38: Chapter 38. Bloodstained Robes, Standing Might Before the Palace

Shen Xiao forced himself to push open the heavy stone door of the secret chamber, and a chill accompanied by the smell of blood rushed towards him.

Within his body, the boiling Qi caused by the forced symbiosis of the [Karma Law Toxin] and his dual-element Ice-Fire Spiritual Root still felt like two Vicious Beasts tearing through his Meridians, making every breath feel as painful as swallowing broken blades.

Yet his expression remained normal and his eyes cold, as he forcibly suppressed that violent power deep within his Dantian.

"Put this on." He threw a blood-stained Qingming Sect Inner Sect Disciple robe to Xia Lengbai.

This blood was a "remnant" left behind by the eyes that the Special Envoy had sent to monitor him; it was still fresh and scalding.

Xia Lengbai took the garment, and a trace of imperceptible excitement flashed through her morbidly obsessed eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, she draped the blood-stained outer robe, which was slightly too large for her, over herself in front of Shen Xiao.

With a light tap of her fingertip, a wisp of Ice-Fire Qi circulated instantly, eerily solidifying the fresh blood on the robe, making it no longer moist but instead like some kind of dark red embroidery, congealing immovably onto the fabric.

The thick, bloody scent was thus locked away, no longer drifting out, but the bright red color appeared increasingly shocking in the darkness, as if it were a battle robe tailored from fresh blood.

"Let's go." Shen Xiao was the first to step out of the stone chamber; he knew someone had been waiting outside for a long time.

Sure enough, outside the stone chamber, several Cultivators dressed in Qingming Sect law enforcement Disciple uniforms held Dharma swords, surrounding the secret chamber with guarded expressions.

Upon seeing Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai walk out together, especially when seeing the blood-stained garment on Xia Lengbai, their expressions changed in unison, their Dharma swords unsheathed, and sharp sword tips pointed directly at Shen Xiao.

"Shen Xiao! Senior Sister Xia! The Sect Master summons you! You are not allowed to move rashly!"

The leading law enforcement Disciple shouted sternly, his gaze lingering for an extra second on the eerie blood-stained garment on Xia Lengbai, a trace of undisguisable terror flashing in his eyes.

Shen Xiao couldn't even be bothered to glance at them, as if these law enforcement Disciples pointing swords at him were merely air.

He merely rested his right hand casually on Xia Lengbai's waist, applied a slight force, and led her straight through the midst of the law enforcement Disciples who were acting as if they were facing a great enemy.

His pace was firm, each step carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression; without even needing to release any Qi pressure, those law enforcement Disciples retreated subconsciously, clearing a path for him and letting him walk away unhindered.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt tangible.

The Qingming Sect Sect Master sat high on the main seat, his face as dark as water, his eyes as deep as two bottomless cold abysses.

Beside him, the Special Envoy stood with a sinister expression. On the ground behind him lay two corpses with twisted limbs and blue faces; these were the Nangong Family guards who had been sent to "protect" Xia Lengbai, but in reality, to monitor Shen Xiao.

Clearly, the bloodstains on Xia Lengbai's sword were theirs.

When Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai stepped into the main hall side-by-side, the Special Envoy's gaze instantly locked onto the Disciple robe with solidified bloodstains on Xia Lengbai, and her morbid eyes that seemed almost glued to Shen Xiao.

He slammed the table and shouted angrily: "Shen Xiao! You have such audacity! Bewitching a Sect Personal Disciple, using evil arts, and slaughtering my Nangong Family guards! Do you truly think my Nangong Family is just for show!"

He pointed at the two corpses, then at Xia Lengbai, his eyes full of monstrous rage and undisguisable greed.

What kind of demonic art did this brat use to make a proud daughter of heaven like Xia Lengbai fall to this state?

He must unearth all of Shen Xiao's secrets!

The Sect Master did not speak, only raised his hand to signal the Special Envoy to calm down.

His gaze shifted between Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai, finally resting on Shen Xiao's cold eyes.

Shen Xiao ignored the Special Envoy's clamor and didn't even glance at the two corpses.

He merely raised his left hand slowly, his fingertips lightly touching his collarbone, where a magnificent mark interwoven with ice and fire was faintly visible.

Following Shen Xiao's movement, Xia Lengbai's body trembled violently.

Her face turned pale instantly, her breathing quickened, but soon, that pallor was replaced by an eerie flush.

Her eyes became even more unfocused, as if she were enduring some mixture of extreme pleasure and pain.

"Re... Report to the Sect Master..." Xia Lengbai struggled to speak, her voice hoarse, yet every word was clear, "Disciple Xia Lengbai has... has formed a Divine Soul contract with Shen Xiao!"

Once these words were spoken, the main hall erupted like a pot boiling over!

A Divine Soul contract!

This is no child's play!

Once formed, Qi is shared, life and death are bound together, honor is shared, and destruction is shared; this is almost completely binding one's own life to another person!

The Special Envoy was struck as if by lightning; he pointed at Xia Lengbai, his lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.

His eyes first held disbelief, followed by extreme rage and humiliation.

For the sake of Lin Yun and his future status, the Nangong Family had paid a huge price to betroth Xia Lengbai, this dual-Spiritual Root Genius!

Now, she had been "snatched away" by Shen Xiao like this, and with the most resolute Divine Soul contract at that!

"Absurd! Simply absurd!" The Special Envoy roared, his entire body's Qi instantly erupting, and the pressure of a Golden Core Late Stage Cultivator pressing down on Shen Xiao like a mountain.

He simply could not accept this fact; at this moment, he only wanted to capture Shen Xiao, extract his soul and refine his spirit, and find a way to break the contract!

"Sect Master! This brat is evil! He must have used some shameful evil art! Please allow me to immediately take him down and investigate the truth!" Before the Special Envoy finished speaking, he had already struck ruthlessly, a large hand of Qi manifesting and lunging straight for Shen Xiao's chest!

Shen Xiao did not retreat but advanced instead; facing the pressure of a Golden Core Late Stage powerhouse, a trace of mockery flashed in his eyes.

He didn't even take the initiative to block that large hand of Qi, but merely moved his mind, and an invisible command was instantly transmitted through the System.

Just as the Special Envoy's large hand of Qi was about to touch Shen Xiao, a scream of extreme agony came from outside the main hall!

"Ah!"

The sound was so wretched, as if it had torn through the night, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Immediately after, a burst of hurried footsteps and exclamations came from outside the hall.

An Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingming Sect was currently lying in the center of the main hall square, his entire body's Qi running wild, his Meridians feeling as if they had been sliced by countless knives, instantly shattering inch by inch!

Bleeding from his seven orifices, his face blue and purple, in just a few short breaths, he completely lost his life and became a shriveled corpse.

"Zhao Qian... isn't that Zhao Qian from the Inner Sect?" someone exclaimed.

"...How could he..."

All the high-level officials present stood up abruptly, especially the Sect Master; his eyes were wide, filled with unbelievable shock!

Shen Xiao took the opportunity to step forward, bearing the Special Envoy's pressure, his eyes staring directly at the Qingming Sect Sect Master, his voice calm but every word sharp as a knife:

"Sect Master, please discern the truth! The real evil art is not the Divine Soul contract between Xia Lengbai and me, nor is it my so-called 'bewitching.' It is... in order to compensate for Lin Yun's failure, the Heavenly Dao is randomly sowing 'Luck seeds' within the Sect!"

He pointed to Zhao Qian's corpse outside the hall, then scanned all the Inner Sect Disciples present, saying in a deep voice:

"This 'seed' will forcibly seize the host's cultivation and Luck, ultimately causing the host to explode and die! And everything the host has accumulated will become nourishment for the new 'Child of Destiny'! Does the Sect Master not think this is more vicious than any evil art?"

The Sect Master's face turned livid; he certainly knew that what Shen Xiao said was not false.

Zhao Qian's wretched death, and that unique method of dying, instantly made him think of some forbidden arts recorded in the Sect's ancient books.

But he had not expected that this forbidden art actually came from the ethereal "Heavenly Dao"!

He waved his hand abruptly, and a vast amount of Qi instantly enveloped the Special Envoy, tightly trapping his raging body in place, unable to move.

Subsequently, his gaze, like two bolts of lightning, shot directly at Shen Xiao.

"Shen Xiao, can you truly identify and safely extract this so-called 'Luck seed'?" The Sect Master's voice carried an unquestionable majesty, but also a hint of imperceptible eagerness.

If this were true, it would be a disaster for the Qingming Sect!

Shen Xiao stared directly into the Sect Master's gaze, which was enough to intimidate an Integration Stage powerhouse, without any fear.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly, revealing a confident smile that showed he was in control of everything.

"Of course. Moreover, the method I have mastered is the only safe one. But..." He changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming firm, "I need the Sect to grant me the privilege of entering the Forbidden Ground 'Kunlun Ruins'!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the trapped Special Envoy, then landing on Xia Lengbai's blood-stained figure, "At the same time, the Sect must recognize the legality of the Divine Soul contract between me and Xia Lengbai. From now on, she is no longer a pawn for the Nangong Family's marriage alliance, but my Shen Xiao's Dao Companion, and a Personal Disciple of the Qingming Sect."

The main hall fell into dead silence once again.

The Sect Master fell into a long silence.

On one side was the "Luck seed" that concerned the future survival of the Sect, and on the other was Shen Xiao's near-outrageous demands, as well as a full-blown hostility with the Nangong Family.

Which was lighter and which was heavier, he needed to weigh carefully.

Just at this moment, Xia Lengbai slowly took a step forward; on her morbidly flushed face, her eyes still looked at Shen Xiao with obsession, but a terrifying fluctuation of Qi suddenly erupted from her entire body!

Extreme frost instantly congealed, covering the blue stone floor of the main hall with a thick layer of ice crystals; the cold was bone-piercing, and even the air was frozen.

However, the next second, the ice crystals were instantly evaporated by a scorching flame, turning into curling white vapor that permeated the entire hall, blurring everyone's vision.

Ice and fire erupted alternately within her body as if out of control, forming an eerie and powerful Qi disturbance!

"Sect Master..." Xia Lengbai's voice was hoarse, but carried an unprecedented resoluteness, "If you dare to touch a single hair on Shen Xiao..."

She raised her head abruptly, and in her yandere eyes flickered a heart-palpitating madness, "I will detonate my dual Spiritual Roots and let the entire main peak of the Qingming Sect... be buried with him!"

This sentence was like a poisoned knife, stabbing fiercely into everyone's hearts.

Self-destruction! She was actually using self-destruction as the price to threaten the Integration Stage Sect Master! This crazy woman!

The Sect Master stood up abruptly; he could clearly feel the extremely violent Ice-Fire power within Xia Lengbai, which was definitely not a bluff!

That was a threat at the cost of life!

Ultimately, he looked deeply at Shen Xiao, his gaze complex, containing wariness, scrutiny, and even a deep sense of helplessness.

"Good! This Seat agrees!" The Sect Master's voice echoed in the main hall, filled with unquestionable majesty, "Shen Xiao, This Seat permits you to enter the Kunlun Ruins. Three days later, I will open the teleportation array for you and Xia Lengbai!"

Everything was under Shen Xiao's control.

Three days... Kunlun Ruins...

He wanted to let that "Heavenly Dao chess player" who controlled everything from behind the scenes know what it meant to... flip the chessboard!