Madam, You Wouldn't Want...

"We've taken the Soul Bone. Leaving this grass here would be a waste. Grandpa, dig her up, roots and all. Be careful not to damage her foundation."

"We'll take her back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. With that environment, she'll be our best hostage for keeping Tang Hao in check in the future."

Gu En slowly walked over to the Blue Silver Emperor plant that emitted a faint golden glow.

"A plant-type Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like this, if planted beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, will not only grow faster, but the life aura it releases can also nourish other immortal herbs."

Gu En calculated inwardly as he extended his right hand, preparing to uproot Ah Yin.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch those crystalline leaves—

A soft Blue Silver Grass leaf suddenly rose and lightly slapped the back of Gu En's hand, knocking it away.

Gu En paused slightly and looked down.

The leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor were trembling violently. The previously gentle life aura around it now carried a trace of rejection and hostility.

Although she had lost her hundred-thousand-year cultivation, Ah Yin's soul essence had not completely dissipated. She had clearly understood the conversation between Gu En and Gu Rong.

She knew that this grandfather and grandson had taken her Soul Bone, and that they were targeting her husband, Tang Hao.

Even if Tang Hao had planted her in this dark cave that never saw daylight, even if he had ignored her all these years and had never even brought their newborn child to see her... he was still her husband, the man she had been willing to sacrifice her life to protect.

Therefore, she instinctively resisted Gu En's touch.

"En'er, this grass still has consciousness?"

Gu Rong watched from the side in amazement.

"A plant-type Soul Beast can retain its intelligence even after sacrificing itself? Incredible. Should Grandpa just use spatial power to cut her out along with this whole patch of earth?"

"No need, Grandpa. I'll have a little 'talk' with her."

Gu En waved a hand, an amused curve rising at the corner of his lips.

He crouched down, meeting the gaze of the Blue Silver Emperor as it tried desperately to express its resistance.

"Senior Ah Yin, I know you can understand me."

Gu En's voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.

"You sacrificed yourself for Tang Hao and ended up having to cultivate anew. But what about him? He threw you into this pitch-black cave and ran off to drown his sorrows in drink."

The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves trembled even more fiercely, as though she were defending Tang Hao—or perhaps grieving.

Gu En ignored her emotions. Leaning a little closer, he spoke in a low voice that only the two of them—one person and one plant—could hear.

"Madam, you wouldn't want your child, Tang San... to suddenly lose an arm or a leg while making his way in the world of Soul Masters someday, or to die young for no apparent reason, would you?"

The moment those words fell—

The life aura throughout the cave instantly froze.

The Blue Silver Emperor, which had been resisting so fiercely moments ago, seemed to have had all its strength drained away. Its leaves drooped limply.

The golden patterns dimmed somewhat, revealing deep despair and resignation.

For a mother, her child was her greatest weakness—especially a mother like Ah Yin, who could give up even her life for her child.

Gu En looked at the Blue Silver Emperor, which had become exceptionally "well-behaved" and had even gathered its leaves to make digging easier, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. A wise person submits to the times. As long as you obediently come with me, I guarantee that your son will stay alive and kicking."

Gu En reached out. This time, the Blue Silver Emperor did not resist, allowing him to carefully dig her out along with the surrounding soil and place her into a specially made jade box capable of preserving vitality.

After finishing everything, Gu En stood and brushed the dirt from his hands.

When he turned around, however, he found Gu Rong staring at him with an extremely strange, almost horrified expression.

"Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that?" Gu En felt a little unnerved.

Gu Rong swallowed and looked his ten-year-old grandson up and down. In an odd tone, he asked, "En'er... where did you learn that line just now?"

Gu En's old face flushed as he inwardly cursed himself for watching too many strange shows in his previous life. The line had simply slipped out.

"Ahem, Grandpa, this is called attacking the heart."

Gu En spoke solemn nonsense with a straight face.

"The Art of War says: strike a snake at its vital point. When dealing with a conscious plant like this, naturally you threaten her with what she cares about most. Lord Sea God's divine sense guided me this way too."

"So it was Lord Sea God's guidance..."

Gu Rong nodded in sudden realization, but then felt that something was off.

"This god... has quite an unusual way of handling things."

Gu En did not dwell on the matter. He glanced around the hidden waterfall cave before speaking.

"I'm going to absorb this Soul Bone now."

"Now?"

Gu Rong was taken aback and frowned slightly.

Gu En cut him off, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"The longer we wait, the more likely something will go wrong. More importantly, the Sea God told me that this Soul Bone grants flight, which will be of great help to the plans ahead."

Upon hearing this, Gu Rong immediately grabbed Gu En, entered Martial Soul Possession, and repeatedly used his spatial abilities to flee in one direction.

After racing for several hours, they arrived at a hidden cave and finally stopped.

"Grandson, absorb it here."

As Gu Rong's voice fell, he used a soul skill to seal off the area.

In an instant, invisible spatial fluctuations tightly enveloped the entire cave.

With Gu Rong's absolute defense, Gu En was completely at ease.

He sat down cross-legged and took out the Soul Bone.

The crystalline Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, flowing with golden patterns, was exposed to the air once more. Its immensely dense life aura made every pore on Gu En's body open wide.

"A hundred thousand years of accumulated power—come on!"

Gu En took a deep breath, pressed the right leg bone against his own right leg, and then activated the Soul Power within his body.

Buzz—!

There was no violent resistance, nor any tearing pain.

The Soul Bone produced by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, especially one like the Blue Silver Emperor, renowned for life and tolerance, possessed energy as gentle as a mother's hand.

Blue-gold light instantly wrapped around Gu En's right leg, then spread through his entire body along his meridians like spilled mercury.

Gu En felt as if his body had been soaked in a spring of life.

After the dual tempering of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, his physical body had already reached an unimaginably terrifying limit.

Now, with the addition of this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, he was even more formidable.

His bones became more crystalline, while a faint blue-gold sheen emerged from the fibers of his muscles.

Most importantly was his recovery ability. Gu En could clearly feel that as long as his vital areas were not injured, the immense life force could heal him in an extremely short time.