Chapter 181

Chapter 181

The Yin and Yang Spring is the ultimate embodiment of both yin and yang in the world. Originally hidden in an unknown space, the dual layers of spatial separation kept it from ever seeing the light of day, locking its aura within that small space, with only a trace of energy seeping out, causing no significant harm.

However, to obtain the Yin and Yang Spring, they broke through the spatial barrier, allowing the spring to be exposed to the outside world.

As the aura of the Yin and Yang Spring spread outward, the extreme yin and yang energies began to merge with the external space, ultimately leading to the collapse of the entire space.

This space existed solely because of the Yin and Yang Spring. Once the space collapses, the Yin and Yang Spring will also disappear, not because it is destroyed but because it hides itself again, seeking another space. Mortals cannot predict where it will go.

The Yin and Yang Spring is a natural treasure formed by heaven and earth. Its origins and whereabouts remain obscure, and no one can truly fathom them. They were fortunate enough to encounter one such spring here, which could be considered a stroke of luck beyond ordinary people's reach.

Once the space collapses, those within must leave quickly or face being trapped.

They do not possess the abilities of the Yin and Yang Spring to choose another space and hide themselves again.

Knowing that the space was about to collapse, Lan Jinshang enveloped the two of them with her spiritual energy and flew upward.

The exit of the space was above, and Lan Jinshang's speed was swift. As she approached the ceiling, a suction force pulled them up.

In the next moment, seawater enveloped them tightly.

Suddenly returning to the deep sea from a waterless space, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao felt some discomfort. Fortunately, they had taken water-avoiding pills beforehand and were quickly led away from the volcano's mouth by Lan Jinshang.

Not long after they left the volcano's mouth, they sensed changes there, with a terrifying aura spreading around them.

The three of them hurriedly fled toward the mountains' outer regions.

Soon after, they heard a deafening sound from the dormant volcano, followed by something erupting from its mouth.

By this time, the three had already left the mountain range. From a distance, they saw a powerful surge of energy shoot into the sky, pushing aside the surrounding seawater, with waves rippling outward.

The surge burst through the seawater, surging toward the surface, affecting a vast area of the ocean for thousands of miles.

Sea beasts panicked once more, fleeing in groups toward the distant waters, eager to escape this dangerous place.

Lan Jinshang acted decisively, transforming into a giant sea beast, protecting the two cultivators under her belly, using her strong body to withstand the ocean's tremors.

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao, hiding under the dolphin's belly, couldn't help but recall the surge that had rushed at them when the spatial barrier broke, even injuring Lan Jinshang, a king-level demon cultivator.

The surge caused by the space's collapse was no less powerful than that of the broken barrier, if not more so.

The power generated by the space's collapse was indeed terrifying, far beyond what mortal bodies could withstand. Even cultivators at the Primordial Saint realm would suffer greatly and might not be able to escape.

The giant dolphin bore the pressure, carrying the two cultivators and fleeing swiftly.

After an unknown amount of time, the dolphin finally felt no more of the surge's pressure and breathed a sigh of relief.

But she did not slow down, continuing to move at great speed through the deep sea, heading toward Star Crossing Gorge.

The dolphin transmitted her voice to the two cultivators: "The power generated by the space's collapse has caused tremors in these waters, which will surely attract the attention of nearby sea beast clans. We need to leave quickly to avoid suspicion."

Being suspected was one thing, but Lan Jinshang feared drawing the attention of the sea clan.

Given the sea clan's status in the Endless Sea, they could freely roam all the waters. If any heavenly treasures appeared, the sea clan would not let them go unnoticed. If they knew someone had claimed such a treasure, they would find ways to force them to hand it over.

Though she didn't know the full extent of the Yin and Yang Spring's uses, she instinctively knew it was valuable—otherwise, Ning Yuzhou wouldn't have sought it so desperately. If the sea clan learned of its existence and obtained its water, they might demand some, or worse, blame them for the space's collapse and the spring's disappearance, leading to further trouble.

The countless sea beasts and demon cultivators in the Endless Sea would be impossible to deal with, making one's scalp tingle just thinking about it.

Regardless, it would lead to a series of troubles.

Lan Jinshang was not a stubborn demon cultivator; on the contrary, she was very resourceful and acted methodically. She could predict the reactions of sea beasts and the sea clan and naturally wanted to avoid getting involved.

Good things should be kept secret and used privately to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou were her benefactors, and Lan Jinshang was grateful to them. She did not want to bring them any trouble, as that would be repaying kindness with enmity.

***

The giant dolphin did not rest for a moment, reducing a ten-day journey to just five days, almost exhausting herself before reaching Star Crossing Gorge.

The sea beasts in Star Crossing Gorge sensed her presence and came out to welcome them back.

Lan Jinshang transformed back into human form, feeling happy to see the sea beasts warmly greeting her. However, upon noticing the water bubbles they were dragging behind them, she realized they were not there for her but for Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao.

Yansheng, appearing as a fierce beast, chased them away: "What are you all doing here? Scatter, scatter! Let Lady Lan come in."

Under Yansheng's threats, the sea beasts reluctantly left.

Lan Jinshang watched this scene with a smile, not stopping them.

Perhaps bringing back the Yin and Yang Spring meant her partner would soon recover, and Lan Jinshang was in high spirits, finding everything pleasing. Even a little dolphin that bumped into her head to show affection received a gentle pat, with her promising to take it to see its father.

The little dolphin was shocked; it had a father?

Wen Qiao was equally surprised. Wasn't Xuanlun the little dolphin's father? Otherwise, how could a son not know he had a father?

Lan Jinshang laughed and said, "You silly child, why wouldn't you have a father? Your father is merely recuperating and can't come out to see you."

When Xuanlun was injured, the little dolphin had already been born, but it was still young and lacked awareness. Even if its father held it every day, it wouldn't have known who he was. Later, when the little dolphin finally gained consciousness, Xuanlun had already entered the water bubble to heal, rarely appearing, leading the little dolphin to believe it had no father, thinking it was born from its mother and some random male sea beast.

Hearing the little dolphin's words, Lan Jinshang nearly lost her temper.

If Xuanlun's condition hadn't been so dire, Lan Jinshang wouldn't have kept it a secret to prevent upsetting the child, instructing the sea beasts in Star Crossing Gorge not to mention it either.

Little did she know that the child had never wondered about its father's identity, assuming it was some wild sea beast.

But it was normal for the little dolphin to think this way. After all, beasts usually had no sense of propriety; if they fancied each other, they would get together, and when they grew tired, they would part ways. If a cub was conceived, they would simply have it.

Many young beast cubs lived with their mothers after birth, regardless of whether they had a father or not.

The little dolphin's attention was drawn by the mention of "father," so it stopped pestering Wen Qiao and the others for spirit pills and obediently followed its mother to see its father.

Tiger Yansheng, looking fierce and menacing, chased away those sea beasts and then followed Lan Jinshang with an excited expression.

He wasn't stupid. Since Lan Jinshang chose to take the little dolphin to see its father, it meant that Xuanlun's injuries were finally going to be cured. How could he not be excited? In his excitement, he forgot to ask Lan Jinshang what she had been doing all these days.

After entering the palace, Lan Jinshang created a water bubble to encase the little dolphin and said to Wen Qiao and the others, "Young Master Ning, Miss Wen, you've worked hard. Go rest now."

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao nodded at her and left with Haizhuer, who had come to greet them.

Then Lan Jinshang and Tiger Yansheng took the little dolphin deeper into the palace.

When they reached the inner chambers, Lan Jinshang whispered to Tiger Yansheng, "If any other clan's demon cultivators or sea creatures come to Star Crossing Gorge, tell them I've been here all this time and never left. Also, make sure the sea creatures in Star Crossing Gorge don't slip up and say anything."

Although Tiger Yansheng didn't understand her intentions, he still agreed seriously.

***

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao returned to the room arranged by Haizhuer but did not rest. Instead, they set up numerous arrays around them and then entered the space together.

As soon as they entered the space, they were surrounded by three furry balls, chattering incessantly.

Ning Yuzhou couldn't understand what they were saying and ignored them, heading straight for the Yin and Yang Spring in the center of the space.

Wen Qiao, however, looked somewhat strange after listening to the furry balls' complaints.

She glanced at where Ning Yuzhou was and tried to comfort the most protesting big furry ball, Wen Jiji, "That Yin and Yang Spring is something Young Master Ning specifically wanted. Besides, the space belongs to him, so how he uses it is his decision. Don't worry, Young Master Ning has been working hard on his cultivation lately. Once his cultivation improves, the space will expand. When it does, I'll immediately help you produce more Zhusian spirits so you can lie down and drink their nectar."

The big furry ball chirped a few more times, indicating that once the space expanded, it also wanted them to help create a nest for hatching eggs, so it could lay many eggs for her.

Wen Qiao said expressionlessly, "Thank you, but I really don't need you to lay eggs for me. You should focus on yourself first."

What eggs? The little furry balls that were born clearly revolved around her, the queen of the furry ball world, collecting good nectar for her to taste first.

After calming the big furry ball, Wen Qiao dealt with Wen Guangun and Wen Tutu, who jumped into her arms to protest about the Yin and Yang Spring. However, they weren't protesting because it took up space but because it was too terrifying and shouldn't be kept in the space.

They had been scared out of their wits staying in the space these past few days.

Wen Qiao said lightly, "This is Young Master Ning's decision. You can go protest to him."

The two beasts didn't dare to say another word.

After all, Young Master Ning was the alchemist controlling the spirit pills. If they offended him, they wouldn't get any spirit pills.

At this moment, Ning Yuzhou's voice came from the spirit fields, "Chui, come over here."

Wen Qiao put the two beasts down and went to his side, seeing the Yin and Yang Spring isolated by arrays. Even though the arrays blocked it, she could still faintly feel the unsettling aura.

The Yin and Yang Spring Ning Yuzhou brought into the space was naturally inferior to the one in the space, but considering the water level drop, she knew he had taken quite a bit of the Yin and Yang Spring.

Unfortunately, the Yin and Yang Spring was a natural treasure that couldn't be moved, so getting this much was already impressive.

"Chui, where are the strange stones we brought back from the Yin and Yang Spring?"

Wen Qiao took out the storage bag containing the strange stones and asked, "Husband, what do you need the strange stones for?"

"To surround the Yin and Yang Spring," Ning Yuzhou explained. "These strange stones can isolate the aura of the Yin and Yang Spring, preventing it from affecting the other creatures and plants in the space."

Not only were there beasts in the space, but also spirit herbs. If affected by the Yin and Yang Spring's aura, the spirit herbs might wither.

Wen Qiao finally understood why he had her collect more strange stones earlier and said happily, "I see. Luckily, I collected many strange stones."

There were indeed many strange stones, enough to surround the spring eye of the Yin and Yang Spring.

They spent a long time using the strange stones to encircle the water of the Yin and Yang Spring. Above the spring eye, Ning Yuzhou used a stone slab to seal it.

Now, the Yin and Yang Spring was completely sealed by the strange stones. Even without the arrays, the unsettling aura was barely perceptible, eliminating worries about the extreme yin and yang energies mixing with the space.

Compared to the sealed Yin and Yang Spring, the space where the original Yin and Yang Spring was located had strange stones but didn't fully conceal the spring, causing its energy to seep through the space walls and attract the attention of cultivators.

With the remaining strange stones running low, Wen Qiao put them away and curiously asked Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, what is the use of the Yin and Yang Spring?"

Perhaps feeling good, Ning Yuzhou looked very gentle, "It has many uses. Although the Yin and Yang Spring is an extreme yin and yang object, it can nurture life, representing vitality. It is a rare treasure."

"Nurture life?" Wen Qiao thought of something, "Does it mean it can help people have children?"

Ning Yuzhou: "...Not exactly, but if used to refine pregnancy pills, it can indeed help high-level cultivators who have difficulty conceiving."

Most cultivators married and had children late, often waiting until they reached a certain cultivation level before seeking a dual-cultivation partner.

However, the higher one's cultivation, the harder it was to conceive. Often, it took hundreds of years to have a child, and even then, they could only have one. Having two was impossible.

On the contrary, for low-level cultivators, having children was very easy, like producing litters.

For human cultivators favored by the Heavenly Dao, being unable to have children wasn't a problem. Didn't ancient alchemists create pregnancy pills? However, refining pregnancy pills required the water of the Yin and Yang Spring. In ancient times, treasures were abundant, and the Yin and Yang Spring was easily found, unlike today's cultivation world.

"So that's how pregnancy pills came about," Wen Qiao realized.

Ning Yuzhou cleared his throat, thinking that using the Yin and Yang Spring to refine pregnancy pills was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. He quickly added, "Nurturing life isn't just about helping people have children; it can also be used to revive extinct species, preserving their legacy..."

Wen Qiao was enlightened again.

Compared to reproduction, preserving extinct species was more significant. The Yin and Yang Spring truly was a remarkable thing.

From ancient times to the present, countless heavenly treasures in the cultivation world have gone extinct due to various reasons—overexploitation, natural selection, or natural disasters. Many of these treasures now exist only as cold, written records in today's cultivation world.

Ning Yuzhou's awakened divine bloodline endowed him with a complete inheritance, which recorded many heavenly materials and earthly treasures rarely seen in the world. However, such items had not been encountered or even heard of in the current cultivation realm, evoking much lament.

Now that he had obtained the Yin and Yang Spring, Ning Yuzhou wanted to use its waters to cultivate those heavenly materials and earthly treasures that had long vanished with the passage of time.

Of course, this was just a rough idea. To make it happen, he needed an opportunity; otherwise, having only the Yin and Yang Spring without a medium would be of no use.

Hearing his plan, Wen Qiao said confidently, "I believe in my husband. You can definitely do it."

Ning Yuzhou couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to stroke her head, feeling a wave of tenderness wash over him.