Su Li withdrew the chill stalk, then slipped the Five Emperors Ancient Coin onto his left wrist. Only then did he calmly say, "Earlier, I helped you overcome one tribulation."
Hua Ziyan bowed gracefully. "Master Su, A Li will remember your great kindness forever."
"I just read your fortune. If I help you this time, you may have a chance to nurture a top-grade Spiritual Infant of Yin Yang and Five Elements."
Su Li pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.
At the word "nurture," Hua Ziyan's pretty face first flushed red. Then she gently pressed her thin lips together and raised her head slightly, her large eyes shining with an intelligent light. "Master Su, then... could you give A Li some guidance?"
"Are you afraid of dying?"
Su Li asked.
"I..."
Under Su Li's direct gaze, Hua Ziyan wanted to make a good impression on him. She nearly boasted, "I'm not afraid!"
But facing Master Su's bright, fathomless, perceptive eyes, which seemed able to see right through her, she followed her heart instead.
"I... I'm still a little... a little afraid."
"Good. As long as you're not afraid of death—wait, you're afraid of dying? You're the Saintess of Wanli Holy Land! You're a Proud Daughter of Heaven, one of Wuyue City's legendary figures. You're telling me you're afraid of dying? How could you become the Saintess, then?"
Su Li was speechless. This girl wasn't following the script at all. How was he supposed to keep his cool?
"I... Wanli Holy Land was actually founded for my sake... I... even if I were completely ordinary, I'd still... still be the Saintess..."
Hua Ziyan murmured softly, her voice faint and timid.
"???"
Su Li froze, suddenly realizing she was an immortal second-generation heiress. Ordinary rules didn't apply to her!
In that moment, he suddenly felt that Heavenly Secrets Divine Calculation wasn't so appealing anymore.
For some inexplicable reason, Su Li felt as if an arrow had pierced his knee!
He had a father too, but that useless old man...
Forget it. Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. It was a shadow over his life, best left unmentioned.
"The fundamental reason for the nine transformations of the Golden Core before forming a Nascent Soul is to unite the nine Golden Cores into one. Only by forcibly shattering the core and condensing pure yang power can you form heavenly chaos, then use it to condense a true seven-colored Spiritual Infant of Yin Yang and Five Elements..."
Su Li calmed the urge to punch Hua Ziyan to death, his voice turning solemn.
If he actually laid a hand on her, she'd probably be on her knees begging him not to die within a second.
Hua Ziyan's delicate body trembled slightly. Then realization dawned in her beautiful eyes, and she seemed to come alive with brilliance!
At the same time, she looked at Su Li with even brighter, more fervent eyes!
"Master Su, A Li understands!"
Hua Ziyan could barely contain her excitement. Her breath quickened, and her delicate body trembled.
"Your father and Old Yun are both here, so they can protect you while you cultivate. But risks and opportunities often go hand in hand. You'll have to decide for yourself."
Su Li said no more, leaving Hua Ziyan to make her own choice.
Heavenly Blood Ancient Clan, forbidden cliff.
Wu Xu Hong knelt before Yun Yifan, his face deathly pale.
At Yun Yifan's side stood two middle-aged men in black and white rune-embroidered robes. One on each side, they stared coldly at Wu Xu Hong.
Deep in the two men's dark pupils, flecks of gold and red would occasionally seep into view, giving them an eerie air.
Wu Xu Hong knelt on the ground, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, yet he didn't dare move a muscle.
"You squandered such a good opportunity. Kill everyone who's been close to you in Yinshang Cave Heaven during this period."
Yun Yifan's voice was cold.
"Yes, Imperial Lord."
At Yun Yifan's words, Wu Xu Hong's body trembled, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
Those who had been close to him lately were either the people dearest to him, whom he valued most, or the most important people in Yinshang Cave Heaven.
And now he had to kill them all.
Yinshang Cave Heaven would surely be dealt a devastating blow, and he might even become a target for everyone.
Yet he had no power to resist—not even the slightest dissatisfaction dared show on his face.
"This is the Soul Refining Banner. Later, refine it with your soul and blood. Then you can summon it directly to wipe them all out, extracting and refining their souls."
Yun Yifan glanced indifferently at Wu Xu Hong.
Wu Xu Hong immediately kowtowed, then respectfully accepted the Soul Refining Banner.
It could separate cultivators' souls from their spirits and refine them with blood, strengthening its wielder's own soul.
Its power was terrifying!
More terrifying still was the bloody process the extracted souls endured once they entered the Soul Refining Banner and were refined.
Wu Xu Hong had witnessed it once before. That was why he'd sworn allegiance to Yun Yifan without hesitation—he didn't want to suffer the same fate!
"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed. Yet this time, it's clear that one has been leaked.
"I trust you, but I don't trust the people around you.
"Since we can't tell who it was, kill them all! It will also help offset my losses this time.
"Besides, I've been secretly supporting them for so long. They've all had their share of enjoyment."
Yun Yifan continued, "As for you, this is your last chance."
At his words, Wu Xu Hong shuddered. Then he immediately kowtowed three times, making nine prostrations. "Thank you for sparing me, Imperial Lord. This time, I absolutely won't disappoint you again!"
Yun Yifan ignored Wu Xu Hong and turned to the middle-aged man in the black rune-embroidered robe at his right. Frowning, he asked, "What does Master Zheng Xuan think of this incident, 'Blazing Wasteland Heavenly Killing Stele Descends'?"
The middle-aged man in black was named Zheng Tianyin. His eyes were sinister, but his expression remained unchanged. "This is heaven's intent to kill, ordained by fate. The Imperial Lord has withstood this tribulation head-on. The stars are bound to shift, and you will rise above all."
Hearing this, Yun Yifan felt immensely relieved, and the tension in his face eased somewhat.
"As for Hua Yunxiao, my master had long ago divined his fate. Imperial Lord, there's no need to worry. It's only a matter of these next six months. A calamity will befall him, and his fate won't be much better than that of his doomed daughter!"
The other middle-aged man, Wang Wenyuan, in the white rune-embroidered robe, added.
"Master Wang Xuan's words have put my mind at ease. But it's infuriating that I, the Imperial Lord, ended up taking Hua Yunxiao's destined death tribulation for him!"
Yun Yifan was still indignant, his hatred burning fiercely.
"Imperial Lord, there's no need to worry. This may not be a bad thing after all."
Zheng Tianyin said confidently.
"Oh?"
Yun Yifan's interest stirred, and a hint of confusion showed on his face.
"First, you and Hua Yunxiao still have a karmic connection. If you deliberately target him, you'll suffer some backlash as well. But now that you've borne this tribulation, the karmic bond between you has been severed. He was meant to be erased by the Heavenly Dao, but he survived. So you took on his share of the killing tribulation, and his share of fortune has now passed to you.
"Isn't that a tremendous boon?"
"So that's how it is! Now I feel much better!"
The expression on Yun Yifan's face finally relaxed.
Only then did he turn to Wu Xu Hong and ask, "This time, Yun Wanchu suddenly summoned all the true disciples of Wanli Holy Land back. What was the reason?"
"Reporting to the Imperial Lord, according to messages from our informants, it was to meet a mysterious Heavenly Secrets Master. We've now confirmed that the Heavenly Secrets Master is eighteen years old and comes from..."
Wu Xu Hong explained everything he had learned.
"Interesting. An eighteen-year-old boy? From that little village of Lihe Village beneath the Luoxia Barren Mountains, near Wuli Town?"
"Yes, Imperial Lord."
"Does that village have any history? Has it produced anyone of importance?"
"No. However... the Silent Ancient Temple in the Luoxia Barren Mountains is an ancient temple dating back to the Era of Demise."
"Oh? The temple is quite ordinary. What about the boy's background?"
"His background is ordinary. His father, Su Xinghe, is a novice Observer of Trends, mediocre in ability and of no particular standing. When Su Li was three or four, his father misread a fortune and had his leg broken by someone. He's been crippled for more than ten years. Recently, he got into gambling debt, was beaten half to death, then sold his house and everything he owned to pay it off. After that, he bought a jug of wine on credit, drank it, and died."
"What about the boy's mother?"
"While she was confined after childbirth, a Yin soul invaded her. She died horribly."
"So this boy was suddenly chosen by Hua Yunxiao and taken away. Is he especially talented?"
"His talent is abysmal. He's slow-witted and dull. Everyone in the village calls him 'Simpleton.'"
"And now he can suddenly divine the future?"
"Reporting to the Imperial Lord, that's precisely what I need to emphasize. First, according to my sources, Yun Wanchu and Hua Yunxiao both sent people to investigate the boy thoroughly over the past few days...
"Second, I dug up Su Xinghe's grave this morning. It was empty. Then I dug up his mother Mu Qingya's grave. She's been dead for nearly eighteen years, yet her body was still perfectly preserved, her skin supple, as if she'd just been buried. But..."
"But what?"
"The coffin Mu Qingya lay in was full of blood, and the blood was still boiling... It was somewhat similar to the 'Soul of Demise revival' you mentioned, Imperial Lord."
"What? You didn't report something like this immediately?"
Yun Yifan's face darkened at once.
At the same time, he glanced unobtrusively at Zheng Tianyin and Wang Wenyuan.
"The signs of a second soul's revival... It seems this Yin soul has already succeeded in seizing and refining the soul!"
Zheng Tianyin gave a meaningful look.
"Your subordinate... deserves punishment."
Wu Xu Hong immediately knelt and admitted his guilt.
He'd just arrived and had already been reprimanded and punished, nearly killed on the spot. How could he have found the time to report it?
But now, he absolutely couldn't explain or make excuses.
Before this Imperial Lord, right was wrong, and wrong was wrong. All he could do was honestly admit his fault.
Before you continue