127: Chapter 127 He...is my husband?

In mid-air, Ling Hao turned around. Not far behind him, two figures had quietly appeared, though he hadn't noticed when.

One was at the fourth level of Undergoing Tribulation, the other at the third level.

On the left was an old man wearing a dark brown beast-hide cloak. The edges of the cloak were adorned with the sharp teeth of unknown giant beasts, looking primitive and rugged.

His face was weathered, his beard and hair tangled, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. Every time he blinked, phantom images of ten thousand beasts seemed to stampede across his gaze, and his aura was majestic and vast.

On the right was a woman dressed in palace attire adorned with red-gold Phoenix patterns. The attire was incomparably magnificent, embroidered with gold thread depicting a Phoenix about to take flight. Her skirt fluttered as if flowing with molten gold flames. She was tall, with peerless beauty, and her brow carried the majesty of one who had long held a high position, like an Empress ruling over thousands of Cultivators.

Her Phoenix eyes were cold and deep. When they landed on Ling Hao's face, something beneath the eternal ice seemed to be quietly touched. A ripple spread deep in her eyes, and her fingers inside her wide sleeves curled slightly.

Seeing Ling Hao look over, Zheng Nanxun clapped his hands and laughed, his voice like a booming bell: "Hahaha! Spectacular! Truly spectacular! Fellow Daoist, your Divine Ability is vast. With a mere gesture, you destroyed this Erosion Source Blood Tree and even repelled the long-range strike from that Hall Master of the Niding Alliance! I am Zheng Nanxun of Wan Shou Mountain. I admire you! I truly admire you!"

His words were hearty, carrying sincere admiration.

Su Fengyi nodded slightly, her voice as cold and clear as ice jade striking together. "I am Su Fengyi of the Wutong Divine Dynasty. Fellow Daoist, your efforts here have benefited all of Cangwu. We accept this gratitude on behalf of all the living beings of Cangwu."

"May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist? Please inform us?"

Ling Hao frowned slightly and said directly: "Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect of the Qing State, Ling Hao."

"Qing State? Moonshadow Sect?"

The smile on Zheng Nanxun's face stiffened, and his eyes were instantly filled with astonishment. He looked Ling Hao up and down, as if confirming whether the other party was joking. "Fellow Daoist Ling, please do not jest! The Qing State is merely a fourth-grade Cultivation State; how could it..."

Before he finished, his gaze subconsciously turned to Su Fengyi beside him.

He saw that Su Fengyi's majestic Phoenix eyes were fixed on Ling Hao, her vermilion lips parted slightly: "I believe him."

Zheng Nanxun's mouth opened slightly, his expression completely frozen, his eyes almost popping out. He looked at Su Fengyi, then at Ling Hao, screaming frantically in his heart.

Did this old woman take the wrong medicine today?! Since when has she, Su Fengyi, been so... trusting of a strange man?!

This southeastern border of the Cangwu region is so barren; how could shallow waters raise a true Dragon?

Ling Hao ignored Zheng Nanxun's shock. He was more concerned about the root cause of the disaster and the mysterious organization.

"Erosion Source Blood Tree? Is this the source of the erosion qi in the Three Provinces Realm?" He pointed to the roots that had turned into powder. "Also, what is the Niding Alliance?"

At this, even a trace of surprise flashed in Su Fengyi's eyes. Zheng Nanxun couldn't help but say: "Fellow Daoist Ling, as a Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable, you actually do not know about the Erosion Source Blood Tree and the Niding Alliance?"

Ling Hao replied calmly: "I do not."

Su Fengyi shook her head slightly, unsure whether she believed him or not. "The Erosion Source Blood Tree is only one of the sources of erosion qi, not the fundamental one." She raised her jade hand and pointed to the northern sky. "The true source is at the intersection of the three provinces. There stands a... Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan."

"Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan?" Ling Hao's gaze sharpened.

Zheng Nanxun chimed in, his voice dropping, filled with deep wariness: "Correct! It is rumored that this tree was originally an Immortal root that fell from the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, when it crossed the boundary barrier, it was polluted by the turbid Qi of Chaos and became completely demonized!"

"Its roots penetrate the earth veins of the three provinces, constantly absorbing Spiritual Qi and converting it into endless erosion qi, polluting the entire Three Provinces Realm! Its power... far exceeds that of the Erosion Source Blood Tree you just cut down by ten thousand times!"

Ling Hao looked in the direction they pointed. The northern sky was clear and blue, without a cloud in sight, showing no abnormalities, as if perfectly concealed by an invisible force. Sure enough... it wasn't that simple.

"As for the Niding Alliance," Zheng Nanxun's face darkened, killing intent surging in his eyes, "Hmph! Like those Demon Race in the True Demon Realm, they are mortal enemies who intend to overthrow the three provinces and destroy the Daoist tradition of our Three Provinces Realm! It's just that they act more secretly and insidiously, hiding in the shadows, making them even more disgusting than the Demon Race!"

He paused and pointed to the devastation of the Golden Sands Land: "They obtained branches of the Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan from somewhere and used them to cultivate the so-called 'Erosion Source Holy Tree'."

"The one you just cut down was one of them. And the previous 'Erosion Rain Swamp Country' disaster that destroyed the Yue State was caused by them using another Erosion Source Holy Tree! A sixth-grade Yue State, hundreds of millions of living beings, all turned into withered bones!"

"I just don't know why a crimson projection appeared this time?" Ling Hao muttered to himself.

"Erosion Rain Swamp Country..." If it weren't for him, the erosion qi turning into rain might have truly turned the Qing State into a swamp country.

Zheng Nanxun continued: "Recently, those rats have also set their sights on the eight sub-tripods of the 'wu tripod' that guards the Foundation of the Cangwu region..."

"Sub-tripods?" Ling Hao's heart stirred, and he instantly thought of the small tripod Yu Lingshuang had given him. In Fuso Province, it was the Golden Crow Holy Land coveting the sub-tripod... Could the Golden Crow Holy Land be a stronghold of the Niding Alliance? If that were true...

Su Fengyi's gaze had never left Ling Hao. Seeing him deep in thought, she suddenly spoke, her voice losing some majesty and gaining a hint of nervousness: "The secrets of the Erosion Source and the schemes of the Niding Alliance are far-reaching. If Sect Master Ling wishes to learn more, you are welcome to come to my Qifeng Palace in the Wutong Divine Dynasty at any time." She extended an invitation.

When she uttered the last word, she turned her face slightly, looking into the distance, as if unwilling to meet Ling Hao's gaze.

"Eh?!" Zheng Nanxun, as if hearing something incredible, turned his head sharply to look at Su Fengyi, his face full of astonishment. "Fellow Daoist Su?! You... you would actually invite a man to your Qifeng Palace of the Wutong Divine Dynasty?"

This was an unprecedented event! In the Wutong Divine Dynasty and the surrounding countries, who didn't know that no man had ever entered Qifeng Palace?

He then seemed to think of something, suddenly realizing, and pointed at Su Fengyi, his tone full of teasing and surprise. "Ah! I understand! You woman, are you trying to rope in Fellow Daoist Ling to add bargaining chips for the Wutong Divine Dynasty to fight for the control of the wu tripod in the future 'Battle of the Tripod'? What a calculation!"

Su Fengyi glanced at Zheng Nanxun with her Phoenix eyes, not getting angry, just shaking her head gently: "That is not the case." Her gaze fell back onto Ling Hao, and deep within her eyes, there seemed to be an inexplicably complex emotion.

Ling Hao keenly captured the fleeting complexity in Su Fengyi's eyes. He felt a little surprised, but he didn't delve into it. He looked towards Qingxiao Mountain, where the aftermath of the Erosion Tide still needed to be dealt with.

"Thank you both for clearing things up." Ling Hao cupped his hands. "Although the Erosion Source is removed, the Qing State is still scarred, and I need to oversee the aftermath. If I have time in the future, I will pay a visit."

After speaking, his black-robed figure turned into a stream of light and vanished into the horizon in an instant. Leaving Zheng Nanxun and Su Fengyi standing in the dissipating dust of the erosion qi.

Zheng Nanxun watched the direction Ling Hao disappeared, then looked at the silent Su Fengyi beside him, scratched his messy hair, and muttered: "Strange, truly strange! Qing State... Moonshadow Sect... Ling Hao... Tsk!" He shook his head. "Forget it, I'll know once I go back and investigate!" His figure flickered and also vanished from the spot.

Su Fengyi stood alone in the wind, her red-gold Phoenix-patterned palace attire rustling. She gazed at the direction Ling Hao had left, silent for a long time. Deep within those cold and majestic Phoenix eyes, unprecedented waves surged. Finally, she also turned into a stream of red-gold light and flew away.

Wan Shou Mountain, Main Hall. Zheng Nanxun's tall figure appeared on the beast-bone throne, his voice loud: "Come here!"

A burly man with a fierce aura, wearing beast-hide armor, entered in response and knelt on one knee: "What are your orders, Old Ancestor?"

"Go investigate immediately! Investigate a fourth-grade Cultivation State called the Qing State, and the Sect within it—the Moonshadow Sect! And... the Sect Master, Ling Hao! The more detailed, the better!"

Wutong Divine Dynasty, Qifeng Palace. The fragrance of Wutong wood permeated the hall. Su Fengyi sat on the Phoenix chair carved from ten-thousand-year-old Wutong wood, her red-gold palace attire emitting a faint glow.

"Qingyi."

"This servant is here." A woman wearing light cyan feather garments, with a gentle and quiet temperament, respectfully stepped into the hall. She was graceful, and although her appearance was not as peerless as Su Fengyi's, she was still beautiful and refined.

"Go investigate." Su Fengyi's voice was devoid of emotion. "Investigate thoroughly the southeastern border of the Cangwu region, a Cultivation State named the Qing State. Focus on the Moonshadow Sect within it, and... the Sect Master, Ling Hao—his daily life, personality, preferences, style of conduct, interpersonal relationships, whether he has any romantic entanglements... Report everything you find to me secretly. I want to know everything about him."

She paused and added: "Classify this... as Class A priority."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Gu Qingyi felt a chill in her heart. She had never seen His Majesty attach such importance to a small country's Sect, so she did not dare to be negligent and immediately withdrew to execute the order.

Only, Gu Qingyi did not understand one thing: why investigate whether there are romantic entanglements? Was it necessary to be this detailed?

Inside Qifeng Palace, silence returned. Su Fengyi sat alone on the Phoenix chair. Outside the hall, the Wutong leaves rustled, reflecting the complex and difficult-to-understand light in her eyes. She slightly closed those Phoenix eyes that could topple nations, her red lips moving, whispering to herself with a trace of confusion and... a heartbeat:

"Moonshadow Sect of the Qing State... Ling Hao—"

"Is he... my... husband?"

"Don't you dare disappoint me..."