Chapter 6: The Soul Ring Came By Its Own?
On the other side, in Ye Xuanming's small courtyard.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the courtyard wall in a warm orange-red hue.
Ye Xuanming pushed open the courtyard gate, then quickly closed it and bolted it shut.
He stood in the courtyard, listened quietly for a while, and only after confirming that there was no unusual noise around him did he quickly cross the courtyard and enter the storage room in the far corner.
He moved aside the pile of firewood, lifted a heavy stone slab, and revealed the dark entrance to a cellar.
He didn't light a lamp, but instead slammed the cellar door shut and bolted it from the inside.
The darkness and the scent of earth enveloped him, isolating him from all outside prying eyes.
Only then did Ye Xuanming finally breathe a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves completely relaxing.
He took the lead box out of his soul guide ring.
The moment the box was opened, a powerful life force burst forth, instantly filling the entire cramped cellar.
The crystal-clear right leg bone lay quietly in the box, its surface shimmering with a soft, pale golden glow.
Ye Xuanming's heart began to beat faster.
He reached out and grasped the soul bone in his palm.
A warm current seeped into his body through his palm, instantly dispelling the fatigue of a long day.
Without further hesitation.
Ye Xuanming sat cross-legged, placed the soul bone on his right leg, closed his eyes, and mobilized the newly evolved Blue Silver Grass soul power within his body to slowly envelop it.
The process of absorbing the soul bone has begun.
A surge of scorching energy rushed wildly into his right leg, tearing at his meridians and assaulting his bones.
Sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.
However, Ye Xuanming's consciousness remained clear to some extent.
He endured the pain and urged the soul power within his body to guide that violent energy again and again.
Just when Ye Xuanming was about to give up, an unexpected change occurred.
Within him, the life essence originating from Ah Yin's original body seemed to be drawn by the aura of the soul bone, flowing actively towards his right leg.
The shared aura caused the still fiercely resisting soul bone to suddenly quiet down.
The repulsive force vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of closeness and kinship.
The raging torrent of energy became docile and began to actively merge with his body.
An indescribable feeling of comfort spread throughout my body.
The blue halo within the dantian dantian spun wildly, absorbing the enormous energy emanating from the soul bone and growing stronger at a visible speed.
Level 6, Level 7, Level 8...
The barriers of soul power were easily broken through layer by layer without any hindrance.
Finally, when the last ray of light on the soul bone merged into his right leg and became one with him, the soul power in his dantian also broke through an invisible barrier with a roar.
Level 10! His soul power has finally reached level 10!
Ye Xuanming suddenly opened his eyes, and a golden light flashed in his eyes.
He felt his body filled with unprecedented power, and the Blue Silver Emperor's body and soul bone modified his device diagram.
Just as he was marveling at the changes in his body, an even more incredible scene unfolded.
A yellow halo appeared without warning beneath his feet, radiating pure soul power.
First spirit ring!
Without hunting any spirit beasts, a spirit ring just appeared on its own?
And judging by the color, it's clearly a hundred-year-old soul ring!
Ye Xuanming was completely stunned.
Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, strands of pale golden light seeped out from the location where the 100,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone had been integrated, intertwining and converging in front of him.
A gentle and ethereal female figure gradually materialized.
She had long, flowing blue hair, a gentle and beautiful face, and eyes that held a hint of dazed confusion as she quietly gazed at Ye Xuanming.
The cellar was pitch black, except for the yellow halo that hovered at his feet, emitting a constant and soft glow.
Ye Xuanming stared blankly at the blue-haired phantom in front of him.
Is this Ah Yin?
How did she end up here?
No, that's not right.
Ye Xuanming could feel that a portion of the newly fused soul bone in his right leg was injected into the phantom, maintaining her soul.
It seems that Ah Yin has become her own spirit?
When the word popped into his mind, Ye Xuanming was startled.
Souls are a concept that will only emerge ten thousand years from now.
Could it be because its Dark Blue Silver Grass devoured her original body and absorbed the 100,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone?
Just as Ye Xuanming's mind was racing, the illusory figure moved.
Ah Yin's brows furrowed slightly, her deep blue eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
She looked down at her almost transparent hands, then at the boy in front of her.
His own Blue Silver Emperor form was devoured by him.
Inside the cave, the boy's sarcastic words inexplicably echoed in her mind.
An indescribable sadness and anger welled up in my heart, dispelling the confusion of my first awakening.
"Who exactly are you?"
Ah Yin's voice remained soft, echoing in the cramped cellar.
"Why!"
Ye Xuanming snapped out of his shock and met Ah Yin's gaze, his expression returning to its usual calm.
"My name is Ye Xuanming."
He paused, then said in a flat tone,
"As for why, with such an opportunity before me, shouldn't I seize it?"
Ah Yin was speechless for a moment.
She had anticipated all sorts of responses: greed, guilt, or justification.
But I never expected it to be such a matter-of-fact question.
After a long silence, Ah Yin finally spoke again, her voice trembling slightly.
"You seem to know me, why...why did you say those things?"
"Those words?"
Ye Xuanming tilted his head, seemingly in recollection.
"Oh, you mean Tang Hao hid you in the cave?"
Upon hearing that name, Ah Yin's phantom trembled violently.
Ye Xuanming ignored her reaction and continued narrating in that emotionless tone.
"Blue Silver Forest, the life force of your countless inhabitants, is your best nourishment."
Your royal bloodline could have allowed you to return to your peak within a century, or even a few decades.
"But he planted you in a dark, damp cave, where you survived on only a tiny ray of light each day."
"You call that love?"
Ye Xuanming's voice was soft, yet it struck Ah Yin's consciousness like a heavy hammer.
Countless fragments of memories churned in my mind.
"I..."
Ah Yin opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Her illusory body grew fainter and fainter, and her consciousness began to blur.
Everything that happened today was a huge shock to her remaining soul.
"I need... to rest..."
Before he finished speaking, Ah Yin's phantom transformed into specks of blue-gold light, like weary birds returning to their forest, and all disappeared into the soul bone of Ye Xuanming's right leg.
Darkness and silence returned to the cellar.
(End of this Chapter)