Farewell (I)

"Oh? In these past eight hundred years, has no one from the Soul Clan come to take this Diamond Beast?" Fanxin Xin asked in surprise.

"No, because the Diamond Beast grow too slowly. They want a Diamond King. It's impossible for Diamond Beast to reach that level in a short time," the Giant Dragon said. "And because they fear the world might change and the Soul Clan might forget this place, they imprinted this information in my mind."

"The reason I've survived for so long is actually to wait for a powerful figure to emerge from your Soul Clan. Then, I'll bring him here and let him take this Diamond Beast."

"You've chosen me?" Fanxin asked.

"Hehe, it wasn't me who chose you, it was the entire Soul Clan that chose you. Do you know why?" the Giant Dragon chuckled and said.

Upon hearing Fanxin, Fan Xin immediately shook his head; he truly did not know the reason.

"That's because you possess Conqueror's Haki. In the history of your Soul Clan, there have only been two beings with Conqueror's Haki. The first was you, and the second was the one who founded the Soul Clan," the Giant Dragon said. "Therefore, it is most appropriate for you to fuse with the Diamond Beast."

"I see. I understand now." Fanxin nodded, somewhat understanding the meaning behind it.

"However, what would the Soul Clan have done if I hadn't displayed my Conqueror's Haki more than ten years ago?" Fanxin asked curiously.

He saw in the videos his parents left him that when his people fought the invaders, they were initially at a disadvantage. However, when he revealed his Conqueror's Haki, his people all went berserk, fighting the invaders recklessly in order to get rid of him.

He was curious: if he hadn't revealed his Conqueror's Haki back then, what would have happened to the Soul Clan? Would they have truly been wiped out?

"Hehe, with me here, do you think the Soul Clan can be destroyed?" the Giant Dragon said with a calm smile.

"You? Indeed, you are very powerful. If you take action, those intruders will only die." Hearing this, Fan Xin nodded slightly. Then, he said doubtfully, "But I don't understand, since you can rescue them, why don't you take action to rescue them? In this way, they will not die."

"Heh, it's not that I don't want to save them, but that I can't." The Giant Dragon said helplessly, "Among those invaders, there are some powerful ones. If I were to intervene, I would inevitably consume a large amount of Soul Power. At that point, I might die. Even if I don't die, I will fall into a deep sleep. If I die, or if I fall into a deep sleep, your people will not be able to find the Diamond Beast's whereabouts. Because only I know where the Diamond Beast is!"

"Therefore, I cannot act rashly and can only watch helplessly." After a long silence, the Giant Dragon said, "Fanxin, there is something I must tell you: most of your people were not killed by those invaders."

"Oh, how did they die?" Fanxin asked immediately upon hearing this.

The Giant Dragon hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, since I'm about to die anyway, I'll tell you everything! You said before that living beings can't live that long, and that's true. The Blood King could live that long because he used the Op-Op Fruit to perform an ultimate surgery on himself. I don't have the Op-Op Fruit, so theoretically, I shouldn't be able to live this long. But in fact, I have lived this long. There's a reason for that."

"The reason is that I devoured the souls of your Soul Clan and made them my own. That's how I survived."

Upon hearing this, Fanxin's eyes widened in disbelief, and she remained stunned for a long time.

"You're kidding me, aren't you!" Fanxin said in disbelief.

"It's true, absolutely true," the Giant Dragon said. "For hundreds of years, whenever you Soul Clan members reach the age of sixty, you automatically offer your souls for me to absorb. Although I'm unwilling, I have no choice but to do so in order to protect this Diamond Beast."

"More than ten years ago, your people worried that I wouldn't survive. So, they sacrificed two-thirds of their souls. By absorbing those souls, I can live for another hundred years. Within those hundred years, I have enough time to wait."

"Your parents want you to live a peaceful life, that's alright. I can wait for your son, your grandson, your great-grandson. I will choose the most talented among your descendants and have him come here to merge with the Diamond Beast."

"However, you're very unlucky. The Little Fox has invaded your mind and let you know everything. And since you're restless, I agreed to bring you here."

"So all of this was planned," Fanxin said dejectedly.

"Indeed, your people orchestrated all of this hundreds of years ago. Fanxin, I've explained why your people did this; I'm sure you understand now," the Giant Dragon said. "Your people did it for self-preservation. If they weren't strong, they would be bullied and enslaved. To avoid being enslaved, they chose this path."

"I'm telling you all this so you'll understand. Whether your Soul Clan is strong or weak, they are not a bloodthirsty race. Whatever you do in the future, never become a demon king. Your principle is to only kill those who deserve to die, and never kill the innocent indiscriminately. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I will keep it in mind," Fanxin nodded in response.

"Good, I've said everything I needed to say. Now, get started! Once you successfully merge with the Diamond King, my mission will be complete. Anyway, I've already said goodbye, so I have no regrets." The Giant Dragon nodded, smiled, and said.

"Okay." Fanxin nodded, took out the Wind and Sand Tower, and was about to take action. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Oh, I have one last question to ask you, please be sure to answer it."

The Giant Dragon nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

"Are... are my parents still alive?" Fanxin asked, staring at the Giant Dragon with anticipation. His biggest fear was that his parents were no longer alive. If they were, he would do anything to find them.

"Hehe, I knew you'd ask that question. Don't worry, your parents are still alive, and some of your clansmen are still alive too. They're currently in a very secluded place and can't come out for the time being," the Giant Dragon said.

"Oh, when will they be able to come out?" Fanxin smiled happily upon hearing this. His parents were still alive, so he could find them through his own efforts.

"When you become strong, they will naturally come out," the Giant Dragon said. "Keep going, kid. Only when you become strong can you protect them. If you are still weak, why will they come out? To die?"

The navy had been searching for the Soul Clan members, but they had vanished without a Soul Clan, and no one could find them. Therefore, they had no choice but to give up.

If the navy knew that some members of the Soul Clan were still alive, they would do anything to find them.

Therefore, the Soul Clan absolutely cannot come out now. However, if Fanxin grows up and becomes a powerful expert, then the Soul Clan need not worry. With Fanxin protecting them, who would dare to attack the Soul Clan?

"Okay, I'll do my best." Fanxin nodded emphatically upon hearing this.

Now that he knows his parents' whereabouts, all he needs to do is strive to become stronger. Once he becomes strong, he can go directly to his parents, and no one can stop him. Therefore, he will work hard for this.

"Alright, let's begin!" the Giant Dragon urged.

Fanxin nodded, and said no more nonsense.

He took the Wind and Sand Tower, went to the Diamond Beast, squatted down, and lifted the Diamond Beast's head. Then, he stuffed the Wind and Sand Tower into its teeth.

After finishing, Fanxin began chanting incantations, continuously increasing the size of the Wind and Sand Tower grew larger step by step. Under the force of the Wind and Sand Tower, Old Diamond King's mouth indeed slowly opened.

Fanxin looked on, his heart filled with joy. In this way, he could enter the body of Old Diamond King.

However, before Fanxin could even breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a cracking sound. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was a crack in the Wind and Sand Tower.

His expression changed, because the Wind and Sand Tower had already begun to crumble and would soon be reduced to dust. If the Wind and Sand Tower were to crumble, it would be impossible for him to enter the Old Diamond King's body.

"Giant Dragon, what should we do!" Fanxin asked anxiously.

"Its mouth is open a little bit; you can go in," the Giant Dragon said.

"Ah, but my soul is still so big!" Fanxin said dejectedly. His body was much bigger than Old Diamond King's mouth; Old Diamond King had only opened it a little bit, and he couldn't fit inside at all.

"Hehe, you'll shrink soon," the Giant Dragon chuckled.

"How do we do it?" Fanxin asked, puzzled.

The Giant Dragon chuckled, said nothing more, and immediately unleashed its Destruction power upon Fanxin's body. Soon after, Fanxin's soul and body were torn apart, leaving only his head.

However, even so, the Giant Dragon did not stop until the Fanxin's soul was as big as the Old Diamond King's open mouth, at which point it finally ceased its attack.

"Alright, you can go in now," the Giant Dragon said.

Fanxin endured the pain and looked at his body. He realized that his body had shrunk countless times; he was now just a tiny speck.

"Damn, you're too ruthless!" Fanxin said through gritted teeth. It wasn't that he hated the Giant Dragon, but rather that his body was in so much pain that he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure it.

You see, the Giant Dragon just destroyed his body, even though it was a soul body. Yet, he could still feel pain.

"There's no other way. If I don't do this, you won't be able to get in at all. And the surrounding tornadoes are about to disappear. Soon, hundreds or even thousands of Diamond Beasts will attack you. Hehe, you won't have anywhere to hide then."

The Giant Dragon said, "Alright, stop complaining and get moving! It's just a soul body. After merging with Old Diamond King, you can slowly cultivate it back."

Fanxin, upon hearing this, agreed that it made sense. He endured the pain and squeezed his way through the gap between Old Diamond King's teeth. As soon as he entered, the Wind and Sand Tower was completely crushed by Old Diamond King and turned into powder.

A moment later, the surrounding sandstorm vanished. Countless Diamond Beast rushed over, surrounding Old King and preventing anyone else from getting close.

The Giant Dragon immediately took flight and quickly arrived beside Ren Fang and the others.

"You should all cultivate on this island during this time!" the Giant Dragon said. "Fanxin has already gone inside. He needs three to four months to merge with the Diamond Beast and regain his human form. Use this free time to cultivate diligently and increase your strength. Fanxin will encounter more and more troubles in the future, and the stronger you are, the better you can help him."

"Yes, we understand." Ren Fang nodded and said, "What about Fanxin? Could we let him come to Wolf Valley? That way, we can take better care of him."

"No, you can't get close. Those Diamond Beast have already completely surrounded Old Diamond King. Unless you had the Wind and Sand Tower, it might have been possible. However, the Wind and Sand Tower has been destroyed. So, you can only wait here," the Giant Dragon said. "I will soon disappear. Take care of yourselves."

"Are you leaving?" Ren Fang asked.

"No, it's that I'm dying. My life has come to an end, it can't continue. Goodbye." The Giant Dragon smiled and said, "And please say goodbye to Fanxin for me."

After saying this, the Giant Dragon's body slowly disintegrated and finally disappeared without a trace.

As soon as the Giant Dragon disappeared, the wall Giant Dragon had created also vanished. Moments later, seawater rushed into the gap, and after a dozen minutes, the sea returned to its original state.

"Ah, Fanxin is still in the sea." Ren Fang's expression changed several times as she saw the sea return to its original state.

"Hehe, don't worry. Since the Diamond Beast can survive in the sea, it shouldn't be afraid of seawater. We don't need to worry," Wang Yan said. "Alright, since it will take so long, let's stay on this island for now!"

"That makes sense, alright then!" Ren Fang nodded and said. She looked at the sea for a moment, then turned and headed towards the center of the island.

Upon reaching the center of the island, Ren Fang took out the Wolf Valley, maximized its size, and placed it in the center of the island. She did this so that Fanxin could see where they were staying.

Without further hesitation, they all entered Wolf Valley.

The Little Black Cat and Langyue went to a spacious place to cultivate, while Ren Fang, Su Hai, and Wang Yan went to another place to cultivate.

They planned to use this time to improve their strength. Having arrived on the Grand Line, countless dangers awaited them. If they weren't strong enough, they wouldn't only be unable to save their lives, but they might even become a burden to their Fanxin.

They didn't want to become a burden to Fanxin; even if they couldn't help Fanxin, they absolutely couldn't hold Fanxin back.