Chapter 473: Chapter 475 Destiny and the Spine of the Earth Coexist
 

The bond of the Spirit Contract was established very successfully, and it seemed to her that a Spirit Contract was just a way to make friends.

In fact, Zhu Minglang always treated Dragons with an attitude of equality and kindness; he was not the kind of Dragon Shepherd who used Dragons as tools and enslaved Dragon Beasts.

So, when he initially sensed the soul of the Nuwa Dragon, Zhu Minglang was delighted.

It was like stumbling upon a Rare World Dragon for free.

But what followed was a torrent of emotions, like the overwhelming sea tipping over, shaking Zhu Minglang profoundly as he formed the Soul Connection with it.

Zhu Minglang’s own soul was also greatly impacted; he felt the world spinning around him. After cultivating as a Sword Cultivator and becoming a Dragon Shepherd, his soul should have been very strong. Yet, compared to the deep sorrow and loneliness that surged from the other soul, his own seemed somewhat insignificant and fragile.

Zhu Minglang felt as if he were falling, plummeting into an underworld of cruel rocks and darkness, a place with nothing around, supremely silent. The never-dissipating cloud of fear hovered over his heart, tormenting him with endless years, as if he would be imprisoned forever in such a pit of despair!

Soon, Zhu Minglang saw the ridge of red martial rocks again. The magnificent and expansive ridge stretched and sprawled among the countless Veins of the Earth of the Neon Sea, supporting this entire continent.

Somehow, it seemed that there was a type of Divine Stone Root within the ridge, like chains firmly locking his soul in place. As Zhu Minglang tried to leave this place of despair and break away from this world, the Spine Soul Lock proved indestructibly oppressive, firmly pinning him under the Veins of the Earth…

Several times, Zhu Minglang thought he was about to break free, to leave this cursed land, but as he struggled, the entire ridge began to wobble and collapse!!

As the ridge cracked and fell apart, the Veins of the Earth that ran through the entire Neon Sea and the surrounding soil also fractured and sunk!!

Zhu Minglang witnessed the ocean turn into a bottomless cavern, he saw the land being submerged by the sea, he saw billions of creatures perishing in this catastrophe caused by the rupture of the ridge.

In that instant, Zhu Minglang lost all his determination and courage, looking at the ridge that firmly locked his Life Soul in place, he suddenly understood that he was the ridge itself. The prosperity of the vast world relied on his Life Soul; if he left, the land, the oceans, the mountains would cease to exist!

He could only choose silence, only choose loneliness, only choose to continue living in this dark and desolate soil…

Living a meager and insignificant existence, like a plankton, yet also watching over billions of creatures silently and nobly, like a god!

…

It was as if he were deep in a drunken stupor; Zhu Minglang’s head felt heavy and groggy.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he gradually came to his senses.

What came into view was a pure and beautiful face, otherworldly and holy. Her astonishingly large eyes were filled with worry as they looked at Zhu Minglang, as if afraid something might happen to him…

Zhu Minglang shook his head, casting away the emotions and memories that were not his own from his mind.

Those memories did not belong to him.

They were the memories of the Nuwa Dragon.

By signing the Spirit Contract with her, he had agreed to accept her soul. Her past flowed into his mind like a dream, immersing him in the experience and letting him feel it all firsthand!

Yet, the Spirit Contract ultimately failed to be established.

It wasn’t that the Nuwa Dragon was unwilling to accept it, but her soul was locked within this ridge. Once Zhu Minglang signed the Spirit Contract, his own soul would also be bound here!

“You saw the Neon Sea World collapsing, billions of creatures dying in this catastrophe, so you flew down into the Veins of the Earth and became part of the ridge with your Life Soul??” Zhu Minglang asked.

“The Spine…” the Nuwa Dragon murmured.

“How can I help you?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“How…” The ancient mind of the Nuwa Dragon seemed to have been worn away by the years, and she simply existed here, not knowing how to express herself.

Even her own past memories had vanished, appearing only because Zhu Minglang reached deep into her soul.

“You have been here for too long, your destiny has grown together with this Divine Ridge Root,” Zhu Minglang said.

The clearest memory Zhu Minglang felt was that the Divine Ridge had solidified and the Veins of the Earth had fully relaxed; the Neon Sea World finally didn’t need her support anymore. But just when she was about to leave, she suddenly discovered she had grown together with the Ridge.

She had become a part of the Ridge, she was the Ridge, and if she forcibly separated herself, the Ridge would shatter again, and the disaster would return!

So the years passed, and passed, and passed…

She had almost forgotten everything.

Her spiritual wisdom had deteriorated to less than that of a three-year-old child.

She once was a deity, shining as brightly as the moon, worshiped by countless spirits in ancient times.

Now she might as well be plankton, aimlessly wandering in this verdant divine pool, living a pointless life, yet she must live.

Zhu Minglang, of course, felt that sorrow, vast enough to rival the grandeur of the Neon Sea.

“Mr. Jinli, she wants to leave this place and is willing to sign a Spirit Contract with me, but once the contract is established, my soul will also be locked in this Spine, like hers,” Zhu Minglang said.

“I knew it wouldn’t be that simple, sigh, I told you, the Nuwa Dragon is to be admired from afar,” Mr. Jinli said with a long sigh.

Seeing Zhu Minglang unharmed, the Nuwa Dragon let out a pleasant chime. She swam backward into the verdant divine pool, diving deep…

After a while, she returned with many sparkling Divine Stones in her hands, like before when Zhu Minglang gave her sugar to eat. It seemed she wanted to offer her treasures to Zhu Minglang to express her joy.

If it were before, Zhu Minglang would have been overjoyed at the sight of these Divine Stones, treasures that would be considered invaluable in the world above, comparable to the White Phoenix Tail he had obtained. But at that moment, Zhu Minglang couldn’t muster excitement or happiness, especially after experiencing the pain deep within the soul during the signing of the Spirit Contract. This made Zhu Minglang even more eager to take her away from this place.

She was an incredibly powerful being, comparable to the gods, yet humbled and struggling alone in this under-world, and what’s most important, apart from himself, there probably wouldn’t be anyone else in the world who knew that the thriving Neon Sea World was sustained by the life and soul of such a Nuwa Dragon.

“Is there a way, Mr. Jinli?” Zhu Minglang still didn’t want to give up just like that.

Zhu Minglang had once severed the Veins of the Earth, but the Ridge was many times more solid than the Veins, and Zhu Minglang didn’t know at what realm he would need to be to chop the Spine.

“With your current cultivation base, it’s impossible to shake the Spine, but since you said her Life Soul has grown together with the Divine Ridge Root, you might consider chopping off a thread of her Life Soul to see if that can free her,” Mr. Jinli suggested.

“If her Life Soul is chopped, won’t she be gone?” Zhu Minglang asked with wide eyes, thinking Mr. Jinli had some rather rotten ideas.

Why not just say, give her a quick end!

“Not dead, perhaps just the loss of the God Spirit Life Grid,” Mr. Jinli said.