"Deeply… deeply loved woman?!"
Jiuyou froze on the spot. She had no idea that the "woman Ling Xiao deeply loved" was just a character from a novel. At this moment, her heart raced and her face flushed—she was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide in the Soul-Nourishing Jade right away.
"The young master gave me the name of the woman he deeply loved… could it be that he has feelings for me…?"
Gone was the cold arrogance Jiuyou had shown in front of Chu Yang; now she looked like a shy girl next door.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on gaining the admiration of the Nether Phoenix's residual soul. Destiny Value increased by 50 points."
"Fuck? This works too?"
Ling Xiao stared blankly at the dazed look in Jiuyou's eyes, secretly sighing to himself—women really could get carried away with their own imaginations. However, this confirmed that Jiuyou's true form must also be someone blessed with destiny; otherwise, she wouldn't have triggered the system reward.
"Young Master, what about Chu Yang's body…?"
Jiuyou suddenly glanced at Chu Yang's body beside her, her tone and her eyes filled with guilt. Even though Chu Yang had brought this on himself, they had been together for a long time. Seeing him die in such a cold, dark cave still made Jiuyou sad.
"You handle it."
Ling Xiao was generous enough—he turned and left immediately. Soon, he felt a terrifyingly scorching heat coming from the cave behind him, and Jiuyou's figure retreated into the Soul-Nourishing Jade without another word.
"It's about time to leave Xuanjian Sect."
Ling Xiao frowned, took one last look at the cave behind him, and turned to walk down the mountain. He had snuck down from the Holy State without telling his sect or family; the longer he stayed, the more dangerous it would be. Moreover, in the Five Domains, only powerhouses who reached the Illusion Breaking Realm could shatter the spatial barrier and enter the Holy State—rarely would anyone from the Holy State take the initiative to come down. It wasn't impossible, but the Holy Cult had strictly forbidden it. Who would want to provoke the Holy Cult for no reason?
But this time, Ling Xiao had risked such great danger to come down to the lower realms, all because of a summoning in his mind. He could feel that somewhere in the Northern Wasteland, there was something connected to his blood calling out to him.
"Ling Xiao~ Ling Xiao~"
The voice was eerie and terrifying, but its ability to cross realms spoke volumes about its power. However, the more terrifying the fortune, the harder it was to find. Ling Xiao wasn't a Chosen One; even though he had plundered destiny now, he didn't have the protagonist's aura. So it would be hard for him to find it on his own. He had originally hoped that Chu Yang could act as a "treasure-hunting beast" to help him find the secret realm, but he could already see the end of Chu Yang's path—so Chu Yang had to die.
And his top priority now was to leave Xuanjian Sect and find the next Chosen One. Preferably one who knew Qi-reading, or had clairvoyant eyes, or some other ability like that.
"Young Master Ling Xiao?!"
A voice tinged with surprise suddenly came from a distance—it was Ye Qingchan. Ling Xiao looked up at her, his expression cold. He hadn't figured out how to tell Ye Qingchan about Chu Yang yet. And from her appearance, she was heading for the Cliff of Repentance—it seemed she still hadn't given up.
"Young Master… did you just come down from the Cliff of Repentance?"
Ye Qingchan looked at Ling Xiao warily. Even though Chu Yang had said some harsh things earlier, after thinking about it, Ye Qingchan still felt she should free him. They had first met because Chu Yang had once risked his life to save her—and she had never forgotten that kindness.
"That's right."
Ling Xiao glanced coldly at Ye Qingchan and walked past her. If he hadn't figured out what to say, he wouldn't say anything. Besides, Jiuyou had already burned Chu Yang's body to ashes; even if Ye Qingchan pressed him for answers, he could just brush it off with "I don't know." Besides, did he, as a superior, need to explain himself to others just because he killed someone? If Ye Qingchan's destiny hadn't been rising so quickly, Ling Xiao wouldn't have cared about the feelings of a woman from a barren land at all.
"Young… Young Master…"
Ye Qingchan could clearly see the coldness in Ling Xiao's eyes, and for some reason, she suddenly felt flustered. In fact, after she had returned from the Cliff of Repentance that morning, she had figured out what she wanted. Chu Yang had given her some happiness, but Ling Xiao could give her a completely different path to immortality. Although this young noble from the Holy State had a stubborn temper and was hard to fathom, she had truly been touched by what he did in the inner hall the day before. So Ye Qingchan had turned back only to repay Chu Yang's kindness, then cut off all ties with him completely. But she hadn't expected to run into Young Master Ling Xiao—and moreover… he seemed angry?
An unconscious smile tugged at the corner of Ye Qingchan's pretty lips. She quickly walked up to Ling Xiao and blocked his way.
"Young Master…"
"What is it?"
Ling Xiao frowned.
"Young Master, I want to stay by your side—even if it's just as a maid."
Ye Qingchan lowered her head, her voice soft. She didn't dare look at Ling Xiao, because she always felt that his eyes could make people get lost in them.
"Oh? Have you thought it through? Actually, the Holy State isn't as wonderful as you imagine. The competition there is even crueler, and people are more sinister."
Ling Xiao wasn't exaggerating. As long as one walked the path of cultivation, intrigue and treachery existed everywhere. The world was only so big, and everyone was fighting for a share of destiny and fortune—conflicts were inevitable.
"I'm not afraid. I just want to stay by your side…"
Ye Qingchan shook her head, then looked up at Ling Xiao with eager, pleading eyes.
In the next moment, the cold and ruthless Young Master Ling Xiao suddenly broke into a gentle smile.
"If you feel that way, then stay by my side from now on. Don't worry—with me here, no one will dare to bully you, no matter where we are."
After speaking, Ling Xiao suddenly reached out and gently pulled Ye Qingchan into his arms. But on his face, there was a sneaky smile of self-satisfaction. Let's be real—only protagonists play with sincerity. As a villain, he was naturally just trying to take advantage of Ye Qingchan a little.
Ye Qingchan's delicate body stiffened instantly. She could feel how tightly Ling Xiao was holding her. She had never dreamed that this lofty young noble from the Holy State would say such warm words. Her heart was suddenly in a turmoil. Even though she knew that Ling Xiao's warmth might not be exclusive to her, she still felt content just to have a place in his heart.
"Ahh~ So big~ So soft~"
At this moment, less than a hundred miles from Xuanjian Sect's mountain gate, countless rainbow-like auras streaked across the sky. Countless figures with powerful auras converged from all directions.
Xuanjian Sect's fate is sealed. This news had spread like wildfire in the Northern Wasteland over the past few days. Faced with a declining Xuanjian Sect, the major sects around naturally all wanted to come and get a share of the spoils.
"Heh, isn't that Sect Master Donghua?"
Several figures stood with their hands behind their backs in the sky. One of them, a dynasty lord in a golden robe, sneered—and the roar of a dragon seemed to echo behind him. His name was Chu Batian, Lord of the Batian Dynasty. His cultivation was powerful, and it was said that his bloodline descended from the True Dragon of the Holy State.
"Heh, so it's Lord Chu. Tell me, Lord Chu—did you also come to get a share of the spoils today?"
Donghua Zongzhu Dong Youdao looked at Chu Batian with darkening eyes, his tone clearly resentful. Although both of them were at the Soul Sea Realm, Chu Batian's combat power was the strongest among those at the same realm. When it came time to divide the spoils, Chu Batian would definitely take the initiative.