'Are these two people related to me in some way?'
A thought flickered through Yang Xiao's mind.
He temporarily gave up on the strange cave residence and directed all of his True Greater Yang Fire into the channel of the woman who had given him such a warm feeling.
But the result was the same.
She didn't turn around.
He couldn't see her face, only her back, which grew clearer and clearer.
For some reason, this filled Yang Xiao's heart with a sense of loss.
'It seems this woman must be someone very important to me.'
Yang Xiao carefully searched his memories. He found that this woman did not match anyone from his previous two lives, and a realization dawned on him.
'This woman... she might be the one his father, Yang Zhentian, was always thinking about.'
'His mother in this life.'
'Then what about this man? Could he be my greatest enemy?'
Yang Xiao took one last deep look at the woman whose back was turned to him before shifting his attention to the man in the white robe.
With a thought, his True Greater Yang Fire instantly poured into the channel where the white-robed man had appeared. More and more of the fire surged in.
The white-robed man's face and expression gradually became clearer.
Although it was difficult and required an immense amount of energy, the image was still steadily sharpening. Just as he was about to see the man's face clearly...
Suddenly.
Two beams of divine light shot out from the white-robed man's eyes.
The image.
Instantly shattered.
The two beams of divine light pierced straight into Yang Xiao's eyes.
His Heart Spirit trembled violently.
BLECH! He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
And passed out.
The jet-black sphere in his hand also let out a series of wails.
Its one thousand eyes.
All snapped shut in an instant.
It reverted to the appearance of an ordinary small, black ball.
It rolled to a stop beside Yang Xiao.
ăMeanwhile, in a certain location within the Void Celestial Realm, one of the Celestial Heavens.ă
A man in a white robe, just raising his wine cup, paused slightly and furrowed his brow.
"Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch, is there something wrong with the wine?"
Sitting across from the white-robed man was a pretty woman in a long, cyan dress. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Yuan Yang smiled faintly. "Fairy Mingyue's wine is, of course, flawless. It's just that a moment ago, it seemed some lowly pest was spying on me, and I happened to notice."
"Oh? Someone actually dared to spy on you, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch?"
Fairy Mingyue looked astonished, then she started to laugh. "With your strength, Immortal Monarch, what kind of pest would dare to spy on you? Could it be some Martial Arts Emperor?"
"You jest, Fairy Mingyue. Why would a Martial Arts Emperor spy on me? It must have been some weakling who used a certain artifact to peek at me. I have already taught him a small lesson. I doubt he will dare to spy on me again in the future."
Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch waved his hand dismissively.
Fairy Mingyue was surprised again. "It really was just a minor character? With your strength, Immortal Monarch, even a Great Emperor might not be your match, yet some nobody dared to spy on you? However, for a crime as great as spying on an Immortal Monarch, you didn't hold it against him and only taught him a small lesson. Such magnanimity is truly admirable. I am impressed."
Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch simply smiled and said nothing more.
'In truth, he was also quite puzzled.'
Through some unfathomable perception, he had discovered that the person spying on him seemed to have a very deep connection to his own destiny.
However, when he tried to divine the details, there was always a power, no weaker than his own, interfering with his calculations.
It prevented him from clearly discerning the true relationship between himself and the other person.
Furthermore, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch was not a magnanimous person.
He had acted with extreme ruthlessness.
With a single thought, he had intended to obliterate Yang Xiao's Divine Soul.
But after his power traveled across the distance, it was greatly weakened. The force that ultimately fell upon Yang Xiao, though terrifying, was not enough to kill him.
Therefore, Yuan Yang was very interested in Yang Xiao's identity, as well as the object that allowed him to spy on him and even weaken his power.
'It's a pity I can't even divine his origins.'
Yuan Yang was somewhat vexed.
As he reviewed his entire life, there was only one person who came to mind as a suspect.
'If he were still alive, it would have to be him. But it's impossible for him to be alive.'
Yuan Yang was certain of this.
'How could there be any loose ends when I was the one who personally delivered the killing blow?'
'Then who on earth could this person be?'
And just as Yuan Yang was racking his brain to no avail...
ăIn a certain void space.ă
A woman in a plain white dress twitched her brow.
She opened her eyes.
She first glanced in the direction of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, a strange flicker of emotion passing through her eyes.
Then.
She looked toward the Celestial Heaven.
Her gaze shimmered with a bone-deep, unforgettable hatred.
"Yuan Yang, even now, you still won't give up! Sooner or later, I will make you pay for your crimes in blood!"
Her voice was icy, yet pleasant to the ear.
It came from the lips of the woman in the plain white dress.
But soon, her expression turned to one of worry.
Finally, she sighed.
She didn't dare to look any longer.
She was afraid that if she kept looking, her attachment would compel her to leave this place.
If she did, she would completely lose the ability to contend with that man.
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
Yang Xiao, whose Divine Soul had been severely wounded by the two beams of divine light from Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch, slowly regained consciousness on the 1st Layer of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion.
When he first awoke.
Yang Xiao felt that his mind was a complete blank.
He couldn't remember anything.
But after calming his heart and spirit, the events that had transpired slowly came back to him.
'What a white-robed man! Just for a single exploratory glance, he tried to kill me. Vicious. Truly vicious!'
Yang Xiao was furious.
A dark hatred blazed within him.
The white-robed man had already given him a feeling of intense hatred, disgust, and a visceral sense of repulsion. Combined with the faint Immortal Dao Aura about him, Yang Xiao already had a poor impression of him.
And now, after what had just happened.
The man had actually tried to kill him just for a single glance.
Such a disposition.
As savage as a wolf, as mad as a dog.
Utterly ruthless.
Now that Yang Xiao had discovered he had a connection with this manâand a bad one at thatâhow could he not harbor killing intent?
How could he not feel hatred?
However, Yang Xiao also knew.
No matter how immense his killing intent or how intense his hatred, with his current strength, he was no match for his opponent.
'A being who can sense when others are spying on them must be at least a Divine King Level expert. If I want to contend with him, I absolutely must reach True God Peak. Anything less won't be enough.'
Yang Xiao had once been a Supreme Divine King, capable of contending with a Great Emperor.
He knew full well that a Divine King, even the most ordinary one, was by no means an easy opponent.
Even with his immense self-confidence, he still had to reach the corresponding levelâPeak True God at the very leastâto even have a chance of facing him.
And before then.
He could only hide his fangs.
It would be best not to even think about that person.
Otherwise, the more he thought about him, and the longer he dwelled on it, the more likely he was to be detected.
The man might even discover his location.
Once he acted...
...the power of a Divine King...
...was absolutely not something an ordinary Mortal could withstand.
'Next, I must do everything I can to increase my strength! The Time Secret Pattern, the things left behind by Celestial Poison, and right, that cave residence I saw just now...'
Yang Xiao's Heart Spirit stirred.
He began to perceive his surroundings.