Xiao Yifeng jumped in fright. He smiled bitterly and said, "Senior Sister, isn't calling our Ancestor an 'old thief' a bit... disrespectful to the sect?"
"A man like him doesn't deserve to be my Ancestor! He actually wanted me to be his Dao Companion!" Su Miaoqing huffed, her face red with indignation.
Xiao Yifeng feigned ignorance, though this was exactly what he had manipulated Qingxu into thinking. If he had suggested it himself, the old fox would have been suspicious. But since Qingxu came up with the "brilliant" idea on his own, he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Glancing around, Xiao Yifeng noticed a long white sword lying beside Qingxu's skeletal remains. The blade radiated a faint, pulsing energy that resonated with his bloodline.
He reached out.
Zing!
The sword hummed and flew into his grasp. As he unsheathed it, a wave of glacial coldness washed over the room. The blade seemed forged from eternal ice, translucent and flawless. Two ancient seal characters were etched near the hilt: Ink Snow.
"Is that the Ink Snow Sword? The supreme inheritance treasure of Wuya Hall?" Su Miaoqing asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Xiao Yifeng nodded, feeling the weight of history in his hand. "It should be."
He then knelt beside Qingxu's skeleton and slid a ring off the bony finger. He tossed it to Su Miaoqing. "This Storage Ring should contain all of Qingxu's personal treasures. Take it back and hand it over to Master."
Su Miaoqing caught the ring, nodding happily. "More treasures for Wuya Hall!"
Xiao Yifeng waved his hand, collecting Qingxu's remains and the other scattered items into his own Storage Ring. "He is still our Ancestor, after all. We should bring his bones back to Wuya Hall and let Master decide how to handle the burial."
Su Miaoqing eyed him suspiciously. "You can wield the Ink Snow Sword, and you're treating his bones so respectfully... You aren't secretly that old guy pretending to be Xiao Feng, are you?"
Xiao Yifeng’s face darkened. "Senior Sister, what will it take for you to believe me? Soul projection hurts like hell, you know! One slip and I would have shattered!"
Su Miaoqing giggled. "I'm just teasing you."
Having seen his soul form, she had no doubts. A soul aura couldn't be faked. As for why he could wield the sword... well, Xiao Yifeng had so many secrets she had stopped trying to count them.
Looking around the hall, they found four other skeletons lying in the dust—victims of Qingxu’s past battles. They still clutched their weapons: two High Grade Immortal Swords, a broken saber, and a delicate jade flute that radiated the aura of a Middle Grade Immortal Artifact.
Xiao Yifeng collected them one by one. When he reached the female skeleton, he noticed her clothes were oddly preserved. Touching the fabric, he realized it was a Middle Grade Immortal Artifact in the form of a treasure garment.
"Senior Sister, this is perfect for you!" Xiao Yifeng laughed, tossing it to her. "With this, you won't have to worry about burning your clothes off every time you use your full power. No more free shows for the enemy!"
Su Miaoqing rolled her eyes but accepted the garment eagerly. Upon refining it with a drop of blood, the dress transformed into a stream of multicolored light, wrapping around her body and settling into the form of an elegant cyan gown.
She twirled, the fabric flowing like water. "Does it look good?"
"It looks good. Senior Sister looks good in anything," Xiao Yifeng smiled. Then, his mind traitorously flashed back to her without the clothes. He sighed internally. She looks good without them too.
"By the way, Senior Sister," he added, "you really shouldn't keep that scar on your abdomen. It's... not very aesthetic for a girl."
Su Miaoqing’s face flushed. She hummed in acknowledgment, then glared at him. "Wait a minute. You swore you didn't see anything!"
"I saw a little bit! Just a tiny bit! I swear I didn't see anything else!" Xiao Yifeng raised three fingers in a solemn vow.
"Xiao Feng, you liar! You clearly saw everything!" Su Miaoqing stomped her foot. "I'm ruined! I won't be able to marry anyone now! You have to take responsibility!"
Senior Sister, I can't exactly argue with that logic! Xiao Yifeng wailed internally.
"Senior Sister, look!" He hurriedly pointed at another skeleton to change the subject.
Su Miaoqing huffed but walked over. Two of the skeletons—one large, one small, likely a man and a woman—had died holding hands.
On their ring fingers were matching bands. One black, one white. One carved with a dragon, the other with a phoenix. The craftsmanship was ancient and exquisite.
Xiao Yifeng slid the rings off. "Incredible. A pair of Middle Grade Immortal Artifacts... and they seem to have a linked array for combined attacks."
Ring-type artifacts were rare enough; a matching set with combat capabilities was priceless.
"These also function as Storage Rings," Xiao Yifeng noted. "Senior Sister, you keep them."
Su Miaoqing took the rings, inspected them, and then handed the black, dragon-carved one back to him.
"We'll keep these for ourselves," she declared with a mischievous smile. "This one is yours."
"Senior Sister, you should keep both. Use them as part of your dowry in the future," Xiao Yifeng tried to decline.
"I told you to take it, so take it! Or I'll beat you up!" Su Miaoqing threatened, raising a small fist.
Xiao Yifeng couldn't win against her "milk-fierce" attitude. Resigned, he slid the black ring onto his finger. Su Miaoqing happily put the white phoenix ring on hers, admiring the way they looked.
Xiao Yifeng felt a mix of amusement and awkwardness. Matching couple rings with my Senior Sister? What is this development?
"Fine. When you get married, I'll return this to you as a wedding gift," he laughed. Xuan Yi, you lucky bastard. Getting a free artifact.
"Mind your own business!" Su Miaoqing kicked him in the shin.
Xiao Yifeng wisely shut up. He walked over to the massive stone stele in the center of the hall—the control core of the Immortal Abode.
"This should be the Control Stele," he said, placing his hand on the cold stone.
"If we refine this, can we control the entire Abode?" Su Miaoqing asked, eyes shining.
"You're thinking too simply. Qingxu spent centuries trying and failed. What makes you think we can do it?" Xiao Yifeng was less optimistic.
He closed his eyes and injected a trace of spiritual intent into the stele.
Hum.
The stone vibrated, establishing a mental link with him. A message echoed in his mind:
[Detected: Three Reincarnation Stone Tablets. Access Granted: Partial Control Authority.]
Xiao Yifeng’s jaw dropped. The tablets act as keys?!
He explained the situation to Su Miaoqing. She tried touching the stele, but nothing happened.
"So that's why Qingxu failed," Xiao Yifeng realized. "He didn't have the tablets. This thing is password-locked!"
With a thought, Xiao Yifeng commanded the stele. Light projected from the stone, forming several floating screens in the air, displaying various locations within the temple.
"It's them! They made it inside!" Su Miaoqing exclaimed.
On the screen, the other survivors were running through the corridors, looting treasures while desperately fleeing from the eccentric monster.
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