Taking Ah Yin, Second Martial Soul: Sky Frost Sword

Six years had passed, yet Holy Soul Village bore few traces of change; it remained as simple as ever.

Gu Han returned to Holy Soul Village with Xiao Wu, not for the sake of nostalgia, but because they had a clear objective.

The two passed through the familiar village and arrived before the roaring waterfall, where the mist constantly billowed, refracting into tiny rainbows.

"Gu Han, why are we here?"

Xiao Wu looked around with curiosity, though she did notice that the aura of spirit power here was indeed unusual.

Gu Han did not answer, instead focusing his gaze behind the waterfall.

Through his Karma Sight, he could clearly see a barrier of spirit power sealing the cave behind the falls, with strands of karma resembling the leaves and vines of Blue Silver Grass entwined upon it.

"So it is here." Gu Han's eyes narrowed.

He was now a Spirit King, and his mastery over the Karma Scissors had become exceptionally proficient.

Beyond the initial Fiber Severing and Karma Sight, the three ten-thousand-year spirit abilities he had condensed since were perfectly suited for the current situation.

"Fourth Spirit Ability: Karma Stripping." Gu Han let out a low shout. The phantom of the Karma Scissors bloomed with light in his palm, and a wave of spirit power shot toward the barrier.

This ability could temporarily strip a target of its connection to specific karma—in this case, severing the link between this barrier and Tang Hao so that he would remain completely unaware.

The karmic threads connecting the barrier to Tang Hao shook violently, and their light rapidly dimmed.

Although the barrier remained, the connection to Tang Hao had been temporarily severed for the most part.

"Fifth Spirit Ability: Karma Erosion."

Immediately following this, Gu Han unleashed his fifth spirit ability, which was nearing the hundred-thousand-year level; a faint hint of red clung to the spirit ring.

A force of eroding karma coiled around the now-orphaned barrier, beginning a slow erosion at the most fundamental level of its rules.

After a while, the sturdy barrier melted away like snow, and with a soft "pop," it dissipated entirely.

"Let's go in."

Gu Han pulled Xiao Wu along, and their figures instantly passed through the waterfall, entering the gloomy cave.

The light inside was dim, but in the center, a unique stalk of Blue Silver Grass grew in silence.

Its leaves were thick and broad, marked with faint golden veins, and its entire form radiated a weak aura of life and a subtle, regal pressure.

"This is..."

As soon as Xiao Wu entered the cave, her gaze was drawn to the Blue Silver Grass.

As a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast herself, she instantly sensed the aura of her own kind.

Xiao Wu hurried forward, knelt down, and gently stroked the golden-veined leaves, her eyes filled with heartache.

"Auntie Ah Yin... is it you?"

Xiao Wu's voice trembled; she could feel a familiar soul fluctuation emanating from this Blue Silver Grass.

The leaves of the plant swayed gently, emitting a soft light as if responding to Xiao Wu.

Gu Han also stepped forward. Looking at this Blue Silver Emperor, he felt a surge of emotion. He paused, then spoke to the grass:

"Senior Ah Yin, this junior is Gu Han. I apologize for this presumptuous visit; I did not intend to disturb your rest."

The Blue Silver Grass swayed once more.

Xiao Wu acted as the translator, as she could engage in simple telepathic communication with plant-type spirit beasts.

"Auntie Ah Yin says she felt a familiar aura and is asking why I recognize her."

Xiao Wu relayed the message, her eyes reddening. "She asks who we are and how we were able to get in."

Gu Han looked at the Blue Silver Grass and spoke in a calm tone: "Senior Ah Yin, I mean no offense."

"I simply do not understand one thing: Tang Hao claims to love you deeply, so why would he abandon you alone in this dark, sunless cave?"

"If he truly cared for you, shouldn't he have searched the entire continent for rare treasures to help you recover?"

"Or at the very least, placed you in a safe location suitable for a plant to grow?"

These words were like sharp thorns. As Xiao Wu relayed them, the swaying of the Blue Silver Grass suddenly stalled for a moment, and the golden light on its leaves dimmed significantly.

A sense of sorrow and confusion permeated the air.

Indeed, if he truly loved her, why would he leave her in this dark, sunless place?

Seeing this, Gu Han struck while the iron was hot. He flipped his palm, and that small piece of Breath Soil—which radiated boundless vitality and seemed to contain the life essence of a world—appeared in his hand.

"By a stroke of luck, I obtained this divine object, 'Breath Soil.' It contains immense vitality and is the best possible soil for nourishing plant-type spirit beasts."

"If you can trust me, Senior, I am willing to transplant you onto this Breath Soil and take you away from this dark, sunless place."

Feeling the vast and pure life energy of the Breath Soil, Ah Yin's Blue Silver Grass body trembled violently.

It was a longing born from the instinct of life, compounded by the fact that Gu Han's words had touched upon the deepest doubts in her heart. Furthermore, with Xiao Wu present, she felt exceptionally at ease.

Finally, the Blue Silver Grass emitted a gentle intent.

Xiao Wu looked up and spoke to Gu Han:

"Auntie Ah Yin says she is willing to trust us. She says she doesn't want to stay here alone anymore..."

Gu Han listened, then carefully wrapped his soul power around Ah Yin's roots, extracting her completely from the original soil before gently placing her onto the Breath Soil, which appeared small but contained vast, surging life energy.

As the Breath Soil made contact with Ah Yin's roots, it immediately began to glow, and pure life energy poured endlessly into the Blue Silver Grass, causing the golden veins on her leaves to deepen in color.

With a thought, Gu Han stored the Breath Soil carrying Ah Yin into his system space.

The interior of the system space was a world unto itself, where the environment could be fine-tuned to his will; at this moment, it had already simulated a warm, humid climate perfectly suited for plant growth.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for taking Ah Yin away from this dark, sunless cave!]

[And for causing a rift in Ah Yin's trust in Tang Hao, while deepening her trust in the Host!]

[Reward: 1,000 Magic Modification Points, Reward: Second Martial Soul, Sky Frost Sword!]

I almost forgot about the spirit bone. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Gu Han immediately activated his first spirit skill: Karma Sight. He quickly spotted a thread of karma tightly connected to the Ah Yin inside his system space...

"Let's go. There's certainly nothing left to take here now." Gu Han pulled Xiao Wu along, passed through the waterfall once more, and left the cave as if he had never been there at all.

Gu Han was in such a rush to leave that he didn't even pay attention to the system rewards.

About the time it takes to burn half an incense stick after Gu Han and the others had departed, a burly figure descended from the sky like a meteorite, slamming heavily in front of the waterfall. It was Tang Hao.

He had been in a nearby town when he suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart, realizing he had lost contact with the barrier he had set up at the waterfall cave.

He had rushed back like a madman, and now, he stared at the empty cave and the patch of ground where the Blue Silver Grass had clearly been dug up.

"Ah Yin!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar erupted from Tang Hao's throat, so powerful it caused the entire waterfall to surge backward and the mountain forest to tremble.

His eyes turned blood-red in an instant, and his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul manifested uncontrollably. His nine spirit rings flashed wildly, and a massive surge of soul power poured out, instantly grinding the surrounding rocks and trees into powder.

"Who?! Who stole my Ah Yin!! Come out and face me!!"

His impotent rage filled the entire mountain forest.