The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

As Ying Li walked out of the clothing store, he looked exhausted. He had been cultivating non-stop without any rest. Although his spiritual power had surged to the fifth level of soul cultivation, he was still young and had only a mortal body. In addition, the terrifying technique Deep Eye had stripped away another layer of skin from his body.

If this continues indefinitely, it could be counterproductive.

The Deep Eye technique is hailed as one of the most advanced cultivation methods on the Spirit Realm Continent, only those at the Spirit Lord level are qualified to attempt it. Even among Spirit Lords, very few succeed in cultivating it, as the Seven-Day Life-Taking Eye is not something ordinary people dare to try. Who would willingly risk death unless they were absolutely certain?! Moreover, two-thirds of the Spirit Lords who are willing to cultivate it cannot endure the ordeal and die prematurely, directly causing the people of the Spirit Realm Continent to tremble at the mere mention of the Deep Eye technique.

Ying Li's journey from death to life was fraught with difficulty, perhaps because of her resolute attitude and exceptional talent in spiritual cultivation, which allowed Shen Tong to be completely at her disposal.

"These Deep Pupil Eyes, there are only ten pairs in the entire Spirit Realm. Over thousands of years, the Spirit Lord has killed Deep Pupil Beasts to refine batches of Deep Pupil Eyes. The sheer number and terrifying power of these eyes are astounding. However, due to their overwhelming aftereffects, everyone who obtains a Deep Pupil Eye either dies or is seriously injured. This Deep Pupil Technique has become a forbidden art on the Spirit Realm, unusable only by those who dominate spiritual power. I took a pair because I found them interesting. Using them on you makes their years of waiting worthwhile." The alluring man looked into Ying Li's clear eyes. A faint red tinge flashed around the edges of her eyes, followed by a sudden burst of spiritual light that vanished without a trace after a long while.

It seems that Ying Li has refined and integrated the Deep Eye into his own eyes. From now on, the Deep Eye is Ying Li's Eye, and there is absolutely no possibility of it being taken away by anyone.

Ying Li touched her eyes and realized that cultivation was not easy. Although she had successfully cultivated the Deep Eyes, she was still a little unfamiliar with the power within them. Trying to get fat in one bite would surely lead to overeating. She thought to herself that she should digest the Deep Eyes first before practicing other techniques.

She smiled at the black bracelet on her right hand and said, "Although the power of the Deep Eyes is terrifying, Dongfang Lin is no ordinary person. Although those thugs are dead, from what I can see, their spiritual power is only that of ordinary soul cultivators, and they have no martial prowess to speak of. If you want to take down Dongfang Lin in one fell swoop, you are still far from it."

"That's right. Even if you possess the Seven-Star Bone Ring, the moment you unleash your spiritual power in battle, it will still have a certain impact on yourself. If you rely solely on external forces without cultivating yourself, then your spiritual power is very likely to deplete in the future." The alluring man said with some solemnity. Ever since Ying Li and the Bone Ring formed their contract, during the battle to kill the Devouring Spirit Python, Ying Li's innate spiritual power, which seemed to come from nowhere, caused the Bone Ring to unleash a devastatingly powerful attack.

This proves that the Bone Ring has chosen Ying Li, and all its power is at her free disposal. Recalling those fools who forcefully made contracts with the Bone Ring in the past, yet never received its affirmation, possessing it in solitude but unable to use it, the alluring man's expression turned solemn. For fifteen years, no supreme expert has appeared on the Spirit Realm Continent; given time, Ying Li will surely become famous throughout the world.

The Bone Pact can draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, allowing for the cycle of life and death. Ying Li not only resurrected but also used his terrifying, mysterious spiritual power to take the Bone Ring as his own magical artifact. Such shocking news would likely have made him utterly astonished if he hadn't been well-informed.

It's better to be careful.

Ying Li tightened his pack, walked to the dock, and hired a small boat. Outside the city of Linshui lay Qingyue Manor, a secluded and tranquil place renowned as a sacred sanctuary for spiritual cultivation, with each cultivation location highly secretive. Ying Li decided to rest briefly on the boat and then seize the time to cultivate once they reached Qingyue Manor. He hadn't entered Qingyue Manor in the past two years, but now, with its changed appearance, there should be a chance of entry.

Thinking this, she informed the boat captain, then took her bundle and went into the boat. She leaned against the wooden box, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay down.

"Have you heard? A master swordsman appeared in Linshui City and killed the brocade-clad girl from the pawnshop. She was a top-notch expert, one of the best in Linshui City. It's such a pity that she was killed so suddenly!"

"That's right, I heard that the assassin cooked golden porridge for the girl in brocade and even sold the Spirit Gathering Grass for a sky-high price of 200,000 taels of gold!"

"Is this guy a complete idiot?! Even if the Spirit Gathering Grass is precious, it doesn't cost two hundred thousand taels of gold! In this tiny city-state, once something rare appears, it's frantically chased after by a bunch of bumpkins. The more obscure the place, the more ridiculously expensive those obscure things are. If you gave me two hundred thousand taels of gold, I could buy two hundred of them, let alone two!"

"Who knows if those 200,000 taels are for the Spirit Gathering Herb, or for the life of the young lady in brocade?!"

"..."

Ying Li didn't know how much time had passed when the increasingly loud conversation on the neighboring cruise ship woke her from her dream. Although those people were sharp-tongued, they were right about one thing: the smaller the place, the more adept they are at scheming and manipulating others. And the smaller the place, the less likely they are to see anything truly valuable.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly. Wasn't Ying Li also from a small town? Shaking her head, Ying Li hugged her bundle and left the cabin. Autumn was approaching, and a cool breeze blew by, causing Ying Li's hair to flutter in the wind, giving her an indescribable air of carefree ease.

"Hey, isn't that so-and-so from the Ying family? So eager to come out and have fun, they're making a complete fool of themselves without even realizing it!" A burst of mocking laughter broke out from the previous chatter.

Ying Li turned her head and saw a woman in a pink silk dress looking at her with disdain, her arms crossed. She had delicate features and looked almost exactly the same as when she was a child.

Ying Li recognized her at a glance; it was Lin Piaopiao, the only daughter of the Lin family, one of the five great families of Ye Ling City. They had been at odds since childhood. The Lin family's unique spiritual cultivation method ensured that each generation of Lin family members never lagged behind on the path of spiritual cultivation. Even though Lin Piaopiao was a year younger, her spiritual power was already at the sixth level of Soul Cultivation, only one level lower than Ying Luo. Reaching the sixth level of Soul Cultivation at fourteen years old was truly exceptional.

Ying Li turned her head away, crossed her arms, and looked at the scenery of the lake and mountains without answering. The best way to deal with people like this is to keep them on the sidelines. With the Bixia Palace initiation ceremony imminent, Lin Piaopiao will inevitably come to Qingyue Manor to cultivate her spiritual energy. Their encounter is purely coincidental; there's nothing to cause a fuss about.

"Piao Piao, don't say such hurtful things. How painful it must be for Li'er, being pointed at and gossiped about for fifteen years. We grew up together, so it's better to say less of these hurtful things." Just as Ying Li was being indifferent, another familiar voice rang out from the other side.

It's like meeting an old friend in a foreign land; there are so many scoundrels here. Jiang Yunlou, the fourth young master of the Jiang family, one of the five great families of Ye Lingcheng, is also here.

Ying Li snorted coldly. The people from the other four great families often hung out together. If the descendants of all five great families gathered at Qingyue Manor this time, it would be quite a show.

Ying Li was only half right. After Lin Piaopiao and Jiang Yunlou uttered their ill intentions, no one from the Dongfang family came. Instead, Xiao Xun, the eldest son of the Xiao family, leaned against the side of the cabin with his arms crossed, saying nothing. This taciturn fellow had never liked to talk since childhood, but he had caused Ying Li no shortage of trouble.

It seems she really had a bad time going out; she ran into several of the people she disliked the most. But thankfully, Dongfang Lin didn't come. If she had, Ying Li probably wouldn't have been able to resist cursing the heavens for being unfair.

"The Ying family is supposed to be the head of the five great families in Yeling City, how come their descendants are so weak, not even daring to utter a word!" Lin Piaopiao pointed at Ying Li, her face full of arrogance and disdain. Everyone said that Ying Li was born with a beautiful face, unmatched in the entire Jin'an Kingdom. But she didn't care. What good is beauty if you're a useless person without spiritual power?!

She was pampered from a young age, chasing after all things beautiful, and always showing contempt for those with disabilities. She looked down on Ying Li from childhood; how could such a good-for-nothing be considered a descendant of one of the five great families alongside her? The mere thought of Ying Li's name made her want to vomit, wishing she could beat him to death. Such people, who consider themselves superior, will trample on the mediocre even if they are innocent—in short, they are mentally ill.

"I just saw you and it reminded me of some old things, and I'm having trouble speaking for a moment." Ying Li smiled coldly, his face showing an inscrutable expression.

"Could it be that you're feeling guilty because you know you're a good-for-nothing?! If you ask me, you should give up your position as the heir to the Ying family as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the person in charge of the Ying family for you is gone, use your toes to think about it, which of the remaining four great families would support a good-for-nothing as the head of the five great families?!" Lin Piaopiao rolled her eyes at Ying Li's indifferent gaze.

“Miss Piao Piao possesses extremely high spiritual power, naturally incomparable to a piece of trash like Ying Li. However…” Ying Li’s eyes flickered, “Someone always has to pay the price for their actions, don’t you think?”

Lin Piaopiao was startled by Ying Li's sudden change in expression. She remembered that Ying Li used to be more tolerant and never resisted in the slightest. A few days ago, when she heard that Ying Li had accepted Dongfang Lin's challenge, she laughed so hard that she thought that this good-for-nothing had gone mad. Now it seems that she is not only mad, but also probably scared out of her mind.

She's clearly a useless piece of trash. Even if she came to Qingyue Manor, does she think the sun will rise in the west and she can reverse her spiritual power? What a joke.

“Of course someone has to pay the price, but it won’t be me. The one who pays the price will definitely be a piece of trash!” Lin Piaopiao’s eyes were gloomy as she spoke slowly and deliberately, a chilling smile on her lips.

Jiang Yunlou and Xiao Xun behind him both lowered their heads and smiled, their gazes toward Ying Li now filled with hostility.

"Heh, Piaopiao, remember what you said today. The one who pays the price will be a piece of trash!" After saying that, Ying Li walked back to the cabin without looking back and ordered the boatman to speed up the journey towards Qingyue Manor. Before long, he left Lin Piaopiao and the others behind.

"Is she crazy?" Lin Piaopiao pointed incredulously at Ying Li, who had left before finishing her sentence, her face full of helplessness. Jiang Yunlou walked over and patted her on the shoulder, revealing an ambiguous smile, "Having been a good-for-nothing for fifteen years, it's natural to want to gain some verbal advantage. If Piaopiao is kind-hearted, we'll teach this good-for-nothing a good lesson at Qingyue Manor, so that she won't lose so badly in the citizenship examination."

Jiang Yunlou spoke his last sentence very softly, and Lin Piaopiao smiled and said, "Of course, when we get to Qingyue Manor, we must give this old friend a proper welcome."