407 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

Chapter 407: The Dust Settles The aura disappeared as soon as it came into contact with the soul. Ye Ling Long furrowed her brows and began examining her own soul, quickly discovering a small spiritual mark etched upon it. She attempted to remove it but found herself unable to do so. "This is most likely a trick used by the Huo Family on their direct descendants. Anyone who attempts to take anything from the spatial ring is instantly marked with a spiritual imprint for retribution," Qian Jun explained. After several attempts, Ye Ling Long realized that the spiritual power of the mark’s owner was superior to hers. Just then, Qian Jun raised a hand, and an invisible sword energy erased the mark from her soul. "While I've destroyed the mark and they can't track you with it, they are already aware of your aura and appearance," Qian Jun said after erasing the imprint. Ye Ling Long shook her head, showing she didn’t care. She thought, after all, when there are too many lice, one stops worrying about itching, and when debts pile up, they no longer weigh one down. At worst, she would just keep a low profile and avoid the Huo Family until she grew stronger. With the spiritual mark issue resolved, the next matter was how to deal with this group of miners from the Lower Immortal Domain. Ye Ling Long turned her attention to Wang Tong and his companions, remembering that they had helped Feng Li earlier. She distributed some healing elixirs to them. They accepted the elixirs without hesitation and consumed them immediately. The elixirs provided by Ye Ling Long were high-grade mystical pills of exceptional quality, and their effects were remarkable. Soon, the wounds on their bodies were mostly healed, and even the long-term mining damage to their physiques and bones showed significant improvement. Wang Tong’s face, which had been swollen beyond recognition, also recovered considerably. Although still a bit puffy, it was at least recognizable as a human face now. "Godmother, I thought I’d never see you again," said Wang Tong, feeling rejuvenated, as he attempted to latch onto Ye Ling Long’s leg, only to be kicked away by her. Undeterred, he crawled back with a sycophantic smile. Ye Ling Long was exasperated by his shameless conduct. Although persistent, Wang Tong knew his limits; hence, Ye Ling Long let things be for now. However, she hadn’t forgotten that this group had seen Feng Li’s true form. A phoenix, being entirely a treasure, could create issues if these people leaked such information. Pondering this, a flicker of murderous intent flashed in Ye Ling Long’s eyes. Wang Tong, despite his lack of intellect, possessed a small animal's instinct. He immediately pledged his loyalty: "Godmother, rest assured, I absolutely won’t speak about you killing the Huo Eldest Young Lady or having a phoenix as a spiritual pet." As he said this, he even raised his hand to the sky, swearing an oath to the heavens. The oath glow sparked into existence, and Wang Tong looked at Ye Ling Long ingratiatingly. Following Wang Tong's lead, the other cultivators who had initially aided Feng Li also raised their hands and swore similar oaths. However, when it came to the cowardly group, they remained silent, showing no intention of swearing. The chill in Ye Ling Long’s eyes intensified as she regarded them. She could clearly sense their calculating glances. "What do you mean by this, why won't you swear?" Wang Tong questioned directly. One looked at the other, and eventually, a person stepped forward: "It’s simple for us to keep your secret: just promise to safely escort us back to the Lower Immortal Domain." "Exactly! That’s our only condition." "Safely take us back to the Lower Immortal Domain." ... Voices chimed from behind, each adding to the discordance. The leading man's face displayed a trace of smugness, convinced of his cleverness. He reasoned that once Ye Ling Long entered the Lower Immortal Domain, he could promptly notify his family. At that point, several families would band together for an ambush, and the phoenix would be theirs. His mind was abuzz with plans, already fantasizing about acquiring the phoenix. "Silly fool," a mocking voice rang out. The man's expression froze as he looked at Ye Ling Long, livid, "Aren’t you afraid I'll spread your secret, making your life difficult?" Seeing the opposing side holding what he assumed to be leverage over Ye Ling Long, those who had made the oath with Wang Tong earlier cursed these fools in their hearts. Against absolute power, threats are useless. They’re worthless. The crisp sound of a blade whistled through the air, as a sword energy drawing stellar power carved a flawless arc across the sky. In the next instant, the leader’s eyes widened with disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but blood poured forth as a thin line of blood appeared on his neck, and his head tumbled to the ground. The round head rolled on the ground, those eyes mirroring the confusion seen in the Huo Eldest Young Lady’s when she met her end. He couldn’t believe he had died just like that. "Heh! Keeping secrets is best left to the dead. Who’s the fool now? I was going to spare you, but you insisted on courting death. Isn’t that right?" Ye Ling Long slightly tilted her head towards the remaining people. Terrified, the rest nearly wet themselves as they rushed to swear, each oath harsher than the last, fearing they’d be next to lose their head by this deadly deity. Seeing that her warning had hit home, Ye Ling Long didn’t trouble them further. She was no bloodthirsty killer; as long as no one caused any disturbance, she wouldn’t slaughter them all. … At the Huo Family estate, inside a secret chamber. A middle-aged man, whose features bore a resemblance to the Huo Eldest Young Lady, sat in a cross-legged meditation. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and spit out a mouthful of blood. The backlash had injured him internally. Yet, at that moment, he couldn't care less. He rushed out of the chamber and headed toward the family’s life tablet room. The guards there were already frightened, their faces pale as they looked at the life tablets. One among them had completely shattered. "My daughter's life tablet, how is it?" the man urgently inquired upon entry. They exchanged glances, finally kneeling and tremblingly replied, "The Eldest Young Lady’s life tablet… it’s completely shattered!"