After Ye Qingchan left, Jiuming's figure reappeared in front of Chu Yang. She could tell Ye Qingchan was still a virgin—which meant Chu Yang had really misunderstood her just now.
"You shouldn't have chased her away. At the very least, you should've let her free you first."
She wasn't incapable of breaking these four chains. But last night, she'd felt a faint sense of being watched. Someone must be secretly monitoring Chu Yang. Ling Xiao hadn't made a move yet, mostly likely because he had some misgivings. Keeping a low profile now was more useful than revealing herself too early.
"Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao! It's always Ling Xiao! Why is everyone so afraid of him?!"
Chu Yang completely lost his composure—he even dropped the respect he usually had for Jiuming.
"Just give me some time—I'll definitely trample him under my feet!!"
"Sigh, Xiao Yang… you don't have to oppose him so stubbornly. Once he leaves, everything will still be yours. Why must you…"
"I'm going to kill him!!"
Chu Yang glared angrily at Jiuming. Right now, every word she said to defend Ling Xiao felt like betrayal in his eyes.
How ridiculous—this was just a country boy who'd never even left the Northern Wasteland. He'd gotten a little luck, and now he dared to provoke the most dazzling prodigy of the Holy State. It had to be said that the protagonist's aura was truly powerful. But Chu Yang didn't know that the destiny that belonged to him had already been plundered by Ling Xiao almost entirely. The protection of Heavenly Dao he once had was now no threat at all.
"Xiao Yang, stop being so stubborn. I'll tell you the truth—even I don't dare to offend Ling Xiao's background. You'd better keep a low profile these two days. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what? Hide and abandon me?"
Chu Yang laughed bitterly, his anger boiling over. From the moment Jiuming dared not show herself, he'd secretly suspected she was just using him. After all, it wasn't uncommon for powerful cultivators' residual souls to seize others' bodies for rebirth. But when he'd awakened Jiuming earlier, he'd accidentally signed a blood pact with her—meaning they shared life and death. That was why Chu Yang dared to speak to this Nine Nether Phoenix in such a harsh tone.
"Jiuming, don't forget—our lives are tied together. Do you think I don't know? You're just using me to restore your cultivation. Without me, this residual soul of yours would've dissipated long ago. So from now on, you'd better do exactly what I say."
A cold, grim smile tugged at Chu Yang's lips. After being repeatedly hit by Ling Xiao and Ye Qingchan, this Chosen One was already showing signs of falling into darkness.
Jiuming stared blankly at the boy in front of her. She never would've dreamed that the boy she'd chosen as her successor would threaten her with the blood pact.
"Xiao Yang, that Ling Xiao…"
"Shut up!! Don't mention those two words in front of me again! Otherwise… I won't mind smashing this cyan jade pendant to pieces!"
Now that he'd torn off the pretense, Chu Yang didn't give Jiuming a chance to explain. But just as his voice faded, the sound of clapping suddenly came from outside the cave.
"Chosen One, you've grown quite bold, haven't you? Daring to threaten the one who's helped you get this far."
Ling Xiao had actually arrived long ago—he just hadn't shown himself. With the concealment of his Immortal Ascension Realm soul, even Jiuming couldn't detect his aura at all.
"Ling Xiao!!!!"
Chu Yang's face instantly twisted into a grim expression. His eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred and deep fear as he looked at Ling Xiao. No matter how conceited he was, he knew he stood no chance against this young noble from the Holy State right now. All he could do was hold back for the time being.
But!!
A thought suddenly crossed Chu Yang's mind: Why had Ling Xiao suddenly appeared in the cave? With Jiuming's cultivation, how could she not have sensed his arrival? And how did he know Jiuming was the one who'd helped him get this far? He was sure no one else in the world knew about Jiuming's existence except him.
Then!!
Chu Yang suddenly turned around. Looking at the solemnity on Jiuming's face, a heavy sense of oppression welled up in his heart. Could it be… she'd done this on purpose?
Poor Chu Yang—though he'd faced many dangers along the way, he'd always been protected by his destiny. He'd never experienced betrayal before. But in just one day, he'd lost two women he loved!
"How did you do it?"
Jiuming's solemnity wasn't an act. In her prime, she'd been a powerhouse even more terrifying than those in the Immortal Ascension Realm. Even now, with her severe injuries and reduced state, her soul perception was still on par with an Immortal Ascension cultivator. But just now, she hadn't detected Ling Xiao's aura at all. This was impossible!! Even if Ling Xiao was from the Holy State and had countless powerful tricks up his sleeve, his cultivation was clearly at the Soul Sea Realm. How could he have evaded her soul perception?
"Senior Jiuming, I've long heard of your reputation."
Ling Xiao stood there in his black robes, calm and unhurried. He was neither as arrogant as he'd been in front of Ye Liuyun nor as obsequious as an ordinary boy.
"So you two already knew each other! Keep pretending! Keep it up! Ling Xiao, even if I have to blow up my soul, I'll kill you later!!"
Looking at the calm expressions on their faces, Chu Yang's mind was already conjuring up images of them knowing each other. It had to be said—though this Chosen One had great talent and unyielding will, he was just too sensitive and overconfident. For a protagonist, this was called "intuition," and it was usually quite accurate.
(Bullshit—if it wasn't accurate, how would those lousy authors advance the plot?)
But now, Chu Yang had lost his destiny. After being driven almost to madness by Ling Xiao, he'd long lost the ability to judge things rationally. Now, he didn't trust anyone anymore.
And all of this was, of course, part of Ling Xiao's plan. He'd chosen to show up when their argument was at its fiercest precisely to plant a mental suggestion in Chu Yang's mind: Jiuming had done this on purpose! She'd deliberately let Ling Xiao in to watch him make a fool of himself!
How could a naive, stubborn local boy outplay a third-rate author? So never underestimate third-rate authors—only they have nothing better to do than study all kinds of plot tricks. First-rate and second-rate "masters" have long made their fortunes and slacked off every day!
"Heard of my reputation? This is our first meeting, isn't it?"
Jiuming's delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly. There was a strong sense of wariness on her somewhat illusory face. Especially the way Chu Yang was looking at her now—it filled her with intense anxiety.
That's right—when she'd woken up earlier, she'd accidentally drunk a drop of Chu Yang's blood that had fallen on the jade pendant. The two of them had unknowingly signed a pact. Right now, she was really afraid that Chu Yang would act on impulse, thoroughly offend Ling Xiao, and end up losing his life.
In truth, she didn't care whether Chu Yang lived or died. Their relationship was purely one of mutual use—they hadn't even gone through many life-or-death trials together. If Chu Yang had been given a few more years to grow, he might have touched this great demon from the Holy State a few times, winning her heart in the process. But now, he hadn't. Especially his threat just now—it had crossed Jiuming's bottom line. She was using him, yes, but the techniques and inheritance she'd given him were real. How ridiculous that Chu Yang dared to threaten her in the end!!
A lowly human, like an ant, daring to threaten her—this proud Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix!!
At this moment, Jiuming was torn—extremely torn. She wanted to use Ling Xiao's hand to kill Chu Yang, but if he died, she would definitely perish both in body and soul. And then her great mission of revenge would fail completely.
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