With the blessing of the Golden Tree, Ah Yin now revealed her human form. Aside from Snow Empress, she was the first among all the spirit beasts to take on a human shape. Her long blue-gold dress draped elegantly over her body, a noble and graceful aura enhancing her ethereal beauty. Her sapphire-blue eyes were flawless, like blue crystals.
Absolutely stunning, yet with a hint of gentleness.
Standing there, the first thing that came to mind was the God of Life...
"New skill: Golden Domain."
Su Wen mused aloud.
Upon advancing to Soul King and unlocking the third form, he gained a Heavenly-rank skill. Its effect was to trigger a resonance of life: all nearby plant-type allies would have their abilities enhanced, and could share senses with the main body of the Golden Vine.
If standing on soil, the land would be "sanctified," continuously repelling and weakening enemies with evil attributes, while also constantly empowering allies.
It was practically the nemesis of Evil Soul Masters...
On the same level as Ye Guyi's Holy Angel, both were the most compassionate mothers to Evil Soul Masters.
Additionally, she was like a mobile spring and an undying fortress, making up for Azure Luan's missing piece...
While Azure Luan was a top-tier support healer, she specialized more in single-target healing and clutch abilities like soul bone skills and resurrection, perfect for extreme situations and acting as the team's last line of defense.
Ah Yin, on the other hand, excelled in group battles. And thanks to her ability to weaken Evil Soul Masters, Su Wen finally had the confidence to challenge the Holy Spirit Sect head-on.
To form an army with just one person—this was the essence of being "all-encompassing."
As long as I have enough soul beasts, I have no weaknesses...
For the first time, Su Wen used the cultivation gained from his soul beasts to elevate his own rank to Soul King, level fifty-five... A leap of twenty-five levels—truly monstrous. But thinking of all the energy consumed from the Golden Tree, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Still, there are pros and cons. Although one-fifth of the vitality was lost, it would eventually return to the continent. Besides, the Golden Tree was now too powerful for Ah Yin to fully control.
"But Ah Yin also has limitations; only in the forest does her amplification reach its peak. In the city, separated from the soil, the effect is significantly reduced," Su Wen pondered.
The Golden Vine bloodline was truly top-tier. Thus, even with only twenty thousand years of cultivation, Ah Yin's true combat power could rival that of a two-hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast.
One purple, one black, and one red—three empty Spirit Balls, along with this second "martial soul," still had to remain as backups, but they could now play a significant role...
And as Ah Yin gradually mastered the Golden Tree, her power would surge for a while. With the rapid rise of his own soul core, reaching the demigod realm might not be far off.
"Why has she weakened so much? Wait, is this her from ten thousand years ago?"
A graceful figure appeared in the space, looking at Ah Yin—who was gradually slipping into slumber—with a hint of surprise in her silver eyes.
"You actually... captured Tang San's... ?!!"
"Captured? You should ask Snow Empress," Su Wen shrugged.
"She should be thanking Su Wen." Snow Empress, dressed in a white gown, appeared by Su Wen's side. Her beautiful eyes glanced lightly at Ah Yin, then calmly explained the situation.
"That's true..." Gu Yuena nodded slightly, then said with a touch of embarrassment and annoyance,
"I was always suspicious of the Tree of Life's core, but her disguise was too flawless. I only had doubts, and never investigated further. I never thought Tang San would have the guts to pull this off."
"Pulling a switcheroo right under my nose."
"Heh."
Su Wen shook his head.
But seeing Gu Yuena reminded him of something else—he actually wanted his soul beasts to ascend to the Divine Realm. But here, ascending to the Divine Realm wasn't as simple as just following him; each of them had to assume a divine role!
As for the rule that soul beasts cannot become gods...
If the Dragon God revived, that very rule—the "curse" of the former Dragon God—would be broken. But when would the Dragon God revive...? That all depended on Ah Yin.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gu Yuena snorted softly, a little unhappy.
Wherever he went, he brought Snow Empress, leaving her on the sidelines. She was clearly Su Wen's greatest support, yet Snow Empress always managed to seize the initiative. The problem was, Su Wen's strongest Spirit Ball at present was only at the hundred-thousand-year level—he couldn't take her in, not even if she sacrificed herself...
Even the explanation just now had to come from Snow Empress. Everything about this situation screamed, "Snow Empress and Su Wen are closer!" It was infuriating!
How annoying!! (She clenched her fists.)
"My first martial soul has already reached Soul Sage. That means, when you enter the seventh Spirit Ball, you'll instantly advance to your final form—Dragon God, or even higher. Would that count as the Dragon God's revival?" Su Wen scratched his head.
If it's called the Dragon God's revival, the Silver Dragon King would truly reclaim her Dragon God bloodline—but her power... would only be at a few hundred-thousand years? Not even close to her former demigod self. Would such a Dragon God be considered bugged?
"Who knows." Gu Yuena tried to act reserved, but couldn't quite suppress a smile.
He's finally showing some dissatisfaction with me... The next Spirit Ball will be mine.
Looks like he does care about me after all.
Since that's the case, this Dragon King will be generous and forgive him! She pecked Su Wen on the cheek, then turned to leave with calm grace, leaving behind a dumbfounded Su Wen and Snow Empress, who could only twitch her eye.
This Great Sovereign... seems to be even more of a romantic than she is.