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Once aboard the boat, Dugu Yan couldn't understand why the fallen ones they found had not resisted. When Blood Sword Norman killed similar beings, they had found signs of resistance from other fallen ones. Here, however, there was none. She asked, "Could it be some kind of fanatic belief?"
"Perhaps," Tang San nodded, citing the example of the Holy Spirit Sect as he explained to them the madness of those evil soul masters.
"The Holy Spirit Sect?" Yu Tianheng sighed. "I never expected that Mu Tian would become a fallen one. His talent was decent; there was no need for him to pursue the methods of fallen cultivation. Calling himself an evil soul master—his mind must be twisted."
"Perhaps his mentality was unbalanced," Tang San reflected. Now, he believed Mu Tian fell because he realized Austin Griffin was residing within his Haotian Hammer, which drove him mad. However, Tang San couldn't blame him; Austin Griffin's choices weren't his to make.
Moreover, if Tang San were Austin Griffin, he wouldn't choose someone like Long Aotian, a "brain-dead protagonist," because such personalities often attract unnecessary trouble unless they have absolute power.
"Jealousy?" Yu Tianheng agreed. "During the competition, Mu Tian did look at you with envy. If he fell because he felt inferior to you, his psyche must have been fragile. It harmed not only himself but also tarnished the reputation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect."
Currently, there were no related scandals circulating, mainly because Ning Rongrong was close to Tang San, so the Martial Soul Hall gave the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect some face.
Otherwise, the whole continent would definitely be buzzing with headlines like "Seven Treasure Glazed Sect harbors evil soul masters!" "The leader of the Holy Spirit Sect is actually a disciple of Bone Douluo!" "The true identity of Bone Douluo is also a fallen one!" and increasingly absurd claims.
Rumors spread like wildfire. Once they did, if the Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect tried to handle it, people would say, "See? I knew the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect wasn't all good!" "They're feeling guilty!" and so on.
When a villain does something good, countless people praise them. Conversely, when a good person does something bad, no one remembers their previous goodness; they are cursed as if doing so showcases their justice and nobility.
Thus, on the surface, the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect appeared good, and there could be no wrongdoing in plain sight.
For all major powers on the continent, this was the same. If something happened, they would find ways to cover it up and avoid tarnishing their reputation.
It used to be manageable, but now with rapid information dissemination, members of major powers dared not show their feet...
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
The speed of the underground river had become gentle, and the space ahead opened up. It was nearly a hundred meters from the ceiling, and there were gravel beaches along the edges. Some moss on the cave walls emitted light.
Gu Yuena turned off her soul guide lights, her eyes gleaming with insight. "I smell a strong life force, somewhat similar to yours."
"I sense it too," Tang San looked up, his spiritual power extending outwards, connecting with the core of the Golden Tree. The purest natural energy from the heavens and earth passed through space and actively flowed into the Blue Silver Emperor within him.
Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan felt a spiritual tremor, and their fatigue from the journey disappeared. It was as though they were not in this dim underground river but wandering in a vibrant grassland where the air carried a fresh fragrance.
Gu Yuena sensed even more. She realized that Tang San had established a strong connection with something of intense vitality at the top, and he occupied a dominant position in this connection.
The sensation was very familiar, but what could it be?
Indeed!
The Golden Tree!
At this moment, Gu Yuena felt her whole body boiling with the desire to break through the rock layer above and bring the Golden Tree back to the Star Dou Great Forest.
With it, her recovery would hasten!
However, the thought of returning to her original form made Gu Yuena hesitate again. After all, she felt reluctant to leave behind the human society and Tang San, especially considering whether the memories she had gained in such a short time could compare to her long dormant memories. Fear gripped her that they might be diluted or forgotten in an instant, eventually reverting to her rational and wise Silver Dragon King self.
This wasn't the outcome she desired!
"Let's wait a bit longer. After all, the Golden Tree has a connection with Tang San. If I were to suddenly take it away, I might provoke a backlash of the entire continent's fortune. If the Divine Realm notices, I'll be in trouble."
Gu Yuena reasoned with herself inwardly, "I need to find a way, subtly, cautiously. I mustn't act rashly. As Tang San said, impulsiveness is the devil and can easily lead to losing one's reason."
"I am the embodiment of reason!"
"Yes, that's right. This is definitely not about spending more time with Tang San. Absolutely not... Speaking of which, Tang San, who possesses half-blood of the Blue Silver Emperor, is also my subject. So, I'm doing this to persuade him."
But at this moment, Tang San had no time to pay attention to Gu Yuena's changing facial expressions from excitement to hesitation, then to resignation, and finally to determination. His gaze fell on a nearby gravel beach with a cave entrance, where a white gas raft was tied up. It was made from human intestines, filled with gas and streaked with blood vessels, looking extremely disgusting.
Tang San and the others approached the gravel beach and disembarked.
"It's truly inhumane," Dugu Yan said as he released a blue toxin toward the gas raft made of intestines, causing it to dissolve and disperse.
This was Dugu Yan's second soul skill: Azure Scale Blue Poison, also known as Paralyzing Poison.
When used on oneself, it could eliminate pain and enhance defense. When used on other objects, especially organs like intestines, it had a corrosive effect.
With Dugu Yan's two years of practice, he had gained a deeper understanding of the poison of his own martial soul. Using Azure Scale Blue Poison now only had a corrosive effect without polluting the water quality of the underground river.
Afterward, everyone proceeded into the cave.
"At first, there were twelve people," Yu Tianheng analyzed the situation. "Gu Yuena mentioned that five of them had their bellies cut open and died right from the start. Later, we encountered a corpse halfway through the journey. Excluding the possibility that they killed and threw a fellow fallen one into the underground river, there should still be at least seven of them left. Among them, three are Soul Kings, and the remaining four are Soul Ancestors."
Dugu Yan added, "However, if Captain's speculation is correct, those three Soul Kings could be some kind of long-lasting clones of the original, and we need to find the original among them. He might be disguised as a Soul Ancestor, hiding among the remaining ten Soul Ancestors."
"In that case, I'll use Endless Grass Field to entangle them," Tang San sensed the hardness of the ground, feeling that Blue Silver Emperor could take root, and voiced his thoughts. "For me, facing a large number of opponents is actually a disadvantage. As long as the roots of the Blue Silver Emperor cannot be removed, they will only be like fish on a chopping board for us."
(End of Chapter)