Chapter 261: An Unpleasant Truth
Inside the cave behind the waterfall, the air was damp, and the passage stretched inward, about three meters high and two meters wide.
Darkness filled the tunnel, but it posed no problem for Sun Zhongjing. His divine sense had already mapped out everything ahead, allowing him to move forward effortlessly.
As he reached the end of the passage, the area suddenly brightened. A small stone chamber, roughly ten square meters in size, appeared before him. A hole in the ceiling connected to the outside, allowing light to stream in.
The chamber was completely empty, save for a small mound of soil directly beneath the hole. On this mound grew a single slender Blue Silver Grass, its leaves swaying gently despite the still air.
At first glance, it looked no different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass. But a closer look revealed that its leaves were longer, with delicate golden patterns running through them, giving it an air of nobility like a royalty among Blue Silver Grass.
In reality, this was none other than the previous Blue Silver Emperor Tang San's mother and Tang Hao's wife.
Of course, unlike those two, this one was inherently kind.
As Sun Zhongjing slowly approached, the Blue Silver Emperor sensed an unfamiliar presence and began to tremble slightly.
He knelt down and reached out, letting his fingers brush against its leaves.
The Blue Silver Emperor responded, curling a vine around one of his fingers, its aura filled with childlike confusion like an infant, completely unaware of the world around it.
"Poor little thing. Most of your soul perished with your sacrifice, transforming into a soul ring and soul bone. Only a small fragment of your consciousness remains… and without memories. If left to grow naturally, in another hundred thousand years, when you regain human form, you will be nothing more than a new life with Ah Yin's soul."
Sun Zhongjing sighed.
"A different kind of reincarnation, I suppose."
In essence, this Blue Silver Grass was already a completely new being.
Back then, when the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, sacrificed herself for Tang Hao, she should have perished entirely her soul and cultivation completely burned away to become a spirit ring and soul bone.
But due to the special nature of the Blue Silver Emperor, a small fragment of her soul survived, transforming into a seed.
And that seed was now this very Blue Silver Grass.
Rather than calling it "Ah Yin," Sun Zhongjing felt it was more accurate to call it her daughter a continuation of her life.
This sprout had no memories of its past.
As it grew, its intelligence would gradually develop, forming an entirely new personality.
The soul might have been the same, but the consciousness was no longer the original one.
In the original timeline, Ah Yin was able to fully revive with all her memories intact.
But that was only because Tang Hao's spirit ring and Tang San's 100,000 year old soul bone still retained fragments of her memories.
Through repeated infusion, these memories were forcefully implanted into this young Blue Silver Grass.
Essentially, they erased its original developing consciousness…
And reshaped it into "Ah Yin."
"Tsk. Some things really shouldn't be examined too closely. The deeper you dig, the more unsettling truths you uncover."
"What seems like a beautiful story… isn't always so beautiful after all."
After a moment of reflection, Sun Zhongjing channeled his soul power and carefully uprooted the Blue Silver Emperor, soil and all.
He wasn't doing this out of any devotion to a good wife.
The real reason he had come all this way was simple he didn't want to see this being go to waste.
Tang San was now as good as dead, utterly humiliated and hiding in the shadows of the City of Slaughter like a beaten dog.
Neither he nor Tang Hao had the time or ability to come take care of this poor sprout.
From the state of this place, it was obvious that no one had set foot in this cave for a long time.
Ever since Ye Cheng's arrival on the Douluo Continent, a series of butterfly effects had drastically altered the course of events.
At this rate, the Blue Silver Emperor had no chance of following the original timeline of relying on Tang San's plot armor to survive, grow into a 100,000 year old soul beast, and regain human form.
So, to make up for that, Sun Zhongjing had decided to take it with him.
After all, the potential of the Blue Silver Emperor was quite promising.
And since it was a plant, there were many ways to rapidly accelerate its growth.
With the right methods, he wouldn't have to wait long before gaining a powerful new subordinate.
As for whether this new Blue Silver Emperor would turn against him in the future and defect to Tang San…
That was impossible.
As mentioned before, this wasn't Ah Yin not in the true sense.
The real Ah Yin was long dead.
Only fragments of her memories remained, sealed in Tang Hao's spirit ring and Tang San's soul bone.
Unless this sprout was forcibly infused with those memories while still in its vulnerable state, it would never become "Ah Yin" again.
Once it matured and developed its own identity, even if it later absorbed all of Ah Yin's memories, it wouldn't be affected.
By then, those memories would be nothing more than a story from another person's life like watching a long, dramatic TV series.
It might feel familiar… but it wouldn't change who she was.
As the Blue Silver Emperor, roots and all, floated into the air, it gently landed in Sun Zhongjing's palm.
Looking around, he sighed.
"A shame… the 100,000 year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone isn't here. Looks like Tang San has already absorbed it."
"If I had that soul bone, I could extract its essence to drastically shorten the cultivation process."
With that, Sun Zhongjing secured his prize and flew out of the waterfall.
Picking a direction, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished.
With his current power, while he had yet to ascend to godhood, his full speed flight was still incredibly fast.
In just half an hour, he arrived at Sunset Forest at the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
According to the original novel, this place was a natural treasure trove.
Of course, the "treasure" here wasn't gold or silver, but something far more valuable medicinal herbs.
A unique geothermal phenomenon, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well created an environment where ordinary plants couldn't survive.
Only rare and precious herbs could thrive here.
And under these extreme conditions, these special plants grew at ten times their normal rate.
For example, a Ganoderma mushroom that would normally take ten years to mature would reach the same level of potency in just one year in this environment.
This made the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well the perfect place for a plant type soul beast like the Blue Silver Emperor.
Here, it would experience rapid growth, reaching its peak state in record time.
And from there…
Its new journey would truly begin.
(End of Chapter)
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