458: Ye Mao's probing

Ye Mao flashed, instantly crossing space to appear directly before the Void Spirit Beast; his speed was so fast that not even an afterimage remained, as if he had been standing there from the very beginning.

Standing in the air, Ye Mao looked down at the Void Spirit Beast below. A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes as he coldly mocked, "I heard you found yourself an incredible backer. Today, I want to see for myself what kind of person they are."

When the Void Spirit Beast previously communicated with Bai Guang, its attitude had been extremely arrogant and its Aura incredibly rampant. However, now that it was truly facing Ye Mao, its overbearing Aura was involuntarily suppressed, as if it were firmly pinned down by an invisible mountain.

After all, Ye Mao and Bai Guang had once joined forces to suppress it for an incalculable amount of time; that fear and suppression, deep in its marrow, had long been branded into the depths of its Soul.

Moreover, at this moment, its new master, Xun Xiuyuan, on whom it relied, was not by its side, which made it even more anxious.

Although the Void Spirit Beast had urgently contacted Xun Xiuyuan through their Soul contract and truthfully reported the crisis at hand, it had no way of knowing when its master would arrive.

Yet Ye Mao was standing right before it, his murderous intent chilling.

The Void Spirit Beast looked up at Ye Mao, who was suspended in the sky, and managed to steady its voice as it spoke: "Fellow Daoist Ye, my new master is by no means an ordinary existence of the Hongmeng Realm. I hope Your Excellency will reconsider and not act rashly."

Although its words remained tough, its tone already revealed a hint of imperceptible concession and softening.

Seeing this, Ye Mao's Aura grew even stronger. He sneered without yielding, "Not an ordinary Hongmeng Realm existence? That still hasn't jumped out of the scope of Grandmist! Void Spirit Beast, you should know well the strength Bai Guang and I possess in the Hongmeng Realm. Do you really think your backer is stronger than the two of us?"

Constrained by the powerful restrictions of the Soul Control Technique, the Void Spirit Beast could not utter a single word detrimental to Xun Xiuyuan's interests, nor could it commit any act of betrayal.

This skill bestowed by the System was as irresistible as the rules of the Heavenly Dao, its existence completely imprisoning its will.

The Void Spirit Beast was anxious. It had wanted to temporarily yield and stall for time, but any words showing weakness would inevitably involve belittling or disrespecting Xun Xiuyuan. Therefore, it struggled for a long time, unable to utter a single word, and could only stand stiffly in place, responding with silence.

In this critical moment, the Void Spirit Beast could only urgently send a query to Xun Xiuyuan from the depths of its Soul: "Master, this is bad! Ye Mao has suddenly appeared here!"

Upon hearing the news, Xun Xiuyuan couldn't help but be stunned, his heart filled with confusion: He had originally thought the visitor would be someone from the Bai family, so why had Ye Mao suddenly popped up? This matter was beyond his expectations.

Seeing that Xun Xiuyuan did not respond for a moment, the Void Spirit Beast became even more anxious.

It had always cherished its own life, and had even once bowed and submitted to Bai and Ye in order to survive.

In its view, living was more important than anything else; it absolutely could not easily lose its life here.

It hurriedly explained to Xun Xiuyuan: "Ye Mao is the Third Alliance Leader of the Cosmic Alliance. His cultivation has reached the Hongmeng Realm, and his strength far exceeds mine. I am definitely no match for him."

After learning Ye Mao's identity, Xun Xiuyuan's thoughts raced, and he quickly responded: "Try your best to stall him first. I will arrive immediately."

Once these words were spoken, the Void Spirit Beast immediately felt a sense of relief. With its master's support, it felt slightly more confident.

However, it knew well that "a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him," so it did not utter any strong words, but instead spoke to Ye Mao in an advisory tone: "Fellow Daoist Ye, my master is on his way. I ask that you wait a moment; it won't be too late to make a decision once he arrives."

Hearing the Void Spirit Beast's words, Ye Mao couldn't help but mutter to himself.

If the Void Spirit Beast's backer was truly a powerful expert, he would have to face two Hongmeng Realm experts alone, and the situation might be unfavorable. He pondered whether he should strike first now to eliminate the Void Spirit Beast before him.

Thinking of this, Ye Mao's gaze sank, a trace of dark murderous intent flashing in his eyes as he looked coldly at the Void Spirit Beast.

As an exotic beast, the Void Spirit Beast had a keen intuition for others' malice that far exceeded that of humans. In an instant, it clearly sensed the dangerous Aura emanating from Ye Mao.

To protect itself, the Void Spirit Beast immediately said loudly: "For the sake of a supreme treasure, is it worth it for the Cosmic Alliance to provoke such a formidable enemy? Furthermore, if you kill me, my master will surely form an irreconcilable blood feud with you all!"

The Void Spirit Beast deliberately emphasized its own weight in Xun Xiuyuan's heart, attempting to use this as a bargaining chip to trade for a glimmer of survival.

After listening to the Void Spirit Beast, Ye Mao pondered for a moment and felt that its words were not without reason. If the expert behind the other party was truly an unshakable existence, rashly making an enemy now was indeed not a wise move. It would be better to leave some room for maneuver and observe how the situation developed.

Thus, Ye Mao said no more and chose to stand still, calmly waiting for the arrival of that mysterious mighty figure.

Xun Xiuyuan knew the Void Spirit Beast was safe and sound, which eased his mind slightly. But thinking that if Ye Mao killed the Void Spirit Beast, he would very likely forcefully break into the Yuan Ling Universe and cause irreparable damage, he accelerated without hesitation, intending to stop him.

While passing through that twisted and rotating cosmic vortex, Xun Xiuyuan keenly sensed Ye Mao's Aura and location, locking onto his presence in an instant.

The moment Ye Mao saw Xun Xiuyuan suddenly appear, he couldn't help but be stunned, his mouth agape, his face full of disbelief.

A storm raged in his heart: What on earth was going on? Why had a Saint-Grade figure suddenly appeared?

Ye Mao was suspicious by nature and meticulous in his thinking; he immediately deduced that the Saint-Grade figure before him was very likely the backer behind the Void Spirit Beast, and might even be hiding his true cultivation.

He thought to himself that these reclusive old monsters always loved to play these games of hiding their true strength and acting like a pig to eat the tiger; they were really not to be underestimated.

Despite his internal vigilance, Ye Mao still maintained superficial etiquette. He politely cupped his hands to Xun Xiuyuan and asked, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask what connection you have with the Yuan Ling Universe?"

This question was direct and frank, without any intention of beating around the bush or probing for cosmic secrets.

However, Xun Xiuyuan's response was anything but polite. He said coldly, "We are not Fellow Daoists. If you want to set your sights on the xuanhuang one qi pagoda, then bring out your real skills."

The reason his attitude was so tough was that from the Void Spirit Beast, Xun Xiuyuan had long since learned that Ye Mao, in order to seize the xuanhuang one qi pagoda, had not hesitated to sacrifice countless lives in the Yuan Ling Universe. This conduct made him indignant, so he had no intention of negotiating.

Hearing the other party's words, Ye Mao couldn't help but feel even more anxious. The other party's tone was exceptionally tough, as if they didn't take the majesty of the entire Cosmic Alliance seriously at all. This attitude caught Ye Mao off guard.

After witnessing Xun Xiuyuan's determined and cold demeanor, Ye Mao, who was already suspicious by nature, became increasingly doubtful. Various possible conspiracies and traps flashed through his mind, and for a moment, he actually didn't know how to respond.