In response to Qin Lie’s summon, a spirit pattern pillar turned into a ray of light and fell into the spatial ring on his finger.
A beautiful image of glittering starlight that was like a vast overflowing galaxy was suddenly reflected in his Soul Lake.
Lustrous and brilliant stars filled the vast starry sky like countless shattered diamonds. There was a kind of magnificence behind it that hid infinite secrets and moved people’s hearts.
Yet another spirit pattern pillar had transformed into light and vanished inside his spatial ring.
The heavenly rivers twisted like streams that converged into the sea, forming a beautiful picture. It slowly spread within his Soul Lake.
One spirit pattern pillar after another vanished into his spatial ring. Many different scenes and images were reflected inside Qin Lie’s Soul Lake.
Qin Lie’s mind, will, and soul seemed to sink into the Soul Lake to sense the many different worlds and to understand the secrets contained within the images. It was as if he was experiencing many new, peculiar, and magnificent scenes.
The Manifestation Realm required a practitioner to see all manifestations of life. Only by experiencing different scenes could a practitioner recognize their true selves and have their realms grow.
At this moment, Qin Lie was submerged within the beautiful sceneries inside his Soul Lake, as if he were acting within many, completely new segments of life.
Many images had appeared inside his mind while his eyes were closed. His soul seemed to be split into six parts, experiencing all sorts of things in six different worlds.
“Qin Lie…”
Ling Yushi walked forward and spoke softly, trying to wake him from the trance.
“Don’t disturb him.” Song Tingyu walked over from the position where the Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners were gathered. While the Ling Family was about to speak up and salute her, she lifted her hand, motioning for them to “keep quiet,” and explained to Ling Yushi, “Qin Lie should be undergoing comprehension. This isn’t the right time to disturb him. If you wake him, then he’ll miss an opportunity.”
Hearing her words, Ling Yushi quickly stopped herself. After carefully moving away from Qin Lie, she bowed at Song Tingyu slightly and spoke with neither haughtiness nor humility, “Thank you, Miss Song.”
Song Tingyu’s eyes were bright as she looked at Ling Yushi deeply. It was as if she wanted to see right through Ling Yushi’s heart.
Under her somewhat overbearing gaze, Ling Yushi remained calm and collected. There was a surprising calm hidden deep inside her purple eyes.
She actually did not feel at all inferior when matching eyes with Song Tingyu. She even carried a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. Her smile was so quiet and natural that even Song Tingyu was a little surprised.
There were very few women who could remained so cool and collected under her gaze, much less Ling Yushi with her humble birth and Natal Opening Realm.
This made Song Tingyu think of Ling Yushi more highly.
“You don’t have to thank me. The reason I did this was for Qin Lie, not because I feel any good will towards the Ling Family,” Song Tingyu said straightforwardly.
Ling Yushi nodded slightly and smiled. “I know.”
“Forgive me, but… exactly where did the Ling Family come from?” Song Tingyu grew more and more surprised. She discovered that Ling Yushi was slightly different from the information she knew.
She had specifically investigated Qin Lie before, so naturally she had also investigated this Ling Yushi who had deep relations with Qin Lie. Through the information she acquired, she knew that Ling Yushi’s cultivation was low and her birth was common and humble. She was as gentle as water and her character was a little weak. She was prone to have a pessimistic attitude during a predicament, and she lacked initiative and resolve when she worked…
This information had allowed her to gain an understanding of Ling Yushi long ago. It allowed her to feel as if she had gotten a feel for Ling Yushi’s character.
Now that she faced Ling Yushi in person, Song Tingyu suddenly realized that Ling Yushi was incredibly calm in front of her. Every word and action, every frown and smile seemed to be filled with confidence.
The Ling Yushi before her was obviously very different from the Ling Yushi in the information. This caused Song Tingyu to feel some doubt.
“I’m sorry, I do not wish to talk about the Ling Family’s matters,” Ling Yushi replied.
“Oh, I understand.” Song Tingyu looked at her a few more times and discovered that she couldn’t spot anything strange in her eyes. Seeing that Ling Yushi wasn’t willing to say any more and knowing that she wouldn’t be able to ask anything from her, Song Tingyu kept quiet and no longer spoke.
“What’s the situation over there?” A short distance away, Tu Ze looked at the crowd of Ling Family clansmen and the seated, motionless Qin Lie, asking with an odd expression.
Tu Mo had just sternly instructed everyone around them not to leak anything that had happened today. At this moment, while listening to Tu Ze’s question, he looked at Song Tingyu and Ling Yushi before looking at Qin Lie. Then he exclaimed with surprise in a small voice, “It can’t be that these two women were… butting heads against each other for Qin Lie?”
The moment he said this, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners all let out strange light in their eyes.
“This brat! He sure has some skill, alright!” Zhuo Qian praised from the bottom of her heart.
“Song Tingyu is the Song Family’s great miss and Song Yu’s only daughter. To think that this fellow Qin Lie could get her to be jealous for him. Even if he dies, it’ll be worth it!”
“Second Young Master, your friend is really impressive. Miss Song is definitely the most or second most beautiful girl on our Scarlet Tide Continent. Back at the Nether Battlefield, I had the fortune of meeting her once, and during the next few days my head was completely muddled, filled with only her figure…” Seeing that Song Tingyu’s attention was not on them, a Dark Asura Hall commander also lowered his voice and chuckled. “Even now, the goddess of my dreams… still wears her looks!”
“Miss Song’s beauty is without equal on the entire Scarlet Tide Continent, there is no doubt about this. Every man who has met her once before would not be able to forget her.” Another Dark Asura Hall martial practitioner expressed his opinion while salivating.
“It is probably every man’s dream to make such a woman be jealous for him, isn’t it?”
“If she became jealous for me, I would have no regrets even if I were to die immediately!”
“Mn, me too.”
The group of martial practitioners lowered their voices and chatted while they secretly sized up Song Tingyu and Ling Yushi from afar.
Song Tingyu suddenly glanced at them.
Everyone, including Tu Mo, hurriedly bowed their heads and looked straight at their own feet—none of them actually dared to meet her eyes.
“Can you guess what they’re talking about?” Song Tingyu suddenly smiled beautifully and said to Ling Yushi beside her.
“They are saying that we are jealous and fighting for Qin Lie.” Ling Yushi pursed her lips and also smiled lightly. “They even said that your beauty has no equal on the Scarlet Tide Continent, that you are every man’s goddess in their dreams. They also said that if you’re willing to become jealous for them, even if they were to die immediately, they would have no regrets…”
Song Tingyu’s body shuddered slightly as she looked at Ling Yushi with incredible surprise. She asked, “How can you possibly hear what they’re talking about?”
While purple light sparkled intimidatingly in Ling Yushi’s eyes, she looked at Song Tingyu and said softly, “Not only can I hear what they’re speaking, I… can listen to what you’re thinking as well. You’re thinking that this woman is only in the Natal Opening Realm. She has not even formed her own Soul Lake yet, so how can her hearing be this acute? You are thinking that this woman who is engaged to Qin Lie definitely came from the poor and lowly Ling Town. Why is she different from the information you received?”
While Song Tingyu’s expression paled in fright, Ling Yushi frowned and asked again, “Miss Song, you’ve investigated me before? For what reason? Oh, I’ve seen through you again. It is because of Qin Lie. You investigated me while you were investigating Qin Lie. I see now.”
The moment she said this, fear appeared behind Song Tingyu’s eyes. She subconsciously retreated and put some distance between her and Ling Yushi. Moreover, she immediately executed a secret art to seal her mind consciousness before saying, “To think that you are able to enter my mind!”
Ling Yushi smiled and said nothing.
“Suddenly, I feel a little bit of regret. I regret helping the Ling Family survive this crisis.” Song Tingyu’s expression was odd. “Your Ling Family is a little more unique than I had first imagined. If we allow you to continue developing like this, there’s no telling if you will become a threat to Profound Heaven Alliance’s status in the future.”
“Perhaps Ling Family can be like Seven Fiends Valley and Dark Asura Hall, a vassal force under Profound Heaven Alliance who works for them.” Ling Yushi said seriously, “The Ling Family cannot threaten Profound Heaven Alliance. Our existence may even add new blood to Profound Heaven Alliance. Miss Song is different from other people in that you should have the courage and vision to strive for the unexpected. Moreover, if Alliance Chief Song could order you to kill off Seven Fiends Valley’s men, then he naturally has the heart to accept us as well.”
“It was not my father’s intent to eliminate Seven Fiends Valley’s people. I did not share this with my father.” Song Tingyu shook her head at Ling Yushi before suddenly saying, “With my understanding of my father, I believe that he would think of eliminating you the moment he learns that you are not human—just like all the others”
The moment she said this, Ling Yushi, who had been calm all this time, finally lost her color.
She had assumed that Song Tingyu had eliminated Seven Fiends Valley’s people under Song Yu’s orders. It was also why she was able to stay calm and collected.
However, Song Tingyu had told her the truth. The moment Song Yu realized the true situation, he would still do all he could to eliminate the Ling Family. She finally realized that the Ling Family was still at the risk of destruction at any moment.
“Heh, so you have less confidence than I thought. You sure scared me earlier.” Song Tingyu suddenly let out a bright smile. She finally felt that she was in an absolute position of power in the clash against Ling Yushi.
It was at this moment that Qin Lie suddenly awakened beside them.
“What are you talking about?” He looked at the two women and asked.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing.”
Song Tingyu and Ling Yushi matched each other’s gaze and casually moved past their earlier conversation with unspoken understanding.
“Yushi, come with me to the poisonous bog along with the Ling Family clansmen. We will gather at Armament Sect.” Qin Lie pondered for a moment before suddenly saying.
“Yes.” Ling Yushi nodded slightly.
“Big Brother Tu, Sister Qian, thank you for being willing to extend a helping hand to Ling Family after I ‘died,’” Qin Lie yelled loudly at the Dark Asura Hall men.
“Brat, it’s bad luck to call yourself dead. You’re not allowed to say it in the future!” Zhuo Qian scolded him.
Qin Lie felt relaxed all over despite her scolding. “The people of the Ling Family will soon follow me to the poisonous bog. If you and your people need to forge any spirit artifacts in the future, you may come straight to the poisonous bog.”
“Alright! I want to see that bastard Kang Zhi as well!” Zhuo Qian laughed.
“Big Brother Tu, help me thank your father as well. Say that I will remember that he has lent a helping hand during a critical time.” Qin Lie said again.
“Alright, alright. The people from Seven Fiends Valley will come soon, quickly be on your way,” Tu Ze yelled.
“Until next time!!”
“Until next time!!”