Blue Silver Ancestral Land

[At fourteen, your accumulated Soul Power reached rank thirty-seven, and Ah Yin's cultivation had recovered to twenty-three thousand years.]

[After a year of arduous travel and trials, you finally reached the Blue Silver Forest.]

[It was a blue ocean, an ocean in the truest sense.]

[Blue Silver Grass blanketed the earth and sky, covering every mountain and plain, its leaves broad and thick, its stems straight as spears, glowing with a faint blue light.]

[It grew in dense masses, stretching from the foot of the mountains to their peaks, swaying gently in the breeze and sending up wave upon wave of blue.]

[Sunlight filtered through gaps in the forest, and the light on the leaves brightened and dimmed with it, as though the entire land were breathing, or countless blue spirits were murmuring softly.]

[The air brimmed with a rich aura of life. A single breath seemed to loosen every limb and bone, and even the circulation of Soul Power grew somewhat faster.]

[You glanced down at the Storage Soul Tool at your waist and said softly, "Ah Yin, we're here."]

[You released Ah Yin from the Storage Soul Tool.]

[The moment her roots touched the soil of the Blue Silver Forest, the golden patterns on her leaves flared, more dazzling than ever before.]

[That radiance was not merely brightness. It was like an ancient resonance, as though a slumbering bloodline had finally heard the call of home.]

["Yes, we're here." Ah Yin's mental fluctuations sounded in your mind, carrying a complicated mixture of emotions-familiarity, nostalgia, and a trace of sorrow too elusive to name.]

["Welcome to my homeland, the Blue Silver Ancestral Land."]

[Your arrival soon alerted the guardian of the Ancestral Land-the Blue Silver King.]

[Deep within the forest, the Blue Silver Grass parted in unison to either side, opening a broad, straight path.]

[A spirit slowly emerged from within, taking the form of an old man in green robes.]

[He was stooped, his wrinkles layered like the bark of an ancient tree, and looked frail enough to fall in a breeze. Yet his eyes were clear and bright, like two still, deep pools reflecting the passage of ten thousand years, revealing the clarity and wisdom that came after weathering life's vicissitudes.]

[Deep green robes manifested around him, embroidered all over with patterns of Blue Silver Grass. Every line seemed to flow slowly, giving off a gentle glow.]

[He approached step by step, his footfalls light, each seeming to fall upon the heartbeat of this land.]

[His gaze fell on Ah Yin's physical form, and his entire body shook violently.]

["Emperor... great Emperor, is it truly you?" His voice trembled with excitement.]

["It is I," Ah Yin's thoughts answered gently, exceptionally clear in the quiet valley. "I've returned."]

["Your Majesty... you have finally returned!" The Blue Silver King's voice choked with emotion. "Almost twenty years... for almost twenty years, we haven't felt Your Majesty's presence!"]

["Today, at last... at last, we are no longer children without a mother."]

[His voice echoed through the valley, every word carrying longing and anticipation suppressed for who knew how many years.]

["Your Majesty, as your eternal subordinate, please feel the worship of your subjects!" The Blue Silver King bowed deeply.]

[As soon as he finished speaking, an incomparably vast aura suddenly rose.]

[It did not come from the Blue Silver King before you, but from the entire forest.]

[Soft blue motes quietly emerged from every blade of Blue Silver Grass.]

[A single blade of Blue Silver Grass might have produced only one tiny blue mote, but when the blue light from hundreds of millions of blades gathered together, it became a true blue ocean.]

[These motes gathered into countless ribbons of light, like fireflies on a summer night, or a river of stars hanging upside down, surging in from all directions and pouring into Ah Yin's physical form.]

[Her plant body grew, rose, and transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye.]

[Her roots sank deeper, her vines thickened, and the golden patterns on her leaves spread and blossomed like flames set alight.]

[Thirty thousand years, thirty-five thousand years, forty thousand years, forty-five thousand years, fifty thousand years...]

[Only at fifty-five thousand years did that frenzied growth slowly cease.]

[Her physical form had grown as tall as an ancient tree, with gnarled vines and fanlike leaves, her entire body radiating the gentle yet majestic aura of an emperor.]

[The blue light gradually receded, and a solid spiritual form coalesced from the surface of Ah Yin's physical body.]

[It was a gentle, exquisitely beautiful woman.]

[Her long blue hair fell to her waist, her features soft and delicate, her brows and eyes carrying a natural serenity.]

[She wore a pale blue dress, its hem embroidered with golden patterns identical to those on the leaves of her physical form.]

[A faint blue-gold halo lingered around her, her bearing noble and gentle, as though she were the embodiment of this forest.]

[The Blue Silver King gazed at her, tears streaming down his aged face, and prostrated himself deeply once more, his forehead touching the soil as his voice trembled. "My Emperor, welcome back."]

[Ah Yin's spiritual form slowly floated upward. She spread her arms, and blue-gold light expanded outward from her, gently enveloping the entire forest.]

["My subjects, I have returned." Ah Yin's voice was warm yet solemn, echoing throughout the forest like a spring breeze sweeping across the land.]

[Before her words had faded, the Blue Silver Domain had already spread outward from her.]

[The Blue Silver Grass on the ground swayed in unison, rustling merrily.]

[They had not weakened from their offering to their emperor. Quite the opposite: nourished in return by this aura, their vitality grew even stronger, their leaves greener, their stems straighter, as though they had received some blessing and been born anew.]

[The entire forest cheered, welcoming the return of their empress.]

[You were deeply shaken by the sight before you and forgot how to speak for a moment.]

[You stared at her in a daze. That blue-gold figure was noble and dignified, like a goddess descending from the nine heavens to the mortal world; her imperial majesty inspired awe, yet her brows and eyes were gentle and approachable, making it impossible not to feel drawn to her.]

[Once the extraordinary phenomena gradually subsided, Ah Yin returned to her original spot and looked at you, her gaze gentle as water.]

[She introduced you to the Blue Silver King. "His name is Su Yi. He is my sworn younger brother."]

["He found me in a dark cave and brought me out, sheltered me, watered me with Immortal Herb Essence, and helped restore my cultivation."]

[The Blue Silver King also looked at you, his aged eyes filled with sincerity, and solemnly bowed to you.]

["Honored guest, thank you for bringing our emperor home." His voice was sincere and solemn. "From this day forth, you are our most honored friend. The Blue Silver Clan will forever remember your kindness."]

[You stepped aside to avoid his bow and held out your hands as though to help him up, smiling. "Senior, there's no need for such ceremony. Ah Yin and I have traveled together all this way and have long since become family. Bringing her home was only my duty. It hardly counts as a kindness."]

[At your words, Ah Yin's gaze flickered. She glanced at you without speaking, but the tenderness in her eyes deepened.]

[After a few more pleasantries, the Blue Silver King turned back to Ah Yin and bowed deeply, his voice respectful and earnest. "Your honored Majesty, please allow me to lead you back to the Ancestral Land. That is where your true throne lies."]

[Ah Yin nodded slightly. Blue-gold light rippled gently around her like water, and her enormous, ancient-tree-like physical form slowly drew inward and condensed, finally returning to its original size, just small enough to rest in a palm.]

[A slender vine quietly reached out and gently curled around your fingertip. Its cool touch spread across the pad of your finger, first touching it cautiously, then silently winding around it once.]

["Let's go." Her voice sounded in your mind, carrying some anticipation and a trace of barely perceptible nervousness. "I'll show you... my homeland."]

[You looked down at the touch of green wrapped around your fingertip, the corners of your lips lifting slightly without your realizing it. Carefully cradling her in your palm, you gently rubbed her leaf with your fingertip and answered very softly, "All right."]

[The Blue Silver King's spirit led the way. Carefully supporting Ah Yin, you followed him, stepping deeper into the Blue Silver Ancestral Land.]

[The farther you went, the thicker the surrounding Blue Silver Grass became. At the heart of the Ancestral Land, every blade of Blue Silver Grass was as thick as a sapling, with leaves as broad as fans and gnarled vines, radiating surging vitality.]

[A faint, sweet fragrance filled the air, a scent that arose only when the aura of life reached its utmost concentration.]

[The soil underfoot was dark brown, soft and moist. With every step, you could feel a pulse rising from deep within the earth, as though this land itself were alive.]

[As you walked, you said quietly to Ah Yin, "This is a good place for you to recover."]

[She murmured a soft agreement, her spiritual form floating beside you, her voice audible only to you. "This place... is also very suitable for your cultivation."]

[Your steps paused briefly before you smiled, your gaze settling on the profile of her translucent figure. "What, afraid I'll run off on my own?"]

[She said nothing more, merely moving her spiritual form a little closer to you.]

[A blade of grass brushed gently across your wrist, silently curling around it once, just as it had countless times before.]

[In the deepest part of the Ancestral Land, an exceptionally thick, giant Blue Silver tree was particularly striking.]

[Each of its vines was as thick as an ordinary person's waist, over a foot in diameter, its surface covered in ancient patterns. They swayed slightly now, radiating a gentle yet majestic aura.]

[It was rooted atop an enormous blue-gray rock, its roots already enveloping more than half the stone, creating a peculiar sight.]

[The Blue Silver King introduced it to you. "This is my physical form, the longest-lived Blue Silver King on this continent apart from our emperor. It is also the true heart of this Ancestral Land today."]

[With that, he turned back to Ah Yin and bowed slightly, his voice a little softer than before. "Your Majesty, please follow this old servant."]

[Holding Ah Yin's physical form, you followed the Blue Silver King to a patch of high ground in the center of the Ancestral Land.]

["This is where the aura of life is richest in the entire valley, and where the lifeblood of the Ancestral Land lies." The Blue Silver King's voice carried a measure of solemnity. "It is the best place for Your Majesty to recover your cultivation."]

[Ah Yin's spiritual form trembled gently, her gaze falling on this familiar land, her voice somewhat distant. "This place... hasn't changed at all."]

[You crouched slightly and carefully placed her physical form into the soil.]

[The instant she touched the soil, her roots plunged thirstily into its depths. Her vines spread and thickened at a speed visible to the naked eye, her plant body shooting upward, becoming several times larger than before in the blink of an eye.]

[The golden patterns on her leaves suddenly lit up, and her spiritual form grew somewhat more solid, as though a fish left to dry had finally returned to water.]

[Watching this, the Blue Silver King's aged eyes reddened slightly.]

[He stood quietly for a while, waiting until Ah Yin's aura had fully stabilized before turning to you, his tone gentle. "Honored guest, this old servant has prepared a quiet chamber for you in the ancient grove to the east. It is secluded and elegant, with an expansive view, very suitable for cultivating in peace. Please follow me."]

[You were about to answer when Ah Yin spoke first. "There's no need."]

[Her spiritual form floated in midair as she looked down at you, scattered glimmers reflected in her blue eyes. "He... can stay here."]

[The Blue Silver King froze briefly, looking at Ah Yin and then at you. A trace of understanding appeared on his face, and he tactfully stepped back half a pace and bowed. "Yes, this old servant understands."]

[Before he finished speaking, the vines on Ah Yin's physical form had already lifted gently, reaching like nimble fingers toward a thousand-year-old tree nearby.]

[The Blue Silver Emperor grew wildly, interlacing, twining, and weaving. Before long, she had woven a small treehouse among the ancient tree's sturdy branches.]

[With vines for walls and grass leaves for curtains, it bore some resemblance to the house in the little courtyard where you had lived in town, except that its walls and furniture were all finely woven from Blue Silver vines. Slender threads of golden patterns shimmered among the blue-green vines, which gave off a faint, fresh fragrance of grass and wood.]

[After finishing all this, Ah Yin's spiritual form grew slightly insubstantial from the expenditure, yet she still looked at you and asked softly, "Will this do?"]

[You raised your head to look at the grass house suspended in midair, then turned to look at her, your heart softening deep within. "I like it very much."]

[From then on, you settled down in the Blue Silver Ancestral Land.]