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As the Sky Thunder Python's soul ring merged into Lin Yongming's body, not only did his soul power increase, but he also felt a portion of the energy flowing into his eyes.
A burning sensation erupted in his eyes, and within his spiritual sea, thunder and lightning raged as vast amounts of lightning energy gathered.
"This feeling... Could it be that I can open my Mind's Eye at the Soul Emperor level?" Lin Yongming thought to himself as the burning sensation in his eyes grew more intense. He focused all his energy, directing it toward his eyes.
Outside, the two women, who had been roasting meat and chatting, were suddenly drawn to the lightning that had begun to surround Lin Yongming.
Lin Yongming's entire body was now enveloped in crackling lightning.
"What's going on? It's just absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Why is there such a big commotion?" Bibi Dong asked, her face filled with confusion and surprise.
"This is indeed strange. I've been with Xiao Ming for so many years, and he's never caused such a scene when absorbing soul rings before," Blue Silver Empress said, her expression serious.
"Could it be that Xiao Ming can't handle a sixty-thousand-year soul ring? Is he going to fail?" Bibi Dong asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"No, that's not possible. With Xiao Ming's physical strength and mental power, even a seventy-thousand-year soul ring wouldn't be a problem. There must be another reason. Let's wait and see," Blue Silver Empress said confidently.
By now, the two women had lost all interest in roasting meat. They stood on either side of Lin Yongming, watching him intently.
Meanwhile, the lightning around Lin Yongming continued to gather, and within a radius of two meters, the area was filled with crackling electricity.
"What's going on? Why is the lightning spreading even further?" The two women stepped back in surprise.
"Sister A Yin, look! At the center of the lightning, where Xiao Ming is, there are two icy-blue light spots that look like eyes," Bibi Dong said, pointing at Lin Yongming.
"Wait, Xiao Ming once told me that his eyes sometimes ache when his soul power reaches level 60. Could it be that he's trying to repair his eyes?" Blue Silver Empress recalled a conversation she had with Lin Yongming not long ago.
"So you're saying this is happening because Xiao Ming is gathering lightning energy to heal his eyes?" Bibi Dong asked, her voice filled with excitement at the thought of Lin Yongming being able to see her.
After all, the idea of their loved one being able to see their faces filled both women with joy.
"Dong'er, don't get too excited. I have a feeling that Xiao Ming's eyes are the source of his power. Opening them might not be as simple as we think," Blue Silver Empress said, recalling the red lines in Lin Yongming's eyes. She sensed that there was more to it.
The two women were right. Although Lin Yongming couldn't see the outside world, his eyes had already transformed into lightning-filled orbs. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes had opened, but they were completely blue. Lin Yongming, deep in his spiritual sea, was unaware of this.
"Ah!" Lin Yongming let out a pained cry, snapping the two women out of their focus.
The lightning surrounding Lin Yongming began to surge uncontrollably, shooting out in all directions and destroying nearby trees and rocks.
Blue Silver Empress and Bibi Dong immediately released their martial souls to resist the lightning.
"Sister A Yin, something's clearly wrong. Did Xiao Ming make a mistake? What should we do? Think of something!" Bibi Dong panicked.
"Calm down. My Blue Silver Grass might be able to help Xiao Ming," Blue Silver Empress said, trying to reassure Bibi Dong.
She then activated her martial soul domain, "Boundless Forest," and used her second soul skill, "Blue Silver Emperor's Protection." She directed her life-filled soul power toward Lin Yongming.
"Xiao Ming's eyes!" As the domain enveloped Lin Yongming, they noticed two streaks of blood running down from the corners of his eyes.
"No, this isn't enough."
"Sixth Soul Skill: Blue Silver Emperor's Blessing!" Blue Silver Empress activated her sixth soul skill.
Instantly, using herself as a conduit and with the help of her domain, she drew life force from all the Blue Silver Grass in the area, channeling it into Lin Yongming.
Not just the Blue Silver Grass, but all the plants within the Boundless Forest domain withered, transforming into a thick, green life force.
"Hmm?" A faint sound of surprise came from deep within the forest. In a dark, damp cave, a massive silver eye, several meters wide, slowly opened.
"What a strange young divine beast. Her life force is so pure!"
"Go, follow them secretly. Find an opportunity to bring her back."
"Yes, my king."
...
Despite Blue Silver Empress's efforts, the lightning around Lin Yongming seemed to reject her life force, causing a violent clash between the two energies.
The resulting explosion sent shockwaves through the area, and everything fell silent.
"Ugh!" Lin Yongming and Blue Silver Empress both spat out blood, while Bibi Dong was pushed back by the energy wave.
"Xiao Ming! Sister A Yin!" Bibi Dong steadied herself and rushed to their side.
"I'm fine. Check on Xiao Ming," Blue Silver Empress said, though she was slightly injured.
When Bibi Dong saw Lin Yongming, his clothes were torn to shreds, and blood was streaming from the corners of his eyes and mouth. His face was pale.
"Sister A Yin, Xiao Ming is seriously injured!" Bibi Dong cried, holding Lin Yongming.
"Let me see," Blue Silver Empress said, wiping the blood from her mouth. She examined Lin Yongming.
"He's been injured by his own lightning energy. It exceeded what his body could handle," Blue Silver Empress said, beginning to treat him.
However, she was nervous. Since Lin Yongming's lightning energy had just rejected her, she wasn't sure if her healing would work.
Still, she placed her hands on Lin Yongming's chest and released her life-filled soul power to heal him.
Fortunately, Lin Yongming, now unconscious, no longer had any lightning energy to reject her. Gradually, his complexion returned to normal.
"That should be enough. He just needs to rest now," Blue Silver Empress said, withdrawing her hands.
"Dong'er, we need to move. We can't stay here," Blue Silver Empress added.
"Alright. Sister A Yin, you're injured too. I'll carry Xiao Ming," Bibi Dong said, knowing the commotion had been too great.
The two women carried Lin Yongming to a new location, about five hundred meters away, before setting up camp.
After setting up the tent, they laid Lin Yongming down.
"Sister A Yin, you should rest and recover in the tent. I'll keep watch," Bibi Dong said.
"Alright, thank you," Blue Silver Empress nodded, sitting down beside Lin Yongming to meditate.
Bibi Dong sat outside the tent, eating bread to stave off hunger since their roasted meat had been ruined.
"Sigh... It failed," Lin Yongming thought, aware of everything that had happened.
"I was too impatient. I thought I could try to open my Mind's Eye with the power of the sixth soul ring, but I didn't expect the lightning energy to be insufficient."
"Thankfully, A Yin's immense life force neutralized the out-of-control lightning energy. Otherwise, I wouldn't just be injured—I might have died or been crippled," Lin Yongming thought, feeling a lingering fear.
"At the Soul Sage level, when I obtain my seventh soul ring, I will definitely be able to open my Mind's Eye."
Although the attempt to open his Mind's Eye had failed, Lin Yongming now had real hope that his eyes could be healed.
He could confidently tell Blue Silver Empress and Bibi Dong that he would be able to see once he reached the Soul Sage level.
After some time...
"Cough, cough!" Lin Yongming coughed, and the two women rushed to his side.
"Xiao Ming, you're awake! How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?" they asked with concern.
"Thank you, I'm fine," Lin Yongming said, sitting up. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Over six hours. It's already dark outside," Bibi Dong said, helping him sit up.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, especially you, A Yin. I caused you to get hurt," Lin Yongming said apologetically.
"I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. I've already recovered while you were unconscious."
"But what exactly happened?" Blue Silver Empress asked gently.
"I thought I could use the power of the sixth soul ring to heal my eyes, but I lost control. I also realized that the lightning energy wasn't enough, so the attempt failed."
"However, I'm now certain that when I reach level 70 and absorb my seventh soul ring, I'll be able to heal my eyes."
"I have to thank you, A Yin. If it weren't for your soul power neutralizing the out-of-control lightning energy, I might have been crippled or worse," Lin Yongming explained honestly.
"Xiao Ming, don't rush. As long as you're okay, that's what matters. Don't take such risks in the future. I don't want to become a widow at such a young age," Bibi Dong said, relieved.
"Xiao Ming, did you successfully reach the Soul Emperor level? Did you absorb the sixth soul ring?" Blue Silver Empress asked.
"Yes, I successfully absorbed the soul ring. I'm now a level 61 Soul Emperor," Lin Yongming said, releasing his six soul rings to reassure them.
"That's good. As long as the soul ring absorption was successful, that's what matters. As for your eyes, Dong'er and I aren't in a hurry. Even if you can't open them at the Soul Sage level, we can wait until you reach the Title Douluo level," Blue Silver Empress said, relieved.
"Exactly. Whether you can see or not, we'll always be by your side," Bibi Dong added.
"A Yin, Dong'er, with the two of you by my side, I feel like the luckiest person in the world," Lin Yongming said, pulling them into a hug.
"Enough of that. Don't think we'll both serve you at the same time," Blue Silver Empress said, pushing him away with a playful smile.
"Right, I agree with Sister A Yin," Bibi Dong said, also pushing him away.
"Ah! I'm in pain. I'm injured. I need to lie down a bit longer," Lin Yongming pretended to clutch his chest.
"Hmph, your acting is terrible. Stop pretending. You're not fooling anyone," Blue Silver Empress said, rolling her eyes.
"Haha!"
They then left the tent to prepare dinner. Since it was already dark, they wouldn't be leaving the Star Dou Great Forest that night.
After dinner, the three took turns keeping watch, spending a peaceful night. By morning, Lin Yongming's soul power had fully recovered.
At around ten in the morning, they left the Star Dou Great Forest and continued south, entering the territory of the Star Luo Empire.
They then headed west.
The Star Luo Empire's structure was similar to the Heaven Dou Empire, with four subordinate kingdoms and one duchy.
After three months of traveling—or rather, training—they passed through the Star Luo Empire's capital and the capitals of two kingdoms, eventually reaching the southwestern part of the continent.
One day, the three arrived at a small town called West Cloud City.
After resting for the night, they visited the local Spirit Hall.
"Subordinate Cheng Jian greets the three esteemed guests!" The bishop of the West Cloud Spirit Hall bowed to them.
"Bishop Cheng, has there been anything unusual happening nearby?" Bibi Dong asked casually.
This was a question they had asked countless times during their journey, so Bibi Dong didn't expect much.
"Esteemed guests, there have indeed been some strange occurrences over the past month," Bishop Cheng replied.
"Oh?" The three of them immediately perked up.
"As you may have noticed from your journey from the south, our region is mostly mountainous, with very few plains."
"The first report came 35 days ago. Several women reported that their husbands had gone into the mountains to hunt and never returned. A week later, the same thing happened in another village."
"Half a month ago, children playing near a village gate went missing."
"Five days ago, we received reports of more disappearances from other villages."
"Although the Spirit Hall and the empire's soldiers have been investigating together, the rugged terrain has made progress slow," Bishop Cheng explained.
"I suspect it's the work of the Fallen Ones, but they're very cunning, making it difficult for us to make any progress," Bishop Cheng sighed.
"Why do you think so?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Esteemed guests, if it were ordinary bandits, they would demand ransom from the families. But in these cases, the families haven't received any messages. This suggests that the kidnappers aren't after money, which points to the Fallen Ones, who use living beings for their cultivation."
"Moreover, this is the first time in twenty years that such frequent disappearances have occurred in this area," Bishop Cheng said seriously.
"Where exactly are these villages located?" Lin Yongming asked.
"Let me show you," Bishop Cheng said, spreading out a local map on the table.
"They're all in this area of the Cloud Luo Mountain Range, specifically on the western side," Bishop Cheng pointed to the map.
"This is problematic. The tail end of the Cloud Luo Mountain Range is very close to the westernmost part of the continent," Bibi Dong said, comparing the local map to a map of the entire continent.
"Why is that a problem?" Blue Silver Empress asked.
"The westernmost part of the continent is a favorite gathering place for criminals. Many who are being hunted by enemies or wanted by the Spirit Hall go there to hide."
"That's because there's a place called the City of Slaughter, a haven for the wicked," Bibi Dong explained seriously.
"So, without a doubt, some of these criminals have been corrupted by slaughter and have become Fallen Ones ."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 255 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 65 power stones I will publish the next chapter.