Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin
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After leaving the valley where Liu Erlong was in seclusion, Nan Feng headed northeast. The edge of the Sunset Forest in late autumn was covered with a thick layer of withered leaves, which rustled softly underfoot. His Shrinking the Ground to an Inch steps left intermittent afterimages in the dense forest. His Peng Eye quietly shimmered with golden light in their pupils, Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light aura covered a range of a thousand paces, clearly displaying every point of Spiritual Power in his mind.
After three days of travel, he discovered a hidden valley deep within the dense forest. The entrance to the valley was obscured by two enormous ancient trees, their canopies intertwining to form a natural archway. Had it not Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detecting the unusually dense Blue Silver Spiritual Power within the valley, Nan Feng might have passed right through the entrance without noticing. That Spiritual Power point was extremely large, its concentration of Soul Power conveying a strange blend of antiquity and gentleness. The core of the point was edged with faint golden patterns, like some kind of Life Origin slowly burning.
The Old Huai poked its head out from the immortal tree, its semi-transparent remnant soul trembling violently within the Tower Spirit Space. "Blue Silver Emperor," the Old Huai's voice became unusually grave, "The aura of Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor. But something's wrong— its Spiritual Power is slowly draining, and the pulsation of its Martial Soul Core is growing weaker and weaker. This Blue Silver Emperor is burning its own essence to sustain its life."
Nan Feng parted the branches of the ancient trees and stepped into the valley. The sight within made him stop in his tracks. In the center of the valley was a small, flat meadow, and in the very center of the meadow grew a gigantic Blue Silver Emperor —taller than any Blue Silver Grass Nan Feng had ever seen outside the Blacksmith Village. Its trunk was as thick as a person's waist, and its vines spread out in all directions, covering the entire meadow. However, the Blue Silver Emperor's vines had lost the unique silvery-blue luster of the Blue Silver Grass; the leaves were withered and curled, and the surface of the vines was covered with dark brown spots of decay. Only a small cluster of new leaves at the top of the trunk retained a faint silvery-blue glow, and that cluster of new leaves trembled gently in the autumn wind, as if making a final struggle.
The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light fully revealed the Spiritual Power structure of the Blue Silver Emperor in his mind. Nan Feng saw the core of the Blue Silver Emperor's Martial Soul Core —a fist-sized silver-blue light spot suspended deep within the main stem. The light spot's pulsation was extremely weak, each pulsation slower than the last. There was a ring of golden patterns around the edge of the light spot, the traces of its Life Origin burning. This Blue Silver Emperor was using its own Life Origin to maintain its last wisp of remnant soul.
Within the Tower Spirit Space, the nine lotus Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus Green Lotus suddenly pulsated faster, creating a subtle resonance with the pulsating rhythm of the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul Core. The Life Origin Stone in Nan Feng's Dantian also lit up with a verdant light, intertwining with the silver-blue light of the Blue Silver Emperor in the depths of his perception.
He walked towards the Blue Silver Emperor. When he was three steps away from the main trunk, the silver-blue new leaves at the top of the Blue Silver Emperor suddenly lit up, and a gentle consciousness surged from the leaves, reaching Nan Feng's soul space. That consciousness was extremely weak, like someone who had been groping in the dark for too long finally seeing a glimmer of light.
"Child... can you hear me?" The consciousness in Nan Feng's soul space transformed into a gentle woman's voice, carrying a weariness born of countless vicissitudes, "Your soul... possesses a power I don't recognize, yet it is pure, more ancient than Divine Power."
Nan Feng spread the light membrane of the Tower Realm around himself, and the cyan-gold light shield covered an area of a hundred paces, isolating all the Spiritual Power fluctuations in the valley. He stood in front of the Blue Silver Emperor, watching the cluster of silver-blue new leaves tremble slightly in the autumn wind.
"Yes," Nan Feng said.
The new leaf of the Blue Silver Emperor shone briefly, and a silvery-blue light surged from it, condensing into a blurry female phantom before Nan Feng. The phantom wore a light blue dress, her long hair cascading down her back, her face delicate and gentle, with an innate tranquility between her brows. Her eyes were silvery-blue, with a faint golden luster deep within her pupils—the original imprint of the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul.
Ah Yin. Nan Feng recognized her. In the original novel, she was Tang San's mother, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor who took human form. She sacrificed herself because of the Spirit Hall's pursuit, leaving her Soul Ring and Soul Bone to Tang San. Her remnant soul slept in the Blue Silver Grass for many years until it was re-formed after Tang San became a god.
"Your soul tells me—you are an upright person." Ah Yin's illusory image floated before Nan Feng, her silver-blue skirt swaying gently around it. "Please... do me a favor."
Her voice was soft, carrying a long-suppressed earnestness. "Tell Tang San that his father, Tang Hao... didn't abandon him intentionally back then. I chose to sacrifice myself not because Tang Hao betrayed me—but because it was my own choice. The Spirit Hall pursuers were closing in, and Tang Hao couldn't escape with Little San. Only by sacrificing myself could I allow him to leave with the child."
Ah Yin's illusory figure paused, a faint tear glistening in her silver-blue pupils. "Tang Hao... he's always lived in guilt. He feels he failed to protect me, which is why he got himself drunk, why he hid in Holy Soul Village as a blacksmith, and why he pretended to be a useless drunkard in front of Little San. He's not a bad person, he's just... too stupid, too stupid to know how to face himself."
Nan Feng remained silent. He recalled Tang San occasionally mentioned his father at the Nuoding Academy, and the smell of alcohol emanating from Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer when Tang Hao appeared and took Tang San away after the Soul Master Tournament finals. Tang Hao had buried himself in the shell of a drunkard, because that shell was easier to accept than facing his wife's sacrifice.
"Senior, did you see Tang Hao clearly?" Nan Feng asked.
Ah Yin's illusory figure paused for a moment, then smiled. The smile was gentle and clear, a golden glint in her silver-blue pupils shining faintly within it. "I see clearly now," she said. "He's just a man who loves me too much but doesn't know how to express it. When I first met him in the Star Dou Great Forest, he was so clumsy he couldn't even speak properly. He held the Clear Sky Hammer, saying he'd protect me, only to be slapped into the river by me. Later, he pursued me for three years, each year with a different reason. The second year he said he wanted to teach me how to use the Blue Silver Grass; the third year he said he wanted to help me find Soul Beast to advance; the fourth year he simply stopped giving reasons and just followed me around every day. I asked him why he followed me, and he said... he said he was afraid I'd run away."
Ah Yin's ethereal image twirled gently in the air, her silver-blue skirt fluttering in the autumn breeze. "He's not a bad person. He's just too stupid. But I still love him."
Nan Feng was deeply moved. Ah Yin's realization was that she "saw Tang Hao's true nature, yet still loved him." She saw Tang Hao's cowardice, clumsiness, and helplessness, and she also saw the true feelings hidden beneath his drunkenness and silence. She chose to say these words as her remnant soul was about to dissipate, not out of resentment, but out of forgiveness.
"Senior," Nan Feng said, "Your remnant soul is in a very bad state. Your Martial Soul Core is burning its Life Origin to maintain the last wisp of consciousness. If this continues, at most three months later, your remnant soul will completely dissipate."
Ah Yin's illusory figure nodded slightly, the silver-blue light dimming slightly. "I know. I've held on for so many years, waiting for Little San to grow up, waiting for him to be able to protect himself. Now he's become a god—I watched his match in the Soul Master Tournament, and when the Sea God Godhood descended, I could feel his aura. He did it. I can rest assured now."
"Your lingering soul need not dissipate," said Nan Feng.
Ah Yin's illusory figure paused slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in her silver-blue pupils.
Nan Feng conjured the tower from his palm. The nine-story bronze tower slowly rotated in the valley, the Return to Origin patterns on the fourth floor gleaming with a bluish-gold light in the twilight. "The path I cultivate is different from the Soul Master system. The fourth floor of my tower possesses the Return to Origin Power, which can repair soul damage; the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at the top of the tower is condensing the Three Lights Divine Water. The Sun Essence can reshape the physical body, the essence of the Moonlight can condense the soul, and the Star Marrow can awaken intelligence. When I cultivate to Immortal Dao, I can use the Three Lights Divine Water to help you reunite your true spirit, repair your Martial Soul Core, and allow you to take form again."
Ah Yin's illusory figure trembled violently. The silver-blue light flickered as it trembled, and the outline of the figure became both blurry and clear, as if it were enduring some kind of intense emotional shock. Her lips moved a few times, but no sound came out. In her silver-blue pupils, the golden luster suddenly shone brightly, then was suppressed again.
"Really?" Her voice was very soft, so soft that it was almost carried away by the autumn wind.
Nan Feng solemnly promised, "Really."
Ah Yin's illusory image remained silent in the air for a long time. The autumn wind in the valley swept past her, carrying fallen leaves, and her silver-blue skirt fluttered gently in the wind. She lowered her head, looking at her hands, which were now semi-transparent, and remained silent.
"Child," she finally spoke, her voice more steady than before, "There is the aura of Primordial Origin within your soul. That power is older than the Divine Realm, more vast than this world. I believe you can do it."
She looked up at Nan Feng, her silver-blue eyes holding a clarity born of experience. "Moreover, if you wish— the Blue Silver Emperor Clan can one day serve under your command. Although I am merely a transformed Blue Silver Emperor, the Blue Silver Emperor Clan's roots are spread across the continent, and every Blue Silver Grass is my subject. Your Primordial World Power can evolve your Martial Soul —if you can help the Blue Silver Emperor Clan break through the 100,000-year limit, they will acknowledge you as their master."
Nan Feng gazed at Ah Yin's illusory figure. She stood in the autumn wind, her silver-blue light appearing exceptionally gentle in the twilight. Her Soul Power was stuck at level seventy-seven, not a multiple of ten. Her Peng Eye quietly shimmered with golden light in her pupils, and the nine lotus Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus Green Lotus and the Martial Soul Core of the Blue Silver Emperor in the Tower Spirit Space pulsed synchronously deep within her senses.
"Okay," Nan Feng said.
Ah Yin's illusory figure smiled, a silver-blue light flashing for a moment within the smile before slowly receding back into the main trunk of the Blue Silver Emperor. The new leaves at the top of the cluster swayed gently in the autumn breeze, their silver-blue luster more stable than before.
"When you've achieved Immortal Dao, come find me in Sunset Forest." Ah Yin's voice came from within the leaves, growing softer and softer. "I'll be here... waiting for you."
The vines of the Blue Silver Emperor slowly closed in the twilight, enveloping the main trunk. The silver-blue light in the valley gradually dimmed, eventually merging into the dense autumn forest. Nan Feng stood in the center of the valley, the light membrane of the Tower Realm slowly retracting from his body, the red ribbon on his left wrist fluttering gently in the evening breeze.
The Old Huai poked its head out from the immortal tree, its semi-transparent remnant soul swaying quietly in the Tower Spirit Space. "The Blue Silver Emperor Clan," the Old Huai tree said with a complex emotion, "The roots of this Blue Silver Emperor tree cover the entire Sunset Forest, even extending to the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. If she truly submits, your Immortal Dao path will gain a force spread across the continent."
Nan Feng sat cross-legged before the Blue Silver Emperor, and the Tower Realm Light Membrane once again formed three layers of protection around him. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in cultivation. In the Tower Spirit Space, the Ice Crystal Amulet floated quietly, its silver-blue ice patterns and emerald green life luster reflecting each other. In his dantian, the emerald green light of the Life Origin Stone, the silver-blue light of the Sea God Divine Power Crystal, and the azure-gold light of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus intertwined deep within his soul, and the spatial law of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch continued to settle in his meridians.
Three months later, Ah Yin's remnant soul will need the Three Lights Divine Water to stabilize, but he still needs to break through to level 79 first, then go to the Abyss to hunt the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python and absorb the seventh ring. After the seventh ring, his Soul Power will soar to around level 85. Then he will need to settle for another two years, find the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to absorb the eighth ring, settle for another two years, and finally obtain the ninth ring from the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. He needs to master all 108 divine abilities one by one, push open all nine layers of the tower, and condense enough Three Lights Divine Water for the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl. After he Foundation Establishment in the Immortal Dao, he can use the Three Lights Divine Water to reshape Ah Yin's soul.
There is still time. But Ah Yin's remnant soul only has three months left. He must break through level 80 and hunt down the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python within three months, absorb the seventh ring, and then use the Samsara Power to stabilize Ah Yin's remnant soul.
Nan Feng opened his eyes. His Peng Eye shimmered with golden light, Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light covered a range of a thousand paces. He stood up and walked towards the valley exit. The red ribbon on his left wrist fluttered in the autumn wind. The Ice Crystal Amulet floated quietly in the Tower Spirit Space, its silver-blue ice patterns and emerald green life luster intertwining deep within his soul. His Soul Power was stuck at level seventy-seven, not a multiple of ten, but his foundation was more solid than before, nourished by the Life Origin Stone and the Ice Crystal Amulet.
Three months. Abyss. Nine Netherworlds Dark Python. Seventh Ring. Then return, use the Samsara Power to stabilize Ah Yin's remnant soul. Then settle, break through, eighth ring, ninth ring, Three Lights Divine Water, revive Ah Yin, Blue Silver Emperor returns to the heart.
Nan Feng emerged from the valley, Shrinking the Ground to an Inch to lightly step on the ground, and his figure disappeared into the twilight deep within the Sunset Forest.