Zhang Mingyuan paced back and forth on the mountain peak with his hands behind his back, putting on the pompous air of a supervisor.
However, his divine sense had already spread out silently like an invisible net, instantly enveloping the entire Spirit Beast Garden.
His target was none other than the nests of those high-grade spirit beasts.
This sweep instantly left him dumbfounded.
Holy crap!
A clutch of Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Toad descendants? Weren't these things said to have gone extinct in ancient times?
How was there still a clutch of eggs here?
And deep in the eastern mountains, is that the bloodline of the Nine Underworlds Nether Snake? Its entire body was pitch-black, shimmering with an eerie light—clearly no ordinary creature!
Good grief, where did Su Jinxue capture so many rare species? There were far more varieties here than in Qingyun Heaven!
Zhang Mingyuan was practically blooming with joy.
Leaving an afterimage where he stood, his true self utilized the space Dao law to shuttle between the various hidden nests.
“Heh, nice egg. It's mine now.”
“Whoa, there are even innate Dao runes on this eggshell. Good stuff, mine!”
“You can never have too many demon beasts. I'll pack them all up and take them back to my Qingyun Heaven to guard the gates. That'll be so prestigious!”
He muttered righteously to himself as he stole, his movements fluid and seamless. He didn't alert a single one of the great demons huffing and puffing through their spring cleaning.
However, his actions, which he believed to be completely covert, were fully captured by a pair of slit pupils.
Held in a snow-white paw, a Projection Stone clearly recorded all of Zhang Mingyuan's movements.
A smug, cold smile appeared on her human-like face.
Zhang Mingyuan, you are so dead!
After about half an hour, Zhang Mingyuan returned to the mountain peak, fully satisfied.
He checked inside his small world. Looking at the mountain-like pile of various shimmering, colorful spirit beast eggs, he nodded with satisfaction.
He was rich!
Clearing his throat, he leapt into midair and announced to the crowd of demons still working diligently below in a compassionate tone, “Alright!”
“This Sacred Lord was merely testing you just now to see if you genuinely repent and if you still harbor any unhygienic habits!”
“It seems your performance was quite decent.”
Hearing this, all the great demons were so exhausted they couldn't even straighten their backs. Though they cursed Zhang Mingyuan thousands of times in their hearts, they still had to squeeze out expressions of tearful gratitude on their faces.
“Thank you for your magnanimity, Sacred Lord!”
Zhang Mingyuan waved his hand with a "teachable youth" expression, then pinched a hand seal with one hand.
“Grand Cleansing Art!”
As his voice fell, a soft white light radiated outward with him as the center. Wherever it passed, whether it was the rocks severed by sword intent or the snow stained red with blood, everything was instantly restored to its original state. The entire mountain peak became even cleaner and tidier than before.
Having finished all of this, Zhang Mingyuan turned into a streak of light and slipped away.
The great demons of the Spirit Beast Garden looked at each other in confusion, completely unable to fathom what kind of person this legendary Sacred Lord Zhang was, given his bizarre style of doing things.
“Finally... it's over.”
The Heaven-Shaking Mastiff reverted to its original form, its tongue lolling out.
But right at that moment, a shrill, miserable shriek pierced the sky.
“Holy crap! Where are my children?! Where is the clutch of eggs I just laid?!”
A giant bird covered in burning flames flapped its wings and rushed out of its nest, looking utterly frantic.
This cry was like lighting a fuse.
“My eggs are gone too!”
“Damn it! Who stole my offspring!”
“My nest has been completely cleaned out, ahhhh!”
For a moment, the entire Spirit Beast Garden was filled with rising and falling wails of demons searching for their missing eggs, throwing the scene into utter chaos.
...
On the other side, Zhang Mingyuan had arrived at the main hall of the Immortal Lord's Peak with an anxious heart.
That crazy woman had told him to find her once he was done. He had no idea what she was plotting.
As he stepped into the hall, a familiar cold fragrance, a mix of snow and winter plum blossoms, wafted over him.
High up in the hall, Su Jinxue sat upright on the main throne.
Her fire-red gown made her skin look even fairer than frost and snow. Her long, straight, and shapely legs were casually crossed, dazzlingly white.
Seeing Zhang Mingyuan arrive, she raised her crimson eyes slightly and said flatly, “Come here.”
“What do you want?” Zhang Mingyuan subconsciously took half a step back, maintaining a safe distance.
When dealing with this woman, he had to remain vigilant at all times.
“This Seat told you to come here.” Su Jinxue's voice lacked any fluctuation, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
“Oh.”
When standing under another's low roof, one had no choice but to bow one's head.
Zhang Mingyuan reluctantly shuffled over, stopping three feet in front of her.
Up close, the cold fragrance became even clearer.
Aside from her beautifully contoured collarbones, he could even see the fine, soft peach fuzz on her pale neck.
Further up were her rosy lips, full and moist, always giving him an urge to take a bite.
“Do not resist.”
Su Jinxue's cold voice rang out.
With that, before Zhang Mingyuan could react, she reached out with her slender, jade-like finger and tapped his forehead.
Her fingertip was icy cold, carrying a strange energy.
Zhang Mingyuan stiffened all over, feeling as if something was trying to forcibly intrude into his soul!
What on earth is this crazy woman doing?!
He instinctively wanted to circulate his cultivation to resist, but that force carried Su Jinxue's Red Dust Immortal will, making it completely impossible to oppose.
If he dared to forcibly resist, there would only be one outcome—his soul would explode on the spot!
Damn it! He could only accept his fate!
A moment later, Su Jinxue withdrew her finger.
Zhang Mingyuan immediately broke free, covering his forehead as he took several steps back, shouting in shock and anger:
“Holy crap! You crazy woman, what on earth are you doing? Why did you plant a Soul-Tracking Imprint on me?!”
Su Jinxue seemingly didn't expect him to have such a large reaction. The explanation she had prepared reached her lips but turned back into a cold command.
“Hmph, you are this Seat's Sword-Bearing Attendant. No matter when or where you are, this Seat must know!”
These words completely ignited Zhang Mingyuan's fury.
“Fine, fine, fine! So now you not only want to restrict my personal freedom, but you also want to monitor me twenty-four hours a day, is that it?!”
“I can't stand staying in this crappy Myriad Snow Palace for even another second! Just kill me! Go ahead!”
Zhang Mingyuan simply threw caution to the wind, thrusting his neck forward right in front of Su Jinxue.
Damn it, he was at least the dignified Sacred Lord of Qingyun Heaven, a mighty figure of his own domain!
It was bad enough that he was captured by her to be a Sword-Bearing Attendant, and he had even endured washing her feet, but now he was being monitored like a common criminal?
Who could stand this!
“Hmph!”
Su Jinxue's chest heaved with anger at his rogue-like behavior. She turned her face away, a trace of trembling in her voice that even she hadn't noticed,
“Who told you to provoke this Seat back then? This... this is your retribution!”
“Fine, fine, fine.”
Seething with rage, Zhang Mingyuan laughed out of sheer anger. He reached directly into his small world and pulled out the Projection Stone that recorded the image of the two of them kissing.
“Su Jinxue! Either you remove this thing for me today, or I will broadcast the contents of this Projection Stone to the spiritual jades of every single cultivator in the Xuanling Realm!”
Su Jinxue's figure trembled violently.
She whipped her head around, staring intently at Zhang Mingyuan. In her crimson eyes, a tempest of shock, anger, and a trace of... indescribable hurt swirled.
This bastard actually used this to threaten her again!
Did he really not understand her... feelings at all?
Her fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves, her nails digging deep into her palms, bringing a sharp sting.
A faint glint of tears silently welled up in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Zhang Mingyuan was completely stunned.
Huh? What was going on?
Why did it seem like she was the one who had suffered a massive grievance?
Please, he, Zhang Mingyuan, was the victim here, alright?!
Could it be... this woman...
Just as a myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind, a noisy clamor suddenly drifted in from outside the hall, interrupting their standoff.
“Back down, quickly! Is the Immortal Lord's main hall a place you lot can just barge into?” This voice belonged to the previous director of the Spirit Beast Garden.
Immediately after came the grief-stricken wails of countless great demons.
“We don't care! We must see Her Ladyship the Immortal Lord today! We beg the Immortal Lord to uphold justice for us!”
“Sacred Lord Zhang stole our children! This is simply outrageous, completely lawless!”
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