"Did you find what you were looking for down there?"
In the great hall, Xuan Yuanyue was seated on a golden throne, watching Ling Xiao's resigned expression below with a tone that held a strange gravity.
Within the entire Ling Clan, only she and Ling Xiao's father knew he possessed the Heavenly Demon's body.
Ling Xiao's insistence on going to the Four Wastelands was precisely because his demonic body had received a summons.
Xuan Yuanyue was still worried about the demonic intent within Ling Xiao.
After all, this matter involved far too much.
"I found it."
Ling Xiao focused his mind, and the Supreme Demon Blade instantly materialized.
A suffocating, terrifying demonic aura surged forth, startling Xuan Yuanyue so much her face paled. Spiritual light erupted around her, directly sealing the space where the demonic blade hovered.
"Put it away immediately!"
"Uh..."
Ling Xiao smiled awkwardly and recalled the demonic blade back into his soul palace.
With the concealment of the ancient Pangu Stone, Ling Xiao believed even a Supreme Realm expert wouldn't detect the slightest clue on him.
"What a terrifying demonic object. No wonder it could cross the realm barrier to summon you. But Xiao'er, you must never reveal this blade in front of others unless absolutely necessary. And if you do, you must ensure the witness dies."
Xuan Yuanyue's expression grew increasingly solemn. Her beautiful eyes narrowed, her tone icy. "Have Yin San and that little girl from earlier seen this blade?"
"Mother, what are you thinking?!"
Ling Xiao felt a wave of exasperation.
Xuan Yuanyue truly lived up to being a villain's mother—ruthless and merciless in her methods. No wonder she could commit an act like gouging out another's Dantian Sea.
But at this moment, Ling Xiao was genuinely touched.
In his previous life, he had been an orphan.
This was probably the only similarity he shared with those Chosen Ones.
He had never experienced parental love.
Looking at Xuan Yuanyue before him, he felt a deep affection.
"Xiao'er, you must understand that you will eventually stand against the entire Holy State. For now, your mother can still protect you, but in the future... So you must be extremely careful in everything you do."
A trace of sorrow appeared on Xuan Yuanyue's exquisite face.
If possible, she wished Ling Xiao could just be an ordinary young man.
Even without any talent, with her alchemy skills, she could forcefully elevate him to the Divine King Realm.
"Don't worry, Mother. I know my limits."
Ling Xiao naturally understood Xuan Yuanyue's concerns. His expression turned serious, his tone calm.
"Hmm?"
The words on Xuan Yuanyue's lips were swallowed back.
In the past, if she painstakingly advised Ling Xiao like this, his response would undoubtedly be arrogant remarks like, "So what if others find out? What can they do to me?"
But now, looking at Ling Xiao's expression and hearing his tone, Xuan Yuanyue felt a strange unfamiliarity.
"Xiao'er... don't move. Open your mind."
Without another word, Xuan Yuanyue flashed before Ling Xiao. Divine sense surged in her eyes as she began inspecting Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness.
She couldn't believe that a trip to the Four Wastelands could change Ling Xiao's temperament so drastically.
Could he have been possessed?
"Mother..."
The bitterness on Ling Xiao's lips intensified, but he didn't argue with Xuan Yuanyue.
Instead, he actively opened his divine sense, allowing Xuan Yuanyue to conduct a thorough inspection.
"This is..."
But when Xuan Yuanyue saw the black palace and the ancient Eight Desolations Pagoda within Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness, her face froze with shock.
Facing them, even with her cultivation, she felt immense pressure.
"Xiao'er... you... where have you been?"
Before Ling Xiao went to the Four Wastelands, Xuan Yuanyue was certain he had no secrets unknown to her.
But now, Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness alone was enough to shock her so profoundly.
Had her foolish son stumbled upon some incredible luck and fallen into a treasure trove?
"And... your aura... what's going on? You broke through?"
Earlier, her emotions were too agitated, so Xuan Yuanyue hadn't noticed the change in Ling Xiao's realm.
Now, looking at this familiar face, Xuan Yuanyue suddenly felt somewhat lost.
"Mother, I wanted to ask you: have you ever heard of a treasure called the Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda?"
The black palace was transformed from the ancient Pangu Stone, originating from the system.
Ling Xiao knew this well.
But the Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda was something he snatched from Ye Fan. It actually sealed nine fierce demons.
Logically, such a treasure should be in the hands of the Holy Church. How did it end up with the Nine-Tailed Clan?
Moreover, who was that little girl he saw in the pagoda today?
Why did she say his aura was something she liked?
"Eight Desolations Glazed Pagoda?"
Xuan Yuanyue's delicate brows furrowed. She thought for a long time but couldn't recall such a pagoda in the Holy State. She shook her head.
"Most of the Holy State's Heaven-Defying Treasures and Dao Artifacts are listed on the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion's Divine Weapon Ranking. I haven't heard of a spiritual treasure by that name."
"Not on the Divine Weapon Ranking? So it's not from the Holy State?"
Ling Xiao instantly connected some dots.
Just as the Holy State was the so-called "upper realm" to the Four Wastelands.
Was there an upper realm above the Holy State? Ling Xiao guessed there probably was.
After all, throughout history, many mighty experts left behind doctrines and ruins, perishing on the land of the Holy State.
But some vanished without a trace.
Where did they go?
Did they, like the powerful experts of the Four Wastelands, shatter the spatial barrier once their cultivation reached a certain level and ascend to an upper realm?
Moreover, although the Holy State was its own domain, over the years, various secret realms had appeared, connecting to other minor worlds.
This suggested that besides the Four Wastelands, the Holy State, and the human and demon races, other spaces and races existed between heaven and earth.
They just hadn't been discovered yet.
This aligned quite well with the writing habits of those hack authors from his previous life.
If a book performed well, concepts like "myriad races of the void" or "three thousand great worlds" were casually introduced.
If it performed poorly, well, one just had to muddle through in this single realm.
"Xiao'er, are you talking about that black pagoda in your sea of consciousness?"
Earlier, when Xuan Yuanyue inspected Ling Xiao's sea of consciousness, although she felt immense pressure, she didn't detect any remnant soul of a powerful expert.
So, it seemed Ling Xiao had likely encountered some fortuitous opportunity in the Four Wastelands, obtained treasures, and changed his temperament.
"Yes, I took it from someone named Ye Fan. Based on my speculation, Ye Fan's mother should be from the Nine-Tailed Clan."
Ling Xiao nodded, looking expectantly at Xuan Yuanyue.
To understand the origins of this ancient pagoda, he had to start with Ye Fan's mother.
As the master of the Dan Yuan Holy Land, Xuan Yuanyue had knowledge of the various sects and clans within the Holy State.
Perhaps she knew some secrets unknown to Ling Xiao.
"The Nine-Tailed Clan?"
Indeed, Xuan Yuanyue pondered for a long time before suddenly mentioning a name Ling Xiao had never heard.
"Could it be Bai Zhirou's child?"
"Bai Zhirou?"
Ling Xiao immediately became interested. This name sounded like a righteous mother figure.
"Yes. Rumors say that years ago, the eldest princess of the Nine-Tailed Clan, Bai Zhirou, committed a grave mistake. Her cultivation was destroyed by the Nine-Tailed Clan, and she was cast down to the Four Wastelands."
"But unexpectedly, Bai Zhirou fell in love with a human and bore him a child. The Nine-Tailed Fox Queen was furious and personally descended to the lower realm to capture her and bring her back. Could this ancient pagoda be something Bai Zhirou gave him?"
A thoughtful gleam seemed to flash in Xuan Yuanyue's eyes. Ling Xiao asked curiously, "A grave mistake? Mother, do you know what mistake Bai Zhirou committed?"