Tang Ya, Lord Sect Master, Everything I Have Is Yours

Tang An sensed for a moment longer before slowly retracting his power.

Tang Ya's legs went weak, nearly causing her to collapse to the ground, but Tang An was quick to catch her by the waist.

Tang Ya steadied herself, her face flushing like a ripe apple as she lowered her head, not daring to look at Tang An.

"Your martial soul's core attributes are Dark and Devour."

"This is an extremely rare mutated attribute, possessing the two core characteristics of 'Darkness' and 'Devouring'."

"The Dark attribute brings the power of corrosion and concealment, while the Devouring attribute can strengthen you by absorbing the life force, soul power, and even spiritual power of external entities."

Tang Ya listened intently, her eyes growing brighter by the second.

"The reason you've always felt your martial soul backlashing against you is that you've been heading in the wrong direction."

Tang Ya froze for a moment before a sudden realization dawned on her.

"So... I'm not supposed to suppress it?"

"Correct," Tang An nodded. "You need to guide it."

Tang An paused, continuing to clear Tang Ya's doubts:

"Specifically, there are three directions."

"First, prioritize finding soul beasts with Devouring or Corrosive attributes; these soul rings will maximize the potential of your Dark Blue Silver Grass."

"Second, spiritual tempering. Your spiritual power must be stronger than your soul power to maintain a clear consciousness during the devouring process and avoid being backlashed."

"Third, utilize the resonance we just experienced."

Tang Ya's face flushed slightly red again.

"Your Dark Blue Silver Grass is highly compatible with my martial soul. As long as I am by your side, your cultivation speed will increase by at least five to ten times."

"Furthermore, your Dark Blue Silver Grass can gradually absorb the life force from my origin aura, carving out a path of 'Dark Life' upon the foundation of your Dark attribute."

"Devour all things, and feed them back into yourself."

"Use darkness to command life, and life shall be endless."

Tang Ya trembled all over, an unprecedented brilliance erupting in her eyes.

The fear and confusion that had weighed on her heart for so many years vanished in that instant.

Tang Ya finally knew which path she should take.

Tang Ya looked up; her eyes were still red, but they burned with excitement, gratitude, worship, and a hint of infatuation.

She took a deep breath, as if having made a firm decision, knelt on one knee, and pressed her right fist against her heart.

"Sect Master, I, Tang Ya, swear to follow you to the death."

She looked straight into Tang An's eyes, and there was not a shred of hesitation left in them.

"From this day forward, everything I, Tang Ya, possess belongs to the Sect Master."

Tang Ya was not acting on impulse, nor was it just a surge of gratitude; she understood clearly that the man before her was the greatest hope and opportunity of her life.

Tang An watched the fire of worship burning in Tang Ya's red-rimmed eyes and nodded in satisfaction.

Okay, Tang Ya has been subdued. All this talk was finally not in vain.

However, he remained calm and composed on the surface, waving his hand dismissively.

"Just call me by my name from now on. As for following me, that will depend on your future performance."

With that, he turned and walked toward Beibei and the others.

Call you by your name? That won't do.

Tang Ya pursed her lips and trotted after him, her voice filled with an inexplicable joy and stubbornness.

"Alright, Sect Master, I will work hard."

Tang An paused slightly and glanced back at Tang Ya. Tang Ya met his gaze, her ears burning, but she did not look away.

Tang An's lips curled upward, thinking, Got her.

"As you wish."

Tang Ya's face blossomed into a brilliant smile as she hurried to keep up, thinking to herself:

Sect Master didn't refuse! Sect Master is so handsome, and he smells so good. I want to keep smelling it.

Returning to the group, Beibei walked up to them, his gaze falling on Tang Ya's face: "Tang Ya, why is your face so red?"

Tang Ya subconsciously shifted half a step to the side, creating a bit of distance.

Tang Ya smiled somewhat awkwardly, her tone much more polite than usual.

"Beibei, I'm fine. Um... let's just call each other by our names from now on. After all, it's better to be formal within the sect."

Tang Ya's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Tang An, muttering to herself, The Sect Master is right there; if he misunderstands that there's something between me and Beibei, that would be terrible.

Beibei froze. He keenly noticed that when Tang Ya said this, she had glanced at Tang An.

He opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately just smiled gently and nodded: "Alright, Tang Ya, as you wish."

A bitter feeling lingered in his heart.

Although Tang Ya had never agreed to be his girlfriend, she had always been close and casual with him. Now, her sudden politeness felt like an invisible line drawn between them.

She must be embarrassed because there are others around, Beibei thought, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward Tang An's back as his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Tang An paid no mind to the small interlude behind him; he closed his eyes, and his Life Perception Resonance spread out silently.

A moment later, he opened his eyes.

"Northeast, two thousand meters, in a crevice of the cliff face. There is a soul beast suitable for Tang Ya."

The group followed Tang An through the dense forest until they arrived before a steep cliff.

A crack several feet wide split the rock face, and deep within the fissure, black mist churned faintly. For a radius of ten zhang, not a blade of grass grew, and even the soil was scorched black.

"It's inside the crevice," Tang An said, pointing.

No sooner had he spoken than a rustling sound emerged from the depths of the crack.

A vine, pitch-black from end to end, slowly probed out from the stone gap. The vine body was about the thickness of an adult's arm, its surface densely covered in fine, scale-like patterns, each scale slowly opening and closing.

At the top grew a black flower the size of a washbasin. In the center of the bloom, a mass of black mist rotated incessantly, swallowing the surrounding light with every pulse.

The black flower turned, aiming itself at the group as if sizing up its prey.

Beibei's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine! Judging by its size and the flower, it's at least twenty-five hundred years old."

Beibei turned his head sharply toward Tang An, his brows knitted tightly in doubt. "Brother Tang An, this soul beast exceeds Tang... Tang Ya's limit! And it's a devour-attribute soul beast. Are you sure it's suitable for her?"

Before Tang An could speak, Tang Ya stepped forward.

She strode in front of Beibei, hands on her hips, and glared at him. "What are you saying, Beibei? I know my own martial soul. This Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine has a high compatibility with me; I can feel it! My martial soul is a bit special, and you don't understand it. Don't be so quick to question the Sect Master."

Watching Tang Ya defend Tang An, Beibei felt a surge of bitterness in his heart.

After a moment of silence, he nodded and said gently, "Fine. Since you say it's suitable, let me go up and test its strength first."

Tang Ya flashed a grateful smile at Beibei. "Thank you."

The "thank you" was polite and sincere, but to Beibei's ears, it felt deeply unpleasant. Tang Ya had never been this polite to him before.

Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Beibei stepped forward and instantly released his martial soul. Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon scales covered his arms, and lightning crackled and popped.

"Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Beibei's figure moved like lightning, his dragon claw trailing dazzling arcs of electricity as he struck directly at the base of the Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine.

Sensing the threat, dozens of vines shot out like vipers. Their pitch-black scales flared open, and a deluge of devouring black light surged toward Beibei.

Under the erosion of the black light, Beibei's lightning armor began to dissolve rapidly. His heart tightened, but he gritted his teeth, forced his way through the blockade of vines, and slammed a claw into the base of the demon vine.

However, the Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine reacted even faster. Its base ripped violently from the soil, and the entire vine vaulted onto the cliff wall. Three of the thickest vines burst from the ground behind Beibei, their sharp tips stabbing straight for his heart.

Beibei turned in a rush to block, his dragon claw colliding with the vines in a thunderous crash as lightning and black light intertwined.

He was knocked back several steps, the dragon scales on his arms torn away in places, blood seeping out as he panted for breath.

The Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine, meanwhile, remained unscathed, its momentum growing as the vines danced.

"This beast..." Beibei gritted his teeth, preparing to unleash his ultimate move and charge in again.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Let me."