Qingxiao Pavilion.
Lin Xiao revealed a strange smile.
Yun Jin had been inside the Spirit Beast Forest for some time now. By now, she should have received the grand gift he had prepared for her.
Would she be able to withstand it?
Even if she managed to escape the first round, it would not matter. Since she wanted the Xuan Yin Crystal and the Tian Zhao Stone, she and Di Xiao were destined to be enemies.
Di Xiao was not lacking in wisdom. Perhaps for the sake of the bigger picture, he might have once spared Yun Jin's life. But once Yun Jin raised her request, Di Xiao would inevitably harbor the intent to kill.
Lin Xiao toyed with the wine cup in his hand, his gaze deepening.
Yun Jin.
Would you die here and now?
That would save me quite a lot of trouble.
-
Inside the Divine Hall.
Di Xiao's fury erupted without warning, and Yun Jin's pupils tightened slightly. Since entering the Spirit Beast Forest, one incident had piled upon another. She had thought Lin Xiao's scheme against her was this very upheaval. But judging from Di Xiao's reaction now…
Lin Xiao's true killing move must be the Xuan Yin Crystal and the Tian Zhao Stone themselves!
Yun Jin's mind spun rapidly as she spoke in a calm voice, "Senior, it was Pavilion Master Lin Xiao who told me these two items were in your hands. Perhaps I was young and foolish to have trusted that Pavilion Master Lin so easily?"
Without the slightest guilt, Yun Jin dragged Lin Xiao's name into the matter.
She would never allow herself to be the scapegoat. Di Xiao fixed his gaze on Yun Jin, his eyes still icy cold, but the terrifying aura around him gradually withdrew.
"Human," Di Xiao said coldly. "Your strength surpasses what I imagined."
Just now, he had unleashed at least fifty percent of his power. Such a terrifying pressure would have shattered the meridians of any ordinary Mahayana cultivator. Yet under that crushing force, Yun Jin remained unscathed, as if nothing had happened. Her true power clearly far exceeded what she had revealed. A trace of caution flashed across Di Xiao's eyes.
Yun Jin had made herself clear.
She sought the Xuan Yin Crystal and the Tian Zhao Stone for the sake of upgrading the Tai'a Sword. The Tai'a Sword was her life-bound weapon. Once it advanced, her strength would soar.
And if he asked himself honestly—
If he knew of something that could greatly enhance his power, would he abandon it?
Absolutely not.
In the cultivation world, strength was everything. He would scheme and fight for it by all means, never relinquishing it easily. If anyone else dared speak such outrageous words in front of him, he would have killed them instantly.
But the person before him was Yun Jin. She carried far too many connections. The Wushuang Sect, and even the three great Holy Lands, all stood behind her.
To kill Yun Jin would be tantamount to declaring war against the human race. If she were not so monstrously talented, Di Xiao could have suppressed his killing intent for the sake of the bigger picture.
But Yun Jin was dazzling beyond reason. At only sixteen years of age, she already possessed such cultivation. What if she was given another hundred years?
If she came again for the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone then, could he even refuse?
Even if he wanted to, he would be forced to give them to her!
Di Xiao's expression flickered, stormy and uncertain.
"Senior," Yun Jin sensed the faint killing intent still clinging to him, and said earnestly, "This junior truly does not know their origins. If these two items are vital to Senior, then I naturally would not insist."
It was not that Yun Jin feared Di Xiao. Rather, these were his possessions to begin with. Whether he wished to trade or not was his right.
Yun Jin would never force such a demand. Her voice carried such sincerity that Di Xiao narrowed his eyes, suppressing his killing intent at last.
He looked at her calmly. "Do you know what the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone truly are?"
Yun Jin shook her head. "I do not."
Di Xiao studied her for a long time.
Killing Yun Jin outright would indeed erase future troubles.
But…
Hadn't Lin Xiao sent Yun Jin here with precisely that intention?
Di Xiao pondered for a long while.
Yun Jin, meanwhile, tensed, ready to respond at the slightest movement. If Di Xiao suddenly struck, she had to be prepared. The next moment—
Di Xiao stood and extended a hand toward Yun Jin. Her gaze remained calm, not a hint of retreat in her eyes.
"Come with me," Di Xiao said solemnly.
A strange fluctuation swept past. By the time Yun Jin regained her senses, she was already standing in a spirit herb field. What shocked her was that every spirit plant here was at least of the ninth grade. Any single one of them, taken outside, would drive alchemists into a frenzy.
Di Xiao's calm voice echoed. "The reason I dare claim this Divine Hall is far stronger than the immortal artifacts of the four Holy Lands is because even with a missing palace pearl, its power remains terrifying.
This spirit field is also within the Divine Hall. It gathers heaven and earth's spiritual energy into this place. Here, regardless of type, spirit plants grow freely without care, and their growth speed far exceeds that of the outside world. Sadly, the area of this field is but this small. Otherwise, with such a sea of ninth-grade spirit plants, alchemists across the world would swarm the Spirit Beast Forest."
As Di Xiao spoke, Yun Jin's eyes gleamed with astonishment.
Within the Wushuang Sect's secret realm lay a wondrous spirit soil that nourished their plants, allowing them to grow far better than in the outside world. Yet even that could not compare. The spirit field within this Divine Hall was several times superior to what had been cultivated by the Wushuang Sect for a thousand years.
So this was…
The might of an immortal artifact!
Still, Yun Jin could not understand why Di Xiao had brought her here. Sensing her confusion, Di Xiao lifted his hand. The spirit field split open, revealing a massive coffin rising from beneath the earth.
Yun Jin's pupils contracted sharply.
A coffin?
Someone was entombed here.
A flicker of sorrow crossed Di Xiao's eyes as he stepped forward and slowly lifted the lid.
Yun Jin hesitated, but then followed to look inside.
Within the coffin lay an incomparably beautiful woman, her appearance enough to topple cities.
The woman's eyes were shut, her expression peaceful.
"This Senior… seems to still be alive," Yun Jin murmured.
The breath of life was faint, yet undeniable.
Di Xiao gazed at her and spoke calmly, "This is my younger sister."
Yun Jin was startled.
So this Spirit Beast King actually had a younger sister? She had never once heard anyone speak of this before. Even her Master Ji Wusi and the others likely had no idea.
Di Xiao said quietly, "My true form is the Taiyang Zhuozhao. My sister's true form is the Taiyin Youying. We had no parents, but were born naturally from heaven and earth."
After our birth, my sister and I searched the world for our kind. But we found none. At least in this realm, I am the only Taiyang Zhuozhao, and she is the only Taiyin Youying.
Our physiques are unique. I was born with ultimate strength and yang. She was born with ultimate softness and yin. This world has no divine beasts, and we ourselves never knew what rank we truly were. To the outside world, we simply claimed to be super spirit beasts. Yet in truth, our cultivation speed far surpassed any so-called super spirit beast."
Though Di Xiao's voice was calm, Yun Jin grew more tense with every word.
Such secrets, yet he was entrusting them to her ears.
And once she had heard them…
There could only be two outcomes.
Either she became bound to him in absolute mutual interest—
Or one of them would have to die.
===
Taiyang Zhuozhao (太阳灼照)
太阳 (Tàiyáng): The Great Sun / The Solar Principle
灼照 (Zhuózhào): To scorch and illuminate; to blaze with light.
This represents the ultimate, purifying, and masculine (Yang) force in the universe. It is not just the sun we see, but the primordial essence of solar energy—uncompromising, brilliant, and destructive in its purity. It is the power that burns away darkness, illusion, and impurity.
In myths and art, Zhuozhao is often symbolized as a golden crow or a three-legged crow (金乌, jīnwū) residing within the sun, representing its immense heat and power. It is the embodiment of absolute light and active energy.
Taiyin Youying (太阴幽荧)
太阴 (Tàiyīn): The Great Moon / The Lunar Principle
幽荧 (Yōuyīng): Dim/faint glow; a mysterious, gentle luminescence.
This represents the ultimate, receptive, and feminine (Yin) force in the universe. It is the primordial essence of lunar energy—mysterious, gentle, cooling, and introspective. It is the power of reflection, intuition, hidden knowledge, and subtle influence. Its light doesn't scorch; it reveals secrets.
Youying is often associated with the toad or the jade rabbit (玉兔, yùtù) on the moon in Chinese mythology. More esoterically, it is symbolized by a phoenix (as a counterpart to the solar crow), representing its graceful and boundless nature. It embodies absolute darkness and receptive energy.