With things having come to this point, Mu Tianyi had no intention of hiding it any longer.
Besides, one of the important reasons he had come to the Star Luo Empire in search of Life Gold was Mu En.
Although Mu En had killed Du Bisi in their battle years ago, he had also suffered grave injuries, losing more than half his vitality.
Later, when he tried to rely on the Dragon Core to prolong his life, he was instead struck by its backlash, completely shattering the balance within his body.
While the Dragon Core remained in his body, he could barely maintain his last breath with its power and continue to preside over Sea God Pavilion as though nothing were wrong, intimidating all sides.
But now that the Dragon Core had been given to Mu Tianyi, that fragile balance could no longer be maintained.
Mu En never mentioned this matter, nor did he ever complain.
Every day, he drank tea when it was time to drink tea and scolded people when it was time to scold them. Occasionally, he even cracked a few jokes.
But Mu Tianyi could sense that Xuan Zu's life force was draining away day by day, like sand slipping silently through an hourglass.
That feeling was impossible to put into words, yet it had always weighed heavily on his heart.
And Life Gold could save his life.
As long as Mu En absorbed and fused with a portion of that metal, it would not only repair his damaged vitality but could even restore him to his peak state.
As for how he knew that the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was Life Gold, Mu Tianyi had already prepared an explanation.
He set the carving knife on the table, turned to look at Mu En, and spoke as calmly as if discussing some ordinary matter. "Xuan Zu, some time ago, I cultivated at the Golden Ancient Tree. When I finished, something suddenly appeared in my mind."
Mu En's brows twitched slightly.
"That feeling told me that something in the Star Luo Empire was waiting for me. It said that thing was called Life Gold, a gift the Goddess of Life had left in the mortal world. It can repair vitality and extend one's lifespan."
Mu Tianyi looked into Mu En's eyes and paused. "It also told me that the vessel of Life Gold is this Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife."
Mu En stood frozen.
Shock, realization, and disbelief surged through those deep, ocean-like eyes before finally converging into an indescribable emotion.
It was not because Life Gold could heal his injuries.
That was the least important matter.
He had lived for nearly two hundred years. He had long since accepted life and death.
What truly shook him was the name that had come from Mu Tianyi's lips—the Goddess of Life.
Guidance from a god.
Mu En's breathing caught slightly, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around his cane.
He looked at the twelve-year-old boy before him. There was no pride or boastfulness on that youthful face, only calm certainty.
He had not misheard.
A god had taken notice of his great-grandson.
As one of the three Limit Douluo of the current age, Mu En knew better than anyone what that meant.
In his youth, he had also pursued that path. He had pored over countless ancient books, sought out countless legends, and even risked his life entering several ancient ruins.
Divine positions, inheritances, the path to godhood...
He had pursued those words for most of his life, only to linger outside the door in the end, never even touching the threshold.
Yet now, his great-grandson had actually received guidance from a god of legend.
The thing he had sought all his life had appeared on his great-grandson in such a manner.
I, Mu En, am about to raise a god!
Mu Tianyi took out the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife from his storage ring and placed it on the table.
The entire blade was a dim bluish-gray, covered in dense blackish-gray patterns that glimmered with an ominous light beneath the candlelight.
Even without the isolation of the storage Soul Tool, its chilling aura was even stronger than before.
Mu En raised his right hand, and a ball of golden light appeared in his palm.
The purest power of light from a rank ninety-nine Bright Sacred Dragon surged forth like a tide, enveloping the entire carving knife.
The instant the light touched the blade, the blackish-gray patterns twisted violently as if scalded, producing faint sizzling sounds.
The carving knife itself began to tremble and hum, as though making one final struggle.
Streams of blackish-gray mist rose from the blade. Under the scorching power of light, they let out shrill screeches before vanishing into the air.
Life Gold was indeed vicious, and the curses and resentments accumulated over countless years were truly troublesome.
But before the power of light wielded by a Limit Douluo, that little bit of viciousness was nothing more than child's play.
The light continued for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea. At last, the blackish-gray patterns on the blade began peeling away in large patches, falling off piece by piece like shattered pottery and revealing the material beneath.
Emerald-green light seeped through the cracks. At first, it was only a few scattered points, but it quickly joined into one whole.
As the final wisp of black mist was completely purified, the entire carving knife underwent a complete transformation.
It became a pure emerald green, warm and smooth like jade, crystalline and translucent, like an entire piece of solidified spring water.
A rich aura of life slowly spread from the blade, flowing across the tabletop, over Mu Tianyi's hand, and through the entire guest room.
The aura was gentle and pure, like new shoots pushing out of the earth after spring's first rain, making every pore on one's body unconsciously open.
Mu Tianyi took a deep breath and felt that aura pour into his body through his nose, refreshing his spirit.
He looked up at Mu En. The old man had withdrawn his hand and was staring down at the emerald-green carving knife on the table, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Even after living for more than two hundred years, this was the first time he had encountered such a rich aura of life.
Mu Tianyi reached out and touched the blade with his fingertips.
The carving knife was warm in his hand, like a person's body temperature.
That aura of life flowed into his body along his arm. The Dragon Core in his Sea of Spirit gave a faint tremor, as though responding to something.
Mu Tianyi closed his eyes and felt that life aura circulate through his body.
From his fingertips to his arm, from his arm to his chest, then from his chest to every limb and bone.
His whole body felt pleasantly warm, as though he had basked beneath the early spring sun for an entire day.
It was so comfortable that he instinctively overlooked the disturbance within his Sea of Spirit.
Within his Sea of Spirit, an emerald-green seed abruptly appeared.
It slowly spun in midair like a tender shoot that had just broken through the soil, its entire body emitting a soft light of life.
It circled the Dragon Core twice, as though confirming something.
A moment later, the seed slowly descended and touched the pale golden Dragon Core.
A layer of emerald-green patterns appeared on the Dragon Core's surface, like tender new shoots emerging from branches in spring, clinging densely to its golden shell.
A moment later, Mu Tianyi came back to his senses.
He did not pay much attention to his own reaction, simply assuming that the rich vitality of Life Gold was attracting him.
He raised the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife—or rather, the Blade of Life's Watch now—and waved it before Mu En.
"Xuan Zu, look. This is the Life Gold I was talking about."
"Let me tell you, don't be fooled by its appearance. It might look like nothing special, just an ordinary kind of special metal, but its effects are incredible."
"Its essence is condensed solid life force. Don't let its tiny size fool you—the power of life contained within it is no less than that of the Golden Ancient Tree in the academy."
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