“And Ling Hu! I hope you’ve recovered in these ten days. Let’s see if you can burn your essence blood again!” Thinking of Ling Hu, Cao Xueqing’s heart surged with killing intent. The humiliation from before—she was determined to settle the score this time.
Meanwhile, at the Xu family’s back mountain, a refined young man in white stood atop a peak, his robes fluttering lightly in the breeze, exuding an air of dominance over the world. “Changkong, the great-granddaughter of the Zi Emperor rarely visits this region and will surely enter the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm. If possible, get close to her. But as for Lin Xiao, find a chance to kill him and seize his possessions. If you encounter Ling Hu with his Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger physique, kill him outright—don’t give him a chance to burn his essence blood,” Xu Zilan instructed personally, standing before the young man.
“Understood, Master!” Xu Changkong bowed, nodding solemnly.
The same orders echoed within the Lu family.
Thereafter, the Cao, Xu, and Lu families began assembling their forces. Each family, led by their clan leader, set out with a formidable entourage, heading grandly toward the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm.
In Ling Family City, Lin Xiao’s courtyard remained shrouded in malevolent qi. Zi Ling and the others waited anxiously outside until evening, when the eerie qi finally dissipated.
Then, the door to the courtyard’s room opened, and a clean-faced young man emerged, a faint smile on his lips.
“You finally came out! Any later, and you’d have missed the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm’s opening!” Zi Ling stomped her foot, scolding him with a mix of anger and relief.
Seeing the group gathered outside the courtyard gate, Lin Xiao smiled awkwardly. “Sorry for keeping you all waiting.”
“Your cultivation broke through a stage?” Zi Mo, sensing the aura emanating from Lin Xiao, asked with mild surprise.
“Lucky breakthrough,” Lin Xiao nodded.
In truth, his cultivation had broken through earlier. The commotion today was due to progress in the Indestructible Skeleton Technique, successfully cultivating a fourth bone pattern in his spine.
After achieving this, he had infused power and attack pattern diagrams into the Martial Monarch skeleton, completing the combat skeleton before emerging.
But he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
“You really are a monster!” Zi Ling muttered, exasperated.
It hadn’t been long since leaving Shengyuan Academy, and he’d broken through another stage. With his ability to fight above his level, who knew how strong he’d become?
Lin Xiao smiled, approaching the group. His gaze fell on Ling Hu, and sensing his aura, he said with slight surprise, “You broke through a stage too?”
Ling Hu nodded, grinning. “Heh, good thing I didn’t fall behind you.”
“You’re okay, right?” Lin Xiao asked with concern.
“I can’t burn my essence blood again anytime soon, but there are ways to recover. The Yuanling Pool Secret Realm should help me ‘replenish’ some blood,” Ling Hu chuckled, showing no signs of distress.
Lin Xiao nodded. Without a decade or rare treasures, regenerating essence blood was difficult. Ling Hu’s method likely involved gradually restoring it through blood absorption.
He didn’t pry further.
“If there’s nothing else, we should head out soon. If we’re late, entering the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm won’t be easy,” Zi Mo urged.
Lin Xiao nodded, taking out the Void Phoenix Wings. With Zi Mo activating them, he, Zi Ling, and Ling Hu swiftly headed toward the secret realm.
The Yuanling Pool Secret Realm was restricted to those under thirty in bone age and at the Martial Venerable realm. No other Ling family youths could enter.
Given the Ling family’s strength, even spectating would be pointless and could invite trouble. It was better to stay behind.
The Ling family members understood this.
“By the way, over the past ten days, I’ve gathered some information. The Yuanling Pool Secret Realm automatically expels those whose bone age or cultivation doesn’t meet the requirements, and they’ll suffer consequences. Even spiritual beasts are expelled, so don’t count on that blue corpse puppet,” Zi Mo warned Lin Xiao en route.
“Oh?” Lin Xiao paused.
The blue corpse puppet’s bone age couldn’t be determined, and its cultivation was at fifth-stage Martial Monarch. He’d thought it might have its cultivation suppressed, but being outright expelled meant it was unusable.
Zi Mo continued, “Also, the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm lasts one month. After that, everyone is automatically transported to the exit.”
“The Cao family gave you one month, likely waiting for this moment. When you exit, you’ll face significant trouble.”
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed. With everyone exiting at the same point, the three families’ powerhouses would surely surround the entrance. Once the secret realm ended, he’d be in deep trouble.
“If there’s a ninth-stage Martial Monarch ally by then, Senior, do you have a way to hold off the three families’ experts?” Lin Xiao asked.
In a month, Mei Tianmo’s seclusion would likely end, and with her confidence, she’d probably break through a stage.
With Mei Tianmo, they’d have two fighters capable of facing ninth-stage Martial Monarchs. If they could hold off the three families’ experts, he could escape using the Void Phoenix Wings.
“You’re talking about Mei Tianmo, aren’t you? It’s hard to believe such a fearsome race could become your friend,” Zi Mo sighed.
Lin Xiao’s exploits had spread across the region, and Mei Tianmo’s name was equally renowned.
They’d also heard about Mei Tianmo seizing the Dragon Saliva Heavenly Pill. According to Lin Xiao, she’d likely broken through a stage already.
For a terrifying race like the Mei Tianmo to ally with a human youth was nothing short of miraculous.
“You’ve got some charm, managing to win over a stunning demoness like Mei Tianmo,” Zi Ling teased, pouting.
Lin Xiao was speechless. Did he *win her over*?
And wasn’t that beside the point?
His main concern was whether, with Zi Mo and Mei Tianmo, he could safely escape. Otherwise, entering the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm would be like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den.
