C21 Xiao Ying

Sensing the astonishing power within the black miasma, Xing Yun allowed himself a slight smile. Without a word, he summoned his wolf pack back into the Voidlands.

A gaunt figure burst forth from the miasma, fingers unleashing an endless barrage of tiny black sword blades that rained down upon the Hellbeasts.

The Hellbeasts were struck down en masse, and in moments, the ground below ran red with blood.

"My mother has arrived. We're saved!" exclaimed Lee Xiao'er joyfully.

Xing Yun maintained his smile, remaining silent. In truth, it was Lee Xiao'er who needed saving. For Xing Yun, escaping the beast tide would be as effortless as flipping his hand.

Moreover, the arrival of this formidable figure might well disrupt his plans to tame the Hellbeasts.

The Hellbeasts on the ground were decimated, scattering in a frenzied retreat. In the blink of an eye, this newcomer had single-handedly routed tens of thousands of lower-tier Hellbeasts.

As the black miasma dissipated, Xing Yun could finally see the newcomer clearly.

She was an elderly woman with white hair, whose features hinted at the beauty she must have been in her youth, now marred by an aura of murderous intent. This intent was backed by her incredibly powerful cultivation.

The old woman touched down and drew Lee Xiao'er into her arms, comforting her affectionately, "Xiao'er, my dear, I'm here! What brings you to this place?"

Lee Xiao'er found herself at a loss for words. The old woman pressed on, "Is this Xing Yun? Did you follow him here and run into the beast tide?"

"Yes, it's me!" Xing Yun confirmed with a nod.

"Hmm?!"

At his admission, the old woman unleashed a formidable pressure that zeroed in on Xing Yun.

Xing Yun chuckled as he released his Astral Power, effortlessly neutralizing the pressure, much to the old woman's astonishment.

"So, you're Xing Yun? I'm here to end your life!"

She had barely finished her declaration when a black scepter materialized in her hand, poised to strike. However, Lee Xiao'er intervened, "Mother, he's the one who saved me!"

"Impossible!" The old woman dismissed the idea without a second thought, but then she noticed the fluctuation in Lee Xiao'er's spiritual energy and her eyes lit up with ecstasy. "Xiao'er, have you advanced?"

Lee Xiao'er nodded. "I dueled with him here and, with his help, advanced to the Azure Paragon. Later, we faced a Hellbeast Tide. I hadn't fully recovered my strength, but he led me to safety."

The elderly woman spoke sternly, "You're lying to your mother!"

"I'm not! When have I ever lied to you?" Lee Xiao'er protested, feeling aggrieved.

The old woman paid no heed to Lee Xiao'er, instead fixing her gaze on Xing Yun. "Xing Yun, today you meet your end. Take your own life and leave your body whole."

"Mother, please don't kill him!" Lee Xiao'er pleaded urgently, only to be shoved aside by the old woman.

Xing Yun's expression turned icy. "Identify yourself, be you man or ghost!"

The old woman chuckled at Xing Yun's defiance. "Do you think you're worthy of knowing who I am?"

Xing Yun retorted with a cold laugh, "You've come here with the intent to kill me, Xing Yun. Clearly, the Order of the Celestial Veil is aware of the reason behind Elder Xing's disappearance and has the audacity to attempt my assassination. Reveal Elder Xing's location, and I, Xing Yun, might just spare your life."

The old woman paused, taken aback, then burst into laughter. "I have roamed the Shadowlands for decades, yet I've never encountered an ant as arrogant as you. You think you can spare my life? Hahaha..."

Xing Yun's gaze hardened as he spoke deliberately, "I, Xing Yun, always keep my word. If I say I can kill you, then rest assured, I can—no matter the cost."

He had intended to have a proper conversation with the old woman, to inquire about their connection with Xiao Ying, but her arrival made one thing clear to Xing Yun—

If even those beyond the Heaven Ascension Realm fear not Xing Chen's wrath and seek my demise, then the Order of the Celestial Veil must be implicated in Xing Chen's vanishing!

"Xing Yun! Don't be rash. Speak to my mother calmly; she will surely spare you," Lee Xiao'er implored, her eyes filled with urgency.

"Spare me?" Xing Yun thought of Elder Xing's meticulous care and burst into derisive laughter. "I have always been the one to grant mercy, not the other way around. You'd better hope I don't uncover the truth behind Elder Xing's disappearance, or else..."

The elderly woman declared with pride, "Or perhaps you believe you can topple the Order of the Celestial Veil?"

"That's right!" Xing Yun responded with a cold laugh.

"Hahaha!"

The old woman burst into unrestrained laughter. "Clearly, you're a disciple from the Upper Realm, full of arrogance and looking down on others. You can't even take care of yourself, yet you find the time to meddle in the affairs of others."

"Time and actions will prove everything. Enough with the nonsense. Just answer me this: are you complicit in Elder Xing's disappearance?" Xing Yun demanded, as he began to continuously channel Astral Power into the Spire of the Infinite, poised to strike at any moment.

The old woman paid no attention to Xing Yun, instead fixing her gaze on Lee Xiao'er, and spoke with gravity, "Xiao'er, in such a short time, why have you not killed him? Why did you instead speak up to save him?"

Lee Xiao'er replied in a faint voice, "He truly saved me, and even after defeating me, he spared my life..."

"What?! He defeated you?" The old woman exclaimed in astonishment.

Her daughter, at the pinnacle of the Awakened Soul Realm and master of the sect's secret techniques, had been bested by Xing Yun, a mere Azure Paragon?

Seeing Lee Xiao'er nod, the old woman's brow furrowed, and she thought to herself, "How can this be? Wasn't it said by that lord that Xing Yun was a castoff of his family, as insignificant as an ant..."

"I am speaking to you!" Xing Yun barked in anger.

In the Xing Family of the Upper Realm, Xing Chen was one of the few who had always been exceptionally kind to him. Now that there was news of him, Xing Yun was determined to pursue the matter without hesitation.

The old woman regarded Xing Yun with a mix of surprise and skepticism before replying coldly, "Your family's Chen's disappearance has nothing to do with me. But since you saved my child, I'll grant you the privilege of knowing who I am: Xiao Ying!"

Xing Yun asked earnestly, "Are you truly uninvolved?"

"I have no reason to lie to an ant! You've saved my child, so I'll at least allow you to die intact," Xiao Ying declared haughtily.

"Mother, please spare him..." Lee Xiao'er quickly stepped forward, grasping Xiao Ying's sleeve and explaining, "I've promised him that I would show him mercy five times in the future."

Xiao Ying responded with anger, "What are you saying? Have you gone soft again? Foolish child!"

"There's no such thing!" Xing Yun retorted immediately, his denial sending a chill through Xiao Ying's demeanor.

"Xing Yun, they're willing to let you off the hook. Don't be so rash. The person we're dealing with is at least a Heavenly Completion Realm powerhouse!" Ling Ji's warning echoed from the Voidlands.

"Just watch; I've got a plan," Xing Yun replied, leaving Ling Ji bewildered.

While it's conceivable that a cultivator from the Profound Vein Realm could overcome the Awakened Soul Realm, given the countless beings in the Infinite Cosmos, Ling Ji couldn't fathom someone from the Profound Vein Realm defeating a Heavenly Completion Realm adversary. If that were possible, Xing Yun, not Xiao Ying, would have quelled the Hellbeast Tide.

Xiao Ying's gaze was venomous as she locked eyes with Xing Yun. "So, you're intent on courting death?"

Xing Yun responded with scorn, "If you're itching for a fight, by all means, try now. Do you honestly believe I, Xing Yun, am afraid of you?"

"The young and fearless are often bold as lions. Since Xiao'er has already made a promise, I'll spare you this time," Xiao Ying replied dismissively.

"Insolence!" Xing Yun bellowed, his Astral Power erupting around him. "If you had a hand in Elder Xing's disappearance, I, Xing Yun, won't let you off the hook!"

Xing Yun wasn't one to seek death foolishly or act without reason. His restraint was solely for Lee Xiao'er's sake and his urgent desire to uncover more about Xiao Ying.

But Xiao Ying was unlikely to engage in a meaningful dialogue with him. Unless she was a fool, she certainly wouldn't divulge any sect secrets to Xing Yun. He was all too clear on that point.

He had already surmised from Lee Xiao'er's account that Xiao Ying, her mother, was among those who had indoctrinated her.

Xiao Ying's expression turned icy. "Such audacity at your age will lead to your downfall at the hands of a lesser man. Watch yourself!"

With those final words, Xiao Ying, paying no heed to Lee Xiao'er's attempts at explanation, swept her sleeve and vanished with her daughter into a swirling black mist.

Xing Yun stood still, arms crossed and hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. "The Shadowlands' mighty cultivators are too arrogant and disrespectful. It seems we'll need to wield a formidable force to bend these people to our will and extract the clues we desire."

"You were too impulsive this time, Xing Yun..." Ling Ji said with a sigh.

"Have you started to care about me?" Xing Yun chuckled.

Ling Ji's response came with a hint of discomfort, "Of course not! I just don't want you dying prematurely. After all, I'm curious to see what other surprises you have up your sleeve."

Even as she spoke, Ling Ji doubted her own words, her conscience pricked by guilt—the man before her was the nemesis who had slain Gu Yan.

"I have never been one to act on impulse," Xing Yun replied calmly. "Impulsiveness is a foreign concept to me."

How else could he have risen to dominate the Infinite Cosmos? His arrogance, though, was something few could comprehend.

"I find it hard to believe you could defeat her at the Profound Vein Stage, especially since she's concealed her aura. She might even be a Creation Stage powerhouse! No matter how strong your ace is, it will come at a cost," Ling Ji countered.

"And what of it?" Xing Yun questioned.

Ling Ji paused, taken aback, as Xing Yun continued, "Just watch closely, Ling Ji. Witness the essence of martial arts. My path will never involve bending the knee to anyone, not even slightly. I have no vulnerabilities left to exploit!"

In his past life, Xing Yun's disciples and descendants had all reached the Exalted Stage, and his lover had long since perished, leaving him without a single weak point for his enemies to leverage.

Ling Ji fell silent, offering no further argument—she simply couldn't grasp the significance of martial arts to an Exalted Stage expert.

Xing Yun was, without a doubt, the most enigmatic, complex, and proud individual she had ever encountered.

Meanwhile, in a shadowy void, Lee Xiao'er and Xiao Ying materialized.

"Xiao'er, how could you be so rash as to spare him five times!" Xiao Ying exclaimed, visibly upset yet reluctant to discipline his daughter harshly, choosing instead to scold her with severity.

Lee Xiao'er responded timidly, "He spared me once, saved me another time, and even assisted me in advancing to the Azure Paragon. Most crucially, he managed to suppress the peculiar Martial Spirit within me..."

"What?" Xiao Ying exclaimed in surprise.

"Every word Xiao'er has spoken is the truth!" Lee Xiao'er declared earnestly.

Xiao Ying inhaled deeply and shook her head, "He's merely an insignificant being at the Profound Vein Stage. How could he possibly achieve such feats? We mustn't forget our intelligence and our objectives. The Shadowstream sect operates on a strict principle: success is mandatory, failure is not an option."

Lee Xiao'er, filled with alarm, asked, "Mother, are you still intent on going after him?"