"Has she broken through?"
Ling Xiao had long since awakened from his cultivation. As he watched the layers of filth oozing from Ye Qingchan's body and felt her increasingly powerful aura, his brows furrowed slightly.
The medicinal pill he had given Ye Qingchan was indeed a Grade-3 Spirit-Nourishing Elixir—it could truly expel toxins, and even had the effect of refining the meridians and cleansing the marrow. But he never expected this Chosen Daughter's constitution to be so frail. A single Grade-3 Elixir had flushed out a full ten catties of impurities from her body, and even helped her break through to the Awakened Spirit Realm.
If it were Xiao Ge breaking through after absorbing a Grade-3 Elixir, that would be perfectly normal—after all, he was just a minor side character. But Ye Qingchan was a genuine Chosen Daughter; logically, shouldn't breakthroughs for someone of her status always be filled with hardships? It seemed the Four Wastelands truly lived up to the "barren" in their name.
However, the moment the tribulation thunder fell from the sky, Ling Xiao was somewhat surprised to see a faint shadow flash across the void above Ye Qingchan's head. That shadow instantly devoured all the terrifying tribulation thunder, leaving nothing behind.
"What is that?"
Ling Xiao froze for a moment. When he checked the Destiny Value on Ye Qingchan again, he found it had already reached 600 points—100 points more than Chu Yang, the Chosen Son.
"No wonder she can be the Chosen Daughter. It seems Ye Qingchan also has secrets hidden within her. Could she be the reincarnation of a mighty powerhouse?"
Ling Xiao hadn't gotten a clear look at that shadow just now, but it was clearly not human-shaped. Moreover, unlike the "grandpa in the ring" commonly seen in tales, that shadow was not a residual soul—there was no trace of vital aura about it; it was more like a manifestation of Ye Qingchan's own origin.
"Young… Young Master?"
Ye Qingchan opened her eyes, only to see Ling Xiao standing in front of her with a solemn expression. Her pretty face froze in confusion.
"I… I broke through?!?"
In the next instant, the confusion in Ye Qingchan's eyes vanished completely, replaced by an indescribable ecstasy. Ever since she was bitten by that monster, she had been stuck at the peak of the Void Spirit Realm for a long time. Every time she barely caught a glimmer of a breakthrough opportunity, she would soon be tortured by that excruciating pain until she could barely stand. But this time, she didn't feel the slightest bit of pain—instead, her whole body felt light, and she had an indescribable sense of comfort.
"Congratulations."
To be honest, when Ling Xiao first wanted to subdue Ye Qingchan, he mainly intended to use her to provoke Chu Yang. But now it seemed that this Chosen Daughter's background might be even more terrifying than that frustrated Chosen Son.
"Young… Young Master! Thank you!"
This time, Ye Qingchan's gratitude to Ling Xiao came from the bottom of her heart. She suddenly felt that this young noble from the Holy State wasn't as arrogant and overbearing as others thought—he also had a gentle and considerate side. Although he had been really ruthless when he crushed Chu Yang yesterday, if Chu Yang hadn't taken the initiative to provoke him first, with Young Master Ling Xiao's status and strength, he probably wouldn't have even glanced at Chu Yang.
Sometimes, feelings are just that fragile. Without comparison, there is no sense of loss!
"Ding! The Chosen Daughter's resolve has wavered. Congratulations, Host, on plundering 50 points of Destiny Value from Chu Yang and gaining an additional 500 points of Villain Value."
Hearing the system's notification sound, Ling Xiao smiled secretly, but on the surface, he still maintained a calm expression—there was even a hint of disgust in his eyes.
"You should… go wash up first."
"Wash up?"
Ye Qingchan was stunned for a moment, and a sense of shyness welled up instinctively. Had this Young Master Ling Xiao revealed his true colors again so soon after she had just praised him? It was still early in the morning… did he mean they should wash up and then rest together?
But this time, Ye Qingchan found that she didn't seem as nervous as she was yesterday.
However, when she looked up at Ling Xiao, she realized he had already turned around and walked toward the side hall.
Ye Qingchan was immediately confused. And it was at this moment that she suddenly smelled a foul stench rushing into her nose, and her skin all over her body felt an strange tightness.
"What…"
Ye Qingchan looked down at her hands, and her face instantly turned stiff.
"It's so black! So smelly! So salty!"
The excitement of breaking through had made her temporarily ignore the abnormalities on her body. Now that she looked, the impurities discharged from her body had already caked on her skin—some had even gotten into her mouth!
That foul smell was really… disgusting.
No wonder Young Master Ling Xiao looked disgusted with her. Now, her image in his heart…
"I'm so embarrassed! So embarrassed!"
Ye Qingchan fled out of the door in a hurry. At the same time, Elder Yin's figure slowly emerged from the void.
"Hmm? Elder Yin? Did you gain anything?"
Ling Xiao stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the old man behind him, and a smile curled up at the corner of his lips.
"Although she was very cautious, I still managed to detect her aura. As you guessed, Young Master, she is hiding in the jade pendant around Chu Yang's neck. She should be… from the Nine Nether Phoenix Clan."
Elder Yin bowed respectfully to Ling Xiao, his face wearing an indescribable solemnity.
"The Nine Nether Phoenix Clan?"
Ling Xiao was clearly a little surprised. He furrowed his brows slightly, and a faint dark light flickered in his eyes.
"Wasn't this clan taken in as retainers by the Holy Cult a few years ago to serve those holy hypocrites?"
If Ling Xiao remembered correctly, the Nine Nether Phoenix Clan was once a top-tier ancient clan in the Holy State. Although their numbers were small, their combat strength was unrivaled among those of the same realm. Especially their innate talent—the Nine Nether Flames, which were said to be able to incinerate all things in the world. Even the Azure Dragon Clan, which had always been famous for its terrifying physical strength, did not dare to provoke them easily.
But later, the Holy Cult stepped in and took the Nether Phoenix Clan away from the Ten Thousand Demons Holy Land. Since then, they had never appeared again on the land of the Holy State.
Could it be that… there was some secret behind this that no one else knew about?
At this moment, Ling Xiao suddenly became a little curious—not only because that Nether Phoenix was Chu Yang's trump card, but also because of the connection between her clan and the Holy Cult. After all, Ling Xiao's Heavenly Demon Body would eventually be exposed. When that day came, his biggest enemy would be the Holy Cult—who now seemed to stay out of worldly affairs, but actually liked to manipulate everything in the dark.
"This is a bit troublesome. Elder Yin, can you sense the realm of that Nether Phoenix?"
Since it was a powerhouse from the Holy State, Ling Xiao had to deal with it cautiously. His strength was indeed strong, but that was only among the younger generation. Ancient monster clans like this were born with heaven-defying talents. He didn't want to be burned to ashes by those Nine Nether Flames.
"It's just a residual soul. I can't tell its exact cultivation realm, but it shouldn't exceed the Illusion Breaking Realm now."
Elder Yin was also somewhat cautious. He had to be cautious—after all, the young man in front of him was not only the young master of the Wandao Demonic Sect, but also the only son of the head of the Ling family. If something happened to him in the Four Wastelands, not only would Elder Yin himself be doomed, but even the pets raised by Elder Yin would not escape the fate of annihilation of both body and soul!
A mere Illusion Breaking Realm cultivator was no more than a slightly stronger servant in the Ling family. Even if the young master was in a bad mood, he could easily kill such a person. They, as foreign-born servants, had long been planted with soul seals—their life and death were entirely at the mercy of their master.
"It doesn't exceed the Illusion Breaking Realm? It seems she must have suffered extremely serious injuries during her lifetime. That's quite interesting."
A smile curled up at the corner of Ling Xiao's lips. Then he lifted his foot and walked straight out of the main hall.
By now, his Destiny Value had reached 230 points. That meant Chu Yang, the Chosen Son, only had 270 points of Destiny Value left. If Ling Xiao wanted to kill him, even the Heavenly Dao would soon be unable to protect him.