Half a day later, Zi Lingling and Ye Lingyuan, along with Zi Guochang, the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang, and the Dark Gale Leopard, stood at the spot where she had previously jumped down.
Ye Lingyuan looked at her with doting eyes, a smile in his gaze.
No matter the time or circumstance, his Ling'er was always so beautiful.
However, the expressions of the others were a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Zi Guochang looked at his daughter with admiration, his tail almost wagging in pride.
His pride, of course, stemmed from the fact that he had discovered his daughter was a once-in-a-millennium alchemist.
As for the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang, he secretly felt relieved, while looking at Zi Lingling with a peculiar expression.
It was as if he were studying a monster, a monster he desperately wanted to dissect with a scalpel before studying.
Damn it!
This young girl before them, merely twelve or thirteen years old, was not only a spiritual practitioner at the late Saint King realm but also an alchemist. Was she leaving any room for others to live?
Fortunately, he had only been focused on currying favor with Zi Lingling, hoping she would help him escape this forsaken place.
Therefore, he had not dared to offend her. Offending an alchemist would be a loss far outweighing any gain.
As for the Dark Gale Leopard, its current feeling towards Zi Lingling was nothing but admiration.
It was extremely fortunate in its choice. It was now immensely proud to be Zi Lingling's mount.
Setting aside Zi Lingling's terrifying combat prowess and alchemist status, even her speed in collecting medicinal herbs was astonishing.
Others collected herbs one by one, and only the herbs themselves. Zi Lingling collected them by the patch, scouring the ground clean.
Of course, the Dark Gale Leopard was unaware that Zi Lingling possessed the spatial artifact, the Goddess Hall, capable of holding any amount of medicinal herbs, or rather, growing them.
The reason Zi Lingling left no corner of the ground unturned was that she intended to transplant the herbs along with the soil.
This method would maximize the preservation of the herbs' spiritual essence, leading to higher quality elixirs.
What shocked the Dark Gale Leopard even more was that Zi Lingling casually produced an Emperor-grade elixir and fed it directly to Ye Lingyuan.
Her expression was natural, without a trace of reluctance.
It was then that the Dark Gale Leopard realized it had unwittingly attached itself to a powerful patron.
The gazes of the three individuals fixed on Zi Lingling were naked and greedy, as if they were looking at a delicious piece of meat.
Being stared at by one person and two beasts made even Zi Lingling feel a chill in her heart.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Zi Lingling shivered and asked.
"Cough cough!"
Zi Guochang said sheepishly, "Ling'er, can you tell your father honestly, what level of alchemist are you?"
After Zi Guochang asked this, the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang and the Dark Gale Leopard pricked up their ears.
Especially the Dark Gale Leopard, which had a bold conjecture that needed to be confirmed.
"This... can I not say?" Zi Lingling said with some difficulty.
She wasn't afraid of revealing her alchemist level, but rather of frightening Zi Guochang and the dragon and beast.
Zi Guochang said with a sly grin, "You can choose not to say, but if I get curious, my heart feels like it's being scratched by a cat. If I were to be distracted and fall while climbing later, my old bones might just fall apart."
The five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang also smiled and said, "Miss Zi, rest assured, I will not reveal a single word of what you say today, or rather, of everything that happened in the Dark Abyss!"
The Dark Gale Leopard affectionately nudged Zi Lingling's arm and said, "Master, I won't betray you!"
It said this because Zi Lingling had not signed a contract with it, meaning it was still merely Zi Ling's mount, not Zi Lingling's contracted beast.
"Do you really want to know?"
Zi Lingling sighed, resigned.
Her good intentions were ultimately going to be tossed aside like trash.
Zi Guochang, the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang, and the Dark Gale Leopard exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
"Ling'er, I am also very curious. Was the detoxification pill you gave me an Emperor-grade elixir?"
Ye Lingyuan also spoke at the opportune moment.
Although he had always believed that any miracle happening to his Ling'er was normal, he couldn't help but want to confirm it.
"Emperor-grade elixir?"
Upon hearing these four words, the eyes of Zi Guochang, the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang, and the Dark Gale Leopard burned even brighter.
Zi Lingling closed her eyes and nodded.
She truly couldn't bear to see the people and beasts around her being utterly devastated.
Upon seeing her nod, except for Ye Lingyuan, one person and two beasts collectively turned to stone.
"My heavens!"
Zi Guochang muttered to himself and slumped to the ground.
Damn it! This was too terrifying!
Thirteen years old, no, Zi Lingling hadn't even had her thirteenth birthday yet.
Therefore, it should be said, a twelve-year-old Emperor-grade alchemist, what kind of concept was that?
The continent's foremost alchemist, Situ Jinglei, who was fifty or sixty years old, was only a high-grade alchemist.
But his daughter?
A twelve-year-old Emperor-grade alchemist was not just a stunning debut, but an earth-shattering phenomenon!
The five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang's fists clenched and unclenched, his heart struggling with indecision about leaving.
Suddenly, with a "plop," he knelt on the ground and said, "Miss Zi, are you still accepting mounts? Look at me, I'm not only powerful but also very imposing to ride. How about you sign a contract with me?"
"Scram!"
Before Zi Lingling could speak, Ye Lingyuan roared and raised his foot to kick the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang.
His face was incredibly dark, and he wished he could skin the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang alive.
Hmph! Any male, especially one who could transform into human form, who wanted to get close to his Ling'er would first have to ask if he agreed.
The five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang's attention was entirely on Zi Lingling, and he hadn't expected Ye Lingyuan to make a move so suddenly.
However, as a peak Grand God realm cultivator, his reaction speed was more than sufficient.
He managed to shift his body back three inches, narrowly dodging Ye Lingyuan's kick.
"What are you doing!" the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang roared.
Zi Guochang and the Dark Gale Leopard were dumbfounded. They couldn't understand why Ye Lingyuan had suddenly attacked.
Zi Lingling also paused for a moment, but she quickly realized—Ye Lingyuan, the king of jealousy, was overflowing with it. This made her quite speechless.
"Hmph! Ling'er already has a dragon mount, so if you dare to approach Ling'er, you will be killed without mercy!"
Ye Lingyuan emanated coldness from his entire being.
He was not trying to intimidate the five-clawed golden dragon Ao Xiang, as the killing intent in his eyes was completely undisguised.