The Sovereign Has Defected Too

Tang Wulin's hand still rested atop Na'er's soft hair. The silvery-white strands beneath his palm felt cool, like he was grasping a handful of melting moonlight.

He lowered his head to look at the little girl in his arms. His outline was reflected clearly in those violet eyes, and even the tips of her lashes carried an utterly defenseless innocence.

He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he could not resist giving her hair another rub.

"Let's go. I'll take you to Shrek Academy in a bit." Tang Wulin withdrew his hand, his voice gentle. "But Na'er, what's your martial soul?"

"Martial soul?" Na'er tilted her head, and a strand of her long silver-white hair slipped over her shoulder, resting by her elbow.

She seemed to be trying hard to recall what the term meant. Her violet eyes shifted slightly, then she suddenly broke into a bright smile and raised her right hand. "This?"

Her palm faced upward, her five fingers spread open.

A cluster of six-colored light rose from her palm, condensing into a small sphere the size of a longan.

It was as if the sphere contained an entire compressed sky: crimson-gold fire, deep-blue water, blue-green wind, earthy-brown earth, bright-silver light, and silvery-white space. The six elements flowed tamely across her palm, merging together while remaining distinctly separate.

At the same time, three soul rings rose from beneath her feet one after another.

One yellow and two purple, pure in color, quietly revolved around her slender calves.

So she was going to use the Elemental Envoy martial soul!

He lowered his gaze to the six-colored sphere, then let it drift down to the three soul rings before finally settling on Na'er's artless smile.

"...Pretty impressive," Tang Wulin said with a smile. "Very impressive."

But with Na'er around, it seemed they should have a martial soul fusion skill!

Na'er blinked, seemingly disappointed by his bland reaction. She gathered the six-colored sphere back into her palm and puffed out her cheeks.

"Why aren't you surprised at all, big brother?"

Tang Wulin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I've seen a lot."

After all, he had known about it back when he read The Legend of the Dragon King.

Naturally, he would not say that aloud.

He reached out and plucked a piece of dried grass from Na'er's skirt, his movement casual, as though he were merely brushing away a speck of dust.

"Let's go. I'll take you—"

Halfway through his sentence, he caught a sudden movement in the bushes beside his feet from the corner of his eye. A dark green branch poked out, followed by a head.

Myriad Demon King crawled out of the bushes with dead leaves all over his head, carrying a tree in one hand.

It was a living tree.

Its trunk was as thick as a man's waist, while its crown had been forcibly gathered into a barely manageable bundle. Its roots were still wrapped in clumps of soil, and Myriad Demon King held it one-handed like a freshly pulled radish.

"I'm here, I'm here!"

Myriad Demon King rushed over to Tang Wulin in a few quick strides and dropped the tree to the ground with a thud. Chunks of dirt scattered everywhere. He even dusted off his hands, his face full of expectant pride.

"Will this do?"

The tree thrown onto the ground suddenly shuddered, its crown shaking violently. An aged and furious voice burst from its trunk.

"Myriad Demon King! You traitor! Collaborator! Scum among plant soul beasts!"

The voice was vigorous, and even the wrinkles on the trunk trembled as it cursed. Several leaves shook loose and fluttered down.

"Why did you capture me?! I've lived for over a hundred thousand years, staying deep in the Star Dou Great Forest without provoking anyone! I've always helped other soul beasts heal! You pulled me out and threw me to humans to become a soul ring—are you even a soul beast?! You traitor!"

Tang Wulin covered his forehead and yawned, squinting sleepily. He ignored the tree's accusations against Myriad Demon King and turned toward Na'er. The little girl was squatting nearby, curiously poking the trunk with one finger. The tree shuddered again at her touch, and its tirade abruptly shifted. "Whose child is—"

Holy shit! The Sovereign!

The Sovereign has defected too?

Before it could finish, the six-colored light at Na'er's fingertip flickered slightly, and the tree suddenly fell silent.

Tang Wulin withdrew his gaze and glanced once more toward the Life Tree.

Mm, its age was decent—more than a hundred thousand years. Its life force was abundant, and its attributes matched his perfectly.

Its voice was a little loud, though. This soul beast seemed rather lively.

He decided not to concern himself with the tangled grievances between the tree and Myriad Demon King for now.

"Na'er," he said, crouching before her again until their eyes were level. He pointed at her. "That one just now was your first martial soul. Do you have any others?"

Na'er tilted her head in thought, then extended her left hand as well. Her fingers spread apart, and another silvery-white light lit up in her palm.

The light condensed into a spear.

The spear was twelve feet long, its slender white body covered in fine, evenly arranged hexagonal silver scales. It had a conical spearhead only on one side, taking up a third of its total length. Twelve grooves covered the spearhead's surface, with an oval silver pearl embedded within it. When soul power flowed through it, rainbow-colored light spilled forth.

The instant the Silver Dragon Spear appeared in the air, the surrounding light seemed to be drawn into it. Even the blades of grass on the ground bowed slightly toward its spearhead.

Na'er held the shaft, and her posture unconsciously straightened. A faint sharpness, entirely unlike before, flashed through her violet eyes.

But it vanished in an instant. She returned to her blank and innocent expression, looking up at Tang Wulin. "Big brother, this is also my martial soul."

Tang Wulin stared at the Silver Dragon Spear for a full three breaths.

"I understand." He stood up and patted the dust off his knees, then held out a hand to Na'er. "Let's go. We'll find somewhere to absorb that tree first, then head back to the academy."

Na'er put away the Silver Dragon Spear. As the silver glow dispersed, she freed both hands and quickly grasped the hand Tang Wulin had extended.

Her fingers were cool, and she gripped him a little tightly, as though afraid he might change his mind.

Tang Wulin felt that faintly cool touch in his palm. He looked down at the little girl's tightly pursed lips but said nothing. He merely curled his fingers slightly, holding her small hand more securely.

Myriad Demon King watched from the side, and the expression on his face shifted subtly several times.

This was the Sovereign?

The Sovereign was this gentle? This adorable?

His gaze swept back and forth between Tang Wulin and Na'er twice. In the end, he did not dare say a word. He merely took half a step back and silently pushed the Life Tree, which was still muttering curses under its breath, a little closer to Tang Wulin's feet.

Tang Wulin led Na'er around the tree and slightly raised his chin at Myriad Demon King from an angle where she could not see.

"We'll deal with your matter later."

Myriad Demon King immediately nodded fervently.

The Life Tree was still cursing where it lay. "Myriad Demon King, you heartless, ungrateful, despicable—"

"My good brother, quiet down," Tang Wulin said, glancing at it. "After you finish sacrificing yourself, I'll leave you your seed. I can plant it beside Shrek Academy's Golden Ancient Tree."