Life Inheritor

Tang Chenfeng sprinted wildly in the direction the Silver Armored Giant Eagle had flown. He understood that being seized by such a massive creature meant slim chances of survival, but no matter what, he wanted to try. He could not let even the slightest hope slip away.

The Silver Armored Giant Eagle was flying back in the direction they had come from, but it bypassed Village Chief Ye's location and headed toward the heart of the forest. Tang Chenfeng could only chase after it with all his strength. He felt that he had never run this fast before, but no matter how fast two legs were, they could not match a pair of wings. Though he had pinpointed its general direction, the eagle soon vanished from sight.

While Tang Chenfeng was still desperately giving chase, changes also occurred on Ye Jiulong's side. The aura around him had completely changed, shifting from its previous gentleness and calmness into a heavy, vicious presence. Even the Wood Wolves and Rock Wolves, which had been attacking madly moments ago, were stunned by his aura.

Through their shared senses, he had witnessed everything that had happened to Tang Chenfeng. The instant Ye Hongling was taken away, his heart seemed to skip a beat. When Tang Chenfeng ran after her, he had wanted to say, "Don't chase after them. It's too dangerous." Everything in the forest was dangerous—at least, it was lethal enough for two children. So now, he was truly worried and truly furious.

The Seventh Soul Ring lit up. A black Soul Ring coiled around his body, and dragon scales like wooden carvings gradually appeared over him. His eyes became vertical slits, his hair turned leaf-green, and two dragon horns emerged from his head. His Martial Soul Avatar had activated, making him look utterly imposing. "If the divine dragon doesn't show its might, do you really think I'm some pathetic worm?" Ye Jiulong snarled viciously. His twin domains activated, directly covering an area twice as large as before and trapping the two giant wolves within. They tried to flee, but it felt as though mountains were pressing down upon their bodies. They could not control themselves, and under the immense pressure of the Shockwave Domain, cracks had begun to spread across their hard exoskeletal armor. Ye Jiulong's expression was so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it as he strode toward the two wolves...

Boom—Boom!

Tang Chenfeng looked at the smoke rising in the distance and heard the deafening explosions. Confused, he asked, "Why did an explosion suddenly happen?" At that moment, he was roughly two kilometers away from Village Chief Ye... One could imagine that the Wood Wolves and Rock Wolves would not meet a pleasant end. But he could not worry about that now. Tang Chenfeng was running toward the heart of the forest, toward that Thousand-meter Tall Tree.

Meanwhile, relying on its command of the wind element and its own advantages, the Silver Armored Giant Eagle had returned to the heart of the forest and descended beneath the enormous Blue-Gold Tree. The figure from before also appeared. "Well done, Silver Feather. Although a few problems arose, you at least brought the inheritor back. Go rest now." Though the person's expression did not change much, it was obvious that he was in a fairly good mood.

The Silver Armored Giant Eagle answered with a nod, loosened its giant claws, and gently set Ye Hongling down. Its body then returned to its former size before it flew away. Ye Hongling had actually fainted from fright. She lay quietly on her side, and frightened expressions still occasionally surfaced on her cute face, making her seem rather pitiful.

The person walked over to Ye Hongling and gently placed a finger on her forehead. "She fainted from excessive fright? Humans truly are fragile. I really don't know why it had to be a human." Rustle... rustle. Though there was no wind, the branches of the great tree began moving on their own. Two blue-gold leaves slowly drifted down. One landed on Ye Hongling's right arm, while the other fell upon her forehead, emitting a faint glow and dense Life Energy. Seeing this, the person stood up. "Perhaps this is fate." With a sigh, he walked aside and began waiting.

Though Ye Hongling was unconscious, her consciousness within the Sea of Consciousness was completely clear. Her memories from when she had been awake stopped at the moment she was captured. After that, she had fainted, and when she regained consciousness, she found herself here. Her current state was similar to Tang Chenfeng's previous state of deep meditation, where she was within her own Sea of Consciousness. But now, she could not feel her body, and she was terrified. After all, she was not yet seven years old. Once she calmed down a little, Ye Hongling was certain that she was probably not dead yet. However, she had no idea what she should do next. This space formed from her own consciousness was utterly unfamiliar to her, so she could only pray that Grandpa or her brother would come save her.

Just then, Ye Hongling seemed to hear something. It sounded as if someone was calling her. The voice felt both intimate and unfamiliar. Looking toward its source, she saw what seemed to be a flickering point of light. It appeared weak, yet it was especially conspicuous.

Ye Hongling could feel herself being drawn toward it. When she reached the point of light, it actually floated into her hand on its own. Only then did she see clearly that it was a blue-gold leaf, shimmering with blue-green light. An aura of life emanated from it, soothing and reassuring. The voice had also come from it. Holding the leaf in both hands, Ye Hongling asked, "Who exactly are you?" To her surprise, someone truly answered. The voice was deep and ancient, yet exceptionally gentle. "Me? I'm merely an old fellow with little ability. I brought you here because I hope you can accept my inheritance."

Hearing the word "brought," Ye Hongling exclaimed, "Wait, does that mean you sent Soul Beasts to attack us?"

"That could be said. I had no choice either. I cannot move freely, so I could only have someone bring you here. Don't worry, child. All your family members are safe and sound. I can guarantee that."

"You'll have to prove it to me." Ye Hongling was only half-convinced by its words. Tiny points of light floated out from the leaf and gathered into two images. Two people familiar to Ye Hongling appeared within them. One was Tang Chenfeng, who was running at high speed, seemingly rushing in this direction. The other was Grandpa Ye. At that moment, he and nine wooden dragons had surrounded the two wolves, beating the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts so thoroughly that they could not fight back at all.

"The images are live. Do you believe me now?" Seeing that the two of them were safe, Ye Hongling finally let out a breath of relief. Though she did not know the other party at all, she could sense that it bore no ill intent. Moreover, for some reason, she felt that she could trust it without reservation.

"All right, I'll believe you for now. What exactly do you mean by inheritance?" For herself, as well as for her brother and grandpa, Ye Hongling agreed. However, its answer greatly surprised her. "Inheritance naturally refers to my power and mission. Oh, you came here for a Soul Ring, didn't you? Since you have accepted this old man's inheritance, I shall give you a gift as well." As it spoke, the leaf melted like water, transforming into a green-gold thread that wrapped around Ye Hongling's body. Ye Hongling only felt an indescribable warmth and comfort surrounding her body. Outside, her body, which had originally been lying on the ground, actually sat up and assumed a meditative posture. Of the two leaves, one transformed into a thread just as it had in the Spiritual World, winding around Ye Hongling's body and slowly thickening until it gradually became a Soul Ring. The leaf on her arm spread open and began to thicken. Patterns resembling leaf veins spread outward, taking on a metallic texture before slowly merging into her arm. Her vitality grew stronger and stronger. As these changes unfolded, Ye Hongling's Tree of Life Martial Soul appeared on its own. At first, it was only a phantom, but it gradually began changing toward a physical form, becoming increasingly solid, as if it had always been a tree here. She sat there for an entire night, while thick vines began emerging from the ground, seemingly intending to wrap around her body.

"Oh, this human is actually rather interesting. She has such a similar feeling to the Tree Ancestor." For the first time, the Mysterious Person looked at Ye Hongling with approval. But he quickly returned to his previous cold expression. "Come out. You're hiding there, aren't you?" Though he did not turn around, it was obvious that he had already discovered the person hiding in the grass behind him.

The moment he spoke, the person in the grass emerged. It was a figure standing over 1.8 meters tall. The newcomer was Tang Chenfeng. He had actually been listening from behind them for quite some time, but he had still been discovered.