With his main objective for this trip essentially complete, Lin Yang was in an excellent mood. Using the flight skill from the spirit bone, he returned to the cave where he had discovered the spirit bone.
Lin Yang gently brushed the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves, a thoughtful light flashing across his eyes.
Originally, he'd planned to leave the Blue Silver Emperor here, hoping to delay Tang Hao's discovery of the missing spirit bone.
But the mission turned out even smoother than he had expected.
The emergence of the Demon God Body also gave him enough confidence to face Tang Hao.
Even if he couldn't win for a while, he could simply hide deep in the mountains and cultivate for a few dozen or a hundred years. Then, when he came out again, he'd be able to scatter Tang Hao's ashes across the wind.
Such was the confidence of an immortal species.
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.
With his foreknowledge and understanding of where the opportunities were in the Douluo Continent, if he still couldn't become a god, then Lin Yang might as well find a block of tofu and bash his own head in.
Now, Lin Yang changed his mind and decided to dig up the Blue Silver Emperor.
He would find a more suitable place for her to grow—consider it payment for using her spirit bone.
After all, no matter how he looked at it, this place wasn't fit for a plant.
No sunlight, no water, and the soil was just a small mound…
Even with the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline and potent life force, staying in this miserable place would gradually wear her down.
If Tang San hadn't eventually moved her to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and Tang Hao had continued to play "gardener" like this, the Blue Silver Emperor might not have had many years left.
This made Lin Yang wonder if Tang Hao had flattened his brain with his own hammer to plant her in such a dark and airless hole.
Or perhaps he had other intentions and was deliberately paving the way for his son?
After thinking it over, Lin Yang gave up speculating.
With someone like Tang Hao, who knew what strange decisions he might make?
Lin Yang wasn't about to lower his own IQ to that level.
Looking at the feeble, lifeless Blue Silver Emperor, he worried that he might accidentally kill her while transplanting.
Forget it, I owe you this one. Let me help you just this once.
He clenched his fist over the Blue Silver Emperor.
With a small exertion of force, drops of crimson blood, bright as gemstones, flowed through the gaps between his fingers, falling squarely onto the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves.
The moment the blood touched its leaves, it flowed along the veins and was completely absorbed.
The effect was immediate.
The previously lifeless Blue Silver Emperor suddenly perked up as if it had taken a massive tonic.
Even the golden patterns on its leaves grew brighter and more vivid, revealing a faint hint of imperial bearing.
The blood of the Demon God Body went without saying.
It contained the essence of his martial soul and was saturated with life force—invaluable nourishment to the current Blue Silver Emperor.
If Lin Yang wished, his blood alone could create a batch of undead "Demon Servants" completely beholden to him.
But that would be… utterly pointless.
What use did he have for a group of Demons much weaker than himself?
They would be flashy burdens at best, and would easily expose the unique nature of his body.
He had no desire to be captured and dissected.
As for powerful spirit masters…
Without mentioning Titled Douluo, even a Spirit Emperor would be beyond his ability to fully convert, given his current strength.
The stronger a person was, the more they resisted outside influence.
Not to mention that there was no guarantee converted individuals wouldn't turn on him.
So the idea of mass producing Demons had never seriously crossed Lin Yang's mind.
Only the Blue Silver Emperor before him was an exception—weak now, but with limitless potential.
He gave her some blood partly to ensure her survival, and partly to prevent her from turning on him once her consciousness fully awakened.
Betrayal was something he would never permit.
As his blood continued to drip down, the Blue Silver Emperor began growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Its thin stem thickened, its leaves unfurled and became lush.
A closer look showed that the original golden patterns had deepened into a darker gold, threaded here and there with faint traces of crimson.
The aura around it rose sharply—from a ten-year-class spirit beast to a hundred-year-class.
When he felt the growth was enough, Lin Yang stopped, the wound in his palm closing instantly.
Through the bond forged by his blood, he could clearly feel the Blue Silver Emperor's emotions—closeness, and even dependence.
He reached out and gently stroked its leaves.
The Blue Silver Emperor actively extended a leaf, twining around his finger with a soft caress.
Lin Yang's expression turned a bit strange. The Blue Silver Emperor now reminded him of the kitten he'd once kept.
He really had fulfilled that reckless claim he'd made—he had "taken" Tang San's mother and even reshaped her into his own form entirely.
If Tang San learned of this one day, Lin Yang had no idea how he would react.
Then Lin Yang pulled the Blue Silver Emperor from the soil.
"When we get out of here, I'll find you a better place to live."
At that moment, its stems and leaves coiled around his arm like vines, and a thought passed into his mind.
Lin Yang froze for a second, then said, "You want to come with me?"
The Blue Silver Emperor swayed gently, as if nodding.
A faint crimson glow flashed across its leaves.
To Lin Yang's astonishment, its body began to shrink, until it gradually melted into his flesh.
If one were to strip away his clothes, they would see that a Blue Silver Emperor now adorned his back.
The long stem extended from his back all the way up to his chest, its lush leaves spread across his entire back.
It looked like a gorgeous tattoo etched into his skin.
Lin Yang moved around a bit and found it didn't affect his movement at all. Instead, he could faintly smell the signature fresh scent of Blue Silver Grass.
"Not bad."
He muttered to himself, erased his tracks, and left the cave.
"Flight skill—activate!"
Lin Yang leapt into the air, soaring and maneuvering above the valley.
Warm sunlight washed over him, gilding him in a layer of gold.
At that moment, two leaves stretched from his collar, greedily basking in the sun.
Seeing that, Lin Yang slowed his flight with a faint smile.
Once he had left the mountain range, he dispelled the flight skill. Too much flashiness wasn't his style.
After half a day's travel, the familiar sight of Red Maple Village appeared on the horizon.
When Granny Su Xi saw Lin Yang suddenly return, her first reaction wasn't joy, but panic.
She thought Lin Yang had caused trouble at school and been expelled.
Seeing this, Lin Yang felt both warm and amused. He hurriedly produced the graduation certificate that Dean Su Hong had given him.
"You… you've already graduated?"
Granny Su Xi turned the certificate over and over in her hands. Once she confirmed it was real, the stone weighing on her heart fell away and all the deep wrinkles on her face stretched into a smile of relief.
"Xiaoyang is amazing. Our Lin family finally has a spirit master."
"Mhm." Lin Yang crouched beside her, speaking softly.
"Grandma, I came back because I want to stay with you for a while. After that… I'll have to go out and hunt for a spirit ring, then look for a good intermediate spirit master academy."
"After that, I might not be able to come back to see you for a long while."
"Go, don't worry about me."
Granny Su Xi patted the back of his hand softly. There was a trace of reluctance in her eyes, but far more pride and joy at her grandson's growth.
"I'm at home, and the neighbors will look out for me. You don't need to fret."
Half a month passed quickly.
Before leaving, Lin Yang filled the woodshed with firewood for the winter, stocked up common medicinal herbs, and left some gold and silver coins.
It was enough for Granny Su Xi to live comfortably, but not so much as to attract trouble.
However, one plan he had carefully considered encountered an unexpected setback.
He had originally wanted to use his own blood to transform Granny Su Xi into a "Demon," allowing her to regain her health.
But in reality, although he no longer feared the sun, his essence was still that of a "Demon."
His blood, if used directly on an ordinary person with no spirit power, would completely erode their body and turn them into a mindless, ravenous fiend.
Even more vicious than the demons of the Demon Slayer world.
So Lin Yang could only reluctantly abandon this plan.
Instead, he considered using Demon Blood as a medicinal guide to develop an elixir that an ordinary person could gradually adapt to—something that could grant longevity.
But for now, that goal was still a long way off.