For now, Zhou Sichen decided to stop worrying about the Immortal Poison Body matter. After selecting suitable immortal herbs for his grandfather, Cao Jinxuan, Long Xiangyue, and the others, his thoughts returned once again to Elder Mu.
Xuanzi was in no rush. Though the old man had always treated him kindly, it hadn't reached the level where Zhou Sichen would go to such great lengths for him.
But Elder Mu…
A full week passed before Zhou Sichen emerged from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Now that the area had an emperor, the spiritual plants within had a central leader. With that, they had order—what to do and what not to do was now structured.
Before leaving, Zhou Sichen retracted Honghong back into the Book of Contracts. She was simply too ostentatious.
Someone with the presence of a female emperor would draw attention no matter how low-key she tried to be.
More importantly, Zhou Sichen wasn't planning to reveal Honghong's power just yet. He feared that if she appeared beneath the Golden Tree or within Shrek Academy, certain powerful beings might notice her presence.
Even though that "certain someone" was immensely powerful, they still couldn't withstand the pressure of Honghong's imperial aura. Before his plans were complete, it was best not to alert the enemy.
With Honghong by his side, Zhou Sichen walked out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well openly. Not a single plant dared disrespect him. Having gained a body immune to all poisons, even the Jade Phosphor Poison Array had no effect on him.
Once past the poison array, Zhou Sichen retracted Honghong again, summoned his Hellfire possession, equipped his soul tool propulsion device, and flew straight toward Shrek Academy.
It took him less than a day to make the return trip, arriving by the afternoon.
Upon his return, Zhou Sichen went directly to the Sea God's Pavilion. Elder Mu had been worried about him these past few days.
Or rather, everyone in Shrek's upper echelons who knew of his absence had been concerned.
Among them, the ones most worried were Ye Guyi and Dugu Xianmeng.
The day after Ye Guyi returned, Dugu Xianmeng emerged from her seclusion.
Before she even had a chance to share her breakthrough with Zhou Sichen, Ye Guyi presented her with a perfect fifth spirit ring.
She also told Dugu Xianmeng about Zhou Sichen's situation—something that made Ye Guyi's heart tighten.
The two of them had always been close, practically best friends with no secrets between them.
Unaware of Ye Guyi's true relationship with Zhou Sichen, Dugu Xianmeng confided in her, admitting that she had fallen for her "little brother."
Ye Guyi was momentarily speechless. Her brother had only just enrolled, and this girl already liked him?
And now she wanted Ye Guyi to play matchmaker and help bring them together?
What about me?
A wave of anxiety surged within Ye Guyi.
Watching Dugu Xianmeng pleading by her side, Ye Guyi was torn—should she agree or refuse?
She'd always known her brother was exceptional and bound to attract attention from countless women, but she hadn't expected such a direct assault the moment she left the academy for a month.
Dugu Xianmeng didn't hold anything back, sharing every moment she had spent with Zhou Sichen. She even said they were a match made in heaven.
If she ended up with Zhou Sichen, wouldn't that make her even closer to Ye Guyi?
Ye Guyi's heart shattered. According to Dugu Xianmeng, when she confessed her feelings to Zhou Sichen, he hadn't rejected her—he simply told her to keep cultivating.
He even gave her a Soul Nourishment Pill, allowing her to break through level 50 after just a month in seclusion.
And then there was the Serpent Empress Medusa that Zhou Sichen entrusted to Ye Guyi before he left, specifically instructing her to use it as Dugu Xianmeng's fifth spirit ring once she emerged...
If my brother truly likes her…
Ye Guyi was silent for a long time before finally forcing a smile and saying, "Of course, congratulations."
Dugu Xianmeng was overjoyed, nearly jumping with excitement. With Big Sis on her side, how could she possibly lose to that troublesome little brother?
Zhou Sichen, naturally, was unaware of any of this. Upon returning to the academy, he immediately went to the Sea God's Pavilion to report his safe return.
Seeing Zhou Sichen again, Elder Mu's worries were finally put to rest.
He didn't ask what Zhou Sichen had been up to—everyone had their own secrets. As long as Zhou Sichen's heart remained with Shrek, that was enough.
Reclining on his chair, Elder Mu smiled warmly and asked, "Sichen, how was your trip?"
Zhou Sichen didn't hide anything. He summoned his martial soul—the Book of Contracts.
The golden book materialized, and four spirit rings appeared around his body: black, black, black… red.
Upon seeing the ten-thousand-year red spirit ring—the fourth one—Elder Mu nearly leapt out of his chair.
Even someone as composed as Elder Mu couldn't hide the shock on his face. "A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?!"
Zhou Sichen was so young—only level 40. Even with physical and spiritual strength far above his peers, and combat power surpassing most soul masters at his level…
It was still a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring!
With three contracted spirit beasts at the fifteen-thousand-year level, Zhou Sichen could indeed fight a Title Douluo.
But being able to fight and being able to defeat a Title Douluo were two entirely different things.
Title Douluo were incredibly rare and powerful, measured in more than just raw combat strength.
Nine rings, martial soul avatars, soul bones...
Even with three top-tier spirit beasts, Zhou Sichen couldn't possibly defeat an average Title Douluo—at best, he could spar with one.
And hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts were stronger than most ordinary Title Douluo. Zhou Sichen couldn't even defeat a normal one—how could he possibly kill one?
Even the strongest in the Zhou Clan, Zhou Zhenxuan, didn't have that kind of power.
Zhou Sichen's trip had been a secret trial assigned by the academy—no one else knew.
He passed with flying colors, successfully bringing back Ye Guyi and even a suitable spirit ring for Dugu Xianmeng.
According to Ye Guyi, Zhou Sichen had said he had other matters to take care of, possibly tied to his fourth ring, and that he had made a discovery in Sunset Forest. Ye Guyi couldn't help, so her safe return to Shrek was already a great relief to him.
Elder Mu and the others had assumed Zhou Sichen found an appropriate spirit beast. Technically, he had—but none of them had imagined it would be a hundred-thousand-year beast!
Without Elder Mu needing to ask, Zhou Sichen retracted his martial soul and rings. Smiling, he said, "Teacher, I stumbled upon a treasure trove in Sunset Forest. After passing a few trials, I obtained the hundred-thousand-year ring."
"However, that place isn't meant for public knowledge, so I can't say much more about it."
Elder Mu nodded slightly, then fell silent for a long moment before saying, "That was your opportunity. Since it came to you, it belongs to you. If it's inconvenient, there's no need to share more."
Zhou Sichen bowed slightly. "Thank you, teacher."
Elder Mu beckoned him over. "Let's talk about your growth. Your spirit power should be level 43 now, right?"
Zhou Sichen nodded. "Yes. With Elder Xuan away, I hadn't broken through. But the moment I gained my fourth ring, all my stored energy surged. Still, you know my martial soul—it doesn't grant much feedback, even from a hundred-thousand-year ring."
Elder Mu nodded. "Can you tell me what kind of spirit beast you obtained?"
"A flower," Zhou Sichen replied. "It's called the Yearning Heartbroken Red."
"The Yearning Heartbroken Red?" Elder Mu frowned. Even he hadn't heard of that one.
But if it had reached the hundred-thousand-year level, it couldn't be weak. At that level, spirit beasts rival Title Douluo in strength.
Zhou Sichen completely understood why Elder Mu wouldn't know about it. That certain God-King had likely erased all records of immortal herbs before departing.
Even Shrek's Treasury, which held all the old Spirit Hall tomes, didn't have a trace of them. Zhou Sichen had searched for a month and found nothing.
Even Ma Xiaotao's evil fire problem—the original solution was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. Why didn't Shrek know about that?
All they ever used were ice attribute methods to suppress it.
Even the Tang Sect seemed unaware of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's existence. Their inheritance of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record was incomplete—missing the poison, herb, and hidden weapon sections.
Now, all of it was in Zhou Sichen's head.
He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Either don't pass it on, or pass it on properly—not a butchered version.
The Tang Sect? Once the number one sect on the continent, founded by Sea God Tang San himself...
And the four great single-attribute clans? Nowhere to be seen. The sect's legacy taken over by others.
"Absurd" didn't even begin to describe it.
So, for Elder Mu—who had lived over two hundred years—not to know about the Yearning Heartbroken Red, Zhou Sichen could understand.
But what he couldn't understand was how someone like Elder Mu, once a wild youth and only 300 kilometers from Sunset Forest, had never investigated it.
Sure, the Jade Phosphor Poison Array was powerful. But could it stop a level-99 Limit Douluo?
Anyone with sense would know that poison field was hiding something. Even if it wasn't valuable, curiosity alone should've drawn someone in.
Elder Mu had the strength and experience. Why hadn't he checked it out?
At that moment, Elder Mu slowly said, "Could it be... you went to that toxic zone at the center of Sunset Forest?"
Zhou Sichen's thoughts immediately froze. The teacher knew?
He didn't try to hide it. If Elder Mu knew the exact location and details, then he clearly knew something.
Zhou Sichen nodded. "You've been there, teacher?"
A nostalgic look appeared in Elder Mu's eyes. "I went a few times in my youth. That place is perpetually shrouded in poisonous mist. I thought myself strong enough to explore it…"
"I broke through the poison formation that could stop even a Title Douluo, but before I could go any deeper, I was blocked by a mysterious force..."
Zhou Sichen suddenly understood. It wasn't that Elder Mu had never gone.
In fact, how could no one in thousands of years notice such a change in Sunset Forest?
Even Shrek had produced three ultimate attribute cultivators—each recorded as having reached the level of Limit Douluo.
Would such powerful beings not notice?
Why were there no records of immortal herbs in Shrek? Why was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well still unknown?
There could only be one reason: a certain God-King had sealed all knowledge of immortal herbs and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from the world. Even those who found it could not enter.
Only now was it accessible—likely because the God-King's daughter had descended to the mortal realm.
He must've seen that land as his personal garden. He didn't want others using it, because he knew how terrifyingly powerful it could make someone.
Now that his daughter was here and his plan was in motion, he pretended to lift the seal?
That was probably the real reason.
Otherwise, too many things simply didn't add up.
Zhou Sichen casually asked, "Did you gain anything from your visit?"
Elder Mu gave a bitter smile and only said four words: "A blessed land, waiting."
Zhou Sichen nearly lost it. A blessed land, waiting? Seriously?
He was so thankful he had transmigrated to this specific time. If he hadn't, he might never have been able to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—let alone harvest the immortal herbs inside.
If he hadn't transmigrated, the original plot would've played out. Under divine manipulation, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would've gone to Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao.
But now? With his early interference, everything had changed.
And that terrified him.
In his excitement, he had forgotten one thing—others still knew about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Namely, the two masters of the Clear Sky Sect—brothers-in-law to that God-King and once divine officials themselves: Niu Tian and Tai Tan.
One was level 99, the other level 98—and that was just their suppressed strength.
They might be the strongest beings currently alive on Douluo Continent.
The good news? They never intervened in the original story. Their only goal was to protect the Clear Sky Sect—and Wang Dong'er.
As long as she wasn't in danger, they wouldn't act.
The bad news? That God-King left a prophecy: if Wang Dong'er didn't consume the Yearning Heartbroken Red before age 20, she would die.
She was now twelve. Eight years left.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao went to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well at eighteen. That gave them only six years…
Could Zhou Sichen become strong enough in six years to challenge Niu Tian and Tai Tan? Or even the God-King himself?
For the first time, Zhou Sichen felt a cold, oppressive sense of dread.
He wasn't being paranoid—anyone else going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would blow everything open.
He had taken Honghong with him. There was still another immortal herb emperor there—but would it remain hidden?
And that was the ideal timeline. What if his presence altered the plot's trajectory?
What if someone went there early?
The pressure came crashing down like a mountain. Zhou Sichen had considered these questions before, but now the weight of them became suffocating.
He didn't dare think more. He made a single decision:
He had to grow stronger. Immediately.
The God-King himself couldn't descend yet, but his two enforcers were still here. They were former divine officials—sealed or not, they remained top-tier powerhouses.
A surge of crisis slammed into Zhou Sichen like a tidal wave.
And for the first time… he was truly afraid.
****
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