423: Chapter 423 The Fate of the Disobedient

"This is Luo Xiaojiu," Chu Zhanxiao's voice cut perfectly into the strange silence woven from hostility and curiosity. He first pointed to the young girl who, despite her weakness, was trying her best to curve her lips, a hint of softness—perhaps even unnoticed by himself—lingering in his tone. "Junior Sister, the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body."

"Luo Xiaojiu greets Senior Brother and Senior Sister!" The voice popped out almost immediately, crisp as biting into the first chilled, crunchy pear, carrying a natural, unhewn sweetness, more like the first surge of living water rushing out from beneath the frozen river surface in spring.

Even with the Sword Qi still lingering around and the Soul Transformation Divine Might pressing down like thorns on their backs, the vitality and frankness in that voice pierced through the gravity, strangely soothing to the heart.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's gaze fell upon her, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

The appreciation in his eyes transformed into something more concrete, an almost warm recognition, like a jade connoisseur first catching sight of the inner luster of a piece of raw jade. "Golden Core Late Stage Peak, Desolate Ancient Sacred Body," his voice was calm as an echo in a deep valley. "Your Foundation is polished quite unexpectedly; it is rare to see such a clear Heart-Nature, unstained by dust."

Jian Tanghuang's golden eyes, which looked like molten gold tempered by ancient flames, rested on Luo Xiaojiu for a breath.

On her exquisite face, which seemed eternally frozen, a subtle arc—almost impossible for the naked eye to capture—quietly melted away a hint of the coldness between her brows.

Her voice remained devoid of temperature, yet the words themselves carried a weight of a thousand jin. "Little girl," she said calmly, every word carrying an unquestionable sense of protection, "From now on, follow me."

With just these simple five words, Luo Xiaojiu's eyes lit up, curving into two crescent moons filled with honey.

She gave a forceful "Mn!" and nodded her little head so quickly and eagerly, like a small bird pecking at rice.

This unmasked joy overflowing from the bottom of her heart, like the first ray of dawn breaking through the clouds, instantly illuminated her slightly pale face, making it radiant, and even the air around her seemed to become a little lighter.

Chu Zhanxiao's gaze turned to the other side. "This is Li Jiuyou, Junior Brother. Nine Nether Underworld King Body. His cultivation is still shallow, and he was injured by those pieces of trash just now."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuyou's chest rose and fell almost imperceptibly as he took a deep breath.

This slight movement agitated his internal injuries, causing his sword-like brows to knit together for a fleeting moment, before he forcibly smoothed them out again.

He cupped his fists and bowed. The movement was fluid and precise, every angle seemingly honed thousands of times, revealing a sense of composure and respect far beyond his peers, almost rigid in its nature.

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear. Each syllable was like a stone dropped into an ancient well, heavy and determined. "Jiuyou greets Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I have long admired your great names, and it is a great honor to meet you today."

The words were comprehensive and polite, yet they were like a thin but tough crystal shell, tightly sealing away all real emotions and warmth within.

Those phrases, "long admired" and "great honor," sounded more like a statement following a predetermined format rather than an emotional expression carrying any warmth.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's eyes flashed with a hint of intrigue, as if he had discovered an interesting puzzle.

He looked the pale youth up and down, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. "Nine Nether Underworld King Body…"

He said slowly, "Not bad. Golden Core Late Stage, the cultivation is a bit shallow, but this demeanor of remaining calm even when Mount Tai collapses before you, and the ability to observe subtle details, is rare. Calm as an abyss, very good."

Li Jiuyou simply lowered his head another inch, his posture becoming even more respectful, yet his response was concise to the extreme: "Senior Brother is too kind." Without surprise or joy, he was as calm as if he were evaluating a stranger with whom he had no connection.

Jian Tanghuang was more direct. She didn't even formally cast her gaze toward Li Jiuyou, but just raised her right hand very casually and flicked her index finger as if unintentionally.

A golden stream of light, gentle and restrained yet faintly emitting a heart-palpitating high temperature, escaped silently from her fingertip. It was faster than the limit of Divine Sense perception, merging into Li Jiuyou's chest as if teleporting.

The moment the stream of light touched his body, Li Jiuyou's body showed a trace of extremely subtle, almost imperceptible stiffness—that was the instinctive guard of any living being against the intrusion of strange power.

But the next instant, this stiffness was forcibly erased by his powerful willpower.

A warm, mellow, yet overwhelmingly irresistible current swept through his body, precisely smoothing out every damaged meridian and suppressing all restless and chaotic spiritual power.

His snow-pale complexion regained a healthy flush at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.

The healing effect could be called a miracle, but the process carried an unquestionable, uncompromising dominance. After the power completed its mission, it dissipated without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"A little trinket," Jian Tanghuang's voice remained flat and waveless, with no sign of bestowing a favor or showing concern, "for healing."

Li Jiuyou's expression did not change at all, as if the earth-shattering changes within his body just now were merely an illusion.

He bowed again, the angle and amplitude of his salute exactly the same as before, impeccable in its rigor. "Thank you, Senior Sister." The respect in his tone was beyond reproach, yet it was also like being separated by a layer of extremely thin, completely transparent ice—polite and thorough, but unable to touch the warmth within.

The Golden Lion struggled, using up its remaining strength to barely prop up its mountain-like body.

Its ten majestic lion heads hung low simultaneously, facing the direction of Xuanyuan Zhanxian and Jian Tanghuang, a low whimper mixed with pain, awe, and complete submission rolling out from its throats.

Jian Tanghuang's gaze then lazily glanced over this rare giant beast, her golden eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. "Ten-headed Golden Lion? The Bloodline is mixed, and it is lacking in its Innate constitution," her evaluation was so blunt it bordered on cruel, but the next sentence took a slight turn, "However... the Foundation of its bones is worth a look."

The ears on the Golden Lion's ten heads moved sensitively at the same time, a human-like gleam mixed with shame and longing flashing in its eyes. A gentle, barely audible purr came from its throats again, as if in response.

Just as these few people, in this desperate situation where corpses were not yet cold and strong enemies were circling like wolves, were so oblivious to others, chatting, reminiscing, and acknowledging Junior Brothers and Sisters in such a leisurely manner, as if they were in the back mountain of their own Sect, casually discussing the weather and cultivation—

The atmosphere around them, which had long been tightened to the limit like a fully drawn bowstring, suddenly underwent a qualitative change so bizarre that it was hair-raising!

The thirteen Soul Transformation existences, whose auras were like abysses and mountains, stirring up the winds and clouds of the region, had expressions that had long since exceeded the category of "ugly."

This was an expression twisted into something almost hideous, born from anger, astonishment, and a sense of absurdity churning and intertwining like venom after their dignity had been completely trampled and their existence utterly ignored.

They had come to kill and seize treasures, to use the heads and blood of their enemies to forge their own supreme fame!

They had come to establish their might over ten thousand races, to make the entire Ancient Trial Road remember in fear the fate of the defiant!

They had come to enjoy the hunt, to savor the pleasure of watching their prey struggle desperately under absolute power!

But what about now?

These two Human Race Cultivators, who had popped out from who knows where, not only lightly dismantled the net of heaven and earth they had jointly laid, which was enough to crush ordinary Soul Transformation experts, but actually... actually started introducing their Junior Brother and Junior Sister as if they were talking to empty air?!

Started critiquing cultivation and bone structure?!

Started casually bestowing "little trinkets" for healing?!

Even... started nonchalantly discussing the Bloodline potential of a mount?!

The Blood Moon Demon Prince's handsome and demonic face was now so gloomy it seemed as if ink could drip from it. The demonic blood moon radiance around him churned violently as if out of control, emitting a "hissing" sound like strong acid corrosion, making half of his face look like a demon.

The Deep Sea Halberd Emperor gripped his ancient trident, which seemed to carry a Nether ocean. The veins on the back of his hand bulged and twisted like living, horned dragons, and the halberd body hummed violently, shaking the surrounding space into rings of visible, heavy, and viscous black ripples—a sign that his power was on the verge of losing control and about to go berserk.

The Soul-Devouring Mother Emperor's newly re-condensed, ever-changing form, composed of billions of tiny flying insects, was now wildly twisting, fluctuating, proliferating, and annihilating at the edges. Countless twisted faces—male or female, old or young, human or beast—flashed, merged, and shrieked within it, emitting a monstrous resentment and rage that was silent yet capable of tearing the Soul apart.

The starlight around the Twelve Star Envoys, which had originally been brilliant and orderly like a galaxy, was now flickering violently, like a dying candle swaying in a storm. The starlight collided and surged chaotically, showing the raging waves in their hearts and their uncontrollable fury.