"Fragment? Spirit?" Lin Qian's frown deepened upon hearing Granny Huo's words, his confusion intensified, clueless.
Could it be that this space is some kind of fragment, possibly a Soul Device? And Granny Huo, is she the Artifact Spirit of this Soul Device?
After this possibility emerged in his mind, it lingered, and Lin Qian grew more convinced of its likelihood.
"So you're saying this space is actually the fragment of a Soul Device. And, Granny Huo, you are the Artifact Spirit of this Soul Device, residing in this fragment?" Lin Qian then voiced his guess, hoping to confirm its truth with Granny Huo in front of him.
Granny Huo responded to Lin Qian's query with a smile that was not quite a smile, instead countering with a question, "So, child, what do you think?"
Seeing the granny question him in return, Lin Qian smiled, "Since Granny says so, then it must be true. The fact that you were birthed from its breaking, it seems this Soul Device is truly remarkable."
"Hehehe..." After Lin Qian finished with his speculation, Granny Huo chuckled softly, shaking her head and said, "No, this is indeed a fragment, but not of any Soul Device."
Hearing Granny Huo's denial, a spark flashed in Lin Qian's eyes, "Then I understand, it must be a fragment of a Primordial Weapon. It's unknown which powerful predecessor of the Human Clan could have forged such a powerful Primordial Weapon."
Granny Huo was amused by Lin Qian's words, smiling as she told him, "No, I am not any Primordial Weapon. Child, you did not quite charm Granny."
Her words made Lin Qian smile wryly and shake his head.
He had originally thought that Granny Huo might have been birthed from a fragment of a Primordial Weapon, so by praising the Primordial Weapon, was he not praising Granny Huo?
Unfortunately, he was completely wrong.
This only piqued Lin Qian's curiosity further, eager to know what, exactly, was the fragment and what kind of spirit Granny Huo really was.
Seeing Lin Qian utterly baffled, Granny Huo decided not to keep him in suspense any longer and openly stated, "The fragment I mentioned, refers to the entire Soul Martial Continent, and I am the Earth Spirit of the Soul Martial Continent. Do you understand now?"
"..." Lin Qian fell silent after Granny Huo finished speaking. Though he wanted to understand, he was momentarily stunned by the revelation.
The fragment mentioned was the Soul Martial Continent itself.
The entire Soul Martial Continent was just a fragment? How could that be possible?
However, Lin Qian quickly regained his composure and asked Granny Huo, "Granny, if you say the entire Soul Martial Continent is a fragment, then what is it a fragment of?"
Lin Qian asked, staring intently at Granny Huo, observing her expression.
Clearly, Granny Huo had no intention of hiding anything from Lin Qian. Upon his inquiry, she immediately began to explain, "The Soul Martial Continent is a fragment of Xuanyan Star from the Immortal Realm."
Granny Huo's words left Lin Qian in silence, his eyes wide, staring incredulously at Granny Huo, struggling to believe what she had just told him.
The Soul Martial Continent was a fragment of Xuanyan Star from the Immortal Realm?
That is to say, the Soul Martial Continent was originally land from the Immortal Realm.
What shocked Lin Qian even more was that this otherworld contained the Immortal Realm. Could such a place truly exist?
But then, Lin Qian quickly shook his head and said to Granny Huo, "This is impossible. If there really is an Immortal Realm, then the Soul Martial Continent must be a fragment of the Immortal Realm's star. In that case, the creatures of the Soul Martial Continent should be considered ordinary mortals."
"The fragments of the Immortal Realm's star, the land of the Immortal Realm, should be very solid. So why, during the Ancient battle, were those so-called ordinary mortals able to devastate the entire Soul Martial Continent, with land and sea in disarray? If it really were land from the Immortal Realm, it should be indestructible…"
Lin Qian reached this point and was completely stunned.
He thought of the underworld, where the deeper one went, the harder the land became.
Moreover, Lin Qian also recalled the mysterious ruins within the underworld of the western continent. Their solidity was simply unimaginable.
And within those ruins, the development of cultivation civilization was so advanced compared to the Soul Martial Continent that Lin Qian soon came to an understanding.
At that moment, Lin Qian also understood why the Black Demon had been plotting so intensely against the Soul Martial Continent; the adversary must have known that this land was a fragment of the Immortal Realm.
Hence, the adversary had tried every possible means to seize control of the Soul Martial Continent.
When Lin Qian looked at Granny Huo at this time, his expression was peculiar, realizing that this old lady was akin to the sentient spirit produced by the entire Soul Martial Continent.
"It's really bizarre. Now the Soul Martial Continent is also considered a star, right? Can a star also produce something similar to an Artifact Spirit?" Lin Qian was utterly perplexed.
Seeing Lin Qian's baffled gaze, Granny Huo said matter-of-factly, "After all, this was once part of the Xuanyan Star of the Immortal Realm, land of the Immortal Realm. As something from the Immortal Realm, it naturally differs from others. How could it not generate an Earth Spirit?"
"An Earth Spirit…" Lin Qian glanced at Granny Huo and then at the fire tree in front of him, having an epiphany.
Now, Lin Qian also understood why the fire tree gave him an extremely dangerous feeling. That tree, probably being from the Immortal Realm, was what caused him such immense oppression.
Following this, Lin Qian carefully inquired of Granny Huo about what an Earth Spirit was.
Granny Huo patiently explained to him.
So-called everything has a spirit; as a fragment of the Immortal Realm's land, over time, it naturally developed a spirit. The spirit formed by this celestial world is known as an Earth Spirit.
The existence of an Earth Spirit could significantly enhance the richness of Spiritual Energy in the entire world and could harness the Star's Spiritual Energy to form defenses, protecting this land.
However, the Earth Spirit could only serve as a guardian and couldn't do much more. Most of the time, it needed to fall into slumber.
Thus, in Lin Qian's eyes, Granny Huo, being an Earth Spirit, seemed more like a mascot capable of defense.
But then, Lin Qian realized that without Granny Huo's defense, the entire Soul Martial Continent would have long been in dire straits.
It turned out that outside the Soul Martial Continent, the Black Demon had been covetously watching. If it weren't for Granny Huo's strenuous defense preventing the adversary from entering the Soul Martial Continent, perhaps, the creatures of the entire continent would have already been annihilated.
"But I can't hold on any longer. So, I've decided to look for you to see if you can become my master." Following Granny Huo's words, Lin Qian was utterly astounded and greatly surprised.