Chapter 397

That battle was fought too bitterly, won too miserably.

Thinking of this, a flash of pain crossed Jiang Yinyin's eyes, immediately replaced by an even deeper determination.

This time, it is different.

Jiang Yinyin closed her eyes, suppressing the surge of old memories in her heart.

When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with clarity and resolve.

The past cannot be chased, but the future can be anticipated.

Now that the Heavenly Emperor is here, and with this Heavenly Court army from another world, they will not only win this second Great World War, but they will win thoroughly and cleanly!

They will surely wipe the Yimo Race completely from the Tianxuan Continent, eliminating all future troubles!

Jiang Yinyin looked at the army before her and said softly, "With the help of you Fellow Daoists, we will surely win this battle."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

"That is natural!" Xiao Chen grinned, "However, there is no rush for the fighting; let our people settle down first and get familiar with the environment."

Gu Lie stepped forward, his black armor and cold face imposing, his voice steady and powerful as he said, "Fellow cultivators!"

"By the order of the Heavenly Emperor, the Heavenly Court and its allies, totaling one hundred and twenty-seven Dou Saints and over three hundred Half-Saints, have all arrived."

"In future battles, we will fully cooperate with the deployments of the Tianxuan Continent, purge the Strange Demons, and protect the peace of this world."

Gu Lie spoke concisely, without a single word of nonsense, yet every word carried immense weight.

The Flame Master took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and clasped his hands in a solemn return salute, "Thank you for coming from afar; the entire Tianxuan Continent will remember this kindness."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Chen and the others, and added, "Since you have just arrived in this world, if you have any needs or are unclear about the situation here, please feel free to bring them up. We will do our utmost to assist."

Xiao Chen laughed and waved his hand, saying, "There is no need for polite pleasantries. We came here for one thing—to kill the Strange Demons."

Just as the two sides were making initial contact and the atmosphere was becoming harmonious, subtle spatial fluctuations once again emanated from the light gate of the inter-world passage.

Everyone's gaze turned toward it in unison.

Inside the light gate, flowing light swirled slightly, and two figures stepped out side by side.

The person in the lead wore a fluttering green shirt, his face calm; it was none other than Xiao Qing.

Beside him followed a stunning woman dressed in an intricate green dress.

The moment the woman appeared, she was like a drop of clear dew falling into the noisy mortal world, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

She had a tall figure, with ink-black hair cascading down to her waist like a waterfall, and there were no superfluous ornaments in her hair.

She wore a green dress, with intricate and exquisite Seven-Colored inscriptions embroidered on the hem.

Her ink-black hair cascaded to her waist like a waterfall, the tips swaying gently with her footsteps.

Her face was stunningly beautiful, her features exquisite, especially those eyes, clear as a green pool yet deep as the starry sky, carrying a unique temperament.

She just stood there quietly, doing nothing, yet an ethereal, otherworldly aura naturally permeated from her.

It was as if she did not belong to this noisy mortal world but came from some secluded fairyland isolated from the world.

But if one looked closely at her eyes, one would find a stillness and vicissitudes hidden deep within the clear depths of her pupils, accumulated over long years.

That was not the ignorance of a young girl, nor the arrogance of a powerhouse, but a transparency and peace after witnessing the rise and fall, the joys and sorrows of the world.

This person was the last Saint of the ancient Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python race—Saint Qing Ling—who had been resurrected a few years ago after Xiao Qing personally acted, using a Ninth-Grade Creation Green Lotus as a base, supplemented by the Law of Life, and expending great effort to reshape her physical body.

For a moment, all eyes were focused on her.

A flash of surprise crossed the Flame Master's eyes; he could feel that although this green-dressed woman's strength had not reached the Peak of the Reincarnation Realm, that calm temperament carried an underlying depth that even he could not fathom.

After her resurrection, Saint Qing Ling had been in secluded cultivation in the deepest part of the Heavenly Court, rarely appearing in public.

Within the Heavenly Court, except for Xiao Qing and his closest Heavenly Empresses, as well as a few others like Yao Lao and Xiao Xuan, the vast majority of people had only heard her name but never seen her.

It was not until the eve of this cross-world expedition that she appeared in public within the Heavenly Court for the first time.

The sensation caused at that time is still talked about with relish by many Heavenly Court members to this day.

No one expected that the legendary Saint Qing Ling would be such a stunningly beautiful and ethereal figure.

Her grace and bearing were in no way inferior to the Heavenly Empresses already known to everyone, such as Qing Xuan and Gu Xun'er.

At this moment, this mysterious Saint Qing Ling, who had long lived in the deep palace, had actually followed Xiao Qing into this inter-world battlefield.

Xiao Qing turned his head to look at the woman beside him, a hint of imperceptible amusement flashing in his eyes, and said, "I didn't expect you to attend such an occasion; I thought you would continue your quiet cultivation in the Heavenly Realm."

Xiao Qing's voice was not loud, and his tone was casual, as if chatting with an old friend of many years.

Upon hearing this, Saint Qing Ling tilted her head slightly and glanced at him.

That glance seemed indifferent, yet a very slight curve appeared at the corner of her lips, as if she were feigning annoyance or coquetry.

"I have been eating and drinking for free in the Heavenly Court for so long; I have to help do something, right?"

Her voice was clear and melodious, very pleasant to the ear, but her tone carried a hint of subtle teasing, "Otherwise, if someone were to badmouth me, saying I only take advantage and don't contribute, wouldn't that ruin my reputation?"

It goes without saying who "someone" referred to.

Xiao Qing laughed and shook his head, saying, "Senior, you are joking. With your status, let alone staying in the Heavenly Court for a few years, even if you ate and drank for free for ten thousand years, it would be the Heavenly Court's honor. As long as you are willing, you can stay as long as you like."

When the word "Senior" was spoken, Saint Qing Ling's slender eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She turned her face to face Xiao Qing directly, her eyes, clear as autumn water, staring straight at him.

A complex and indiscernible emotion flashed deep in her eyes.

"Do not call me Senior anymore."

Her voice was lower than before, but her tone became serious, saying, "You, a Dou Di powerhouse, calling me, a Dou Saint, Senior—don't you think it's strange?"

Saint Qing Ling paused, her gaze shifting slightly to the rolling sea surface in the distance, her voice so soft it almost dissipated in the wind, "...I have a name too. Just call me Qing Ling."

She said the last few words so softly and quickly that one would almost miss them if not listening carefully.

Xiao Qing was slightly stunned, and then the smile in his eyes deepened.

He looked at the woman before him, who was pretending to be calm but whose earlobes had quietly flushed a light pink, and the desire to tease her in his heart quietly faded, replaced by a gentle warmth.

He complied and spoke, his voice a few degrees lower and gentler than before, softly calling, "Qing Ling."

The two words were spoken clearly and soothingly, as if carrying some special rhythm.

Saint Qing Ling's body trembled imperceptibly.

The sound entered her ears, as if carrying a subtle electric current, tingling all the way from her earlobes to the tip of her heart.

She almost subconsciously moved two steps to the side, putting about a body's width of distance between herself and Xiao Qing.

This action was done naturally, but it could not escape Xiao Qing's eyes.

He watched her turn away, leaving him with a graceful, curvaceous back.

Her ink-black hair was like a waterfall, and her waist was so slender it seemed fragile enough to be held in one hand; against the backdrop of the sea light, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Yet, because of that little hasty movement of pulling away, she revealed a hint of almost cute embarrassment that was completely different from her external temperament.

Xiao Qing's lips curled up slightly; he said nothing more and cast his gaze toward the people waiting below.

Meanwhile, the powerhouses from the Tianxuan Continent below had already had their full attention captured by these two figures who had appeared one after another.

It went without saying that Xiao Qing, this unfathomable Heavenly Emperor, was their greatest support and source of confidence in this battle.

And the green-dressed woman beside him...

"Such a strong aura of life..." The Flame Master's eyes narrowed slightly as he whispered.

He cultivated the Law of Fire, so his perception of life energy was not as sharp as the Lord of Life and Death, Jiang Yinyin, but he could still clearly feel that a vast and pure energy of life was swirling around the green-dressed woman.

The purity of that energy even caused the Fire Origin that had been dormant in his body for many years to resonate slightly.

Jiang Yinyin's reaction was more direct.

Her black and white eyes stared fixedly at Saint Qing Ling, a flash of doubt first crossing her eyes, which then turned into deep shock.

"This level of life... no, it's not just the Power of Life..."

She muttered to herself, "In her Origin, there is some kind of... very ancient bloodline aura, similar to a Demonic Beast, yet even more noble... what is it?"

As the Lord of Life and Death, wielding the Power of Life, death, and Reincarnation, her insight into the essence of life was far beyond that of ordinary people.

She could feel that the green-dressed woman was definitely not an ordinary human.

Her life form seemed subtly different from the living beings of this world, yet she blended perfectly into the world.

It was as if she were a creation of this world herself, only she had been asleep for too long and had just awakened.

Ling Qingzhu also raised her eyes to look, the Power of Taishang induction mark between her eyebrows emitting a very faint light.

She cultivated the Power of Taishang, making her extremely sensitive to the world's Origin and the essence of energy.

From the green-dressed woman, she felt a "world" aura that was of the same Origin as Xiao Qing's, yet distinct.

It was not a complete embryonic world, but a kind of pure Power of Life creation that was close to the world's Origin.

"Who is this..." Ling Qingzhu asked softly.

Xiao Qing and Saint Qing Ling had slowly descended from the high sky, walking through the air to stand before everyone.

Xiao Qing first nodded slightly to the Flame Master, Jiang Yinyin, and the others, then turned to the side, gesturing toward the woman beside him, and introduced, "This is Saint Qing Ling, from the ancient Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python race of the Dou Qi Continent; she is my... old friend and Senior."

Xiao Qing paused slightly, emphasizing the words "old friend and Senior" a little, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Saint Qing Ling seemed not to have heard his final tease, or rather, she had already quickly adjusted her state.

The momentary loss of composure and shyness in front of Xiao Qing seemed to have been just an illusion.

At this moment, Saint Qing Ling's expression was calm and waveless, her eyes like clear pools, and that ethereal, otherworldly aura once again permeated her surroundings.

She bowed slightly to the Flame Master, Jiang Yinyin, and the others, her tone indifferent yet polite as she said, "Qing Ling greets you all. Having come with the Heavenly Emperor this time, I am willing to do my humble best to resist the Yimo Race together."

Saint Qing Ling's voice was still clear and melodious, but it no longer held the subtle fluctuation it had when she was alone with Xiao Qing.

The Flame Master and Jiang Yinyin did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly returned the salute.

Although they were not clear what kind of existence this "Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python race" really was.