Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San Chapter 725: Crystalline and the Crystal

Chapter 725: Crystalline and the Crystal

“The Crystal Demon Emperor’s power was simply too immense, so even a duplicate couldn’t bear all of her original strength. Therefore, she had to seal her power, releasing it gradually. Each time the duplicate’s capacity to withstand increased, a bit more power was released. Ultimately, when the duplicate fully matured, she could truly be reborn. Am I wrong?

“In the end, she didn’t choose you but Crystalline instead. She realized that it was impossible to create a body that could bear her power, so what could she do? She had to create a body that could evolve by itself. So it had to start from an egg, just like she did when she was born three thousand years ago. That’s why Crystalline has been with me, slowly absorbing the energy I provide. She hasn’t absorbed much because she is not actually accumulating energy to cultivate the way normal beings do; she is simply improving her body in order to grow strong enough to withstand her own sealed power.

“When I eventually break through to godhood, Crystalline will be able to take advantage of that moment to drain all my foundation, allowing herself to take a massive step forward and finally stand at godhood again. After enduring my tribulation, she would attain godhood, with no danger to herself. She must have determined that my foundation is even better than hers was, and by being reborn through me, she might even end up stronger than before. That’s why she chose me—after all, I’m the one who could defeat nine duplicates.

“In fact, I am fairly sure that you set up the trial on the Crystal Sacred Mountain to select a host for her, someone with extraordinary talent. You’ve been waiting for such a host to appear, and I am the one you’ve been waiting for. Perhaps even better than you imagined, hehe.

“Crystalline has been with me, growing as I grew. She seems to be completely unconscious, but in reality, she’s just taking a little nap. When I was in danger, she would come out to help me as much as possible. For example, when I developed the Polar Luck Domain, that was with her help. She even helped me hide it from the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, preventing him from noticing it. After all, he would never want to see an absolute powerhouse like her be reborn, right?”

Tang San spoke at length, but the so-called duplicate Crystal Demon Emperor remained silent.

Tang San also maintained his silence, keeping his eyes closed. In this state, he could maintain his singular focus and avoid being influenced by the mirrored domain. When he first entered, he sensed that even his divine consciousness could be tainted here. A single misstep could lead to being controlled by the mirror images. Although he had confidence in his divine consciousness, he wasn’t willing to take that risk now.

Finally, the Crystal Demon Emperor sighed. “Do you understand the risks of knowing too much?”

Tang San sighed as well. “Why, of course. Knowing too much can indeed be a bad thing. That’s why, even though I long since figured out most of these things, I never actually tried to do anything to Crystalline. After all, no matter how weakened she is, she is still the true reincarnation of the Crystal Demon Emperor. Moreover, while she has been using me, haven’t I also been using her as my trump card? And now, it’s time for that card to be played.

“The reason I came this time is to have an open and honest discussion with you. Acting in a way that benefits one side while harming the other won’t help us survive this crisis, much less gain the greatest benefits. Only by working together can we overcome the challenge and achieve an optimal outcome.”

“You seem very confident in yourself,” the Crystal Demon Emperor said calmly.

“I don’t have much confidence in whether I can get through this ordeal. After all, even if you’re willing to help me, it won’t be easy to succeed. But I’m confident in my judgment. If you miss this opportunity, the real Crystal Demon Emperor may never have another chance. Since this carefully crafted duplicate has already been reborn, I assume there’s no way to start over. You can always shoot an arrow, but you can never draw back one you’ve shot. So cooperating with each other is the best course of action. Therefore, the first thing you must do is abandon the idea of destroying me to achieve rebirth. That’s the foundation of our cooperation.”

At that moment, a soft voice suddenly spoke from within Tang San’s dantian. “I must say, Daddy, you’re incredibly smart. Smarter than we ever imagined. You truly are a being from another world.”

Tang San finally opened his eyes, and a beam of crystal light separated from his body, transforming into the figure of a young girl who looked to be about ten years old.

She was incredibly beautiful, with a head of pale blue hair that shimmered with a crystalline luster. Her skin appeared almost translucent, and her delicate face carried an expression of helplessness that didn’t match her apparent age, though it was accompanied by a faint smile.

Tang San looked at her and smiled as well. “My dear daughter, you’ve grown so quickly! Seeing you reminds me of my daughter from my past life. She was a particularly warm-hearted girl.”

Crystalline chuckled. “What, are you saying I’m not warm enough? Well, to be fair, trying to kill my own father isn’t exactly warm, is it? But thank you for hatching me. You’ve indeed given me many different experiences, making me feel all sorts of strange things, though they seem to be quite helpful to me.”

As the light flickered, the Crystal Demon Emperor that Tang San had previously seen appeared out of thin air, standing beside Crystalline.

He didn’t speak, simply looked at Crystalline with a furrowed brow.

Crystalline glanced at him and said, “You’ve shown too many flaws, especially in terms of your aura. You were reluctant to release my true aura, which made him notice something was off from the very beginning.”

The duplicate Crystal Demon Emperor frowned and said, “The power you left me was limited, and each use depletes it further. Once too much is consumed, there won’t be enough to sustain my existence, so who will handle your business? Who could have imagined that a teenage boy would be so clever?”

Crystalline sighed, “What teenage boy? He’s probably many years older than me; you can’t judge him by ordinary standards. So it’s not your fault—I misjudged him as well.”

Tang San just smiled at them, not in a hurry to speak.

“Well then, let’s have an open and honest discussion,” Crystalline said with a smile. “Many of your guesses are correct or close enough. My situation is indeed quite bad; otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken such risks. In fact, the entire Daemon Continent is in a dire state. I’ve seen some very frightening signs. If not for that, death wouldn’t mean much to someone who’s lived for three thousand years; I’ve long since grown weary of this world. With the strength of my divine consciousness, even if my body perished, my consciousness could merge with this plane, becoming part of it, or leave it altogether to roam the universe. Either would be an acceptable outcome for me. But with things being as they are, I can’t die just yet.”

As she spoke, Crystalline’s youthful face turned serious.

Tang San nodded. “I’d like to hear more.”

Crystalline sighed. “Haven’t you already sensed some of it? This plane is currently in a state of great disharmony. And it’s not a natural state, but an artificial one, caused by the beings of this plane. The apparent splendor hides enormous risks. I only recently confirmed it myself.”

Tang San’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, “Did you confirm this in the Hell Garden?”

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