Dying Dao Sound

Ling Yao's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. For some reason, being stared at by Qin Yu made her flustered. She had initially thought Qin Yu was infatuated with her beauty, but the shift in his gaze left Ling Yao feeling inexplicably unsettled, though more than anything, she felt angry.

As a woman, she possessed a keen intuition. She could tell Qin Yu wasn't looking at her at all. It was as if another person's image flickered in Qin Yu's eyes. This made Ling Yao feel a pang of disappointment, even doubting her own appearance. However, it only fueled her anger further. She raised the golden whip in her hand and shouted, "What are you looking at? Keep looking and don't blame me for being rude."

Qin Yu snapped back to reality, a bitter smile on his lips. How could the Ling Yao before him possibly be Zou Xueqing? Although the two women shared about seventy percent resemblance, their temperaments and personalities were vastly different.

Moreover, after so many years, how could she be her?

With that thought, Qin Yu sighed deeply. He didn't look at Ling Yao any further. He took out a pill he had obtained from Zi Xun'er and began meditating to recover from his injuries.

Ling Yao's face stiffened, and she slowly lowered the hand she had raised in the air. Looking at Qin Yu, whose clothes were in tatters and body covered in bloody marks, she suddenly remembered that Qin Yu hadn't let out a single groan from beginning to end.

Her thoughts became a jumble. She bit her lower lip, her clear eyes fixed on Qin Yu. At that moment, Ling Yao realized she couldn't see through this cultivator, who was only at the Eighth Level of the Martial Realm.

Furthermore, the distant, complex gaze from before was seared into Ling Yao's mind like a brand. The sorrow, loneliness, and isolation that Qin Yu exuded without intending it struck Ling Yao even harder, as if this young cultivator carried too many untold sorrows.

As Qin Yu had said, Ling Yao was indeed a favored daughter of Heaven, one of the Saintess Candidates of the Jade Pool Sect. Due to her Innate Dao Body, her cultivation had been smooth sailing. Not yet twenty, she had already reached the Spirit Infant realm, a level countless others couldn't surpass, and was hailed as the most likely to become the next Saintess and Sect Master.

Because she was both talented and beautiful, Ling Yao was typically doted upon by her master and elders in the Jade Pool Sect, treated as if she were made of fragile glass.

Excessive affection and the adoration of her fellow disciples gradually led Ling Yao to lose sight of her true self. However, she didn't like this feeling. She always felt something was missing in her life and longed to leave the Jade Pool Sect to see the outside world.

This time, upon hearing that someone had audaciously dared to sneak into the back mountain to spy on the junior sisters bathing, and that the disciples sent had failed repeatedly, Ling Yao saw an opportunity. She volunteered to capture Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji, which led to the current situation.

A quarter of an hour later.

The bloody marks on Qin Yu's body had mostly scabbed over, and he opened his eyes from his meditation. He saw Ling Yao standing with her hands behind her back, gazing into the depths of the rolling hills. A gentle breeze stirred her white dress and her long, dark hair.

Qin Yu's eyes were filled with complexity. Although he knew this beautiful woman was not her, Ling Yao's appearance consistently made Qin Yu associate her with her.

Just then, the young wolf, which had been tossed aside, seemed to wake up, letting out whimpers like a puppy, seemingly hungry.

Ling Yao turned, catching Qin Yu's complex gaze. Ling Yao's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she let out a cold snort.

Qin Yu withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to normal. He glanced at the whimpering young wolf and slowly said, "Help me return the young wolf to the Wolf King. Let's leave this Land of Beast Burial."

Confident that Ling Yao wouldn't attack again, Qin Yu had no intention of staying. With Ling Yao present, even if the Wolf King harbored any resentment, it wouldn't dare harm Ling Yao, especially after being intimidated by her words earlier.

However, for safety's sake, it was best to have Ling Yao return the young wolf first. Once the Wolf King left, they could depart.

As for the Dao Mansion... Qin Yu didn't actually expect to gain anything from it. Before the cave mansion had even fully emerged, Dao Realm cultivators were already eyeing it, indicating its extraordinary nature. When it truly appeared, who knew how many powerful figures it would attract? Even if he stayed, he wouldn't get any good treasures and might even get caught in the crossfire.

"Do you have no hands or feet?" Ling Yao asked coldly. She noticed that after Qin Yu looked at her, he seemed like a different person. This made Ling Yao angry because she always felt Qin Yu's gaze was directed at someone else. As a proud daughter of Heaven, Ling Yao couldn't tolerate this!

"I have a lot of information about your ancestor, Zou Xueqing. If you help me with this, we can talk slowly," Qin Yu said with a helpless smile. He knew that without incentive, Ling Yao wouldn't budge. Given her current attitude, he could only offer something to entice her.

Ling Yao's expression faltered. She glared at Qin Yu resentfully. Her instinct was to refuse, but Qin Yu's words made it impossible for her to do so. Biting her lip, Ling Yao raised her right hand, and the young wolf flew into her grasp. She directly grabbed the wolf and walked towards the Wolf King.

Only after Ling Yao handed the young wolf to the Wolf King, and the Wolf King let out a joyous howl, picked up its cub, and led its pack away, did Qin Yu truly breathe a sigh of relief.

He slowly stood up, planning to wait for half an hour. After the Wolf King was far away, he would leave this place with Ling Yao and return to Tianwu Main City. Although his cultivation hadn't yet reached the Ninth Level of the Martial Realm, Qin Yu was confident he could reach it within the next two months. At that point, he would be able to kill Cui Shuo with a single blow!

Just as Qin Yu was watching Ling Yao approach, the space suddenly began to tremble inexplicably.

Qin Yu abruptly turned his head towards the depths of the rolling hills, his expression grave. He vaguely heard a strange sound, indistinct, as if it were there and not there. But Qin Yu was certain he had heard this sound before!

"What exactly is that sound? The space hums, and Buddhist chants echo..." Qin Yu stared into the depths of the hills, lost in thought. He had definitely heard this sound before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.

"It's best to leave now. This place is rather strange," Qin Yu mused. Thinking this, he turned around and looked at the approaching Ling Yao. "This place is strange, let's leave!"

Before he finished speaking, Qin Yu quickly moved away. After a few steps, he stopped abruptly and turned to look at Ling Yao, who was still walking slowly. "Fellow Daoist Ling?"

Ling Yao paid him no mind, continuing her slow progress.

Qin Yu's brow furrowed. He blocked Ling Yao's path and discovered that her eyes were somewhat unfocused, yet her steps continued forward.

Qin Yu's heart leaped. He vaguely guessed what was happening and, without a word, scooped Ling Yao into his arms, intending to run. But Ling Yao waved her left hand, sending out waves of Gang Qi. Qin Yu was startled and retreated repeatedly.

"Ling Yao!" Qin Yu shouted in a low voice.

Ling Yao still paid him no mind, her steps even and slow as she proceeded!

Suddenly, Qin Yu faintly heard faint Buddhist chants emanating from within Ling Yao's body. Seeing her zombie-like state, Qin Yu's pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed, "Dying Dao Sound!"

"How is this possible? There's actually Dying Dao Sound here?" Qin Yu looked at the depths of the rolling hills in disbelief, his expression rapidly changing. Then, he suddenly looked at Ling Yao and murmured, "That's right. To reach the Spirit Infant realm at such a young age, she has the Innate Dao Body!"

"Only the Innate Dao Body can resonate with the Dying Dao Sound! This... is not a Dao Mansion at all, but a trap, a conspiracy!" Qin Yu was terrified.

Back at the Tian Qi Sect, Qin Yu had personally heard the Dying Dao Sound before!

It was the sound produced when the old ancestor of the Tian Qi Sect entered secluded cultivation unto death. At that time, it coincided with the assessment for new disciples. A young man with the Innate Dao Body had resonated with the Dying Dao Sound and, like a walking corpse, headed towards the ancestor's secluded cultivation place.

What happened afterward, Qin Yu didn't know.

But the result was that the young man with the Innate Dao Body died tragically, and the ancestor successfully broke through!

In the end, the matter was quietly resolved within the Tian Qi Sect, but the young man's family received substantial compensation, and even his younger brother was taken in as a personal disciple by the ancestor.

Even though Qin Yu had read tens of thousands of ancient texts, the information he found about the Dying Dao Sound was sparse, only mentioning that it could resonate with the Innate Dao Body. Most of the rest was speculation!

If Qin Yu hadn't heard it before, he wouldn't have realized it was the Dying Dao Sound at this moment. And Ling Yao's fate would likely be similar to that young man's.

"Wait, could there be someone else in this Dao Mansion? Or perhaps a powerful being is sealed here?" Qin Yu pondered solemnly, regretting not having returned the young wolf to the Wolf King earlier. Otherwise... he could have asked the Wolf King for help now, but as it was... he couldn't stop Ling Yao with his current strength.

Gazing at Ling Yao's slowly retreating figure, Qin Yu struggled internally.

If it were before, Qin Yu wouldn't have hesitated. He would have left immediately. In fact, he had come to this forbidden area hoping to find an opportunity to shake off Ling Yao. If he had the chance, he would have unhesitatingly left Ling Yao behind.

But fate played a cruel trick. Ling Yao bore an uncanny resemblance to Zou Xueqing, making it impossible for Qin Yu to turn a blind eye.

"Similar appearances, both from the Jade Pool Sect... is this fate, or... have you come to fulfill your promise from long ago?" Qin Yu muttered in pain, watching Ling Yao's figure struggle more and more.

Ling Yao walked further and further away, leaving Qin Yu with little time to hesitate.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Yu slowly closed his eyes, a sweet smile and melodious words appearing in his mind.

After a while, Qin Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his body erupting in a faint red glow as he charged towards Ling Yao.