Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 311: Chapter 249: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Held in Ling Xiao’s embrace during his Sword Flight, Song Mingyue felt as if the stars were within arm’s reach. Her own eyes, bright as stars, turned to gaze adoringly at Ling Xiao’s profile. She pursed her lips, silent, but her stare conveyed a thousand unspoken words straight to his heart.

As they sped along on the sword, Ling Xiao chuckled and asked, "How does this feel?"

"It’s breathtaking! And most importantly, I get to be with you." Dressed in a magnificent fur coat, Song Mingyue stood gracefully at Ling Xiao’s side. They looked like a celestial couple, a sight to make anyone envious.

"Come on, let’s go find that Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race and settle the score!" Ling Xiao said with a smile, his arm around Song Mingyue’s slender waist. The Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword under his feet carved a graceful arc through the air and then, with Song Mingyue’s short cry of surprise, plunged like a bolt of lightning toward the Ice Sea Secret Race’s settlement.

When Ling Xiao had flown off with Song Mingyue just moments before, the old Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race had been left standing there, dumbstruck. He hadn’t even mustered the courage to question Ling Xiao! Both the man and his sword, which radiated endless majesty, exuded an incomparably noble aura. It was an aura that felt incredibly familiar to the Clan Leader, yet he sensed it was not that of the Great God of the Deep Sea Demon Chapter.

So, even now, he couldn’t figure out whether the great god had succeeded or failed. But he staunchly believed that his god could not possibly fail! ’The god must have assimilated all the human boy’s memories, obtained his body, and then acted out of a moment of excitement!’

It had to be said that when faith reached a certain peak, one didn’t need others for convincing. The believer would invent countless excuses for their deity, all to convince themselves.

Thus, he dared not leap into the air and follow his god. To him, that would be an act of great disrespect!

Just then, he saw Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue turning back. The Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race could no longer contain his turbulent emotions and shouted, "Oh, great god! Your servant, Quefeng, Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race, offers you his most sincere devotion!"

Quefeng kowtowed, prostrating himself completely on the ground. Behind him stood several hundred of his Ice Sea Secret Clan People, their eyes all filled with endless reverence as they watched Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue descend from the sky.

Zhang Danian’s mouth hung slightly open. ’What in the world happened?’ he thought. ’This is insane! How did Ling Xiao suddenly become the god of the Ice Sea Secret Race?’

Leng Yu looked up at the celestial couple, Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue, and mumbled, "It makes me so jealous! They’re always together."

Ah Ku gave a slight pout. "Leng Yu," he whispered, "you’ll never have a chance now!"

Song Mingyue shot several harsh glares at Quefeng. Although Ling Xiao hadn’t said it outright, she could sense that he must have gone through something incredibly dangerous in there over the past few days. He might seem perfectly fine now—stronger, even—but Song Mingyue felt not an ounce of gratitude toward Quefeng, the culprit responsible for it all.

’Quefeng? What a strange name,’ Ling Xiao thought. He gazed coolly at the Clan Leader and said, "Are you certain I am your god?"

Quefeng’s posture became even more reverent. He remained kneeling, not daring to lift his head. "In my heart, god is omnipotent!"

At this ambiguous answer from the seemingly decrepit Clan Leader, the smile on Ling Xiao’s face widened. He glanced over at the Adventurers and thought, ’It’s true what they say: with age comes cunning. This Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race isn’t nearly as frail or weak as he acts. If my body had been taken by the Deep Sea Demon Chapter, it would be extremely pleased with such a response. A god doesn’t need its followers to think too much; faith is all that matters. But if I *wasn’t* possessed, it means the god of the Ice Sea Secret Race... the Deep Sea Demon Chapter... has obviously died at my hands.’

’The collapse of a belief system held for so many years would be a devastating blow to the Ice Sea Secret Race. The clanspeople would never be able to accept the fact that the god they had worshipped for countless generations had been killed by a mere human.’

’So, Quefeng’s vague answer was his way of accepting my new status. It meant: even if you are still that human, you have now gained a group of loyal servants in us!’

’And a new master would have no reason to leave his servants stuck here, would he?’

Quefeng’s eyes, though they appeared ancient, had already noticed that the surrounding green plants were slowly beginning to wither...

Ling Xiao looked at the kneeling Quefeng and released a burst of Spiritual Power—the very power fused with the pure essence of the Deep Sea Demon Chapter. As expected, Quefeng was startled at first, but his expression quickly turned to one of ecstatic joy.

He knew his god was still present! ’God truly is omnipotent!’ he thought. ’A god’s actions are beyond mortal comprehension! I know this spiritual fluctuation so well!’ Throughout his long life, it was precisely this Spiritual Power that had communicated with him. As a Tier Four Sword Emperor, Quefeng’s perception in this regard was at the level of a Grandmaster. He was certain his judgment was not mistaken!

He wasn’t sure why, but the chilling sensation he used to feel when facing the Great God of the Deep Sea Demon Chapter was gone. This only made Quefeng happier. ’It must mean that after possessing a human body, the god has become more humane!’

At the end of the day, Quefeng was of the Ice Sea Secret Race, but he was also human. Of course he hoped that their high and mighty god would communicate more with His devout followers. What a tremendous blessing that would be!

Seeing that his subtle hint had achieved a miraculous effect, Ling Xiao smiled serenely. "Are you all," he said, "willing to follow me and return to human territory?"

Quefeng was visibly moved, his aged voice choked with emotion. "Great god, we have awaited this day for a very, very long time! We are willing to follow your guidance and return to the lands of men!"

Song Mingyue watched Ling Xiao’s divine charade, dumbfounded. ’He’s got some nerve, pulling a scam like this,’ she thought. ’With this Ice Sea Secret Race, it seems even their weakest members are stronger than a Tier Six Peak Demon Sword Master like me. Though there are only a few hundred of them, their combined strength isn’t the least bit inferior to my own family!’

It was true that the Sea Domain Song Family had members who had entered the Holy Sanctuary. However, all the hidden families and sects knew that any Martial Artist who entered the Holy Sanctuary was never seen again. Because of this, many hidden families were skeptical about whether the Holy Sanctuary even existed, a debate that had raged for countless years.

Many people did believe the Holy Sanctuary existed. Shangguan Yutong, for example. As a disciple of a hidden sect, her own master’s school once had a Sword Saint who disappeared just days after reaching the Saint Tier.

Therefore, Shangguan Yutong firmly believed in the Holy Sanctuary’s existence. At the same time, she dreamed that one day, her sect’s Saint Tier powerhouse would return. This was a sentiment shared by everyone in her sect, which was why Shangguan Yutong insisted that although her Lengning Palace was considered second-rate, it still had a Sword Saint.

"Very well. From now on, you are my subordinates." Seeing that Quefeng was about to speak, Ling Xiao added, "Among humans these days, there is no such faith."

Quefeng immediately snapped his mouth shut. He understood Ling Xiao’s meaning: if they wanted to worship, they had to do it in secret. Arriving in human territory and constantly shouting "great god" would surely cause great trouble for his deity!

"I understand!"

In that instant, the Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race’s decrepit demeanor vanished. He rose to his feet, his eyes flashing with a keen light. He swept his gaze over Zhang Danian and the other Adventurers and asked in a deep voice, "Master, what should be done with these humans?"

Zhang Danian reacted with lightning speed. He stood up, walked over, and bowed to Ling Xiao. "Master, please take us in!"

The Adventurers behind him had long since been awed by Ling Xiao. They had witnessed his power firsthand before they arrived, but they never imagined that in a place like this, he could become the god of the mysterious and powerful Ice Sea Secret Race. It was unbelievable! Following a person like this was surely a better fate than struggling to survive in this bitter, frozen land.

Ling Xiao glanced at them and said softly, "If that’s the case, then I will accept you. I only hope you won’t regret this choice. It’s not too late to back out now. I won’t let them give you any trouble."

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Danian gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. "I won’t change my mind! I’ve decided. I’ve always fought to live a life of freedom, but in truth, so-called freedom is just a way of fooling oneself. When I run into people from the Northern Noble Clan, the Bauhinia Clan, I have no choice but to obediently hand over half of my goods. If I possessed great strength or a shocking background, I doubt they’d dare to do such a thing even if they had ten times the nerve! For that reason, I implore you to take us in, Master. We are willing to serve you for the rest of our lives!"

Ling Xiao, however, just smiled faintly. "I am a member of the Ling Family. Didn’t you think the Ling Family was very weak?"

"Forgive my ignorance!" Zhang Danian said, stunned. His expression quickly shifted to one of respect, which then morphed into astonishment. "You... you’re actually the youngest Marquis in the Lanyue Empire?"

Ling Xiao neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he turned to Quefeng and said, "I want to see all the silkworms you’re raising."

"As you command," Quefeng replied.

Quefeng carried out all of Ling Xiao’s commands unconditionally, without question or protest. This raised a flicker of suspicion in Ling Xiao’s heart, but he wasn’t overly concerned. He would find time later to probe Quefeng’s true motives. If they turned out to be a threat, he would simply abandon this powerful race without a moment’s hesitation.

After all, if he couldn’t use them as an asset, these Ice Sea Secret Clan People would become a massive liability—a ticking time bomb of unknown power that could go off at any moment.

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