"Could it be that the situation in the Divine Realm has changed?" Emperor Tian asked involuntarily.
"Indeed." His gaze suddenly sharpened. "The Asura God has already begun searching for a successor. I have seen one of the candidates. That godly aura fluctuation that shattered my divine sense — even if I died, I would never forget it. It's definitely him!"
"The Asura God is about to be succeeded. That is indeed good news," Emperor Tian pondered.
"Once the divine seat is passed on, this current Asura God will likely leave the Divine Realm to explore the depths of the universe, just like the Dragon God did in the past."
"And the newly ascended Asura God will need time to adapt to the divine position. At least for a long while, their real combat power will be significantly weaker than their predecessor's."
"In that case, dealing with them will naturally be much easier."
"Why not kill him before he ascends to the Divine Realm, leaving the seat vacant?" Zhu Wu sneered as he cut in.
"Hm?" Emperor Tian's eyes narrowed. "You mean...?"
Zhu Wu said nothing at first, then slightly raised his hand to summon his martial soul again and quietly said, "Release the Blue Silver Emperor."
With that, a porcelain bottle containing the original Blue Silver Emperor appeared in his palm, glowing brightly.
"A Blue Silver Emperor regenerated from seed?" Emperor Tian, noticing the golden patterns on the leaf surface, was somewhat surprised.
"He's also the wife of that candidate," Zhu Wu replied. "The human with the Asura God's divine consciousness attached to him is named Tang Hao, from the same village as this body of mine. He also has a child named Tang San, roughly the same age as this body."
"Crucially, that child awakened an innate full soul power Blue Silver Grass martial soul."
"An ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul can never awaken with full innate soul power," Emperor Tian mused. "So you suspect his mother is the Blue Silver Emperor, and even that he awakened twin martial souls, already favored by the Asura God?"
"As expected of someone who has lived countless years—so knowledgeable and quick to understand." Zhu Wu nodded. "Exactly. Tang Hao's talent is naturally high enough to be chosen by the Asura God, and his martial soul wouldn't be suppressed by a common Blue Silver Grass martial soul. If it isn't suppressed, the only possibility is that both parents have similarly high-quality martial souls, and Tang San awakened another high-grade martial soul."
"Therefore, I have been following him."
He retracted the Blue Silver Emperor and continued, "Every year near the New Year, Tang Hao goes out for a while. It seems like he's going into town to buy supplies, but in reality, he goes somewhere else. That made me suspicious."
"Eventually, I found this Blue Silver Emperor deep in a nearby mountain range, inside a stone cave behind a waterfall. There, I also found the soul bone of its right leg. If I'm correct, the Blue Silver Emperor must have died as a sacrifice for Tang Hao."
"A sacrifice!" Emperor Tian's eyes flickered.
A ten-thousand-year-old soul beast sacrificing itself for a human—he was angry.
Then, as if recalling something, he quickly added, "You said you found the Blue Silver Emperor in that cave?"
"Yes!" Zhu Wu sneered. "Why is it so weak after so many years?"
"Why was it transplanted to a nearly sunless cave cut off from the outside Blue Silver Grass, instead of returning to its original territory?"
"Commander of Emperor Tian's guards, don't you find this strange?"
"Was it intentional?" Emperor Tian's eyes flashed coldly. "Hmph, serves them right!"
"I don't know what truth is hidden in all this," Zhu Wu continued, "but maybe we can turn it into the truth!"
Emperor Tian's expression changed. "You mean to alter the mind of this Blue Silver Emperor and make her kill Tang Hao and his son?"
"Exactly." Zhu Wu nodded. "It might be difficult, but not impossible. As for how to do it, and whether it can be done, I'll decide after I return to the human world to investigate further. For now, my priority is to improve my strength, find the legacy places left by the gods of the Divine Realm on this continent, and continue seeking precious materials to nourish the Dragon God bloodline."
He looked up at Emperor Tian seriously and said, "Commander, whether I succeed or fail, before I leave, I will extract the nourished Dragon God bloodline from my body. Then, you can pass it on to that silver dragon's fragment."
At these words, the three beasts present all changed color, with the Red King standing respectfully.
The three-eyed Golden Nii blinked its watery eyes at the slender figure before it, suddenly feeling a great sense of grandeur.
"That way, at least a glimmer of hope remains," Zhu Wu sighed. "It's the only thing I can do for the Dragon God."
"Senior Treasure Beast, don't think so badly," the three-eyed Golden Nii finally spoke up.
Zhu Wu turned his head, a faint smile appearing. "Little Nii, you're right. Who can say what the future holds?"
"Indeed, maybe things won't turn out so badly," Emperor Tian added. "Your plan seems flawless and highly feasible. As long as you successfully inherit the divine position and become a god, even extracting the bloodline won't harm you much—at worst, your strength will decrease somewhat. And if the plan succeeds and the Dragon God is resurrected, I believe he won't forget all you have done."
At that thought, the image of the Silver Dragon King appeared in his mind.
The Dragon God's resurrection requires fusion of two bodies, and as a fragment, the Silver Dragon King would likely disappear.
Thinking this, he fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Zhu Wu, I'll call you that. This matter is important and involves the Lord Silver Dragon King. As one of the Dragon God's fragments, she should have the right to know about your plan."
If the person involved refused, that would be truly... The Red King thought but did not speak.
"Don't worry. Everything you do is for our soul beast clan. I believe the Lord won't blame you," Emperor Tian continued.
From one perspective, rescuing the Golden Dragon King and promoting the fusion means sending the Silver Dragon King to her death. Zhu Wu understood this clearly.
Looks like meeting the Silver Dragon King today is unavoidable.
"If that's the case, no time to waste—let's go now."
Emperor Tian nodded solemnly.
A look of someone doing everything for the future of the soul beasts.
For the great revival of the soul beast clan, our duty is undeniable.
Am I really a human getting involved in all this? Well, whatever—saving my own skin is the priority!
Once out of the Star Dou Great Forest, it'll be vast skies and seas for birds to fly freely, right?
So, the Red King stayed behind to continue protecting the three-eyed Golden Nii, while Zhu Wu and Emperor Tian went to the riverbank.
Then Emperor Tian waved his large hand. The water surface immediately sank inward, the air around slightly twisted. From afar, it looked like a round bubble floating above the water.
Emperor Tian stepped lightly onto it, walking as if on solid ground.
Seeing this, Zhu Wu followed closely.
Silently, the bubble carried them both slowly beneath the water surface.
(End of Chapter)
If you'd like, I can help with further chapters or support me at https://www.patreon.com/YugiroTL