I don’t know how long has passed, but the blood in Lee Qingling’s eyes gradually faded, restoring a hint of sanity.
However, upon seeing his left arm transformed into a Demon Sword, he felt no fear but instead broke into a grim laugh, "So this is the Immortality Technique of Emperor Tiance, huh? Hahaha, with the Demon Sword forming my body, my soul will never perish!"
"Excellent! Demon Sword, I shall nourish you with countless souls and endless flesh, just so my own body remains eternal, hahaha!"
Lee Qingling’s eyes flickered with an insane fervor. To him, as long as he could live forever, he wouldn’t even frown at the cost of sacrificing the entire world’s creatures.
The moment the Demon Sword and he merged, he had lost the remnants of his humanity. Now, he was nothing but a puppet driven by the Demon Sword.
"Now that I have gained the method for immortality, it’s time to leave and seek more sacrifices. It seems, I must plan well. Hehehe—"
Ling Feng, of course, didn’t know about Lee Qingling’s situation, or he might have regretted not completely disposing of those fragments of the Demon Sword.
After all, the Demon Sword was an evil object passed down from ancient times, and with his current abilities, picking up those fragments might not be a wise decision.
At the moment, Ling Feng and Tuoba Yan had reached the outermost area of the Emperor Tomb. Soon, the tomb’s entrance was in far sight. Tuoba Yan summoned the Heavenly Strategy Treasure, opened the tomb gate, and the two flashed out of the Emperor Tomb simultaneously.
Due to not having seen sunlight for a long time, both of them felt a slight sting in their eyes under the sunlight.
Outside the Emperor Tomb, a large group of Sky Strategy Clan members had gathered. Clearly, none had expected Ling Feng and his companion to return so soon.
The Ten Great Clan Elders stood up simultaneously. However, when Elder Heiyu saw Ling Feng, he immediately frowned, his eyes filled with burning anger, looking at Tuoba Yan he questioned, "Yan’er, I told you to kill him in the Emperor Tomb, why didn’t you!"
"Master, I will no longer be an enemy to Ling Feng, nor will I strike against him."
Tuoba Yan bit her lip without any explanation, but her answer was decisively firm.
"What!" Elder Heiyu bellowed, furiously, "Yan’er, what did you say?"
"Say, say, say—what nonsense are you talking!"
Ling Feng stepped forward, shielding Tuoba Yan, and with a raised eyebrow quipped, "Elder Heiyu, aren’t you being a bit too blatant? Instructing your disciple to kill the Saint Master in front of everyone?"
Elder Heiyu’s facial muscles contorted, almost bursting with anger, "Good! Good! What a disciple you turned out to be!"
"Master, don’t forget, I am the Saint Master. I think, I already have the right to decide who my enemies are."
Tuoba Yan took a deep breath, summoning the full Heavenly Strategy Treasure and said calmly, "This Young Master Ling, in the Emperor Tomb, has returned the Heavenly Strategy Treasure to its rightful owner and even helped me secure the Thirteen Heavenly Strategies without showing the slightest greed for our clan’s Holy Object and secret techniques. He is not an enemy to our clan, but a friend."
"What... what?" Elder Heiyu’s eyelids twitched wildly, "How is that possible?"
"Old man, not everyone is interested in your Sky Strategy Clan’s Great Emperor’s inheritance. Now, you should realize how foolish it is to have a division within the clan."
Ling Feng raised his eyebrows, giving Tuoba Yan a knowing look, indicating that what happened inside the Emperor Tomb and the matter of the Heavenly Strategy Spring were secrets shared between them.
Tuoba Yan bit her red lips, nodding slightly, understanding the meaning known only to them and Ling Feng.
However, to the onlookers, this scene seemed somewhat ambiguous.
"Hei Yu, the matter of the Emperor Tomb has ended, and it has proven that your prejudice against outsiders is quite deep, isn’t it?"
The Great Elder stepped forward in a timely manner, stroked his long beard, and said with a faint smile, "Since in the end, all of Emperor Tiance’s legacy has returned to our clan, do you still have any reason to trouble the Lingfeng Saint Master?"
Elder Heiyu felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. He had never imagined that anyone could be completely indifferent to the Great Emperor’s legacy. It simply defied reason.
Yet, Ling Feng’s carefree attitude towards the "Thirteen Heavenly Strategies" and his lack of covetousness made his long-standing opposition to the "Prophetic Son" and even the splitting of his people seem utterly foolish.
He had truly been petty all along!
"Master, as we are all part of the Sky Strategy Clan, why should we continue to oppose each other? Now that the ’Thirteen Heavenly Strategies’ have been retrieved, I am willing to dedicate this secret manual to our clan’s ancestral hall, where all our clan elders can cultivate it."
Having experienced the matter of Emperor Tiance, Tuoba Yan had indeed grown a lot. Since the Heavenly Strategy Treasure chose her as its master, she naturally became the sole Saint Master of the Sky Strategy Clan, and it was time to focus on the welfare of the entire clan.
"Sage Master is wise."
The Great Elder immediately bowed respectfully to Tuoba Yan, and then the rest of the clan elders followed suit.
Finally, Elder Heiyu also sighed softly, gave Tuoba Yan a deep look, and said aloud, "Sage Master is wise."
"Well, now that the Emperor Tomb has been opened and the Heavenly Strategy Treasure has returned to its rightful owner, there’s nothing left for me here."
Ling Feng laughed casually, bowed to the Great Elder with a clasped fist, and said softly, "Great Elder, I will be leaving tomorrow morning."
"This..." The Great Elder sighed softly. "Saint Master Ling, won’t you stay a bit longer?"
"Ha ha, since the Heavenly Strategy Treasure is now in Miss Tuoba’s hands, you needn’t call me ’Saint Master’ anymore." Ling Feng touched his nose, then looked towards Tuoba Yan, and smiled, "Miss Tuoba, we shall meet again. Tomorrow, when I leave, I won’t say goodbye to you."
"Until we meet again." Tuoba Yan gave Ling Feng a deep look and nodded slightly.
"I believe that under your leadership as the Saint Master, the Sky Strategy Clan will surely flourish and return to its former glory," Ling Feng said with a casual smile.
"Young Master Ling, you are forever a friend of our clan."
Having said that, Tuoba Yan, accompanied by Elder Heiyu and the others, leapt up to leave.
However, just after flying out more than a hundred meters, Tuoba Yan immediately clutched at her chest, halted in mid-air, and showed a look of immense pain.
"It’s the Red Dust Heart Devouring Gu!"
Tuoba Yan bit her silver teeth, finally realizing that besides being unable to harbor any ill will towards Ling Feng, she also couldn’t leave Ling Feng’s vicinity of a hundred meters until the poisonous insect poison dissipated from her body.
"Yan... Saint Master."
Seeing Tuoba Yan suddenly stop, Elder Heiyu couldn’t help but ask, "What’s the matter?"
"I... I still have something."
Tuoba Yan clenched her fist, her pair of blue Phantom Wings fluttered gently, and she returned the way she came. Seeing Ling Feng preparing to leave, she quickly called out, "Young Master Ling, you... you... wait!"