The 11th Volume Chapter 83: The Heart of the Spirit

  The elder of the water spirit broke the silence first, her voice was a bit old, but still pleasant to hear. She said politely: "I am the elder of the water spirit, my name is Water Linglong. We have heard from the village chief of Shuixing that you are aware of the importance of this ocean heart to us. We old guys came here to see if there's a way to unify our opinions, satisfy your friends and achieve our original goal."

  I smiled slightly and said bluntly, "I know the difficulties your spirit tribe is facing now. You want to communicate with the water god, no more than hoping to find a way to restore your spirit tribe's reproductive ability and continue to survive on the mainland, am I right?"

  Several elder elves looked at each other in dismay, and saw the same astonishment in the eyes of others. They had obviously not expected me to see through their true intentions so quickly. Shui Linglong nodded: "Since you already know, we don't need to hide it anymore. Yes, that's right. We are indeed thinking like this. Friend from the Demon Clan, do you know? The number of our Elf Clan is dwindling at a rate of 1-2% every hundred years. If this continues, in just a few hundred years, there will be no more Elves on the continent of Jin Yuan."

  I nodded and said, "I understand your difficulties. Every living being has the right to survive. However, I have a doubt in my mind. If you spirits regain your reproductive ability, with your innate advantages, it may not take too long for you to quickly recover and become another powerful force outside of the three major races. At that time, the Jin Yuan continent will become even more chaotic, which is what I don't want to see. Therefore, I cannot agree to your request." I frankly expressed my thoughts, hoping to dispel their idea.

  The elderly wood spirit, also a female, said: "Child, I am the elder of the wood spirits. My name is Mù Róu. What you say makes sense, but you're thinking too far ahead. Even if our tribe were to recover its vitality, that would be thousands of years from now. As you've seen, we spirits don't have a strong desire for victory or conquest; we just don't want our tribe to disappear. So, we sincerely hope you can help us with this matter."

  She said that, and indeed she had her reasons. I was hesitant, and the Fire Spirit Elder said: "Child, I am Huo Yun, and Mu Rou is right. We can guarantee that from now on, our tribe will not participate in any wars on this continent. Our tribe currently has 131 spirit messengers, 26 great spirit messengers, and 5 spirit elders. As long as you can help us with this matter, we are willing to be at your beck and call for the rest of your life."

  His condition is indeed very tempting to me, I have seen the strength of the Spirit Master, and the five Spirit Masters together are absolutely no less than the Fallen Angel of the Demon Clan or the Dragon Knight of humanity. The Great Spirit Master can at least fight the Fallen Angel to a draw, and these five Spirit Elders will probably have the ability of a Dragon General. With their strength, even if they try to rob me, they may still have a great chance of success. Of course, the Sea Blue Stone is not in my hands, so they won't be able to get it even if they want to. If this powerful force were under my control...

  As I was about to make my move, the Earth Spirit Elder, a short and aged yellow spirit, said: "Fire Brother is right, we can make the highest oath of the Spirit Clan to you here." Sighing, he continued: "Child, I, Earth Spirit Elder Tu Tuo, tell you sincerely that we don't actually want the Spirit Clan to become powerful to any extent. We just hope that the Spirit Clan can maintain the balance of the biological chain, and that's enough. What is meant by the balance of the biological chain is that the number of newly born spirits is equal to the number of deceased spirits. If our Spirit Clan can recover its reproductive ability, when the number reaches a certain level, we will definitely restrict reproduction."

  Tǔ tūn's words truly moved me, and I nodded unconsciously. Seeing the hope, Fēng Jīng Líng Lǎo said: "I, Fēng Jīng Líng Lǎo, can guarantee that Tǔ Tūn Lǎo's words are absolutely true, and to make up for your friend, we are willing to give her the most precious Heart of the Spirits from our tribe. We will only take it back when her life disappears."

  "I asked in surprise: 'The Heart of the Spirit? What is that?'"

  Mercury explained on the side: "The so-called Spirit Heart is also a gemstone, inside which exists the fundamental of our spirits - five different elements. The most magical thing is that there is a transmission array in the Spirit Heart. Under the recognition of the five elders, the Spirit Heart can summon any one of the spirit elders at any time and place with a certain spell to get help."

  I sighed inwardly, for the sake of obtaining this Ocean's Heart that could change the fate of the spirits, the spirit tribe was willing to pay such a great price. I said calmly: "Five elders, aren't you afraid of entrusting the wrong person? If I use your spirit tribe's power to achieve some evil goals, you will probably regret it too late."

  The water spirit smiled slightly and said, "Child, we old folks have all lived for over 600 years. I can see that although you have a strong murderous aura about you, your inherent nature is actually kind. And since you could ask such a question, it also proves that you never had any intention of doing so, right?"

  I glanced at Mo Yue and she whispered to me: "Husband, the spirits are also quite pitiful, why don't you go ask Purple Snow Sister for help?"

  Zixue's side shouldn't have any problems, I still have some confidence in that. I gritted my teeth and made up my mind: "Alright, since it's like this, I'll agree to your terms. The Spirit Tribe really isn't a race that should go extinct, but what you said earlier is going to be counted as a debt. Moreover, I can't absolutely guarantee that I'll be able to bring back the Heart of the Ocean for you."

  The five elderly spirits looked at each other, their faces filled with joy. The five of them spoke in unison, saying: "I am Water Linglong (Wood Ruo, Fire Yun, Earth Tun, Wind Shuang), under the witness of the water god (forest god, fire god, earth god, wind god), we swear that as long as we obtain the Heart of the Ocean, our spirit clan will thrive. We are willing to let all spirits follow and assist Lei Xiang unconditionally throughout his life, no matter what difficulties he faces. And we will lend him the heart of the spirits until his life ends." The five elderly spirits simultaneously bit their left middle finger, and five drops of blood flew out, condensing into a single entity under their control. The five of them shouted in unison: "Contract!" The blood drops emitted a colorful glow, forming a beautiful symbol in mid-air before slowly disappearing.

  Seeing them willing to do so for their own kind, I was deeply moved and solemnly said: "Since the five elders trust me so much, I, Lei Xiang, swear in the name of the Crazy God that I will definitely find the Heart of the Ocean and the other two Vice Water Hearts and return them to the Spirit Clan. If I fail to fulfill this oath, may heaven and earth abhor me."

  The five elders smiled slightly and nodded at the same time. Mercury asked in surprise, "Brother Lei Xiang, do you believe in the Mad God? Is there such a god in the Divine Realm?"

  I proudly said: "Of course there is, Crazy God Teoman Dis is a first-class god in the divine world." Only after I finished speaking did I realize that I had misspoken.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  "Indeed, several elders asked in surprise at the same time: 'What is a first-class divine inscription?'"

  I awkwardly said: "This is just my evaluation of the gods in the divine realm, okay, since you have already made an oath, when do you want the Heart of the Ocean."

  Shui Linglong said: "Of course the faster the better. Just now, when you were making an oath, you said that you also wanted to help us get the Vice Water's Heart, is that true?"

  I smiled and said, "Since I've sworn an oath, of course it's true. Water Star Village Chief, you should still remember what that demon said back then. After a while, I'll be heading to the Demon Clan, and I'll help you retrieve those two pieces of the Heart of Water. This is the only way to make it a complete set of divine artifacts, right? Otherwise, how could I accept such a grand gift from your Spirit Clan? Within two to three years, I will definitely return the Ocean's Heart and the other two auxiliary Hearts of Water to you. However, you must strengthen your defenses. If another auxiliary Heart of Water is stolen, I'm afraid I'll be powerless."

  Shui Linglong said: "Thank you for your reminder, we will. Our several elders have decided to keep the four existing Water Hearts together until they are complete. Child, do you know? You brought hope to our Spirit Clan!"

  I chuckled and said, "A six-hundred-year-old granny like you doesn't need to be so sentimental. It's still early days for all this; I can wait until everything settles down before you thank me."

  "Good, we'll be waiting for your good news."

  "Alright. Since things have been settled here, we'll take our leave. Once I've gathered all these items, I'll deliver them directly to this place."

  She smiled slightly and said, "No need to go through so much trouble, didn't we promise you that we would lend you the Heart of the Spirit? With the Heart of the Spirit, all you have to do is casually summon one of us five old guys and hand over the thing."

  Mò Yuè furrowed his brow and said, "Didn't we agree that you would fulfill your promise after we retrieved the items? Are you going to hand over the Spirit Heart without worrying that we'll run off with it?"

  Shui Linglong shook her head and said, "I believe you won't casually misuse the Spirit Heart. Besides, we five old guys will be in charge, and with the Spirit Heart, when you encounter danger, we can also lend a hand." As she spoke, she turned to look at the other elders, seemingly seeking their opinions.

  The rest of the elders nodded in unison. The five leaders of the Elf tribe simultaneously stretched out their left hands, with their palms facing upwards. They began to mutter in the Elven language, their speed extremely fast, making it impossible for us to hear clearly.

  Mercury said: "Having obtained the Spirit Heart, you are our closest friends in the Spirit Clan. Several elders are using their own power to summon the power of our original spirit, creating the Spirit Heart. The incantation chanted by the Spirit Language is the most powerful magic of our Spirit Clan, but only those above the Great Spirit can use it."

  The magical elemental aura emanating from the five elder spirits shocked me greatly. Even if I were to transform into a fallen angel, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to surpass even one of them in terms of magic alone. With such powerful magical abilities, they should at least be considered high-ranking mages. It's possible that there may even be one or two great mages among them. The spirit tribe, a race that has been hiding in silence on the continent for many years, actually possesses such immense power.

  As the five elder spirits chanted, a light ball appeared on each of their outstretched left hands, in different colors - blue, green, red, yellow and cyan - according to the elements they controlled. The radiance of the five-colored light balls grew stronger and stronger, until they reached the size of a human head. At that moment, the five elders shouted in unison, raising the light balls above their heads, and the five colors shot towards the center simultaneously. A tiny, colored light began to appear in mid-air, gradually growing brighter as the radiance of the five-colored light balls faded away. The foreheads of the five elders were already slightly beaded with sweat; it seemed that creating this so-called "Spirit Heart" was indeed a laborious task.

  Shui Linglong, the elder, was the first to withdraw her hand, and the colorful light balls in the air lost their connection with her. She muttered to herself, constantly changing various gestures, and from her hands, blue symbols gradually appeared, flying towards the colorful light balls in the air. This continued for a short while, until she finally stopped, took two slight breaths, and shot out a blue light beam that supported the colorful light balls in the air.

  Next was Mokuren, who did the same thing as Suiren, followed by Katen, Chin'en, and Fūjin, each of whom also entered different complex symbols into the glowing orb in the air.

  When the wind and frost finally dissipated, the bodies of the five elder spirits simultaneously rose with colorful flames, exerting their full strength to compress the terrifying energy in the air. The colorful light grew weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared after the last strike from the elder spirits. A transparent crystal of five colors slowly flew towards me, and I caught it with one hand. The crystal had a faint warmth and an extraordinary feeling that was transmitted into my body. The elemental energies around me seemed to be closer, as if they were more intimate. I held it in the palm of my hand, looking at the transparent crystal, which had a layer of indistinct five-colored mist swirling around its surface, giving off a hazy beauty. I discovered that when I focused my attention on it, I somehow felt an inexplicable connection to the five elder spirits.

  The five elders sat down on their chairs panting heavily after completing the production of the Spirit Heart.

  "Child, hold it well and don't lose it. When you need our help, just recite the incantation: 'Spirit Heart, heart follows spirit movement, space door, instant opening', and then add a specific incantation word. For example, if you want my help, recite a 'water' character at the end; if you want Elder Mù Róu's help, recite a 'wood' character at the end. Understand?" I nodded, curiously playing with the Spirit Heart in my hand.

  "Also, as long as you recite the incantation, 'Spirit Heart, Unite with Spirit', it will attach itself to your body. If you don't use the dispelling incantation, even if you die, it won't fall off. The dispelling incantation is, 'Spirit Heart, Collect and Dismiss'. You must remember this."

  I whispered softly: "Spirit Heart, unite with my heart." The Spirit Heart heard my incantation and flashed a light, suddenly disappearing into the air. I felt that something had appeared on my chest, and I hurriedly touched it through my clothes. Indeed, the Spirit Heart had already adhered to my skin.

  Mo Yue walked over curiously and said, "Husband, let me see."

  "I chanted: 'Spirit Heart, gather and depart.' A flash of light, the beautiful Spirit Heart appeared in the air before me. Mo Yue looked at the beautiful Spirit Heart with a dazed expression, seemingly stunned."

  I smiled slightly and said, "Why don't I just give it to you?"

  Mo Yue shook her head and said, "No, this is what you used to exchange with Zi Xue for the Heart of the Ocean. How can I take it? Put it away, we should also bid farewell to everyone."

  I muttered the incantation, recalling the Spirit Heart, and said to the five elderly spirits and Water Star Dao: "Then I won't disturb you anymore. Once there's a development, I'll immediately notify you with the Spirit Heart."

  The five elder spirits all stood up. Shui Linglong said, "We're all a bit tired, so we won't see you off. Village Chief of Water Star, you take care of it."

  Mercury bowed his head slightly, stretched out a hand and said to me: "Please, both of you."

  I and Mo Yue respectfully bowed to the five elder spirits, these elderly people who have dedicated their lives to their own kind, are indeed worthy of our admiration and respect. The five elder spirits smiled back at us simultaneously.

  As I left the elf village, I turned back to glance at the Water Star at the entrance of the village and waved my hand at her again. Elves, don't worry, I will definitely bring you hope for survival. I pulled Mu Yue's hand and walked forward firmly.

  As I walked, I said to Mo Yue, "Mo Yue, you won't blame me for not getting your permission before agreeing with them to retrieve the two Vice Water Hearts, will you?"

  Mo Yue smiled slightly and said, "Of course not. Let's not mention that it was something in Su Cha uncle's hands, even if it were Father Emperor's, I would definitely help you get it back. Although on the surface you always seem cold, but I know you have a passionate and kind heart."

  I looked at her indifferently and kissed her forehead.

  Mo Yue said: "Uncle is really something, he actually collected such a precious thing without telling the emperor, if the emperor finds out, he will definitely be in trouble."

  I asked Moon in a somewhat strange tone: "Moon, I find it weird that you don't seem to dislike Su Zhe, the Prince of Su. Isn't he completely opposed to your father?"

  Mo Yue sighed and said, "Although Su Cha uncle and my father are completely opposed to each other, he has always been very good to me since I was a child. Every time he sees me, he will bring me some delicious food or fun things. When I was young, I often sat on his shoulders and ran around the palace, sometimes even peeing on his neck. But even so, Su Cha uncle never got angry with me. As I grew older, Su Cha uncle remained very good to me, and when he and my father had disagreements over some political views that couldn't be reconciled, as long as I stepped in, he would make concessions. So, I have always had an indescribable affection for him. I don't view him as an enemy like my father does."

  It turned out to be the case, from Mo Yue's mouth, I learned about Su Cha's other side. It seems that in the future if we were to clash again, for Mo Yue's sake, I would have to let him off easy. Since he can treat Mo Yue so well, I should make some repayment. Thinking of this, I smiled and said: "Originally, I was thinking of helping your father deal with Su Cha when I went to the Demon Clan as a gift for my proposal, it seems that I will have to change my mind now."

  Mo Yue jumped in fright and said: "Husband, you mustn't kill Su Zha uncle. He's actually not that bad."

  I pinched her adorable little nose and said in a spoiled tone: "Got it."

  …………

  I and Mo Yue were not in a hurry to rush on the road, every time we arrived at a place, we would play for one or two days. It's been a long time since I had this kind of leisurely feeling. The dark magic under our dual cultivation was actually progressing faster than my original bitter practice. When we arrived at Stru Castle, my Tian Mo Quan had already reached the highest point of the seventh layer and reached a bottleneck. Mo Yue's Four Wings Fallen Angel transformation had also stabilized, but because her foundation was not very solid, her progress was slower than mine. My Kuang Shen Dou Qi, although I didn't deliberately cultivate it, was still slowly growing every day. It was always operating automatically at all times. I wasn't in a hurry, because I knew that this wasn't something that could be accomplished in one or two days. Since Tioman Di said that it would take a hundred years of cultivation to succeed, there was no use in me being anxious. So I just went with the flow and waited until I succeeded in my cultivation. Maybe by then, these people I loved would already be unable to move. Now, what I hoped for most was to be able to quietly spend some peaceful days with them.

  As I entered Stru City, I found that there was no sign of war smoke, and the merchants and civilians in the city were doing their own things with ease. The Stru Fortress absolutely guaranteed their safety. Mo Yue was the same as before, every time she came to Stru Fortress, she would look around everywhere, looking for something new and interesting. Beastman Country, I'm back, I don't know what changes you've had in these more than half a year. As I approached my hometown, I couldn't help but miss everything about the Beastman Country even more.

  "Honey, come quick and take a look, this sword is so beautiful."

  I couldn't help but smile wryly, knowing that the Procurement Frenzy was about to arrive again. Just as I was about to head towards Mo Yue, a group of people suddenly appeared from the other end of the street. They were all dressed in the uniform of the Dragon God Empire's knights, each riding on tall horses, seemingly a patrol unit. The surrounding civilians automatically made way for them, and I stopped because I saw the leader of this team, who was none other than Liva, whom I hadn't seen in many days. His abilities seemed to have improved significantly over time, with a radiant glow on his face as he smiled and waved at the surrounding civilians. Perhaps due to his identity as a dragon knight, the people around him were all very friendly, with some food vendors even offering him exquisite dishes, which he politely declined one by one.

  To be honest, I no longer have the resentment of being defeated by Liva at first, but instead feel a little guilty. After all, his most beloved Ziyan has already given her heart to me.

  In my dazed state, Riva also discovered me. After all, a height of two meters is very rare in the Dragon God Empire, and with the attraction of the aura of a master, his gaze fell on me. I was too late to hide now, and could only look at him helplessly. Riva seemed to still be unaware of my relationship with Ziyue, and with a hint of surprise in his eyes, he urged his warhorse to gallop over. At this time, Mo Yue saw that I hadn't gone over, so she ran out of the shop, shouting: "Husband, husband, why haven't you come over yet?"

  Liva rushed to my side with a rein, the war horse let out a long neigh, its two front hooves lifted off the ground and landed on its side. Liva laughed loudly and said: "Lei Xiang, it's been a long time since we last met. What are you doing here?"

  Mo Yue looked at Liva strangely and asked me in a low voice: "Husband, who is he?"

  I nodded slightly and said, "Riva senior, hello. I'm just passing by too, so I came in to take a look."

  Liva jumped down from the horse and stepped forward, saying: "Last time in battle, you and Ziyuan suddenly disappeared. I was worried for a long time. Later, Ziyuan came back and said that she got separated from you. The Duke even asked us to find you around here for a long time."

  "I rushed to Mo Yue and said: 'Mo Yue, let me introduce you, this is Li Va, my senior in Tiandu College. He was the number one master of our college back then.'"

  "Is it more powerful than you?" Mo Yue chuckled and asked.

  I gently pinched her small hand and smiled: "Of course, I'm the defeated general under Riviere's command. Riviere, this is my wife Mo Yue."

  Riva looked at the stunning beauty in front of him with a surprised expression, his face showing a puzzled look. Mo Yue lightly tossed her long black hair that reached down to her calves, and also looked at Riva with interest. Riva's complexion changed slightly, and he pulled my arm, saying: "Lei Xiang, come, let's go aside and talk for a bit."

  I turned to Mo Yue and said, "Mo Yue, go wait for me at the store next door. I'll catch up with Li Va Shang for a bit, then come find you."

  Mo Yue reluctantly turned and left. Liva also instructed his subordinates to wait for a while, then pulled me into a small teahouse. The surprise on his face when he first saw me was gone, replaced by a serious expression. As soon as we sat down, he questioned me: "Lei Xiang, what's going on? Why did you say that girl was your wife? What about Zi Xue? I've been to the Duke's mansion twice, and she can't stop thinking about you. You can't disappoint her."

  I shook my head and said, "Of course I won't let Zixue down. The relationship between Yue'er and me was agreed upon by Zixue. Both of them will marry me and become my wives."

  Liva was stunned for a while, and it took him half a day to come back to his senses. He punched me on the shoulder and laughed: "You little devil is really capable, you can actually kill two birds with one stone, enjoying all the benefits of others. However, won't Purple Snow sister be too humiliated?"

  I smiled and said, "Of course not, my love for them is the same. Besides, Mo Yue's family background isn't much different from Zi Xue's." The daughter of the Demon Emperor, if compared to family background, I'm afraid there aren't many who can compare. Liva, if you knew that my Qiren blessing also includes your beloved Ziyuan, what would you think?

  Riva sighed and said, "You're still the best at this sort of thing. I've been chasing after Ziyan for so many years, but she remains cold towards me, without any reaction. I just don't understand what's wrong with me, why won't she accept me?" As he spoke, Riva lowered his head in some pain. It was clear that he genuinely liked Ziyan, but this was something I absolutely couldn't allow, because my feelings for Ziyan were no less than his, and Ziyan loved me. Faced with Riva's pain, I could only remain silent. To make him feel a bit better, I changed the subject: "Riva-senpai, how has things been around here lately? Has anything happened?"

  Riva shook his head and said, "The Demon and Beast tribes are now very well-behaved. I only found out a few days ago that our Dragon God Empire actually has a Holy Dragon Knight Corps, which is composed entirely of dragon riders. With their powerful strength, how could the Demon and Beast tribes dare to invade easily? It's really incomprehensible why they didn't send them to annihilate the Demon and Beast tribes. Oh, by the way, when did you come back?"

  I nodded and said, "So that's how it was. I haven't been back for long, at first..." I repeated the lie about how I escaped to Riva again, "...that's how it was. Since I've already left the academy for too long, I didn't want to go back to school either, so I ran out and traveled everywhere. My senior, Yue'er is still waiting for me, so I won't disturb your patrol."

  Riva stood up and said, "Alright then, if anything happens in the future, come to the military department of Wanse to find me. With your skills, if you join the army, you'll definitely get a good position. Follow me." He looked very sincere, as if he really hoped I would stay.

  I shook my head and said, "I still have to go to the Mo Yue's house for a visit, these things will be discussed later, if I have the chance, I will definitely look for you."

  As we spoke, the two of us walked out of the teahouse. Li Va Fei mounted his horse, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then led his men away. Watching him depart, I let out a sigh and entered the small shop that Mo Yue had just gone into. Mo Yue was standing with her back to the door, intently playing with something in her hand, looking utterly enchanted.

  "What has the moon chosen?"

  Upon hearing my voice, Mo Yue turned around and shook the thing in her hand, saying: "Husband, come quickly and take a look, this sword is so beautiful."

  I walked a few steps to her front, the boss and employees in the store heard Mo Yue call me husband, they all showed envy and jealousy, I've seen this situation many times, so I took over the thing in Mo Yue's hand with indifference. It was a narrow sword, similar to the one Mo Yue is using now, the length, width, and narrowness were almost the same. The sword was milky white, seemingly carved from some kind of mineral stone, the style was ancient and elegant, indeed having an attractive side. But when I held it in my hand, it felt very light, as if there was no weight at all. I asked the boss: "How much is this sword?"