Chapter 8

The appearance of the Biyun Secret Realm was the hottest topic around. On the day it was scheduled to open, countless cultivators had already gathered at the location, their robes and magical treasures emitting dazzling spiritual light. Even among the clouds floated numerous flying ships, each proudly displaying the emblems of major cultivation families
Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao had arrived early. As soon as Ling Qingxiao appeared, he drew many eyes, but he seemed utterly indifferent, evidently used to such attention. Luo Han hid behind her long veil, curiously looking around.
Her veil extended down to her knees, creating graceful layers as she walked, making her look like a genuine immortal. However, despite its beauty, it was inconvenient for moving around. Luckily, it was a magical artifact, so breathing wasn't an issue. Still, Luo Han silently decided that she needed to cultivate diligently, aiming to become powerful enough to proudly show her true appearance, just like Ling Qingxiao did.
As Luo Han glanced around at the crowd on the ground, then up at the lavish cloud-ships hovering above, she suddenly felt this scene resembled a university orientation. The cultivators on the ground were like students arriving alone, while the cloud-ships above were akin to wealthy parents driving luxury cars to drop off their children.
Indeed, the gap between the rich and poor existed even in the immortal realm.
Luo Han was observing others, unaware that many eyes were also on the two of them. They formed an unusual pair: an exceptionally handsome, powerful man who radiated a chilling aura stood beside a mysterious woman whose appearance and cultivation were entirely hidden behind a veil.
This odd combination attracted curiosity. The Biyun Secret Realm, full of opportunities and dangers, compelled most participants to enter as groups. The wealthy families above entered as organized clans, while scattered cultivators had formed small teams. However, entering as just two people was quite rare and attracted considerable attention. They were either naive youngsters from great families or formidable experts confident in their abilities.
A flamboyant man in vibrant red robes soon approached them, smiling brightly. "Are you two planning to enter the Biyun Secret Realm? Have you formed a team yet?"
Luo Han glanced at the flashy red-robed man, then at the cool, calm Ling Qingxiao exuding the aura of a boss-level character. She quickly deduced the man's intention.
Stepping forward decisively, Luo Han said flatly, "No need."
Their team could only afford one deadweight—herself. Adding this flashy man would exceed their limit!
The red-robed man was startled by her blunt refusal. After a stunned pause, he muttered defensively, "Surely I'm not that bad? I am a proud member of the Vermilion Bird clan. Even if I haven't cultivated diligently these years, my innate talents alone are enough to dominate any secret realm. I approached you out of kindness, thinking you seemed pitiful being alone."
Upon revealing his identity as a Vermilion Bird, he straightened confidently, expecting them to eagerly flatter him. But after waiting expectantly, Ling Qingxiao remained utterly indifferent, and Luo Han merely replied coolly, "Oh."
The red-robed man was astonished by their indifference. "I'm a Vermilion Bird! One of the Four Divine Beasts! You...you can't possibly not know?"
Luo Han concluded that birds indeed had limited brain capacity. Remaining indifferent, she asked blandly, "And?"
Birds were all narcissistic and vain. Instantly offended, the red-robed man opened his mouth to argue further when a soft voice called from behind them: "Second Young Master?"
Luo Han turned around beneath her veil, seeing a delicate, graceful woman gazing tearfully toward them, her eyes brimming with tenderness and sorrow.
Luo Han immediately knew who she was.
The heroine, Yun Menghan.
Yun Menghan hadn't expected to meet Ling Qingxiao here. She immediately ran toward him, stumbling slightly. Stopping a short distance away, she hesitated fearfully. "Second Young Master, you're alive—I'm so relieved! When you fell into the abyss, I tried to jump after you, but the abyss vanished too quickly. I've been so worried these past days, unable to sleep or eat. Seeing you're safe makes me so happy…"
She stopped uncertainly, tears trembling in her eyes. "Second Young Master, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? You're still blaming me, aren't you? You must be angry because I didn't jump to save you!" She raised her hand abruptly, intending to cut her wrist with spiritual energy. "I'll pay you with my life—I owe you this!"
Luo Han stood by, quietly watching Yun Menghan's dramatic act unfold. Meanwhile, Ling Qingxiao remained completely silent, not even sparing her a glance.
This heroine’s imagination was truly astonishing. Ling Qingxiao hadn't said a word, yet she was already about to kill herself as penance.
Just before Yun Menghan’s spiritual blade descended, a domineering red flash struck it aside. The next instant, a man firmly grabbed her slender wrist, shouting fiercely, "Yun Menghan, are you insane?! What are you doing?"
Both Luo Han and the red-robed man simultaneously shifted their gazes toward the newcomer. This man was tall, dressed richly, and his features weren't exactly unattractive, though compared to Ling Qingxiao’s refined appearance, he appeared coarser and rougher. Yet his domineering, aggressive aura gave him a unique appeal.
The red-robed man whispered curiously to Luo Han, "Who's this guy?"
"Ling Zhongyu," Luo Han explained softly to her fellow gossip enthusiast. "He's Ling Qingxiao’s brother, and the woman just now is Yun Menghan, their junior martial sister."
The red-robed man nodded understandingly. A dramatic love triangle between brothers—quite the intriguing development. But as he pondered further, these names suddenly sounded suspiciously familiar…
"Ling...could it be that Ling family?"
Luo Han quietly shushed him, indicating silence.
Ling Zhongyu had lost sight of Yun Menghan for a moment and quickly used a tracking artifact to find her. The instant he saw her about to harm herself, he flew in panic to stop her.
Only just managing to prevent the tragedy, Ling Zhongyu broke out in a cold sweat. Once recovered, anger surged, and he roughly dragged Yun Menghan behind himself, sharply rebuking her.
Hurt and sorrowful, Yun Menghan whispered tearfully, "Young Master, I just wanted to apologize to Second Young Master. If it can ease his anger, I'd willingly give my life."
Only then did Ling Zhongyu turn his eyes toward the others, finally noticing his younger brother standing quietly not far away.
Ling Zhongyu’s expression quickly turned cold, his voice hardening into sharp indifference, completely different from when he'd spoken to Yun Menghan a moment ago. "It's you. You're still alive? If you were safe, why didn't you send word home? Do you have any idea how much worry you've caused Father and Mother?"
From the moment Yun Menghan appeared, Ling Qingxiao had sensed others approaching. The memories of that day—of his Heavenly Tribulation—flashed vividly in his mind. When the thunder descended from above, everyone had rushed to shield Ling Zhongyu. His birth mother and foster mother both risked their lives protecting Ling Zhongyu, while his father had unleashed his life-bound artifact to deflect the thunderbolts. Even Ling Qingxiao's uncle, the Clan Head of the prestigious Linshan Su family, threw out one priceless artifact after another, all to guard someone who wasn't even his blood nephew.
Not one of them spared a glance in Ling Qingxiao's direction.
That image became his heart demon. Before he fell unconscious, Ling Qingxiao's last memory was seeing them standing calmly atop the cliff, talking quietly amongst themselves, without the slightest intention of leaping down after him.
He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to the darkness.
But fate refused to grant him death; somehow, he survived. Ling Qingxiao no longer knew what he could strive for. He couldn't fathom the purpose of this absurd and chaotic world. Once, he’d believed that if he cultivated diligently enough, if he grew strong enough, everything would eventually change.
Yet reality proved him wrong, again and again.
He might still be breathing, but his heart had died long ago. Right now, he was little better than a walking corpse. It was only because Luo Han saved his life and asked him to protect her for a thousand years that Ling Qingxiao reluctantly remained in this world. She'd shown him rare kindness, kindness he neither could nor wished to reject.
Ling Qingxiao considered this arrangement acceptable. Once Luo Han was powerful enough to protect herself, he would quietly vanish from existence. Those he knew in his past brought him more pain than joy, so it was better never to meet again.
Let the people of Zhongshan Clan believe he was dead, and let them forget him.
Yet Heaven refused to let him rest. Now, not only did familiar faces appear before him again, even Yun Menghan, the only one he’d once thought sincerely cared for him, was here.
He clearly remembered that day, Yun Menghan’s eyes swollen from tears, her delicate fingers trembling as she pointed straight at him.
Ling Qingxiao immediately recited the Mind-Clearing Mantra inwardly. The heart demon he'd barely suppressed within the God Domain stirred violently again. He warned himself repeatedly—don't listen, don't look, don't react. He was already dead inside, lingering solely to fulfill one final promise. But fate was cruel; those he wanted least to see continued to appear before him, one after another.
When Ling Zhongyu accused him of causing distress to their parents, Ling Qingxiao nearly lost control of his heart demon on the spot. What a joke. He had narrowly escaped death, crawling his way out of the Forbidden Abyss. None of his family members had even considered searching for him, yet the first words he heard were accusations, demanding why he hadn’t sent word and why he’d made his family worry.
Staring calmly into the distance, Ling Qingxiao once again pondered: what had gone wrong with this world? Was it him, or had the world itself been twisted from the very start?
Yun Menghan clung pitifully behind Ling Zhongyu, tears streaming down her face. "Second Young Master, are you still blaming us? If you’re angry, then direct it at me alone, not Madam or First Young Master. I should have jumped down after you back then."
"Meng'er!" Ling Zhongyu snapped irritably, casting a cold look at Ling Qingxiao, his displeasure obvious. "No one has ever survived the Forbidden Abyss. When you fell, it was sudden; we had no time to save you. Afterward, Father and Mother did consider rescuing you, but Father is Zhongshan’s Clan Leader and Mother the Clan Mistress—both are too vital to risk their lives carelessly. Before we could even devise a plan, the abyss vanished. We had no choice but to accept it."
Ling Zhongyu tightened his jaw and added grudgingly, "Since you’re alive and unharmed, you should come home."
Go home? Ling Qingxiao thought mockingly. And then what? To continue silently sacrificing himself for Zhongshan Clan, paving the path for their precious Ling Zhongyu to inherit everything? To watch as their happy little family reunited once more?
What exactly was he to these people?
Ling Qingxiao remained silent, his expression chillingly distant, treating Ling Zhongyu as if he didn't exist.
"You!" Ling Zhongyu's anger surged, yet aware of the crowd, he restrained his fury and hissed bitterly, "Such ingratitude! Could Meng’er be right—do you truly hold resentment towards your family?"
Yun Menghan's tears intensified, her breath ragged and painful. "Second Young Master, are you ignoring me as well? You never treated me this way before. If you hate me, please say so clearly. Don't torment yourself like this. I already said I’d give my life for you, and even though you survived, I mean what I say. Let me pay with my life now!"
She once again moved as if to slit her wrist, but Ling Zhongyu immediately grabbed her wrist, frantic. Yun Menghan sobbed and struggled in his grip, "Let me go! I must pay my debt to Second Young Master!"
"Ling Qingxiao!" Ling Zhongyu shouted coldly, eyes burning with fury. "Are you satisfied now? Must I and our parents also bow down and apologize before you let it go?"
Luo Han could no longer endure this absurd drama and coldly intervened, "That's enough. Has he even spoken a single word to you?"
Her sudden interjection instantly drew Yun Menghan and Ling Zhongyu's attention. It seemed only now they realized another woman stood by Ling Qingxiao's side.
Or perhaps they had noticed earlier but had simply chosen to ignore her presence. Luo Han remained calm beneath her veil and continued leisurely, "Whether you're trying to slit wrists or offer apologies, the whole scene has been staged entirely between the two of you. Has he spoken even once since you arrived? He's clearly unwilling to even look at you, yet you still persist shamelessly?"
The red-robed young man nearby nearly applauded Luo Han outright. He had initially believed she was a mere bystander like himself, yet without any hesitation, she'd stepped in boldly, challenging them both head-on.
Ling Zhongyu glared at Luo Han, his gaze sharp as knives, "Who do you think you are? This is a matter for Zhongshan Clan; who gave you the right to speak?"
Before his voice had even faded, Ling Qingxiao finally opened his mouth. His voice, like ice and snow, rang clearly:
"She's mine. That gives her all the right she needs."
Ling Zhongyu was, after all, a Celestial Immortal; in his fury, a powerful pressure naturally erupted from him. Instantly, many lower-level cultivators turned pale, struggling beneath the crushing aura. The oppressive force descended heavily, almost forcing them to their knees in surrender.
Even cultivators at the Ling Immortal level could barely endure, let alone a mortal without cultivation like Luo Han. She immediately felt breathless, her chest tight and aching. Just as she was about to activate the Heavenly Dao system to fight back, the suffocating pressure around her vanished, replaced by a familiar, freezing yet dominating aura surging from behind.
Ling Qingxiao had moved.
Pressure, or aura suppression, was the favored means by which those in higher positions dominated others. In cultivation circles, the mightier fist dictated truth. Ling Qingxiao’s aura surged directly at Ling Zhongyu, who, still nursing hidden wounds from the Heavenly Tribulation, staggered backward under the sudden assault, coughing up a faint trace of blood.
Ling Qingxiao’s pressure was precisely controlled and avoided harming bystanders. Nevertheless, every cultivator present clearly sensed the difference in strength. Murmurs broke out in astonishment.
"Didn’t they say that one was the elder brother? How come the younger one seems stronger?"
The whisper was faint, but cultivators had sharp senses. Ling Zhongyu’s face darkened, his gaze fierce as he glared at Ling Qingxiao. Ling Qingxiao met his gaze calmly, his voice icy as he declared, "Who she is to me is none of your concern."