"Patriarch, are you truly letting the young lady leave alone..."
Hun Mie Sheng's figure appeared at the side at some unknown time. After respectfully bowing, he seemed hesitant to speak further.
He had naturally heard everything just said.
If an ordinary person had cursed him, they would already be dead.
But if the young lady cursed him, he could only smile and say she was right.
First, the young lady possessed a Divine Grade Bloodline. Even though her bloodline grade had fallen due to the Patriarch extracting it for healing, with proper care, it would still be a Divine Grade Bloodline.
This meant that as long as she cultivated normally, she would inevitably become a Dou Saint. Surpassing him in the future wouldn't be difficult either.
Second, she was the Patriarch's daughter!
No matter how strained their relationship was, they were still family.
He was an outsider. If he truly overstepped and offended the young lady, even though she couldn't do much to him, the Patriarch likely wouldn't mind disciplining him slightly to ease tensions with his daughter.
As an old member of the Soul Clan, Hun Mie Sheng knew exactly how to act.
When the Patriarch was present, he served the Patriarch. When the young lady was present, he served the young lady. When both were present, of course, he still served the Patriarch.
As for whether being a servant was shameful?
Who said it was shameful? Anyone who did would be captured and refined in the Hall of Souls in an instant!
"It's fine. It's already good if she doesn't harm others. With that token, there's no danger. Her affairs must remain confidential. If word leaks from the Hall of Souls, you know the consequences, right?"
Hun Tian Di's voice wasn't harsh; it remained as gentle as ever. Yet, upon hearing it, Hun Mie Sheng stiffened.
He had no desire to be turned into a Living Corpse and sealed in a coffin.
"Patriarch, rest assured. Whenever the young lady activates the token, I will personally handle the arrangements. There will be absolutely no mistakes!"
Hun Mie Sheng's expression turned serious as he spoke solemnly.
"Keep it clean. Don't let her discover anything."
Hun Tian Di nodded slightly and spoke indifferently.
"Yes!"
Hun Mie Sheng bowed respectfully upon hearing this, then his figure merged into the void and vanished.
Hun Tian Di looked down at the Sacred Soul Mountain beneath his feet and took a step.
A vast area, including the Sacred Soul Mountain, instantly transformed into flat land.
As for the descendants living there, they had already become part of the earth.
Any possibility that could reveal Hun Lili's identity had to be eliminated.
Outside the Soul Realm.
Hun Lili's eyes held a trace of confusion.
She didn't know the way!
"Young lady, please wait."
At that moment, Hun Mie Sheng's figure materialized.
"If you dare try to capture me and take me back, I'll kill myself right in front of you."
Hun Lili warily looked at Hun Mie Sheng, immediately stirring her Dou Qi and trembling with Soul Power, preparing to self-destruct.
Seeing this, Hun Mie Sheng's pupils visibly contracted. He hurriedly used pristine Spatial Force to forcibly halt Hun Lili's self-destruction, retrieving a ring from the cracked void and sending it directly into Hun Lili's hand with Spatial Force.
"Young lady, you misunderstand. For your journey across the continent, your own strength is paramount. I know you dislike the Hall of Souls, so I have specially prepared some Cultivation Techniques and Dou Skills unrelated to the Soul Clan and the Hall of Souls."
Some elixirs, some money, a map of the entire continent, a flying boat for traveling through spatial wormholes, and various other miscellaneous items—all of these had nothing to do with the clan or the Hall of Souls. Any potential troubles had already been cleared away, leaving no issues whatsoever."
Hun Mie Sheng knew Hun Lili well enough to avoid all potential pitfalls.
"This subordinate takes his leave!"
With that, he immediately vanished into the void, disappearing from Hun Lili's sight as quickly as possible.
Hun Lili gazed at the now-empty void before her, then looked down at the slender, elegant silver-white storage ring in her hand—clearly designed for women.
She knew that, given the Soul Clan's methods, this storage ring and its contents were likely seized from powerful figures across the continent, and their fates were undoubtedly grim.
Logically, Hun Lili should have thrown the ring away and cursed, "Who wants this thing?"
But in the end, she didn't.
Perhaps the version of her who had just arrived in this world would have refused to accept a storage ring tainted with blood and the aura of lost souls.
But the girl who had started killing at the age of eight had ultimately been influenced by the Soul Clan's culture. She was no longer that innocent girl.
After binding the storage ring with a drop of blood, she took out the map, identified her direction, and set her sights on the Jia Ma Empire in the Northwest Continent.
To deal with her own father, she could only rely on that fallen genius!
...
One month later.
At the Xiao Clan's back mountain, Yun Yun took out a white jade slip, took Xiao Yan's hand, and placed it in his palm.
"Xiao Yan, your teacher must take Yanran back to the sect now. During this time, focus on your cultivation. If you have any questions, you can use this jade slip to send a message. I will come as soon as possible."
Xiao Yan nodded solemnly. "Teacher, rest assured. I won't disappoint you."
"Xiao Yan, if you ever come to the capital, feel free to visit the Nalan residence. My grandfather and father would surely be delighted to meet you."
Nalan Yanran was also reluctant to part, but she knew she had to return to the Cloud Mist Sect.
"Mm, alright."
Xiao Yan smiled politely and nodded.
He vaguely recalled that the guardian magical beast of the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva was a fifth-tier Branding Iron Poison Imprint Python. Nalan Jie had been poisoned while trying to harvest it.
During this time, Xiao Yan had subtly inquired with Nalan Yanran. Nalan Jie was currently in good health and hadn't been poisoned, so naturally, he hadn't obtained the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva.
This left Xiao Yan somewhat disappointed.
But not entirely.
He had also realized something: he wasn't an alchemist, nor did he possess Heavenly Flames. Even if he found a way to become an alchemist, his current level of soul power and Dou Qi flame wouldn't be enough to refine the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva into a soul-restoring elixir.
Given the circumstances, he truly had no way to awaken Yao Lao.
Since there was no solution, he could only bury himself in cultivation.
In truth, Xiao Yan had another idea, though it was a bit unscrupulous...
He could find an excuse to give the ring to his father, Xiao Zhan, for safekeeping.
That way, he wouldn't have his Dou Qi absorbed.
But his father would undoubtedly suffer greatly, so this idea remained nothing more than a passing thought.
With a smile, he bid farewell to his teacher and Nalan Yanran, then sighed in frustration.
It's too hard!
It's really too hard!
Could it be that he truly had to wait patiently until he turned twelve?
Standing atop the peak of the rear mountain, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes.
He had crossed over with memories intact—if he were to follow the same old routine, wouldn't those memories be wasted?
Never mind. Since things had come to this, he might as well start cultivating.
Shaking his head, Xiao Yan suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind and simply sat down on the mountaintop, beginning to cultivate Dou Qi.
A week ago, he had broken through to the Two-Star Dou Fighter level.
Without Yao Lao's help, relying solely on his own talent, Xiao Yan realized that although his cultivation speed was much faster than the average person's, it was far from the top tier.
The cultivation resources at his disposal were far too scarce!
His teacher, Yun Yun, had left behind some elixirs that could help speed up cultivation. As expected, they were likely refined by Pill King Gu He.
But Xiao Yan didn't mind. Having something to use was already good enough—why bother fussing over who refined it?
However, Xiao Yan had only been cultivating for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when he sensed Xun Er's aura rapidly approaching.
He opened his eyes, stood up, and watched as the girl in a light cyan ruqun sprinted toward him with light, cheerful steps.
"Brother Xiao Yan!"
The familiar call suddenly rang out, making Xiao Yan's lips curl upward involuntarily.
"Xun Er, you seem to be in a good mood?"
Xun Er's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, reaching out to tug at Xiao Yan's sleeve. She blinked playfully and said:
"Of course! But I won't tell you unless Brother Xiao Yan accompanies me for a stroll!"
"Since Xun Er is in such high spirits, of course I can. Where would you like to go?"
Xun Er narrowed her eyes slightly, a relaxed expression appearing on her face, then tilted her head to look at Xiao Yan.
"Let's go to the marketplace!"
"Alright, let's go to the marketplace."
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile and led Xun Er toward the Xiao family's marketplace.