Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 258 Xia Lingshuang Walks into the Trap
In the eerie and deathly silent valley, a faint smell of blood and burnt flesh still lingered in the air, traces left from the battle with Bai Yingluo the day before.

On the altar, Xia Ling sat cross-legged, his face somewhat pale.

The backlash from the failed soul-summoning ritual last night caused her considerable internal injuries.

The key issue is that her eyes, which should have been as calm as a still pond, were now filled with lingering confusion and agitation.

"elder brother……"

This thought, like a leech, had been surfacing from the depths of her mind since last night, disturbing her peace of mind.

She repeatedly examined her soul and found no trace of any external intrusion, but the sudden sense of familiarity and intimacy seemed to originate from the deepest part of her memory.

But she knew very well that she didn't have a brother at all.

She grew up in the hellish world of the Wrathful Soul Sect, witnessing only endless slaughter, betrayal, and struggle. Therefore, kinship was something that simply did not exist in her memory.

The claim that he was saved in his childhood is utter nonsense. In the Wrathful Soul Sect, the weak are only devoured; there is no such thing as salvation.

"Could it be that there was a mistake in my cultivation, or that I'm being haunted by inner demons?"

Xia Lingshuang frowned; this was the only explanation she could think of.

She decided that after refining the Myriad Soul Banner, she would definitely go into seclusion for a period of time to properly sort out her Dao heart.

Just as she was lost in thought, a strange, jet-black bird silently descended from the sky, landing on the edge of the altar, and then dropped a blood-red jade slip that shimmered with a faint red light.

Xia Ling Shuang's heart stirred, and she reached out and took the jade slip into her hand.

Was this information relayed by Zhao Qi, the spy planted in Pingyang City? Could it be that Chen Ye is making some unusual moves again?
Xia Ling Shuang then probed a wisp of divine thought into the jade slip.

In an instant, a mirror made of water vapor slowly unfolded in front of her.

The scene reflected in the mirror is a long, dark, and quiet street in Pingyang City.

Xia Lingshuang immediately spotted the figure surrounded by a group of guards in the middle, which was the very person she had tried to summon the soul of last night—Chen Ye.

He was dressed in a black official robe, with a tall and straight posture and a handsome face. In the light of the lanterns, his profile was clearly defined, exuding a reassuring composure.

Xia Lingshuang's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, and that damned thought popped into her mind again.

She forcefully suppressed this strange feeling, her cold gaze continuing to scrutinize the image in the mirror.

Just then, a figure flashed across the screen, and a girl dressed in a simple cloth dress appeared unexpectedly in the middle of the street, blocking Chen Ye's way.

Upon seeing this face, Xia Ling Shuang's pupils suddenly contracted!
It's Bai Yingluo!

However, what happened next completely stunned Xia Lingshuang, the Holy Maiden of the Wrathful Soul Sect.

She saw that this Holy Maiden of the Nine Nether Sect, who always regarded men as playthings and her seven emotions and six desires as pawns in her hands, was actually staring at Chen Ye with an almost obsessive look, full of love and grievance.

Then Xia Lingshuang heard a name that made her almost think she was hallucinating.

“Chen Lang…”

In the water mirror, Bai Yingluo's voice was soft and shy, carrying a hint of resentment, yet also boundless affection.

Xia Lingshuang's body trembled violently, her face filled with absurdity and disbelief.

Chen... Chen Lang?
Bai Yingluo actually used such a common woman's term of address to call a man?
But what shocked her even more was yet to come.

She saw a perfectly timed look of surprise on Chen Ye's face and asked gently, "Miss Yuan, what are you doing here?"

Bai Yingluo gave him a reproachful look, then replied in a voice that could melt any man's bones, "I... of course I came to find you, Chen Lang."

"How can I feel at ease letting you come to such a dangerous place as Nanhe County alone?"

Xia Ling Shuang stared blankly at the girl in the water mirror, her face flushed with shyness, as if she couldn't wait to throw herself into a man's arms. She felt like her eyes were about to go blind. Was this really Bai Yingluo?
Could it be that she was faking it?

Looking at the scene reflected in the water mirror, Bai Yingluo's girlish demeanor and her infatuated love seemed completely genuine!

On the contrary, although Chen Ye spoke words of concern, Xia Lingshuang keenly sensed a sense of ease and control deep in his calm expression!
It was as if this lovestruck young woman in front of him was exactly what he had expected.

An absurd thought uncontrollably popped into Xia Ling Shuang's mind.

Isn't it that Bai Yingluo is toying with Chen Ye, or that Chen Ye is toying with Bai Yingluo?!
The moment this thought crossed Xia Lingshuang's mind, her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Who is Bai Yingluo? A genius of the Nine Nether Sect, a saintess who has cultivated the Nine Nether Secret Manual to the point of being moved by worldly emotions!
So how could anyone in this world possibly turn around and toy with her feelings?

But how can we explain the scene reflected in this water mirror?
Xia Lingshuang stared intently at Chen Ye's gentle, smiling face reflected in the water mirror, her breathing gradually becoming rapid.

She suddenly remembered the strange thought that had risen from the depths of her soul the night before when she performed her Thousand-Mile Soul Summoning Technique, which had caused her to fail.

She then recalled why Bai Yingluo would go to such lengths to prevent her from harming Chen Ye, even at the cost of mutual destruction.

She had previously thought that Bai Yingluo was just possessive of her food, not wanting her prey to be snatched away by someone else.

But now it seems that the truth is probably far more complicated than she imagined!

The scene abruptly ends here, the water mirror transforms into specks of light, and dissipates into the air.

Xia Lingshuang sat motionless on the altar for a long time before slowly exhaling a breath of cold air.

"Chen Ye..."

She murmured the name, her eyes filled with an unprecedented, intense curiosity.

Who is this man?
What method did he use to make a heartless witch like Bai Yingluo devoted to him and obey his every word?
Is it some kind of secret technique that is more advanced than the charm technique of the Nine Nether Sect?

Or is it that he himself possesses some kind of magic power capable of turning the world upside down and changing people's hearts?
Previously, she only developed a slight competitive spirit towards this prey because of Bai Yingluo.

But now she has developed an intense and unparalleled interest in Chen Ye!
She wanted to know how many secrets this man was hiding, and even more so, what it was like to be the man who could make Bai Yingluo fall for him.

Let's go to Pingyang City!

She wanted to see for herself whether Chen Ye really had three heads and six arms!

As for the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls...

She glanced at the banner planted in the center of the altar, still emitting black smoke.

The main soul has been refined; all that remains is to absorb enough living souls to fill the banner.

"Somebody come!"

Xia Lingshuang's clear, cold voice echoed in the valley.

A dark figure appeared like a ghost beneath the altar, kneeling on one knee: "What are your orders, Holy Envoy?"

"Pass on my order: Elder Ghost Fiend will be in full charge of the remaining refinement of the Myriad Soul Banner." Xia Ling Shuang stood up. "I need to leave for a while."

The shadow guard was taken aback upon hearing this, and hesitated before saying, "Holy Envoy, what about the Sect Master...?"

“If anything goes wrong, I will explain to the sect leader myself.” Xia Lingshuang’s voice left no room for doubt. “You just need to carry out the orders.”

"Yes!" The shadow guard dared not say another word and disappeared from the spot in a flash.

Xia Lingshuang then walked to the edge of the altar, her figure transforming into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing into the valley.

(End of this chapter)