Yun Jin fell silent.
This was a story that stretched across endless ages.
It was so old that every super divine beast that once ruled an era had already fallen.
So old that a once ordinary peak had turned into a Holy Land in the eyes of all spirit beasts.
So old that a bustling city had slowly risen at the mountain's base.
And Bai Ze had witnessed it all.
Yun Jin asked softly, "Who was she?"
Língzūn shook his head. "She never had a name. I asked her before. She just smiled and told me to call her Boss. But I was born too curious. I kept asking again and again. One time, she finally gave in. She said her name didn't matter. Her clan had committed unforgivable sins, and nothing she did could ever atone for even a fraction of them.
I still wouldn't accept it. I said, 'but you've done so much. If your deeds spread through the ages and no one knows your name, how will the future honor you?' She said, 'if our story really spreads in the future, that means this world wasn't destroyed. It means the world still has a tomorrow.' If that day comes, then what she wants most is for people to cherish that hard won peace.
From beginning to end, she left behind no name at all."
Língzūn looked up at the vast sky. A faint, peaceful smile rested on his face. "She told me she'd fall, but she'd also live on. Staying here, I feel like I'm still close to her. Even if she never appears again, even if she never answered my begging back then, I know she can hear me.
If I leave this small world, that'll mean I've truly left her behind."
He smiled warmly. "A long life means nothing to me. I've lived long enough. Being able to stay here by her side until the end of my life is already enough."
Yun Jin didn't speak.
Língzūn didn't sound tired at all. He had a gentle smile the entire time.
Being allowed to remain on this sacred mountain had always been his greatest wish.
"I've been anxious to find an inheritor because I want to pass on the power she gave me," he said. "If this power can continue, spirit springs will keep appearing. The spirit beast world will still have the means to evolve. But the requirements for the inheritor are far too high. I've waited so many years but still haven't found the right person."
A troubled look crossed his face. "I don't fear death. I even look forward to embracing it. After I die, I'll return to the cycle of reincarnation. And reincarnation is also part of her.
But my body's giving out. The spirit springs are producing less and less. My only fear is failing to find a worthy inheritor and losing the chance to carry on her will."
Yun Jin let out a breath and nodded. "I understand."
Língzūn said gently, "I hope this time I can finally fulfill my long held wish. Then I can go meet her without worries."
Yun Jin said, "Senior's body really is at its limit, but if you receive refined wood elemental force to supply life energy, you might last a bit longer. If you can hold on, your chances of finding an inheritor go up."
Língzūn nodded. "That's why I've already sent others to search the land for wood type spirit beasts. But my body is too old. Even with so many helping me, at most I can last a few more months. I don't know if the inheritor will appear in that time."
He sighed.
Yun Jin lifted her hand and summoned Yun Mu.
Língzūn didn't look surprised. He smiled. "Your spirit beast's remarkable. No wonder the Wood Spirit Pearl shines so brightly."
"Yun Mu," Yun Jin said with a glance.
Yun Mu understood instantly. Refined wood elemental force surged into Língzūn's body.
His complexion immediately grew much healthier.
He smiled. "Thank you. My body feels a lot better."
But that was all.
Língzūn's condition wasn't something mortal effort could reverse.
He understood his own body well.
Almost every top tier wood element spirit beast on the entire continent had already gathered here. Only with their combined efforts could they barely extend his life by a few months.
Yun Mu's energy was refined, but it couldn't change much.
Yun Jin nodded. "The effect's decent. In that case, I'm a little more confident now."
"Hmm?" Língzūn looked at her with confusion.
Yun Jin smiled. "My spirit beasts grew this fast because of your help. So I should give my all to help you."
Língzūn chuckled. "Your spirit beasts have already helped me a lot."
"Yun Mu recently comprehended a Super Law, Life Regeneration. It can barely create some effect, but without grasping the Primordial Wood, it's still far from enough," Yun Jin said.
Língzūn accepted it calmly. "Back then, when the Heavenly Dao shattered, she used her body to mend it. This world might look normal now, but the truth is, because of that event, many Laws vanished into the river of time. In a situation like this, finding someone who's mastered the complete Primordial Wood is almost impossible."
That great war had been hundreds of thousands of years ago.
It sounded long.
But compared to the lifespan of a small world, it was just a blink.
That short span wasn't enough for the Heavenly Dao to fully recover.
Yun Jin blinked. "Do you know why the prophecy says I'll save this world?"
Língzūn looked puzzled.
Yun Jin laughed softly. "It's because I can extend your life for a while. And you're the true savior."
Before he could react, the wood elemental force between heaven and earth erupted in joyous ecstasy. The sky gathered torrents of green light that surged like a river.
"Wait, this is…" Língzūn's pupils shrank.
He could command the Primordial Insight, yet he'd never been able to see through Yun Jin.
There was a strange power inside her that shrouded everything about her in mist.
Only now, when she voluntarily unleashed it, did he realize the truth.
Primordial Wood.
The person before him was someone who'd mastered the Primordial Wood itself.
The disturbance was too massive to hide.
Outside, the Qing Tianhu stiffened, shock drowning his gaze.
That life force was terrifying.
Was it her?
His entire body trembled.
If this power was real, didn't it mean Língzūn might not have to fall?
In that moment, regret crushed his heart.
What had he almost done? He had nearly attacked Yun Jin.
She was probably the only person who could save Língzūn. If he'd offended her, what would he do then?
"Qing Tianhu, who's on the mountaintop?" Língzūn sat up as the other nine Saints rushed toward the peak.