After Dugu Bo and his granddaughter departed, only Ye Lingling and her mother remained in the valley, the seed of Destruction slumbering deep within the spring.
“Lingling.” Ling Ye’s voice echoed in the mental world, carrying his usual thoughtfulness: “The spiritual shock from a 10,000-year Spirit Ring is no small matter. Although I can protect you with my Spiritual Power, your own mental strength is the foundation—the stronger, the better. There is an item here that may help you.”
Under Ling Ye’s guidance, Ye Lingling carefully plucked a few drops of incomparably clear dew from a peculiar plant beside the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire—the Gaze of Autumn Dew.
This item did not enhance Spirit Power; rather, it was a rare treasure specifically used to nourish and harmonize the sea of Spiritual Power.
Ye Lingling consumed it as instructed.
As the dew slid down her throat, it had no particular taste, but an instant sensation of coolness and penetration surged upwards, rushing straight to the crown of her head.
She sat cross-legged.
Her thoughts became unprecedentedly clear and sharp.
Some subtle bottlenecks from past cultivation suddenly became clear, and the range and precision of her mental perception quietly improved.
Due to her soul symbiosis with Ling Ye, her Spiritual Power was already far stronger than that of her peers.
Now, washed, expanded, and strengthened repeatedly by the purest mental spring, it became even more solid and enduring.
Although the total amount did not surge, the improvement in “quality” and her control ability was significant.
By the time Ye Lingling had fully absorbed and refined the effects of the Gaze of Autumn Dew, her sea of Spiritual Power began to shimmer with a warm jade light.
Ling Ye’s voice carried a hint of anticipation: “Your Spiritual Power is now sufficient for use. Next, we wait for that seed to mature. Once it is fully developed, we will set out to seek your fourth Spirit Ring.”
He paused briefly and explained: “If all goes smoothly, I can use this seed as a core to condense a ‘Destruction Clone,’ within which I can temporarily reside. With this clone accompanying us, even when facing a 20,000-year Spirit Beast, even if we encounter an existence of seventy or eighty thousand years, we will have sufficient strength to contend with it, and our safety will be better assured.”
Hearing this, Ye Lingling immediately felt reassured and full of confidence in Brother Ling Ye’s arrangements.
Half a day later, at dusk, a pure aura of Destruction—though not ostentatious, yet heart-palpitating—mixed with a thread of nascent, tenacious Life fluctuation, began to seep from the depths of the spring.
“The time has come!” Ling Ye shouted lowly, instantly seizing control of Ye Lingling’s body.
“Ye Lingling” appeared with a solemn expression.
Behind her, the Life Begonia Emperor and the Destruction Begonia Emperor manifested simultaneously—not in opposition, but wondrously intertwined, resonating.
The emerald light of Life and the black aura of Destruction, like two vigorous divine dragons, plunged deep into the center of the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire, precisely binding the matured seed of Destruction origin that was about to break forth. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
“Guided by Life, forged with Destruction as the essence, fueled by Ice and Fire—take form!”
Under the precise control and guidance of Ling Ye’s vast Spiritual Power, the seed absorbed a large amount of the ice-fire origin essence, along with the imprints of Life and Destruction infused by Ling Ye.
It suddenly erupted with an intense black light.
It was no longer content with the form of a seed and began to grow and change rapidly!
Finally, at the tip of the plant, a budding Begonia flower bud, pitch black as ink with vein-like crimson patterns on its petals, condensed into a heart-stopping aura of Destruction.
Under Ling Ye’s forced maturation, this strange “Destruction Begonia Emperor” completed, in a very short time, the growth process that would take ordinary plant-type Spirit Beasts thousands of years.
Next came the most critical step—shaping the clone’s body!
Ling Ye concentrated all his Spirit Power, intending to shape the essence and partial origin of this Destruction Begonia Emperor into the form of his own soul body from when he was a 100,000-year Spirit Beast—a handsome, imposing male form.
Powerful Spiritual Power, along with the forces of Life and Destruction, enveloped the plant and began to reshape it…
However, just as the shaping was nearing completion, an unexpected change occurred.
Deep within the origin of the Destruction Begonia Emperor, it seemed to have established an inseparable, profound connection with its primary energy source—Ye Lingling’s body.
Perhaps because the shaping process heavily drew upon the Spirit Power of Life and Destruction attributes flowing within Ye Lingling’s body as a catalyst.
Perhaps because Ling Ye’s soul was symbiotic with Ye Lingling, causing this newborn vessel to develop a strong affinity and instinct to mimic its current “host” form.
The silhouette, which had initially tended towards a male form, became blurred and distorted.
The Destruction energy fluctuated violently, involuntarily inclining and solidifying towards Ye Lingling’s body.
Ling Ye attempted to reverse this trend, but the tendency stemmed from the connection of energy essences; forcibly altering it might cause the clone’s structure to become unstable or even collapse.
After weighing the options for a moment, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
The black light and emerald light finally slowly converged and dissipated.
Beside the spring, a completely new figure appeared.
Her height and build were almost identical to Ye Lingling’s.
Even her facial features bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance.
Only her skin presented a cold, jade-like quality, lacking the warm vitality of Ye Lingling’s original body. This story is hosted at g.com.
Her long hair was not emerald green, but black as the deepest night, cascading like a waterfall, only faintly shimmering with a dark red luster under certain angles of light.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her lashes long and fine.
Her body was naturally covered by a black dress condensed from Destruction energy.
The style was simple and sharp, the edges adorned with dark red patterns like quietly burning embers.
“…” Ling Ye’s soul perceived this freshly forged “clone” and fell momentarily silent.
Even with the mental fortitude of a 100,000-year Spirit Beast, it was difficult to avoid a trace of peculiar sensation.
A male soul consciousness residing in a female body that is practically identical to the host girl… this experience is truly unprecedented.
“Forget it,” he quickly adjusted his mindset, pragmatism taking precedence.
“If it’s female, then female it is. The outward appearance is merely superficial; what matters is whether it can serve as an entity capable of action. Having one is better than none.”
With a thought from Ling Ye, the primary soul separated a portion of its core consciousness and power, smoothly infusing it into this newborn Destruction clone.
In the next second, “she” opened her eyes.
She lowered her head slightly, carefully examining these hands belonging to a “young girl,” yet containing terrifying power.
She willed it.
Boom!
A pure aura of Destruction erupted.
A pitch-black beam of light shot into the sky.
A phantom Spirit—similar in shape to Ye Lingling’s Life Begonia Emperor, but entirely black, its petals like ink jade and its stamen like blood crystal—blossomed proudly behind her: this was the Destruction Begonia Emperor.
Even more astonishing was that around this pitch-black Begonia Emperor hovered a single blood-red Spirit Ring of 100,000 years.
On the shore, Ye Lingling watched another “self” displaying such a terrifying and unfamiliar Spirit of Destruction and a 100,000-year Spirit Ring.
Her small mouth fell slightly open, her emerald eyes filled with shock.
That aura of Destruction instinctively made her heart race, yet because it was controlled by Brother Ling Ye, she felt strangely safe.
Within the mental world, she couldn’t help but exclaim: “Brother Ling Ye… you—you’re amazing! This… is this really my clone?”