Chapter 1796 - 2098: Soul Stone (1)
"Ten days..." Ling Gengqiu frowned and said, "Right now, we can’t even find He Honggang’s people. If he’s deliberately avoiding us, ten days, or even thirty days, won’t be enough. It seems Ling Chen is in danger this time."
Qiu Yong said solemnly, "In that case, we might as well charge straight into Qiu Nanshan and rescue our sixth brother. I refuse to believe that, with so many of us, we can’t accomplish that."
"It’s indeed not feasible," Ling Gengqiu spoke up, "You haven’t fought those people, so you can’t understand their terror. Among them, there’s someone whose strength is truly terrifying. Even if we were to combine all our strengths, I doubt it would be enough." He paused, shaking his head, "Forget it! You all can’t help in this matter, just stay here and wait for news. I’ll try to think of another way to see if we can locate He Honggang. As long as he agrees to hand over that corpse, all problems will be solved at once."
...
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and Ling Chen was kept locked in the stone chamber all day. However, this also had its benefits, as the quiet environment greatly aided his healing. After three days of recuperation, the injury on his chest had healed by thirty percent. Though not fully recovered, he at least had some capacity for self-defense.
During these days, apart from tending to his wounds in the stone chamber, what Ling Chen most wished was to get in touch with Ling Gengqiu outside to ask about his situation. Unfortunately, his phone had already been confiscated by Du Yunzhi.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knocking sound came, and Ling Chen, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes and looked toward the door, seeing a man stepping inside and saying expressionlessly, "Our clan leader requests your presence."
Having stayed here for a few days, Ling Chen had come to understand Du Yunzhi’s identity. After her father’s death, Du Yunzhi succeeded him as the clan leader of the guardian tribe. Under the man’s lead, Ling Chen was soon taken to Du Yunzhi’s residence. All the dwellings here were stone chambers, and as Ling Chen opened the door, he went straight inside. However, as he entered, he happened to see Du Yunzhi sitting cross-legged on the bed.
Seemingly hearing the footsteps from the doorway, Du Yunzhi slowly opened her eyes, and a faint green light flashed through them, appearing exceptionally eerie. "Lady Du," Ling Chen greeted her. She rose, pointed to a seat by the table, and then placed a cup of tea in front of him.
Ling Chen picked up the teacup and savored the fragrant tea, finding it very sweet. The guardian tribe lived on the mountain all year round, only occasionally going out to buy essential food; everything else was self-sufficient. For instance, the water they drank was from the underground springs of Qiu Nanshan, very sweet and perfect for making tea. "Lady Du, what can I do for you?"
"I need to remind you, it’s been three days already, and there’s still no word from your friends."
Ling Chen gave a wry smile and said, "Lady Du, frankly speaking, although you gave a ten-day deadline, I don’t hold much hope. The corpse of your ancestor is in He Honggang’s hands, and he’s now missing. If we can’t find him, it’s all just empty talk."
"So you’re prepared for death?" Du Yunzhi asked coolly.
"What choice do I have?" Ling Chen shrugged helplessly, "As long as He Honggang doesn’t show up, I’m dead. After all, everyone dies eventually; it’s just a matter of time. I’ve come to terms with it now. Being buried in such a place after death wouldn’t be so bad."
Pausing, Ling Chen looked at Du Yunzhi and said, "Before I die, could you answer a few questions for me? Consider it fulfilling my last wishes."
Hearing this, Du Yunzhi hesitated briefly, then nodded, "Go ahead, what do you want to know?"
"Before coming here, He Honggang told us that your guardian tribe possesses a peculiar method, capable of enhancing one’s power by borrowing others’ strength. To be honest, I’ve seen quite a bit in my time, but I’ve never heard of such a method. Is it really possible to borrow power?"
This was Ling Chen’s greatest curiosity. During the battle that day, he had personally witnessed Du Yunzhi’s transformation. She was clearly a master of the Heavenly List. However, whatever method she used, her strength suddenly escalated to rival that of He Honggang.
"This question..." Du Yunzhi glanced at Ling Chen, her eyes flickering slightly, then picked up her teacup and took a drink. Seeing that she didn’t intend to speak anytime soon, Ling Chen touched his nose and said, "If you won’t tell me..."
"Though it’s a secret of the guardian tribe, there’s no harm in sharing," Du Yunzhi suddenly said. Just as Ling Chen was momentarily stunned, Du Yunzhi suddenly took out a dark green stone from her body.
Looking at the dark green stone, Ling Chen couldn’t help but feel curious, slowly leaning in for a closer look. However, Du Yunzhi seemed quite guarded; seeing him lean over, she immediately pulled her hand back.
Seeing this, Ling Chen awkwardly smiled and continued examining the stone. It was no bigger than an infant’s fist, entirely dark green, with a smooth surface and irregular angles. No matter the angle from which it was viewed, the stone appeared quite ordinary without any special features.
"Lady Du, is there something special about this stone?" Ling Chen couldn’t make out anything from it and straightforwardly asked Du Yunzhi for guidance.
"The power we borrow comes from within this," Du Yunzhi explained.
"Really?" Ling Chen was shocked, again focusing on the dark green stone. Could this seemingly inconspicuous stone actually contain immense power? Yet, despite his extensive martial arts experience, he had never heard of a stone capable of storing power; it seemed too fantastical. However, seeing Du Yunzhi’s serious expression, she didn’t seem to be deceiving him.
"Lady Du, what secrets does this small stone hold?"
"We call this stone a Soul Stone," Du Yunzhi said. "This type of Soul Stone is extracted from within our ancestors. Anyone who’s undergone the first stage of evolution will generate this stone within themselves." Noticing Ling Chen’s continued bewilderment, she provided an example, "Martial artists train from the beginning to the Heavenly List realm by using their dantian; it’s the most important asset for a martial artist—all the Inner Strength is stored there. However, once the first stage of evolution is complete, the dantian in the body gradually transforms into a stone like the one I have. Its function is actually the same as a dantian’s, used for storing Inner Strength. The only difference is that upon death, a dantian loses its function, whereas a Soul Stone remains, and the power inside it doesn’t diminish. It’s by harnessing the power within the Soul Stone that we can rapidly enhance our strength, and this method has no side effects."