"What happened to Kainekis?"
Di Wan looked at the red-haired man who had fainted and was being held up by You Chen's soul power, silently sweating.
You Chen glanced at Di Wan and said indifferently, "This guy is stubborn. He even said he wanted to capture me. He's heard so many of my secrets. What do you think I should do?"
Di Wan's sweat increased. He forced a smile and asked, "Uh, You Chen, if I hadn't agreed earlier, would I have ended up like Kainekis?"
"What do you think?" You Chen smiled.
Di Wan wisely stopped pressing the issue.
"Alright. I have things to attend to now. Take my token and go to this inn in Heaven Dou City. Someone will meet you there."
As he spoke, You Chen tossed out his alliance leader token.
Di Wan caught the token and pouted, "You're really a busy man now. You were so serious and earnest earlier, but now that we've joined, you're just handing us off to someone else?"
You Chen's mouth twitched, "Are you acting like a resentful housewife? Fine, once I'm done with my tasks, I'll find you for a drink."
Then, You Chen suddenly smiled mysteriously and added, "By the way, I'll find you an excellent sparring partner. For now, Kainekis is your responsibility."
Fortunately, according to his prior investigation, these three were loners in Spirit Hall City, with only a few close friends at most, and no families to worry about.
In other words, arranging for these three meant there was no need to worry about their families being targeted in the future.
"Hey, wait."
Di Wan hurriedly grabbed the unconscious Kainekis and asked anxiously, "What do we do when he wakes up? Orge and I can barely handle him together, but if he tries to run, we can't stop him!"
Orge nodded in agreement, "It's difficult, but I'll do my best."
Seeing Orge nod, Di Wan thought they were on the same page, but hearing this, his face twisted in anger, "What the hell, Orge? What's going on with you?"
You Chen interrupted their conversation, "Kainekis won't wake up for at least a day or two. By the time you reach Heaven Dou City, if he still wants to cause trouble, a Titled Douluo will suppress him. There's nothing to worry about."
Di Wan started sweating again, "Wait, You Chen, what exactly did you do to Kainekis? I thought you just knocked him out…"
You Chen said in an extremely calm and natural tone, "Nothing much, just a little mental technique. There won't be any side effects."
What You Chen used on Kainekis was naturally the same method that had caused Bo Saixi to faint earlier.
Kainekis's mental power was only at the Spirit Abyss level. You Chen didn't even need to weaken him beforehand. With a single Soul Shackling Art, Kainekis immediately fell unconscious.
After giving his instructions, You Chen truly bid farewell to the three and returned to the place where he had first landed.
He looked at the armless woman waiting there with a lifeless expression and smiled with satisfaction.
"Let's go, Xi Xi. I said I'd take you around the Douluo Continent. I can't go back on my word."
He held Bo Saixi and soared into the sky again.
Bo Saixi silently watched the scenery rapidly receding.
If it were before, Bo Saixi might have misunderstood.
But now she clearly knew that You Chen wasn't just taking her out for a sightseeing trip. Every time You Chen went somewhere, it wasn't just aimless wandering—he had a clear purpose.
Although You Chen avoided Bo Saixi during some actions and conversations, never revealing his plans, after such a long time, as someone who shared his bed, just by observing You Chen, Bo Saixi realized that he was not someone who would settle for mediocrity.
Bo Saixi was no stranger to Spirit Hall City. During her earlier hesitation and internal conflict, she had also pondered You Chen's purpose for coming here.
But…
'It doesn't matter anymore.'
She was like a walking corpse, simply being carried by You Chen as they flew.
After an unknown amount of time, as the sun began to set and the orange-yellow light of dusk bathed the land, Bo Saixi suddenly realized they had arrived at an incredibly vast grassland.
To be precise, a grassland of Blue Silver Grass.
The endless Blue Silver Grass was draped in a golden veil under the twilight glow. For the first time, Bo Saixi felt that this common, ordinary plant could give her such a beautiful and stunning impression.
"Do you like it?"
You Chen noticed the spark of life returning to Bo Saixi's face and couldn't help but ask with a smile.
"…"
The momentary awe on Bo Saixi's face quickly returned to lifelessness.
Yes, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, as long as she was by You Chen's side, she was just a caged bird without freedom. She wasn't even as free as the Blue Silver Grass rooted in the earth.
The man holding her body was just a devil in human skin. She wouldn't be tempted by his allure anymore, as it would only lead to more painful outcomes.
Seeing Bo Saixi's spirit sink again, You Chen didn't feel defeated or anxious.
Humans are fascinating creatures.
As long as they can see real hope, they won't fall into absolute despair.
There's a saying You Chen agreed with: Life will find its way.
For Bo Saixi, who had no choices left and couldn't even commit suicide under You Chen's surveillance, the only path left was to be tamed.
And in this process, You Chen didn't need to do anything more. She would hypnotize herself, forcing herself to accept this outcome.
The moment Bo Saixi gave up on escaping, You Chen's final act of taming her as a slave was complete.
The rest was just a matter of the path ahead.
You Chen then retracted his gaze and headed straight for the core of this Blue Silver Grass grassland.
At this moment, even without deliberately releasing her mental power, Bo Saixi could clearly sense the powerful soul power fluctuations of the soul beast.
It was the target of You Chen's trip—the Blue Silver King. The very soul beast that had become Tang San's life-bound Spirit Ring in the original story.
Sensing You Chen's unfamiliar aura, the Blue Silver King, with its 85,000 years of cultivation, immediately controlled countless Blue Silver Vines to shoot into the sky.
But such attacks couldn't even scratch You Chen's skin.
Still, You Chen manipulated the Stardust Power to form a circular barrier around himself and Bo Saixi. The countless Blue Silver Vines disintegrated upon contact with the barrier.
Just as the Blue Silver King was about to continue its desperate struggle, You Chen took out the Blue Silver Emperor from his storage soul tool.
"Your Majesty! Why do you have Her Majesty's body!?"
It didn't matter if it died, but if the Blue Silver Emperor was harmed, it would be an unforgivable sin!
Out of fear for the Blue Silver Emperor, the Blue Silver King immediately stopped all attacks and, without considering the possibility of mental backlash, actively sent a mental message to You Chen.
"Blue Silver King, you don't need to know why. I just need you and your subjects to sacrifice to the Blue Silver Emperor now. You know this is the only way to revive her!"
You Chen didn't hide his purpose for coming here, demanding that the Blue Silver King and the life force of this Blue Silver Grass grassland sacrifice to the Blue Silver Emperor.
Compared to beast-type hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, plant-type hundred-thousand-year soul beasts had a unique advantage in reviving after sacrifice.
After being nurtured in the core of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Blue Silver Emperor had already sprouted from its original seed form. With the life force of this Blue Silver Grass grassland and the Blue Silver King, it would definitely complete its revival!
"...Human, I don't trust you." The Blue Silver King gave the expected response.
You Chen didn't reply, just silently watched the Blue Silver King.
Then, as You Chen had anticipated, the Blue Silver King continued, "But this is indeed the only way to revive Her Majesty! Even if it's a trap, I choose to accept it! Your Majesty, accept the power of your subjects!"
In an instant, an immense aura suddenly surged forth. This aura didn't just come from the Blue Silver King before them but from the entire forest.
A blue glow quietly emerged from each Blue Silver Grass. A single Blue Silver Grass might only emit a tiny blue light point, but when the blue light from billions of Blue Silver Grass gathered together, it formed a blue ocean.
Countless light points converged and madly surged into the Blue Silver Emperor.
Watching this scene, You Chen's expression remained calm, but Bo Saixi couldn't hide her shock.
She watched as the Blue Silver Emperor's aura rapidly skyrocketed, exclaiming in her heart, 'This, this is a miracle of life!'
Then, something even more shocking happened.
The Blue Silver Emperor, which had been suspended in mid-air during the sacrifice, gradually grew and finally transformed into a stunning woman with long blue hair.
A blue-golden dress covered her entire body, and her noble and elegant temperament accentuated her otherworldly beauty. Her sapphire-blue eyes were flawless like blue crystals. Golden ribbons fluttered around the hem of her dress, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.
Both were predominantly blue, but if Bo Saixi was sacred and noble, seemingly approachable yet subtly aloof and authoritative, this woman, while equally elegant, had a serene and gentle aura. Just looking at her brought a sense of relaxation and connection with nature.
You Chen showed no surprise or fluctuation at A Yin's appearance.
When soul beasts took human form, as long as their original bodies weren't too unsightly, they could possess nearly perfect looks and figures.
For example, Xiao Wu, whose original form was just a Soft Bone Rabbit, grew up to be a stunning beauty.
But as the original story's first female lead paired with the male protagonist, Xiao Wu was undoubtedly outstanding among her kind, at least in terms of appearance surpassing her mother.
Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful with an ethereal, otherworldly aura, but her body proportions were also perfect, making her the top beauty among the three beauties in the original story (in the original, Xiao Wu was the tallest among the three, standing over six feet tall. As a child, she was a cute loli, but as she grew, she became a long-legged, super leggy beauty).
The foundation for a soul beast's human form's appearance was already set.
And the Blue Silver Emperor, with her noble bloodline, was the strongest among her kind, the absolute ruler recognized by all.
Her human form's beauty naturally couldn't be lacking.
Even compared to Bo Saixi, she was equally stunning, both belonging to the top tier of beauties who transcended ordinary standards.
"Who… am I?"
Slowly descending from the sky, supported by soul power, A Yin murmured in confusion.
The withered Blue Silver Grass on the ground made her feel a deep sense of closeness and pity. Instinctively, she wanted to release the Blue Silver Domain to replenish the life force of the withered Blue Silver Grass.
At this moment, You Chen suddenly appeared in A Yin's line of sight, wrapping his arm around her slender waist.
Strangely, A Yin felt an inexplicable inability to resist as she looked at the unfamiliar man before her.
You Chen smiled slightly, leaning close to A Yin's ear, and said, "You are my slave."
"Slave?"
A Yin's expression trembled.
If she had revived normally, A Yin wouldn't have forgotten her past memories.
But You Chen obviously couldn't allow A Yin to revive with her memories intact.
Not a single word, action, or thought was left to chance!
Brainwashing a normal hundred-thousand-year soul beast was extremely difficult, but brainwashing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast with a completely dormant soul was even easier than planting the Seed of Fear in Hu Liena.
When You Chen planted A Yin in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he showed no mercy, completely wiping her memories clean.
After awakening his Divine Sense and mastering hypnosis, he had also planted a mental restriction in A Yin's soul during the journey, making it impossible for her to defy him.
Directly twisting someone's thoughts was something even a god couldn't do, but completely erasing someone's thoughts and then coloring them with his own was relatively easier.
A normal person would instinctively resist such manipulation, even if it led to mental collapse, they wouldn't let the manipulator succeed.
But a hundred-thousand-year soul beast with a completely dormant soul after sacrifice was an exception.
Everything went very smoothly.
A Yin had lost her memories, but like many amnesiacs, she hadn't lost her knowledge. After all, if some knowledge was lost, she would essentially regress to the intelligence of an infant.
This retention of knowledge was naturally a biological self-preservation mechanism.
A Yin understood what a slave was, but she lacked an emotional understanding of it. However, she instinctively felt resistance to the idea of becoming someone else's slave.
Yet, as You Chen's eyes met hers, A Yin's restless heart inexplicably calmed.
"As for your name…"
You Chen recalled A Yin's ethereal, fairy-like aura upon her resurrection and smiled, "From now on, you shall be called Ling Xian. 'Ling' as in spirit, 'Xian' as in fairy."
"Yes, thank you, Master, for bestowing this name." A Yin—now Ling Xian—accepted her identity as a slave and smiled serenely at You Chen.
But this smile only sent a chill down Bo Saixi's spine as she witnessed the entire process.
With the mental restriction in her soul and You Chen's hypnosis right beside her, Ling Xian naturally wouldn't rebel.
Over time, as the blank slate was colored, obedience to You Chen would become the very essence of Ling Xian's existence. Even if the mental restriction and hypnosis were removed, it would be useless.
"Master."
Ling Xian suddenly hesitated as she looked at the Blue Silver Grass beneath her feet, "Seeing these little grasses so fragile makes me feel sad. I feel like I can do something…"
"No, Ling Xian, that's just your imagination."
You Chen smiled, "You don't need to pay attention to or care about anything other than me. These Blue Silver Grass are just weeds."
You Chen gently waved his hand, and a vast, ocean-like surge of Stardust Power swept out, instantly covering the entire Blue Silver Grass grassland. With overwhelming force, it purified and dissolved everything, not even leaving the roots behind.
The Blue Silver King, weakened after the sacrifice, had been suppressed by You Chen's terrifying mental power from the start, unable to send out a single message. It, too, was casually obliterated by You Chen.
Thus, the Blue Silver King and the Blue Silver Grass grassland, which had greatly altered Tang San's fate in the original story, were completely eradicated.
There were countless Blue Silver Grass in the world, but on the Douluo Continent, there was no second place where Tang San could awaken his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
If Tang San still wanted to awaken the Blue Silver Emperor, he would have to cross the sea to the Sun Moon Continent to seek his fortune. But the chances of success there were practically negligible.
Seeing the now empty grassland, Ling Xian felt a pang in her heart, but as she looked at You Chen's smile, she ultimately nodded in confusion, "I understand, Master."
Seeing Ling Xian as docile as a lamb before him, You Chen's smile finally carried a hint of genuine warmth.
He was indeed in a very good mood.
If one were to pinpoint the key moments in Tang San's fate, there were only a few, and awakening the Blue Silver Emperor was arguably as important as obtaining the Sea God's Godhood Trial.
It didn't directly boost Tang San's strength as much as the Sea God's Godhood Trial did, and considering that Tang San rarely used the Blue Silver Emperor in combat later on, the claim of enhancing his Martial Soul and potential had to be taken with a grain of salt.
Its greatest contribution to Tang San was resolving a hidden danger within him!
The original story explicitly stated: "Tang San didn't know that among his two Martial Souls, the hammer was supposed to grant him soul power. However, due to the Blue Silver Grass, some negative mutations had occurred between the two Martial Souls. Additionally, the fusion process between the Profound Heaven Skill and his Martial Soul meant that no soul power seemed to appear during his Martial Soul awakening." [PS: From Chapter 7, Xiao Wu (2)]
This essentially hinted that while Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul was normal, the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul indeed had some issues. This also laid the groundwork for Tang San's later awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor.
With the help of the Profound Heaven Skill, this hidden danger was temporarily masked but not truly resolved.
Just look at the Spirit Rings Tang San chose later.
Out of his first four Spirit Rings, three were related to poison.
Perhaps even the original author realized that, based on the characteristics of the Blue Silver Domain, poison wasn't a suitable attribute for Blue Silver Grass. Thus, during the awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor, it was specifically mentioned—the life force of countless Blue Silver Grass merged into Tang San's first four Spirit Rings.
The original text stated: "The four Spirit Rings on Tang San's body emitted a blue-gold luster… (omission)… At first glance, these four Spirit Rings seemed no different from before. But in reality, they were no longer the four Spirit Rings of the Blue Silver Grass but the four Spirit Rings of the Blue Silver King."
In the later stages, Tang San's Martial Soul showed no issues, which was likely due to the purification of his Martial Soul by the countless Blue Silver Grass.
Without this, the originally flawed Martial Soul, combined with unsuitable Spirit Rings and the burden of dual Martial Souls on a Soul Master…
It's not that his path would be completely cut off, but Tang San certainly wouldn't have grown as smoothly as he did in the original story.
In the later stages, the intense conflict between his two Martial Souls could have even led to one of them exploding.
After collecting the Spirit Bones dropped by the ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass in the grassland, You Chen left the area with his two female slaves and began heading back, flying east toward Suotuo City.
…
"Hmm?"
In Suotuo City, in the shadow of a hill near Shrek Academy, Tang Hao suddenly looke
d up, a terrifying glint flashing in his eyes. The calm expression on his face could no longer be maintained.
'This aura is… A Yin's Spirit Bone! It's that person who stole A Yin's Spirit Bone!'
He glanced in the direction of the academy, thinking that leaving for a short while wouldn't cause any problems, and immediately sprinted toward the aura that seemed to be leisurely leaving Suotuo City.
It was the back of a man.
Tang Hao saw him heading out of the city, which suited his intentions perfectly, and silently followed.
After the man had walked several kilometers out of Suotuo City, Tang Hao unleashed his immense spiritual pressure without any restraint or suppression, directly bearing down on the man.
Tang Hao, wrapped in a tattered cloak, emerged from the shadows, his voice hoarse and low, "Tell me, where did you get that right leg bone?"
Of course, Tang Hao wanted to kill the man on the spot to vent his hatred, but more than taking the man's life or satisfying his anger, he was more concerned about how the man had obtained that Spirit Bone.
If he wasn't mistaken, the man before him was definitely connected to the Spirit Hall! In Tang Hao's eyes, only those despicable and vile creatures would do such a thing!
"Heh heh heh."
Despite being enveloped by Tang Hao's spiritual pressure, the man showed no discomfort. Instead, he sneered, "Tang Hao, you don't think that just because you're a Titled Douluo, you can be invincible, do you? You should know that being a Titled Douluo only qualifies you to stand at the table."
Tang Hao's expression turned grave, and he murmured, "So, you're also a Titled Douluo?"
With a thought, the Clear Sky Hammer was already in Tang Hao's hand.
He carefully observed the man's face, only to notice something strange—the man's face seemed to blend completely into the darkness, as if it were deliberately turned away from the light, making it impossible to see clearly.
This dashed Tang Hao's hope of guessing the man's identity and Martial Soul based on his appearance.
The man whose face couldn't be seen was, of course, You Chen.
The reason he hadn't acted immediately was to trigger a mission, but it seemed Tang Hao's emotions weren't quite there yet. You Chen guessed that perhaps Tang Hao's anger had been suppressed due to entering a combat state.
Ling Xian had just awakened, and to prevent any cliché accidents, You Chen hadn't let her see Tang Hao. This time, luring Tang Hao out had relied solely on leaking the aura of the Spirit Bone.
Otherwise, if he had played the "husband in front of the wife" scenario in front of Tang Hao, even with Tang Hao's combat awareness, he would have instantly lost his temper.
However, You Chen knew Tang Hao very well and understood that provoking him didn't need to be so complicated.
He simply smiled and said, "Titled Douluo? What a Titled Douluo. Tang Hao, aren't you curious how I obtained this Spirit Bone? Of course, it was you who led me to it! As fellow Titled Douluos, our Clear Sky Douluo is far too lax, isn't he? You didn't even notice you were being followed, and in the end, you couldn't even protect your wife's remains."
Tang Hao's eyes widened.
The guilt and regret of failing to protect his wife had been tormenting Tang Hao.
You Chen's words were like dancing on his wounds.
"I'll kill you!!! Spirit Avatar!!!"
Tang Hao instantly erupted in fury.
(End of Chapter)