Chapter 114: An Identical Face

Seeing that Yin Yao was out of danger, everyone felt relieved. After offering a few words of advice, they all departed, leaving Ji Xuanyu behind. No one stood in his way as he stayed to listen to their story.

Yin Yao leaned against the bedside as Ji Xuanyu brought her a cup of tea. "Yao'er, did anything unusual happen during this breakthrough?"

"I know you have questions, but I'm not entirely sure what happened myself. During the breakthrough, my spiritual power suddenly lost half its effectiveness. Later, it was replenished when I forcibly absorbed the spiritual energy of the Third and Fifth Grandfathers. That was how I successfully advanced—and I skipped directly into the Void Sovereign Realm!" Yin Yao accepted the tea, took a sip, and replied to Ji Xuanyu.

Ji Xuanyu fell into deep thought. Clearly, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. After racking his brain and finding no explanation, he asked, "Is there anything else?"

Yin Yao looked up at him, hesitating for a moment. She wondered whether she should tell him about the mysterious female voice. Seeing her hesitation, Ji Xuanyu waited patiently for her to decide.

"A female voice appeared when my breakthrough succeeded. She said that from now on, my nights belong to her!" Deciding that another perspective might shed some light on the matter, Yin Yao chose to share it with him. He was worthy of her trust.

Ji Xuanyu paced the room slowly. "A woman? Your nights belong to her from now on?"

Yin Yao nodded as he repeated the words. "I don't know what it means, but I can conclude that the forced drain of the Third and Fifth Grandfathers' energy was related to this voice! But I have no idea when I could have ever met such a woman!"

Yin Yao’s lack of clarity made it even harder for Ji Xuanyu to find a starting point. If Yin Yao didn't know her, how could he? They had only been in the Void Continent for a few days; how could they have already provoked a mysterious woman?

Seeing his troubled expression, Yin Yao smiled. "Don't overthink it. Thinking won't yield any results right now. Let's just let nature take its course. Since she said my nights belong to her, why don't we wait and see what happens at night?"

Yin Yao feigned a relaxed demeanor, which made Ji Xuanyu smile. What she said made perfect sense. They would wait to see what strange occurrences the night might bring, and then they could follow the clues.

"Agreed! How are you feeling now? Do you need more rest?" Ji Xuanyu changed the subject.

Yin Yao shook her head and stood up. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Three days and three nights." Ji Xuanyu answered truthfully and stepped forward to steady her. Even though she claimed to be fine, he remained worried.

Yin Yao didn't push his hand away. Although her injuries had mostly healed, it hadn't been a minor ordeal, and she still felt some lingering discomfort.

"Three days and three nights... did anything happen during that time?"

"Nothing happened. By the way, there is something you should know: your breakthrough this time was no accident. Your Third Grandfather gave you a Nine-Turn Pill! It’s an incredibly high-grade medicine—a legendary healing treasure and a rare pill for advancement. You owe your breakthrough to the Nine-Turn Pill, though the extent of your advancement was entirely your own doing. The pill merely provided the catalyst."

Yin Yao arched an eyebrow. "A Nine-Turn Pill?"

"Yes! I consulted the ancient texts here. The Nine-Turn Pill is notoriously difficult to refine. I heard that your Third Grandfather has only ever refined three in his lifetime. Two were used during the war when the Spirit Fox Clan was split in two, and he gave the final one to you." Ji Xuanyu had spent the three days of her slumber studying the books to better understand the Void Continent.

Yin Yao nodded. Her Third Grandfather was truly a kind soul, much like a stubborn yet adorable child. The fact that he could give her such a precious pill without batting an eye spoke volumes about his feelings for her.

She extended her right hand, and the Ice Spirit appeared. Watching it transform into a Spirit Phantom Weapon, Yin Yao smiled faintly. She had only recently learned that phantom weapons had tiers: ordinary Phantom Weapons, followed by Spirit Phantom Weapons, Godly Phantom Weapons, and finally, Imperial Weapons. Each tier depended on the owner's strength.

"A Spirit Phantom Weapon! Your progress is truly rapid, Yao'er," Ji Xuanyu remarked with a smile.

"Xuanyu, what about you? I don't think you're any worse than I am!" After entering the Void Sovereign Realm, Yin Yao realized that Ji Xuanyu’s strength was not below hers, even though he had previously claimed to be in the mid-stage of the Void Sect Realm.

The Flaming Flame appeared in the air as Ji Xuanyu decided to stop hiding the truth. "Hehe, you're right. I am now in the mid-stage of the Void Sovereign Realm. You must be wondering why I advanced so quickly. I didn't understand it at first either, until the elders told me about the Dragon Clan and I spent these last few days reading. The Flame Dragon inheritors have been absent from this world for too long, leaving behind vast amounts of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy that no one had claimed. I absorbed that pure energy, which is why I advanced so fast!"

"It seems your luck is quite good! Xuanyu, have you decided when you'll return to the Dragon Clan to reclaim what belongs to you?" Yin Yao wasn't entirely keen on him following her indefinitely.

"Are you chasing me away?" Ji Xuanyu blinked his eyes, looking pitiful.

"Cough, cough! Not at all!" Yin Yao almost spat out the water she had just sipped, barely managing to swallow it. She really didn't know what to say to him sometimes.

Dropping his act, Ji Xuanyu reached out to hold her hand, looking her in the eyes. "Don't reject my affection. I think you understand why I came to this strange world. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have stepped foot here at all."

He forced her to meet his gaze, not letting her look away. Yin Yao had no choice but to stare into his eyes. How could she not be moved by such a solemn declaration? Yet, she didn't know if she should accept it. Even she, who was usually decisive, found herself wavering due to matters of the heart.

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Ji Xuanyu let go of her hand and smiled gently. "Come on, let's go to the hall for dinner. Even though we don't really need to eat, the local delicacies are worth a try. Bai Yun has recommended quite a few good ones!"

"All right, let's go." Yin Yao smiled faintly, and they walked out together.

Dinner was a lively affair with the cheerful Bai Yun, but Yin Yao was surprised that the six grandfathers didn't appear. Bai Ling explained that they rarely appeared in public and had largely gone into seclusion; they had only come out last time as a special exception. However, they could still be reached if anything important arose.

As night fell and the sky darkened, Yin Yao and Ji Xuanyu exchanged a glance and left with an excuse. Everyone assumed they wanted some private time and didn't stop them, instead enthusiastically wishing them a good night.

Yin Yao shook her head helplessly at their assumptions, while Ji Xuanyu looked pleased. As they strolled through the garden, Yin Yao paid close attention to every change in her body.

Before long, a wave of drowsiness hit her. She reached up to rub her temples, wondering why she suddenly felt so exhausted and weak, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Ji Xuanyu immediately noticed her distress and stepped forward, catching her as she swayed. "What's wrong?"

Yin Yao felt as if her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds. Her strength had been completely drained, leaving her in a state of total collapse.

"I... am so... tired. My... eyes... can't stay open." Her voice was intermittent and weak, sounding as if she might vanish at any second.

Ji Xuanyu immediately recalled the words she had told him: "From now on, your nights belong to me!" Was this what the voice in her mind had meant?

Yin Yao closed her eyes in his arms, lacking the strength to keep them open. She drifted into unconsciousness. Realizing this, Ji Xuanyu picked her up; he felt it was necessary to inform her grandfathers.

At the same time, in the territory of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, a woman appeared out of thin air. She was dressed in white, and when one looked at her face, it was identical to the unconscious Yin Yao.

The woman opened her eyes, surveyed her surroundings, and quickly deduced that she was in the Nine-Tailed Fox territory. She offered a gentle smile, as pure and beautiful as a blooming magnolia.

She murmured something, and soon a white fox appeared beside her—the same fox that had manifested during Yin Yao’s breakthrough. However, while the one Yin Yao had seen was a phantom, this creature was solid.

The woman leaned down and stroked the fox’s head with graceful, gentle movements. "Ling'er, let's go," she whispered. The white fox nuzzled her hand affectionately, then suddenly grew in size until it was as large as a tiger. The woman climbed onto its back and smoothed the fur on its neck. The fox let out a contented sound.

With a swift motion, the white fox began to gallop forward with the woman on its back.

The wind whipped through her long hair and dress, but a serene smile remained on her face, making her look like a painting. Suddenly, she caught a scent in the wind, and her beautiful brows furrowed. She patted the fox’s head, signaling it to change direction. If her intuition was right, it was *him*.

She hadn't expected him to bypass the spatial sequence and end up in the Nine-Tailed Fox territory—he must have forced his way through. To defy the heavens like that, he must be injured! The faint scent of blood lingered in the wind.

The white fox carried the woman through the forest at lightning speed.