About three meters beneath the rock, deep in the soil, the King of the 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng glowed with a translucent emerald light.
The ginseng's surface was adorned with a raised pattern of five-feathered blue phoenix wings, which corresponded to the raised pattern of five-clawed dragons on the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.
At this moment, the King and Queen of Ginseng were separated by only a little over three meters.
At such a close distance, even though the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng had not yet developed intelligence, its body began to emit a faint red glow, responding to the call of its bloodline.
The resonance between the two ginsengs caused their bloodlines to tremble, reaching a peak of intensity.
This caused the bloodline calling, which the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng had struggled to suppress with its reason, to overwhelm it once again.
In just a few breaths, the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng's remaining reason completely collapsed, and it instinctively used its Earth Escape technique to break through the ground.
However, just as the final root of the ginseng left the soil,
Seventh Soul Skill: Starry Body!
Third Soul Skill: Cold Moon Star Light!
Fifth Soul Skill: Starry Pull!
The old butler appeared out of nowhere beside the rock, and the white jade star plate hovering in the air glowed with the seventh soul ring. The sky above transformed into a dazzling starry night.
At the same time, two soul rings, the third and fifth, flashed beneath the old butler's feet.
A pale moonlight instantly struck the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng, freezing it into an ice sculpture.
Within the starry sky, the brightest eight stars vanished in an instant.
In the next moment, these eight stars reappeared around the frozen ginseng, forming a formation to trap it inside.
In the sky, Lin Rong's figure solidified from a blur as he looked at the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng encased in ice, admiring:
"It's beautiful, just as I imagined!"
"Even the raised phoenix pattern on the ginseng's skin is so full of life, as though it were a real phoenix."
"In this regard, the current Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is not quite as impressive."
"But, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is only a little over 7,000 years old. When it reaches 10,000 years and evolves, its raised dragon pattern will be just as lively as the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng."
Saying this, Lin Rong took out a flower pot and replanted the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng that had been placed on the rock.
In two more years, after absorbing the energy from the Extreme Cold and Fiery Sun Springs in this soil, it would grow to be 10,000 years old.
After finishing, Lin Rong placed the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng into the Dragon-patterned Jade Bead and took out a golden cage he had prepared earlier.
"I'm glad I made such thorough preparations, but it turns out I didn't even need to do anything."
Watching the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng frozen in ice, Lin Rong couldn't help but feel that he had overestimated this legendary ginseng king.
When you think about it, it makes sense.
Although the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng had 100,000 years of cultivation, it was still a divine-grade herb and didn't possess strength matching its age.
Meanwhile, the old butler's soul power was at level 90, and he used his third and fifth soul skills after activating his Martial Soul true form.
Third Soul Skill: Cold Moon Star Light.
A single-target, instant-cast soul skill.
It locks onto the target and unleashes a moon-white cold light that guarantees a hit. Upon hitting, the target is instantly frozen in ice.
The ice is infused with starry power and can be triggered to explode, dealing damage.
Fifth Soul Skill: Starry Pull.
A very rare, special-type soul skill.
For each soul ring absorbed by the Starry Plate, a new star forms on the plate.
The Starry Pull skill allows the user to control these stars.
These stars can attack enemies, control them, or protect allies.
When the old butler used the Starry Body, the effects of the third and fifth soul skills doubled.
In this scenario, unless the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng had one root touching the soil, it wouldn't be able to escape this dual confinement.
Lin Rong threw the golden cage into the air.
The golden cage broke apart, transforming into over 40,000 dragon whisker-shaped needles, and then formed into a golden torrent that flew into the Vine Leaf Jade Bead.
"Plan complete. Grandpa Yu, let's go!"
...
Not long later.
Lin Rong and the old butler returned to the cave where they had rested earlier.
Lin Rong released the Nine-Tailed Dragon Vine, and the vine's main root, which had developed intelligence and resembled a true dragon, extended its dragon head towards him.
He gently patted the dragon's head and ordered, "Little Qing, be good. Grandpa Yu needs to absorb the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng. Go guard the cave entrance for me, got it?"
The green dragon let out a deep dragon's roar and returned to the vine's trunk, hiding at the entrance of the cave to guard.
Watching Little Qing diligently doing his job, Lin Rong stretched and entered the cave, thinking:
"It's great to have a Martial Soul that's fully under my control and has developed intelligence!"
Deep inside the cave.
The old butler, Yuan, had already dispelled the Starry Body and was sitting cross-legged, meditating to recover his soul power.
Meanwhile, the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng was still trapped in the ice.
However, to prevent the ice's effect from fading and allowing the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng to escape, the ginseng, along with the ice, was placed inside a pure gold box.
Earth Escape does not affect metal, so even if the ginseng breaks free from the ice, it would never escape the confinement of the golden box.
An hour later.
The old butler had fully restored his soul power and adjusted his condition. He carefully opened the gold box.
Inside, the ice had melted away significantly.
As soon as the box opened, the King of 10,000-year Nine-Tier Ginseng tried to escape, but the old butler quickly grabbed its body and held it tightly.
Starry power surged from the old butler's palm, cleansing the ginseng's newly awakened intelligence.
Soon, the ginseng's intelligence was completely purified, turning from a "living ginseng" into a "dead ginseng."
The starry soul power flowed into the ginseng, and its boundless, pure life force condensed into a blood-red soul ring, with a faint golden line etched on its surface.
After the soul ring formed, the ginseng's translucent, jade-like body was guided by the starry soul power and transformed into a torso soul bone.
The entire soul bone was exceptionally complete, presenting a pure greenish-blue color with specks of light flickering inside, vaguely forming the image of a jade phoenix with five feathers.
An overwhelming, majestic aura radiated from the soul bone, but there was no trace of violent power. Instead, it emitted a gentle, life-affirming energy.