As the sky began to brighten slightly, Ye Lingling, dressed in plain green martial clothing and wearing a bamboo sunhat, quietly slipped out of Heaven Dou City.
She did not choose a carriage or any other means of transportation.
Instead, she relied on her enhanced physique and Spirit Power.
She raced towards Fasino Province at a speed far surpassing that of an ordinary person.
Five days later, travel-worn but still full of spirit, Ye Lingling stepped onto the territory of Fasino Province.
Another day and a half passed, and the not-so-imposing city walls of Nuoding City appeared before her eyes.
She did not enter the city.
Instead, she circled around it, following the map and Ling Ye’s guidance, heading straight south towards Holy Spirit Village.
Holy Spirit Village was a small settlement nestled at the foot of a mountain, with only about a hundred households.
It appeared peaceful and ordinary.
Ye Lingling did not enter the village.
Under Ling Ye’s direction, she bypassed it directly via a small path outside the village and headed towards the back mountain.
The mountain path was rugged and uneven, but to a cultivator at the Spirit Elder level like her, it felt as easy as walking on flat ground.
Soon, a dense, uninhabited mountainous forest appeared before her.
“It should be near the cliff around here. There’s a waterfall hidden by vines, and behind the waterfall is a concealed cave.” Ling Ye’s voice guided her in her mind.
Ye Lingling spread out her Spiritual Power and combined it with her eyesight to search carefully.
Sure enough, near an inconspicuous cliffside overgrown with moss and shrubs, she heard the faint sound of water.
She pushed aside the thick vines that almost blended seamlessly into the cliff face, revealing a small waterfall about two meters wide and three meters high before her.
Behind the curtain of water, the dark entrance of a cave was faintly visible.
“This is it.” Ling Ye confirmed.
Ye Lingling took a deep breath and circulated her Spirit Power to protect her body.
With a light tap of her toes, her figure gracefully passed through the cool water curtain and landed inside the cave beyond.
The interior of the cave was somewhat more spacious than expected, but also extremely crude.
Light filtered through the water curtain, making the cave somewhat dim.
The air inside was damp, filled with the smells of earth and moss.
The cave walls were rough, and the floor was uneven rock.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to a small patch of “soil” in the center of the cave.
It seemed someone had deliberately brought soil in from outside the cave to create a small flowerbed shape.
In the center of this flowerbed grew a single plant.
The plant was about half a meter tall, its entire form a dull, lifeless blue.
Its leaves were somewhat wilted, and its veins were indistinct.
Compared to the tenacious ferns growing on the surrounding cave walls, it seemed out of place and even somewhat pitiful.
“This is… the Blue Silver Emperor?” Ye Lingling found it somewhat hard to believe.
In her imagination, the 100,000-year plant-type Spirit Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor, even after losing its soul origin, should still radiate an extraordinary aura.
At the very least, it should be vibrant and eye-catching.
But the one before her… was far too ordinary, even somewhat withered.
“Indeed, that’s it,” Ling Ye’s voice carried affirmation.
“The true body of the Blue Silver Emperor is actually extremely resilient, and its life force is tenacious.”
“But it lost its Spirit Bone and soul origin, and it’s trapped in this dark, energy-poor cave. Maintaining its form alone is already difficult, so naturally, its appearance isn’t good. Its true essence is hidden beneath the form.”
Hearing this, Ye Lingling walked over to the Blue Silver Emperor and crouched down.
She reached out and carefully brushed aside the soil at the base of the plant.
The soil was very loose, as if it had been frequently disturbed.
She had dug less than a foot deep when her fingertips touched a cold, hard object.
It was a sealed lead box, about a foot square, heavy in her hand.
“Lead can block most Spirit Power and Spiritual Power detection. It’s the simplest way to hide a Spirit Bone.” Ling Ye explained.
“Open it and take a look.”
Ye Lingling complied, channeling Spirit Power into her fingertips and carefully prying open the latch on the edge of the lead box.
Click.
The moment the lid was lifted, there was no imagined dazzling light or surging momentum.
Inside the box lay a single bone.
It was a right leg bone.
Its entire body was a translucent blue, as if carved from the purest sapphire, yet as if a river of Life light flowed within it.
The shape of the bone was elegant and natural, imbued with an indescribable noble aura and a rhythm of Life.
That extremely restrained yet solemn Life aura still caused the Life Begonia Emperor Spirit within Ye Lingling to resonate strongly with desire and longing.
100,000-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!
“It really is here…” Ye Lingling held her breath and gently retrieved the Spirit Bone.
It felt warm to the touch, as if a warm current flowed from her fingertips towards her heart, lifting her spirits.
After confirming the Spirit Bone, Ye Lingling glanced at the dull Blue Silver Grass on the ground.
The clump seemed slightly tilted where the soil had been disturbed.
Within the mental world, Ling Ye seemed to stroke his chin, then let out a chuckle whose meaning was unclear.
He spoke with a hint of playfulness: “Leave it here? Wait for Tang Hao to return, see the Spirit Bone gone, look at this grass, remember her, and then go mad howling in grief?”
He paused, then added half-jokingly, half-seriously: “This is also a part of the essence left behind by the Blue Silver Emperor. Although its spirit has faded, its essence is extraordinary. Leaving it here would truly be a pity.”
“Take it back and plant it in a flowerpot. Or… I heard your mother is an excellent cook? It’s said that Blue Silver Grass stir-fried with Soft Bone Rabbit meat tastes refreshingly sweet and is very nourishing.”
Ye Lingling was momentarily stunned, then obediently nodded.
“Alright, I’ll listen to Brother Ling Ye. If you want to try my mother’s cooking, I’ll have her prepare a whole table of dishes for you.”
Having said this, she gently pulled the dull Blue Silver Emperor completely out of the soil, its roots still clinging to some damp earth.
She then retrieved a jade box from her storage soul tool, carefully placed the Blue Silver Grass inside, and closed the lid.
After finishing this, Ye Lingling also solemnly stored away the lead box containing the Spirit Bone.
She glanced around.
Finding the cave now empty, she no longer hesitated.
She turned and passed back through the water curtain, returning to the mountain forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows.
The mountain breeze brought fresh air.
Ye Lingling felt as if she were in another world.
Just moments ago, she had taken a supreme treasure capable of influencing the entire continent.
“Brother Ling Ye, we… succeeded?” She still felt like it was all a dream.
“Yes, the first step was a success.” Ling Ye’s voice carried a hint of ease.
“Clean and neat, leaving no traces behind. Even if Tang Hao returns, he’ll only think the Spirit Bone was taken by some ‘expert’ beyond his perception, or suspect some hidden powerhouse was responsible. In the short term, he definitely won’t connect this matter to us.”
“Then… we head straight home next?”
“Yes, the sooner we return and absorb the Spirit Bone, the better.” Ling Ye said with a smile.
“Didn’t you say that if I wanted to eat your mother’s cooking, you’d have her make a whole table of dishes?”
Hearing this, Ye Lingling also smiled happily and nodded firmly.
“Mm! When we get back, I’ll have Mother make lots and lots of delicious food. But… Brother Ling Ye still can’t taste it right now.”
Within the mental world, Ling Ye was silent for a moment.
His tone carried a rare hint of loneliness and self-mockery.
“Yeah, pitiful, isn’t it? Your Brother Ling Ye doesn’t even have a physical body. I can only watch helplessly as you enjoy fine food and drink.”
Ye Lingling’s smile faltered slightly.
A pang of bitterness and heartache surged within her.
She stopped walking and gazed towards the distant horizon.
A resolute light flashed in her clear eyes as she spoke softly:
“My body… Brother Ling Ye can use it. Whenever Brother Ling Ye needs it, anytime.”