120: Chapter 120 Did I read all those novels for nothing?

At the mountain peak, the golden light dissipated, the yin wind ceased, the temperature rose, and everything returned to normal.

Xiao Ye blinked, and his pupils returned to their original black color.

He looked down at his hands, flexed his fingers, and patted away non-existent dust from his clothes. Then, he looked up, his lips curling into a familiar, punchable smirk.

"Hmph, I knew it—how could a skeleton like you be so kind? A Legacy? 'Power is not a gift, but a responsibility'? You spoke so beautifully, I almost believed you." Xiao Ye shook his head, his tone full of smugness. "Did you think I read all those novels for nothing?"

The other four stood there, mouths wide enough to fit a fist, eyes bulging like copper bells, their faces all wearing the same expression—utterly dumbfounded.

Zi Youqian was the first to react, stammering, "Bi-Big brother, you... you're okay?"

"What could happen to me?" Xiao Ye patted him on the shoulder. "That old geezer tried to perform a Possession on me, so I just turned the tables and captured him. It's a small scene, don't make a fuss."

Zi Youqian swallowed hard. "So... you knew from the start?"

Xiao Ye put his hands in his pockets and said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't say I knew, I just had my suspicions. Think about it: an old monster who's been dead for tens of thousands of years suddenly gives his Legacy to a stranger for no reason, even saying something about 'taking care of my daughter'—I'm very familiar with this trope. In the novels I read as a kid, there were eighty if not a hundred plots like this. Whether it's 'transmitting power across generations' or 'deathbed entrustment,' nine times out of ten, it's a trap for Possession."

He paused and patted the ten thousand soul banner in his arms, smiling like a fox that had just stolen a chicken. "So I was prepared long ago. If he dared to come, I dared to take him."

Xiao Yan finally snapped out of it, his eyes rimmed with red and his voice slightly hoarse. "Dad, can you give me a heads-up next time? I thought you..."

"Thought I was dead?" Xiao Ye rubbed his son's head. "Your dad's life is tough as nails; I won't die. Besides, if I die, what happens to all your aunts? There are dozens of them waiting for me to go back and favor them."

Xiao Yan: "..." The sentimentality didn't even last three seconds; this dad was still the same old piece of work.

Zi Youqian leaned in, his face full of admiration. "Big brother! You're too amazing! Not even a Mahayana old monster could outsmart you?"

Xiao Ye glanced at him. "You call this amazing? Let me tell you, the most dangerous things in the cultivation world are never Yao Beasts or enemies, but those 'kind people' who treat you exceptionally well, give you grand gifts, and promise you a future." He emphasized each word, "There is no such thing as a free lunch. Remember this, and you might live a few hundred years longer."

Zi Youqian nodded frantically, wishing he had a notebook to write it all down.

Tong Yizhen picked up her large syringe and asked cautiously, "Then... what about the Legacy? Big brother, did you get it?"

Xiao Ye closed his eyes to feel for a moment, his grin slowly widening until it turned into a loud laugh.

"I got it! A genuine Mahayana expert's transmission! Cultivation Techniques, experience, insights—it's all in my Divine Soul." He opened his eyes, which were shining like two stars. "In this wave, I've managed to freeload a Mahayana expert's complete Legacy."

He had also captured a Mahayana-level soul, but of course, he didn't say that out loud.

This was his future trump card; how could he let others know so easily!

Tong Yizhen: "Badass~"

Dianshao silently took the pot off his head and whispered, "In this operation, I've been tossing pans my whole life and I've never seen anyone toss things like this."

Zi Youqian's eyes darted around as he approached with a fawning expression. "Big brother, did your cultivation just Breakthrough too?"

Xiao Ye said expressionlessly, "Just four minor Realms."

"Hiss—" The four of them inhaled sharply at the same time. To Breakthrough four minor Realms in such a short time? That was even faster than riding A-Diao!

Xiao Yan said sourly, "Dad, aren't you a bit too fast? I've been Cultivating hard for over a decade and I've only just reached Foundation Establishment..."

"Oh, son, don't be salty." Xiao Ye patted his shoulder, speaking with profound earnestness. "Your dad is getting old. The future belongs to you all. Take it slow, don't rush."

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at him. "Can you be serious for once?"

"Stop chatting!" Zi Youqian suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking. "Those skeletons are closing in!"

The four of them looked up at the same time, their expressions changing slightly.

The skeleton army that had been standing idly just now was now turning their heads in unison. The eerie green ghost fires in their eye sockets stared straight at them, dense and overwhelming, like a boundless sea of ghost fire.

"Wait... wasn't the trial over?" Tong Yizhen gripped her large syringe, her voice trembling. "Why are they still surrounding us?"

Dianshao put the pot back on his head and crouched down. "Maybe they want... us to take the test again?"

"Test your head!" Zi Youqian slapped the lid of his pot, producing a loud 'clanging' sound.

Xiao Yan gripped his sword hilt, his face pale, but he didn't retreat a single step.

Xiao Ye scanned the skeletons covering the mountainside, then looked at the ten thousand soul banner in his hand, his lips slowly curling up.

"What's the panic?" He hoisted the ten thousand soul banner onto his shoulder and said leisurely, "Just in time to try out my new toy."

As soon as he finished speaking, his wrist flicked, and the ten thousand soul banner unfurled in the wind. A terrifying suction suddenly erupted from the pitch-black surface of the banner, accompanied by howling yin winds and ghostly wails.

On the mountain peak, the thousands of skeletons froze simultaneously.

Their bodies began to tremble violently. The eerie green ghost fires in their eye sockets were seized as if by an invisible giant hand, struggling and twisting before tearing away from the bones and transforming into streaks of green light, frantically sucked into the ten thousand soul banner.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

The ten thousand soul banner flapped loudly in Xiao Ye's hand as the suction grew stronger. Ghost fires poured into the banner like a tide, and the skeletons across the mountain collapsed one after another, their bones scattering on the ground with a rhythmic clattering.

In less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea, not a single standing skeleton or burning ghost fire could be seen on the entire mountain.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Xiao Ye retracted the banner, clapped his hands, and said nonchalantly, "Done."

Zi Youqian's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. "Bi-Big brother, what kind of treasure is that? It's way too fierce!"

"The ten thousand soul banner." Xiao Ye tucked the banner into his robes. "Specializes in dealing with all kinds of defiance. That old monster was captured by this very thing."

Zi Youqian swallowed hard and silently vowed—in this lifetime, he must never cross his big brother. Otherwise, not even his bones would be left.

Tong Yizhen put away her large syringe and let out a long breath. "So... is it safe now?"