"Gulp!"
In that moment, everyone—even Ye Liuyun and the others—had expressions of dazed shock on their faces. The Sect Master of Donghua Sect!! A renowned powerhouse in the Northern Wasteland!!! And he'd knelt down just because Young Master Ling Xiao said a single word!!! What kind of divine might was this? What kind of aura? Calling it unparalleled wouldn't be an overstatement, would it?
"Interesting."
Ling Xiao smiled calmly, his gaze toward the old man at the foot of the mountain growing more amused. In truth, Wei Wuchen alone was enough to crush these losers—he didn't even need to lift a finger. But he never expected Dong Youdao to be so "resolute." Dignity as a powerhouse, backbone of a sect, the will to die rather than submit—none of these seemed to matter to him at all.
"Young Master's divine might leaves this old man in awe! The moment I laid eyes on you, the admiration in my heart surged like a rolling river, endless and unstoppable!"
"I traveled a thousand miles specifically to pay my respects today. I offer the Void Cauldron—the inherited divine artifact of Donghua Sect. I beg Young Master to grant me this small favor and accept this humble gift."
"I know a single divine artifact is worthless to you, Young Master, but this is a token of my sincerity! Young Master, please accept it!!"
As he spoke, Dong Youdao waved his hand. A streak of clear light flew from his sleeve, and Ling Xiao caught it in his palm.
"A Low-Grade Divine Artifact?"
From just a few words, Ling Xiao could tell Dong Youdao was a seasoned sycophant. He'd only released a wisp of his Immortal Ascension Realm soul pressure, and this old flatterer had immediately knelt down! Still, the feeling of being fawned over wherever he went was truly pleasant. Begging someone to accept a sect's sacred divine artifact—this kind of natural groveling couldn't be learned overnight. No wonder Donghua Sect had stood unshaken in the Northern Wasteland for centuries. With Dong Youdao at its helm, the sect would always turn calamity into fortune when trouble arose.
"Do you like it?"
Ling Xiao turned to Ye Qingchan, his tone overflowing with tenderness.
"Young… Young Master?!?"
Ye Qingchan was stunned. Did the Young Master mean to give this divine artifact to her? This was a divine artifact!!! Even Donghua Sect, one of the strongest forces in the Northern Wasteland, only had this one divine artifact. And Xuanjian Sect, after generations of inheritance, only had the Green Sparrow Sword—Ye Liuyun's symbol of sect master status—as a Low-Grade Divine Artifact! It could be said that in the Northern Wasteland, divine artifacts held the key to a sect's destiny. And Young Master Ling Xiao… had actually given her a divine artifact in front of so many people? What an honor! What a favor!!!
Ye Liuyun's old face instantly broke into a grin as bright as a chrysanthemum. Damn! It seemed Young Master Ling Xiao and Qingchan's relationship was already quite deep! To casually give away a divine artifact—this kind of courage and generosity—how could Chu Yang or Chu Ri (a random name) ever compare? No, they weren't even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Young Master!!
"Keep it if you like. Divine artifacts are useless to me."
Ling Xiao tossed the Void Cauldron to Ye Qingchan casually. Dong Youdao felt a twinge of pain in his heart as he watched. Young Master, this is a divine artifact! Couldn't you at least pretend to like it? It would make my kneeling and groveling worth it. But in the next moment, Dong Youdao (reconciled himself). It was enough that the Young Master had accepted it. Though there was no aura emanating from Young Master Ling Xiao, the might in his gaze earlier had made Dong Youdao feel an unfathomable, terrifying depth—like staring into an abyss. This wasn't just a young noble from the Holy State with a terrifying background; he was also an unparalleled prodigy with terrifying cultivation!
At this moment, many female disciples at the foot of the mountain looked at Ye Qingchan, their eyes clearly blazing with jealousy. Why her? Why did Ye Qingchan get to monopolize Young Master Ling Xiao's favor? What was I lacking? Thinking this, many saintesses from major sects, princesses of dynasties, and even some proud goddesses of the Northern Wasteland quietly pulled down their sleeve shoulders to reveal their slender waists; some even puffed out their chests—all hoping the lofty Young Master Ling Xiao would glance at them.
"Earlier, you said Chu Yang was your nephew?"
Ling Xiao turned to Chu Batian, his eyes turning slightly grim. But in the next moment, he figured out their relationship. Chu Yang's background as a member of a small clan was probably a result of his family's decline later on. This Chu Batian might really be his uncle—perhaps he'd fought with Chu Yang's father for power years ago and exiled their family to the mountains. According to the original script, after Chu Yang climbed to the peak of the Sword Path and wielded the prestige of Xuanjian Sect's top prodigy, his first move would have been to go down the mountain and take revenge on Chu Batian. Unexpectedly, Chu Batian had taken the initiative to come to his door today. (Unfortunately), Chu Yang was already dead. Otherwise, Ling Xiao could have watched a good show of "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west" (a Chinese idiom meaning fortunes change). With Ye Liuyun and Ye Qingchan backing him, Chu Batian really might not have been able to leave Xuanjian Sect unscathed.
"That's right!"
Golden light flashed around Chu Batian again, and the roar of a dragon faintly echoed through the heavens and earth.
"So you practice the Imperial Dao. No wonder you're so reckless."
Ling Xiao nodded. Before anyone could see him make a single move, Chu Batian suddenly trembled for no reason, his entire aura fading instantly.
"I killed Chu Yang. Are you here to avenge him?"
Ling Xiao sneered. A mere Early Soul Sea Realm cultivator—even without using his Heavenly Demon Body, Ling Xiao could easily crush him with just his surface strength. Moreover, Ling Xiao's soul pressure was now on par with that of the Immortal Ascension Realm; even Wei Wuchen felt trembling awe when he looked at him. Not to mention, the so-called "Imperial Dao" in the Four Wastelands was nothing but an empty title. The true ancient emperors of the Holy State had thunder descending and true dragons soaring with every word and action. How ridiculous—this fake emperor from a barren land dared to show off in front of him.
"You actually killed Chu Yang?!?"
Chu Batian roared sharply, scaring many of the nearby powerhouses into trembling. This Chu Batian was truly courting death! Even the Sect Master of Donghua Sect had knelt down, yet he still dared to shout at Young Master Ling Xiao! If he angered Young Master Ling Xiao, none of them would make it out alive today. At this moment, many powerhouses from the various forces had expressions of regret on their faces. Why had they insisted on joining this mess? Xuanjian Sect's heritage was tempting, but they needed to be alive to claim it! When had Ye Liuyun, that old fox, climbed into Young Master Ling Xiao's good graces? A peerless young man like this must have a background in the Holy State, right?
"I did."
Ling Xiao grinned, his face showing no warmth at all. The atmosphere suddenly turned oppressive, and dark clouds faintly spread down from the mountain top.
"Heaven's way is just! Good kill! That traitor Chu Yang—I've been searching for him for five years, and I never thought he'd been hiding in Xuanjian Sect!!"
Chu Batian stood tall in his golden robes, his tone as overbearing as ever—but his words sounded off somehow.
"Thank you, Young Master Ling Xiao, for eliminating this great threat to the Batian Dynasty. This humble one has no way to repay you, so I offer the Batian Dynasty's century-long accumulation as a small gesture of gratitude!"
Everyone stared dazedly at the dynasty lord, whose back still stood straight. After a long moment, they swallowed hard. "This humble one"? Chu Batian?! The mighty Lord of the Batian Dynasty, who had ruled the Northern Wasteland with absolute dominance since his fame spread. Everyone had thought he would die for his Dao today—never expecting… Well, his way of begging for mercy was quite unique.