The Demon Lord’s Heavenly Tomb was vast beyond measure, stretching endlessly.
Xu Ning followed the spatial mark left by Yuwen Shuang, neither rushing nor slowing, trailing behind Long Lingtian for several days in succession.
At the summit of a volcano, waves of heat surged toward them. Lava churned violently, and violent spiritual energy filled the air.
In a flash, Xu Ning and his group appeared there.
Just a moment ago, they had been in an icy domain. Now, they stood amidst blazing heat. The sudden contrast left everyone visibly uncomfortable.
Boom!
The lava within the crater surged violently. A terrifying demonic beast over 30 meters long, radiating the aura of the 9th transformation of the Primordial Essence Realm, burst out and lunged toward them.
The creature resembled both fish and dragon, its appearance grotesque beyond measure. Its muscles bulged powerfully, and its body emitted temperatures of millions of degrees, carrying scorching waves of heat that made it utterly terrifying.
Zhou Shuxian and the other two women turned pale with fright. However, Xu Ning stood calmly with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged as he continued to follow the mark Yuwen Shuang had left.
At times like this, the value of having subordinates became obvious.
The Great Zhou Empire royal experts immediately took action, unleashing various powerful divine abilities and techniques, blasting the attacking beast into dust.
As the beast died, a round, crystal-clear demon core, gleaming like jade, floated in the air.
“A Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Beast Core!”
“This creature is an ancient beast, long extinct in the outside world. The value of its core is beyond imagination!”
“What are you looking at? Such a treasure naturally belongs to His Highness!”
The royal experts clicked their tongues in amazement, their eyes filled with greed, though mixed with deep reluctance.
Zhou Shuxian’s eyes lit up. Her cultivation technique had already reached a bottleneck, and she was in urgent need of a fire-attributed treasure like this Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Beast Core to break through.
A trace of longing flashed in her eyes. Still, she respectfully presented the core to Xu Ning.
Sensing her desire, Xu Ning couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
For something like this, which had vanished in the outside world, the Yuwen Family treasury held piles of it.
“Keep it. It’s your reward,” he said casually.
“Huh?” Zhou Shuxian’s lips parted slightly, unable to believe that Xu Ning would give away such a treasure so easily.
At the side, Yao Ling’er said, “Just take it. Husband seems quite fond of you.”
Faced with such direct favor, Zhou Shuxian didn’t know how to respond. A faint blush appeared on her face.
She glanced at Xu Ning for confirmation. Seeing him nod, she softly acknowledged and stored the core.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Her voice carried genuine gratitude. In her heart, Xu Ning’s image began to shift—beyond gentle, he was now also generous.
Watching their interaction, Yuwen Rou felt a pang of bitterness.
His Highness is really fickle… it hasn’t been long, yet he’s already so close with her…
Hearing the gratitude in Zhou Shuxian’s voice, Xu Ning couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
What he considered worthless was treated as a priceless treasure by Zhou Shuxian.
Is this the trouble of being a rich second generation?
He stepped forward again, leading the group deeper into the Demon Lord’s Heavenly Tomb.
“Your Highness… um, you seem to know the way. Do you have a map?” Zhou Shuxian asked cautiously, feeling the distance between them had slightly closed after the earlier exchange.
The other two women, along with the royal experts, all looked toward Xu Ning.
Their greatest concern was getting lost in this chaotic world.
Noticing their unease, Xu Ning smiled faintly. “The Heavenly Secrets must not be revealed. Just follow me—you won’t go wrong.”
Hearing his confident tone, Zhou Shuxian and the others let out a sigh of relief. Looking at his back, they felt him increasingly unfathomable, as if he were a master strategist who could plan everything and decide victory from afar.
Sensing their thoughts, Xu Ning merely shrugged inwardly.
I’m just following the treasure-hunting rat.
…
Meanwhile, Long Lingtian had already arrived beneath the Heavenly Tomb.
The area was shrouded in dense mist, as though an ancient civilization had once existed here. Ruined palaces lay scattered everywhere, now reduced to broken walls and debris, faintly telling of former glory.
Boom!
Long Lingtian punched forward, killing a ferocious beast in front of him. Blood mist filled the air as the residual force swept up a gust of wind.
He exhaled deeply, kicked aside the corpse blocking his path, and walked deeper into the ruins.
Sure enough, inside the palace behind the beast, there was a nest of slightly clumsy-looking cubs.
“Ancient demonic beast cubs. If sold at auction, they would fetch an astronomical price. This time, I’ve truly struck it rich!”
Greed flashed in his eyes. He didn’t notice that behind him, Yuwen Shuang blinked, her gaze fixed on the cubs with clear longing.
People—especially women—had no resistance to fluffy, adorable creatures.
Yuwen Shuang was no exception.
“They’re so cute… Lingtian, can you give me one?” she asked hesitantly.
Long Lingtian frowned, his tone carrying a trace of impatience. “Shuang’er, these are ancient demonic beasts. They retain their savage nature and are hard to tame. Even if you take one, you won’t be able to subdue it.”
“It’s better to sell them at auction and earn a large amount of spirit stones.”
To him, these cubs were equivalent to mountains of spirit stones. There was no way he would give them away.
Now that the Yuwen Family had been destroyed, Yuwen Shuang had lost her background. Coupled with her mediocre talent, she was nothing more than a pretty vase.
Women like her were everywhere.
He had no intention of wasting resources or time on someone like that. If not for past ties—and a certain matter—he would have long since abandoned her.
Hearing his response, Yuwen Shuang’s eyes widened in disbelief. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
She never imagined he would refuse her—and with such impatience.
In the past few days, they had encountered many opportunities, and she had contributed greatly. Yet Long Lingtian had not shared a single treasure with her. There had even been a time when they found a Thousand-Year Ice Soul Herb that was extremely useful to her, yet he still refused to give it.
“Lingtian, won’t you even agree to such a small request?” Her eyes reddened, her voice trembling with sorrow.
Noticing her emotions, Long Lingtian frowned. “Shuang’er, don’t be willful. I urgently need resources to increase my cultivation. Otherwise, how can I help you take revenge on Xu Ning?”
Hearing his seemingly righteous yet utterly selfish words, all the grievances and neglect she had endured burst forth.
“Long Lingtian, have you forgotten? When you betrayed the Long Family and had nowhere to go, who took you in? Who stood against all opposition to provide you with cultivation resources?”
“We once swore eternal love, that you would love only me in this life! Yet later, you told me you liked Yao Ling’er. Did I ever say anything?”
“When you went to disrupt the marriage, I knelt before the ancestor for three days and nights before they agreed to save you! When you were imprisoned, I risked everything to steal the key and rescue you!”
As she exposed his past, Long Lingtian’s expression darkened.
“That was the past. People climb higher, water flows lower. Don’t bring it up again!”
He snorted coldly. The powerful aura of the peak Primordial Essence Realm surged out, acting as a threat. Yuwen Shuang’s face stiffened as she staggered back two steps.
“You… you…” Tears poured from her eyes.
“You can follow me if you want, but don’t whine here and covet my treasures,” Long Lingtian said coldly. “Of course, I’m not forcing you. You can leave.”
With that, he flew into the sky without looking back.
If she weren’t still useful, he would have already cast aside this ungrateful woman.
High in the sky stood a massive tomb. Dragons and phoenixes were carved upon it, and four powerful characters were engraved:
Tomb of the Demon Lord.
Staring at it, naked greed flashed in his eyes.
Xu Ning… just wait. I’m about to gain the power to take my revenge.
Watching Long Lingtian leave without a trace of hesitation, Yuwen Shuang couldn’t hold back her sobs.
Not forcing her to leave? What a joke.
Without the Demon Lord’s token, she had no way of leaving this place on her own. Setting aside the chaotic space, she wouldn’t even survive the demonic beasts along the way.
She knew full well that Long Lingtian said that only because he was certain she wouldn’t dare to leave.
“Adversity reveals true character… now I finally see clearly. Long Lingtian is nothing but an ungrateful wretch.”
“Revenge? How laughable. How could you possibly defeat Master?”
She muttered to herself. At that moment, she felt that someone like Xu Ning—a true villain—was far better than Long Lingtian, a hypocrite.
Biting her lip, she ultimately followed after Long Lingtian.