Chapter 248

Si Baixue's figure was like a pool of spring water, his face was covered by a dark blue mask, so his intentions could not be seen, but his slender neck, as white as glaze, revealed a bit of fragility.

He asked softly:

"My lord, did you hear what I said?"

Si Baixue seemed to sense Ying Ning's gaze scrutinizing him from head to toe. His voice trembled behind the mask, as if he had mustered his courage once more: "My lord?"

In the blink of an eye, Si Baixue felt a tightness around his neck.

He showed no sign of annoyance; instead, he was startled and tried to break free from the vines binding his neck. When his slender neck bumped into the sharp thorns, the little peacock couldn't help but gasp.

Then, Si Baixue heard a hoarse voice:

Do you know what's down there?

Without any hesitation, Ying Ning walked to Si Baixue's side. She used her aged fingers to lift the dark blue mask, forcing him to raise his neck.

He concealed his aura, making himself appear exceptionally harmless.

"Know."

"Oh? What is it?"

The little peacock was forced to cry out, and a red mark was drawn around its slender white neck by vines: "I know that there is a secret realm under the deep cliff, and a divine artifact is locked in that secret realm."

"Since you knew that, why did you help me?"

Si Baixue stopped struggling and said with self-mockery, "Yinshan has already shown his intention to withdraw from the world. If the demon realm were to start another great war, I, a mere demon, would only become a pawn and a prisoner."

"Even if they are lucky, they are only fit to be pets at the feet of those big shots."

“A slave would naturally not want to get involved in the conflicts of the demon realm.”

“Since you are not from the demon realm, you must have a place for me to stay.” Si Baixue deliberately showed his helplessness as a slave. He turned his head sadly, his slender waist slightly bent, and his clothes inevitably loosened a lot.

Beneath her slender neck, a glimpse reveals a captivating allure.

"So, you mean..."

"Would you be willing to serve me?" Yingning touched the red marks with her fingertips. This ambiguous word and action caused the other party's eyebrows to twitch slightly.

Since the play had already progressed this far, Si Baixue naturally had no reason to refuse.

He slightly raised the corners of his mouth:

"I...am willing."

Her fingertips did not leave her neck, and as Si Baixue felt Ying Ning's touch, that heart-pounding feeling enveloped him once again.

At the same moment, a vast sea of ​​fire erupted in the deep cliffs and secret realm.

........

Within the secret realm, the spiritual energy of the underworld had some effect in restraining the intense heat. Even so, the little peacock behind Ying Ning was already extremely weak.

Seeing that his outer robe had been removed and his neck was drenched in sweat, Yingning said, "I can set up a barrier for you here. If you go any further in, I'm afraid your body won't be able to take it."

"Since I am following you, sir, I naturally do not wish to be separated from you," Si Baixue said weakly, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“I once heard in the Thirteen Tribes that the divine artifacts deep within this secret realm were passed down from ancient times, but no one has been able to wield them for thousands of years.”

"What a waste of a treasure." Yingning gazed at the flames in the secret realm.

"You came here for this too, sir, didn't you?" Si Baixue said softly, but the next moment he seemed to collapse from exhaustion, lost his footing, and almost fell into a field of flames.

He was pulled back by Yingning and took the opportunity to lean against her arm.

"Cough cough."

"I'm really... sorry to trouble you, sir." His body was extremely flexible, and through the dark blue mask, only his bright eyes could be seen.

Si Baixue clung to Ying Ning, not behaving himself the whole way. He had been leaning against her, but after she released her ghostly aura, he wrapped almost half his body around her.

His chin rested on Ying Ning's neck, his cold mask pressed against her ear, and his decadent voice reached her ear: "There seems to be a chill emanating from you, my lord."

"When I'm close to you, it doesn't feel so bad anymore."

This is hardly some suffering little slave; if he wanted to, even the most important figures in Hidden Mountain would have to bow down to his tenderness.

Even though Ying Ning looked old and frail, Si Baixue still had the heart to attack her. She didn't believe that this little peacock didn't have some ulterior motive.

She saw through it but didn't say anything: "You must have had a hard journey."

"With your body, going to the underworld probably won't do you any good."

"The underworld is of no benefit to the cultivation of the demon race."

Si Baixue didn't care: "Since I'm following you, it's natural that you'll protect me."

"What, does Your Excellency refuse?"

He uttered a coquettish remark, his dark hair, half-hanging down to his waist, seemed like countless strands of affection. His emerald robe was stained with a misty hue, which made his dark blue mask appear less cold.

Seeing his seductive demeanor, Yingning whispered in his ear:

"If the young patriarch of the Kong Xuan clan is willing to become my beast of choice, I am willing to protect him."

"However, it seems the young clan leader has no chance."

The latter's face instantly turned cold, and a surge of spiritual energy erupted, directly forcing back the endless scorching flames around her. Si Baixue was no longer the delicate woman she had been moments before.

How did you find out?

"Young Clan Leader, you don't really think you can fool me into thinking you've opened the Karmic Fire Secret Realm with just a drop of Kong Xuan royal blood, do you?" Ying Ning stared directly at him.

The tension between the two was palpable.

"As expected of Meng Po of the Underworld." Si Baixue slowly removed the mask from her face, revealing crescent-shaped eyebrows and a gentle smile in her eerie eyes.

She has a flamboyant appearance and an extremely charming demeanor.

And the moment he took off his mask, his black hair grew wildly, reaching up to his ankles.

A demon is someone whose appearance is more beautiful than that of an ordinary person.

"Since Mother-in-law already knew, why did you still make me put on a show?" Si Baixue stroked his black hair, running her fingers through his well-defined knuckles, her movements slow and deliberate.

"Well, since..."

"Your Highness wants my life, how can I not use Your Highness's blood to sacrifice the barrier?"

Ying Ning chuckled and shattered the barrier set up by Si Baixue with a flick of her whip. Just as she expected, the two of them had never stepped into the secret realm, and the secret realm below the deep cliff was now right beneath their feet.

"Your Highness, are you planning to have my three souls and seven spirits refine the divine wood?"

Yingning had already seen that in the secret realm, where the karmic fire burned to its deepest point, a seemingly withered and rotten branch was radiating a vast power.

That power comes from the realm of gods.

It seems that what Bai Xie said was true.

Si Baixue's gaze followed, and upon seeing Huang Ling, a surging, burning intensity appeared in her eerie eyes—a look of unwavering determination to obtain the divine artifact.

For thousands of years, the Phoenix Spirit has been impossible for the demon race to refine, and Hidden Mountain can only watch helplessly as this treasure is guarded.

Si Baixue's grand announcement of Yinshan's possession of a divine artifact was intended to lure people from the Six Realms, allowing her to refine their three souls and seven spirits so that the artifact would recognize her as its master.

His scheme was exposed, so he simply said with a half-smile, "Since Grandma wants the artifact so much."

"Then let us both become divine artifacts."

Si Baixue suddenly swung his palm, and without hesitation, he sent Ying Ning into the secret realm barrier. He watched as her robes turned crimson, and the karmic fire instantly devoured her.

He laughed freely:

"I wonder if Meng Po's three souls and seven spirits can be refined into a divine artifact?"

He tried to witness the horrific refining process, but a moment later, the misty figure slowly emerging from the karmic fire stunned Si Baixue.

The fact that the other person was completely unharmed made him even more uneasy.

Until he heard her speak:

Thanks.

not good!

The karmic fire within the secret realm's barrier flowed strangely, gathering around this uninvited guest. Her steps were as swift as lightning, and Huang Ling slowly rose from the karmic fire.

Even if Si Baixue was slow to react, she could see it—this was the divine artifact that the demon race had been unable to refine for thousands of years.

They're actually going to acknowledge a master!

Si Baixue's face darkened.

He disregarded everything else and ventured alone into the secret realm that was undergoing violent changes.

"you....!"

Before Si Baixue could finish his angry words, he saw Huang Ling already fall into Ying Ning's hands. He flew over to snatch it, completely unaware of the extremely familiar array beneath his feet.

He stepped into the formation, his movements swift as he tried to seize the item, but it was too late.

Si Baixue could only watch helplessly as the divine artifact recognized its master and merged into Ying Ning's body.

Only when the light of the contract formation beneath his feet engulfed him did he snap out of his daze at missing the divine artifact, and the next instant, Si Baixue realized what had happened...

...?!

Not only has the artifact recognized its master.

he....

They're going to acknowledge a master too?!