Death?
As someone who had died once, no one was more qualified than Qin Yu to speak of "death."
Besides, as long as he held the wolf cub, he would not die!
The Wolf King stared at Qin Yu without moving. Since he did not move, neither would those green wolves.
The Wolf King had naturally heard of the Jade Pool Sect's great reputation. He would never provoke the Jade Pool Sect. If not for the wolf cub being in Qin Yu's hands, he would have gladly helped Ling Yao capture the three of them.
Qin Yu had not naïvely believed that the Wolf King would attack Ling Yao. He merely wanted to frighten her and blunt her sharp edge.
Ling Yao's expression changed slightly as she warily watched the Wolf King. Yet when she noticed the teasing smile on Qin Yu's face, her breathing caught, and her chest rose and fell violently. Qin Yu had driven her mad. At that moment, she no longer cared whether she captured Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji. She had only one thought: kill this shameless bastard first!
"Fine. I'd like to see how you plan to escape." Though Qin Yu had thoroughly infuriated Ling Yao, her state of mind was extraordinary, and she quickly calmed down. She simply descended to the ground, sat cross-legged beside Qin Yu, and stared at him coldly.
Holding the wolf cub, Qin Yu did not dare lower his guard. The cub was his life-saving talisman. If anyone took advantage of an opening, he truly would be buried here.
Looking at Ling Yao, who was staring at him, Qin Yu's thoughts shifted. He asked, "Are you a disciple of the Jade Pool Sect?"
Ling Yao sneered. "Regretting it now? Too late!"
"Have you heard of Zou Xueqing?" Qin Yu asked after pondering for a moment.
Time was merciless. Was the beauty still alive?
"Never heard of her!" Ling Yao answered without a second thought. Beneath her veil, she watched Qin Yu with cold pride. In her eyes, Qin Yu was trying to curry favor with her. Yet Ling Yao had already decided that even if the Wolf King spared him, she would not easily let Qin Yu go. As long as she captured Qin Yu, she would not need to fear being unable to capture Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji.
A trace of gloom passed through Qin Yu's eyes. Yes, so many years had passed. It would have been strange if Ling Yao knew.
After that, Qin Yu asked no more questions and quietly waited. He calculated that, at Xiong Tatian's speed, he should be able to leave the Land of Beast Burial within half a day. With Li Tianji's intelligence, he would naturally know to wait for him in Tianwu Main City. Once they reached Tianwu Main City, even if Ling Yao possessed Spirit Infant cultivation, it would be difficult for her to find the two of them there. Of course, that was provided Xiong Tatian did not cause trouble.
Ling Yao's eyes flickered. She had sensed Qin Yu's gloom, and her heart stirred. After glancing at the Wolf King, who was eyeing Qin Yu like a tiger watching its prey, she secretly transmitted something to it, then stared at Qin Yu and asked, "What? Is that Zou Xueqing your sweetheart?"
Qin Yu shook his head. His left hand held the wolf cub as he gently stroked its mane. The cub should have been born not long ago. Its bones had not fully formed, and its entire body was soft and squishy. Combined with its not-yet-developed appearance, it really did look like a puppy.
Apparently enjoying Qin Yu stroking its mane, the wolf cub opened its eyes, glanced at Qin Yu, then lay on his hand and dozed off. Qin Yu had pinched it again and again earlier, exhausting it from struggling.
What surprised Qin Yu was that the little wolf cub's eyes were rather strange. One was dark green, while the other was pale white.
"Could she be from my Jade Pool Sect?" Ling Yao continued, trying to distract Qin Yu while secretly signaling the Wolf King. The Wolf King's dark green eyes gleamed with ferocity.
Qin Yu said nothing and continued gently stroking the cub's mane.
Ling Yao frowned. She carefully recalled the sect's disciples, but there was no one named Zou Xueqing. Still, the name seemed vaguely familiar. After a long while, Ling Yao suddenly froze and said, "Zou Xueqing? My Jade Pool Sect did have someone by that name."
Qin Yu did not raise his head. He merely said indifferently, "What a strange little wolf cub. It must have been born recently; even its bones are still soft."
The Wolf King, which had been staring at Qin Yu and ready to strike, contracted its pupils. It forcefully suppressed its thoughts and shot Ling Yao a fierce glare.
Ling Yao's eyes narrowed as well. She had not expected Qin Yu to have already noticed her intentions. This infuriated her. Facing Qin Yu, she felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness, which left her unwilling to accept it. She continued, "What, you've heard of the deeds of my Jade Pool Sect's peerless Patriarch Zou Xueqing as well?"
A flicker passed through the depths of Qin Yu's eyes.
"Do you know the Star Immortal Bridge? Without my Jade Pool Sect's Patriarch Zou Xueqing, there would be no Star Immortal Bridge. This river was created by Patriarch Zou Xueqing and the Blood Emperor together using great divine abilities. The spiritual energy of the four great stars all originates from it," Ling Yao said proudly.
"Star Immortal Bridge?" Qin Yu's heart stirred. He had not seen any records concerning the Star River in the Qin Family's Library Pavilion.
"Can you tell me about Zou Xueqing?" Qin Yu asked, glancing at Ling Yao.
A cold smile surfaced on the beautiful face beneath her veil, and her eyes held even deeper disdain. Could it be that you think Patriarch Zou Xueqing is your sweetheart? But in order to distract Qin Yu, Ling Yao concealed her mockery and said coolly, "Patriarch Zou Xueqing was peerlessly magnificent, known as the Jade Pool Sect's most outstanding and strongest Sect Master apart from the founding patriarch."
"Do you know what the four great stars used to be? They were called the Immortal Martial World. Do you know why they became the four great stars? Because the great devil Lin Yu wanted to destroy the Immortal Martial World, while the Blood Emperor joined forces with powerful experts from all sides to resist the great devil Lin Yu. My Patriarch Zou Xueqing was among them. Therefore, without the Blood Emperor and Patriarch Zou Xueqing, there would be no four great stars today, nor would there be you and me!"
"Have you heard of the Blood Emperor? Forget it. A minor cultivator from such a remote place as you could not possibly know. Back then, he was the strongest person among the four great stars. And my Jade Pool Sect's Patriarch Zou Xueqing had an extremely close relationship with the Blood Emperor. It was even said that the two were fellow disciples, so the Blood Emperor may very well have been a disciple of my Jade Pool Sect too."
"You are a cultivator from the eastern part of the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain, right? Have you heard of the Myriad Heavens Battle Sect? The Myriad Heavens Battle Sect has maintained close ties with my Jade Pool Sect for many years. Do you know the relationship between the Myriad Heavens Battle Sect's founding patriarch and my Patriarch Zou Xueqing? They were exceptionally close as well. Even now, my Jade Pool Sect and the Myriad Heavens Battle Sect remain on friendly terms." Ling Yao spoke without end. Having been suppressed by Qin Yu earlier, she was deeply unwilling to accept it. Now, speaking of the Jade Pool Sect's glorious past filled her with immense pride.
Especially when she saw Qin Yu's grave expression, she felt inexplicably pleased.
Qin Yu slowly stroked the wolf cub's mane without speaking. No one could understand the turmoil in his heart at that moment, but he did not dare relax and remained vigilant at all times.
"Therefore, offending my Jade Pool Sect is courting death. Even the Ancient Star Sect, the number one sect among the four great stars today, is closely connected to my Jade Pool Sect. The Ancient Star Sect was founded by the Blood Emperor himself. Do you know that the Ancient Star Sect's branches spread throughout every heavenly domain of the four great stars? There is even one in the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain!" Ling Yao said arrogantly, like a proud little peacock.
Half a day later.
Qin Yu smiled faintly and abruptly stood up. "The time is about right. Fellow cultivator, you may leave now."
By his calculations, Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji had almost certainly left the Land of Beast Burial. At their speed, it was impossible for Ling Yao to catch up.
Ling Yao froze, her anger growing even stronger. She had been searching for an opportunity from the very beginning, but even after talking until her mouth was dry, Qin Yu had not shown the slightest lapse in vigilance. While this angered her, it also made her want even more to compete with Qin Yu. Flushed with shame and fury, she said, "Leave? Those two have escaped. Do you think I'll let you leave?"
Qin Yu's head began to ache. What he feared most had finally happened. During the first part of that half day, he had indeed listened to what Ling Yao said. But the more she spoke, the more outrageous she became, and her credibility spoke for itself. From then on, Qin Yu had been considering how to escape this place.
His original plan had been for Ling Yao to pursue Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji after half a day. At that point, he would have the Wolf King take him out of the Land of Beast Burial and have a green wolf follow him. Then, once he reached Tianwu Main City, he would hand the wolf cub over to the green wolf.
Once he returned to Tianwu Main City, even if the Green Wolf King came after him, he could seek Zi Xun'er's help and ensure that the Green Wolf King came but never returned.
But if Ling Yao refused to leave, things became far more troublesome. With Ling Yao beside him, Qin Yu would definitely need the Green Wolf King to stay with him. Otherwise, it was entirely possible that this woman would kill him in a fit of rage. Yet having the Green Wolf King escort him back to Tianwu Main City was even less realistic.
Looking at Ling Yao's coldly smiling eyes, Qin Yu truly wanted to tell her that the Patriarch Zou Xueqing she worshipped was his lover, that the Blood Emperor, creator of the four great stars, was his younger sister, that the present Star Realm was named after a title he had bestowed, and that the Myriad Heavens Battle Sect's founding patriarch had been one of his attendants... But could he say such things aloud? Even if he did, Ling Yao would surely take him for a madman.
"Wolf King, kill her." Qin Yu suppressed the thoughts in his heart and turned to speak to the Wolf King. What stunned Qin Yu was that the Wolf King was looking at Ling Yao with fearful eyes. Clearly, it had been frightened by what she had said.
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Before you continue