Tai Lingxuan suddenly felt she was being very foolish.
When Ling Xi mentioned she had someone she liked, Tai Lingxuan should have been able to guess.
After all, there were no other men around the girl.
Tai Lingxuan just hadn’t expected that her greatest fear would become a reality in this manner at this very moment.
But was there truly no warning?
No, there was.
Ling Xi was already 16 years old, the age when a young girl’s heart first begins to stir.
As for Chen Yuyang, he was so outstanding, so dazzling, and at the same time, he looked after her and stayed so close to her.
Who else could Ling Xi possibly fall for?
Back during the Pill Convention, hadn’t the way Ling Xi looked at Yuyang already changed?
It wasn’t that Tai Lingxuan hadn’t noticed; she had simply been subconsciously avoiding the discovery.
What Tai Lingxuan expected least of all was that Ling Xi would actually come to her to discuss this matter.
She was discussing something that even Tai Lingxuan herself found difficult to choose.
Silence lingered for a long time.
Ling Xi looked at her Master with wide eyes, seeing the surprised expression on her face.
Her Master’s surprise was entirely within her expectations.
After all, if her two disciples suddenly developed an ambiguous relationship, any Master would be shocked.
However, she believed her Master would be able to understand her.
“Master, I’ve always felt a sense of closeness toward Senior Brother. It’s become even more pronounced lately.”
“Previously, when all those major sects and families came to fight over Senior Brother… I was really panicked then.”
“Even if you want to scold me for being selfish, Master, all I could think about back then was that I couldn’t let Senior Brother leave.”
“I… I don’t want Senior Brother to leave.”
“It was also at that moment that I realized my feelings for Senior Brother — this possessiveness — were definitely not ordinary.”
“Master, can you resolve my doubts? Is this love? Or am I simply afraid of change? Or perhaps I’m just jealous that Senior Brother has a better future?”
Ling Xi asked one question after another, her fingers gripping Tai Lingxuan’s sleeve, gently tugging at it.
Tai Lingxuan took a deep breath in secret.
‘This child…’
She hadn’t expected the girl’s emotions to be so intense.
Afraid of change?
Jealous?
Of course not.
Tai Lingxuan knew very well that Ling Xi wasn’t that kind of person.
She only said those things because these feelings had thrown her heart into chaos, making her overthink.
The girl wanted to find a rational explanation — an explanation that might be something other than ‘love.’
But the answer had actually been there all along.
Tai Lingxuan was certain.
“Ling Xi… this should be love.”
Tai Lingxuan sighed inwardly.
There was no scolding, nor was there any deception.
Tai Lingxuan spoke up.
“From what you’ve said, I am certain that you undoubtedly like Yuyang.”
Ling Xi pursed her lips.
The confirmation from her Master caused a brilliant light to spark in the young girl’s eyes, filled with excitement and anticipation.
“The, then Master… can your disciple… be with Senior Brother?”
Tai Lingxuan’s fingers tightened.
She really wanted to say: ‘You can’t!’
But looking at the hope in Ling Xi’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to voice those two words.
The thing between her and Yuyang had been an accident, after all.
Perhaps Ling Xi’s feelings for Yuyang had existed for a long time and were only now surfacing.
Tai Lingxuan was the one who was the disruptor, the intruder…
But…
Seeing Tai Lingxuan biting her lip and not answering for a long time, Ling Xi’s heart couldn’t help but sink.
‘Does Master… does Master not approve?’
‘If she were going to agree, why would she hesitate for so long…?’
The young girl’s heart was filled with anxiety.
Tai Lingxuan’s heart was also plagued by indecision.
*Boom — *
A massive explosion echoed without any warning.
Following that, the flying boat shuddered violently.
Tai Lingxuan’s expression changed instantly.
A powerful burst of spiritual energy erupted from her body, protecting both herself and Ling Xi.
At the exact moment her protection went up, a giant purple-red hand formed from spiritual energy smashed through the hull of the flying boat.
It struck hard, sending both Tai Lingxuan and Ling Xi flying back.
Tai Lingxuan quickly stabilized herself, though her aura was slightly disordered from the blow.
Her pupils shrank as she quickly looked toward the direction the giant hand had come from.
High in the sky, a massive rift had been torn through the clouds.
Within the clouds, a middle-aged man with a somewhat gloomy expression, wearing fire-red robes, stood with his hands behind his back.
He looked down from the firmament, exuding a terrifying pressure that made one’s heart tremble.
“Long Zhizheng!”
Seeing the man’s face, Tai Lingxuan practically squeezed those three words through her teeth.
Her voice trembled slightly, fueled by an incredible rage.
It was him!
He had actually come!
Just as Yuyang had feared, this man had truly disregarded his reputation and influence to come and kill her.
Looking at the surroundings, the area was indeed desolate.
There was almost no one within 1,000 miles.
Even if he killed her here, he could easily leave at his leisure.
Even if others suspected him, they wouldn’t find any evidence to threaten him.
Long Zhizheng stood high in the sky, his cold gaze sweeping over the wreckage of the flying boat and the two women like a physical force.
He couldn’t help but frown slightly.
‘Why isn’t that meddlesome, annoying brat here?’
On second thought, it didn’t matter.
His primary target for this trip was here, and that was enough.
“Hmph, your reactions are quite fast.”
Long Zhizheng gave a cold snort, looking down at Tai Lingxuan with eyes full of contempt.
“Unfortunately, your strength is still a bit too weak.”
Muttering in a low voice, Long Zhizheng didn’t intend to give Tai Lingxuan any room to breathe.
His next move was a full-power strike.
He slowly opened his right hand and made a pressing motion toward Tai Lingxuan.
*Rumble — *
A massive sound thundered out.
In an instant, the world changed color!
Vast spiritual energy erupted, condensing, compressing, and weaving together in the sky.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a purple-red giant hand with a diameter of 100-zhang, seemingly blotting out the sun!
Wisps of golden law aura swirled around the giant hand, carrying a terrifying power that seemed capable of crushing everything.
It clawed downward toward Tai Lingxuan and the Ling Xi beside her!
“Ma, Master!”
Ling Xi was stunned by the sudden attack.
Her entire body was stiff, her eyes wide with shock, and her mouth had been unable to close since the start.
Tai Lingxuan had no time to worry about Ling Xi right now.
She bit her lip hard, staring at the purple-red giant hand that was drawing closer and closer, nearly occupying her entire field of vision.
Her heart hammered against her chest like a drum.
To affect the laws of heaven and earth with a mere gesture.
‘Is this the Great Ascension Realm?’
Even though her Integration Level 9 state seemed only one step away from the Great Ascension Realm, Tai Lingxuan only truly felt the massive gap between them now that she was facing it.
It was a terrifying difference of ten times, dozens of times, or perhaps even 100 times.
Furthermore, Tai Lingxuan was certain that even if 100 versions of herself showed up, she wouldn’t have much chance of winning.
There was no time for hesitation, nor was there time for fear.
In the moment before the giant hand fell, Tai Lingxuan’s fingertips touched a cold talisman.
She didn’t know the name of this talisman, nor did she know its specific grade.
She also didn’t know if Chen Yuyang truly understood the horror of the Great Ascension Realm when he said this talisman could match that level of power.
But her choice now was to believe.
At this moment, all she could do was trust Chen Yuyang and the things he had left for her.
“Break for me!”
A look of determination flashed in Tai Lingxuan’s eyes.
Using almost all her strength, she crushed the talisman.
The moment the talisman shattered…
Time seemed to freeze.
Everything fell into a dead silence.
In that silence, a pressure was released.
Next, a brilliant golden light condensed from the scattered golden runes within the shards of the talisman in Tai Lingxuan’s palm.
The golden light wasn’t dazzling, but it carried an indescribable dominance.
The sense of oppression brought by the purple-red giant hand vanished in an instant.
“Hmm?!”
High in the sky, Long Zhizheng’s expression changed abruptly, and a flicker of suspicion flashed in his eyes.
‘What kind of technique is that?’
‘What is that golden light?’
‘Why does the power contained within that light actually make me feel a faint sense of threat!’
“A mere trick!”
Long Zhizheng snorted coldly.
The spiritual energy around him surged even more violently.
The purple-red giant hand instantly grew another size larger, and the golden patterns within it became even more condensed.
The speed at which it lunged toward Tai Lingxuan increased several times!
However, just as the purple-red giant hand was about to fall, the golden light underwent a further change.
*Roar — *
A low dragon roar echoed through the heavens and earth.
A 1-zhang-long phantom of a golden True Dragon slowly condensed within that golden light!
The golden dragon had distinct scales and claws, its whiskers drifted elegantly, and its pair of golden dragon pupils stared at the giant hand without emotion.
Then, the dragon soared into the air.
Its 1-zhang-long body could not even be compared to the scale of the 100-zhang giant hand.
However, the moment the giant hand made contact with the True Dragon phantom…
Crack after crack blossomed out, spreading rapidly until they covered the entire purple-red hand.
*Boom — *
Accompanied by an ear-splitting explosion and a violent shuddering of space, the giant hand burst apart.
The phantom of the True Dragon also dissipated within the explosion.
As the violent shockwaves of energy cleared, Tai Lingxuan staggered back a few steps, only managing to stay upright by using her spiritual energy defense.
Tai Lingxuan raised her head, looking at the spot where the True Dragon phantom had vanished with a complex expression.
Her eyes were full of disbelief.
Perhaps Long Zhizheng had been too far away to see clearly, but she had seen it with absolute clarity.
That golden light wasn’t some incomprehensible thing.
Its core was merely a thumbnail-sized True Dragon scale condensed from the laws of heaven and earth.
‘No wonder… no wonder a single talisman could erupt with such world-destroying power, even crushing a full-power strike from Long Zhizheng at Great Ascension Level 3!’
‘But to use a True Dragon scale to create a talisman… what a massive undertaking!’
‘Yuyang… the protective item he gave her was actually valuable to such an extent!’
This had already far exceeded the category of ordinary defensive magical treasures.
Recalling the stack of dozens of talismans, Tai Lingxuan couldn’t help but click her tongue in shock.
‘Did Yuyang’s father skin a True Dragon alive?’
However, at this moment, facing Long Zhizheng, Tai Lingxuan felt that she finally had some degree of confidence.
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