gave Elder Yi a respectful nod.
"Elder Yi."
Yilius wore a serene expression, seemingly intoxicated by the surrounding vitality.
"It seems fate truly favors you. For such a divine land to fall into your hands... I too can glimpse a thread of hope."
Zhou Sichen smiled faintly.
"Rest assured, Elder Yi. This is a mutually beneficial relationship. If I gain, so do you."
Elder Yi nodded slightly.
"With the abundant life energy here, this wisp of my divine sense may finally recover a little strength."
That alone made Zhou Sichen overjoyed.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao arrived at the Icefire Yin Yang Well after Elder Yi had already sacrificed himself. But now, Zhou Sichen had arrived early—while Elder Yi was still alive. That in itself was a great surprise.
As long as Elder Yi's spiritual fragment remained intact, his assistance in the future would be immeasurable.
With the nourishing life force of the Icefire Yin Yang Well, Elder Yi's soul would stabilize and grow stronger, avoiding the fate of eventual dissipation.
After chatting with both Tianmeng and Elder Yi for a bit, neither of them questioned how Zhou Sichen knew about this place.
Their destinies were already intertwined—they would rise and fall together.
Hovering mid-air, Zhou Sichen soon locked eyes on a peculiar flower.
It was a large, pale pink blossom. It had no leaves, only a long stem nearly three meters tall, and the petals were massive, shimmering like crystal.
Swaying gently with the surrounding mist, it grew right at the junction of the red and white springs.
Tianmeng followed Zhou Sichen's gaze. In a place like this, a treasure trove for plants, the benefits for plant-type soul beasts were immense. Through his spiritual sense, he could already detect the presence of hundreds, if not thousands, of plant-type soul beasts.
The sheer intensity of the life force here had caused most of the vegetation to evolve into soul beasts.
Many plants swayed subtly—some even turned slightly in Zhou Sichen's direction. Others glowed more brightly upon sensing his arrival.
Compared to beast-type soul beasts, plant-type soul beasts had one major weakness: lack of mobility.
Most were rooted in place. Their territory extended only as far as their own reach—like the vines growing on the cliff earlier, unable to attack Zhou Sichen beyond their range.
But within their domain, plant-type soul beasts were often even more terrifying than beast-type ones. This densely-packed environment of awakened plants was extremely dangerous.
Zhou Sichen's eyes were fixed on the pink flower. First, because it was breathtaking—vivid and vibrant—and grew right where the red and white lake waters converged.
But second, because within a radius of about ten meters around it, no other plants grew.
His purpose in coming to the Icefire Yin Yang Well was simple: reap what he could.
Tianmeng suddenly spoke up:
"Sichen, that's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! Do you know what that flower is? Among all immortal herbs, it ranks near the top. Its name is Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb (Youxiang Qiluo Xianpin)."
"In this valley, I'd wager that most of the plant-type soul beasts obey it."
"I'm a soul beast myself—I can sense it holds no hostility toward you."
Zhou Sichen wasn't surprised that Tianmeng recognized the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb—after all, he knew about it in the original story too.
While Elder Yi was incredibly knowledgeable, his memories had not fully recovered. The rare herbs of this world weren't necessarily the same as in his own.
He simply recognized that the valley was full of rare treasures beneficial to soul masters, but not their specific uses.
But Zhou Sichen was different. His memories from his previous life, combined with powerful spiritual awareness, were like an open library—he could recall and reference knowledge at will.
That pale pink flower was indeed the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb, one of the most revered among immortal herbs.
Its strength wasn't in offense, but in its unique ability to neutralize poisons. That was why no other plants grew around it—it was the bane of all toxins.
No matter what kind of venom one was afflicted with, simply inhaling its fragrance could neutralize or purge the poison.
With a gentle flap of his phoenix wings, Zhou Sichen slowly descended.
The surrounding plants remained still and calm. Not a single one tried to attack.
He chose to land on the edge of the clearing surrounding the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb.
The moment he touched down, a faint floral fragrance entered his nostrils. Zhou Sichen didn't panic. He inhaled deeply, letting the aroma spread through his body and blend with his essence.
The scent was so pure and refreshing that his entire spirit felt cleansed. His mind grew sharper, clearer—as if it had been washed clean.
Though he had only breathed in a small amount, his body felt rejuvenated, as if it had been bathed in spring water. It was indescribably soothing.
Tianmeng, still residing in his spiritual sea, let out a lewd groan.
"So good… So good!"
Even Elder Yi arched an eyebrow in surprise. The clarity brought by this fragrance was something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Just then, the pink petals of the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb began to glow, as if responding to Zhou Sichen's presence.
A pink barrier spread out from its center, enveloping the entire ten-meter radius—and Zhou Sichen along with it.
With memories of his past life, Zhou Sichen already knew well how the herb worked. He continued to greedily inhale the increasingly rich aroma.
This second wave of fragrance felt even more intoxicating. His entire body relaxed, his control over soul power became more refined, and the fatigue from extended soul power use was greatly eased.
Even the tension built up over years of constant alertness seemed to melt away.
Tianmeng licked his lips with lingering satisfaction and asked,
"Sichen, since you know about this treasure land, what's your plan?"
"I've scanned the area—there are quite a few hundred-thousand-year-old plant-type soul beasts here, but they seem to be dormant for now. They haven't noticed us."
"Why don't we grab what we can and get out? Then, when your strength is high enough, you can come back and take everything for yourself."
Elder Yi also nodded in agreement.
Though Zhou Sichen was incredibly powerful, facing so many hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts at once would still be risky.
The best approach was to take advantage of their slumber, harvest what he could, and return when he was strong enough to claim everything.
After all, this treasure trove wasn't going anywhere.
****
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