Chapter 254: The Master Behind Yan Qingying, the Offer of Recruitment, and the Bitterness of Li Daoxuan

Li Daoxuan felt a flicker of shame and anger.

In his view, as one of the Ten Rebellious Sons, how could one so easily submit to another?

Yan Qingying's actions were a humiliation to Li Daoxuan, who was himself one of the Ten Rebellious Sons.

Worse still, she had surrendered the World's Origin—something Li Daoxuan could not tolerate.

The World's Origin was something he was determined to claim.

"Who is your master?" Li Daoxuan asked coldly as he launched his attack.

He wanted to know who could possibly subdue such a defiant Rebellious Son.

Yan Qingying did not answer; she swept her jade hand forward, summoning a terrifying vortex of absorption that clashed with Li Daoxuan's technique.

Watching Yan Qingying's move, Ji Qingyi's clear pupils suddenly flashed with a glimmer.

"That technique… could it be…?" Ji Qingyi murmured inwardly.

Yan Qingying's ability reminded her of a famous demonic art from the Immortal Realm.

Its creator was infamous, devouring and refining others wherever he went, until he enraged countless factions, was ambushed and gravely wounded, and vanished without a trace.

Those in the Immortal Realm believed the creator of that demonic art was dead.

But Ji Qingyi never expected to see such a notorious demonic art again in the mortal realm.

If this news reached the Immortal Realm, it would surely stir up immense turmoil.

After all, many factions had once suffered under the creator of that demonic art.

Yet Ji Qingyi did not act rashly; she observed carefully, waiting for confirmation.

Meanwhile, Li Daoxuan attacked without mercy.

He had decided: first, forcibly subdue Yan Qingying; then force her to reveal her master; finally, reclaim the World's Origin.

But to Li Daoxuan's surprise, Yan Qingying's strength far exceeded his expectations.

As the strongest of the Ten Rebellious Sons, defeating other Rebellious Sons was, frankly, like cutting melons and chopping vegetables.

Yet against Yan Qingying, he could not gain absolute dominance.

He naturally did not know that Yan Qingying had first devoured the Fallen God Son, then absorbed the Divine Blood of the Heavenly Demon Prince.

In terms of innate potential, Yan Qingying was no weaker than the top prodigies of the Immortal Realm.

The heir of the Devouring God Art naturally advanced at an astonishing pace.

Without such potential, Jun Xiaoyao would never have gone after the Fallen God Son for her sake.

Li Daoxuan formed a single hand seal, and a law seal wreathed in chaotic energy materialized; where it passed, space cracked and shattered as it descended upon Yan Qingying.

Behind Yan Qingying, her black-and-white Fallen Heavenly Wings flared, Yin and Yang energies swirling as two divine beams shot forth to clash with the chaotic law seal.

Her hands moved fluidly, summoning another vortex of absorption, while faintly behind her, a demonic shadow emerged.

That was the effect of the Divine Blood.

Yan Qingying's body had no special qualities to begin with.

Her only uniqueness was her ability to contain any power.

The power of the Fallen God Son, the power of the Divine Blood—all were absorbed and perfectly refined by her.

"Damn it!"

Seeing he could not easily subdue Yan Qingying, Li Daoxuan's face darkened.

His strength, of course, was not limited to this—he had not even used the power of the World's Origin.

But the feeling of being unable to crush her so easily annoyed him; he had lost a little face before Ji Qingyi.

Yet Ji Qingyi, who had been watching from the side, had now confirmed it completely.

Yan Qingying was the heir of the Devouring God Art.

"If the Devouring God Art reappears in the world and is not controlled, it will not be a good thing," Ji Qingyi mused.

She began considering whether to recruit Yan Qingying.

In value, Yan Qingying was no less than Li Daoxuan.

Moreover, both her Ji family and the Human Immortal Church had the capacity to nurture the heir of the Devouring God Art.

Thinking this, Ji Qingyi spoke: "You are the heir of the Devouring God Art. Would you consider joining my Ji family or the Human Immortal Church?"

Hearing Ji Qingyi's words, Li Daoxuan's eyes held a flash of coldness.

Logically, a mortal realm prodigy being recruited by an Immortal Realm faction should be a source of pride.

But Yan Qingying's face bore a faint sneer as she replied: "I have said it before—I will serve only my master, for all eternity."

"You may not realize what the Ji family and the Human Immortal Church represent. Your master, if he heard of these two factions, would surely tremble in fear," Ji Qingyi said coolly, her voice like a clear spring.

The Ji family was an ancient bloodline; the Human Immortal Church, an immortal doctrine.

Yet in her eyes, Yan Qingying's master, no matter how powerful, was merely a prodigy from some major faction in the Immortal Realm.

Even an heir of an immortal sect should fear the Ji family and the Human Immortal Church.

But Yan Qingying's expression remained utterly fearless.

She knew well the true, staggering nature of her master's background—Jun Xiaoyao.

"Who is your master? Let him come and face me," Ji Qingyi said, her gaze calm, her immortal bearing peerless, her tone transcendent.

"Hmph, what a narrow-minded fool! To be chosen by Immortal Miss Qingyi is a fortune you could never earn in ten lifetimes. What is your master compared to Immortal Miss Qingyi?" Li Daoxuan sneered.

"My master is Jun Xiaoyao, the Divine Son of the Jun family!"

Yan Qingying spoke with certainty, locking eyes with Ji Qingyi.

The moment she spoke, heaven and earth seemed to pause for an instant.

The calm in Ji Qingyi's pupils shattered instantly!

A violent storm surged within.

This was a look Li Daoxuan had never seen before.

"What did you say? Jun Xiaoyao?" Ji Qingyi drew a deep breath, her chest rising and falling.

She had anticipated Jun Xiaoyao might enter the Ten Realms Rift.

But she had never imagined that the master behind this heir of the Devouring God Art was Jun Xiaoyao himself.

"What? Jun Xiaoyao? Him?" Li Daoxuan frowned slightly.

He had long known from Ji Qingyi just how powerful Jun Xiaoyao was.

But he had never taken it seriously, and secretly felt envy.

Because only when Jun Xiaoyao was mentioned did Ji Qingyi's demeanor change—as if she went from a lofty immortal to a mere mortal.

Yet with him, she remained forever aloof, only to be admired from afar.

"This is troublesome," Ji Qingyi murmured, frowning.

She was intelligent and had no desire to provoke Jun Xiaoyao.

But Li Daoxuan had, unwittingly, already made an enemy of Jun Xiaoyao.

Even this peerless female immortal, upon hearing Jun Xiaoyao's name, had changed her expression—this filled Yan Qingying with both surprise and quiet pride.

Even such an otherworldly prodigy feared her master.

What greater joy, what greater honor could there be?

"This Dark Immortal Seed will remain in your possession for now. I will retrieve it myself," Yan Qingying said, gazing deeply at Li Daoxuan.

Her Fallen Heavenly Wings flared, and her slender form instantly vanished into the distant sky.

Li Daoxuan did not pursue, for she carried no trace of the World's Origin.

"Ah, it was inevitable after all," Ji Qingyi softly shook her head.

Perhaps this was fate.

"Immortal Miss Qingyi, is it truly necessary to fear Jun Xiaoyao so much? Is my strength not enough to deal with him?" Li Daoxuan frowned.

For a man, the greatest insult is being told he is inferior to another man.

Ji Qingyi looked at Li Daoxuan but said nothing.

Yet in her heart, she thought: How can you hope to face him when you cannot even easily subdue his follower?

Compared to Jun Xiaoyao, Li Daoxuan was still too immature.

"We'll have to take it one step at a time. Let's hurry to the deepest part of the Ten Realms Rift, secure our opportunities, and leave quickly—otherwise, you may not walk out alive," Ji Qingyi said, glancing at Li Daoxuan.

This was a warning.

Li Daoxuan's eyes darkened.

He had been favored by heaven and earth, progressing smoothly without a single setback.

To him, Ji Qingyi's advice felt no different from humiliation.

Just how worthless did she think he was?

Before even fighting, she assumed he was inferior to that Jun Xiaoyao.

Li Daoxuan seethed with suppressed rage—he longed to challenge Jun Xiaoyao himself, to prove his worth to Ji Qingyi.