"That can't be right. It's definitely not that simple."
Ling Xiao's original intention had been to let the Ye family see that this bastard Ye Fan had been hiding his trump cards all along. This way, Ye Fan would end up betrayed by his own family, with no place to stand—and it would be much easier for Ling Xiao to make a move later.
You all saw it—he's the one who tried to kill me, not the other way around!
But he never expected Ye Fan to summon a demon soul to serve him. After all, whether in Shengzhou or the Four Wildernesses, the word "demon" was a taboo. Even the Wandao Demon Sect, where Ling Xiao belonged—though it bore the word "demon"—only did so because of its cultivation techniques, at most. Among the three thousand paths of the world, all were great paths of cultivation. But the aura exuding from this demon creature before him was far more complex than just the Demon Path.
Now the Holy Sect ruled over heaven and earth, slaying demons and eliminating devils, praised by all the world. Creatures like this had long vanished without a trace. So why could Ye Fan command it?
"This is getting more and more interesting."
"Are you Ling Xiao?"
Miyong's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Ling Xiao.
"Hehehe, such fresh flesh and blood aura. Once this King devours you, I'll crush all these ants into dust."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he gave Ling Xiao no time to react. With a flash of his figure, he darted straight into Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness.
Seeing this, the members of the Ye family's expressions changed instantly. Especially when they felt the towering demon aura surging from the creature, each of them turned pale with fear and collapsed directly to the ground.
"Young Master Ling Xiao!!"
"Wuwu, Young Master Ling Xiao, you died so tragically!!"
In an instant, a hundred members of the Ye family wailed, their sorrowful cries echoing far and wide.
We're doomed! We made a mistake! This demon is here to kill Young Master Ling Xiao!
But if Young Master Ling Xiao died in the Ye family, this responsibility…
"Wuwu… Young Master, don't scare us like this!"
Even Ye Qingchan was woken from her dream, a confused look on her pretty face as she tried to go out and see what was happening.
"Stop."
Feng Jiao'er would never let her go out—after all, the Young Master had ordered that no matter what commotion happened outside, Ye Qingchan must not be allowed out.
"Feng Jiao'er, what do you mean?"
"The Young Master said you're not allowed to go anywhere tonight."
"You…"
At this moment, Ling Xiao stood rooted to the spot, seemingly frozen. But far from panicking, a playful smile even tugged at the corner of his lips.
He's walking right into a trap!
His sea of consciousness was now guarded by the ancient Pangu Stone. Not to mention a single Ascended Immortal-level demon soul—even a Supreme Powerhouse would struggle to gain any advantage if they entered. If this demon soul had attacked outside, Ling Xiao might have had some concerns. But within his sea of consciousness, even the Heavenly Emperor himself would have to kneel before him.
"Boom!"
A wave of demon qi suddenly raged wildly in Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness. Miyong's figure tore through space and emerged, but in the next moment, his expression froze in shock.
Now he could see that he was in what seemed to be a grand hall. But the hall's color was not the crimson gold typically formed by the soul of an ordinary Ascended Immortal powerhouse—it was a deep, profound black.
A sudden sense of unease welled up in Miyong's heart. Even the soul palace of an Ascended Immortal powerhouse was only a few hundred zhang wide. But this bizarre black hall before him was a full ten thousand zhang in breadth.
What the hell is this? Could it be that Ling Xiao is the incarnation of some ancient monster?
Just then, a figure suddenly walked out from the end of the palace towers. The figure was somewhat slender, yet Miyong felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart.
"Who… who are you really?"
"Answer me a few questions, and I might consider sparing your life."
Ling Xiao's expression was extremely cold, like a god judging all living beings—arrogant, ruthless, and utterly devoid of emotion.
"A mere ant dares to threaten this King…"
Miyong roared, and his figure grew in size out of thin air, reaching a hundred zhang tall in an instant.
Ling Xiao watched the hundred-zhang-tall demon ape before him with interest, his curiosity about Ye Fan's secrets growing even stronger. How could someone at the Peak of the Void Spirit Realm make an Ascended Immortal-level demon creature submit to him?
"Courting death."
Ling Xiao stretched out his hand and waved lightly at the hundred-zhang demon shadow. A soul palm print instantly took shape above Miyong's head, growing to a thousand zhang in size and slamming Miyong heavily into the ground.
"Roar!!"
The demon ape Miyong let out a shrill cry, but just as he struggled to break free, a terrifying sight unfolded before him!!
The black-robed youth walked slowly toward him, and with each step, a wisp of demon qi emanated from his body. In the end, he transformed into a terrifying demon shadow—black all over, with horns sprouting from his forehead. Though the shadow was somewhat ethereal, the eerie aura it exuded filled even Miyong with extreme dread. This was suppression from the bloodline! Compared to him, Miyong realized he… was not worthy of being called a demon at all!!
"Ah!!!! The Great Demon!!!!"
Miyong trembled in both body and soul, prostrating himself on the ground and shaking uncontrollably. Fortunately, only his soul was here—if his physical body had been present, he would have wet himself by now.
"Now, are you ready to answer my questions?"
Ling Xiao bent down to look at the huddled, trembling figure at his feet, suddenly feeling a slight annoyance. He hadn't expected that as soon as his Heavenly Demon True Form appeared, this Ascended Immortal-level demon creature would be frightened into such a state—so much so that it couldn't even speak.
"Fine, I'll use you to test my Soul-Snatching Forbidden Technique."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of soul light suddenly flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes. Before Miyong could react, an ancient seal formed directly in his sea of consciousness. The seal radiated light, like the Sanskrit sounds of the Great Dao, capable of engulfing heaven and earth.
After a moment, the demon qi around Ling Xiao gradually dissipated, and a look of realization appeared on his face.
"So that's how it is. It seems Ye Fan's mother is by no means an unknown figure in Shengzhou…"
At this moment, the members of the Ye family watched the demonic intent emanating from Ling Xiao, each collapsing to the ground and wailing loudly.
"Young Master Ling Xiao!! How could you bear to leave us behind…"
"Young Master Ling Xiao, the Ye family is sorry for you!!"
It wasn't that they didn't want to run—they were simply too frightened by that demonic intent to stand, let alone flee!
The demonic light in Ling Xiao's eyes faded. When he opened his eyes and saw this "joyous" scene, he was momentarily speechless.
"Ahem, Patriarch Ye—if you don't chase now, that demon will get away!"
"Hm? Young Master Ling Xiao… you…"
When Ye Liufeng and the others heard Ling Xiao's voice, their expressions trembled. When they looked up, they indeed saw a demon shadow fleeing through the window.
"Someone is trying to harm Young Master Ling Xiao—chase it, now!!"
Ye Liufeng, who had been so dejected just moments ago, now wore a solemn expression. He took the lead and chased after the demon shadow. He didn't think he was a demon-subduing powerhouse—but… since the demon was fleeing, it proved it was no match for Young Master Ling Xiao. With the Young Master backing him, what did he have to fear!!
In an instant, the Ye family descended into chaos. Everyone chased the demon shadow, all the way to Ye Fan's small courtyard.
At this moment, Ye Fan—who had been humming a tune, crossing his legs, and playing with the iron piece in his hand—suddenly froze. As he looked at Miyong, who had suddenly appeared before him with a tired expression, his heart gave a sudden lurch.