The head steward let out a furious roar, his face contorted in a terrifying way. He didn't want to die, and he couldn't die. His intense will to survive made him grasp at the last straw.
Upon hearing this, Tianxue Liuli frowned slightly, seemingly reluctant, but finally sighed and said:
"Ling Xiao, you've got the treasure. Let's leave it at that. Tianxue Changming is the chief steward of my Snow Heaven Clan, and I can't just ignore this."
The feud between you ended when Tianxue Junjie died...
Her expression was solemn, and the transcendent power surrounding her made her appear even more sacred and inviolable.
"I'm determined to kill this man; you probably can't save him." Ling Xiao shook his head slightly, knowing the importance of eliminating any potential threats.
This is a cruel world of cultivation, not a society governed by law; there's not much logic to it.
"What if I absolutely must save her life?" Tianxue Liuli's gaze turned cold, and the transcendent power around her seemed like a true dragon, surging and roaring—a sign that she was about to make a move.
"Ling Xiao, I know you are strong, but you are ultimately not at the half-step Great Dao. The gap between us is insurmountable. I do not wish to fight you, but do not force me."
She continued coldly, and then a heavy snow began to fall, instantly plunging the world into an ice age. Everyone present couldn't help but shiver.
Ling Xiao remained calm as he circulated the True Yang Dao within his body. Instantly, he seemed to transform into the sole True Yang, melting the frozen snow kingdom and bringing warmth back to the land.
Just as the two were about to engage in a fierce battle, Ling Xiao heard the long-lost system voice in his mind.
[Tianxue Liuli's fighting spirit has been detected. Please make the following choice, host.]
[Option 1: Refuse to release Tianxue Changming, becoming enemies with Tianxue Liuli and igniting a great war. Reward: Chaos Heart Scripture.]
[Option Two: Agree to release Tianxue Changming, feigning weakness to gain Tianxue Liuli's favor and friendship. Reward: Primordial Nine Purities Immortal Light.]
Ling Xiao's heart stirred, and he immediately looked at the two options.
The Chaos Heart Scripture is a mental cultivation method, similar to the Great Dao Great Dao Golden Scripture, but overall inferior to it.
The Primordial Nine Purities Immortal Light an offensive divine power, consisting of nine immortal lights: Taiqing, Yuqing, Shangqing Lingqing, Yuanqing, Xuqing, Huaqing, Xuanqing, Zhiqing.
Each ray of immortal light possesses invincible power, capable of Qiankun the universe, separating the pure from the impure, yin and yang, settling primordial energy, creating Chaos, and suppressing the primordial chaos.
Once unleashed, all magic will dissipate, and all evil will be impervious. Any living being that falls into the celestial light will be obliterated, reduced to dust and water, and all life will be extinguished.
Seeing the rewards for the two options, Ling Xiao preferred the latter.
The Chaos Heart Scripture is not very useful; it's merely a mental cultivation method.
However, the power of the Primordial Nine Purities Immortal Light is enough to easily kill even a powerful expert at the ninth level of the Primordial Taiji.
The two are not comparable.
However, choosing the Primordial Nine Purities Immortal Light requires releasing the Tianxue Changming.
Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up as he had an idea.
Just because we released them this time doesn't mean we can never kill them again.
Obviously not.
"System, I choose option two." Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment, then immediately made his choice.
After making his choice, he dissipated his imposing aura, becoming incredibly peaceful, as warm as the sun.
The sudden turn of events startled Tianxue Liuli. She was fully prepared for battle, but Ling Xiao seemed like a completely different person, suddenly changing his attitude.
What's wrong?
"Is it because you fear my power that you choose to compromise?"
As she thought this, Ling Xiao spoke.
"You're right. I have no mortal grudge against the head steward. Besides, he's severed ties with his own grandson, so I shouldn't hold a grudge against him. Otherwise, wouldn't I seem unreasonable?"
Upon hearing this, Tianxue Changming, whose head was the only part of his body visible beneath the Primordial Cauldron, was overjoyed and excited, his eyes shining with astonishing brilliance.
As long as you survive, there's a chance to turn things around.
However, Ling Xiao's next words plunged him into an icy abyss.
"However, while the death penalty may be spared, punishment is inevitable. Letting him go like this is not my style."
"What do you want?" Tianxue Liuli asked in a deep voice.
Boom...
With a tremendous tremor, the Primordial Cauldron unleashed astonishing power, crashing into Tianxue Changming's body and crushing his foundation, thus abolishing his cultivation.
All of this happened so fast that even Tianxue Liuli didn't have time to save them.
They just watched helplessly as the head steward was dismissed.
"Ah! You actually destroyed my cultivation! Destroyed my cultivation!" Tianxue Changming roared miserably, as if he had gone mad.
In an instant, one experiences the transformation from heaven to hell.
No one expected that Ling Xiao would agree to release him, only to cripple his cultivation in the end.
"Stop howling! I've already spared your life, another wail and I'll kill you!" Ling Xiao coldly shouted.
Don't kill him, but cripple him.
In this world, without overwhelming strength, living is worse than dying.
"Ling Xiao! Are you forcing me to take action?"
Tianxue Liuli glared at Ling Xiao with uncontrollable rage, her body surging with powerful magic, ready to attack.
With the chief steward gone, the Snow Heaven Clan has lost a ninth-level expert, greatly reducing their strength.
Such losses are incalculable.
"He's already crippled. I'm ready to fight anytime you want," Ling Xiao said, shrugging confidently.
If it weren't for the system reward, Tianxue Changming would already be a corpse, with no chance of survival.
"You simply feel that you've lost a powerful warrior and your fighting strength is diminished. That's simple: I'll help you subdue the Giant Spirit Clan, and you do me a favor. We'll all be happy."
Ling Xiao casually explained that he was giving the choice to the other party, as he wanted to use the Snow Heaven Clan to help him find the Origin-Devouring Beast.
Tianxue Liuli's expression was calm, but the light in her eyes shifted constantly as she pondered and weighed her options.
Meanwhile, the powerful giants of the Giant Spirit Clan, such as Ju Xinghe and Giant Overlord, were dumbfounded.
What kind of talk is that?
To their very face, they dared to say they would subdue the Giant Spirit Clan, without any regard for their own dignity. Don't they have any pride?
The burly men, their faces filled with grief and indignation, remained silent, wanting to leave but daring not to, wanting to fight but unable to win, caught in a dilemma, deeply conflicted.
Finally, Tianxue Liuli's tense expression relaxed, and the transcendent power surrounding her withdrew into her body. She chose not to make a move.
"What can I do for you?"
She asked calmly, her voice clear and melodious, with a hint of sweetness, devoid of any murderous intent.
"We'll talk about that later," Ling Xiao said with a smile.
"Take care of those big guys first."
"Okay!" Tianxue Liuli readily agreed.
The two hit it off immediately and set about dealing with the Giant Spirit Clan.
The Giant Spirit Clan were almost in tears. Why had these two, who were at each other's throats just a moment ago, suddenly joined forces to deal with them?
This dramatic shift was something that straightforward men couldn't understand, much less comprehend.