A few days later, the master and his disciple followed the guidance in Tang San's mind to an ancient, unnamed forest.
Blue Silver Grass grew in great abundance here, like a vast blue ocean. Every plant was tall and sturdy, and one glance was enough to tell that this was a primeval forest, ancient and untouched by human hands.
The moment he stepped inside, Tang San shuddered. A familiar feeling of kinship, almost instinctive, washed over him, as though every blade of Blue Silver Grass in the forest were bowing to him in the most reverent worship.
The feeling of returning to his mother's embrace made his heart ache for no reason.
Jiang Li, whose Martial Soul was also the Blue Silver King, felt a similar tremor at almost the same moment. The blood in his veins stirred faintly in response.
Just then, a trembling voice, seeming to come from some unfathomable depth, sounded in both Tang San and Jiang Li's minds.
"Emperor... great Emperor! Is it truly you? You've finally come!"
"Hm? There's actually another king of our Blue Silver Grass Clan here?"
"How fortunate you are, to be able to serve at the Emperor's side!"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice apparently mistake his master for one of his followers, Tang San instinctively furrowed his brows.
If his master hadn't given up his chance to become Emperor, how could Tang San have changed so tremendously?
Now the stranger was saying such things. Wasn't that putting him in the position of being disloyal and unfilial?
The nerve! He deserved to die!
Tang San instinctively turned around, only to see Jiang Li gently shake his head, indicating that he didn't mind at all.
"It's all right, Xiao San. I don't sense any malice in that voice. Since it keeps calling for you, perhaps there's an opportunity here that belongs to you. Come in with me."
"Okay!"
Tang San nodded obediently and followed Jiang Li into the sea of Blue Silver Grass.
The moment the two stepped into the Blue Silver forest, the Blue Silver Grass at their feet swayed and parted, as if summoned. Trembling gently, it bowed its heads to them, as though welcoming the return of a new king.
Before long, the two reached the Blue Silver King's dwelling.
It was an extremely ancient vine, ten meters tall, its sturdy branches marked with rings like the grooves of a tree.
Soon, an aged face slowly appeared in the center of the vine. Its features were gentle as it gazed at Tang San with a kindly expression.
"Emperor... my great Emperor, you've finally come! The children of the Blue Silver Grass Clan have waited nearly six years for you!"
The aged face trembled slightly. Every word it spoke brimmed with barely restrained excitement and longing.
Six years was no more than a single period of slumber for an ancient being like the Blue Silver King. Yet to the Blue Silver Clan, bereft of their mother, it was a long and agonizing wait.
The previous Blue Silver Emperor had been the common source and mother of countless Blue Silver Grass plants throughout the Blue Silver Ancestral Land. Her fall had left them all feeling as if they had lost their home.
"Six years?" Tang San's heart stirred. "Do you mean the previous Blue Silver Emperor died six years ago?"
From the knowledge his master had shared with him, Tang San knew that his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had been passed down from his mother.
But according to this enormous Blue Silver Grass, had his mother, the previous Blue Silver Emperor, really died six years ago?
Suddenly, Tang San's heart was filled with anxiety, and countless questions flooded his mind.
Why had his mother died?
What had his father, Tang Hao, been doing at the time?
"That's right, Emperor."
Blue light trembled in the Blue Silver King's eyes, and crystalline tears fell from them. "Six years ago, the previous Blue Silver Emperor passed away completely. From that moment on, we became children without a home."
The Blue Silver Grass around them trembled in the breeze, as though mourning with it.
A moment later, the Blue Silver King raised its ancient, ring-marked face and smiled gently. "Your Majesty, you carry the bloodline of the previous Blue Silver Emperor. Your blood is far more noble than that of a mere Blue Silver King like me!"
"But what I never expected was that you would attain the title of Emperor ahead of time through your own efforts!"
"Now that the new Emperor has returned, we are no longer children without a home!"
Tang San paid no attention to the Blue Silver King's excitement. All he wanted now was to learn everything about his mother.
In this life, Jiang Li had given him the fatherly love he had longed for but never received. Tang San truly wanted to feel a mother's gentle embrace, too!
"Blue Silver King, tell me about my mother."
The Blue Silver King was about to answer, but Jiang Li raised a hand to stop it. "Xiao San, the truth about your mother may be too cruel for you to bear right now. Are you sure you want to know?"
Interrupted, the Blue Silver King flew into a rage. "How dare you! You're a Blue Silver King too, yet you show such disrespect to the Emperor!"
Tang San had been lost in thoughts of his mother. But when he heard this Blue Silver King repeatedly disrespect his master, he immediately rebuked it. "You're the one who's bold! This is my master, someone who's like a father to me. Who gave you the nerve to speak to him like that?!"
Tang San's sudden scolding left the Blue Silver King completely dumbfounded.
Well, didn't that mean the Blue Silver King before it had just become the supreme ruler of the Blue Silver Grass Clan?
Damn it, why hadn't it been the one to meet the Emperor back then?
This Blue Silver King was very loyal, sure—but it really did want to get ahead, too!
"Forgive me, Emperor. This old one was careless."
The Blue Silver King immediately realized its mistake and apologized.
Tang San raised a hand to show he had nothing more to say. Then he turned to Jiang Li, his eyes burning, and dropped to his knees with a thump.
"Master, I know you're keeping this from me for my own good, but I truly want to know everything about my mother. Please, grant my request!"
"No matter what the truth is, I can bear it."
After saying this, Tang San knocked his forehead against the ground several times before Jiang Li.
So... he really was that filial?
Seeing this, Jiang Li gave the Blue Silver King a look, signaling it to explain everything about the Blue Silver Emperor.
The Blue Silver King understood. It slowly began to recount what had happened to Ah Yin. "Emperor, your mother—the previous Emperor—chose to take human form after reaching a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Later, while traveling the continent, she journeyed with your father and another man who was probably your father's older brother."
"Several years after that, you were born. But after giving birth to you, the previous Emperor chose to sacrifice herself for your father. I don't know much about what happened after that."
"But through the unique connection of our Blue Silver Grass Clan, I can sense that the previous Emperor did not truly perish."
Before you continue