"Quite accurate."
Ling Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, then he let out a cold laugh. A chilling demonic energy subtly radiated from him.
"Did you cast a divination for yourself before you left home? Take a closer look."
"This..." Cold sweat instantly beaded on the old Taoist's forehead. How could he not sense the threat in Ling Xiao's words?
Moreover, since he cultivated within Hanshan Ancient City, how could he not recognize the person before him?
Eldest Young Master Ling Xiao of the Ling Clan, notoriously vicious and cruel, quick to kill—a truly formidable menace.
But...
As a disciple of the Heavenly Secrets Sect, his art was to comprehend the heavenly secrets and convey fate's will to the world. Wouldn't falsifying it arbitrarily be disrespectful to Heaven's Mandate?
Of course, if Ling Xiao knew what he was thinking, he'd probably laugh his head off.
Disrespectful to Heaven's Mandate?
I specialize in killing Sons of Destiny. So what if I'm disrespectful?
"Young Master... I..."
"Hmph." Ling Xiao picked up the divination slip and snapped it in two. Then he took another slip from the container and tossed it in front of the old Taoist.
"How about this one?"
"This one also foretells great misfortune..."
Crack! "Then change another one."
It wasn't until the ninth slip that the old Taoist finally wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said to Ling Xiao with a smile, "Young Master, this one is good, much better! This slip says... the Young Master's destiny lies in his own hands, beyond the interference of others."
"Destiny in my own hands... that makes sense." Ling Xiao stood up and cast a cold glance at Ling Tian. "So-called divination signs are just tricks these charlatans use to fool ordinary people. Those of us on the immortal path should hold our fate in our own hands. Understand?"
With that, Ling Xiao turned and walked away.
He... he was lecturing me? Hmph, my dear elder brother, I think that first divination is exactly your end – rejected by the entire world. Someone like you doesn't deserve to have family.
Ling Tian smirked sinisterly, took a few spirit stones from his robe, tossed them to the fortune-telling old Taoist, and hurried to follow.
Along the way, Ling Xiao didn't speak another word to Ling Tian.
It was only after entering the Ling Clan's sacred territory that he coldly said, "Today, I wasn't standing up for you. It's just that the dignity of the Ling Clan cannot be challenged by those servant dogs. You, the Second Young Master of the Ling Clan, can die, but you cannot lose the proud backbone of our clan."
"You!!" Just as Ling Tian was about to get angry, he saw Ling Xiao tear through space and vanish.
"Just let you be arrogant for a few more days. When the heir is decided, I will personally take back everything that belongs to me."
Ling Tian gritted his teeth fiercely. Within his Dan Hai, a golden sword shadow trembled and hummed softly, as if soothing his emotions.
"Right now, you are like an ant in my eyes."
...
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao walked through the Ling Clan's sacred territory.
His eyes took in rows upon rows of pavilions and palaces.
Divine light and spiritual mist soared into the sky.
Above, clear light flowed, with the sun and moon shining simultaneously.
Visible waves of spiritual energy drifted within like moving clouds.
At the horizon of the sky, a pillar of spiritual energy, shaped like a dragon, stood towering, connecting heaven and earth, its divine majesty overwhelming.
With just one glance, Ling Xiao felt the blood and energy throughout his body surge as if about to boil.
"Truly worthy of an ancient clan's sacred territory. The spiritual energy here must be ten, a hundred times denser than the outside world."
Awe flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes; he was once again shocked by the Ling Clan's profound heritage, foundation.
Cultivating here, it would be hard not to break through.
Supreme orthodox traditions, ancient hereditary clans.
Standing tall for a thousand years, ruling over vast lands.
This was no exaggeration!
"Young Master Ling Xiao is back!!"
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Along the way, Ling Clan servants and maidservants frequently bowed in respect.
Ling Xiao merely smiled and nodded, not speaking.
Yet even this was enough to make many servants feel it was utterly absurd.
"Did Young Master Ling Xiao just smile at us?"
"It seems so. Looks like the Young Master is in a good mood."
"Of course! The day after tomorrow is the Young Master's engagement banquet with the Dao Palace Saintess. Have you heard... that Saintess is hailed as the number one beauty in the Holy State, with a celestial beauty that could topple nations and disrupt all races!"
"Only our Young Master is worthy of her."
Hearing the discussions behind him, Ling Xiao shook his head with a slight smile. His figure shot forward, heading towards the center of the sacred land.
"Young Master!!"
Just then, an exclamation came from afar.
An old man in rough hemp robes and ordinary features came rushing over.
Before even reaching Ling Xiao, he knelt down first.
"Hmm? You are... Huang Hong?" A smile suddenly touched Ling Xiao's lips.
"Young Master, please forgive me! This old slave has already exterminated the Huang Clan. I beg the Young Master, in light of..."
"I'm in a good mood today. I'll spare your dog life. Now get lost." Ling Xiao smiled disdainfully. A Paragon Breakthrough Realm expert, seen as a deity in the Four Wastes, was truly less than nothing in his eyes.
This was what it meant to have an identity that could overwhelm an entire realm.
...
Only when a magnificent golden hall appeared before him did Ling Xiao's steps halt.
Simultaneously, the great doors of the golden hall swung open with a boom, torrential spiritual energy gushing out like a waterfall.
Inside, a middle-aged man in white jade robes, with a kind and benevolent face, stepped out. Seeing Ling Xiao, a warm smile appeared on his lips.
The man's features somewhat resembled Ling Xiao's. His deep black eyes seemed to contain the changing of stars and the shifting of heaven and earth.
Within ten zhang around him, space rippled, giving birth to sun, moon, and stars.
This was an existence of terrifyingly extreme cultivation.
Even more fearsome than Xuan Yuan Yue, Wan Rendí, and others.
The master of the Ling Clan, Ling Tianlin!
An Emperor who had dominated the Eastern Frontier of the Holy State for endless years.
"Xiao'er, you're back." Ling Tianlin looked at Ling Xiao, his eyes filled with warmth.
If others witnessed this scene, they would be utterly astonished.
After all, whether in the eyes of clan members or enemies, Ling Tianlin was the decisive, cold, and arrogant Ling Clan Great Emperor.
"Father!" Ling Xiao bowed deeply, his tone exceedingly respectful.
Before Ling Tianlin, he felt a pressure unlike any he had experienced before.
Even more terrifying than the pressure Wan Rendí had exerted on him.
"Come in and speak." Ling Tianlin smiled faintly, turned, and walked into the hall.
Ling Xiao followed closely behind, entering the majestic ancient hall.
Boom.
The hall doors slammed shut.
Ling Tianlin sat on the golden chair within the hall, a smile suddenly appearing on his face.
"Xiao'er, I heard you killed the young master of the Si Family in Hantian City earlier?"
"Yes, Father. The Si Family probably won't swallow this easily." Ling Xiao's eyes narrowed. Indeed, nothing that happened in Hanshan City escaped his father's notice.
Even if he hadn't acted, if Si Lin had gone too far, his father would likely have sent someone to intervene.
A Son of Destiny, how could he be crushed by a cannon-fodder character?
"This father is very happy that you and Tian'er have let bygones be bygones." Ling Tianlin looked Ling Xiao up and down, his gaze seeming to hold a deeper meaning. "Xiao'er, I heard from Sect Master Wan that you have comprehended Dao Principle power? And your cultivation has reached the peak of the Profound Clear Realm?"
"Yes, Father. This time, those old fellows shouldn't be able to stop me from taking control of the Ling Clan anymore." Ling Xiao nodded. He wasn't surprised that Ling Tianlin had placed spies in the Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect.
After all, the matter of him possessing a Forbidden Constitution was of utmost importance.
If exposed, not only would Ling Xiao become an enemy of the world, but even the Ling Clan would face dire consequences.
Over the past few years, Ling Tianlin had privately laid many preparations.
Although Ling Xiao wasn't fully aware of them, it was clear that the entire Eastern Frontier had fallen within his father's plans.
From the day Ling Xiao learned he was to be engaged to the Saintess of the Ethereal Dao Palace, he had vaguely guessed Ling Tianlin's intention, gambit.
The Ethereal Dao Palace, as one of the few supreme orthodox traditions in the Eastern Frontier, held immense influence.
It was no exaggeration to say that if the four supreme legacies—the Ethereal Dao Palace, the Ling Clan, the Elixir Origin Sacred Land, and the Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect—were to unite, even the Holy Church would find it a massive headache!