42: Chapter 42 The truth comes out: the mole is actually...

The night in the wilderness was thick as ink.

After tracking at high speed for several hours, even with the Physiques of Ling Tian and Xia Youchu, they felt exhausted.

"This direction, it seems to be..."

Xia Youchu's expression was strange as she looked ahead, as if she had thought of something.

She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "We cannot keep chasing; let's slow down for a moment."

Xia Youchu stopped first, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings before pointing to a recessed boulder not far away.

"Let's go there to rest first. We need to recover, and we also need to figure some things out."

Although Ling Tian's killing intent was boiling, he knew that Xia Youchu was right.

He let out a low growl, signifying his agreement, and headed toward the boulder first. His massive body squeezed into the recess, almost filling the entire space.

Xia Youchu followed closely behind and set down the piece of Thunder Jiao tail from her shoulder.

Without the slightest hesitation, she sat down cross-legged and pressed her hands onto the cold scales of the Thunder Jiao.

The Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art was activated at full power!

Hum!

Deep black light emanated from her body, like a miniature black hole, and she began to frantically absorb the Yao Beast King-level flesh and blood essence contained within the Thunder Jiao tail!

This energy was far purer and more immense than any Yao Beast she had devoured before!

Like a bursting flood, it rushed into her limbs and bones!

The Bottleneck was smashed through almost the moment it made contact!

Fourth-star Yuan Master!

The flood of energy did not stop for a second, continuing to push her cultivation level higher!

Her Meridians were forcibly widened, and the Demonic Yuan droplets within her Dantian were constantly condensing and compressing, becoming even deeper!

Fine black grime seeped from her skin; these were the Impurities refined out by the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art. Her bones emitted faint cracking sounds as they underwent a deeper level of strengthening.

Fifth-star Yuan Master!

After reaching the limit of the Fifth-star Yuan Master, the violent energy gradually began to calm down.

Xia Youchu kept her eyes tightly shut, guiding the final surge of energy to smash fiercely against the barrier!

Boom!

It felt as if something in her mind had been shattered!

Sixth-star Yuan Master!

She slowly opened her eyes, a sharp light flashing through them before vanishing. The aura around her was several times stronger than before!

Feeling the surging power within her, Xia Youchu let out a long, stale breath.

This Breakthrough was a natural progression.

The combination of the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art and the Yao Beast King's flesh was truly terrifying in its effectiveness.

It allowed her to break through three minor Realms in one go!

She looked at Ling Tian beside her.

Ling Tian was holding the piece of Thunder Jiao tail that had been sucked dry until only bones remained, chewing on it with "crunch, crunch" sounds as if it were a biscuit.

That chilling sound was exceptionally clear in the silent night of the wilderness.

[Devoured Thunder Jiao tail bone (Early-stage Yao Beast King), gained Evolution Points +300! Strength +10, Stamina +15, Spirit +5! Atomic Fission Breath gained a slight enhancement: Energy condensation speed increased by 15%.]

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat.

Ling Tian licked his lips in satisfaction.

The faster breath condensation speed meant he could launch a second attack more quickly in battle, which had significant practical value.

He looked at Xia Youchu and transmitted a thought: "You broke through? The speed is decent."

Xia Youchu ignored his annoying tone, instead furrowing her brows and falling into deep thought.

"Something is wrong."

She muttered to herself.

"What's wrong?" Ling Tian tilted his head.

"The Thunder Serpent turning into a Thunder Jiao."

Xia Youchu's eyes were sharp. "In my memory, in my past life, this Thunder Serpent never succeeded in turning into a Thunder Jiao. At the critical moment of its Breakthrough, it was killed by Chairman Zhao and his men. The people from the Myriad Beast Pavilion didn't appear at all."

She did not hide the fact that she was a person who had undergone a Rebirth, and she couldn't hide it from Ling Tian anyway, so she simply spoke about it openly to discuss it.

Ling Tian's chewing slowed down. "What do you mean?"

"Because of me."

"It was my Rebirth that changed the course of this event."

Ling Tian swallowed the bone fragments in his mouth. "What did you do? Did you send warmth to that Thunder Serpent in advance?"

"I didn't do anything!" Xia Youchu glared at him irritably. "At least, I didn't directly intervene in this matter."

She carefully recalled every action she had taken since her Rebirth.

"Since my Rebirth, the only thing that clearly changed trajectory was that I gave up my studies and headed north to search for the Nine-Winged Golden Cicada. Other than that, I spent most of my time in Cloud City, and the biggest influence was only..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

The biggest influence was only Xia Lingfeng!

Just then, the communication talisman in her bosom vibrated slightly, emitting a soft glow.

It was the one Patriarch Xia Yuan had given her.

Xia Youchu's heart tightened.

Could it be that her father had discovered she had trespassed into the depths of the wilderness to hunt down a powerful enemy?

She hurriedly took out the communication talisman.

However, the message inside the talisman was not a question, but a message sent by Patriarch Xia Yuan with a grave tone:

"Youchu, be careful of Xia Lingfeng. At the Family assembly, he displayed an Emerald Spirit Sparrow, a War Beast with Emerald-grade potential. This matter is extremely suspicious, and I will investigate it in secret. Be careful while you are out, and if you encounter danger, send a message immediately!"

The message was short, but it exploded in Xia Youchu's mind like thunder!

An Emerald-grade War Beast?!

Xia Lingfeng?!

How is this possible?!

As a former Empress, she knew all too well the value of an Emerald-grade War Beast cub!

That was a treasure that was truly rare and hard to come by!

Every time one appeared, it would cause major factions to fight frantically for it!

A few years ago, her father, Patriarch Xia Yuan, had even offered to give up his position as Family head to exchange for resources, just to bid for an Emerald-grade Moonlight Wolf cub that had appeared at an Imperial Dynasty auction!

In her past life, she had agreed, but this time she did not; instead, she had taken a large amount of resources and headed north.

It was precisely because she knew how precious it was that she found it even harder to believe!

Xia Lingfeng, a playboy whose reputation in the Family had hit rock bottom, how could he possibly obtain an Emerald-grade War Beast so quickly?!

The Family did not have the ability or the channels for this at all!

Unless...

A terrifying thought made her hands and feet instantly cold, and cold sweat soaked her back!

She looked at Ling Tian sharply:

"You idiot! I might... know where the problem lies!"

Ling Tian was taken aback by her sudden reaction: "Hmm?"

"It's Great Elder Xia Mingyuan!"

"The one colluding with the Myriad Beast Pavilion is not Xia Lingfeng; it's Xia Lingfeng's father, Great Elder Xia Mingyuan!"

Her mind began to race at an unprecedented speed; many previous doubts now seemed to have found their thread!

"I remember! In my past life, Xia Lingfeng did indeed betray the Human Race later on, leading to extremely serious consequences, and the Family was almost wiped out because of it! But I could never figure out how a good-for-nothing playboy like him managed to connect with external forces?"

"Now everything makes sense! It wasn't him who made the connection; it was his father, Great Elder Xia Mingyuan, who had long since connected with the Myriad Beast Pavilion!"

"Because I have been targeting Xia Lingfeng since my Rebirth, suppressing the momentum of his branch, Great Elder Xia Mingyuan felt the pressure! That's why he increased his cooperation with the Myriad Beast Pavilion ahead of schedule!"

"He leaked the news that the Thunder Serpent was about to turn into a Thunder Jiao to the Myriad Beast Pavilion, which brought the Ghost Scorpion to intervene, causing the Thunder Serpent to successfully turn into a Thunder Jiao!"

"And that Emerald Spirit Sparrow of Xia Lingfeng's... there is a very high probability that it was given to him by the Myriad Beast Pavilion!"

Ling Tian listened to Xia Youchu's analysis, and a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes.

Xia Youchu smashed her fist heavily against the rock beside her, and the hard rock was instantly covered in cracks.

"The Myriad Beast Pavilion possesses a Blood-Breeding Technique! It can forcibly accelerate the reproduction of War Beasts by sacrificing the essence blood of a large number of living beings! But War Beasts cultivated using this method have an inherently violent nature, and they will subtly influence the Beast Tamer's Heart-Nature, making them cruel and bloodthirsty! That is why it was long ago strictly forbidden by the Great Xia Dynasty!"

"Great Elder Xia Mingyuan! For the sake of power, you actually dared to collude with the mortal enemy of the Human Race and let Xia Lingfeng contract a forbidden beast! You are playing with fire! And you want to drag the entire Family down with you!"

Monstrous killing intent radiated from Xia Youchu.

Previously, her targeting of Xia Lingfeng was more out of past grudges and current conflicts.

But now, with the confirmation that Great Elder Xia Mingyuan was colluding with the Myriad Beast Pavilion, this had become an irreconcilable struggle for the righteousness of the Human Race!

Ling Tian felt her surging killing intent and transmitted a thought: "How about we go back and kill them now?"

Xia Youchu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse to return to Cloud City immediately to clean house.

"No. If we go back now without concrete evidence, Great Elder Xia Mingyuan can completely deny it. His grandson, who possesses an Emerald-grade War Beast, is currently gaining momentum within the Family. If we act rashly and alert the enemy, we might instead end up in a passive position."

Ling Tian nodded. "Makes sense. So what should we do? Find evidence?"

"To hell with that!"

Xia Youchu curled her lip. "Of course, it's to quickly raise our strength, and then send Great Elder Xia Mingyuan and his whole Family flying!"

"Uh..."

The poop-scooper's temper is actually more violent than mine?

However, I like it!

What's with all this damn evidence, it's such a hassle.

Just scattering his ashes is enough!

Isn't it much easier to find evidence after scattering the ashes?

Xia Youchu immediately took out the communication talisman and sent her deduction about Great Elder Xia Mingyuan colluding with the Myriad Beast Pavilion in detail to Patriarch Xia Yuan.

Finally, she solemnly warned: "Father, this matter is of great importance, do not alert the enemy! Be careful and take precautions! Everything, wait until I return to discuss!"

After sending the message, the sense of urgency in her heart became even stronger.

She must improve her strength as soon as possible!

She must resolve the immediate threat of the Ghost Scorpion and the Thunder Jiao as soon as possible!

Then, return to Cloud City and completely settle accounts with Great Elder Xia Mingyuan's branch!

She stood up and looked into the depths of the wilderness, her eyes sharp as knives.

"Rest is over. It's time to continue."

Ling Tian also stood up.

"Let's go."

"Let's go find those two pieces of trash and settle the score!"

One human and one beast merged once again into the darkness of the vast wilderness.

...

Cloud City, the Xia Family.

Patriarch Xia Yuan stood alone in front of the study window, looking at the heavy night outside.

He had just received Xia Youchu's message.

After reading the content, even with his Realm of a Yuan King, he felt a jolt of heart-pounding shock!

Great Elder Xia Mingyuan colluding with the Myriad Beast Pavilion?

Xia Lingfeng's Emerald-grade War Beast is a forbidden beast from the Myriad Beast Pavilion?

If Youchu's deduction was true, then within the Xia Family, there was already a hidden tumor capable of dragging the Family into an abyss from which there is no return!

He recalled the details of his past interactions with Great Elder Xia Mingyuan.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt the possibility was extremely high!

Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain how Xia Lingfeng could have obtained an Emerald-grade War Beast so quickly!

The most critical point was that this matter was told by Xia Youchu, and he trusted his daughter unconditionally!

"Great Elder Xia Mingyuan, my good elder brother, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Patriarch Xia Yuan's eyes were cold.

He understood Youchu's concerns.

The Myriad Beast Pavilion's influence was extremely vast; if Great Elder Xia Mingyuan was truly cooperating with them, then there was no telling how many experts were watching this place from the shadows.

As a Yuan King, he really couldn't do much.

It might even be life-threatening!

But having been the head of the Xia Family for so many years, Patriarch Xia Yuan was no pushover.

As long as he waited for an opportunity, he could instantly annihilate Great Elder Xia Mingyuan's branch!