305: Xi Ling rushes to bring warmth

“Alas…”

He Guang Immortal King, in a green scholar's robe and a scholar's cap, opened and closed his folding fan.

He paced back and forth in the hall, his handsome and refined face twisted into a bitter gourd.

He had thought Gu Qing had subdued Xiao Kugua, but it turned out to be his wishful thinking.

Xiao Kugua was still the same Xiao Kugua, single-mindedly devoted to the Dao.

For two years, she hadn't contacted Gu Qing at all.

“My Lord, why don't we issue a bounty to find Young Master Gu?”

Hong Lan whispered.

The Heaven Refining Great Array and the Qi Tian Great Array had already been set up.

They were just waiting for the sacrifices to enter the 360 array bases, and Xi Ling would activate the Heaven Refining Great Array; they were all incredibly worried.

“This child is mysterious; if I can't find him, how could you possibly find him?”

Gu Qing returned to Bi Hai Ancient City, but left not long after, vanishing without a trace.

He had used great divine abilities but still couldn't find him. Such a situation meant either Gu Qing had a treasure that shielded heavenly secrets, or he was with an Immortal King, or he had entered a secret realm or grotto-heaven that shielded heavenly secrets.

“My Lord, if we can't find him, why don't we force him out?” Shu Ying suggested.

“Oh, how do you mean?”

He Guang Immortal King became interested.

“What if you find him?”

“You can't stop me.”

Xi Ling seemed to walk against the light, her silver hair flowing, her immortal demeanor ethereal, like a goddess who had stepped out of the God Realm.

“Nannan, must you really do this?” He Guang Immortal King knew Xi Ling had the Qi Tian Great Array.

He also knew Xi Ling intended to use Ran Yuzhu to bear the karma.

He also knew that Xi Ling's Qi Tian Great Array had succeeded before, and also failed.

It had failed last time.

However, because she was refining a lower realm, the World-Extinguishing Heavenly Thunder wasn't too terrifying, and he could still intervene.

This time, she was refining the Immortal Realm, and the World-Extinguishing Heavenly Thunder that would descend would definitely be terrifying, akin to a Heavenly Tribulation.

Once the karma transfer failed, Xi Ling's divine soul and true spirit would be locked, until her soul scattered.

Her only way to survive was to endure it.

But the Heavenly Tribulation that would descend would be no less powerful than an Immortal King's thunder tribulation.

Even with an Immortal King Artifact, Xi Ling couldn't resist it; only an Immortal King could.

If he intervened, the Heavenly Dao would send down an even more terrifying Heavenly Tribulation, and they would both be annihilated.

“Father, stop worrying about me. Go.”

A hint of plea appeared in Xi Ling's beautiful, glazed eyes, and her voice involuntarily softened.

He Guang Immortal King, who had been about to try and persuade her again, saw Xiao Kugua's pleading gaze and suddenly felt like his throat was choked.

With tears in his eyes, he flicked his sleeve: “Alright, Nannan, you will always be my good daughter.”

With that, a spatial portal appeared before him, and he stepped into it.

“Good heavens, is He Guang Immortal King really that emotional?”

“Are these two really father and daughter?”

“Doesn't seem like it.”

Gu Qing, hidden in the void, watched the changes in the father and daughter's expressions with swirling profound light in his eyes, feeling greatly shocked.

How could a ruthless and emotionless villain like Xi Ling have such an emotional father as He Guang Immortal King?

“Whew!”

Finally, he had chased his father away... Xi Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

“Miss.”

The four beauties, Hong Lan and the others, had tears in their beautiful eyes, their pleas evident, hoping immensely that Xi Ling would suddenly soften and abandon her plan to refine the Xuantian Domain.

They had raised Xi Ling from childhood, and this had been for nine lifetimes; the depth of their affection went without saying.

“Hehe.”

Xi Ling gave a mischievous smile: “You few, have any of you taken a liking to someone? While there's still time, I can still sell you for a good price.”

“Miss.”

The four beautiful women immediately stopped crying, their faces showing a look of annoyance.

Miss was really something; at a time like this, she was still making such jokes.

“No way, you actually thought I was joking?”

Xi Ling's smile grew even more wicked, and she said, enunciating each word: “I really plan to sell you, and I've already found a buyer.”

“…”

The four looked at each other, then shook their heads, still not believing her.

Miss was about to undergo a Heavenly Tribulation; why would she sell them?

Even if the other party offered a sky-high price, what good would it do?

Even if they were given an Immortal King Artifact, it would be useless.

Below the Immortal King realm, one simply couldn't unleash the power of an Immortal King Artifact, and Xi Ling already had one.

They also didn't think they were worth an Immortal King Artifact.

“Heh, just you wait.”

Xi Ling took out a communication jade slip, sent a message, and immediately felt a pang in her heart, as if pricked by countless tiny needles. A look of reluctance appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Of course, she wasn't actually going to sell the four of them, but rather find them a good home.

“…”

Gu Qing, who had received the message and heard the entire conversation of the five, looked stunned.

No way, no way?

Xi Ling wanted to sell people to him?

Why did it feel like he was dreaming and hadn't woken up yet?

He and Xi Ling were practically enemies; he estimated Xi Ling was already plotting how to deal with him in her mind.

The four beautiful women were stunningly gorgeous and at the Xuan Shen Peak. Anywhere in the Immortal Realm, any one of them, taken individually, would be an ancestor capable of holding her own.

How could Xi Ling give such a huge benefit to an enemy?

Could Xi Ling have gone crazy?

“Perhaps I'm overthinking it.” Gu Qing mumbled, waited for a moment, then stepped out of the void.

He wanted to see what Xi Ling was up to.

He felt a slight anticipation; if Xi Ling was serious, he would strike it rich.

“You've been in the Xuantian Domain all this time?”

Seeing Gu Qing arrive so quickly, Xi Ling's eyes narrowed, and a sense of unease rose in her heart.

She suspected that Gu Qing had perhaps seen through her plan to set up the Heaven Refining Great Array, which was why he had stayed until now.

“Yes, my daughter was just born, so I don't want to travel far for now.”

Gu Qing explained, to prevent Xi Ling from suspecting his intentions were malicious.

He was just a doting father now; what bad intentions could he have?

“Daughter?”

“Young Master Gu has a daughter?”

“Could the 'Great Poaching Demon' that's been widely rumored for the past two years be Young Master Gu?”

The four beautiful women exclaimed, deeply shocked by Gu Qing's words.

In their impression, Gu Qing should have been an unparalleled prodigy, single-mindedly cultivating the Dao and aiming for the peak.

How had he suddenly become a crazy doting father?

They couldn't accept it for a moment.

Xi Ling was equally shocked.

She also felt that for someone as ruthless and powerful as Gu Qing to act as a doting father was truly out of character.

However, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

As long as Gu Qing hadn't seen through her Heaven Refining Great Array, it was fine.

“What 'Great Poaching Demon'?” Gu Qing's eyelid twitched, utterly speechless.

Hadn't he just hunted a few more demon beasts and divine beasts?

“My apologies, Young Master Gu, we spoke out of turn.”

The four beautiful women bowed, their beautiful eyes shining as they looked at Gu Qing's incomparably handsome face.

He was vibrant and full of vigor.

His noble and transcendent aura, his every move, seemed to sway the grand forces of heaven and earth, like a Divine King ruling the cosmos.

The more the four looked, the more their hearts fluttered, their beautiful eyes becoming hazy, their legs feeling a bit weak.

Gu Qing's sudden appearance, and the buyer Miss spoke of, couldn't possibly be Gu Qing, could it?

Thinking of this, the four beautiful women's hearts suddenly pounded faster, and they thought: “Young Master Gu is truly young, and young is good. If… if…”

“Four Seniors, you overpraise me.”

Gu Qing avoided their gaze.

Although he was very strong and had limitless prospects, he wasn't even a Profound God yet. Accepting bows from four Xuan Shen Peak felt strange.

“Alright, all of you, sit down.”

Xi Ling suddenly spoke, seeing the four women's infatuated expressions. She felt a pang in her heart.

If not for being forced, she truly didn't want to give the four of them to Gu Qing.

Xi Ling suppressed her reluctance and said faintly: “Gu Qing, let's make a deal.”

“What deal?” Gu Qing asked calmly.

“I've cultivated a heaven-defying cultivation technique, which is extremely dangerous. If I fall, you will marry them.”

“If I succeed, you will return them to me, and as compensation, I will give you ten drops of time marrow.” Xi Ling was, after all, still reluctant; she didn't want them to marry until the very last step.

After thinking for a moment, she added: “Oh, and you must treat them as Dao Protectors, and only secondly as wives.”

She knew Gu Qing definitely had many women; asking him to marry them wasn't the best option. Treating them as Dao Protectors was most beneficial for the four of them.

“Is there something wrong with your head?”

“What are you thinking?”

Hearing this, Gu Qing felt contempt in his heart. What heaven-defying cultivation technique? Wasn't she just afraid she couldn't pass the Heavenly Tribulation?

However, since he was the one benefiting, he wouldn't expose Xi Ling.

But he still couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with Xi Ling's mind.

Had she suffered a cultivation deviation?

She didn't look like it.

Could Xi Ling be trying to use these four to investigate the secrets on his body?

That seemed impossible, because such an approach would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it would be gone forever.

It was well known that no cultivator would reveal their secrets to outsiders.

So, was Xi Ling really just giving him a handout?

“What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard?”

Xi Ling rolled her eyes, annoyed, and cursed: “If it weren't for your decent looks and passable talent, I wouldn't give them to you.”

She had made this decision after careful consideration.

The Qi Tian Great Array was profoundly mysterious, especially the karma aspect. She had studied it for nine lifetimes and only grasped some superficial knowledge.

She had no confidence whatsoever in transferring all the karma to Ran Yuzhu.

After all, the Heaven Refining Great Array was refined by her, and she was also part of it, devouring the essence of the Heavenly Dao.

Once Ran Yuzhu died, or the Qi Tian Great Array was destroyed by the World-Extinguishing Heavenly Thunder, she would be finished.

So she wanted to find them a good home.

Actually, at first, she had no such intention; it hadn't even crossed her mind.

But He Guang Immortal King actually suggested she get engaged to Gu Qing, always considering her safety, and that's when Xi Ling remembered.

The four also wanted to marry and start families, to have descendants.

If she failed this time and her soul was obliterated, would the four just find anyone to marry?

What if they married the wrong person and had a bad life?

And they definitely couldn't marry an Immortal King; at most, they would find a Profound God to settle with.

This absolutely wouldn't do.

Xi Ling couldn't accept them living a mediocre life.

After much thought, only Gu Qing was the most suitable.

Although she and Gu Qing were enemies, and she even wished she could tear Gu Qing apart.

However, for their sake, this bit of hatred was nothing.

Thinking this, Xi Ling glanced at Gu Qing with her beautiful eyes, thinking: “This bastard is annoying, but he's really good-looking. A handsome, young, and strong body, with talent unparalleled through the ages. Hong Yi and the others seem to like this type the most.”

Of course, appearance was secondary.

The main point was that Gu Qing could definitely become a Divine King; there was no doubt about that.

She, a nine-lifetime reincarnator, couldn't even defeat Gu Qing, let alone shake him in the slightest.

This was simply a freak.

Xi Ling suspected that Gu Qing was a god born of heaven and earth, disguised as a human.

A god born to control the Great Dao.

Only this could explain why Gu Qing had achieved so much in just a few hundred years, because post-heaven beings simply couldn't do it.

If Hong Yi and the others married Gu Qing, dual cultivation would bring endless benefits.

If they had offspring, they would be divine younglings, perhaps reaching the Profound God Realm upon adulthood.

Just like Gu Qing's daughter.

Although she hadn't seen her, having consumed so many demon beasts, her talent was absolutely formidable.

Perhaps upon adulthood, she would be in the Divine King Realm.

With powerful descendants, coupled with the bond of Dao Protection and countless years of companionship, Gu Qing would definitely treat them well.

Gu Qing wouldn't suffer any loss; in fact, he would win big.

To gain four Xuan Shen Peak beautiful women for free would be an immense help to Gu Qing.

Besides that, there were also the resources she would give, and her parents would definitely support Gu Qing as well.

This marriage, one could say, was a huge win for both sides.

It seemed only she was losing out significantly.

Thinking this, Xi Ling's heart twisted.

In her nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the biggest loss she had ever suffered was meeting Gu Qing.

She was practically rushing to give Gu Qing a handout.

What was even more twisted was that even if she succeeded, her father would probably still make her marry Gu Qing. At that time, they would be like accompanying maids, still unable to escape Gu Qing's clutches.

Then the ten drops of time marrow she had promised would be given for nothing.

Thinking of this, Xi Ling's small face became somewhat distorted.

“Meeting this bastard is simply the greatest tribulation of my nine lifetimes.”