Chapter 120

At this moment, in the Heavenly God Forbidden Zone, amidst a field surrounded by spiritual resonance, there was a ragged, beggar‑like little girl, hugging her knees and curled up in a corner. Her eyes sparkled like stars, yet her gaze was dim and lifeless. The blood contract activated, attempting to drain her essence blood; she could clearly feel her life ebbing away bit by bit. Yet she merely stayed curled up, motionless, silently awaiting death's arrival.

At this moment, a group of humans arrived outside the spiritual field. Gazing at the hazy mist spreading before them, Yu Sheng hurriedly said, "Young Master, be careful—this place exudes an extraordinary aura; let me scout the path first!" Yu Sheng sensed the danger. Now, following Qin Yu are over sixty top talents from several centuries ago, each comparable to a Xuanming Saint Child‑level monster, and the forces behind them are the overlords of each main domain, immensely powerful. Yu Sheng felt his own talent lacking, had no precious treasures to offer Qin Yu, and his strength was far inferior. He thought, if Young Master Qin Yu were willing to lend a hand, perhaps he could truly vie for that long‑dreamed‑of position. Thus he placed great hope in Qin Yu. Yet he also realized his presence in the team was growing weaker. Their chat topics often turned to how they had once trapped and beaten some saint child. He silently thought, at the very least I must keep my place as a vanguard! I have nothing to contribute but this worthless life.

Qing Xuan Zi glanced at him helplessly and said, "That demonic flower has already fallen; what is there left to investigate?" As he spoke, he joined his two fingers together, and a brilliant sword light shot straight up into the sky above the spiritual field, instantly dispersing the countless hazy mists. All that could be seen was a little girl with a dirty face curled up in the corner. She slightly lifted her head, seeing Qing Xuan Zi and the others, said nothing, but instead shrank back further, hugging herself tighter, her eyes full of timidity and wariness.

Her inheritance is extraordinary, all ancient arts. Even if that demonic blood spirit had planted a blood contract, it could not control her—it could only use the contract to siphon her essence blood.' Qing Xuan Zi said softly from the side, 'If Xiao Xiao had been controlled and could act before, Qin Yu would surely have met more misfortune than fortune. Clearly, she is a direct disciple nurtured by some ancient great sect; every move she makes blends the heavenly and earthly Dao, with innovations, and there must be a Dao‑realm expert behind her. Moreover, her origins are mysterious; we cannot tell which sect she belongs to. Her strength… far surpasses ours.' For this reason, Qing Xuan Zi hoped Qin Yu would take Xiao Xiao away, form a good karmic bond with her, or subdue her and make her a follower.

Qin Yu nodded slightly, about to speak, when Xiao Xiao slowly lifted her head. She sensed that the blood contracts on these people had vanished, and her own divine soul was no longer bound. Thus she slowly rose, her dirty little face showing a timid expression, and in a soft voice said, "You… you can help me, remove the blood contract?" Before she finished speaking, the little phoenix in her arms spread its wings and flew up; a streak of fire flashed and merged directly into Xiao Xiao's body. In an instant, the faint bloody light on her body dissipated.

She and I… share some affinity; my memory is fragmented, I can't recall.' The Little Phoenix's youthful voice grew heavy, turning into a piercing tone, transmitting a message to Qin Yu.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu raised his brows slightly—could there be a connection with the phoenix clan? It seems the great sect behind this little girl is no ordinary one. Know that in ancient times, the phoenix clan was hailed as divine beasts, one of the rulers of the demon race, possessing tremendous strength. Ancient texts record that among the myriad races, even though their numbers are few, they still rank among the top, worthy of being overlords. Moreover, the Little Phoenix has helped me greatly; without it, the Niepan Jie Ling would not have appeared, and the Xuan Yang Sect would struggle to grow. All the recent transformations are inseparable from the Little Phoenix.

Qing Xuan Zi and the others spoke up then: "Young Master… let me go persuade you, see if we can get her to follow you." In their view, this was a great opportunity. Qin Yu's combat power, among peers, could be called invincible; slaying blood spirits was as easy as cutting melons. Although this surely relies on divine abilities and secret techniques, achieving this at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment is exceedingly rare throughout the Cangyuan Jie. Moreover, bringing Xiao Xiao into the fold would greatly aid the expansion of their alliance—this is an ancient great sect, even more terrifying than a holy land. If an alliance could be formed… in the future, they might even swallow East Divine Prefecture! And they would become elders.

Qin Yu waved his hand: "She and I have some affinity; forget it. Let's continue advancing inward." Having said that, he turned and walked straight toward the inner perimeter of the forbidden zone. For him now, the most important thing is to get out. This heaven and earth feels strange everywhere, and… after his successive strikes, he feels his fleshly body has been damaged. Although listening to advice gives him a boost that could double his strength, his body can't take it. At present, his strength is at most comparable to mid‑stage Transformation Spirit, and each strike imposes a huge burden on his flesh. The feeling grew stronger when he previously dealt with another blood spirit.

Qing Xuan Zi and the others were somewhat astonished; they had originally thought Qin Yu would forcibly subdue Xiao Xiao, given her extraordinary talent—if taken as a follower, it would boost their combat power; if they became dual cultivators, they could complement each other and raise their potential. A female cultivator of this caliber is extremely rare, and they even believed she might possess the legendary Dao‑realm aptitude. Yet Young Master, you just walked away like that? Moreover, since you share an affinity, doesn't that imply the sect behind you is equally terrifying? After all, every time Xiao Xiao acts, she employs ancient divine abilities and great techniques, astonishing everyone—far beyond what forces of their level could match.

The six exchanged glances—looks like they've latched onto the right person! This is the rhythm of getting rich! Even after returning to the sect, their status will not only not drop, it will rise another level! In the depths of their eyes, a glint of admiration flickered.

"Young Master, your righteousness impresses us," Tuo Ba Gou Dan hurriedly said, giving a thumbs‑up, then closely followed Qin Yu.

Qing Xuan Zi and the others silently sneered, "This guy looks burly, who would have thought he's so good at flattery." They felt annoyed, wondering why they hadn't reacted sooner.

Zhang Wu saw this and could only laugh and cry. Is this really a genius from centuries ago? A disciple of the Sword Sect? A barbarian prince? He felt nothing matched his imagination. In his mind, a true transmission of a great sect should possess outstanding talent and remain composed in the face of anything.

After the crowd turned and left, a while later Qin Yu noticed a dirty little girl following behind, timidly keeping to the side. Qin Yu and the others stopped, turned back, and were greatly surprised—she hadn't left?

Immediately, Xiao Xiao stepped to the front of the group; her embroidered shoes were somewhat damaged, revealing crystal‑clear toes, and she nervously gripped the ground.

"Thank… thank you for helping me remove the blood contract…" she said in a soft voice, her bright eyes flickering; she felt deep gratitude toward the person before her. Merely passing by, he had dispelled the blood contract within her.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu shook his head: "No need for thanks; we're all human cultivators. You were controlled by a blood spirit—I just took care of it in passing, that's all. No need to repay me; you can leave directly, this forbidden zone is very dangerous."

Xiao Xiao's little face lowered slightly, her bright eyes dimming: "I… I have nowhere to go. Even if I leave the forbidden zone, I have no home… can I follow you? I'm quite capable in a fight… I could at least take on three of those six self‑proclaimed geniuses beside you… I'm really useful…" Her dirt‑stained little hand nervously clutched Qin Yu's sleeve, her tone urgent, fearing he would abandon her. Her inner intuition, or perhaps her bloodline's reaction, told her this person would not harm her. Countless such feedbacks had always been accurate.

Qing Xuan Zi and the others twitched the corners of their mouths but said nothing, because it was the truth. Back then, the four of them had attacked yet failed to subdue Xiao Xiao. Know that each of them, having perfected the Transformation Spirit realm and accumulated centuries of training, could even reverse‑kill early Xuan stage opponents and defeat them. Yet they couldn't overcome a girl of just over ten years old; at that time their Dao hearts nearly collapsed.

Initially, the crimson giant flower was overjoyed to have captured a peerless monster; however, when it tried to activate the blood contract, it could only siphon and absorb her essence blood, unable to control her, which made it furious. But since Xiao Xiao's strength was formidable, her qi and blood far surpassing Qing Xuan Zi and the others, they kept her, letting her act foolishly each day.

Upon hearing this, the two Saint Sons of the Nine Yang Holy Land flared with rage, their hair standing on end, and spoke in a low voice: "We two possess innate flame bodies, capable of wielding the power of the great sun. Within West Divine Prefecture, cultivators of our rank are nearly invincible! Young Master, if we later encounter an enemy, we brothers volunteer to take the lead!" They even stepped forward, eager to fight.

At this moment, the Little Phoenix's youthful voice sounded again: "Leave her be; her spirit seems wounded, Young Master… I owe you a favor… no, I could even say that my phoenix clan owes you a favor."

Qin Yu scratched his head; seeing her somewhat pitiable, he had originally considered keeping her. But before he could speak, the Little Phoenix granted him a favor—not bad at all.

He then said: "All right, stay by my side for now; if we later encounter someone we cannot defeat, I'll rely on you to act."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao's dirty little face showed a hint of a smile; she tightly gripped Qin Yu's sleeve and followed behind.

At that moment, three figures appeared ahead—there were trees and flowers, but their bodies emanated a demonic aura, their breath was feeble, and blood dripped from them, clearly indicating they were severely wounded.

"Human living beings!" the three blood spirits exclaimed upon seeing dozens of human cultivators, their eyes flashing with delight. If they devoured them, they would surely restore their qi and blood and be able to flee. Among them were a few cultivators at the peak of Transformation Spirit who seemed to be servants of that blood flower, while the majority were at the early stage of Transformation Spirit.

"Are these the spoils you're escorting to the blood flower? Hand over half, or else your master won't be able to protect you." An ancient tree spoke, its voice vast and solemn, a thick blood qi enveloping its body as it prepared to strike.

Qing Xuan Zi and the others, seeing the situation, quickly said: "That blood flower has already fallen—what are you, to dare speak to our Young Master like that?" They then transmitted to Qin Yu, explaining: "These few are nearby blood spirits, also very powerful, but now severely wounded; Young Master… this is a good opportunity to strike."

"We two brothers will strike first! This ancient tree is ours!" The two Saint Sons of the Nine Yang Holy Land, now angry, launched their attack; they had been holding back their strength.

Qin Yu saw this and felt a bit pleased—these were coming to deliver spiritual medicines; after they fall, they will turn into dead‑nature heavenly drugs of extraordinary grade, great value, and moreover they are already heavily wounded.

"Okay."

As the words fell, two great suns appeared, enveloping the two of them, and they surged forward to assault. The surrounding air suddenly shifted, temperature rising sharply.

"Boom!"

The two sides collided violently; the ancient tree swayed, countless branches shot out, each razor‑sharp, seeking to pierce the void. Both sides fell into a fierce battle, but the two, being Saint Sons after all, gained the upper hand in an instant and would soon win.

"What? That blood flower has fallen?" The other two blood spirits' hearts trembled, and they hurriedly tried to flee.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao released Qin Yu's sleeve. Her petite frame seemed to harbor a terrifying ferocious beast, an ancient pressure spreading out. Her little hand, stained with spiritual field soil, stretched out, pressed lightly, and landed on one of the emerald‑green vines.

"Reversion Technique, Deprivation."

A deep, thunderous roar rang out; in an instant, the life force of the emerald vine vanished completely, it collapsed to the ground and fell dead on the spot. Another flower met the same fate; altogether, the action took three breaths. After all… previously besieged by five and in poor condition, it had barely lost. These days it has recovered from its injuries, and the two blood spirits lacking any will to fight—indeed, they didn't even want to resist, turned and ran—were naturally slain instantly.

Immediately, her petite figure, like a lingering afterimage, reappeared beside Qin Yu, tilting her little head: "Brother… I'm more useful than them… take me with you."

Qing Xuan Zi and the others stared, mouths agape—how could this be even fiercer than before? Damn! They then looked toward the two Nine Yang Holy Land Saint Sons whose battle was about to end… a sentence kept echoing in everyone's mind.

"Within West Divine Prefecture, we two are invincible…"

A slap to the face came like a tornado—too fast…