"Qingzhu? You... you're my mother?" Lin Jing's voice trembled slightly as she looked at the white-robed woman. Hearing Qing Tan call her by that name, coupled with the woman's somewhat familiar facial features, Lin Jing couldn't help but ask. Qingzhu—that was her mother's name. Could this woman standing before her really be her mother?
However, before she could say anything more, the white-robed woman rolled her eyes and said, "Don't go randomly claiming relatives. I'm not your mother. I merely borrowed her appearance temporarily. I'm still young—just five billion years old. I'm far from being mentally prepared for motherhood."
"I see… so you're the so-called Plane's Core," Xiao Yan murmured as he felt the aura emanating from her. Realization dawned on him. Due to his previously limited strength, he hadn't sensed anything amiss, but now, with his power greatly enhanced, he could tell clearly—this woman was not some lingering soul, but rather an energy form.
Now that he understood the truth, Xiao Yan finally grasped why he, despite being at the peak of the Dou Sheng stage at the time, was completely powerless against her. After all, her strength was the embodiment of an entire plane. Even Dou Di-level experts might struggle to resist that. He'd already experienced that fact quite profoundly.
"That's right. I am the Plane's Core—or you can call me the Spirit of the Plane," the white-robed woman nodded. Her words caused the artifact spirits Xiao Yan had just taken in to stir in surprise. Having followed the Symbol Ancestor for so long, they were naturally familiar with the legendary Plane's Core. But to learn that it had actually developed sentience left them speechless.
"Over a decade ago, when the Yimo Emperor broke free from his seal, I sensed something was wrong. So, before he could capture me, I dispersed part of my power to other worlds to seek external help. Most of those fragments perished en route. Only one made it—into your world, young man. It chose you. And as it turns out, that was the right choice." The Plane Spirit looked at Xiao Yan with a rare warmth in her gaze. "You succeeded. You destroyed the Yimo Emperor."
"You do realize you nearly got me killed, don't you?" Xiao Yan said coldly. Had he not created Annihilation of All Living Beings at the critical moment, he would've been crushed by the Primordial Demon Tablet empowered by the plane's might. And she hadn't even warned him about it beforehand. Had he known, he would never have charged into battle right after advancing to the Dou Di level.
"Hey now, I wasn't just watching from the sidelines. I had a plan," the Plane Spirit said, grinning sheepishly. "If you had truly been unable to hold on, I would've used my remaining strength to temporarily suppress the power of the Primordial Demon Tablet. That would've increased your chances of winning. But you were amazing! You managed to defeat him all on your own. As expected from the one I chose!" As she spoke, she even gave Xiao Yan a thumbs-up.
"If I recall correctly, you also said you had no other options at the time?" Xiao Yan said sarcastically, completely unmoved.
The Plane Spirit let out a dry laugh. She really hadn't had a choice back then. She had forcibly pulled him into this world, betting everything on the possibility that he was strong enough. If he hadn't been, it would've been nothing more than a pointless sacrifice.
That said, the fact that Xiao Yan had actually taken down the Yimo Emperor still surprised her. Especially that terrifying technique he developed at the brink of death—it completely overturned her expectations.
"You remember I once told you there would be a great fortune awaiting you?" the Plane Spirit asked as she gathered her thoughts.
"Of course I remember. And I assume that 'fortune' is you, right?" Xiao Yan raised his head and glanced at her with a look that clearly said he'd already seen through it.
With his current strength, few things in the Tianxuan Continent could truly interest him. The Eight Ancestral Symbols were a rare exception, and he had already collected them as war trophies. Though he hadn't refined them yet, it was only a matter of time. As for the remaining fortune—the Plane's Core—it stood alone.
Thinking it over, Xiao Yan realized this Plane Spirit was quite crafty. She'd promised him a great reward once the mission was done, but that 'reward' had been held by the enemy all along. In other words, he had to win it for himself. And yet she had made it sound like she was bestowing some great gift on him. He'd actually expected some kind of divine treasure—what a scam.
"Don't assume you can control the Plane's Core just because you possess it," the Plane Spirit quickly said upon seeing his expression. "If you want to control it, you'll need my approval."
Xiao Yan frowned slightly but didn't argue. She wasn't wrong. If it were that easy, the Symbol Ancestor and the Yimo Emperor wouldn't have spent decades vying for it. Even the Yimo Emperor had only managed to erode it slowly over more than ten years. He couldn't refine it, only corrupt and use portions of its power.
"The Plane's Core is the condensed essence of the entire world," she explained. "Whoever controls it becomes the master of this world and can wield its full power. But to do that, one must possess the will to protect all living beings."
"That's it?" Lin Jing blurted out in surprise. To her, protecting life was only natural.
"Little girl," the Plane Spirit said with a faint smile, "the kind of will I mean must be absolutely pure. No selfish motives allowed. Back then, even the so-called savior Symbol Ancestor failed to meet that requirement. He wasn't of this world, and he harbored personal desires, so he was rejected."
"Of course, nothing is absolute. If the Plane's Core faces extreme danger, I can slightly lower the threshold," she added casually.
"So according to your logic, I'll never be able to control it?" Xiao Yan's brows furrowed. In this regard, he wasn't even on par with the Symbol Ancestor. He wasn't from this world, and he certainly didn't have any grand ambitions of saving it. By all accounts, he didn't meet the criteria at all. Did that mean everything he'd done here was ultimately meaningless?
That didn't sit well with him. If he couldn't earn it, maybe he should just copy the Yimo Emperor—erode it himself, starting with wiping out a portion of this world…
"I told you, nothing is absolute." The Plane Spirit's expression suddenly turned odd as Xiao Yan's killing intent surfaced. "It's true you don't have a noble will to protect all beings. But with your temperament, if this world became your personal domain, you wouldn't allow anyone to damage it, right? Wouldn't that also count as a kind of protection?"
(End of Chapter)
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