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Heaven Dou Empire — the wilderness.
"Lan, you've been here a few days now — what soul beast are you waiting for?" Silver Wolf asked curiously.
Ye Lan slowly opened his eyes. "I'm waiting for someone. Tang Hao left three days ago."
"What? Tang Hao was nearby before?" Silver Wolf was startled. He was even more amazed that Ye Lan could sense Tang Hao's location — Tang Hao was not an ordinary Title Douluo. He was one of the very few Super Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring; his perception was terrifyingly sharp.
Ye Lan shook his head. "Tang Hao isn't here now. He was on a peak thousands of meters away earlier. He's gone. Let's head over — there's a little surprise there."
"A little surprise?" Silver Wolf grew curious but still followed Ye Lan toward the distant mountain range.
Ye Lan thought Silver Wolf's flying speed wasn't fast enough and directly activated Flash. A golden soul light appeared around the wolf, boosting his speed by one hundred and fifty percent.
The silver meteor that was Silver Wolf instantly became a massive golden comet. In a blink, trees became blurred streaks and they arrived at the foot of the mountains.
Ye Lan pointed in one direction; Silver Wolf understood and flew toward a peak that looked like a volcano.
To Silver Wolf's amazement, halfway up they found a flat valley. Inside the valley lay a huge lake, with a waterfall hundreds of meters long pouring down.
"Tang Hao and his son are hiding here? This cursed place has no village before or after — no wonder we couldn't find Tang Hao. I thought they had gone to the Star Luo Empire," Silver Wolf sighed.
Ye Lan stared at the distant waterfall, his mind far from calm.
This was the first step in his revenge against Tang Hao. Since Tang Hao had taken what was most important to him—
Then Tang Hao, your wife is gone.
I also want you to know what losing something feels like.
"Lan, what's wrong?" Silver Wolf sensed Ye Lan's mood shift.
"Nothing. Wolf-uncle, take me to that waterfall. I sense a vigorous life force of Blue Silver Grass there," Ye Lan said. Although he had located the Blue Silver Emperor originally based on Tang Hao's position, he hadn't lied to Silver Wolf — he truly could sense the Blue Silver Emperor nearby through his Nature Domain. The Blue Silver Emperor's life force was incomparably greater than ordinary Blue Silver Grass. If a normal Blue Silver Grass's life was a grain of sand, the Blue Silver Emperor's life was the size of an egg.
"Blue Silver Grass at the waterfall? Strange," Silver Wolf said. Then the two drew closer.
As they neared, the air grew damper with mist — a pleasant scent. Approaching more closely, a blue shield appeared around both of them.
Ye Lan activated Perfect Shield. The violent rushing water of the waterfall met the shield and became tame as a lamb. After all, Perfect Shield originated from Ultimate Water; ordinary water was like a commoner before an emperor.
They plunged into the waterfall and found themselves facing an immense cliff of stone.
Just as Silver Wolf wondered where Blue Silver Grass could possibly be, eight black tentacles sprouted from behind Ye Lan — the Ancient Beast's Touches — and lashed toward a smooth section of the cliff wall.
Thud!
The stone wall was pierced in an instant. A black cavern opened up — about three meters tall and two meters wide.
Silver Wolf's eyes brightened. The explorer in him stirred. "Little Lan, is there treasure inside? Maybe Tang Hao hid his stash here?"
Ye Lan glanced at Wolf-uncle with surprise; he hadn't expected the old wolf to guess correctly.
"It should be. The outer wall looks obviously crafted by Tang Hao," Ye Lan said.
"Come on, come on — I want to see what he hid!" Silver Wolf said, and they entered the cavern.
The cave was extremely damp and grew darker the further they went. If Ye Lan hadn't activated Golden Gaze, they might have staggered into the stone wall. That the Blue Silver Emperor could survive such extreme conditions showed the plant's incredible vitality.
As Silver Wolf slowed, Ye Lan realized the dim light made it hard even for a Title Douluo to see. He summoned Blue Silver Grass — Radiant Being. A golden, galaxy-veined vine sprang forth, instantly illuminating the chamber.
Only then did Silver Wolf see they were in a stone chamber. Apart from a single plant, the room was empty.
"Lan, is this the Blue Silver Grass you spoke of? It doesn't look like the ones outside. It's somewhat like yours, but nowhere near as strong," Silver Wolf said with disappointment about the Blue Silver Emperor.
Ye Lan fixed his gaze on the plant. The Blue Silver Emperor there was a run-down golden-veined Blue Silver Grass. When Ye Lan summoned his Blue Silver Grass — Radiant Being, this plant bowed low as if worshiping a king.
If the Blue Silver Emperor was the sovereign of Blue Silver Grass, then Ye Lan was its god.
Seeing the Blue Silver Emperor, rage flickered through Ye Lan — it was Tang Hao's wife.
Ye Lan intended to strangle the Blue Silver Emperor on the spot to avenge his parents. But before he acted, the Blue Silver Emperor seemed to sense the Blue Silver God's anger. Its posture became even lower; it lay completely flat against the stone floor.
It crawled slowly toward Ye Lan, trembling as if terrified of the god. As the Blue Silver Emperor, it wanted to quell the deity's wrath — when it reached Ye Lan's feet it wound itself around his calves and shoes, appearing to beg him not to be angry. If kicking it would ease Ye Lan's anger, then let the Lord God kick it.
"This Blue Silver Grass seems sentient — Little Lan, it's very attached to you," Silver Wolf observed, puzzled but surprised at the plant's behavior.
Ye Lan's anger eased slightly at the plant's submissive posture. After all, the Blue Silver Emperor was also a victim — a naive young thing misled by Tang Hao. The deaths of his parents had little to do with the plant itself.
More importantly, Ye Lan, as the wielder of the Blue Silver Grass — Radiant Being martial soul, naturally attracted Blue Silver Grass. These plants seemed like his most loyal subjects, forever devoted to him.
Looking at the obedient Blue Silver Emperor, Ye Lan considered how to handle A-Yin.
He had come not only to deal with the Blue Silver Emperor but also to take the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right-Leg Bone. Although that soul bone would be somewhat extraneous for Ye Lan personally, he could gift it to Lingling — the Nine Hearts Sacred Banyan martial soul had limited healing for Lingling, and the bone's "wild-fire-regrow" trait would greatly enhance her survivability. Ye Lan's own Blue Silver Grass life-conversion sufficed for him. The bone's other skill, Flight, was also of little use to Ye Lan — he already possessed Water Flame.
Whether for himself or for Lingling, Ye Lan had no intention of leaving the hundred-thousand-year soul bone for Tang San. Robbing Tang San of such a bone would strengthen Ye Lan further — and the Blue Silver Emperor itself did not necessarily have to die.
Seeing how humble the Blue Silver Emperor was, Ye Lan thought of something that would hurt Tang Hao even more.
He had promised Uncle Tao he would let Tang Hao die in utter despair.
So Ye Lan forced down the urge to destroy the Blue Silver Emperor and instead walked to its root.
Silver Wolf looked puzzled as Ye Lan's fingers glowed with golden soul light. Ye Lan drew his finger across his wrist; a bead of blood welled up.
"Lan?!" Silver Wolf called out.
"Wolf-uncle, I'm fine. This Blue Silver Grass is in poor condition; I'll nourish it with blood. My blood is very effective for plants," Ye Lan said calmly.
A verdant-green domain flashed out from Ye Lan. The Blue Silver Emperor's growth rate instantly multiplied tenfold.
With the combination of the God's blood of Blue Silver and the Nature Domain, the lanky Blue Silver Emperor ravenously absorbed Ultimate Life Force. In a mere dozen seconds, Silver Wolf watched in astonishment as the plant swelled from the thickness of a pinky to the thickness of a thumb.
"Little Lan, it's like it became a century-old Blue Silver Grass already!?" Silver Wolf exclaimed. He hadn't expected Ye Lan to cultivate it to a hundred-level soul beast in so short a time.
Having absorbed the Ultimate Life-Blood, the Blue Silver Emperor completely submitted to Ye Lan. It longed to be near the golden-haired god.
"Is the lord god here to save me?" it seemed to ask, winding about Ye Lan's calves and rubbing them as if seeking favor.
Sensing the plant's devotion, Ye Lan relaxed. The Nature Domain and his blood exerted irresistible attraction on plants, especially those sharing his origin.
Ye Lan's Blue Silver bloodline was rich — before awakening his Blue Silver Grass — Radiant Being, his hair had been deep blue. The plant's affinity for him came naturally.
"Wolf-uncle, knock the nearby stone wall and see if there's a mechanism," Ye Lan said.
Silver Wolf brightened at the idea. Of course — Tang Hao would not create a secret chamber and leave only a single Blue Silver Grass inside. Borrowing the light of Ye Lan's Radiant Being, Silver Wolf knocked across the wall.
Before he had struck many times, the Blue Silver Emperor crawled down Ye Lan's leg and up the wall, climbing to about one to one-and-a-third meters in height. It began to coil and knot itself on the stone.
Silver Wolf laughed. "Little Lan, I told you — this Blue Silver Grass has intelligence. The mechanism must be there!"
With a flash, Silver Wolf moved the Blue Silver Grass aside and knocked the stone. Crack! Thud!
A black box fell from above and smashed into the center of the chamber. It was about one and a half meters long — made of black metal. Silver Wolf was astonished.
"Lan, open it! Tang Hao really did hide something good here!"
Ye Lan nodded. He wanted to see whether the soul bone remained.
He slapped the edge of the box. At once he took a step back.
The lid flipped open, releasing three intense soul-power surges into the air.
Silver Wolf's face changed. He had forgotten about such traps. He instantly ran soul power and intercepted the three waves.
Silver light collided with black-blue soul power. Without a host to maintain them, Tang Hao's left traps and the Blue Silver Emperor's residual power were like rootless currents.
They vanished under Silver Wolf's suppression in less than a second.
Ye Lan frowned as he watched the fading energies.
Of course — the son of a rat would make burrows. Tang Hao having a son who specialized in hidden weapons made sense. In the original tale, Tang San was caught by these three soul surges and Tang Hao spent half an hour clearing them.
(Side note: finding a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone is really tough — tricky to locate, and the box had a hidden trap =_= )
After Silver Wolf dispelled the leftover soul power and a gentle trace from A-Yin, he peered into the box.
Inside lay a pristine soul bone, gleaming a translucent blue-gold, as if tiny starlights shimmered within.
"Lan, come quick! This soul bone is probably a hundred-thousand-year bone," Silver Wolf exclaimed, sensing the immense life force radiating from it. He wondered where Tang Hao had obtained such a bone, then cried out, "Quick, quick! Absorb it — it looks like the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right-Leg Bone! It's extremely compatible with your Blue Silver Grass!"
Ye Lan was still tending the Blue Silver Emperor and didn't immediately reply. After the plant led them to the mechanism, it wound around Ye Lan's thigh, trembling as if expecting reward.
Ye Lan felt the Blue Silver Emperor's eager heart and patted its stem.
The plant trembled in joy, its golden leaves quivering as if honored by the touch. Then it slithered off Ye Lan's leg and crawled to the black box, nodding to the inside — as if urging Ye Lan to take the hundred-thousand-year bone.
Ye Lan watched the bone in the box. It was beautiful — but its soul skills were somewhat redundant for him.
"Wolf-uncle, do you want to absorb this bone? I'm a bit reluctant to take it," Ye Lan said.
At once the Blue Silver Emperor's tip drooped; it sensed Ye Lan's slight disdain for its bone.
"Little Lan, what are you saying? This bone was how you found Tang Hao's location. It's a waste for me to use it merely to improve physique. Absorbing this bone would only grant a couple more skills," Silver Wolf insisted.
"This bone doesn't match me either. You should take it — increase your physique and later the years of soul rings you can absorb will be higher," he added.
Hearing Silver Wolf's care warmed Ye Lan. He knew the old wolf was looking out for him. A hundred-thousand-year soul bone was no common treasure — it could be a peerless heirloom passed down for generations.
Ye Lan hadn't expected Wolf-uncle to be so generous. He had not taken the ten-thousand-year gem bone earlier nor this hundred-thousand-year bone now.
But Ye Lan knew the bone's skills.
"Wolf-uncle, I won't absorb it. It's the Blue Silver Emperor's right-leg bone. My martial soul shares origin with it, so I can roughly sense its skills: one is a restorative skill and the other is flight. I already have both those skills, so take it for yourself," Ye Lan said gratefully.
"No, no — I'm your elder; I can't just take what you don't want. Since you don't want it, keep it. If you find another suitable hundred-thousand-year bone later, you can trade," Silver Wolf replied.
After Wolf-uncle's repeated refusal, Ye Lan relented. "Alright, I'll hold onto it for now. If I get something better, I'll give this to Lingling."
"Good. This bone would be perfect for Lingling," Silver Wolf nodded.
"Wolf-uncle, wait — I'll take this Blue Silver Grass with me," Ye Lan said. He gathered the Blue Silver Emperor, including the soil in the stone crevice, into his Ruyi Treasure Pouch.
Living plants were best stored in the pouch.
Silver Wolf muttered, impressed: "This Blue Silver Grass has incredible vitality — how can it survive in such a sunless environment?"
"Alright, Wolf-uncle, let's go to Sunset Forest now," Ye Lan said.
"Fine. Little Lan, wherever you say, we go," Silver Wolf replied.
Elsewhere in the Heaven Dou Empire, in the forest outskirts.
Tang Hao led Tang San at speed. Near the Blue Silver Forest, he sighed: "Little San, we're almost there. Your Blue Silver—"
"—is—" Tang Hao suddenly clutched his chest and fell to the ground in agony, yelling out in pain.
Tang San watched his father's suffering and panicked. "Dad, Dad, what's wrong?!"
Tang San thought back to the times he had felt a sudden pain in his own heart. Could his father be the same?
"A-Yin!! A-Yin!!" Tang Hao's face twisted with pain as he cried out, then bore down in fury: "How dare you call her by that name? She's your mother!"
"Mother… mother!? Dad, I'm sorry — I didn't know… I actually have a mother!?" Tang San's face lit up, then fell into shock when he saw Tang Hao's expression change.
"Dad, did something happen to Mom!?" Tang San blurted.
Tang Hao's face grew dark. He looked toward the forest not far away, hesitated, and said, "Little San, wait here."
"I'll go find your mother."
He unleashed all the soul power in his body and tore off at full speed toward the forest.
"A-Yin… please, whatever it is, don't be harmed," Tang Hao murmured, clinging to hope.
When he sensed the mechanism on the box storing the Blue Silver Emperor's soul bone had been triggered, he had a premonition that he was losing something. He prayed the thief would only take the soul bone and leave — please, do not take A-Yin…
He dared not think further. He had spent days training Tang San and was flying at top speed.
In seven to eight hours, he arrived at the peak where he and A-Yin had first met. Not pausing to admire the hundred-meter waterfall, Tang Hao charged into it, a black soul power flashing in his palm. He pulled a glimmering soul stone from his soul conduit and used its light to guide him into the cave.
As the cave grew damper and narrower, he burst into the stone chamber. At its center lay a massive black box and its discarded lid.
Tang Hao stepped over the box and glanced inside.
It was empty. His heart sank.
He lifted his eyes slowly, silently repeating a prayer.
Don't be gone!
Don't be gone!
Don't be gone!
As his gaze rose higher, he saw a round pit of earth where the Blue Silver Emperor had been.
He stared at the dark brown hole, stunned.
A-Yin? Where is my A-Yin?
Tang Hao felt all his strength drain. He collapsed forward, his knees slamming into the ground. Hands braced on the floor, he could hardly believe what he saw.
Impossible. Impossible!!
He must be dreaming.
He slapped himself hard.
Smack!
His head cleared. He looked again at where the Blue Silver Emperor had stood — only a pit remained.
"No!!! A-Yin!!!" Tang Hao howled to the heavens, his agonized cries bouncing and echoing around the stone chamber.
In that moment, the entire world consisted only of Tang Hao's wails.
"Who!? Who stole my A-Yin!?" he screamed. "I'll kill you! Give me back my A-Yin!!"
The proud, macho Tang Hao was now soaked in tears. He sobbed, nose running, utterly broken. For the first time since earlier mistakes, he truly felt the pain of loss.
He remembered how he had been blinded by the lure of the hundred-thousand-year soul ring and bone. In the end, under his own designs, A-Yin sacrificed herself. Only then did he realize the one he truly loved in the world was A-Yin — not those soul rings or bones.
After her death, A-Yin had left behind a single seed. He had treasured that seed and planted it in the sunless chamber to protect it from harm.
Although Tang Hao had reasons he could not face A-Yin then, the one thing he could not bear was losing her again.
Now his heart felt ripped apart.
Far away, Ye Lan yawned once, inwardly amused as if someone had cursed him.
Tang Hao? Haha — I wonder if Tang Hao has returned to the cave yet to search for A-Yin.
If he does, and he sees the pit… he will be overwhelmed with agony.
Tang Hao — this is what you owe me.
From now on, your wife will be my maid.
(End of Chapter)