Jin Jiuxiao and the three ferocious beasts returned to the waterfall cave in the hills behind Holy Soul Village.
Bi Ji stepped forward, carefully dug the Blue Silver Emperor out of the soil, and infused her with life-attribute soul power.
The Blue Silver Emperor's condition improved slightly.
"Her condition... is terrible." Bi Ji protected the Blue Silver Emperor with a soul power barrier. "Strictly speaking, she no longer counts as the emperor of the Blue Silver clan."
"Sister Bi Ji, could you explain?"
Jin Jiuxiao asked curiously as they set off for the Star Dou Great Forest.
He had always wondered why Tang San had been able to awaken a true Blue Silver Emperor martial soul in the original story when the Blue Silver Emperor had not yet completely died.
Wasn't there supposed to be only one Blue Silver Emperor at any given time?
Bi Ji gathered her thoughts. "Jiuxiao, according to what we know, the Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed herself to Tang Hao once, correct?"
Jin Jiuxiao nodded slightly.
"When a soul beast sacrifices itself to a human, it sacrifices everything."
Bi Ji paused before continuing, "The moment the sacrifice was complete, she ceased to be the 'emperor' of the Blue Silver clan."
"The Blue Silver Emperor's immense vitality kept her from dying completely. Her cultivation dissipated entirely, but she retained her Blue Silver Emperor bloodline."
"That left the 'throne' vacant."
"Possessing the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline practically disqualifies all other Blue Silver Grass from competing for the 'throne.'"
Bi Ji looked down at the Blue Silver Emperor in her palm. "The Blue Silver clan's new emperor can only emerge from her or Tang San. Other Blue Silver Grass have almost no chance of overtaking them."
Jin Jiuxiao understood. "In other words, Ah Yin and Tang San are currently 'competitors,' and it all comes down to who 'ascends the throne' first?"
Bi Ji nodded in confirmation. "You could say that."
"If Ah Yin 'ascends the throne' first, Tang San will completely lose the ability to awaken a Blue Silver Emperor martial soul."
"The reverse is also true. If Tang San awakens his Blue Silver Emperor martial soul first and completes his 'ascension,' then even if Ah Yin regains her cultivation, she won't become the Blue Silver Emperor."
"She would only be Blue Silver Grass with the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline."
After finishing, Bi Ji added, "You could also put it another way. Once one becomes emperor, the other effectively becomes the Blue Silver Emperor's reserve successor."
"If the reigning emperor dies, the other can take their place and become the true Blue Silver Emperor."
Still, Blue Silver Grass with the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline would be far stronger than other Blue Silver Grass.
With Bi Ji's explanation, the confusion in Jin Jiuxiao's mind finally cleared.
That would explain why Tang San had awakened a Blue Silver Emperor martial soul even though Ah Yin had not completely died.
Even after Ah Yin was revived later in the original story, she could not be considered the true Blue Silver Emperor, only Blue Silver Grass with a relatively high concentration of the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
She would be just a "hundred million smidgens" stronger than other Blue Silver Grass.
In other words, even if Tang San could not undergo a second awakening and attain a true Blue Silver Emperor martial soul, his Blue Silver Grass would still possess the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
It was naturally stronger than other Blue Silver Grass and could be considered an exceptional life-type plant martial soul.
It simply fell considerably short of the Blue Silver Emperor, a top-tier life-type plant martial soul.
He could still follow the life-type path. While it would not be as absurdly overpowered as the Blue Silver Emperor, it would certainly not be weak.
But... if Tang San really pursued the life-type path, adding life-type soul rings and triggering resonance with his martial soul origin, he would definitely be able to undergo a second awakening on his own ahead of time.
He would certainly become the true Blue Silver Emperor before Ah Yin could regain her cultivation and "ascend the throne."
"If that's the case, we really ought to thank that 'Grandmaster,' Yu Xiaogang."
Jin Jiuxiao could not help giving Grandmaster Yu a mental thumbs-up.
Even with the aid of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ah Yin would still need quite some time to recover her cultivation.
"Huh?" Zi JI did not quite understand. "Why would we thank Yu Xiaogang?"
They were thanking Yu Xiaogang? Thanking a rank-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster who had broken past fifty years of age?
Seriously?
"Sister Zi JI, Tang San also has the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. If he really followed the life-type path..."
"He could very likely undergo a martial soul second awakening at rank thirty or forty and become the Blue Silver Emperor."
"But Yu Xiaogang made Tang San follow a poison-attribute control path. Without outside help, he'll never awaken the Blue Silver Emperor in his entire life."
"And haven't we already intercepted all that 'outside help'? Who else could help Tang San awaken the Blue Silver Emperor?"
After hearing Jin Jiuxiao's explanation, realization dawned on Zi JI. "That makes sense."
It really was thanks to Yu Xiaogang's guidance that Tang San had embarked on the poison-attribute control path.
"For that, we really do have to thank this 'Grand~mas~ter,' Yu Xiaogang."
Wasn't the "outside help" that might awaken Tang San precisely the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone and the Blue Silver Grass soul beasts in the Blue Silver Forest?
The other possibility was to use extremely old life-attribute soul beasts for his subsequent soul rings.
But the Myriad Demon King was keeping watch over those ancient soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Zi JI ran through it in her mind and realized they seemed to be just one final step away from pinning Tang San's first martial soul permanently at the Blue Silver Grass stage.
Her gaze flicked toward the Blue Silver Emperor resting in Bi Ji's hand.
"Sister Zi JI, Uncle Xiong, you two can head back first once we reach the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Sister Bi Ji and I will visit the Blue Silver clan's ancestral grounds."
After some thought, Jin Jiuxiao decided to visit the Blue Silver clan's ancestral grounds with Bi Ji first.
Since the Blue Silver King could guide the process and pour vitality and soul power into Tang San to help him awaken the Blue Silver Emperor, there was no reason he could not do the same for Ah Yin.
There was no reason he could not help Ah Yin recover her cultivation.
Once Ah Yin had recovered some of her cultivation, they would temporarily transplant her to the edge of the Lake of Life.
That place would benefit her recovery.
After they secured the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they could transplant her there.
Zi JI and Xiong Jun exchanged a glance. "All right."
Nothing could happen to those two in the Star Dou Great Forest's Core Area anyway.
The Myriad Demon King monitored practically the entire Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Blue Silver clan's ancestral grounds lay within his surveillance range.
If anything unexpected happened, the Myriad Demon King would notice immediately.
When they reached a fork in the road, Jin Jiuxiao and Bi Ji parted ways with Xiong Jun and Zi JI.
Zi JI and Xiong Jun returned to the Lake of Life.
He and Bi Ji headed toward the Blue Silver clan's ancestral grounds.
At the same time, he considered how best to deploy the ferocious beasts next.
There was actually another little one in the Star Dou Great Forest-the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
However, that little one had already been asleep for quite some time.
Di Tian had to remain stationed in the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Scarlet King was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's "personal bodyguard."
Those two definitely could not be reassigned.
The only ferocious beasts available seemed to be Bi Ji, Zi JI, Xiong Jun, and the Myriad Demon King.
But the Myriad Demon King also had to monitor the Star Dou Great Forest's Core Area and prevent humans from hunting soul beasts over seventy thousand years old.
He could not readily leave.
Zi JI would definitely have to stay with him, while Bi Ji was not particularly capable in a head-on fight. After all, she was a support-type soul beast.
That seemed to leave only one candidate to guard the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
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