Chapter 515: Two Possibilities

’What the hell is happening, Xiao Ai? How could Yin’er’s soul cultivation take the form of a baby demon?’

[Unfortunately, I don’t have a clear answer to your question, but I do have two theories about my mistress’s situation, Master.]

’Tell me.’

[The first possibility is that her soul was affected by the darkness when her consciousness was imprisoned in darkness for seven years. The second possibility is that her cultivation soul took the form of a baby demon because of the Calamity of Darkness Technique’s influence. Or perhaps both factors affected her soul.]

Tang Xiao certainly remembered the darkness in Tang Yin’s soul space, and she spent seven years in the darkness.

He also remembered that the Calamity of Darkness Technique belonged to the Calamity Demon Race, and his big sister chose it because it was the strongest technique to support her darkness element.

However, Tang Xiao didn’t expect the two to affect Tang Yin’s cultivation soul so much that it took the form of a demon baby.

Tang Xiao turned toward the group. "As I said before, you guys are free to leave if you’re afraid of getting into trouble because of my wife, and I won’t stop you. However, I must warn you not to discuss this matter elsewhere; otherwise, I will consider you all my enemies."

Taixu Yue and Situ Yang said nothing, simply walking directly behind Tang Yin.

Regardless of what might happen, Tang Xiao was a part of the Situ Clan, and the Taixu Clan were their in-laws.

Since Tang Yin was both his big sister and his wife, they decided without hesitation to stay with them.

Moreover, they were certain that Taixu Wudie, Situ Lingshan, Situ Chengyang, Dugu Xinyu, and Murong Xianyin were aware of Tang Yin’s situation; otherwise, they would never have agreed to Situ Lingxi’s wish to marry Tang Xiao.

Xuanyuan Mengli and Luo Feng glanced at Xuanyuan Yueyao, who nodded at them. Although their trust in Tang Xiao wavered a little, they fully believed their young miss’s judgment. They walked immediately to Taixu Yue and Situ Yang’s side.

Zhu Xuan’er was torn between staying or leaving, and she looked to her good friend for advice, but Xuanyuan Yuyao left her to choose for herself.

Zhu Rongjun and Zhu Zhiwei initially had a good impression of Tang Xiao, but their opinion changed after he threatened them twice, and they wanted to separate from his group.

They looked at Zhu Xuan’er, who was still struggling to make a decision. Although they were elders of the Zhu Clan, her father and grandfather had already instructed them to abide by her choice; thus, they remained silent and waited for her to decide.

Xuanyuan Wenxuan stopped cultivating again and opened his eyes as soon as Zhu Xuan’er poked his waist. He looked at his fiancée before turning his gaze to Tang Yin. He was slightly surprised to see the demon baby on top of her head, and he immediately understood his fiancée’s intention in waking him. "Xuan’er, we’ll stay with Tang Xiao’s group until the end of the exploration."

"Alright," Zhu Xuan’er inwardly sighed.

Zhu Rongjun and Zhu Zhiwei were dissatisfied with Xuanyuan Wenxuan’s decision, but they understood the reason behind it, which was because of Xuanyuan Yueyao. Despite having the surname Xuanyuan, he was only a member of the Xuanyuan branch clan, and his status was far below hers.

Tang Xia naturally noticed Zhu Rongjun and Zhu Zhiwei’s expressions, but he said nothing and returned his attention to Tang Yin. He smiled in relief when he saw the baby demon above his big sister’s head had fully formed, and she had officially become a cultivator at the King Realm.

Tang Xiao looked at Sun Xiang’s cultivation soul, which was shrouded by water and lightning according to her two elements.

Xuanyuan Mengli and the others also observed Sun Xiang’s cultivation soul closely, not expecting her to possess two elements: water and lightning.

*Swoosh*

They were surprised by the qi that suddenly swept through the area around them, and it came from Huo Mianmian, who had just broken through.

She had previously been Shangguan Qingyue’s prisoner for several years, and her cultivation had never progressed, so they weren’t surprised by her sudden breakthrough.

Like Tang Yin and the others, Tang Xiao also gave Huo Mianmian a pill to stabilize her cultivation; he hoped she would be able to achieve a few more breakthroughs.

Among the other women, Huo Yan, Mu Qingge, Tang Yuan, and Zhang Xingcai were the closest to breaking through to the next stage, followed by Tantai Lingyan, Tang Huang, Sun Quan, and Zhang Fei.

Situ Lingxi and Situ Shuying’s cultivation were both at the Tyrant Level, so they were still a long way from reaching the next stage.

As for Duanmu Jingjing, her cultivation had already reached the Lower Rank of the Saint Level; she would take the longest time to break through.

Tang Xiao observed Duanmu Jingjing’s face; he knew the reason behind her seriousness in cultivation. After all, members of the elf race had also entered the space rift, and they would surely meet.

He could see the impatience on Huo Yan’s face; she even frowned again and again. After all, she had to return to the Huo Clan in five years, and she would be fighting her sister, who was already stronger than her.

He felt a twinge of regret over his decision not to bring Yu Xiaoling, Zhao Yuxian, and Jessica to the space rift. He was forced to leave them behind because their fighting abilities hadn’t developed much, and he couldn’t possibly protect too many people at once.

He actually wanted to bring Zhao Qing and Meng Xin along, but both women declined. They were aware of their own capabilities and realized they would only become a burden.

He left Yao Yao, Ran Yue, and Ran Xue behind because their cultivation levels were still too low, and their combat abilities were insufficient.

He looked at Cui Jing, who was curled up on his shoulder. "Aren’t you going to cultivate, Jing’er?"

Cui Jing looked up and shook her head.

"Why?"

Since they could not communicate directly, Cui Jing slithered down from Tang Xiao’s shoulder. Once on the ground, she used her tail to write on the soil.

"I see." Tang Xiao rubbed her python head. "If your cultivation reaches the point where you’re ready to break through to the Saint Level, you must let me know immediately, and I will give you a pill that will help you make the breakthrough smoothly."

Cui Jing’s eyes gleamed; she waved her tail in excitement. She had previously swallowed Tang Xiao’s pills, so she was not surprised that he had such a pill.

Even though they already knew Tang Xiao helped Situ Lingxi to form a contract with Cui Jing, Xuanyuan Mengli and the others were still astonished to witness his relationship with the Emerald Scale Python.

The Emerald Scale Python was one of the three overlords of the forest, and her cultivation was on par with theirs. Unless the situation required it, they preferred to avoid fighting her directly, especially given her gigantic body. Yet, she acted so docile in front of Tang Xiao, who was much weaker than her.

Tang Xiao took out a large chunk of roast meat and placed it in front of Cui Jing, who was drooling over it. "Haha! Go on, no need to be embarrassed and eat it."

Cui Jing didn’t bother to enlarge her body; she opened her small mouth and sucked the roast meat in at once, leaving everyone dumbfounded. She burped hard and used her snake tongue to wipe her lips.

"Hahaha," Tang Xiao laughed heartily, lifted her, and rubbed the area beneath her head. "You really like my grilled meat, don’t you? Once we’re done cultivating in this area, we’ll check out other places, and I’ll find plenty of beast meat for you."

Xuanyuan Yueyao shook her head and spoke. "You should continue your cultivation again, Tang Xiao."

"Yeah."

Tang Xiao hoisted Cui Jing onto his shoulder and closed his eyes, but he suddenly received a voice transmission from Mo Bing, informing him that she was on her way to his location.

He raised his eyebrows for a moment, and he told Mo Bing not to come to his location. After all, Xuanyuan Mengli and the others hated the demon race to the core, and if she came to their location, new problems would arise.

After receiving an answer from Mo Bing, Tang Xiao let out a sigh of relief and began cultivating once more.

Beside him, Xuanyuan Yueyao also closed her eyes, eager to break through to the Saint level. Since the qi in the space rift was much stronger than in their realm, she wanted to make the most of her time, hoping to break through to that stage before their time ran out.

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Huangfu Meizhen, Song Tianzun, and Zhan Yiran sat together by the campfire.

Throughout the day, Zhan Yiran had worn a tense expression; she was worried about Sun Qingyao’s condition.

Huangfu Meizhen knew her best friend’s character by heart. "Yiran, didn’t your cousin tell you that she was in a safe place with Shangguan Qingyue and Zhao Xuenning? Therefore, you should stop worrying about her and focus on yourself."

"Given Shangguan Qingyue’s character, do you think she will protect my cousin?"

Huangfu Meizhen already knew the Shangguan Qingyue who was with Sun Qingyue was an impostor, but she couldn’t tell her best friend.

"She—"

"I’ve asked Qingyue to protect your cousin, and she has agreed to that." Zhan Yiran looked at Song Tianzun. "Moreover, our location is too far from theirs, and it will take us a few days to reach them. The qi here is much stronger than in our realm, so you must be more patient and focus on your cultivation."