The white jade dragon boat floated lightly, and within a moment, it soared away, leaving the heavenly soldiers behind.
Ye Ziling curved her lips into a smile, leaning back contentedly in her seat to admire the scenery. Who would have expected a shadowy figure to follow closely behind, impossible to shake off.
Ye Ziling turned her head to see Ling Xi, riding a winged dragon, circling behind her, his gaze burning, pursuing her relentlessly.
[System: Lord Ling, how is this divine beast's speed?]
Ling Xi looked straight ahead, his steps carried by the wind, completely ignoring the system's nonsense.
He knew that as soon as this wicked beast appeared, there would be no good. Today, he had just escaped the heavenly soldiers, and his boat had been stolen again.
The cold wind blew against his robes, and the exquisite hair ribbon on his head, along with his robes, fluttered and spun, complementing his handsome face, making him appear like an immortal banished from heaven.
"Noisy," Ling Xi said indifferently, then increased his speed, catching up to the white jade dragon boat in a short time.
[System: Lord Ling, don't be like this. I'm here to assign you a mission.]
"Speak," Ling Xi said, pressing his temples with impatience.
[System: Please don't hit me when I tell you… not even force shutdown!]
"Then shut up."
[System: New mission issued, retrieve the Sun Moon Divine Lamp…]
Ling Xi's veins bulged, and his usually calm and placid eyes stirred up a storm. He laughed in his fury, "You just told me to return it, and now you're telling me to snatch it? You wicked beasts are truly capricious."
[Ding—Host requests self-destruction.]
[System: Wait! Lord Ling… Lord Ling! Listen to me first, mission complete, I'll give you a resurrection card!]
"Are you cursing me to die?" Ling Xi asked with a smile at the corner of his eye, his tone extremely mocking.
He wasn't dead yet, so why would he need a resurrection card? Let alone the mortal realm, even in the celestial realm, very few could match him. It was difficult for him to die.
This damned talent.
[System: Lord Ling, please calm down. This is a backup, just in case! It's better to have it than not. You'll encounter many dangers on the path to conquering the elites.]
"You'd best pray I can become the Heavenly Emperor in the end."
Otherwise, I will surely destroy you, you wicked beast.
The system felt ashamed and remained silent.
After an unknown amount of time, a weight quietly settled on the stern of the boat. Ye Ziling glanced sideways and indeed saw Ling Xi sitting at the stern, leisurely tilting his head back and drinking tea.
Ye Ziling's gaze was deep. She flipped into the air, sweeping a leg towards him, but he narrowly dodged it.
The evening breeze stirred her loose hair, a few strands softly brushing against the man's cheek. The scent of campanula diffused in the wind. He leaped lightly to the bow of the boat and leaned lazily against the seat.
Ye Ziling knew she was injured, her immortal power was weak, and this man was quite capable. She couldn't do much to him. Getting straight to the point, she asked, "What do you want?"
Ling Xi chuckled softly, put down his teacup, and teased her in a light and breezy manner, "You."
Ye Ziling's face instantly darkened, as if ink was about to drip from it.
The man came to her side, staring at her as if entranced, his lustrous eyes holding a hint of imperceptible coldness. He raised his hand as if to caress her slender waist.
He tilted his head, his deep voice resonating in her ear, carrying a hint of weariness, "You, and the Heaven-Suppressing treasure in your bag."
The hot breath lingered in her ear, with a touch of intimacy, like a breeze fanning a spark, casual yet capable of captivating the heart.
Ye Ziling pushed him away, smiled enchantingly, and threw two words back, "Dream on."
This Heaven-Suppressing treasure was good material for her to repair her primordial spirit. If she gave it to him, what would be the point of her escape?
If this treasure fell into Qing Bai's hands, and he collected all its fragments, the Sun Moon Divine Lamp would reignite. At that time, the celestial realm would capture her to be sacrificed.
Now she was a mortal, but her soul was still the material of the Sun Moon Divine Lamp. At that time, that madman Qing Bai would turn the three realms upside down to find her.
Now her primordial spirit was shattered, and she was no longer the magnificent Tu Yao Goddess of the past. How could she possibly contend with the celestial realm?
Moreover, her revenge was not yet taken; how could she be willing?
Ling Xi chuckled softly, "Young lady, do you not know that the celestial realm is searching for this treasure?"
Since the Sun Moon Divine Lamp was shattered, Emperor Qing Bai had never given up on finding it. He had already set up search points throughout the human world, specifically to find the Sun Moon Divine Lamp.
"The checkpoint is just ahead. If you pass through this gate and the trace of the Sun Moon Divine Lamp is found, the heavenly bell will automatically ring," Ling Xi said with a self-amused smile, his gaze lingering on the gateplate not far away.
Ye Ziling followed his gaze and indeed saw a crowd of soaring boats stopping one after another, forming a queue under the gateplate, waiting to be searched.
Ye Ziling scoffed, twirling a strand of hair between her fingertips, "If that's the case, why do you want this troublesome item?"
"No comment."
"What if I say no?" Ye Ziling smiled like a soul-snatcher, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes.
"Then I will steal it. If I can't steal it, I will rob it," Ling Xi met her gaze, his thin lips curling into a cold and beautiful smile, saying it with complete candor.
A scent of gunpowder rose between them again.
Unknowingly, the white jade dragon boat had reached the checkpoint.
Before long, the scent of gunpowder was interrupted by a voice.
"According to reports from the Heavenly Court, a piece of the Sun Moon Divine Lamp, recently recovered by the Emperor, has been taken. The celestial realm has ordered us to close all search points and look for suspicious individuals."
"Understood."
With that, several heavenly soldiers uniformly sealed the gate and began searching the remaining boats.
"Young lady, please cooperate with the search. Open your bag." Two heavenly soldiers walked towards her, their eyes fixed on the芥子袋 (mustard seed pouch) at her waist.
Seeing the soldiers behind her about to catch up, Ye Ziling's fingers tightened slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.
Ling Xi sat on the boat as if nothing had happened, casually raising an eyebrow, as if watching how she would handle it.
"Stop! Quickly catch the criminal!" Before Ye Ziling could come up with a plan, the heavenly soldiers shouted breathlessly from behind, and soon they disembarked and surrounded her.
Ye Ziling glanced around, then leaped into the air, sending the two heavenly soldiers in front of her flying with a palm strike. She grabbed the bag from her waist and thrust it into Ling Xi's arms, instructing him, "Keep the Sun Moon Divine Lamp for me. We'll meet after we escape."
With that, she knocked down the surrounding heavenly soldiers and carved a path through the chaos.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Ling Xi's eyes. Before he could react, he was surrounded by heavenly soldiers, and the tea he was sipping instantly lost its flavor.
"So you're all in this together! Quick, ring the heavenly bell!" the heavenly soldiers shouted hoarsely, completely encircling Ling Xi.
"Wait a moment," Ling Xi frowned, about to explain, but the heavenly soldiers paid no heed, raising their spears and lunging at him.
Ling Xi had no time to spare. After taking down a few soldiers, he presented a token from his waist.
"Presumptuous!"
Seeing the golden token engraved with the words "Zhuangyuan" (top scholar), the heavenly soldier's mouth widened, and he suddenly froze.
This is… the Zhuangyuan Heavenly Token?
After confirming the token, the heavenly soldier quickly lowered his spear, his face pale, and bowed in half-kneel, "… Please, Zhuangyuan, forgive us…"
This Zhuangyuan token was bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor, who valued talent, had set up a Zhuangyuan quota in the celestial examination. However, very few people passed the examination, and even veteran immortal elders couldn't pass it. For years, only one beast-taming Zhuangyuan had appeared in the mortal realm, and that was Lord Ling Xi.
Ye Ziling had just carved out a path when several qilin suddenly blocked her way, their faces menacing, baring their teeth and claws as they lunged at her. Following that, heavenly beasts descended like a drizzle, forcing her to stop, her eyes sharpening.
Having worked in the celestial realm, she naturally knew the rules of coexistence between mortals and deities.
No matter how serious the offense committed by a mortal, it would first be handed over to the mortal realm for processing. Only after confirmation would they be escorted to the celestial realm for sentencing.
Now that she was severely injured and her immortal power was weak, as long as she didn't use immortal power, she would be no different from an ordinary mortal. She would be escorted to the mortal realm first, and she would still have a chance to escape.
Seeing the criminal standing still, the heavenly soldiers swarmed forward and surrounded her.