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Tang Chen stood inside the cave, watching the two kings of the Star Dou Great Forest struggle for their lives. Upon hearing their decision to sacrifice themselves, he immediately feigned an expression of utter shock.
His body subconsciously took a half-step back, and his voice was filled with disbelief and anxiety as he cried out, "Da Ming, Er Ming! You can't be serious! What are you doing?!"
The next second, he stepped forward quickly, acting as if he were trying to stop them physically. His tone was agitated and frantic. "No! I won't allow this! You are Xiao Wu's most cherished family, and you are the true kings of the Star Dou Great Forest. How could I possibly accept your sacrifice? Just wait, there has to be another way. I'll go look for better herbs, or maybe I can find a healing expert."
"Cough, cough..." The Sky Azure Bull Python coughed violently, the sound echoing painfully off the cave walls. He shook his massive head to interrupt Tang Chen's protests. His eyes suddenly became incomparably clear, filled with a wisdom that comes only at the end of a long life.
"Tang Chen, stop lying to yourself. We know our own bodies best. These bodies have long been filled with death and the poison of the Death Spider Emperor. It was only by relying on a sliver of obsession and the medicine you gave us that we were hanging onto this last breath."
The Titan Giant Ape also let out a low, rumbling roar. His voice was weak, but his words were firm. "Tang Chen, we don't want to just rot away in this cave. Our power shouldn't just dissipate along with these broken bodies. It's better to give it to you so you can put it to use."
Seemingly having made a final decision, and as if to cut off any further hesitation from Tang Chen, a bizarre blood-red flame rose simultaneously from Da Ming and Er Ming's massive bodies. This was the flame of a sacrifice.
It did not burn their flesh and blood in a physical sense. Instead, it was directly igniting their remaining vitality and their very Soul Origin. The instant the flames rose, the decaying aura within the cave was replaced by a tragic and vast energy that shook the surroundings.
"Finally, you've taken the bait," Tang Chen secretly sneered in his heart. He knew his plan had succeeded perfectly. Every word and every hesitant look had been calculated to push them toward this exact moment.
Immediately after, his face revealed a hint of pain and struggle, which ultimately turned into a look of deep helplessness and compassion. He let out a long sigh, as if he had just made an extremely difficult decision, and his voice grew deeper.
"Very well, since your minds are made up and you won't listen to reason..." He walked up to the Sky Azure Bull Python, looking at the giant bull head that was gradually becoming transparent within the blood-colored flames.
"Da Ming, your spirit ring is upright and peaceful. Having lived in the lake water for years, it contains vast vitality and water attributes. These are quite compatible with my Blue Silver Emperor Spirit. If you must sacrifice yourself, then grant your power to my first Spirit, the Blue Silver Emperor."
After speaking, he turned to Er Ming. "Er Ming, your power is violent and fierce. It contains the heaviness of the earth and the strength of mountains. Although my Second Spirit is of the ice attribute, it also requires an incomparably solid foundation and power to bear the extreme cold of my other rings. Your spirit ring can become the most stable cornerstone for my Second Spirit. Are you willing to do this?"
Upon hearing this, the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python exchanged a glance within the flickering blood-red flames. The last trace of attachment in their eyes turned into pure determination. They both nodded simultaneously, and a low, long resonance emanated from their throats, as if they were saying, "I am willing."
The two Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beasts no longer hesitated. They raised their heads toward the dark cave ceiling and let out the last, most resonant, and most resolute roar of their lives. "Roar!" "Moo!" The roars shook the entire cave, carrying both a sense of relief and an endless sorrow for the lives they were leaving behind.
As the final roar fell, the blood-red sacrificial flames burning on their bodies surged to the extreme. The next second, two incomparably thick, tangible blood-red pillars of light shot up into the sky from the tops of Da Ming and Er Ming's heads. Everything around them became absolutely still. It was as if time itself had stopped to witness the end of two kings.
Immediately after, one pillar of light appeared cyan-black, containing river-like vitality and vast energy. It poured straight into Tang Chen's chest. The other pillar of light was an interweaving of earthy yellow and dark gold, carrying the weight and power of a collapsing mountain. It also fiercely rushed toward Tang Chen's chest.
At this moment, Tang Chen's body could no longer move. In order to let the two Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beasts depart with peace of mind, he used his soul to communicate with them one last time. "Da Ming, Er Ming, go in peace. I promise I'll kill Tang San to avenge Xiao Wu. I won't stop until he pays for what he's done."
The bodies of the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape were already fading away. After hearing Tang Chen's vow, a look of satisfaction appeared in their eyes. Inside the cave, the blood light soared to the sky, and energy surged wildly.
The blood flames burned brighter and brighter, gradually turning from bright red to a dark, deep crimson. Da Ming and Er Ming's bodies became more illusory, looking like transparent red crystals.
Tang Chen closed his eyes and focused. Blue-gold and icy-white light flickered alternately around his body as he accepted and guided these two powerful forces. His aura began to climb and transform at an astonishing speed.
Eventually, the two massive bodies turned into the purest energy and spirit rings. The two Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beasts had completed their final journey, entrusting the hope of revenge to Tang Chen.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's body faded away first. Finally, all the red color expanded into a giant ring that slowly contracted and swirled around Tang Chen's body. Meanwhile, deep within Tang Chen's mental sea, the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were watching. They had already read many of Tang Chen's memories. Although these memories were not complete, the coldness, calculation, and his paranoid pursuit of power were clear.
"This human..." The Ice Empress's cold voice echoed in the mental sea, carrying shock and disdain. "His schemes are so deep, and his methods are so ruthless. Is there even a trace of warmth in his heart? He's using everyone."
The Snow Empress replied, "He seems capable of doing anything to achieve his goals. Kindness, disguise, calculation, and even emotion... they're all just tools to him. This kind of nature is actually quite similar to some of the top predators in our Spirit Beast world."
Even though they were Spirit Beasts who believed in the law of the jungle, they felt uncomfortable with how Tang Chen used trust to his advantage. "Oh, Bingbing, Snow Empress, you can't say it like that!" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice interjected.
He was clearly Tang Chen's biggest supporter. "You don't know how miserable this kid's past was! He had a father who only drank and wallowed in despair.
He had to find his own food when he was just a few years old. He fought wild dogs for scraps and nearly froze to death. It's a miracle he even survived! Do you expect him to be a naive philanthropist? He'd be swallowed whole!"
The silkworm paused, trying to use logic they would understand. "Besides, Bingbing, don't you want to eat me all the time? In our world, it's survival of the fittest. If you aren't strong enough, you don't survive. The human world is the same.
Tang Chen just sees through the rules more clearly. He uses his brain to survive. This is just survival wisdom! It's like he always saysâbetter I betray the world than the world betray me! If you don't want to be eaten, you have to arrange things so you're the one on top."
The Ice Empress and the Snow Empress were silent. The Ice Empress snorted coldly, not entirely convinced. The Snow Empress shook her head helplessly. "Very well. Since we have already chosen him, then it can only be this way. I only hope he doesn't use this wisdom on us."