blenderwars Chapter 895 Decision
Chapter 895 Decision
Xiao Ling paid no attention to the discussions among the Dao Sect members.
Suddenly, the Great Desolate Stele burst forth with countless ancient and simple lights. The entire majestic stele rapidly shrank in the light, instantly becoming the size of a palm. With a stream of ancient yellow light, it flew straight toward him.
This sudden turn of events caused Ying Xuanzi and the others to change their expressions drastically, their faces filled with shock and dismay.
Especially Chen Zhen, the master of the Desolate Palace, had an extremely ugly expression. The Great Desolate Stele was the treasure that the Desolate Palace was proud of and that made it stand firm!
Although he already knew from Ying Xuanzi that this mysterious and unpredictable expert's goal was the Great Desolate Monument, he still wanted to make one last attempt to persuade him to stay when the time came.
With a determined heart, Chen Zhen gritted his teeth and leaped into the air, heading straight for Xiao Ling in the sky.
Seeing this, the other Dao Sect experts also had solemn expressions and gritted their teeth to follow closely behind.
"Yan, come out and greet your old friend. You two are both ancient divine beings, so you should be able to communicate with each other much more smoothly and in sync than others."
Xiao Ling remained calm and secretly used his mental power to transmit his thoughts to the dormant ancestral stone spirit within his body.
At the very moment his words fell, the Great Desolate Stele, now the size of a palm and with its light contained, trembled slightly and landed steadily a few feet in front of Xiao Ling, hovering quietly in the void without any further movement.
Immediately afterwards, a warm and profound radiance of dark yellow light slowly flowed and rose on the ancient stele, and an old and ethereal figure gradually condensed from the core of the stele.
The figure had white hair and beard, an ancient and profound aura, and was surrounded by a vast and ancient Daoist charm. It was the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele that had completely broken free from the erosion of demonic energy and been reborn.
The spirit of the Great Desolate Stele materialized and appeared, displaying utmost respect. It immediately bowed to Xiao Ling again to express its gratitude.
He knew deep down that if it weren't for Xiao Ling's help, he would have been corrupted day and night by the Demon King, never to find peace again. The spirit of the monument, filled with gratitude, sincerely thanked him:
"Thank you for saving me, sir, by eliminating the evil demons that lurked here, cleansing my body of demonic energy, and relieving me of the suffering I have endured for so many years. I will remember this kindness forever."
Immediately afterward, the spirit of the monument swiftly pledged its loyalty, not daring to miss the opportunity to follow a powerful figure, and said humbly and solemnly:
"As the spirit of the Great Desolate Monument, I am naturally skilled in suppression and sealing. I am particularly effective in imprisoning demons, stabilizing barriers, and suppressing powerful enemies. From now on, if you have any needs, please just give the order, and I will do my best to help you."
"I accept your gratitude."
Xiao Ling waved his hand casually, his expression remaining calm and composed, as if killing a demon king was merely a trivial matter.
"I didn't come here specifically for you. This was just something I did on the side. It's nothing to ask for any great favor."
After speaking, he slightly turned his gaze to the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele and continued calmly:
"But I have a friend who knows that you are being harassed by demons here and has been wanting to meet you. You are both ancient gods with a deep connection, and you must have many old stories and insights to share."
As Xiao Ling finished speaking, a few points of shimmering white light quietly appeared beside him. The points of light slowly gathered like stardust, and a distant and ancient aura spread out.
As the light swirled, a faint, ethereal yet refined figure slowly emerged—the long-dormant spirit of the Ancestral Stone.
The spirit of the ancestral stone gazed at the ancient, weathered spirit of the stele before it, a trace of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection) that had witnessed the passage of time, and spoke softly:
"Wilderness, it's been a long time. Your condition is much better than I sensed in secret before. Over these years, you've been suppressing that demon king all by yourself, and you've also had to resist the erosion of demonic energy day and night. It must have been really hard on you."
The spirit of the Great Desolate Stele's gaze fell upon the incredibly familiar figure of the Ancestral Stone Spirit. Sensing the profound and ancient aura slowly emanating from the other's body, it couldn't help but gasp in astonishment, its face filled with disbelief.
"Yan? It's you! I thought that after that earth-shattering battle, you were seriously injured and your source was severely damaged, and your condition was always worrying. I never expected that you would not only be safe and sound, but also have your cultivation foundation restored to such a perfect state. Your aura is thick and condensed, almost comparable to your peak period!"
The spirit of the monument was deeply shocked, its expression changing repeatedly. Then, it glanced at Xiao Ling, who stood quietly to the side with an unfathomable air, and instantly understood the reason. It couldn't help but sigh with heartfelt emotion.
"But thinking about it, it makes sense... I never expected that you would be so fortunate as to follow this supreme being whose strength is comparable to that of the ancient talisman ancestor. It must be thanks to this lord's careful protection and assistance that you were able to recover so well and return to your peak condition. Only then could you have such a fortunate opportunity."
At this point, even the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Among the ancient divine beings and spirits, the spirit of the Ancestral Stone suffered the most severe damage and was in the most miserable situation. Everyone thought he would never be able to recover. No one could have predicted that, as time passed, he would encounter a peerless expert like Xiao Ling who would follow and accompany him, and his circumstances would be reversed, transforming him completely.
The spirit of the monument was filled with emotion and curiosity. What kind of experiences had the spirit of the ancestral stone gone through over the years to have undergone such earth-shattering changes?
“Indeed.” The spirit of the Ancestral Stone looked at the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele and nodded softly, its tone filled with genuine emotion. “I was able to recover to my current level, even surpassing my peak, entirely thanks to Xiao Ling’s assistance along the way. There are too many opportunities and details to recount in a short time. I will tell you about them in detail when I have some free time in the future.”
He paused slightly, then changed the subject, speaking slowly to the spirit of the monument.
"If you wish, you are welcome to follow Xiao Ling. With him around, it will be no difficult task for you to completely repair the essence of the monument, heal the ancient wounds, and return to your peak condition. He has many rare treasures that can nourish the essence of divine objects, so helping you recover will be a piece of cake. However, in return, you must do your best to help Xiao Ling if he needs anything in the future."
Upon hearing this, the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele's eyes flashed with joy, and it immediately bowed solemnly in response:
"Of course! To be able to follow such a peerless expert as Lord Xiao Ling is an honor that I could never ask for. I had already made this plan in my mind."
Having said that, he immediately turned around, bowed respectfully to Xiao Ling, and spoke in a sincere and humble tone:
"I hope Lord Xiao Ling will take good care of me in the future. If you have any requests, please feel free to give them to me. I will do my best and never refuse."
Upon seeing this, Xiao Ling chuckled softly, his tone calm and indifferent.
"There's no need to keep calling me 'adult.' Just call me Xiao Ling, like Yan did. Yan has provided me with a lot of help in my cultivation journey. Since you are his old friend of many years, it's just a small favor for me to help you repair your origin and restore your strength. There's no need to be so polite."
Just as the spirit of the Ancestral Stone and the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele finished their reminiscing, Chen Zhen, along with the elders of the Desolate Hall and many high-ranking experts of the Dao Sect, including Ying Xuanzi, all moved swiftly, flying through the air and landing nearby. Xiao Ling glanced indifferently at the Dao Sect members who had gathered around, too lazy to offer any further explanation. He simply looked directly at Ying Xuanzi in front of him and calmly began to explain the situation.
"There is no need for further words. This is the spirit born from the Great Desolate Stele. From now on, he has decided to follow me and will no longer remain in your Dao Sect. The Great Desolate Stele will also leave with me."
These few words, spoken without any embellishment, resounded like thunder in the ears of all the Daoist disciples.
Upon hearing this, Ying Xuanzi's face darkened slightly, his expression turning rather unpleasant. He felt utterly helpless, yet dared not utter a single word of objection.
Meanwhile, the Desolate Palace Master Chen Zhen and several elders accompanying him turned ashen-faced, their expressions extremely grim.
The Great Desolate Stele is the fundamental core of the Desolate Palace, the treasure passed down through generations, and the foundation upon which all the palace's heritage and majesty rest.
Now that the Great Desolate Stele and its spirit have departed together, it's as if the foundation of the Desolate Palace, built up over thousands of years, has been directly removed. Without the Great Desolate Stele to guard and suppress it, the Desolate Palace will have no core inheritance left, and its status will inevitably plummet. In the future, the Desolate Palace will probably be nothing more than a formality.
Moreover, from beginning to end, this was a choice made willingly by the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele. It was his own initiative to follow Xiao Ling, and it was by no means Xiao Ling's way of taking advantage of his strength to forcibly seize or coerce him.
From a moral and rational standpoint, and from both a public and private perspective, no one in the Dao Sect could find fault with the situation, and they had no grounds to step forward to stop or plead for leniency.
The spirits of these ancient divine beings have their own opinions and have long since decided not to remain in the Dao Sect. Who has the right to force them to stay?
Even though the people of the Desolate Palace were heartbroken and reluctant to part with the foundation of the palace, they could only keep it all bottled up inside, not daring to utter a single word. Faced with a top-tier expert like Xiao Ling, who was comparable to the Ancestor of Runes, and with the Stele Spirit having voluntarily left, they could only grit their teeth and accept it, without even the confidence to ask him to stay.
Under the watchful and expectant gazes of the Dao Sect members, Xiao Ling simply made a light gesture.
The desolate monument, which had shrunk to the size of a palm and was radiating an ancient, dark yellow light, immediately transformed into a condensed stream of ancient yellow light, which pierced through the void and gently entered Xiao Ling's body.
The spirit of the Great Desolate Stele and the spirit of the Ancestral Stone exchanged a glance, but did not linger outside. Their spiritual light flashed slightly, and they transformed into two illusory divine figures, following closely behind the stele, and returned to Xiao Ling's body to settle down.
Xiao Ling then turned his head and saw that everyone from the Dao Sect had stiff faces and extremely unnatural expressions, so he couldn't help but chuckle.
He clenched his fist slightly, and a vast and pure spiritual power surged out from his body, rapidly condensing into a small stone tablet the size of a palm with ancient patterns in the blink of an eye. He casually tossed it, and it flew straight toward Chen Zhen.
“I know that what your Dao Sect truly values is the Great Desolation Scripture hidden on the Great Desolation Stele. I would not use my strength to bully you.”
Xiao Ling spoke calmly and slowly.
"Within this stone tablet is the complete cultivation method of the Great Desolation Scripture. However, this martial art is profound and mysterious, and its level is too high. Not everyone can easily comprehend it. If someone lacks talent or the right mindset and tries to cultivate it, not only will they fail to succeed, but they will also suffer a backlash that damages their foundation. Therefore, in the future, if you disciples of the Dao Sect wish to comprehend this scripture, you must undergo rigorous selection at every level before you are allowed to cultivate it."
The Great Desolation Scripture was originally engraved on the Great Desolation Stele. For Xiao Ling now, he only needs to scan it with his perception to fully understand and comprehend the entire scripture.
However, for others, this ancient tradition is profound and obscure, far from being easily comprehended.
This level of martial arts is among the top-tier even on the entire Tianxuan Continent.
If the Dao Sect can select disciples with exceptional talent and unwavering resolve from among them in the future, and truly comprehend and cultivate them, it is not impossible for them to create another top-tier expert who can stand alone and be of great importance to the Dao Sect.
Chen Zhen quickly accepted the small stone tablet engraved with scriptures with both hands. A surge of joy instantly welled up on his aged face, and he nodded repeatedly, respectfully replying...
"Senior, please rest assured! Our Desolate Palace will rigorously select and carefully nurture future generations, ensuring that those with exceptional talent thoroughly comprehend the Great Desolate Scripture!"
It should be noted that for a hundred years, no one in the Desolate Palace has been able to grasp the essence of the Great Desolation Scripture. Let alone truly comprehend it, they cannot even glimpse its beginnings.
After all, in the past, to comprehend the scriptures in the stele, one had to obtain the approval of the spirit of the Great Desolate Stele, a threshold so high that it deterred many.
But now Xiao Ling has directly copied the complete scripture. As long as the younger generation has enough talent, they can cultivate it directly. Such an opportunity is simply a stroke of luck.
By this calculation, even though the Great Desolate Stele itself was lost, the Desolate Palace actually gained more.
In any case, he could not truly activate or control that ancient stele, so keeping it would only make it a decoration. Now that he had exchanged it for a complete scripture that could be passed down through generations, Chen Zhen was not reluctant at all, but was secretly overjoyed.
Xiao Ling glanced indifferently at Ying Xuanzi and the Dao Sect's high-ranking members, and said calmly, "Regarding the Great Desolate Stele, I have already done my utmost for your Dao Sect, so we are even."
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted slightly, landing on Ying Huanhuan, who stood quietly beside him. His expression softened, and a faint smile appeared on his lips as he asked softly, "So, Miss Huanhuan? What have you thought about the suggestion I mentioned to you earlier?"
"You witnessed my strength in suppressing the Demon King and subduing the Great Desolate Monument. You know what you're doing. Only I can help you remove the influence of the Ice Master's personality on you. As long as you're willing to help me, I can agree to any conditions you set, as long as they're not too difficult."
As soon as Xiao Ling said this, all the elders and experts of the Dao Sect present turned their attention to Ying Huanhuan.
For a moment, the entire room fell silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Ying Huanhuan's reply.
Ying Huanhuan took a deep breath, her emotions churning. Looking directly at Xiao Ling before her, she spoke firmly and solemnly, giving her reply:
"Alright, I can agree to help you, but I have one condition: if the Dao Sect ever encounters danger or peril and needs your assistance, you must do everything in your power to protect the Dao Sect." (End of Chapter)