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One year inside the Two-Sense Ice-Fire Eyes equaled ten years in the outside world — for other soul beasts, this was undeniably a wonderful thing, but for a soul beast like Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang who was already near the end of his lifespan, it was effectively a death sentence. At his current cultivation, he could survive at most another hundred years inside the eyes before reaching his limit and perishing in the heavenly tribulation.
Yet given the talent Bai Chen had shown, breaking through to god rank was not particularly difficult — meaning he likely had another two or three hundred years of life ahead of him. From a longevity standpoint, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang was not losing out badly. More importantly, he had seen in Bai Chen the hope of ascension to godhood. Bai Chen's talent was undoubtedly the finest in ten thousand years — rather than dying meaninglessly in the heavenly tribulation, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang felt it was better to take a gamble alongside Bai Chen.
Hearing this, Zang Xin's face instantly lit up with joy. In this era where soul beasts were on the verge of extinction, the value of a beast-level soul was beyond measure. Though Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang was not skilled in combat, he was the genuine king of immortal herbs — the buffs he could provide a soul master were absolutely immense, especially the enhancement of base attributes, something no man-made soul could replicate.
Even if Bai Chen could not yet absorb him as a soul, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang's abilities were sufficient to temporarily attach himself to Bai Chen and wait until Bai Chen's cultivation reached the required level.
But still… "Since Brother Luo has voluntarily chosen to become my disciple's soul, you wouldn't count within the two-herb quota of the contract, right?"
"You rascal." Hearing this from Zang Xin, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang couldn't help but laugh. He replied lightly, "Of course not." If another immortal herb had wanted to become Bai Chen's soul, he would have given a different answer. But since it was he himself who wished to become Bai Chen's soul, naturally he would do everything he could to help Bai Chen maximize his benefits. The surrounding immortal herbs all looked at him with contemptuous eyes, clearly seeing through his scheme — but none of them objected. Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang had led them for so many years; he had earned it. They wouldn't quarrel with him over this.
Meanwhile, inside the Ice-Fire Two-Sense Eyes, Bai Chen had found the immortal herb he was looking for. It was a large chrysanthemum covered in velvet — the ten-thousand-year Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum he had been searching for. Bai Chen did not rush forward; instead, he called out to Zang Xin above: "Master, I've decided — I want this Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum!" "Good eye."
Hearing this, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang revealed a satisfied smile — Bai Chen's choice matched his prior prediction exactly.
Zang Xin descended to the ground, shielding Bai Chen behind him, and said calmly, "In a moment I'll suppress it — you seize the chance to take the main body. Understood?" To obtain a ten-thousand-year immortal herb, one had to first defeat its guardians.
From Zang Xin's perspective, letting Bai Chen do it alone was far too risky; it would be better if he helped. But Bai Chen gently shook his head. "No, Master. I'd like to try it myself. If I can't win, you can step in."
Although this Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum had reached ten thousand years, it had not developed sentience and was not truly a ten-thousand-year soul beast — its combat power was far below that of a genuine ten-thousand-year beast. He had asked Zang Xin to come mostly as a safety measure; he actually felt he could handle it himself.
"Alright… be careful."
Zang Xin thought for a moment and ultimately nodded. After all, since Bai Chen could already defeat the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear — which was equivalent to a ten-thousand-year soul beast — letting him test himself against this Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum was nothing to worry about. Plant-type soul beasts were inherently weaker than animal-type ones, and this chrysanthemum didn't even qualify as a true plant-type beast — its actual combat strength was only at the ten-thousand-year soul beast level in name. Besides, he was right there watching; there was no way Bai Chen could truly be in danger. And if worse came to worst, asking Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang for help was also an option — since this fellow had already made up his mind to become Bai Chen's soul, he naturally had to put in some effort for his investment.
Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang becoming king of immortal herbs was not without reason. All plant-type soul masters and soul beasts in his presence would have their combat power halved — even without making a move, simply standing beside Bai Chen would already be an enormous help.
And since Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang had already made up his mind to become a soul, Zang Xin naturally wanted to help him solidify that resolve — showing him Bai Chen's combat strength firsthand was the simplest and most direct method. Zang Xin was confident that after witnessing Bai Chen's fighting power with his own eyes, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang would only be even more moved.
Unaware of what Zang Xin and Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang had just discussed, Bai Chen took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the territory of the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum.
Instantly, a powerful golden light rippled across the chrysanthemum's surface, and a golden figure materialized before Bai Chen, charging straight at him. Bai Chen showed no fear — black claws adorned with golden floral patterns shot out from his right hand, and he charged forward to meet it head-on. In an instant, both sides closed to within arm's reach; the guardian summoned by the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum threw a fierce punch squarely at Bai Chen.
Bai Chen's response was simple: he neither dodged nor evaded, and unleashed his own most powerful strike. A black scythe etched with golden patterns materialized from thin air. The Dark Golden Terror Claw soul skill exploded forth, landing squarely on the guardian summoned by the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum.
"The power of ultimate evil!"
Up above, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang couldn't help but cry out in shock. Nearly all immortal herbs were primarily life-attribute beings — for existences like them, a power capable of devouring life was the ultimate enemy. In the face of this force, their formidable life energy could only become nourishment, fueling and strengthening the opponent further. Bai Chen's power of ultimate evil was already extremely potent against ordinary soul masters and soul beasts, but against an opponent like an immortal herb, its effectiveness would reach a terrifying degree.
The moment that dark golden power appeared, Qi Luo Yu Jin Xiang understood: the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum was finished. And sure enough, the chrysanthemum's guardian only resisted for a single instant before its proud defenses crumbled — torn apart by Bai Chen — as its dense spiritual energy flowed into Bai Chen's body through his claws.
As for its guardian's full-powered punch, it was blocked by Bai Chen's spatial barrier, unable to deal him any harm whatsoever.
Feeling a massive surge of energy rushing into his body, Bai Chen shuddered all over and quickly sat down on the spot, beginning to absorb and refine this influx of power.
Who could have imagined that he hadn't even plucked the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum yet, and already had gained tremendous benefit from it? The guardian of the Wondrous Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum, originally meant to test challengers, had instead become a great tonic for Bai Chen.