"Bullshit! You call that little flame ultimate?"
The icy, bone-piercing voice rang out at once. The silver-haired, cold and stunning woman formed from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass rudely interrupted him. Though her gaze at Zichuan remained icy, her tone carried unquestionable certainty:
"Your Excellency, I am the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, formed from the origin of the Cold Extreme Ice Spring. My attribute is extreme cold; I can freeze time and space and extinguish all things. If I sacrifice myself to you, Your Excellency's control over the ice within your life attribute will reach perfection! Choose me!"
"You two only know how to fight and kill!" The white-haired, youthful-faced old man of the Primordial Immortal Grass spoke with a smile, his tone gentle yet deeply enticing.
"Your Excellency, this old man specializes in Primordial Unity Qi and excels at assisting cultivation, condensing Soul Cores, and solidifying one's foundation. If I sacrifice myself to you, Your Excellency's Soul Power cultivation speed will increase by at least thirty percent! Your foundation will become unprecedentedly stable!"
"Old Primordial, cut it out! I'm the one for strengthening foundations!" The burly man of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, who resembled an enraged vajra guardian, boomed like a great bell as he pounded his glittering golden chest.
"Your Excellency, my Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum possesses fierce yet righteous medicinal properties. I excel at tempering the body and forging sinews and bones, achieving an Indestructible Vajra Body! Look at these muscles—I trained them myself! Choose me, and I guarantee your physical strength will rival that of a true dragon!"
"Hmph, a pack of brutes."
Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, the deep-eyed scholar in azure robes, gently waved his folding fan and said calmly,
"Your Excellency, spiritual power is the true foundation. I, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, specialize in eyesight and spiritual power. I can help Your Excellency open your heavenly eye, pierce falsehoods, and perceive the essence of all things. With powerful spiritual strength, cultivation yields twice the result with half the effort, and you can anticipate your enemies in battle. This is the kingly path."
"I, Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, possess sword intent that reaches the mysteries of heaven. I can enhance slaughter!"
"I, Earth Dragon Golden Melon, possess boundless strength and peerless defense!"
"I..."
It was chaos—complete chaos!
The immortal herbs and ferocious beasts that had just been solemn and reverent in worship now resembled middle-aged women scrambling for discounted eggs at a market. Each desperately promoted themselves while disparaging the others, practically wishing they could package themselves up and stuff themselves directly into Zichuan's Soul Rings!
A few hot-tempered ones, such as the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, had already begun emanating dangerous waves of energy, seemingly ready to "persuade" their opponents the moment another word was spoken.
Du Busi: "..."
His mouth hung wide open, his eyes bulging larger than a bull's. The muscles on his face had gone completely rigid from overwhelming shock. He had even forgotten to disperse the Soul Power he had only half-condensed, standing there stupidly as he stared at the utterly absurd scene before him, one that overturned everything he had believed for a hundred years.
Sacrifice? Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts voluntarily sacrificing themselves? And they were fucking competing for the chance?! Afraid they wouldn't be able to give themselves away?!
Had the world gone mad? Or had Du Busi not woken up yet—was he dreaming?
He blinked hard, then viciously pinched his own thigh. It hurt! This was not a dream!
But... was this reasonable? Which Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had not endured countless hardships and cultivated bitterly for countless years to attain its current cultivation and status?
They were proud, powerful, and cherished their lives! Voluntarily sacrificing themselves meant abandoning everything they had painstakingly cultivated, offering their lives, souls, and cultivation to another being, with their life and death no longer in their own hands!
What a sacrifice that was!
Yet now, these ferocious beasts had nearly come to blows just to fight over a chance to sacrifice themselves?
Du Busi felt like his brain was no longer enough. His worldview was shattering and rebuilding with a series of crackles.
He stiffly turned his neck and looked at Zichuan beside him. Zichuan was also somewhat stunned, yet he seemed to have accepted reality rather quickly. Du Busi's gaze was too complicated to describe.
What exactly was this kid's background? No... just how much face did those two deities have?
Within the Sea of Consciousness, the God of Destruction gave a disdainful snort and said to Zichuan:
"See that? This is called perspective. These plant spirits may have lived for a hundred thousand years without becoming much smarter, but their instinct to seek advantage, avoid harm, and pursue the Great Dao is not bad."
His tone was arrogant:
"You bear the marks of Life and me. You are practically destined to become a god—and a God King who wields supreme authority at that! If they sacrifice themselves to you, they will temporarily lose their freedom, and their Soul Power and souls will become bound to yours. But once you attain godhood, as your Soul Rings and Soul Spirits, they will naturally rise with the tide, ascend to the God Realm alongside you, gain divinity, and enjoy endless lifespans!"
"They are trading a few decades—at most a century—of 'companionship,' no more than an instant in their long lives, for an almost certain chance at immortality and a place among the gods! Anyone who isn't stupid knows what to choose!"
"What they are fighting over now is not the qualification to sacrifice themselves. It is a ticket to heaven! A passage to eternity!"
Zichuan suddenly understood. So that was it. It was not that he had great influence; the temptation of the "position of God King" behind him was simply too great.
For these immortal herb ferocious beasts trapped at the hundred-thousand-year threshold, with no hope of surviving tribulation and only a bleak road ahead, what path could be safer or brighter than clinging to the thigh of a future God King?
At that moment, the leading Aromatic Silk Beauty finally could not stand it any longer.
He frowned slightly, and an invisible aura carrying faint pressure spread outward. Though it was not powerful, it instantly silenced the quarreling immortal herbs.
"Enough!" Aromatic Silk Beauty said in a low voice. His voice had returned to its previous gentle elegance, yet it carried unquestionable authority. "Making such a spectacle before Your Excellency—what sort of behavior is this?"
Only then did the immortal herbs realize how undignified they had been. They quickly restrained their auras and stood properly again, though their eyes remained fervently fixed on Zichuan like children waiting for candy.
Aromatic Silk Beauty turned toward Zichuan and bowed once more, his tone even more respectful. "Please forgive us for entertaining you, Your Excellency. It is only that my fellow Daoists have cultivated with great hardship, and the road ahead is difficult. Seeing Your Excellency is like finding a lamp in the darkness, so their excitement was unavoidable. I wonder... which fellow Daoists would Your Excellency prefer to assist you?"
He respectfully handed the choice back to Zichuan.
Looking at the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts that had now become "well-behaved," the last trace of unease in Zichuan's heart vanished completely.
Old Zi was right. This was mutually beneficial; everyone would get what they needed. He no longer hesitated, and his gaze became clear and resolute.
He first looked at the leading Aromatic Silk Beauty and said, "Aromatic Silk Beauty, King of Immortal Herbs, able to discern all things and command the myriad flowers. Your abilities and knowledge will greatly benefit me in traveling the continent, identifying opportunities, and organizing resources in the future. For the second Soul Ring of my Heart of Destruction, I would like your assistance."
He chose Aromatic Silk Beauty not merely because it was the strongest, but because he valued its status and abilities as the King of Immortal Herbs. Its support would aid his growth in every aspect.
Upon hearing this, Aromatic Silk Beauty's purple robe stirred slightly. A smile of immense relief and honor appeared on his handsome face as he bowed deeply once more.
"Silk Beauty shall obey Your Excellency's command! I will do everything in my power and never fail your trust!"
The other immortal herbs showed disappointment in their eyes, but even more envy. Being chosen first was, in itself, an immense honor.
Before you continue