Benefits!
Ye Xuan’s face darkened a bit; this woman was actually trying to extort him!
Just then, the old man suddenly chuckled, “Don’t panic, she needs your help!”
Ye Xuan turned to the old man, who smiled, “Her realm matches mine, but her bloodline is restrained by me. Without your assistance, she’ll be at a disadvantage!”
Ye Xuan glanced at Xue Tong, who licked her candied hawthorn without saying a word.
The old man suddenly asked, “Young friend, may I see your bloodline?”
Ye Xuan nodded. He opened his palm, and a drop of essence blood slowly floated out. The moment the old man saw it, his expression turned grave in an instant.
Xue Tong glanced at the old man, still silent.
After a moment, the old man said solemnly, “May I know who your ancestors are, young friend?”
Ye Xuan laughed, “Senior, you definitely wouldn’t know them!”
The old man nodded slightly, then glanced at Xue Tong before saying, “Young friend, you’d better be careful!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Careful of Miss Xue Tong?”
The old man replied, “Not just her, but many unknown enemies as well!”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly, “Unknown enemies? Senior, I’m new here and haven’t made any enemies. Where would these unknown foes come from?”
The old man looked at Ye Xuan, “In this vast universe, there are mysterious and powerful special factions. Their cultivation methods differ from the norm; they specialize in bloodlines, and devouring bloodlines is something they do often. With your exceptional bloodline, you’re exactly the kind of target they’d go after.”
Ye Xuan’s expression darkened, “If my bloodline is so formidable, would they still dare to trouble me?”
The old man laughed, “Do they know your ancestor is still alive?”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Indeed, no one else knew his father was still alive!
As if struck by a thought, Ye Xuan turned to Xue Tong, “Back then, you didn’t kill me because you knew my father was still alive, didn’t you?”
Before Xue Tong could respond, the old man beside her chuckled, “Of course! Otherwise, she’d have devoured your bloodline long ago. And if she had, her strength would’ve increased at least tenfold, if not more!”
Ye Xuan sighed softly, “Xue Tong, I treated you as a friend!”
Xue Tong licked her candied hawthorn, “Two candied hawthorns for ten thousand soul crystals… some friend you are!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Xue Tong turned to the distant old man, “He’s trying to drive a wedge between us. Plus, he wants to devour your bloodline too. But he’s clever. First, with me here, he knows he can’t succeed. Second, he’s also wary of the person behind you. I can sense the greed in his eyes!”
She then looked at Ye Xuan, “He wants to devour you too!”
Ye Xuan laughed, “I get it now! You all want to devour my bloodline!”
The old man smiled, “You’ve misunderstood!”
With that, he glanced at Xue Tong, then turned and walked away.
Ye Xuan watched the old man depart into the distance, saying nothing.
Xue Tong licked her candied hawthorn again, then said, “It won’t be long before word of your special bloodline spreads across the heavens and myriad realms!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Why?”
Xue Tong looked at him, “What do you think he came here for? To avenge the Nine Heavens Clan? No, his real purpose this time was you!”
Ye Xuan’s brows furrowed, “Just because of my bloodline?”
Xue Tong nodded.
Ye Xuan was silent for a moment before asking, “Can I devour other people’s bloodlines?”
At that, Xue Tong’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. After a pause, she looked at him and countered, “Why couldn’t you?”
A faint smirk tugged at Ye Xuan’s lips.
If others could devour him, then he could devour them too!
When it came to playing with bloodlines, who was he afraid of?
At that moment, Xue Tong suddenly said, “Let’s go!”
With that, she turned and walked off.
Ye Xuan followed.
On the way, Ye Xuan grew curious, “Miss Xue Tong, after the twentieth stage is Wujian, and after Wujian is the Law of Wujian, right?”
Xue Tong nodded.
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Wujian and the Law of Wujian are only one tier apart, yet the gap in strength is so vast?”
Xue Tong replied, “The difference between them is like heaven and earth.”
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment before asking, “And above the Law of Wujian?”
After a brief silence, Xue Tong answered, “Divine Spirits!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Divine Spirits?”
Xue Tong nodded, “A being that transcends the laws of time and space, though they exist only in legend.”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly, then asked, “Miss Xue Tong, what kind of universe is this?”
Xue Tong glanced at him, “The Wujian Universe, a seventh-tier civilization!”
Ye Xuan said solemnly, “Have you seen an eighth-tier civilization?”
Xue Tong replied, “Yes!”
Ye Xuan froze, then exclaimed in shock, “You have?”
Xue Tong nodded, “And you’re about to see one too!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled and about to ask more when Xue Tong suddenly said, “I’d like you to be quiet for a bit!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
A moment later, Xue Tong abruptly said, “Someone’s following us!”
Ye Xuan glanced around but saw nothing.
Xue Tong spread her palm and pressed downward lightly.
*Boom!*
Thousands of feet away, the space there exploded, and an old man frantically retreated. He stumbled back nearly ten thousand feet before stopping!
Xue Tong looked at the old man, “Ling Clan!”
The old man said gravely, “Your Excellency, we have no intention of making an enemy of you!”
Xue Tong nodded, “I know. Your Ling Clan’s target is this little guy beside me!”
The old man stared intently at Xue Tong, saying nothing.
Xue Tong turned to Ye Xuan, “See? Word of your bloodline has already spread!”
Ye Xuan laughed, “It was your ancestor who did this, wasn’t it? He wants to use others to test me, right?”
Xue Tong nodded, “Pretty clever!”
Ye Xuan was about to speak when the old man suddenly vanished.
Xue Tong said, “The Ling Clan is on par with the Nine Heavens Clan in strength, another special race with a powerful bloodline. But they’re not the real threat. What you should really watch out for is the Jia Shen Clan. Their bloodline is extraordinarily potent, and they love devouring others’ bloodlines. If I’m not mistaken, they’re probably already investigating you!”
Ye Xuan looked at Xue Tong, “Why don’t you devour my bloodline?”
Xue Tong glanced at him, “First, I don’t rely on bloodlines. Second, when I entered your little tower, I discovered some secrets. But others don’t know those secrets, got it?”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
Xue Tong continued, “Don’t overthink it for now. I can protect you for a while. Let’s go!”
An hour later, Xue Tong led Ye Xuan to a starfield filled with floating structures, chaotic and disordered.
Ye Xuan glanced around, “Where are we?”
Xue Tong pointed to a distant ruin, “That was once an eighth-tier civilization!”
Ye Xuan looked toward the ruin. Amid the wreckage, a dilapidated grand hall was faintly visible, surrounded by dozens of stone pillars stretching tens of thousands of feet high.
Though these pillars towered thousands of feet, they seemed insignificant against the boundless starry sky.
Xue Tong suddenly said, “See that hall? No one’s been able to approach it to this day!”
Ye Xuan looked at Xue Tong, “You’re not suggesting I go there, are you?”
Xue Tong nodded.
Ye Xuan’s face darkened, “What makes you think I can get in?”
Xue Tong thought for a moment, then said, “Why not give it a try?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Xue Tong added, “Come on!”
With that, she started walking toward it. Ye Xuan glanced at her, then followed.
When they were a thousand feet from the hall, a shadowy figure suddenly emerged from it, slowly approaching Ye Xuan and Xue Tong. In its hand, it held a sword!
The figure looked at them, “Halt!”
Xue Tong glanced at the figure, then turned to Ye Xuan, “You go talk to him!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened again, “Why me?”
Xue Tong said, “I can’t reason with him!”
Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched, “And you think I can?”
Xue Tong licked her candied hawthorn, “You can try first!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Can’t you beat him?”
Xue Tong shook her head, “No, I can’t!”
Ye Xuan looked at the figure. At that moment, it spoke again, “Leave!”
Xue Tong looked at Ye Xuan, who turned to the figure and was about to speak when the figure suddenly swung its sword.
*Boom!*
Before Ye Xuan could react, Xue Tong was sent flying tens of thousands of feet away with a single slash.
After repelling Xue Tong, the figure turned to Ye Xuan. It studied him for a moment, then said, “Please!”
With that, it stepped aside, gesturing for him to proceed.
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Could he really be the legendary Chosen One?
If so, did that mean he might one day be able to give his father a beating?
The figure repeated, “Please!”
Ye Xuan glanced at it, then walked toward the distant hall.
On the other side, Xue Tong wiped blood from her mouth and continued licking her candied hawthorn, lost in thought.
At that moment, the Nine Heavens Clan ancestor appeared nearby, joined by a middle-aged man with three tails—Naga Qing, the leader of the Jia Shen Clan!
Xue Tong glanced at Naga Qing, saying nothing.
Naga Qing laughed, “So, Miss Xue Tong hasn’t devoured that kid’s bloodline because she wanted him to enter the Divine Spirit Hall.”
Xue Tong kept licking her candied hawthorn, silent.
Naga Qing looked at the distant Divine Spirit Hall, then at the shadowy figure guarding it, murmuring, “Miss Xue Tong, can you explain why he’s able to enter the Divine Spirit Hall?”
The Nine Heavens Clan leader also turned to Xue Tong, equally curious.
Xue Tong was quiet for a moment before saying, “If you devour his bloodline, your strength would increase at least tenfold, possibly even breaking through the Law of Wujian to reach the Divine Spirit realm!”
Naga Qing smiled at her, “This kid’s no simpleton. If we touch him, we might invite disaster!”
Xue Tong asked, “Will you give up?”
Naga Qing paused, then said, “Does he have anyone backing him?”
Xue Tong shook her head, “No.”
Naga Qing stared at her intently, “You’re sure there’s no one?”
Xue Tong glanced at him, “Whether you move against him is up to you!”
Naga Qing fell silent for a moment, then laughed, “Why haven’t you acted, Miss Xue Tong? Let me guess—you must’ve discovered something. Otherwise, that boy wouldn’t still be alive.”
He looked at the Divine Spirit Hall again, “That boy can enter the Divine Spirit Hall, which means his identity is extraordinary! As you said, devouring his bloodline might propel me to the Divine Spirit realm, but it could also lead to utter ruin.”
He smiled faintly, “These second-generation types are best left alone. The young ones usually have an old one—or a whole group of old ones—behind them. Can’t afford to provoke that!”
