Batian Martial Soul

Chapter 14402 Star Gate
Looking at the stubbornness in the woman's eyes, Ling Xiao tightened his fingertips slightly, bringing the blade of the God-Slaying Sword closer by half a step. He had already accepted in his heart that she would rather die than submit—Shadow Pavilion assassins were known for their ruthlessness and decisiveness, and few would choose to compromise in a desperate situation.

Just as he was about to apply more pressure, the woman suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse as if she had just escaped from the brink of death: "Yes!"

This answer came out of nowhere and was completely unexpected by Ling Xiao.

He paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before slowly sheathing the God-Slaying Sword.

Gentle starlight flowed from his fingertips, landing on the wound between the woman's eyebrows like scattered starlight. The cool touch instantly covered the pain, and the bleeding at the wound quickly stopped, leaving only a shallow scar.

"If you want to live, you should know how to do it."

His tone remained calm, but it lacked the previous oppressiveness and instead carried a hint of scrutiny.

The woman slowly raised her head, reached out and removed the black veil from her face, revealing a beautiful but pale face.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, but her face was extremely pale due to blood loss and fear, and her lips were also bloodless. Only her eyes remained bright, but they carried a hint of confusion: "I don't know."

She grew up in the Shadow Pavilion from a young age, receiving training in killing and stealth. She never imagined that she would surrender one day, let alone know how to conduct herself after surrendering.

"With me."

Ling Xiao's words were concise and to the point, without any unnecessary explanation. These two words carried an undeniable force, serving as both a command and a promise.

Upon hearing this, the woman stiffened slightly, remained silent, and unconsciously curled her fingers at her sides.

Following someone who had just tried to kill her was undoubtedly a huge challenge for her, but she also knew that it was her only way to survive.

Seeing that she did not respond for a long time, Ling Xiao added, "Hand over a wisp of your life soul fire."

This was his final bottom line. His life-bound soul fire was a symbol of a martial artist's life. Once he handed it over, it meant that he was completely handing over his life and death to someone else, and it would also completely eliminate the possibility of her betraying him in the future.

The woman's body jolted violently, her fingertips began to tremble, and her eyes were filled with struggle and fear.

She understood better than anyone the importance of her natal soul fire—as long as the soul fire was there, her life was there; when the soul fire was extinguished, her soul was gone.

Once she hands it over, she will have no control over her own life or death. But if she doesn't, Ling Xiao will never give her a second chance.

Ling Xiao saw her reaction, his eyes gradually turned cold, and his tone became more stern: "This is your last chance."

As soon as he finished speaking, the power of the stars around him began to surge slightly, clearly indicating that if the woman refused, he would immediately restart the cage.

After a long while, the woman seemed to have made a huge decision. She slowly raised her right hand, and a wisp of dark blue flame rose from her palm.

The flame was thin and weak, yet it emanated a wave that perfectly matched her aura. In the center of the flame, a miniature version of her could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged in meditation; that was her natal soul fire.

Ling Xiao gently rolled up his sleeve, and a gentle force enveloped the wisp of soul fire, storing it in his storage ring before removing the spatial cage that had imprisoned the woman.

The moment the cage vanished, the woman visibly breathed a sigh of relief, her body swaying slightly, clearly not yet fully recovered from the previous suppression.

Ling Xiao didn't give her much time to process it, and asked directly, "Besides you, who else did Shadow Pavilion send?"

"Have."

The woman's answer remained brief and her voice was low, as if she was still adjusting to her new identity.

"Several people?"

Ling Xiao pressed on, his sharp eyes fixed on her, not missing a single subtle expression on her face.

The woman lowered her eyes slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "I don't know."

Seeing Ling Xiao's brows furrow slightly, she quickly added, "The Shadow Pavilion always operates in secrecy. People who are not on the same mission never exchange information. Everyone has their own independent mission objectives, and we don't even know that each other exists."

This is a rule of the Shadow Pavilion, designed to prevent the capture of one person from implicating more others.

Ling Xiao pondered for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the hilt of his sword as he considered the purpose of the Shadow Pavilion.

He suddenly remembered the strange behavior at the Heavenly Abyss Sanctuary and asked, "Is the Shadow Pavilion also here for that item?"

The woman nodded silently, offering no further explanation, clearly acknowledging Ling Xiao's guess.

"Besides Shadow Pavilion, who else is eyeing me?"

Ling Xiao continued to press, knowing that his breakthrough to the Cangyue Realm would inevitably attract the attention of more forces. Besides the Tianyuan Holy Hall and the Shadow Pavilion, there were probably other forces observing him in the shadows.

The woman remained silent for a long time, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, before finally saying softly, "The people from Star Gate are investigating you."

"Stargate?"

Upon hearing these two words, Ling Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted, and the image of a martial artist dressed in a star-patterned robe instantly appeared in his mind—a person he had encountered by chance during his early years of training in the Fallen Demon Abyss. The other person exuded an aura that was the same as that of the stars, and his every move carried a kind of majesty that looked down upon all living beings. At that time, he guessed that the other person came from the legendary Star Gate.

Now that I think about it, could it be that Star Gate also had its eye on his secrets?
A sense of solemnity rose in his heart.

As one of the oldest sects in the Silent Realm, Star Gate is known as the Lord of Ten Thousand Stars. The sect is full of powerful figures who possess mysterious abilities such as star prediction and spatial tracking. They have always been indifferent to worldly affairs, focusing on studying the Great Dao of Stars and rarely participating in external conflicts.

But now even such a sect has chosen to intervene, it seems that the situation surrounding the Overlord Empire is much more complicated than he imagined. In addition to the Heavenly Abyss Holy Hall and the Shadow Pavilion, there is now another extremely troublesome opponent.

After pondering for a long time, Ling Xiao looked up at Qing He beside him and waved his hand, saying, "Follow me and don't show yourself for now."

“Stargate is skilled at tracking. If your presence is exposed, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.”

He knew very well that this female assassin had only recently surrendered and her aura had not yet fully merged with his. If the people of the Star Gate were to discover her, not only would Qinghe be in danger, but it might also expose his route back to the Overlord Empire.

Before he finished speaking, his aura surged, and his figure transformed into a dazzling sword light, streaking across the sky like a meteor and hurtling towards the Batian Empire, instantly disappearing into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds.

The female assassin remained rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction he had disappeared, motionless for a long time.

The mountain wind blew her black clothes, revealing a small black jade pendant at her waist. In the center of the pendant was a powerful character "Shadow," a symbol of the Shadow Pavilion assassin's identity.

She raised her hand to stroke the jade pendant, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes—a mixture of confusion, resentment, and a barely perceptible expectation.

Finally, she sighed softly, her aura gradually receding, and her figure slowly faded away like water vapor, merging into the surrounding void, as if she had never existed above this sea of ​​clouds.

Half an hour later, Ling Xiao's figure appeared in the sky above the Batian Empire.