The Ling Family's Old Residence

As dawn broke, a biting wind swept in from the distant north. (-_-) (-_-)

Despite being blocked by mountain ranges along its path, the cold current still reached Green Cloud Mountain, a branch of the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range.

On the cliff face, on the gnarled, dark branches, red plum blossoms bloom against the cold wind, their pale yellow stamens swaying gently, overlooking the vibrant spring valley below.

As the faint fragrance of plum blossoms filled the valley, complemented by the fresh scent of "Blue Silver Grass," this unique aroma awakened Ling Yi from his slumber.

Inside the enormous grass-ball tent, more than ten feet in diameter, Ling Yi slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was the grass-leaf tent top, which glowed with a faint blue-green light.

He gently removed the jade -Ling Yi like arm that was draped over his chest. Before Ling Yi even sit up, the beauty beside him was already awakened and subconsciously got up to help him get dressed.

Ling Yi reached out and pressed his hand on the beauty's fragrant shoulder, pulling her back to lie on her side. At this moment, the sunlight shone through the grass and onto the beauty's delicate body, highlighting her exquisite curves and fair skin, making her look like a finely sculpted jade statue.

Because the skin was so smooth, Ling Yi's palm unconsciously moved down and pressed against the milky white flesh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

The beauty showed no shyness in response to Ling Yi's little gestures. The tacit understanding between the two had reached the point where one pat would cause her to lift her waist, and two pats would cause her to squeeze her legs together. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were of one mind.

The beauty lowered her head, her gaze falling on the spot covered by Ling Yi's hand. Feeling the strong, powerful beating of her heart, she smiled in a way that could captivate all beings, "Don't worry, Brother Yi, I will nurture this power well."

At this moment, within the heart of the beautiful woman, there was a faint, emerald-green glow, shining brightly.

As the blood flows, every drop of Life is absorbed by the faint fluorescent light, causing it to grow at an imperceptible speed.

That was the power of ' Ultimate Life,' extracted from the bloodline of ' Nine Heart Begonia,' so weak it was almost negligible.

If it hadn't been preserved and nurtured by Ling Yi using his Martial Soul "Azure Wood Blue Silver Grass", it probably wouldn't have been able to survive even a breath after leaving the "Nine Heart Begonia" bloodline before dissipating into nothingness.

Now, Ling Yi has sent this power into Ah Yin's body. Using Ah Yin's naturally born "Blue Silver Emperor" bloodline as a warm bed, not only can it be completely preserved, but it can also be nurtured step by step to a complete state!

In fact, by analyzing his own and Ah Yin's bloodlines, Ling Yi could confirm that their power was infinitely close to "Ultimate Life". Ah Yin, in particular, had Life attributes in her "Blue Silver Emperor" bloodline. However, compared to breaking through the mortal realm and touching the level of immortals and gods, she was still a step behind in "Ultimate Life".

A mere line separates us, yet worlds apart.

It should be noted that even an incomplete "Ultimate Life" can forcibly alter the original attributes of the "Nine Heart Begonia" Martial Soul, and can even overwrite the attributes of absorbed external Soul Ring and Soul Skill. This shows how high the power weight and how strong this "Ultimate Life" is.

Unlike Ah Yin's "Blue Silver Emperor" bloodline, Ling Yi's "Green Wood Blue Silver Emperor" possesses not only a powerful Life attribute but also a strong wood attribute.

As for the Xun wind derived from Yi wood and the Zhen thunder evolved from Jia wood, these are merely attributes that Ling Yi personally comprehends and controls, and do not affect the attribute components in his bloodline.

With gain comes loss.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the Five Elements and Heavenly Stems knows that the power of the Wood element is not simply about Life; it also involves prosperity, decline, and decay.

Ling Yi's heart is vast, so vast that it cannot be encompassed by a single ' Life '. He desires everything, from the cycle of flourishing and decay to the ten Heavenly Stems (Geng metal, Wu earth, Bing fire, Gui water) and the eight trigrams (Xun and Zhen).

Ling Yi also knew that one must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. A person's energy is limited. In the past, when he was still weak, in order to improve his strength quickly, he could only focus on one path, at most leaving a stepping stone for other paths.

Now that he has the initial ability to protect himself, he has entered a bottleneck period due to the improvement of his own strength. He can finally devote some energy and time to the paths he once envisioned.

Since we can't increase the height in a short time, let's find a way to expand the width!

While the capacity of a wooden barrel depends on the height of each plank, if the planks are wide enough, it can hold much more water!

In Ling Yi's eyes, the women around him are not only partners in body and soul, but also companions on the path of seeking enlightenment.

Yang Shelly's relationship with Geng Metal and Zhen Thunder, Ah Yin's relationship with Life and Yi Wood, Liu Erlong's relationship with Li Fire, and Ah Rou's relationship with Xun Wind are enough to save Ling Yi a lot of time and energy.

Aside from the women around him, everyone in Lingyun City, from Chen Jianjun and his son Chen Xin, to Gu Rong and Dugu Bo in the middle, and Ni Xing, Eryue Xuan, Li Yang, Mo Yuxiong and others below, all have their own unique insights into the path of cultivation. These are all resources for Ling Yi's progress.

Around the same time, thousands of miles away.

Walking through the bustling market, Tang Yuehua's beautiful face held a hint of curiosity as she looked left and right, everything in sight seemed new and exciting to her.

In fact, Tang Yuehua had seen everything here in other parts of the mainland, some of which were even more prosperous than this place.

What truly made Tang Yuehua feel different was the market town she was in, called North Mouth River Town.

That's right, North Mouth River Town in the [Water Wood Duchy], formerly known as the ' Blue Silver Territory ' North Mouth River Town!

Following the flow of people, Tang Yuehua, carrying the "Azure Nether Divine Sword," walked out of the town step by step, heading towards her destination: Mountain Sea Village!

Yes, with the relocation of the entire "Blue Silver Territory", the Mountain Sea Village was re-established on the site that was once renamed "Mountain Sea Estate".

The difference is that the people living here have long since changed; everything has changed and all is lost.

As Tang Yuehua entered Mountain Sea Village, she looked at the villagers who, even in the dead of winter, wore only a single layer of clothing but did not feel cold at all, and a strange look appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"Young lady, who are you looking for?"

Tang Yuehua observed the villagers, and the villagers observed her in return. An elderly man with white hair, who looked to be about sixty years old, stepped forward and asked politely in a loud voice, "I am the village chief here. I know everyone in the village. You can tell me about yourself."

"Hello," Tang Yuehua nodded gently in response, her movements elegant and her clear voice revealing her good manners. "I'm not looking for anyone, I'm looking for a place."

"Place?"

The village chief paused, stroking his white beard, and squinted at Tang Yuehua's beautiful face before finally fixing his gaze on the hilt of the "Azure Nether Divine Sword" behind her.

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"Where?" The village chief continued stroking his beard with his right hand, asking casually, while his left hand behind his back quietly made a gesture.

Despite the village chief's questioning and underlying wariness, Tang Yuehua remained unperturbed, opening her lips slightly and saying calmly, "The Ling Family's old residence."

Upon hearing these four words, the village chief's expression immediately relaxed considerably, and even the villagers who had unknowingly gathered around him inexplicably became less hostile.

"So you've come to visit the Ling Family's old residence—" The village chief's face regained its smile, and the hand stroking his beard seemed much lighter. With his other hand, he pointed to a bluestone path leading straight to the southeast corner of the village and said, "Follow this path for about two and a half li, there's a house there with the words ' Hundred Herbs Garden ' written on the plaque above the entrance. That's it—"

"Young lady, the location of the Ling Family's old residence is known to everyone in the Water Wood Duchy. You can walk there from anywhere in the principality by following this bluestone path under your feet."

Following the direction the village chief pointed, Tang Yuehua listened to what he said next and then realized that the other dirt roads in the village were distinctly different from the bluestone road beneath her feet. Thinking back to her time in North Mouth River Town and other parts of the [Water Wood Duchy], where there was only one bluestone road, she couldn't help but think of many things.

After thanking the village chief, Tang Yuehua continued along the bluestone path, and before she knew it, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Watching his figure gradually disappear into the flying snow, the village chief sighed, shook his head, and turned to walk towards his home.

"Don't constantly think of me, and don't expect me to come back. After I leave, you are all I am... A single spark can start a prairie fire!"

Even today, the village chief can still recall the words that person spoke when he left that year, facing the crowds from all over the Water Wood Duchy who came to try and persuade him to stay.

Everyone in the ' Blue Silver Territory,' from octogenarians to infants in swaddling clothes, chose to follow him on that unknown journey.

Overnight, "Blue Silver Territory" became a no-man's land.

But overnight, this place returned to being the most prosperous place in the [Water Wood Duchy].

Because countless people like the village chief have migrated from various parts of the [Water Wood Duchy] and spontaneously protect this place.

"When you arm your minds with thought, when your eyes are bright and clear, when you learn to distinguish right from wrong instead of blindly believing in anyone, then you will naturally become like me. You will be like me, shouting, advocating, acting as pioneers, developing solutions tailored to local conditions, breaking free from shackles, and welcoming a new world!"

With those resounding words echoing in his mind, the village chief stretched out his hand, caught a snowflake, and watched it melt quietly from his body heat. He murmured, "Sir, you told us not to be superstitious, but do you know that you have become our faith—"

On the other side, Tang Yuehua quickly walked the two-and-a-half-mile-long bluestone road.

Standing at the end of the road, Tang Yuehua looked up at the unremarkable little courtyard in front of her.

It's really ordinary; from the materials to the construction techniques, it's no different from the houses in ordinary villages in the Douluo Continent.

"Is this the home where you grew up?" Tang Yuehua's eyes shone with a dazzling desire to explore.

According to information she gathered from the elderly in Lingyun City, when Blue Silver Territory was relocated, every tree, every brick, and every tile of Mountain Sea Estate was moved to the present-day Lingyun City.

The "Ling Family Old House" here is actually a replica of the former Ling Family Courtyard in Mountain Sea Village.

It can be said that everything in this courtyard is no different from that of an ordinary villager. Even the "Blue Silver Grass" that fills the courtyard has grown wildly like weeds because no one has taken care of it for a long time.

Over the years, countless people have come here to pay their respects and remember the legendary figure who emerged from the Water Wood Duchy.

Pushing open the half-closed wooden door, Tang Yuehua stepped into the courtyard. Looking around, she saw that the "Blue Silver Grass" on the ground was covered with snow, and the "Maiden Luo Grass" and "Boston Ivy" on the courtyard wall were withered and yellow. On the windowsill opposite, there was a slingshot made of wooden branches.

After passing through various rooms, Tang Yuehua's footsteps finally stopped in a small, simply furnished room.

Her slender, jade-like hands brushed across the windowsill and wooden table, seemingly unconcerned about the dust clinging to her pale fingertips, before finally settling on a row of unfinished, rough wooden carvings by the bedside.

Picking up the dog-shaped wooden carving at the very edge, Tang Yuehua then looked at the rest:

Cow, horse, pig, sheep, pheasant, chicken, dragon.

Including the dog in my hand, there are eight in total.

"Huh? What's this?" Just as Tang Yuehua was about to put the dog-shaped wooden carving back in its place, she inadvertently noticed a strange shape under the carving.

Out of curiosity, Tang Yuehua stretched out her finger and began to explore the shape. The top horizontal line and the two truncated lines below formed a pattern of ( ).

If there are dog-shaped wooden carvings below, what about the others?

With this question in mind, Tang Yuehua examined the other seven animal wood carvings. Among them, the horse-shaped wood carving had ( ), cow ( ), dragon ( ), chicken ( ), pig ( ), pheasant ( ), chicken ( ), and sheep ( ).

Looking at these animal wood carvings and the patterns beneath them, a big question mark appeared in Tang Yuehua's mind.

I don't understand, I have absolutely no idea what any of this means.

Shaking her head, Tang Yuehua put the wood carvings back in their original positions and gave up thinking. If there was any secret hidden here, how come no one has discovered it all these years?

So, these might just be doodles that Ling Yi casually scribbled on them.

Arriving at the bedside in the small room, Tang Yuehua waved her hand, creating a gust of wind that swept away all the dust on the wooden bed, before lying down on it.

After resting fully clothed for half an hour, she reluctantly got up and headed towards the main room she had already passed.

In a corner of the main room, separated from Ling Yi's bedroom by a wall, Tang Yuehua recalled the secret Ling Yi had once whispered in her ear. She drew the "Azure Nether Divine Sword" from her back and silently activated the Sword Intent contained within it.

"Buzz—!"

A very low humming sound emanated from the sword's surface, which was as smooth as autumn water, and Tang Yuehua's mind became sharper as a result.

Under this keen sense, Tang Yuehua noticed that the "Azure Nether Divine Sword" in her hand seemed to be throbbing, as if it was yearning for something.

Following that throbbing feeling, Tang Yuehua's gaze moved downwards, finally landing on the blue bricks not far from her feet.

"Underground?"