News of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
===
The Sunset Forest was not only smaller in area compared to the Star Dou Great Forest, but its trees were also noticeably smaller. While the Star Dou Great Forest was filled with towering ancient trees, the Sunset Forest's trees were much shorter, making the environment less primitive and less ideal for spirit beasts. However, for spirit masters seeking their fourth or fifth spirit rings, the Sunset Forest was a safer and less risky option compared to the Star Dou Great Forest.
As Lin Yongming and Blue Silver Empress ventured into the forest, they noticed numerous signs of human activity—trampled grass and scattered footprints.
"Xiao Ming, it's only noon. We have enough time to reach the inner parts of the forest. The outer areas are unlikely to have spirit beasts suitable for your fourth spirit ring. Let's head straight to the inner forest and search there," Blue Silver Empress suggested after observing their surroundings.
"Agreed. Let's go!" Lin Yongming nodded, and without further delay, they made their way deeper into the forest.
The journey was uneventful, and after about two hours, the environment around them became noticeably more complex. The grass grew thicker, and the signs of human activity disappeared entirely.
"Xiao Ming, we should be close. I sense a spirit beast around four thousand years old nearby. This means we're in the inner forest. If we go any further, we might enter the core area where ten-thousand-year spirit beasts reside," Blue Silver Empress whispered, stopping in her tracks.
"Understood. Let's proceed cautiously. A four-thousand-year spirit beast is still a bit too weak for my fourth spirit ring," Lin Yongming replied.
With that, Lin Yongming summoned his Thunder Blade, gripping it tightly. Although his Mind's Eye allowed him to sense his surroundings, it was always better to be cautious. One could never be too careful in a place like this.
Blue Silver Empress also released her Blue Silver Grass spirit, its azure form radiating a golden glow, exuding an air of nobility.
Without the guidance of a mentor or a powerful escort, the two had to rely on themselves, moving carefully and deliberately.
"Where exactly is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? Do I really have to obtain my fourth spirit ring first?" Lin Yongming thought to himself, extending his Mind's Eye to its maximum range of over a hundred meters. He could sense numerous thousand-year spirit beasts but saw no sign of the poisonous barrier that protected the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Xiao Ming, let's go," Blue Silver Empress said, taking the lead.
Lin Yongming nodded. He had initially objected to her taking the lead, but Blue Silver Empress had insisted, so he followed behind her.
They continued their slow advance for another hour, covering nearly a kilometer, when Blue Silver Empress suddenly stopped.
"Xiao Ming, I sense a Dark Thunder Python to our left. It's about seven thousand years old. Do you think it's suitable for you?" she whispered.
"A Dark Thunder Python? Probably not. Its attributes are too mixed, and the age isn't ideal either. Let's keep looking. We're not in a hurry," Lin Yongming replied after spotting the python coiled around a large tree.
"Alright. I agree. Let's move on," Blue Silver Empress nodded, and they quietly bypassed the python.
As time passed, the forest grew darker, and the two eventually stopped in a small clearing with relatively little grass. They set up camp and sat facing each other, eating dried meat from Sunset Town for dinner.
"Xiao Ming, what's going on with you? We found several spirit beasts that were perfect for you, but you rejected all of them. Especially that Thunder Earth Dragon—it was nearly eight thousand years old and would've been perfect for you," Blue Silver Empress said, exasperated.
After the Dark Thunder Python, they had encountered four more spirit beasts that were suitable for Lin Yongming, but he had rejected them all. This left Blue Silver Empress feeling frustrated.
"A Yin, I'm sorry. But I feel like those spirit beasts' spirit rings are missing something. Besides, the Thunder Earth Dragon has a trace of dragon bloodline. I'm not sure I could absorb its spirit ring," Lin Yongming said awkwardly.
"I really want to tell her that I plan to absorb the immortal herbs first to enhance my physique before obtaining my fourth spirit ring. Keeping this secret makes me feel guilty," Lin Yongming thought to himself.
"What kind of spirit beast are you looking for? You never tell me, and now we're just wandering around aimlessly. This isn't good," Blue Silver Empress said.
"A Yin, let's search again tomorrow. If we still can't find a suitable spirit beast, we can reconsider the Thunder Earth Dragon," Lin Yongming said with a smile.
"Fine. It's only the first day, so there's no rush. If you're not satisfied with today's options, we'll keep looking tomorrow. I refuse to believe that such a vast forest doesn't have a spirit beast suitable for your fourth spirit ring," Blue Silver Empress said encouragingly.
"A Yin, you're the best! I feel bad making you endure the mosquitoes in the forest with me," Lin Yongming said, touched by her words.
"Hmph! If you keep talking like that, I'll really get mad. Are you treating me like an outsider?" Blue Silver Empress said, pretending to be upset.
"My mistake. I shouldn't have said that," Lin Yongming quickly apologized.
"Xiao Ming, no matter what happens in the future, no matter how difficult things get, I'll always respect your choices. If you're not satisfied with the spirit beasts we found today, we'll keep looking tomorrow. If we still can't find one, we'll go to the Star Dou Great Forest," Blue Silver Empress said gently.
"A Yin, thank you!" Lin Yongming said, deeply moved by her words. He pulled her into a warm embrace.
"No need to thank me," Blue Silver Empress whispered.
The two sat together quietly, enjoying the moment until a cool evening breeze swept over them.
"A Yin, it's getting cold. You should go into the tent. I'll keep watch," Lin Yongming said softly.
"Let's both go in. It'll get even colder later. The tent is big enough for both of us. As for keeping watch, I can use the Blue Silver Grass around us as my eyes," Blue Silver Empress suggested.
"Alright," Lin Yongming agreed.
They both entered the tent, with Lin Yongming sitting cross-legged while Blue Silver Empress lay down at his insistence.
"A Yin, you've been guiding me through the forest all day. You must be tired. Get some rest. Don't worry; you know how sensitive my senses are. I'll hear anything within dozens of meters," Lin Yongming said.
"Okay, wake me up in the middle of the night. You need to stay alert too. If we find a suitable spirit beast and you're too tired, absorbing the spirit ring could be dangerous," Blue Silver Empress reminded him.
"I will," Lin Yongming nodded, and Blue Silver Empress closed her eyes.
The tent and its surroundings fell into silence, broken only by the chirping of insects.
"Where exactly is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? The Sunset Forest looked small from the outside, but it's actually quite vast," Lin Yongming thought, feeling a bit frustrated.
From the outside, the Sunset Forest didn't seem large, but its actual area was comparable to two Heaven Dou Cities. Without knowing the exact location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Lin Yongming had no choice but to search the forest bit by bit.
"How did Dugu Bo even find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" Lin Yongming wondered, growing anxious.
The thunder-attribute spirit beasts they had encountered today were indeed suitable for Lin Yongming's current level. He had managed to put off absorbing a spirit ring today, but if he kept delaying, he felt he would be letting Blue Silver Empress down.
However, Lin Yongming wanted to follow the same path as Tang San in the original story—using the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to temper his body and obtain a ten-thousand-year spirit ring for his fourth ring.
As he pondered this, Lin Yongming suddenly sensed movement.
"Who's wandering around the forest at this hour?" he thought, detecting five people moving in a disorganized manner, as if fleeing from something.
Soon, a massive bear-like spirit beast entered the range of his Mind's Eye.
"A ten-thousand-year spirit beast! These kids are too weak to be this deep in the forest," Lin Yongming thought, alarmed.
The bear was over three meters tall, clearly a ten-thousand-year spirit beast. What surprised Lin Yongming even more was that the five people being chased were mostly Spirit Elders, with one being a Great Spirit Master. One of them was a Spirit Elder who had just reached level 40 and hadn't obtained their fourth spirit ring yet.
Their uniforms suggested they were students from a high-level spirit academy in Heaven Dou City.
"Hurry! This way should lead us out of the forest!" a male voice called out in the quiet night.
"Xiao Ming, what's going on?" Blue Silver Empress woke up, sensing the disturbance.
"A Yin, it seems like five people are being chased by a ten-thousand-year spirit beast," Lin Yongming explained.
"Let's go check it out," Blue Silver Empress said quickly.
The two stepped out of the tent and hid behind a tree.
"It's indeed a ten-thousand-year spirit beast—a Rampaging Demon Bear. It's not quite twenty thousand years old, but its strength rivals that of a twenty-thousand-year spirit beast," Blue Silver Empress said after receiving information from her Blue Silver Grass.
"A Yin, what should we do? Can we drive it away and save them, or should we stay out of it?" Lin Yongming whispered.
"Let's see. These five are probably students from a spirit academy. They shouldn't be this deep in the forest without a teacher. If their teacher is missing, they're probably in trouble," Blue Silver Empress said with a sigh.
"Alright, we'll play it by ear. If they don't come our way, we won't intervene," Lin Yongming agreed.
It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but a ten-thousand-year spirit beast was beyond their current capabilities. While they might not be able to defeat it, they also couldn't guarantee they could save the students without getting injured, which would delay their search for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Damn it! If Teacher Zhao hadn't been injured by that poisonous barrier, he wouldn't have been killed by the Rampaging Demon Bear."
"Stop talking and run! If we can reach the outer forest, the bear might not chase us anymore, and we'll be safe."
"Poisonous barrier!" Lin Yongming's expression changed as he overheard their conversation. "Could that be the barrier protecting the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? I need to save them and find out more."
"A Yin, they're heading this way. Should we try to drive the spirit beast away?" Lin Yongming asked.
"Sigh. They are coming this way. Alright, I'll set up a trap, and you take the lead," Blue Silver Empress agreed without hesitation.
"Got it," Lin Yongming said, summoning his Thunder Blade.
"Blue Silver Grass!" Blue Silver Empress released her spirit, controlling the surrounding grass to form thick vines. To restrain a power-type spirit beast like the Rampaging Demon Bear, she couldn't afford to hold back.
"With this level of toughness, combined with my fourth spirit skill, I should be able to restrain the bear," Blue Silver Empress said.
"Good. Let's call them over and lure the bear here."
"Alright!"
"Hey, over here! Come this way!" Lin Yongming called out to the five students.
"Someone's here! We're saved! Hurry!" The students' faces lit up with hope as they rushed toward Lin Yongming.
However, their expressions fell when they saw the number of spirit rings on Lin Yongming and Blue Silver Empress.
"Friend, you should run too. There's a ten-thousand-year spirit beast chasing us," the first student said, panting heavily.
"It's fine. My friend here is a strong controller. If we work together, we can drive the bear away," Lin Yongming said quickly.
"Forget it. That thing is too tough. It's a Rampaging Demon Bear. We can't handle it," the student said before running off.
"Uh…" Lin Yongming was stunned.
"Xiao Ming, don't take it personally. He's probably scared out of his mind," Blue Silver Empress said.
Soon, three more students ran past—two boys and a girl. The last girl, however, tripped over the grass and fell.
"Ah!" she screamed as the bear loomed over her.
"Second Spirit Skill: Shockwave Burst!" Lin Yongming moved like lightning, appearing beside the bear in an instant. With a burst of energy, he knocked the bear back.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Blue Silver Prison!" Blue Silver Empress immediately activated her prepared spirit skill, entangling the bear in thick vines.
"Quick, use your strongest attacks!" Blue Silver Empress shouted, snapping the remaining students out of their daze.
"Right!" The three students, all assault-type spirit masters, unleashed their strongest attacks.
Meanwhile, Lin Yongming helped the fallen girl to her feet. "Go join your friends."
He noticed that the girl was a support-type spirit master, which explained why she had fallen behind.
"Third Spirit Skill: Thunderous Strike!" Lin Yongming, empowered by his second spirit skill, unleashed his strongest attack.
"Blue Silver Thorns!" Blue Silver Empress's spirit emitted a faint golden light as sharp thorns sprouted from the vines, piercing the bear.
In an instant, all five attacks struck the bear simultaneously.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 160 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 120 power stones I will publish the next chapter.