Growth

Over a side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Yan was sat on the ground in deep concentration as her hands were extended over his grandfather's back, slowly controlling the poison inside him.

"Buff!" Yan sighed in relief as she opened her eyes and took her hands away from her grandfather "I finally finished!"

Dugu Bo looked over his body, analyzing every part of it and making sure that everything is fine "It's perfect. I could feel no longer affected by my own poison, it even became milder for me, increasing my control over it. With this, I might even break through to rank 92."

"It would be better to repeat the process at least once a year. It would be far simpler and I doubt that you would experiment any more pain, grandpa" Yan explained.

"I'm feeling great, thanks Yan-Yan" Dugu Bo smiled "And you were right doing it here, it only took 5 days when outside it would have taken at least a month."

"Yes" Yan stretched her limbs, tired of having stayed still all these days "Let's see how the others are doing it. They should have used some herbs and I'm curious of their grow."

"To have been always surrounded of such treasures and ignore their incredible effect" Dugu Bo sighed "It pains me a little."

Yan took Dugu Bo's arm and dragged him towards the core of the Well, wanting to see the other girls and compare her growth. Yan wasn't only curing her grandfather, she also had learned a lot from his poison, using it for herself to improve her own strength and cultivation. Within these days, she had increased 4 ranks, becoming a rank 47 Spirit Ancestor.

Yan finally saw the girls all reunited near the Well, all of them except Lingling that she was unable to find her.

Looking at the girls, Yan quickly realized that they had experienced and incredible growth. The aura around Biyun seemed much colder and her spirit energy seemed to have reached a barrier, meaning that she had ascended to rank 40, only needing a spirit ring to break through to Spirit Ancestor.

Meijing didn't seem to have experienced much of a change, but she always was able to hide very well her intent and power so it didn't mean anything. Also, like Biyun, her cultivation had greatly increased being also near a breakthrough to Spirit Ancestor, at rank 39.

On the other hand, Chenxiang seemed the one that had changed more. Externally, her hair had changed a little, it had grown reaching her knees and three white highlights had appeared over her bangs. However, what changed most was the aura around her.

Previously, Chenxiang had an intimidating and powerful aura of a wild beast that caused people to be wary of her, however, now that aura had completely disappeared, replaced by nothing at all. Yan was incapable of sensing any spirit power in her. If it were another person, she would say that Chenxiang was a normal human.

But it wasn't completely perfect, Dugu Bo for example was also unable to detect her cultivation, but could sense some distortions in the air around her, showing that she was hiding something "Space element" He quickly detected showing a surprised look. Space was one of the rarest elements and learning it to such comprehension in 5 days was a great deal.

As Yan approached the other girls, she was able to see their faces, all of them having a somewhat worried face "What happened?"

"Tian had jumped over the Well 5 days ago and he still hasn't returned," Chenxiang explained. When she had finished absorbing her herb after a full day, she already found in this situation. Lingling having explained that Haotian had jumped over the Well.

"That kid jumped!" Dugu Bo jumped shocked "The Well is incredibly dangerous, even I'm unable to last more than seconds in it." Dugu Bo looked at the Well and made a regretful face, then he looked worried at Yan, knowing that she liked Haotian "That kid should be dead. Especially after 5 days."

"He is not dead" Meijing answered shooting an angry look at Dugu Bo. All the other girls, including Yan, nodding at it. All of them could feel Haotian due to their bond and they could feel that he was fine, they had detected some pain and danger from him, but nothing live-threatening.

At another place over the medical garden, Lingling sat cross-legged with her eyes closed in deep cultivation.

Suddenly, her body shivered. She opened her eyes slightly and made a little frown "The plants are restless."

Over the Well, the girls' faces froze, quickly changing into a terrified one "Tian is danger!" Meijing exclaimed. She could feel it due to their bond, Haotian was in a perilous situation, needing to fight with his life in line, even being already injured by it.

Meijing's aura completely changed, her eyes shining with a cold red light as murderous intent was forming around her. She invoked her sword and started running towards the Well, preparing to jump at it.

"Stop!" Dugu Bo exerted his superior spirit power, reassuring Meijing with his own aura and nailing to the place. However, even with such pressure, he could see Meijing resisting, trying to continue walking forward.

He needed to convince her to make her stop. "Little lad, your suicide won't help at all. You would be unable to survive the poison over the Well, instantly dying once you approach it. Don't throw away your life that way even if you are worried about him!"

"Can I go?" Yan asked his grandfather. She was also worried about Haotian, wanting to help him with everything that she can. Her grandfather had experienced her strength so he would be able to tell if she would be able to approach the Well.

"You might be able to resist the poison but the Yin and Yang element there is extremely potent, it would destroy your body once enters in it." Dugu Bo said to Yan.

Biyun was about to talk but Dugu Bo got ahead "In your case, phoenix lass, you might be able to resist the Yin element but you wouldn't be able to survive the poison of it." He looked at all the girls "Don't even try it. Didn't you trust that he was alive? Continue with that trust."

Dugu said that, but it was mere false expectations. In his opinion, Haotion would have died just as he stepped over the Well, but he needed to calm the girls for now.

Meijing clenched her punch with fury due to the impotence. But she wouldn't renounce her, she put her hand over her heart, preparing to act, but suddenly, the danger over Haotian disappeared like nothing.

"Tian is safe" Meijing sighed in relief and withdrew her sword, falling to the ground tired. Now they only need to wait.

After an hour, Lingling walked over to the group. She stopped near the others and looked attentively at the Well "Something is happening."

The girls looked confused at Lingling, but suddenly the Well started shining blindly, a pillar of light shooting from it.

"BOOOOOM!" The Well exploded, causing all the liquid from it to fly all over the sky, causing a poison rain to fall over everywhere.

"At my back!" Dugu Bo hurriedly commanded, his spirit rings shining and invoking a giant serpent over him. The serpent quickly acted, swirling around the group, enclosing them between its body, protecting the girls from the rain.

After some minutes, the rain finally stopped. The serpent's body was almost burned up, rarely keeping alive from the strong poison of the rain. Dugu Bo had a pale face, having received the backlash from the serpent.

If it weren't for Yan's treatment, he might not have lasted that rain, dying in it and with him, the girls. However, thanks to his new control, he even had a breakthrough to rank 92, being pressured by such a situation and stimulating his potential.

"Everyone is fine?" Dugu Bo asked concerned as he withdrew his serpent. He was worried especially towards Yan, but he knew that Yan would be the one most likely to survive just fine.

"Yes" All the girls nodded. The girls had all activated their spirits and were prepared to use everything in their power to fight against the rain if needed.

"What happened?" Dugu Bo said now that he knew that the girls were fine. He looked over the Well and found a profound crater in it instead, so profound that it seemed difficult to see the bottom.

"BANG!" From the crater, two large 5 meter long claws surged, piercing the ground around it. Both claws were covered by strong scales, one of them being red and the other blue, and have powerful and sharp nails capable of easily tearing meat and bones.

The claws increased their strength into the ground, cracks forming around. It was like if the owner of the claws wanted to crawl over the crater.

"Swing!" Something was impulsated from over the crater, landing on the ground while the claws disappeared behind him as if they never existed.

"Tian!" "Big Brother!" "Haotian!" Shouted the girls with joy, seeing the one that surged from the crater was Haotian and that he was mostly uninjured.

Haotian smiled as his girls. "How much time had passed?" Haotian asked.

"5 days" Meijing answered "What happened there?" Meijing asked curiously as she looked up and down at Haotian. Haotian's robes were almost gone, only remaining some tattered pants, revealing most of his body.

Over this time, Haotian had changed. His muscles were stronger and more defined with his face sharper and handsome, he seemed to have been chiseled by the gods! Moreover, his black shining hair had grown longer, reaching his hip. The aura around had completely changed, becoming much stronger and dominearing than before.

"You mean this?" Haotian lifted his arms.

The most distinctive change was his two arms, now transformed into dragon arms, being a little version of the previous 5 meter claws, being the right one blue while the left one was red. It was similar to Tianheng's Dragonify, but Haotian's pressure and dragon bloodline seemed far stronger than him.

"I obtained some spirit bones" Haotian said as the scales over his arm disappeared, both arms returning to their usual form "But that's not the most important."

[My power had grown and my spirit seems to have experimented a growth, even strengthening our bond] The girls could hear Haotian's voice inside their head. It was telepathy! Their bond had reached a new level and now not only they would be able to know if the other is in danger, they would even be able to communicate between each other.

[The spirit bones are the Water Dragon King Right Arm and the Fire Dragon King Left Arm] Haotian explained with their link. He trusted completely his girls, but he preferred to keep the information secret from Lingling and Dugu Bo.

[Impressive] Meijing said, quickly getting used to the new ability.

"What did you do kid!?" Dugu Bo shouted angry at seemingly to be ignored "I don't know what you do but it destroyed all my medical garden!"

Haotian looked around and effectively most of it was destroyed by the aftermath of the poisonous rain. Moreover, having taken the Fire and Water Dragon Kings' corpses and the core of the Ice and Fire Yin Yan Well, he had destroyed the Well. It won't be longer for the place to lose its properties, the immortal herbs no longer able to grow here.

Haotian's eyes went over were the Chrysanthemum was planted and saw no trace of it 'As I didn't take any herb, I really wanted to take it and improve even more my body' Haotian sighed for himself regretting it 'It's a pity that it had been destroyed by the aftermath. Nevertheless, I can't really complain. I had big gains.'

"GRRRRRRRRRR!" Loud sounds were suddenly heard, interrupting the scene.

"Spirit beasts?" Chenxiang tilted her head.

"It seems that my poisonous formation had been broken by the rain" Dugu Bo explained "So the spirit beasts are taking the opportunity to attack the medical garden."

"What do you want to do, Old poison?" Haotian asked. The medical garden was mostly gone due to the aftermath of the rain, only a few plants remaining and it wouldn't be much time before the place loses all its properties.

"It's not worth" Dugu Bo shook his head. He could feel the damage of his medical garden was irreparable. Moreover, he could sense an enormous quantity of spirit beasts approaching them. He was sure of being able to fight and flee if something went wrong, but at the same time that protecting the children? The answer was no. It wasn't worth putting everyone in danger for a worthless land.

"Let's go before it's too late" Dugu Bo said invoking a serpent, commanding everyone to mount it.

Once everyone was over the serpent, this one started flying, escaping from the Sunset Forest just as they were about to be surrounded by more than a hundred spirit beasts.

...

Finally, the serpent landed outside the Sunset Forest, Dugu Bo withdrawing his serpent.

"Sorry, Old Poison" Haotian made a little bow "While I was tempering my body over the Well, I was attacked by the spirits living there. It seems that our fight caused damage at your formation and medical garden, following to its destruction. You even have abandoned the remains for us" Haotian apologized "If there's something that I can do."

Dugu Bo was about to complain and shout at Haotian, but he felt a grip over his sleeve. Looking at it, he saw Yan looking inquisitively at him.

Dugu Bo sighed "You already helped us enough, kid. For all the troubles that I caused, let's it call it all even." In his mind, Dugu Bo lamented, but he certainly couldn't win against Yan. She had always been the most important for him since his son's death and his biggest weakness. How could he make her sad punishing her lover?

"Thanks" Haotian said sincerely, now certainly forgiving Dugu Bo for all the troubles caused by him, even thinking of helping him in the future.

"Haotian" Lingling called him. She walked through all the girls and reached Haotian's hands, holding them between her owns, shocking everyone with her actions "I want you."