"What... what is this..."
Lan Yiyi's beautiful eyes widened.
Almost instinctively, she rushed over to the strange Blue Silver Grass.
Her voice trembled with barely restrained excitement:
"The Blue Silver Emperor?!
This is actually a Blue Silver Emperor?!"
As a descendant of the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline,
Lan Yiyi had an innate sensitivity to Plant-type Soul Beasts.
The seemingly delicate Blue Silver Grass before her
gave off an aura that was noble, pure, and full of vitality.
There was no doubt at all that it was the Blue Silver Emperor!
"Oh my... I've only ever read about the Blue Silver Emperor in ancient texts. I never imagined one really existed!"
Lan Yiyi crouched down and carefully reached out.
She wanted to touch the crystal-clear leaves, yet was afraid of disturbing this sacred being.
Her fingers hovered in midair, her eyes filled with fascination:
"But... its age seems very low. It looks only a few thousand years old, not even ten thousand."
"But the Blue Silver Emperor is supposed to be passed down through only one lineage, isn't it?
The next Blue Silver Emperor only appears after the previous one dies.
This Blue Silver Emperor... could it be..."
Lan Yiyi abruptly raised her head and looked at Xu Zhao, her eyes gleaming with a desire for confirmation.
Xu Zhao gave a slight nod. His gaze rested calmly on the Blue Silver Grass swaying gently in the breeze as he said,
"You guessed correctly."
"According to the information I have, this Blue Silver Emperor is Ah Yin, the wife of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao, who was once famous across the continent."
"What?!"
Lan Yiyi had already suspected as much, but even so, hearing Xu Zhao confirm it left her unable to keep from exclaiming:
"Tang Hao's wife... Does that mean she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who took human form, then sacrificed herself to Tang Hao?"
"Exactly."
Xu Zhao walked over to Lan Yiyi and looked at the Blue Silver Grass, his tone carrying a hint of something hard to place:
"Back then, Qian Xunji, the former Pope of Spirit Hall, led men to hunt down Tang Hao and his wife.
"To protect her husband and their newborn child, Ah Yin chose to sacrifice herself."
"After the sacrifice, all her cultivation became Tang Hao's ninth Soul Ring, while her true form regressed into a seed.
Tang Hao brought it here and planted it, allowing it to grow again."
As he spoke, Xu Zhao paused and reached out, lightly touching one of the leaves marked with golden veins.
The Blue Silver Grass seemed to sense the presence of a stranger. Its leaves curled slightly, as if in fear—or perhaps in rejection.
"However..."
Xu Zhao drew back his hand, his gaze growing profound:
"Although she was formed from Ah Yin's true body, the sacrifice back then was too complete. Her soul had long since shattered and dispersed.
Only a wisp of her remnant soul remained, instinctively clinging to her body."
"Though the one here now possesses the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline and fragments of some of her remaining memories,
in essence... she's already a completely new life."
"Like a child who's lost all memories of the past and has to grow all over again."
Lan Yiyi nodded thoughtfully. A trace of pity entered her eyes as she looked at the Blue Silver Grass:
"I see... How tragic."
"She was once a Hundred-Thousand-Year Emperor, yet now she can only grow slowly in this lightless cave, relying on the meager spiritual energy of heaven and earth."
"At this rate, it'll take an incredibly long time for her to cultivate back to a hundred thousand years."
Xu Zhao smiled, a glint flashing in his eyes:
"That's why I have no intention of doing anything to her just yet."
"She's far too weak right now. Whether used as a Soul Ring or a Spirit Bone, her value would be greatly diminished."
"Besides..."
Xu Zhao glanced around at the cave's dim, damp surroundings and shook his head:
"Although this place is hidden, it isn't the best place for a Plant-type Soul Beast to grow."
"I'm taking her somewhere else."
"Where?"
Lan Yiyi asked curiously.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
Xu Zhao slowly pronounced the five words.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?!"
Lan Yiyi froze.
What kind of place was that?
"That's right."
Xu Zhao nodded:
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is a Heaven and Earth Treasure Basin with an environment unlike any other.
A plant that grows there for one day can make as much progress as it would in ten or even a hundred days elsewhere."
"If I transplant this Blue Silver Emperor there, and add my control and modifications to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well..."
The corner of Xu Zhao's mouth lifted in a confident smile:
"I'm confident I can help her grow back to ten thousand years—or even a hundred thousand—in a short time!"
"By then..."
Xu Zhao didn't continue, but the ambition in his eyes spoke for itself.
A living Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor under his control would be beyond priceless!
Not only could it continuously provide top-grade life energy,
it could even serve as a trump card against Tang San and Tang Hao in the future!
There was also one secret Xu Zhao couldn't reveal: the Third Martial Soul!
Once he'd emptied this cave of its treasures,
he would have to go find Su Yuntao.
That would complete the system's first mission:
Awaken the Blue Silver Grass as his Third Martial Soul, then claim the system reward and evolve it into the Blue Silver King.
To evolve it into the Blue Silver Emperor after that,
he would either need another system reward
or to strengthen the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline within himself.
The Blue Silver Emperor, along with the eighty-five-thousand-year Blue Silver King that had helped Tang San awaken his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline,
would both be indispensable.
"All right. Let's get to work."
Xu Zhao didn't hesitate any longer.
Soul Power surged in his hand.
It formed an invisible giant hand, which carefully dug up the Blue Silver Emperor along with the soil around it.
"Tang Hao, Tang Hao... You hid your wife here for all these years, but never bothered to find her a better place to live."
"If you can't take care of her, then I'll do it for you."
Xu Zhao looked at the Blue Silver Emperor floating above his palm and gave a cold laugh inwardly.
Then he put it into a Soul Tool specially designed to store living things.
After dealing with Ah Yin's true form, Xu Zhao wasn't in a hurry to leave.
He turned around.
His gaze landed precisely on an inconspicuous recess high up in the cave wall.
Having read the story, Xu Zhao knew that Tang Hao had left another "gift" for Tang San hidden here.
Xu Zhao raised his hand and drew it out with Soul Power.
A heavy Black Lead Box flew from the recess and settled securely in his palm.
The box looked ordinary, but it had been made from Deep Sea Heavy Silver mixed with Lead Mother. It was extremely heavy and could conceal its contents' aura.
"Hmph. You certainly hid it well."
Xu Zhao's lips curled into an amused smile as he flicked the latch lightly with his finger.
"Crack!"
The delicate mechanism, which could have trapped an ordinary Soul Master, shattered instantly under Xu Zhao's overwhelming force.
As the lid slowly opened, an incredibly dense aura of life burst into the cramped cave, so rich it seemed almost tangible!
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