The Blue Silver King's gaze was unwavering, and his words were earnest: "I originally intended to protect the clan for a while longer before offering a sacrifice for Your Highness, but having witnessed Your Highness's combat prowess and strategic acumen, I have made up my mind—to offer a sacrifice now to help Your Highness grow rapidly so that you can truly protect the entire Blue Silver Clan in the future!"
Lin Chen looked at him as if he were a fool, and directly exposed him: "Don't try to fool me with that excuse. Do you really think I don't understand people's hearts? You can wait until your cultivation is deeper and your power is stronger before making the sacrifice. Why rush it now? What are you hiding from me?"
Blue Silver King was startled, his aged face stiffened, then he gave a helpless bitter smile and sighed deeply.
"Sigh... As expected, nothing can be hidden from His Highness."
He slowly lowered his head, his voice carrying a hint of sorrow and relief:
"To be honest, Your Highness, that day I shielded you from the Devouring Spider's attack. It bit my body, devouring most of my essence and destroying my foundation. Even if I can barely survive now, I won't last more than ten years, let alone survive the 200,000-year tribulation that is fraught with peril... In any case, I'm doomed. I might as well sacrifice myself while I still have my full strength to fulfill Your Highness's wishes."
"My Blue Silver King lineage has been born for emperors for generations."
To become your spirit ring and help you reach the summit is my only destiny in this life.
Lin Chen's expression changed drastically. He immediately spread out his Blue Silver Domain and probed into the Blue Silver King's body. In an instant, he felt the nearly depleted life essence—the foundation that had been forcibly torn and extracted by the Devouring Demon Spider was already broken and could not last more than a few years.
His heart tightened; he absolutely refused to accept this outcome.
The next second, Lin Chen flipped his hand and took out the charred spider corpse from his spatial ring, his eyes resolute.
"I won't let you die."
Buzz—!
The Soul-Devouring Spider Spears behind him suddenly unfolded, and eight dark purple and gold bone spikes shot out into the air.
Four rods plunged deep into the corpse of the Devouring Spider, frantically extracting its remaining primordial devouring power, life essence, and bloodline power.
The other four pierced deep into the roots of the Blue Silver King, pouring all the plundered energy into it without reservation!
Golden light, purple light, and the aura of life surged wildly, and the surrounding vegetation grew rapidly under this power.
No matter how much Lin Chen tried to infuse it, the empty source within the Blue Silver King's body remained like a bottomless abyss, impossible to fill in the gaps.
Blue Silver King gently shook his head, his aged voice carrying a sigh of relief, both gentle and firm:
"It's no use, Your Highness... Once the source is devoured, even the Heavenly Dao can hardly repair it, let alone external forces."
"This old minister has little time left, and only asks Your Highness to grant me one request—"
Wherever you go in the future, never forget to protect the Blue Silver Clan.
Lin Chen stood frozen in place, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingertips trembled.
He can slay 90,000-year-old soul beasts, devise strategies to seize treasures, and fuse with 100,000-year-old external soul bones.
But at this moment, he couldn't save the old minister who was devoted to his lord.
Lin Chen's eyes were incredibly solemn as he swore an oath with his martial spirit, his voice resolute:
"I, Lin Chen, swear by my martial soul—if one day I become a god, I will resurrect you! In this life, I will protect all the intelligent Blue Silver Clan. If I break this oath, may my martial soul be shattered, and may my body and soul perish!"
But then he changed the subject and said in a deep voice:
"But now, you cannot offer sacrifices."
Blue Silver King trembled, his eyes filled with endless emotion, convinced that he had finally met the true emperor.
But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he was suddenly startled, his aged voice filled with doubt:
"Your Highness...why is this?"
Lin Chen took a deep breath and revealed the truth:
"I know a treasure land that can forcibly push your cultivation level to 100,000 years."
"Your very essence is damaged, preventing you from condensing a 100,000-year-old soul bone. However, by exhausting all your essence, you can still condense a 100,000-year-old soul ring."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the Blue Silver King:
"At that time, you will use the most domineering soul sacrifice method—"
Only in this way, without your soul being scattered, and with your soul residing within the soul ring, will I have a chance to resurrect you in the future.
Lin Chen's tone was calm, yet carried immense weight:
Are you scared?
It's not too late to regret it now.
After listening, Lin Chen didn't say anything more sentimental.
He raised his hand and transferred all the remaining life essence and soul power from the Devouring Demon Spider, which he had plundered from the Soul-Devouring Spider, to the entire Blue Silver Clan.
The vegetation grew wildly, and the spiritual energy was overflowing, instantly making this new ancestral land several times more vibrant.
He looked at the Blue Silver King, his tone calm yet unusually serious:
"Before that day comes, choose a successor who can take your place."
I'm going out now to find that precious land that can help you break through 100,000 years, and I also need to gain experience and explore other opportunities. This trip will take at least one or two years, and possibly as long as seven or eight years.
Lin Chen paused, his gaze darkening slightly:
You have plenty of time, live well and enjoy life.
Because the next time I return, it will be the day when you and I are close to completing our sacrifice.
The Blue Silver King's body trembled, and he bowed deeply, his voice steady and devout:
"This old minister awaits Your Highness's return!"
"Your Highness, please take care on your journey. This old minister is here, guarding our clan and awaiting your return!"
Lin Chen nodded slightly and said no more.
With a flap of his blue-silver wings, the aura of his Soul-Devouring Spider Spear subsided, and he transformed into a streak of blue-gold light, soaring into the sky and hurtling towards the distant horizon.
Lin Chen urged his Blue Silver Wings to speed through the air until he was far away from the Blue Silver Ancestral Land. With a thought, he immediately entered his spiritual world.
Upon seeing Ah Yin floating in the center of his mental sea, surrounded by soft blue light, he rushed forward and asked in a low voice, "Ah Yin, tell me the truth... is there really no way to save him? If possible, I really don't want the Blue Silver King to sacrifice himself."
Seeing the struggle and reluctance in his eyes, Ah Yin sighed softly, shook her head, and her voice carried a hint of helplessness:
"There is no way... His origin was forcibly extracted by the Devouring Demon Spider, and his foundation has been destroyed. This is a wound that even the laws of heaven and earth cannot reverse. Unless a true god personally intervenes and reverses life and death with divine power, no one can save him."
Lin Chen's heart sank suddenly, and a heavy sense of powerlessness surged into his heart.
But the next second, his eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had suddenly grasped the last straw.
"The gods... the fallen gods?!"
He suddenly raised his hand, summoning the ancient treasure map left behind by the system from the depths of his consciousness. His mental energy surged into it, and he searched the map at lightning speed.
He suddenly remembered a forgotten secret—
In the original story, two deities perished.
One is the God of Thunder, who wields lightning; the other is the God of Ice, who controls extreme cold.
Since the living gods are high above and unattainable,
Those fallen gods might have left behind divine bones, divine blood, remnants of their souls, or even heaven-defying healing treasures!
If any one of them can be found, it may be possible to repair the damaged essence of the Blue Silver King!
Lin Chen's gaze was fixed on the area at the very top of the map, covered in snow and marked as extremely dangerous.
The far north—the place where the Ice God fell.
But looking at his current level and strength, he slowly clenched his fist.
He's too weak right now.
Let alone facing the terrifying soul beasts of the far north, even approaching that frozen forbidden zone is a matter of life and death.
Lin Chen's gaze was fixed on another area on the system map marked with a light purple lightning bolt—
Thunder Forest.
This is the place where, according to legend, Thor fell.
Compared to the extreme environment and ferocious beasts roaming the far north, this area is relatively safe. However, if it involves the place where gods fell, it is still a matter of life and death for him now.
But when he thought of the Blue Silver King's dwindling source of power, Lin Chen's eyes instantly became incredibly determined.
No matter how dangerous it is, he's willing to take the risk.
"No matter the cost, I will try."
He immediately locked his location on the map, identified the direction of Thunder Forest, flapped his blue silver wings, and transformed into a pale blue streak of light, rushing straight ahead.
Along the way, the Blue Silver Domain was fully deployed to completely conceal its presence and avoid all unnecessary trouble.
After running non-stop for several days and nights.
A small town nestled on the edge of a dense forest finally came into view.
This is the closest human settlement to Thunder Forest.
Lin Chen suppressed his anxiety and forced himself to calm down.
No matter how anxious he was, he wouldn't be so reckless as to rush directly into the ruins of Thor.
"Replenish supplies first, then gather intelligence."
He needed to buy a detailed map of the Thunder Forest, antidotes, healing medicines, and soul power recovery potions here, and also find out the recent developments in the soul master world.
Are the Spirit Hall active in the vicinity?
What powerful spirit beasts live in Thunder Forest?
Are there other people also eyeing the Thor ruins?
Only when everything is ready will he truly step into that forbidden land filled with lightning.
Lin Chen stored the purchased supplies into his spatial ring and looked up at the busiest main street in the town. At the street corner, a three-story wooden building stood out, which was his destination—the Thunderclap Teahouse.
This teahouse is typical of the frontier region, rugged yet exuding a touch of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry). The entire building is constructed of dark ironwood, with a roof covered in bluish-gray tiles and copper bells hanging from the eaves, jingling crisply in the wind. The ground floor has a wide-open entrance, without windows, only a few thick blue cloth curtains tied with coarse hemp ropes, through which one can vaguely see a crowd of people inside. The second and third floors have carved windows, most of which are currently open, and many Soul Masters dressed in close-fitting clothes and carrying martial spirits are sitting by the railings, their eyes warily scanning the street.
Above the main entrance of the teahouse, a black plaque with gold lettering stands out powerfully. Next to the four large characters "Jing Lei Teahouse," a lifelike lightning bolt pattern is engraved, subtly echoing the atmosphere of the distant Thunder Forest.
Lin Chen walked in slowly, and the noise immediately hit him. There were more than a dozen heavy wooden tables in the hall, all of which were occupied. The air was filled with the fragrance of tea, the spiciness of strong liquor, and faint fluctuations of soul power. The waiters, dressed in short clothes, carried trays and moved between the tables and chairs, shouting loudly, busy as bees.
He didn't linger on the first floor, heading straight for the stairs. The atmosphere on the second floor was slightly quieter than on the first. Most of the guests were in small groups, chatting quietly, and without exception, their topics revolved around the changing fortunes of the Soul Master world.
Lin Chen chose a corner seat by the window, and the waiter quickly came over to greet him: "Sir, what would you like to order? Our Thunderclap Tea is the most famous. It is brewed with spring water from the Thunder Forest and can relieve thunder poison and soothe restless soul power."
"Just a pot of Thunderclap Tea, and two small dishes of delicate appetizers," Lin Chen said casually, tossing out a silver soul coin. "Keep the change."
The waiter's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed and left.
Before long, a pot of steaming hot tea and two small dishes were served. Lin Chen picked up the teacup, took a sip, and found the tea slightly bitter at first, but then it turned into a cool, warm current that slid down his throat and into his stomach, instantly relieving some of the fatigue from days of travel.
He put down his teacup, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over his surroundings, but his ears were already perked up, taking in every word of the conversation at the next table.
"Have you heard? There was a huge commotion in the Blue Silver Forest a while ago. The heavenly lightning of a 100,000-year-old soul beast undergoing its tribulation could be seen from dozens of miles away!"
"I've heard so much about it! Pope Bibi Dong of the Spirit Hall personally led a team there, but they didn't even see a soul beast and returned empty-handed!"
"Where did that spider soul beast go? Could it have failed its tribulation and vanished into nothingness?"
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