Chapter 93: Plucking Immortal Herbs Again, Making Up Stories to Trick Ah Yin
After half a day, Qi Tian finally arrived at the central region of the Sunset Forest.
He didn't rush into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well right away. Instead, he first used the sensing abilities of the Blue Silver Domain to scout the surroundings.
"It seems like Bibi Dong still hasn't sent anyone to monitor this place! Or… is this actually a parallel world?" Qi Tian let out a breath of relief.
A few days ago, when he was chatting with Bibi Dong, she told him how she first discovered his existence.
Only then did he finally learn that the figure Bone Douluo had previously spotted was actually a spy sent by Bibi Dong.
And that spy… was even a Soul Douluo-level expert.
A soul master at the Soul Douluo realm possesses mental power strong enough to sense the aura of transformed soul beasts.
If Bibi Dong's spy were still here and he approached the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it would be the same as walking right into a trap.
"No… that's not right. I'm overthinking. Bibi Dong hasn't become the Pope yet—how could she be in a position to station guards here?" Qi Tian withdrew the Blue Silver Domain and moved toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"You… why are you so familiar with my martial soul's innate domain?" Ah Yin asked, surprised.
She had just realized that Qi Tian somehow knew her Blue Silver Domain could be used to probe the surroundings—as if the martial soul was his to begin with.
Qi Tian smiled. "Naturally, because my martial soul is also Blue Silver Grass. Your soul rings and soul bones are a perfect match for my martial soul!"
"Ah?" The moment Qi Tian mentioned the matter of sacrifice, Ah Yin instantly quieted down again.
Before long, Qi Tian activated the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul and easily climbed up the steep cliffs surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Through the poisonous mist, Qi Tian faintly saw that all the herbs here were still intact.
Once inside, he discovered that, except for the four immortal herbs—Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew—all the other immortal herbs were still present.
"Hiss~ So is this a parallel world… or a past timeline?"
Those four herbs were ones he had collected while possessing Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong, meaning this place should be the past.
But if he harvested the herbs now, how would he pick them again in the future?
This was a paradox of time itself.
Qi Tian truly couldn't figure it out, but the immortal herbs before him were undeniably real.
Without dwelling on the matter, he harvested all the herbs and spiritual plants again, storing and transplanting them into his Sea Calming Pearl's small world.
'Wait a second… if the Sea Calming Pearl can store herbs and spiritual plants, why can't it directly take Ah Yin away?'
Qi Tian concentrated and immediately poured soul power into the phantom of the Sea Calming Pearl, attempting to pull this body into the small world.
But just then, he discovered that no matter how much soul power he infused, the phantom of the Sea Calming Pearl couldn't absorb him.
'Could it be… the Sea Calming Pearl cannot store living beings across timelines?' Qi Tian guessed inwardly.
He didn't dwell on the issue. Instead, he took out the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb and the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone Immortal Herb.
The Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb would protect him from the poisonous miasma here, while the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone was the immortal herb he intended to feed Ah Yin.
He planned to give her this herb because it provided a large soul power increase—and because he himself had never enjoyed its medicinal effects. (T/N: Taking with Zhu Zhuqing's Body doesn't count because he didn't receive feedback)
Now that he had the system's synchronized cultivation rewards, he wanted his main body to also enjoy the benefits of the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone Immortal Herb.
"What is this? What are you trying to feed me?"
Ah Yin watched silently for a long time, and now that Qi Tian seemed ready to stuff something into her mouth, she finally couldn't hold back and asked.
"Of course it's poison—poison that will make you obey my every command!"
Qi Tian continued scaring her, wanting her to understand just how dangerous and unpredictable humans could be—not something a naïve wood spirit like her could ever guess.
"No!"
Ah Yin cried out in panic.
As a plant-type soul beast, Ah Yin recognized most of the medicinal herbs growing here, but she didn't recognize the immortal herbs.
She noticed that some herbs here were poisonous while others were healing, so she didn't doubt the possibility that one of them could be a poison capable of controlling someone.
Moreover, she felt that her body actually desired the so-called "poison" Qi Tian held in his hand.
'I haven't even eaten it yet, and it's already making my body react like this? This poison is terrifying!'
In the next moment, Ah Yin sensed Qi Tian controlling her body… inhaling the flower's fragrance, swallowing the petals.
'Huh? It's… not poison?'
Ah Yin could feel Qi Tian actually guiding her to refine the medicinal power. During this process, her soul power surged rapidly.
As dusk settled and the medicinal effects fully circulated, her soul power unexpectedly rose from rank fifty-one all the way to rank fifty-six.
A full five ranks. She felt she would need two years of cultivation to achieve that much.
'This guy… he tricked me! This isn't poison at all—it's a ninth-grade spiritual herb!'
Qi Tian, however, was secretly disappointed. Ah Yin's soul power was simply too high. The immortal herb's effects on her weren't as astonishing as they had been on Zhu Zhuqing.
A single Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone Immortal Herb only boosted Ah Yin's soul power by five ranks.
At the same time, Qi Tian sensed that nothing had changed on his main body side. The two timelines seemed completely independent of each other.
Qi Tian let out a soft sigh of relief. He'd been worried that absorbing immortal herbs here would somehow cause Zhu Zhuqing's cultivation to regress.
"The system really is incredible!" Qi Tian, of course, credited everything to the system.
Night slowly fell, but Qi Tian remained in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, unwilling to risk encountering any reckless soul beasts on the way out.
"Ah Yin, you'll stay here and cultivate for the next few days. Don't wander around," Qi Tian said.
His soul clone would return to his main body tonight, so he needed to explain things clearly to her.
"Why… why do you know my name?" Ah Yin asked. Her attitude had softened considerably because she sensed that Qi Tian didn't truly intend to force her into sacrificing herself.
Qi Tian sighed. "Because I come from the future. To me, you're already a part of the past."
"What? That's impossible!" Ah Yin found his words hard to believe.
"At this point, I can only tell you my real identity."
Qi Tian continued weaving his story:
"Ah Yin, I'm actually your future husband. That's why I know so much about you."
"Your identity as a transformed soul beast was exposed to the Pope of Spirit Hall. For your soul ring and soul bone, he personally led a hunt against us."
"For my sake, you sacrificed your soul ring and soul bone to me, allowing me to escape."
"Your soul was devoured by the Pope's personal disciple, who possessed the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor martial soul. Only a Blue Silver Emperor seed remained."
"Our newborn child's body was also taken over by a soul from another world."
"I lost you and our child. I had nothing left! I regretted everything, so I threw myself into cultivation."
"In the end, I became strong enough to reverse time itself."
"I didn't return to the past to become a god—I came back to save your life."
Ah Yin listened quietly as Qi Tian spoke with deep affection. Inexplicably, her heart was touched.
"Is… everything you said true?"
Qi Tian nodded. "Of course it's true. Haven't you noticed how naturally I touch you?"
"It's because we're husband and wife in the future. That's why I know every inch of your body so well!"
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End of Chapter