Over the Eastern Wasteland, dark clouds of monster aura loomed. An oppressive atmosphere—like the calm before a storm—spread silently. Many great monsters in the mountains had already concealed their auras, prostrating themselves on the ground, daring not even to breathe heavily. At this moment, they could sense that the aura of the leading figure had reached the terrifying Xuanqing Realm.
It should be noted that among the publicly known Xuanqing Realm great monsters in the Eastern Wasteland, apart from the Lord of Monster God Mountain, only a few elderly beings remained in perpetual seclusion. But the slender figure before them hardly resembled the Lord of Monster God Mountain. Could it be that someone else in the Eastern Wasteland had broken through to this realm?
In the backyard of the Ye family residence, Ling Xiao reclined leisurely on a bamboo chair, whistling casually. Ye Qingchan stood beside him, gently kneading his shoulders. In the distance, Feng Jiao'er kept her eyes lowered, meticulously brewing tea. Ling Xiao hadn't felt such tranquility in a long time.
"System."
Bored, Ling Xiao summoned his system interface.
Host: Ling Xiao
Identity: Young Master of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect
Divine Body: Heavenly Demon True Body (Forbidden Physique)
Cultivation Realm: Peak Soul Sea Realm
Techniques: Ten Thousand Dao Demon Scripture, Heavenly Demon True Body (Innate), Purgatory Eyes (Innate), Ancient Soul-Snatching Art (Forbidden Technique)
Destiny Value: 700
Villain Value: 9500
Glancing at the Destiny Value and Villain Value on the interface, a smile involuntarily curved Ling Xiao's lips. "Time to break through again."
With his current Destiny Value, he could easily kill the Chosen Ones of the Four Wastelands. But his purpose in coming here was not merely to plunder Destiny Value. Now, Ye Fan—following his plan—had become a "treasure-hunting beast," searching for fortune on his behalf. As for the other Chosen Ones of the Four Wastelands, they no longer held much appeal for Ling Xiao.
However, he had spent quite some time in the Four Wastelands, and it was likely that some people in the Holy State had already begun to take notice of his movements. His top priority now was to improve his cultivation as much as possible, so he could deal with those with malicious intentions when he returned.
"I'm going out for a while. Stay here at the Ye residence. If there's an emergency, contact me via the divine talisman—otherwise, don't disturb me."
Ling Xiao had no intention of breaking through his realm at the Ye family. After all, advancing to the Xuanqing Realm would cause an enormous commotion. With Elder Yin away and Jiu You recovering his cultivation, he had no powerful protectors by his side. If he were targeted during the breakthrough, the consequences would be unthinkable.
In particular, Ye Fan's Destiny Value always made him feel uneasy. This Chosen One held far too many astonishing secrets. And Ye Fan's mother—the one who had given him the Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda—might be the source of this unease. It seemed he needed to try advancing the realm of his Heavenly Demon True Body.
Although the Xuanqing Realm stood as the peak of power in the Four Wastelands, Ling Xiao's enemies did not lie within these lands. His greatest trump card remained his Forbidden Demonic Body. When unleashed at full strength, he was confident he could overwhelm powerhouses at the Illusion-Breaking Realm. But… once he used the Heavenly Demon True Body, he had to eliminate his opponents immediately—otherwise, it would only bring endless trouble.
Taking advantage of the lack of attention now, Ling Xiao could advance without too many scruples. Once he returned to the Holy State, every move he made would be watched by countless eyes.
"Where are you going, Young Master?"
Ye Qingchan furrowed her delicate brows, looking at Ling Xiao in confusion.
"To visit a brothel. Want to come with me?"
Ling Xiao grinned, and his figure vanished instantly.
"A brothel?"
Ye Qingchan froze, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
"He means a courtesan house."
Feng Jiao'er casually tossed aside the folding fan she had been using to fan the fire, then stood up and walked out of the courtyard.
"A courtesan house?!"
Ye Qingchan's eyes narrowed, but she quickly realized Ling Xiao was just teasing her. Though this Holy State young noble had a somewhat frivolous personality, a man of his status had no shortage of women around him. Why would he visit such a sordid place?
Ling Xiao quietly left the Ye residence and found a desolate mountain range. With a slight release of his aura, he silenced all beasts and monster spirits in the mountains. He entered a cave, took out several talismans from his Cosmos Bag, and casually set up a barrier before closing his eyes to begin cultivating.
His Ten Thousand Dao Demon Scripture had already reached the Sixth Layer—an achievement unrivaled among the younger generation of the entire Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect. With just one more breakthrough, his cultivation would fully enter the Xuanqing Realm. With 9500 points of Villain Value, he could easily advance at least three layers. As for his Heavenly Demon True Body, it was also time to reach the Second Transformation.
Having made up his mind, Ling Xiao summoned the system again.
"Ten Thousand Dao Demon Scripture—strengthen!!"
With a tap, his realm soared. This feeling was far more satisfying than the tedious "hard work and counterattack" trope.
"Boom!!"
With enough Villain Value to spare, Ling Xiao's breakthrough was naturally smooth and effortless. As his aura gradually surged, dark clouds finally began to gather above the barren mountain. Streaks of tribulation lightning—like thunderous dragons—descended from the sky, instantly enveloping the entire mountain. The melodious sounds of Dao echoed, and divine light filled the heavens.
When the people of Qingfeng City saw this miraculous sight, they immediately knelt down, kowtowing toward the mountain and murmuring prayers. Cultivators in the city, however, stared in horror at the purgatory-like waterfall of lightning, speculating fiercely about who was undergoing the tribulation here.
The breakthrough process was dull, especially for Ling Xiao. The tribulation that others considered a life-or-death trial felt no more than a needle prick to him. The Heavenly Demon True Body, known as a Forbidden Physique, possessed unimaginable toughness. Even without his Dragon Demon Holy Armor, Ling Xiao felt no fear.
In just a moment, his realm not only entered the Xuanqing Realm but even advanced to the Mid-Xuanqing Realm. If he hadn't deliberately reserved 4000 points of Villain Value to cultivate his Heavenly Demon True Body, he could have directly skipped an entire major realm to reach the Late Xuanqing Realm—a terrifying feat.
What absurd speed! If the sect masters and divine kings of the Holy State learned of this, they would surely find a way to eliminate him even without exposing his Heavenly Demon True Body. Every era had its prodigies, but there was a limit. Once someone disrupted the balance of the Holy State, they would become the enemy of the entire world.
Ling Xiao naturally understood this principle, so he did not continue to improve his cultivation realm. Instead, he turned his focus to his Heavenly Demon True Body. The Heavenly Demon had nine transformations, each corresponding to a realm. Though Ling Xiao had possessed the Heavenly Demon True Body since birth, he had never dared to cultivate it over the years.
Ancient records in the Ling family stated that the legendary Forbidden Physique who once dominated the Holy State had awakened the Third Transformation of the Heavenly Demon upon reaching the Immortal Ascension Realm. This had caused his demonic thoughts to run amok, eventually controlling him and turning him into a killing machine.
Now, though Ling Xiao had broken through to the Xuanqing Realm, rashly awakening the Second Transformation of his Demonic Body would still entail great risks. Over the years, to control the demonic thoughts in his body, Ling Xiao had never dared to slacken—his cultivation realm had always remained at the top among his peers. This was not only due to his efforts but also to another more important factor: his extraordinary Dan Hai (Dantian Sea).