“If you perform outstandingly in this final arena, not only will you secure a nomination for the Southeastern Domain Youth Summit, but you’ll also receive substantial rewards from the Zi family,” Zi Jinchen added, worried Lin Xiao might be reluctant.
Zi Ling, however, grinned slyly at the side, “Don’t worry, he’ll participate. With his ability to unleash large-scale indiscriminate attacks, our Zi family is sure to win this arena.”
Lin Xiao nodded, “I’m willing to join, but I hope the Third Elder can mobilise the Zi family’s intelligence network to search for my friend.”
“You can rest assured. Even if it’s just the intelligence from my and Zi Ling’s faction, we’ll help you find her,” Zi Jinchen nodded.
Lin Xiao nodded in return, then described Feng Youyu’s appearance, mentioning her talent, such as the Nether Lotus phenomenon, and passed the details to Zi Jinchen.
Of course, whether they could find her was uncertain. The Southeastern Domain was vast, and if she was far from here, even the Zi family’s intelligence network might struggle to track her down.
If even the Zi family couldn’t find her, Lin Xiao would ultimately have to rely on himself.
…
In a secluded forest in this region, a group of Martial Lord experts gathered.
“Jin Mu is dead, and our cooperation with the Jin family has failed. Patriarch Cao, what’s your take now?” The speaker was the leader of the group, a Ninth-Tier Martial Lord with white eyebrows and a sage-like aura, dressed in a white robe.
This was none other than the patriarch of the Xu family, Xu Zilan.
“Exactly. Lin Xiao is getting closer to the Zi family, making it harder for us to kill him. Why not join the Jin family? That way, we’d have more chances to take him out,” said a burly, robust elder with thick brows nearby.
This was the patriarch of the Lu family, Lu Yuan.
Cao Tianchao, with his deep gaze, shook his head, “Our region is quite far from the Jin family. Joining them might bring benefits, but we’d be too restricted. It’s clearly not a wise choice for us.”
“Then what do we do? We can’t just keep waiting for Lin Xiao to leave the Zi family before acting, can we? Who knows when he’ll come out next,” Lu Yuan said angrily.
“This time, you could say the Jin family lost all ten arenas because of Lin Xiao. They already bear a grudge against him. If there’s a chance, the Jin family will surely try to eliminate him,” Cao Tianchao said. “Moreover, according to our intelligence, the final round of arenas between the Zi and Jin families includes a group battle for those below the Martial Venerable realm. With Lin Xiao’s ability to kill on a large scale, he’s certain to participate. When that happens, the Jin family’s hatred for him will deepen. We wait, and let the Jin family create opportunities to kill him.”
Lu Yuan and the others felt helpless. They didn’t want to wait, but they had no other options, their frustration bottled up inside.
“Until Lin Xiao is dead, we can’t return to our families. Otherwise, we’ll have no peace. Our entire clans will struggle with inner demons. Without overcoming them, our cultivation won’t progress, and our families will only decline,” Xu Zilan said, gazing into the void.
Though eager to eliminate Lin Xiao, he was surrounded by Zi family experts. A Martial Emperor faction was too terrifying, and a mere descendant might wield a Battle Seal capable of killing a Ninth-Tier Martial Lord. They had no chance to act and could only wait for the right moment.
…
In Zi Family City No. 41, night had fallen.
Lin Xiao and Xiao Mao shared a bed.
Ever since Xiao Mao gained sentience, her first memory was of Lin Xiao. When she first awakened her killing instinct in the Misty Forest, Lin Xiao had burned her white whiskers with spiritual energy.
Later, they met again on the ultimate battlefield of the Mysterious Domain. When Lin Xiao was caught in a thunderstorm, Xiao Mao rushed in to protect him.
There was something about Lin Xiao that Xiao Mao naturally liked, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. For the Whisker Moon Gazing Clan, he had a unique charm. Being near him brought her a sense of warmth.
That’s why, at the bottom of the thunderstorm cave, Xiao Mao had stayed by Lin Xiao’s side for months.
Lin Xiao was puzzled by this. His physique wasn’t particularly special, but he had no way to stop Xiao Mao from clinging to him.
Fortunately, Xiao Mao had transformed into a little girl. Even sleeping with her in his arms, he felt only a fatherly affection, nothing more.
If Xiao Mao had transformed into someone like Mei Tianmo, Lin Xiao doubted he could share a bed with her.
“There’s something about your body that attracts my Whisker Moon Gazing Clan. When I’m near you, I feel warmth. I don’t know why—maybe it’s related to my parents,” Xiao Mao said.
Lin Xiao was taken aback and asked, “Do you have any memories of your parents?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know how many tens of thousands of years I’ve been sealed. Maybe when I’m strong enough, I’ll awaken some memories in my bloodline,” Xiao Mao replied.
“Tens of thousands of years…” Lin Xiao was speechless. If Xiao Mao had been sealed for that long, how could he be connected to her parents?
“Also, it might have to do with your mind. The stronger your spiritual power, the more comfortable I feel around you,” Xiao Mao added.
“My spiritual power?” Lin Xiao was puzzled. What did his spiritual power, or his mind, have to do with the Whisker Moon Gazing Clan?
“Could it be because of the Eternal Heaven Spirit Art?” Lin Xiao wondered to himself.
Even the Devouring Spirit Emperor knew little about the Whisker Moon Gazing Clan, making it impossible to deduce any connection between them and Lin Xiao.
If anything was mysterious, it was likely the Eternal Heaven Spirit Art, a secret technique the Devouring Spirit Emperor had obtained from the God-Demon Graveyard.
Another possibility was the Heavenly Eye. After it integrated into his body, it might have some quality that attracted spiritual beasts.
However, Lin Xiao had acquired the Heavenly Eye after meeting Xiao Mao. According to her, his body had already possessed this attractive quality before that.
Thus, it couldn’t be the Heavenly Eye.
“I just hope the Whisker Moon Gazing Clan grows slowly,” Lin Xiao sighed to himself.
Xiao Mao’s attachment to him was purely instinctual, not romantic. She didn’t even understand such feelings.
Lin Xiao had no intention of entertaining such thoughts either. If Xiao Mao grew into a stunning beauty, it could become troublesome.
“Something’s wrong—a strong presence is approaching!” Xiao Mao suddenly frowned, her entire demeanor tensing.
“Swish!”
At that moment, Lin Xiao saw a purple light flash into view from outside the window, followed by a powerful Ninth-Tier Martial Lord aura radiating from afar.
The purple light hovered above the Zi residence.
Lin Xiao was startled and quickly rushed out of the room with Xiao Mao.
In the void ahead, Lin Xiao saw a slender purple boat floating in the air. On it stood three elders, the Ninth-Tier Martial Lord aura emanating from one of them.
“The Skyward Boat!” Lin Xiao exclaimed upon seeing the purple vessel.
