Three Thousand Years Older, Ranked Among Immortals!

Hearing Ye Xuan's question, which was both teasing and rather earnest, the Gray-Robed Woman paused.

Her name?

The word felt so distant to her, as if it belonged to a past era.

Ever since she had fallen into slumber after that ancient battle and sealed herself away here, the world had known only the Twin Pupils Woman—the undefeated legend who had fought until no one dared call themselves supreme. Her original name had long since been forgotten.

Her red lips parted, and she was just about to answer.

But at that very moment, a mysterious ripple spread between them.

It was a unique connection between those with double pupils, and one of the supreme powers of her Ancient Double Pupils—Mind Reading.

At such close range, with Ye Xuan's mind relaxed and his guard down, the thoughts stirring deep within him were as clear as words on a page, reflected in the woman's Consciousness Sea.

Ye Xuan was looking at her.

Though the divine light in his Chaos Heavy Pupils had been restrained, he did not look away. Instead, he openly sized up this peerlessly elegant woman from ancient times.

Thoughts surged through his mind like a tide:

"I have to say, this woman's bearing is truly exceptional."

"Despite having lived through endless ages, her figure, her beauty, that transcendent divinity... aside from my master, Willow Deity, she's definitely the most remarkable woman I've ever met."

"I wonder if, in that ancient era of rising heroes and rampaging gods and demons, there was any man who caught her eye? Could anyone have stood by her side?"

"Probably not. Double Pupils are born to walk the Invincible Path. A woman like her is too proud and too powerful. Ordinary Heavenly Prides probably couldn't even raise their heads in her presence."

Ye Xuan's thoughts continued, growing bolder by the moment, infused with the Human Emperor's unique desire to conquer.

"But in this life, she met me."

"Since the source of my Double Pupils is stronger than hers, does that mean... I might get the chance to subdue her one day?"

"Make an ancient Female War God yield, then win her heart... Tsk, what a sense of accomplishment."

"Her age really is a mystery. I don't know if she's lived for tens of thousands of years, or even longer. In the cultivation world, she'd be a fossil on the level of an Ancestor."

"But..."

A mischievous little figure seemed to grin in Ye Xuan's heart as a pearl of wisdom popped into his mind:

"As the saying goes, a woman three years older is worth a gold brick."

"If she's three thousand years older, she'll be Ranked Among Immortals!"

"Marry her, and I'll gain an invincible Dao companion and save myself tens of thousands of years of detours. However you look at it, that's a bargain..."

The air in the Stone Pavilion suddenly fell quiet.

Utterly silent.

Even the Chaos Qi that had been flowing seemed to freeze under some invisible chill.

Ye Xuan was immersed in his wonderful daydream when he suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

He came to his senses and refocused on the woman before him.

The Gray-Robed Woman, who had looked calm and somewhat wistful just moments ago, now wore an extraordinarily expressive look on her beautiful face.

She seemed to be smiling, but not quite. One corner of her eye twitched.

Her Double Pupils, once deep as the stars, now glinted with a dangerous light as she stared straight at Ye Xuan.

"Uh..."

Ye Xuan's heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling rose within him.

"Senior?" he ventured.

The Gray-Robed Woman didn't answer right away.

She rose slowly to her feet, her gray robes stirring without a breeze.

Circling halfway around Ye Xuan, she seemed to be taking another look at this audacious junior.

"Little one."

At last, she spoke.

Her voice was still lovely, with a husky, magnetic quality, but now it held an unmistakably teasing edge.

"You're young, but you've got quite the ambition."

Ye Xuan blinked and tried to look composed. "You flatter me, Senior. I've always set my sights high."

"Set your sights high?"

The woman chuckled, her smile playful.

She moved a little closer, fixing Ye Xuan with her Double Pupils as she enunciated each word:

"Subdue me?"

"Win my heart?"

"And..."

She paused, her expression turning odd, as if savoring the meaning of the phrase.

"Three thousand years older, Ranked Among Immortals?"

Boom!

The words struck Ye Xuan like a thunderbolt to the crown of his head.

He froze completely.

He looked at the woman's all-knowing gaze and her almost-smile.

Every last bit of wishful thinking vanished.

He'd forgotten!

He had actually forgotten!

The woman before him was the Ancient Double Pupils Woman, the very foremother of Pupil Arts!

One of the signature abilities of those with Double Pupils was Mind Reading!

It let them probe people's hearts and see their thoughts!

Had she heard every one of those treasonous, downright "lecherous" thoughts of his?

Every last word?

"Cough, cough..."

Even Ye Xuan, the Human Emperor, whose skin was thicker than a city wall, couldn't help blushing.

This was a public execution!

Awkward.

So awkward.

"Um, Senior, let me explain."

Ye Xuan coughed twice, trying to salvage what remained of his crumbling reputation.

"This is a misunderstanding. I was acknowledging your strength and paying you the highest compliment for your beauty!"

"A compliment?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, her gaze growing more dangerous.

"So you're saying I'm old?"

"Three thousand years older?"

"No, no!" Ye Xuan hurriedly waved his hands, his survival instincts in full force. "I meant that you have profound foundations, like an immortal or a god! In my eyes, you're peerlessly elegant, and time never wears down beauty. You look even more radiant than an eighteen-year-old girl!"

At this smooth-tongued defense, the woman gave a soft snort.

Though she had lived for endless ages and her heart had long been as still as a dry well, she was still a woman, after all.

Being told to her face that someone wanted to "subdue" her and "take her home" stirred ripples in her lofty composure.

She was somewhat annoyed, but also a little intrigued.

In all those long, desolate years, no one had ever dared act so brazenly in front of her.

The so-called Heavenly Prides of ancient times had all treated her with the utmost respect.

Only this young man was different.

He was respectful on the surface, but beneath it was a domineering streak that wanted to conquer everything.

"Smooth-tongued."

The woman rolled her eyes at him. In that instant, her charm seemed to brighten even this Chaos Small World.

She sat back down on the stone stool and smoothed her robe, her expression growing somewhat more serious.

But a faint blush still lingered on the tips of her ears.

"From now on, don't call me the Twin Pupils Woman."

She looked at Ye Xuan, her tone serious.

"I have a name."

"My surname is Ao, and my given name is Tong."

"Ao Tong."

Ye Xuan's expression turned solemn.

Ao was a surname of the Dragon Race, a sign of nobility and antiquity.

Tong naturally referred to her peerless Double Pupils.

The name carried a fierce, commanding edge that suited her perfectly.

"Ao Tong..."

Ye Xuan rolled the name around in his mouth twice, then lifted his head with his trademark brilliant smile.

"All right, Big Sister Ao Tong!"

He said "Big Sister" as smoothly and warmly as could be.

In one stroke, he'd gone from calling her "Senior" to calling her "Big Sister," closing the gap between their seniority by countless years.

Ao Tong paused.

Looking at the little rascal who was climbing up the moment she gave him an inch, she felt both exasperated and amused.

That boy's skin might be thicker than the barrier around the Ancient Sacred Academy.