Chapter 211: Ate Himself

Xiao Yuying had just stepped out of the Hundred Treasures Hall when she saw the palace gates wide open, with all the gods bowing their heads—an extraordinary sight.

This phenomenon lasted only a moment before vanishing.

Xiao Yuying stood at the entrance of the Hundred Treasures Hall, gazing at the closed central palace doors, then turned back to look at the twelve towering statues within the hall, her eyes filled with contemplation.

She took two steps forward, channeling spiritual power into her hands, and pushed against the central palace doors.

The doors did not budge.

No one else around had witnessed this scene; only Xiao Yuying stood silently at the doorway, lost in thought.

…

Zheng Fa naturally knew nothing of the anomalies within the Heavenly Palace.

He was staring at the bright red sprout growing in his dantian, troubled.

According to the Divine Thunder Subduing Method, once he opened his Thunder Field, his spiritual power would transform into a Thunder Seed and grow within it.

But this unwelcome guest was extremely domineering—it immediately devoured all the spiritual power in his dantian.

It gave no chance for the spiritual power to coalesce into a Thunder Seed.

Worse still, this spiritual sprout was insatiably greedy—every breath of spiritual energy Zheng Fa absorbed became its nourishment…

At this point, Zheng Fa could already be certain:

His Divine Thunder Subduing Method had truly gone astray.

Fearing qi deviation, he simply stopped cultivating, deciding to ask his Master and Senior Sister after exiting the Heavenly Stele Realm.

When Zheng Fa reappeared in the Heavenly Palace of the Heavenly Stele Realm, the palace showed no signs of any anomaly.

He walked into the Hundred Treasures Hall without noticing anything unusual and browsed the spirit materials listed on the jade tablets along with their prices.

The secret technique his Master had passed on required several spirit materials, such as Nine Heaven Thunder Fruit.

He still had some Heavenly Merit points and wondered if he could exchange for a few more.

"Nine Heaven Thunder Fruit: 1, 00 Heavenly Merit."

"1, 00 Heavenly Merit…"

"800 Heavenly Merit…"

After checking several required spirit materials, the lowest price was still 800 Heavenly Merit.

After exchanging for the Thousand-Year Yang Thunder Spider Core, his Divine Register should have had only about 400 Heavenly Merit left…

Huh?

Why had his Divine Register turned gold?

…

The mysterious upgrade of his Divine Register to gold only deepened Zheng Fa's confusion; after much thought, he was fairly certain it was due to the spiritual sprout in his dantian.

This thing must have a significant origin…

Opening the golden register, the most obvious change was the expansion of Zheng Fa's fief area—from five thousand li to ten thousand li.

This increase left Zheng Fa deeply puzzled…

According to Yan Wushuang's earlier explanation, the bamboo register granted fifty li of divine territory, the bronze register five hundred li, the silver register five thousand li—all increasing tenfold, meaning a hundredfold expansion in area.

But from silver to gold, it only doubled?

Why did the Heavenly Stele Realm seem increasingly stingy?

Zheng Fa suddenly recalled Yan Wushuang's words—that the Heavenly Stele Realm was merely a small world—and a realization dawned on him: perhaps there simply wasn't enough land to go around.

So, was the maximum area of the Heavenly Stele Realm only as large as a single planet in the modern world?

He opened his Divine Register and confirmed that his fief had indeed expanded roughly fourfold.

More land meant more people.

His Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Talisman had not yet been used up!

As soon as his spiritual sense touched the Divine Register, he understood—the upgrade had granted him one additional month of stay within the Heavenly Stele Realm.

What else was there to say?

Time to work overtime!

…

Yan Wushuang and Chu Tianque met in the Heavenly Palace.

"I earned 120 Heavenly Merit this time," Yan Wushuang said first.

"I only got seventy-something. Senior Brother, your Heavenly Merit keeps increasing!" Chu Tianque sighed: "Senior Brother… have you already comprehended the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Art?"

"Comprehension is too strong a word—just a slight gain."

Yan Wushuang's tone was humble, but a hint of pride crept onto his face.

"Too bad…"

Chu Tianque smiled, then sighed softly.

He didn't finish his sentence, but the other two knew exactly what he meant.

"No need to feel bad—I couldn't beat Xiao Yuying anyway," Yan Wushuang said, as if coming to terms with it: "Even Zheng Fa, with his heavenly talent, didn't beat her this time."

"That's true. Zheng Fa's loss is even more regrettable—if not for the cultivation gap…" Chu Tianque nodded: "Wait, Senior Brother Yan—are you gloating?"

Yan Wushuang quickly waved his hands: "You don't understand. Zheng Fa may be even more extraordinary than you think. For some reason, Han Lao places great importance on him."

"…."

"Just thinking that he lost to Xiao Yuying makes me feel a bit better…"

"I get it—that's gloating…"

…

As the group walked out of the Heavenly Stele, they saw a figure standing beneath it, seemingly studying the rankings on the stele.

Who else but the Spirit Light Immortal Xiao Yuying?

Seeing them emerge, Xiao Yuying glanced in their direction, as if waiting for someone.

Yan Wushuang and the others looked up at the stele.

Indeed, Xiao Yuying's name now sat at the very top.

Zheng Fa's name was buried beneath hers.

Even though he had expected it, Yan Wushuang still let out a quiet sigh.

He glanced at his own name, then led Chu Tianque toward the Lei Chi.

After walking a while, Yan Wushuang suddenly stopped, frowning deeply.

"Senior Brother Yan?"

"Do you think Xiao Yuying is waiting for someone?"

"Waiting for someone?"

Chu Tianque blinked, confused: "She's waiting for someone?"

Xue Zhenchuan of the Tai Shang Dao sect, however, seemed to have noticed more carefully and nodded: "When we exited the Heavenly Stele, she glanced at us twice—she really does seem to be waiting…"

"She's definitely waiting for Zheng Fa!" Yan Wushuang slammed his right fist into his left palm decisively.

"Waiting for Zheng Fa? Why?"

"He stole the top rank on the stele—he's surely going to flaunt it in Zheng Fa's face!"

"…That's unlikely."

Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan exchanged glances, feeling Yan Wushuang had underestimated Xiao Yuying.

"You don't understand who Xiao Yuying is!"

Yan Wushuang was certain—he pulled the two back toward the stele.

"Senior Brother Yan, what are you doing?"

"Zheng Fa is my friend. How can I let him be humiliated by her?" Yan Wushuang shouted loudly: "Of course we're going to support him!" With no choice, Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan followed Yan Wushuang back beneath the stele.

Xiao Yuying glanced at their return, but paid them no mind.

The group stood in silence outside the stele.

Later, other cultivators emerging one by one saw them waiting and wondered what they were waiting for.

But Xiao Yuying and Yan Wushuang were the two most respected and highest-ranked cultivators in the Heavenly Stele Realm.

Since they didn't leave, many others dared not leave either.

Several days passed.

Zheng Fa still had not emerged.

Yan Wushuang grew puzzled: "Why is Brother Zheng staying so long in the Heavenly Stele Realm?"

Chu Tianque and Xue Zhenchuan exchanged glances, equally confused.

"Look!"

Suddenly someone pointed at the stele—Zheng Fa's name leapt upward, reclaiming the top position before everyone's eyes, shattering the assumption that the outcome was already decided.

The crowd fell silent.

Everyone stole glances at Xiao Yuying.

But Xiao Yuying remained expressionless, her feet planted firmly in place, showing no intention to leave.

Chu Tianque stared for a long time, then asked: "Senior Brother, do we still need to stay?"

Yan Wushuang understood—he meant that since Xiao Yuying had been surpassed, there was no longer any humiliation to inflict on Zheng Fa.

"We stay," Yan Wushuang said, his expression grim.

"Huh?"

"Before, we came to rescue Brother Zheng's dignity. Now, we may have to rescue his life instead." Yan Wushuang glanced secretly at Xiao Yuying and whispered.

Chu Tianque said in alarm: "Brother, are you saying…?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but followed her gaze to Xiao Yuying.

…

"What is all this…?"

As soon as Zheng Fa stepped out of the Heavenly Stele, he saw a dense crowd gathered beneath it.

Their expressions turned strange when they saw him.

Especially Yan Wushuang—his eyelid twitched rapidly, as if signaling him.

Yet none dared speak; only one man stepped forward from the crowd and walked toward Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa saw Xiao Yuying approach him, scrutinizing him from head to toe, then suddenly said: "It really is you."

"What's wrong with me?"

Zheng Fa asked, puzzled.

Xiao Yuying shook her head, as if playing a riddle—or unwilling to explain in front of so many.

She raised both hands and bowed to Zheng Fa. "I am Xiao Yuying."

Her etiquette was perfectly precise.

Her tone was especially solemn.

Even those behind her were left stunned.

Though still confused, Zheng Fa returned the bow with equal gravity: "I am Zheng Fa."

"Brother Zheng," Xiao Yuying nodded, then smiled: "Pleasure to meet you."

It seemed she had waited a long time just to say those few words; after speaking, she left without even glancing at the others.

Zheng Fa watched her walk away, utterly baffled by her meaning.

Then he saw Yan Wushuang approaching, his face looking almost ready to cry.

"So… Lady Lingye can speak properly…"

He heard Yan Wushuang muttering to himself.

Chu Tianque and the others nearby nodded in agreement.

"Brother Yan?"

Yan Wushuang seemed unwilling to speak with Zheng Fa; he waved him off, walked away with a desolate expression, still murmuring:

"So… it's person-dependent…"

"Person-dependent…"

…

"What's wrong with Brother Yan?"

Zheng Fa asked Chu Tianque, confused.

Chu Tianque thought for a moment: "His pride got hurt again by Lady Lingye."

"Again?"

…

As soon as Zheng Fa left Lei Chi, he saw Sister Yuan waiting beside it, holding a storage bag; she called out to him:

"Brother Zheng! Brother Zheng! Come quickly! We made a fortune in spirit stones!"

"Made spirit stones?" Zheng Fa walked over and asked: "What kind of money?"

"Heh, when I went to the Heavenly Stele, I noticed the gamblers all ranked Xiao Yuying first—and her odds were less than 1: ."

"My odds were 1: !"

"So I…"

Zheng Fa understood.

Sister Yuan had used insider knowledge to swindle these people!

This opportunity probably wouldn't come again…

"Here! These are the spirit stones we won! I'm giving you twenty percent!" Sister Yuan opened the storage bag—inside, the spirit stones were plentiful; a quick glance showed several hundred.

"Give me a share?"

"The hard work was yours!" Sister Yuan said generously. "But I can't give you more—I still need to buy food!"

Zheng Fa smiled and shook his head.

Suddenly, Sister Yuan sniffed the air, as if catching a scent, then turned to look at Zheng Fa.

She suddenly leaned forward, pressing her face close to him, sniffing him repeatedly.

"Brother, your body… smells so good!"

"Hm?"

Sister Yuan separated more spirit stones and said to Zheng Fa: "I'll give you another twenty percent—if you let me take one bite!"

"…"

"I'll give you thirty percent—just one bite!"

From her eyes, Zheng Fa was certain…

Sister Yuan truly wanted to eat him!

(End of Chapter)