Chapter 913: Believe in Your Choice

Before Tang San could speak, she continued, "But this isn't what I want. So what if I'm revived? Live another three thousand years? I still can't break free from the shackles of this plane, and I can't escape the erosion of time. I've already decided to follow you, and since I decided that you'll be giving me a piggyback ride to immortality, then you can't shake me off, Daddy~"

As she said the last sentence, a smile returned to her face.

Tang San responded with a smile, "Believe in your choice. It's the right one."

"Well, I sure hope it is. Anyway, now that you're here, prepare to receive my Crystal Celestial Pillar's baptism." Crystalline smiled.

Tang San was a bit surprised. "I already have your bloodline imprint. Isn't that enough?"

Crystalline replied with some pride, "It's not that simple. Don't forget, I was once the number one Emperor. The power I left within the Crystal Celestial Pillar isn't something that can be absorbed so easily, even by my own imprint. Once my imprint absorbs that power, it will rise to the peak of the eleventh order, and it won't be inferior to your transcendent bloodlines. But that's not all. You can also benefit from this power. The biggest benefit is that you'll be able to directly use my sealing abilities.

"My copying ability may not be that useful to you, but the sealing ability certainly will be. In a sense, my sealing talent is a kind of divine consciousness technique, and it's actually the fundamental reason I could become the number one Emperor. In fact, it's more useful than copying. Once you inherit the ability, you'll understand why I'm so excited about it. With it, you won't have to worry about conflicts among your bloodline imprints. It'll be a huge advantage for your path to becoming an Emperor."

Tang San didn't stand on ceremony with Crystalline and sat down cross-legged on the spot. "Alright then, let's do it."

Crystalline sat down in front of him as well, and slowly spread out her arms and held her palms up, making a beckoning gesture.

In an instant, light erupted from the surroundings, and dazzling brilliance illuminated the entire world inside the pillar. A powerful divine consciousness washed over Tang San like a storm, cleansing his own divine consciousness, and this cleansing was accompanied by a wealth of knowledge.

Only now did Tang San begin to feel Crystalline's true power.

On the Crystal Celestial Pillar, Tang San's body began to emit a crystal-like radiance, as if he had also turned into a crystal sculpture and merged with the pillar. The pillar shimmered with translucent brilliance, continuously washing over his body.

Meanwhile, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had stood up from the ground. Beside him appeared another Emperor, cloaked entirely in black robes, exuding an extremely chilling aura.

"Sunborne, could Crystal take on some new transformation with his help? I always felt she was too powerful to die so easily," said a dark-robed Emperor.

The Sunborne Nymph Emperor shook his head. "Hard to say. She has lived for three thousand years. Our strength may be great, but time is merciless. All we can do is prolong our lives. Among us, she lived the longest. If she really had a way to revive herself... No, I honestly don't believe it. Time is the most terrifying force. The corrosion of three millennia is no joke. It's precisely because she lived so long that I understand this more clearly. Even if you and I work together as yin and yang, we may not even survive that long, so what about her? She was relying on her own power and nothing else. I admit she's strong, but to resist time itself? That's beyond her. Even the Ancestral Tree eventually chose to merge with the world. Think about it: The Ancestral Tree controlled the life energy of the entire plane, and it still couldn't prolong its own life. So no, true resurrection is just not possible. Moreover, although Crystal is powerful, she's not on the Ancestral Tree's level. That being was the only one who might have created an eternal world."

"Mhm. Good, as long as she's not coming back." The Earthshade Nymph Emperor changed the topic. "What do you think of that little Blue Gold Tree Clan guy?"

"He's excellent. Better than I initially judged. The life energy he just released surpassed even the Ancestral Tree's essence. His connection to the Ancestral Tree's awakening is certain, and it brought him power that ordinary Blue Gold Trees don't have. His idea of neutrality is also quite something, and I suspect it comes from the Ancestral Tree's will. Blue Gold Trees have immense innate value but no way to protect it, and this is practically the only way a clan like this could survive."

"If you think he's good, then I trust your judgment."

As they spoke, a pale hand emerged from the Earthshade Nymph Emperor's black robe and pressed against Sunborne's hand. A faint halo appeared between the two of them, making their aura grow even deeper.

There were eight Demon Emperors, while nymphs had six of them. Of the fourteen Emperors, ten were at the Ancestral Court. Nymphs were fully represented—all six were present. On the demon side, the Undying Demon Emperor, Celestial Fox, White Tiger, and Crystal Phoenix were here, while the others remained in their respective main cities.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor was sitting on his own Celestial Pillar, and his eyes were fixed intently on the young Blue Gold Tree. For some reason, as he stared at that blue figure, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

***

In Kali City.

Silver light faded as Mei Gongzi finished her cultivation.

Since fusing with the Immortal Flame Phoenix bloodline, her cultivation had been progressing rapidly. Her understanding of space and of the Immortal Flame Phoenix's Nirvana Rebirth was deepening by the day.

However, she'd been a bit irritated lately—That guy hadn't come back in a long time.

Who knows what he's up to? And the martial competition is drawing closer....

An envoy of the Ancestral Court had come to deliver a message: since this was an absolutely major event, and even the nymphs of the Solstice Empire would be involved, they hoped she would come to the Ancestral Court for it. But Mei Gongzi had flatly refused. She knew that only in Kali City could Tang San display his full power. It bordered the ocean, so if he was in danger, he could escape using the power of the Endless Blue Sea. The Ancestral Court was a different story; the sheer number of Emperors was a huge problem.

Last time, Tang San had said that he would join the selection tournament under a different identity, but then got all mysterious and wouldn't say more.

So annoying. You're gone for so long and you keep secrets from me like that... You bastard. You're going to get it when you come back,

she thought fiercely... and then couldn't help but start missing him.

But why isn't he back yet? Did something happen?

Lately, there were rumors that something big happened in the Solstice Empire: An Emperor had actually died. The fall of the Adamant Nymph Emperor was a major blow to nymphs, and it only made the race for an Emperor's seat grow even more heated.

Of course, she desired to become an Emperor too. She had this vague feeling that fragments of memory in her mind were starting to piece together. As her divine consciousness improved, and her connection with the Asura Sword deepened, the feeling became more pronounced. So once she became an Emperor, she might be able to remember more about her past life... about

their

past life.

She had asked Tang San about it before, but he had never told her much. He had only told her that, since they were living again, they should fully embrace this life's beauty. When the time came, the memories would return on their own. In their past life, they had loved each other, but in this life, he didn't want her love to be bound by the past. That wouldn't be fair to her.