Chapter 12: The Empress's Little Trumpet?

Chapter 12: The Empress's Alt Account?

Ning Yao, the proud genius disciple of the Qingyun Sect, had always been aloof and walked her own path, but today, her rhythm was completely shattered. Dazed and bewildered, she followed the Ancestor, mindlessly chanting to the "Spirit of the Pen."

"This Spirit of the Pen is quite responsive, System."

Watching the brush circle repeatedly over the character "Yes," Chen Ping'an smiled with satisfaction. "Yes" meant it was his ex-girlfriend.

The System let out a disdainful laugh: "It’s just a single character. It doesn't prove anything!"

Chen Ping'an manipulated the brush, quickly adding a few characters after the "Yes/No" options.

"Is it my ex-girlfriend?"

The System was stunned. Was this host’s train of thought too unique? To think he would use such a trash-tier gimmick like the "Spirit of the Pen" to stir up trouble in the Profound Heaven Realm—wasn't that just seeking death?

Ning Yao regained her senses, and looking at the characters on the paper, her exquisite face showed shock. "Ancestor, what... what are you doing?"

Chen Ping'an smiled gently. "You looked familiar, so I performed a divination and discovered that you are the reincarnation of my ex-girlfriend."

Reincarnation of his ex-girlfriend? Had this old lecher lost his mind?

Suddenly, blood rushed to her head. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she shouted angrily, "I knew you were up to no good! I managed to avoid your tea, but I never expected to fall into a trap on paper!"

System: "I have never seen such a thick-skinned and shameless person."

Ignoring the System, Chen Ping'an said with airy indifference, "It was just a divination. I didn't even take it seriously; why did you? Ning Yao, your childish temperament still needs tempering..."

Ning Yao was so angry she couldn't speak. If she weren't a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, she would have slashed this old man with her sword long ago.

"Wait? Golden Body Realm?"

Ning Yao suddenly froze. She clearly remembered that this Ancestor had been nothing more than an ordinary mortal just days ago. How had he reached the Golden Body Realm in such a short time?

Boom!

A thunderclap suddenly resounded within Ning Yao's sea of consciousness.

Her inner sanctum was in turmoil; dark clouds rolled, torrential rain poured, and massive lightning bolts mixed with countless fireballs descended from the sky. Countless hurricanes howled as black seas surged toward the heavens, roaring in terror.

A brilliant, colossal sword slowly rose from the black waters. It stood tall between heaven and earth, and in an instant, the winds ceased, the rain stopped, and the entire world fell into a sudden, eerie silence.

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

"In this world, no one can stop you from attaining your Dao!"

"If there is anyone, destroy them with one strike!"

Waves of voice, like the majesty of the heavens, echoed through the chaotic world, triggering a powerful resonance in Ning Yao’s spirit.

A trace of blood-red hue quietly emerged in her eyes.

Ning Yao’s killing intent became chilling. Suddenly, a sword appeared in her hand, her gaze sharp, soul-piercing, and haunting.

"This?"

Chen Ping'an was also stunned. He could clearly feel Ning Yao’s killing intent; at this moment, the girl actually wanted him dead. Was it just a game of "Spirit of the Pen"? Was it really necessary to kill someone over it?

Bang!

The door was kicked open, and two figures flew in. One of them raised a hand and knocked Ning Yao unconscious. It was Qin Jian who had acted.

The Profound Ancestor looked as if he were facing a great enemy, asking nervously, "Great Ancestor, are you alright?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and smiled. "I'm fine. I am protected by the Coffin of Longevity; no one in this world can kill me."

The Profound Ancestor let out a long sigh of relief. He glanced at Ning Yao, his gaze cold and stern. "Jian, this girl actually dared to lay a hand on the Great Ancestor. Just kill her and throw her to the back mountain to feed the dogs!"

"Profound Ancestor, Ning Yao is a natural sword-body. Could you give her a chance to repent?" Qin Jian’s slender body trembled, her eyes reddening. She had watched Ning Yao grow up and shared a deep bond with her; she couldn't bear to see the girl die.

"There is no room for negotiation." The Profound Ancestor raised his hand indifferently, intending to execute Ning Yao.

"Little Xuan." Chen Ping'an suddenly spoke up. "This little girl gave me great inspiration today. She should be credited in the record book."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and over a hundred pellets of supreme-grade blood-essence pills appeared in the void.

Chen Ping'an looked at Qin Jian and said calmly, "Jian, take these blood-essence pills and give them to Ning Yao once she wakes up. The girl is already at the peak of the Golden Body Realm; these pills will help her break through to the Divine Treasury Realm."

"These are... supreme-grade blood-essence pills?" The Profound Ancestor twitched his nose, his face full of shock. Having spent so many years in the Northern Province, he had never even seen supreme-grade blood-essence pills; the best he had ever encountered were high-grade.

Chen Ping'an nodded. Qin Jian, standing by, was also so shocked she forgot to collect the pills.

The Profound Ancestor stared fixedly at the pills, his voice trembling. "Great Ancestor, isn't it a bit wasteful to let her eat such precious pills?"

"Ning Yao is the genius disciple of our Qingyun Sect. If I don't give them to her, who should I give them to? You, this old thing?" Chen Ping'an glared.

The Profound Ancestor shrank his neck in fear. At his current realm, he no longer needed these pills.

Qin Jian: "..." Her face turned bright red; she wanted to laugh but didn't dare, so she desperately held it in while taking a jade bottle to collect the supreme-grade pills.

"As expected of someone who has lived for ten thousand years, the Great Ancestor's foundation is truly terrifying..." the Profound Ancestor thought to himself. Initially, he had truly mistaken the Great Ancestor for a mortal, but he hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly.

The Great Ancestor's recent performance was truly shocking.

Chen Ping'an waved his hand. The Profound Ancestor understood and turned to exit the room, while Qin Jian carried Ning Yao back to Little Bamboo Peak.

"This girl really has good fortune!" Placing Ning Yao on the bed, Qin Jian held the small jade bottle, her tone tinged with envy. Blood-essence pills were useful not only for the Blood-Essence Realm but also for the Golden Body Realm. However, once one reached the Divine Treasury Realm and opened the ten divine treasuries within the body, such pills were no longer needed.

With a groan, Ning Yao woke up.

"Ning Yao, do you know your crime?" Qin Jian’s expression turned cold, her gaze like a knife, as if she wanted to tear Ning Yao apart. She wanted to see where this girl found the audacity to strike at the Great Ancestor.

"Ning Yao is guilty." Ning Yao rolled off the bed and knelt at Qin Jian’s feet. Her face was sorrowful and her expression mournful; all pride had vanished. She knew that according to the laws of the Qingyun Sect, the lightest punishment would be the crippling of her cultivation. She didn't want to die, so she pinned her hopes of survival on Ancestor Jian.

Ning Yao's sea of consciousness had long since returned to normal. To this day, she still didn't understand where that giant sword had come from or why it had incited her to kill the Ancestor. As a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, only at the Golden Body Realm, could she even survive if she had killed the Sect's Ancestor?

"The Great Ancestor is merciful and did not blame you. Seeing your excellent talent, he even bestowed upon you supreme-grade blood-essence pills." Qin Jian sighed, placed the small jade bottle into Ning Yao’s hand, and comforted her, "Cultivate well and break through to the Divine Treasury Realm as soon as possible. Do not let down the Great Ancestor's kindness."

With those words, Qin Jian floated away.

"I..." Ning Yao was stunned and speechless, feeling a deep sense of self-reproach. The Ancestor was merely joking with her, yet she had developed killing intent. She felt that she truly deserved to die.

"This..." Opening the bottle stopper and feeling the terrifying blood-essence power radiating from the pills, Ning Yao was both shocked and delighted. Pills of this quality only existed in legends; she had never seen them before. She was currently stuck at the tenth layer of the Golden Body Realm; once she consumed these supreme-grade pills, she would surely break through the shackles in one go and advance to the Divine Treasury Realm.

...

"In this life, only two women have ever held killing intent toward me: one is the Empress of Red Dust, and the other is Ning Yao..."

In the room, Chen Ping'an muttered to himself. Ning Yao's performance just now was almost identical to that of the Empress of Red Dust from the past. This forced him to connect these two women who seemed to have nothing to do with each other.

"Could this Ning Yao be the Empress of Red Dust's alt account?"