Chapter 50: Terrifying Tenacity
Inside the quiet stone chamber. Linley lay quietly. The four elemental affinities swirled around Linley’s body, clinging to him. In the entire stone chamber, besides Linley, there was only Bebe. As for Qinghuo and Reisgem, they hadn’t come to disturb Bebe; they knew very well how deep the bond between Linley and Bebe was.
Bebe stood silently by Linley’s side, faint tear stains still visible on his small face.
“Boss.” Bebe forced a faint smile. “For over two thousand years. In my heart, Bebe, the one I’ve truly admired most is you, Boss. Really! When I was young, I slept and played. But you, Boss, always worked hard and trained diligently, never slacking off. I know part of it was because of your father, and part because of Grandpa Doehring, but you never gave up, did you?”
“And as we journeyed together, we faced what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. That Fenlai King was formidable, right? You were just a youth back then. In the end, wasn’t he killed by you?”
“Even the Radiant Church, which we once saw as overwhelmingly powerful, wasn’t it uprooted and destroyed by you?”
“In the Necropolis of the Gods, we encountered countless dangers, even situations that seemed certain death. Didn’t we still break through?”
“In the Infernal Realm, we fought our way through, never falling, all the way to the Planar Battlefield, the most dangerous and terrifying place! Didn’t we still obtain four Commander Medallions?”
Bebe bit his lip, staring at the sleeping Linley. “Boss, you won’t fall! Isn’t it just soul mutation? We’ve overcome so many difficulties; you won’t be defeated by this one. I believe you, Boss, will definitely succeed. Because… you’re my Boss. The Boss I trust most, admire most.”
As Bebe spoke, tears began to well up in his eyes. He struggled, refusing to let them fall.
The more confidently he spoke, the more panicked he felt inside.
Bebe had no confidence, no foundation at all! Because Linley possessed four divine clones. Soul mutation would be influenced by four elements, and this influence was terrifying. If he could endure it… Linley would be the first person in countless planes and countless years to have four clones and undergo soul mutation.
Could he endure it? No one in history had ever done it!
“Boss, you can do it. You definitely can.” Bebe silently prayed in his heart.
Everyone who knew about Linley’s situation had no confidence that he would pull through. Not even a ten percent chance. Even Reisgem, Qinghuo, and the others, when they discovered Linley had begun soul mutation, felt their hearts sink. Now, all they could do was pray to the heavens, pray that Linley himself would fight hard.
Yulan Plane. Dark Forest. Metallic Castle.
Two people sat facing each other. One wore a black robe, the other a white robe. The first was the drooping-bearded, small-eyed Beirut. The other was the red-browed Qinghuo! At this moment, both Beirut and Qinghuo wore grim expressions.
“How is the situation? Any turnaround?” Beirut asked, frowning.
“The situation is very bad.” Qinghuo let out a long sigh. “I really have no confidence in the success of the soul mutation. If Linley can succeed, it would be an unexpected bonus. But if he fails… Linley will never be able to reach the pinnacle again.”
Beirut shook his head and sighed. “I was too hasty.”
“This has nothing to do with you.” Qinghuo shook his head. “After my main body entered the Planar Battlefield, I was initially close to Linley. But after Linley broke through, I let my guard down. Who would have thought that Magnus would appear? Alas, it was my mistake. I failed to save him in time.”
Beirut forced a bitter smile. “It’s rare to find a good candidate. If Bebe learns the truth, he might hate me!”
“This isn’t your fault either. Who could have predicted this?” Qinghuo shook his head.
“If my plan had succeeded, Linley and Bebe would have had to thank me later. But now it’s come to this…” Beirut shook his head. “With Linley’s main body and three clones dead, he’ll have no future. My plan has completely failed. I’ll have to find another candidate.”
Qinghuo sat there, a trace of unwillingness in his eyes.
“Beirut, don’t jump to conclusions yet.” Qinghuo frowned. “The outcome isn’t decided. Linley might still get through this.”
“If he really does get through, if the soul mutation succeeds, that would be an even bigger surprise.” Beirut’s brows lifted. “If this Linley truly succeeds in soul mutation, then I’ll have to change my plan.”
“You mean?” Qinghuo was startled.
Qinghuo nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“This… can this work?” Qinghuo asked in shock. “It seems that for countless years, no one in history has ever succeeded.”
“Why not!” Beirut’s eyes gleamed with sharp light. “To be honest, if Linley’s soul mutation succeeds, then my idea has a very high chance of success. If it succeeds… just thinking about it makes me excited. If the experiment fails, it won’t affect Linley, and it won’t affect us much either. But if it succeeds…”
Qinghuo’s eyes also showed a look of anticipation.
“Of course, what we’re discussing now is just daydreaming.” Beirut smiled bitterly. “It’s still far too early. It’ll be good enough if Linley can survive this current trial.”
“Right. We still have to see if he can get through this.” Qinghuo nodded. “If he succeeds, Linley’s future will be limitless! If he fails, you and I can only ensure Linley lives a peaceful life from now on, but he will never again stand at the pinnacle, commanding the wind and rain.”
“No one can help him now.” Beirut nodded slightly. “He can only rely on himself.”
“Regret is useless. We can only face reality!” Beirut’s gaze was firm and cold. “If he succeeds, his achievements will be boundless. If he fails… don’t blame me.”
It was very quiet. Now, battles were rare. Almost everyone was waiting for the final decisive battle to come.
Day 32 of Linley’s coma. Inside the cave where Reisgem and the others were staying.
Qinghuo walked out of Linley’s stone chamber. Reisgem, Reihong, and Bebe immediately rushed over. “What’s wrong, Mr. Reihom?” Bebe asked first. Qinghuo glanced at the three and shook his head. “Although the energy of the Sovereign’s Might from Magnus’s attack has been exhausted, and the consumption of soul stone energy has slowed significantly, today, the soul stone has been completely used up!”
“What do you mean?” Bebe was shocked.
“From today on, there is no external force to help Linley.” Qinghuo sighed. “In the past, the soul stone helped him hold on. Now, without the soul stone’s help… facing the soul mutation, he can only rely on his own perseverance.”
“Boss’s soul is so weak now. Can he hold on?” Bebe was so anxious he was about to cry.
Qinghuo, Reisgem, and Reihong all fell silent.
A while ago, during his examination of Linley’s soul, Qinghuo had discovered that during the soul mutation process, Linley’s soul was like a small flame, repeatedly buffeted by strong winds. Fortunately, the black stone energy had provided replenishment, giving Linley’s soul the strength to stabilize against the impacts of the mutation.
“No one knows.” Qinghuo shook his head.
The atmosphere in the cave turned icy cold.
Day 35 of Linley’s coma.
Qinghuo walked out of the stone chamber, shaking his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable. Linley’s soul, without the support of the soul stone, has actually held on for three consecutive days… But it seems it’s still far from over. Who knows how long this soul mutation will last!”
Bebe knew well.
Back then, Olivier’s soul mutation had left him comatose for several months. And Olivier only had two types of energy. His mutation couldn’t compare to Linley’s. A soul mutation involving three divine clones was far more complex than Olivier’s. A soul mutation involving four divine clones…
A few months probably wouldn’t be enough. Beirut, Delia, and the others in the Yulan Plane had long been prepared. But the length of Linley’s coma still exceeded their expectations.
Olivier succeeded in a few months. Linley should succeed in a few years, right?
A few years?
Linley’s coma quickly passed ten years.
Year 18 of Linley’s coma.
Inside the cave on the Planar Battlefield, Qinghuo now checked on Linley every seven days. Linley’s prolonged coma had caused Reisgem and Reihong to stop worrying constantly as they once had. They could now cultivate and rest peacefully. But Bebe still monitored Linley’s condition every day.
“The situation is bad. Over these eighteen years, Linley’s soul has been weakening at an extremely tiny rate. Although he’s been holding on, this weakening hasn’t slowed down.” Qinghuo frowned. “Even though Linley’s soul has strong tenacity, never giving up, always persevering… now it’s too weak. I feel that at this rate, he won’t last three more days.”
Bebe’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
“Three days. These three days. Whether he dies like this or there’s a turning point, it all depends on these final three days.” Qinghuo shook his head.
In Qinghuo’s perception, if Linley’s soul eighteen years ago was like a small flame, now it was barely a spark.
“It’ll be fine. It definitely will.” Bebe said hurriedly.
These three days were hard to endure. Qinghuo had initially thought Linley could only last three days. But who would have thought… that soul, weakened to the extreme, actually held on for a full eighteen days. Qinghuo could only marvel at the impossibility. And on this eighteenth day—
“Bebe, come quickly! Come quickly!” Qinghuo shouted.
Bebe, Reisgem, and the others dashed into Linley’s stone chamber. Bebe looked at Qinghuo in terror and worry. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with my Boss?”
Qinghuo turned to look at Bebe, Reisgem, and the others in disbelief. “Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable! Linley’s soul… it’s starting to grow stronger now. It’s turning stronger. Like a baby growing up. At a speed I can clearly perceive, it’s growing!”
Bebe, Reisgem, and the others were stunned.
“Ah!!!” Bebe leaped up, crashing into the ceiling of the stone chamber. Several stones fell from above. Bebe quickly reached out like a blur, catching all the stones.
“Great! Great!” Bebe was ecstatic.
Yulan Plane. Dragonblood Castle.
Delia and Sasha were together.
“Mother, is Father okay?” Sasha asked worriedly. “Father rarely goes into seclusion. Why has he been in seclusion recently, and he hasn’t come out?”
“It’s fine.” Delia forced a faint smile.
Linley and Delia hadn’t told their children about Linley’s condition, worried they would be anxious.
“Hmm?” Delia suddenly noticed a figure walking through the courtyard gate toward them. It was the fire-type Linley.
“Father.” Sasha called out.
The fire-type Linley smiled and nodded. Delia looked at him expectantly. “Is it better?” Beside her, Sasha looked confused.
“I can sense… it’s already improving.” The fire-type Linley rarely had a smile on his face. Divine clones could sense each other’s souls. Although the other four souls had lost consciousness, Linley could still sense their existence. For eighteen years, they had been weakening, weakening to the point where even the fire-type soul could barely detect them. But today, the four souls had begun to grow stronger.
Linley’s soul had weakened for eighteen years, reaching an extreme low. Now it was growing stronger, and the rate of growth far exceeded the rate of weakening. And so it continued to strengthen.
Year 34 of Linley’s coma. Inside the cave on the Planar Battlefield.
“Mr. Reihom, why hasn’t Boss woken up yet?” Bebe asked anxiously. By now, Bebe wasn’t too worried anymore, because he could clearly sense how powerful Linley’s soul had become. It was far stronger than before Linley was injured. If Linley’s soul before the injury was a lake, now it was an endless, unfathomable ocean.
So powerful, yet Linley still hadn’t woken up.
“Don’t rush.” Qinghuo laughed. “He’ll definitely wake up.” But deep down, Qinghuo still had a trace of worry. Linley’s soul had grown to such a terrifying extent. Would it collapse at the most critical moment? No one knew what would happen with a soul mutation involving four clones.
Just then, inside the stone chamber.
Outside the hall, Qinghuo and the others were talking. Inside the stone chamber, only Linley lay quietly. He had been lying there for thirty-four years. Now, there were no elements gathering around his body.
Suddenly—
Linley’s closed eyes opened!
PS: First chapter, roaring awake! I have to admit, you all are fierce. Yesterday, the update votes were still so far behind, yet in less than 24 hours, you added two thousand votes. Almost catching up to Third Young Master. Just over two hundred votes short of being first in update votes. I really wonder how many times you all clicked the recommended update votes below, haha! You all seem quite greedy, clicking so many times. What level will Linley have to reach?