A Deterrent Before Departure (Seeking Subscriptions)

After a night of fusion, Xiao Ling finally succeeded just as dawn broke. He opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed through his dark pupils.

"Phew..."

"It's finally done."

He had not expected refining the "Heavenly Prison Thunder Wing" to be so difficult. If he had not prepared beforehand, he would probably have been struck to death by lightning this time.

Through his soul power, Xiao Ling examined his back. At the roots of his shoulder blades, two meridians extended outward, flickering with blood-red lightning.

Besides that, there were also two miniature wings on his back, wreathed in blood-red lightning arcs. At first glance, they appeared extremely mysterious.

Xiao Ling revealed a satisfied smile. As expected of a treasure worth thirty years of lifespan. Like the Flame Mantra, it possessed the ability to grow—though it needed to devour Heavenly Strange Lightning.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ling recalled the strange wonders of heaven and earth on the Dou Qi Continent apart from Heavenly Flames: Strange Wind, strange lightning, Strange Water, and so on.

As far as he knew, Lei Dong, the prodigy of the Lei Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans, seemed to possess Heavenly Strange Lightning.

But that was far too distant from him. He should break through to Da Dou Shi first.

With that in mind, Xiao Ling rose and headed outside. Once he reached the street, the passing mercenaries stopped one after another to greet him.

"Good morning, Young Master Ling..."

"Mm."

Xiao Ling smiled and nodded before walking toward the outskirts of the town.

As he passed a small alley, Xiao Ling's brows lifted slightly. He casually swept it with a glance, then continued past the alley.

He had merely sensed someone watching him and taken a look, only to discover a Dou Shi and five nine-star Dou Zhes. The wolf-head emblems on them were all too familiar to him.

He intended to give these scum a scare, intimidating them once more before he left so they would not get any ideas about Wanyao Pavilion and the little angel.

If he were not on the verge of breaking through to Da Dou Shi, and if his lifespan were not relatively sufficient, this time it would not have ended with mere intimidation. At the very least, he would have crippled another one of their commanders.

Inside the alley, Gan Mu watched the White-robed Youth walk away and immediately followed with his underlings, a trace of apprehension in his eyes.

If Mu She had not promised him a second-tier medicinal pill, he would never have been foolish enough to tail a Da Dou Shi.

Though he possessed the cultivation of a five-star Dou Shi, he could not even withstand a single move from Mu She, much less this genius Da Dou Shi.

Thus, even while following him, he remained extremely cautious. He did not dare get too close, afraid that being discovered would cost him his life.

Xiao Ling strolled out of town at an unhurried pace. He casually glanced behind him, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Then, with a thought, a pair of almost tangible wings appeared behind him, blood-red lightning arcs flashing across them and lending him an air of mystery.

Immediately afterward, an aura comparable to that of a Dou Wang swept out from his body, whipping up fierce winds around him and forcing Gan Mu and the others to stagger backward again and again.

"Th-this... is this a Dou Wang?"

"Our Wolf Head Mercenary Group was actually following a Dou Wang expert?"

Watching the White-robed Youth flap his wings and shoot into the sky, Gan Mu stood rooted to the spot in utter shock.

It was not only him. Even the mercenaries preparing to enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range were completely stunned.

That irresistible aura from earlier was definitely not that of a Dou Ling. Combined with those wings flashing with blood-red lightning arcs, it was clearly Dou Qi Wings.

A Dou Wang! What did that mean?

Such figures were comparable to the ten greatest experts of the Jia Ma Empire. Every one of them was an existence they could only look up to, yet today they had actually been fortunate enough to see one. Their ancestral graves must have been smoking.

The mercenaries who had greeted Xiao Ling or carried out missions with him were especially thrilled.

"Brother Kagang, did you hear? Boss Ling Xiao is actually a Dou Wang-level expert. Th-this is simply unbelievable... Even if Boss Ling Xiao had started cultivating in his mother's womb, he couldn't possibly have become this strong so quickly, right?" Mo Yang said in shock.

Slap!

"Qingxin, why did you hit me?"

Mo Yang looked aggrievedly at the cold and aloof girl.

"Hmph, you're the one who cultivated in your mother's womb. Your whole family cultivated in their mother's womb."

Qingxin snorted coldly.

"You... forget it. I won't lower myself to your level."

"That's enough, you two. Hurry up and get back to cultivating. Brother Ling Xiao gave us an opportunity, so we need to show that we have some value."

Kagang spoke with a grave expression.

Hearing this, both of them turned serious. Especially Qingxin, the cold little girl—a strange glimmer flashed through her cool eyes before the two of them left one after the other.

Meanwhile, in a room in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's rear courtyard, Mu She held a Shanhe in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, eating red dates and gnawing on the bun while occasionally humming the ancient poem, "Geese, geese, geese."

He was in an exceptionally good mood, venting all the frustration he had recently suffered because of that white-robed Da Dou Shi.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out, frightening Mu She into drawing back at once. He was just about to fly into a rage when another voice completely extinguished it.

Inside the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's main hall, Mu She listened to Gan Mu's report with a grim expression. He felt utterly miserable; he had never imagined that he had provoked a Dou Wang expert.

Although he had people backing him, that senior would never listen to him. He could not even contact the other party himself, so he was genuinely somewhat afraid of having provoked a Dou Wang.

Who could have imagined that the White-robed Youth, barely in his teens, was actually a bona fide Dou Wang expert?

Forget about seeking revenge—he wished the other party would treat him like a fart and let him go, preferably never thinking of him again.

Just then, a voice came from a black-clad youth of twelve or thirteen standing nearby.

"Father, why don't we first seize control of Xiao Yi Xian and the others? Then we can use them to threaten Ling Xiao..."

Slap!

Mu She swung a hand across his face upon hearing that, roaring furiously.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you think he wouldn't have left some safeguards for Xiao Yi Xian and the others?"

"I hereby declare that, from this moment on, all actions targeting that person are canceled. Anyone who disobeys will be expelled from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."

After saying that, Mu She rose and left. He planned to go eat some more steamed buns to calm his nerves.

It had to be said that he truly deserved to be called a ruthless hero—when it was time to back down, he backed down.

Elsewhere, Xiao Yi Xian stood atop a roof, gazing toward the outskirts of Qingshan Town. A gentle look surfaced on her delicate face. She then raised her jade-like hand, revealing an exquisite Storage Ring on the index finger of her right hand.

This was also a gift from someone, along with that drop of Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow and the handwritten copy of the Poison Scripture. To her, they were all priceless treasures, because they had all been given to her by that person.

"I wonder whether that guy has me in his heart?"

Still, judging from how he had given her so many treasures, he must have those kinds of feelings for her...

Xiao Yi Xian murmured, a blush rising on her lovely face.