Chapter 292: Planting the Second Crown into the World Tree [Bonus - ]

Chapter 292: Planting the Second Crown into the World Tree [Bonus Chapter]

Solomon found himself staring up at a bright, open sky painted with fluffy white clouds and a warm, golden sun. He could hear the gentle, rushing sound of a river flowing nearby.

He didn’t even need to sit up to realize exactly where he was. He was inside his inner world.

Solomon let out a long sigh. "I ended up in another near-death situation, and currently, my physical body is desperately trying to heal itself under a collapsed mountain."

He sat up and brushed the lush green grass from his uniform. "I actually wanted to come back to this world to plant the gemstone, and triggering a near-death scenario felt like the only viable way to do it. But it still feels way too reckless to attempt on purpose, which is exactly why I hesitated to use the forbidden cultivation technique earlier."

Solomon stretched his arms and stood up. "Anyway, this worked out perfectly in the end. Now I just need to plant the gem onto the soul tree, and I will finally awaken my long-awaited second bloodline ability. I am incredibly curious to see what it actually is."

He turned around to face the solitary gray-barked tree in the center of the plains and immediately froze in his tracks.

Someone else was there. A figure stood perfectly still beside the tree, facing away from Solomon with his hands clasped casually behind his back.

This was Solomon’s personal, inner mental world, so no one else should be here. Yet, a stranger he had never met was standing right in front of him, and Solomon could feel an overwhelming, suffocating aura of danger radiating from the man.

Solomon did not even have a physical weapon inside his inner world, nor could he manifest his silver aura here. He could still try to fight the intruder using pure hand-to-hand combat, but if an entity was powerful enough to bypass his mental defenses and enter his soul domain without him noticing, they were undeniably a massive threat.

Solomon frowned deeply. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"

The figure reacted to Solomon’s voice, and he slowly turned around.

"You..." Solomon gasped, his eyes widening in recognition.

It was the Heavenly Demon. He looked exactly the same as the fleeting glimpse Solomon had caught in the sealed chamber—young, with long, flowing dark hair and piercing, glowing red eyes.

The Heavenly Demon looked at Solomon and offered a calm, arrogant smile. "You are finally here. I have been waiting for you."

"How are you inside my inner world?" Solomon demanded, taking a cautious step back.

"Were you not the one who swallowed the gemstone?" the Heavenly Demon responded smoothly. "As the last true, direct bloodline heir of the Azure Kingdom, a fragment of my soul essence was permanently tethered to the crown."

Solomon pondered the explanation, processing the logic for a few seconds. "I ate the Crown of Eden too, but this manifestation never happened before. I never met the previous king in here."

The Heavenly Demon shot a brief glance at the single golden branch growing on the soul tree. "So far, you have only consumed one other crown. Did the last true heir of that crown not meet you here in this exact place?"

Solomon shook his head. "No, that never happened. I was completely al—"

Solomon stopped mid-sentence. A sudden, hazy memory flashed through his mind. He recalled the moment before he had planted the Eden gemstone into the tree. He remembered seeing a blurry, dusty figure composed entirely of floating golden particles. It was the faint silhouette of a little girl who had gently handed him the gem before fading away into the light.

Solomon’s eyes widened in profound realization. He fell to his knees in the soft grass, completely overcome by shock.

That little girl was none other than the daughter of the Undead Paladin and Princess Emilia... the innocent child whom the angel Uriel had brutally pulverized.

Just like how the ancient paladin had patiently waited inside the labyrinth for a worthy successor to put his soul to rest, his young daughter’s fragmented soul had been trapped inside the Eden crown, waiting for someone to finally destroy it and set her free.

’If I had known that back then,’ Solomon thought, his chest tightening with heavy sorrow, ’I would have hugged her and told her that everything was finally okay, and that she could rest in peace.’

The Heavenly Demon looked down at the kneeling teenager. "You must have also heard a voice when you absorbed that first crown."

Solomon looked up at the red-eyed man and nodded slowly. "I did. It explained how the bloodline ability worked."

"That was the voice of the last descendant giving you their final guidance," the Heavenly Demon clarified. "And now, as the last direct descendant of the Azure Kingdom, I will be the one giving you guidance."

Solomon folded his legs and sat down properly in the grass, regaining his composure. "What exactly do you mean by ’the last descendant’? There are clearly royals ruling the Azure Moon Kingdom right now. If you were truly the last descendant, the Azure Kingdom would have completely turned into a sealed dimensional fragment."

The Heavenly Demon chuckled, letting out an amused sound. "You might not be stupid after all. While those current royals can technically be considered descendants of the bloodline, they are not my direct heirs. I died without ever being wed. The current Azure Moon family are merely the descendants of my brothers. Since I was the official Crown Prince, and they never possessed the strength or the courage to seek out my crown, I remain the last true descendant of the throne."

Solomon raised his hand, pointing toward the man. "Give me the gemstone so I can plant it on the tree."

The Heavenly Demon gave Solomon a solemn stare. "I originally did not intend to hand my legacy over to you so easily. I wanted you to pass a trial to prove your worth. However, I watched your fight against the sandworm from your eyes. Your sheer brutality and madness impressed me. So, I will simply give it to you."

Solomon pushed himself up from the grass and walked directly up to the Heavenly Demon.

The dark-haired man pulled the crystallized divine gemstone out of thin air. He held it up, but did not hand it over immediately. "Even if you plant this gem right now, you will not be able to use the talent it provides. Your cores are not fully opened, and you lack the necessary comprehension to wield it."

Solomon took the glowing gemstone from the Heavenly Demon’s hand and looked at him, thoroughly confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Plant the gem," the Heavenly Demon instructed, stepping aside. "You will understand it yourself."

Solomon walked up to the tree and pressed the crystallized gemstone firmly against the bark.

The tree immediately absorbed the gem. A blinding light pulsed through the trunk, and a brand new branch sprouted alongside the golden one. This new branch bore vibrant, deep blue leaves, and the wood spelled out the words: Azure Bloodline.

"The Azure Crown has been devoured and absorbed," the Heavenly Demon announced from behind him. "Talent: Convergence has been activated."

Solomon turned around to face the man. "What is the innate talent of the Azure bloodline?"

The Heavenly Demon smiled, his red eyes glowing brightly. "Devour."