Zi Lingling subconsciously extended her divine consciousness upon hearing this.
The moment she did, she was startled.
The black demonic energy outside Ao Xiang's body had already condensed into a tangible form.
No wonder she felt the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb in her body jumping wildly the moment she woke up.
"He's fallen into demonic possession!"
Zi Lingling said hurriedly, then quickly moved to Ao Xiang's side.
The Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb appeared and hovered directly above Ao Xiang's head, voraciously devouring the demonic energy around him.
At the same time, she quickly formed seals, and in an instant, the Demon Suppressing Seal and the Demon Sealing Art were completed and fused together, locking the space around Ao Xiang.
"What's going on? How did he fall into demonic possession?"
After finishing everything, Zi Lingling turned to Ye Lingyuan and Zi Guochang as if asking for an explanation.
Ye Lingyuan remained silent. Although he had withdrawn his divine consciousness because of Zi Lingling, his powerful spiritual sense was still active.
The reason he hadn't intervened was that, in his opinion, Ao Xiang, even if possessed, wouldn't pose much of a threat.
Secondly, Zi Lingling had been in a deep sleep, and Ye Lingyuan's focus was entirely on her, leaving him no time to bother with Ao Xiang.
Thirdly, Ao Xiang, despite possessing the cultivation of the peak of the Small Divine Realm, was unable to control his emotions, which Ye Lingyuan found extremely contemptible.
Fourthly, Ao Xiang's concern for Zi Lingling's friends made Ye Lingyuan very displeased, so this could be considered a minor punishment.
Of course, Zi Lingling was unaware of the last two reasons.
Otherwise, her understanding of the "King of Vinegar's" jealousy would have reached new heights.
While Ye Lingyuan was silent, Zi Guochang spoke.
"You were asleep, and both Xiao Yuan and I were focused on you, so we didn't notice him. Besides, it's difficult to detect his anomaly at the bottom of this dark abyss shrouded in darkness."
"Is that so?"
Zi Lingling's lips curved into a sly smile as she looked at Ye Lingyuan meaningfully.
She believed Zi Guochang hadn't noticed Ao Xiang's anomaly, but Ye Lingyuan's oversight was unexplainable.
This was because she knew Ye Lingyuan's cunning nature all too well.
Ye Lingyuan smiled and said nothing.
Soon, the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb had absorbed all the demonic energy around Ao Xiang, even extracting all the demonic energy from within him.
Ao Xiang's eyes finally regained their clarity, with not a trace of blackness left in them.
Just as Zi Lingling was about to retract the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb, she felt a thought transmitted from it.
"Don't take me back, the demonic energy here is my nourishment, I need to absorb it!"
Zi Lingling was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Firstly, although the demonic energy here couldn't erode her, Ye Lingyuan, or Zi Guochang's minds, it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Secondly, refining the black space required her to deal with the demonic energy.
Therefore, under the combined influence of these three reasons, she ultimately allowed the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb to roam freely at the bottom of the Dark Abyss.
The Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb leaped joyfully, then vanished into the darkness.
Fortunately, Zi Lingling had a soul connection with it, so she wasn't worried about losing it.
The moment the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb disappeared, Ao Xiang finally regained his senses.
Seeing the three of them staring at him, he stammered nervously, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Ye Lingyuan sneered and remained silent.
Such was his nature; he was a chatterbox around Zi Lingling but spoke only when necessary to others.
Zi Guochang wanted to speak, but Zi Lingling beat him to it.
"You really don't know what happened before?"
Ao Xiang shook his head, looking utterly bewildered. "I don't know! What happened?"
Zi Lingling's gaze was piercing as she scrutinized him and said indifferently, "You fell into demonic possession!"
"Fell into demonic possession?" Ao Xiang yelped in shock. "How is that possible?"
Zi Lingling frowned. "It shouldn't have been possible, but who told you to be unable to control your inner demons?"
Ao Xiang froze, then recalled everything that had happened in the illusion.
Everything he and Xi Xi had experienced in the illusion played on repeat.
Watching Xi Xi close her eyes in his arms again and again, his rage burned everything.
Especially Xi Xi's last words before each death, which became fuel for the flames of his anger, making them burn hotter and hotter, incinerating his remaining sanity.
Furthermore, after he had cleared the illusion thanks to Zi Lingling's intervention and regained consciousness, feelings of inferiority and jealousy arose within him, thus forming his inner demon.
In this dark abyss, shrouded in demonic energy, having an inner demon was equivalent to stepping onto the threshold of demonic possession.
And since they were in the depths of concentrated demonic energy, his fall was unavoidable.
With this realization, Ao Xiang finally understood what had happened.
A hint of guilt crossed his face, and he said, "I'm sorry!"
Zi Lingling shook her head. "You didn't cause us any harm, so there's no need to apologize. If you must apologize, then apologize to yourself, or to... Xi Xi!"
After saying this, she turned and walked towards the depths.
This was because the Heaven and Earth Demonic Orb had informed Zi Lingling that it had found the source of the demonic energy.
If she wasn't mistaken, that source should be the seal of the demon realm entrance that Xiao Hei had mentioned.
Therefore, she had no time to delay; she had to rush to reinforce the seal and then refine the black space.
Ye Lingyuan cast a contemplative glance at Ao Xiang and then followed Zi Lingling's footsteps.
Zi Guochang, though still somewhat dazed, retained his intellect as the former patriarch of the Heavenly Revelation Zi family.
With a moment's thought, he understood the sequence of events.
"Sigh! What can I say about you?"
Zi Guochang shook his head and went to catch up with Zi Lingling and Ye Lingyuan.
Only Ao Xiang remained on the spot, a bitter expression on his face.
"Ao Xiang, you need to wake up! You've been blinded by hatred for a thousand years, paying the price of a thousand-year separation from Xi Xi.
Furthermore, you've killed many of your own kind. The Dragon Clan, after all, raised you, so it's time to let go!"
Ao Xiang muttered to himself, then looked up towards the sky.
Although the bottom of the dark abyss was perpetually shrouded in darkness and demonic energy, preventing him from seeing the sky, he still looked up.
"Xi Xi, I'm sorry! I know you wished for me to live well, but I've allowed myself to be consumed by hatred! I've disgraced myself and failed your expectations and blessings!
But don't worry, I won't do it again! When I return, I will move your grave here, and from then on, I will no longer concern myself with worldly affairs!"
As these words left his lips, Ao Xiang felt a sense of relief. The black scales on his body slowly regained their golden hue.