As Stone Mama repeated the words, the mysterious Spirit Language once again surfaced in Zhang Ming's mind.
Sure enough, the Flame-Horned man who had stolen the Source of the World had been caught!
"The divine beast Black Tortoise encountered our Flamehorn Race ten thousand years ago. Our ancestors forged a pact with it, and both sides have cooperated and lived in symbiosis ever since!"
"By that reasoning, the Source of the World belongs not to Black Tortoise, but to our Flamehorn Race!"
"As Grand Elder, I took a piece of the Source of the World to protect our countless people. What crime have I committed? I sought only to preserve their lives! What crime have I committed?!"
In the royal court, the Flame-Horned official who had taken the crystal defended his theft, his face flushed red.
"Protect our people? Hmph... all you wanted was to protect that stupid son of yours!"
Seated at the head of the hall, a Flame-Horned man roared, his voice tight with suppressed fury, "Do you think I don't know what you're scheming? Your son has neither talent nor ability. He clings to life and fears death, forgetting all principle at the sight of petty gain. He's nothing but a spoiled wastrel! So you gave him a piece of the Source of the World as a talisman to save his hide!"
"With that thing, he'd have some standing no matter what!"
Silence fell over the hall.
The atmosphere grew unbearably oppressive, and private calculations began stirring in everyone's minds.
Finally, the ruler let out a long sigh and asked a Flame-Horned man beside him, "How much will losing a small piece of the Source of the World affect Black Tortoise's chances of breaking through its bottleneck?"
"I do not know. Black Tortoise has always been magnanimous