Chapter 470 The Soul Lives Forever

It took quite some time before these Stone Descendants finally accepted the fact that a Slime Empire existed on the mainland.

Although it wasn't hard to tell from their bewildered faces that they still found the name utterly bizarre.

Viola said regretfully, "If I could, I'd love to see that Slime Empire with my own eyes, but right now... we need your help more."

She invited Nilly's group to venture deeper into the island, personally leading the way ahead, with only a dozen or so Stone Descendant guards following behind.

The rest of the Stone Descendants remained at the shore, continuing their respective tasks, partly to watch over the ships, and partly to prevent anything from sneaking onto the island while outsiders were present.

Nilly walked with her hands behind her back, taking the seasoned strides of an elder out for a stroll, swaggering right beside Viola.

She patted her chest and said in a bold tone, "Don't worry, this is exactly why we're here!"

She seemed to think of something, then coughed, her tone reining in a bit: "But well... due to certain special reasons, we currently can't get in touch with the Empire, so we can't get reinforcements."

"So we still need to meet the ancestor first and discuss how to deal with Hopkins."

She didn't directly say that His Majesty had refused to help, that would be way too embarrassing to admit.

All they could count on now was the legendary Stone-Heart Hailam, and the Stone Descendants' Legendary Trial.

"I heard that Ancestor Hailam has already reached Legendary." Nilly probed, "Even a Legendary can't resist Hopkins' control?"

Viola walked ahead, her steps pausing slightly. "Miss Nilly, just follow us and you'll see."

So mysterious?

Nilly raised an eyebrow, muttering inwardly.

She had originally thought this would be simple, find the Legendary ancestor, then ask him to help fight Hopkins together.

If Yano alone couldn't beat him, then ganging up on him should do the trick, right?

But seeing Viola's hesitant expression, she knew things probably weren't going to be as smooth as she'd imagined.

The group followed the winding forest paths deep into the island.

The further they went, the sparser the vegetation became. The tree houses along both sides of the road were still well-preserved, but most of their doors were tightly shut, as if this were a village slumbering.

Nilly's gaze casually swept past a tree house with its door half-open, and she saw a statue standing inside.

The stone statue depicted a woman, her expression serene, sitting on the ground with her head slightly lowered, as if in meditation.

She secretly observed the other tree houses and found that almost every one contained a standing statue.

The stone statues came in all sorts of poses, some standing, some sitting, some seeming to reach toward a certain direction, as if in the final moment before their lives ended, they still wanted to touch something.

Watching them, she blurted out without thinking: "These people... did they all turn into statues because their Stone Bloodline became too thin?"

"No."

Viola's answer caught Nilly off guard.

If it wasn't because of thinning Stone Bloodline, then what else could it be?

Viola quickened her pace, her voice impassioned as she recounted the past: "Before this branch of the clan left the island, the family had actually never stopped growing. You all had predecessors."

"Your clan's numbers kept increasing until now, still not even seven hundred people."

Her gaze also fell upon those statues: "But they turned into statues for a different reason."

Nilly's heart skipped a beat: "What reason?"

Viola stopped at a fork in the path ahead, turned around, and glanced at Nilly and Jack.

"When you meet Ancestor Hailam, you'll naturally understand."

Jack stood behind Nilly, hands tucked into his belt, surveying the gradually increasing statues along the way, and suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, Lady Viola, you've lived for several hundred years?"

Viola nodded slightly: "It's merely using petrification to slow the passage of our lifespan. In truth, our perception of time isn't strong. Several hundred years feel to us like just a few years have passed."

"Rather, it's Miss Nilly and Mr. Yano who intrigue me."

Viola's gaze swept back and forth between Nilly and Yano. "I don't seem to see any signs of Petrification Disease on either of you. Did you... solve the bloodline problem?"

The Stone Descendant guards walking behind her heard this and all turned their gazes over.

For Stone Descendants, the word "bloodline" represented so much.

An unstable bloodline meant their descendants would gradually turn into lifeless stone statues, meant the clan was heading toward decline, meant everything that was once glorious would eventually be ground to dust by time.

If the bloodline problem could be solved, the unchanging life would be shattered, and the Stone Descendant race might welcome new life.

With new life, a clan had hope, had a new future.

This was what they had always longed to solve.

Nilly noticed their gazes, puffed out her chest, and raised her chin slightly: "You guessed right. The Empire possesses a spell capable of awakening the Stone Bloodline, allowing Stone Descendants to obtain a perfect bloodline, thereby avoiding the Petrification Disease."

A stir spread among the Stone Descendants.

Some exchanged glances, others whispered among themselves. Nilly couldn't quite make out the words, but from the expressions on their faces, this matter had indeed caused quite a commotion.

Nilly secretly observed their reactions, calculating inwardly.

She didn't believe that a clan they'd only just met after centuries of separation would necessarily become allies.

Sharing the same blood didn't mean sharing the same interests. Who knew what these overseas Stone Descendants were thinking.

But if the Stone-Heart family was willing to join the Empire, that would be the best outcome for both sides.

She had deliberately revealed this information, with the goal of letting these Stone Descendants know that the Empire could completely solve their bloodline problem.

That way, when facing the impending crisis, they would naturally lean toward the Empire.

Ideally, she could pack up these overseas Stone Descendants along with their Legendary ancestor and take them all to join the Empire.

This way, the Empire would not only gain a Legendary, but also the secret of the Stone Descendants' Legendary Trial.

She was even starting to think about which part of the Empire she should arrange for these overseas Stone Descendants to settle in once they returned.

Viola's expression shifted slightly at this news as well, but she didn't say much, simply continuing forward.

The deeper they went, the denser the statues became.

These lifelike figures stood on both sides of the road, each with vividly animated expressions, yet so eerily silent it was frightening.

A sailor walking at the front of the group suddenly pointed ahead and shouted in surprise: "Look, what's that?"

Everyone stopped in unison and looked up.

Ahead was the entrance to a massive cave, its stone walls covered in dark moss, but what truly took everyone's breath away was the colossal shadow cast from within the cave.

Jack squinted his eyes and said, "It's a statue."

As they walked into the cave, the true form of this shadow was finally revealed in the dimness.

It was exactly as Jack had said, a gigantic stone statue.

But unlike the crude Stone Giants, this statue had clear contours, facial features, undulating muscle lines, and even every single finger was carved with extreme precision.

It was clearly the face of a human male, with prominent brow bones, a broad jaw, and a gaze fixed forward, so solemn it seemed to be watching over the long passage of years.

Standing dozens of meters tall, it towered in the center of the cave like a silent monument.

Nilly was about to marvel at the statue's exquisite craftsmanship when Yano's calm voice came from behind her.

"Hailam."

Yano had somehow already stepped forward, standing at the very front of the group, eyes closed, looking up at the statue.

A flash of surprise crossed Viola's eyes as she gave him a serious look: "That's right, this statue is the ancestor you've come to see."

Nilly's eyes widened, and she instinctively compared the statue's height to her own. The gap was so enormous that one could hardly believe they were the same species.

She couldn't help muttering, "That's not right... if our ancestor was this tall, then why are we so small? Those old fogeys Solomon and the others never mentioned their ancestor being a Giant."

Viola seemed to have anticipated this question, and gestured with an inviting motion: "Please, Miss Nilly and Mr. Yano, follow me. I will tell you all the truth, including the Legendary Trial you wish to know about."

She knew very well that to deal with Medusa and Hopkins, they had to rely on the power of that mysterious Empire.

Even if the Stone Descendants had secrets, they no longer mattered at this moment. Survival was the most important thing.

Everything she did was only to free the Stone Descendants from their current predicament.

Nilly hadn't expected her little scheme to be seen through, but who was she? Nilly, the Heavenly Being!

Her face was as thick as a city wall, not a single blush or racing heartbeat. Hands behind her back, she swaggered right along.

She even muttered as she went: "We're actually here to help sincerely, it's just that we can't reach the Empire right now."

"Of course, ideally we'd pass the Legendary Trial, that way our chances against Hopkins would be much better."

Viola turned back and said candidly: "We have never doubted you, Miss Nilly. In fact, I also hope you can pass the Legendary Trial, which is why I'm leading you here."

"But the difficulty of the Legendary Trial is beyond anyone's imagination. To this day, only Ancestor Hailam has passed it. Everyone else has failed."

Nilly seemed to have figured something out, her gaze falling on the statues behind her: "So these statues, they're all from failing the trial..."

Viola didn't deny it, simply walking forward in silence.

Nilly understood that this was her tacit confirmation. Her heart sank. Sure enough, things weren't as simple as she'd thought.

She took a deep breath, turned to Jack, and said, "Captain Jack, wait for us out there. Viola and I will be back shortly."

"Now that's more like it." Nilly said with satisfaction, then glanced back at Yano. "Yano, let's go."

Yano gave a slight nod and followed behind her with his eyes closed.

They passed through the cave, walking along a corridor that gradually sloped downward into the depths.

Ancient reliefs were carved on the stone walls on both sides of the corridor, their patterns simple and rugged, seemingly depicting scenes of Stone Descendants migrating, fighting, and settling down to live.

Finally, they arrived at the foot of Hailam's statue.

From here, looking up, the statue appeared even more colossal than from afar. The Giant's foot alone was taller than a full-grown adult, and the shadow it cast nearly covered the entire cave floor.

Viola turned around, her gaze resting on the two of them, then spoke slowly.

"In fact, we have been conducting a trial called the Stone-Heart."

"Stone-Heart?" Nilly was taken aback. "So the name Stone-Heart comes from this trial?"

Viola nodded. "That's right. If the Stone Blood is the sublimation of the flesh, something visible to the naked eye, then the Stone-Heart is the sublimation of the soul, allowing the soul itself to gain petrification abilities while being immune to petrification."

Nilly frowned. "The soul can be petrified too?"

She finally understood why those Stone Descendants turned into statues after failing the trial.

So this was a curse on a whole different level.

"Of course it can."

Viola gazed at Hailam's towering figure, sighing with emotion: "Since our birth, we have been actively walking the path of the curse, and we must transform the curse into power."

"The transformation of the Stone-Heart is vastly different from the Stone Blood. A petrified soul can truly block the passage of time, exempt from most spells and mental attacks. Even Hopkins' control is of no concern."

"Once one possesses a Stone-Heart, to a certain extent, the Stone Descendant obtains eternal life of the soul."

"Physical bodies no longer matter to us. Even if the flesh is destroyed, the petrified soul, like a true body, can freely walk upon the plane of reality."

"Furthermore, the self-image a Stone Descendant holds can even influence their external form."

Eternal life of the soul?

Nilly looked up at that colossal statue, shock surging through her heart.

So this was the true endgame of the Stone Descendants.

Gazing at the Giant's statue, she suddenly felt she understood something: "So, in this ancestor's eyes, he sees himself as a towering Giant?"

Yano spoke up as well, his focus completely different from hers: "Hailam's body was destroyed?"

Viola couldn't help but turn her gaze back to Yano at this. "This Mr. Yano, are you awake right now?"

Yano was silent for a few seconds before speaking: "Perhaps not fully awake, but close."

"You can consider this a trial."

"A Legendary Trial?" The surprise in Viola's eyes deepened. "I never expected that the Stone Descendants on the mainland had already discovered a new Legendary Trial."

She looked at Nilly again, and Nilly waved her hands frantically: "Don't look at me, this trial isn't something just anyone can attempt. This trial is exclusively his."

"But, you still haven't answered our question."

Viola's gaze shifted away from them, landing back on Hailam's statue. Only after a long moment did she let out a long sigh: "That's right, just as you thought. Ancestor Hailam has actually died once already."

"What remains now is his soul."