Chapter 1261: Forbidden Devil’s Seed ManualShi Ling was stunned. He murmured, “I don’t know…” Only then did he realize that even though the two of them had fought for so long, he actually didn’t know who his opponent was. The other fiend race cultivators also suddenly realized that. Who in the world was this guy? The women at his side were so formidable, too. They had thought that he was just a pretty face who kept strong and beautiful women at his side. Now, they had discovered that he was also truly strong. Judging from his tone, his background was likely extremely powerful, perhaps even greater than the Lion race. A hint of excitement appeared on Princess Changning’s face. I have to seize this chance! With my appearance and background, I should be able to become good friends with him! If I fail to become the crown princess, this man seems to be a pretty good choice too. But it is a bit annoying that those women around him seem to be quite the strong opponents… Princess Suolun stared blankly for a moment. All of the outstanding younger to middle generation individuals from the different clans quickly appeared in her mind, but none of them seemed to match this person. “Who in the world are you?!” Shi Ling asked the question everyone else was thinking. To their surprise, however, Zu An simply replied with a smile, “It’s great that you don’t know who I am. That way, even if I kill you, the Lion race still won’t be able to find me anyway.” Shi Ling was dumbfounded. The onlookers were speechless. They had all been hoping to hear what kind of awesome background he had, but how could they have expected such an answer? Yun Jianyue couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, “This kid! He really is good at messing with people.” Yan Xuehen and Yu Yanluo both smiled. However, they realized it was quite strange. They clearly hadn’t liked such behavior before. Why didn’t they feel any disgust now, instead just finding it very interesting? “You were messing with me?” Shi Ling exclaimed, startled and furious. When had he ever been played like this before? You have successfully trolled Shi Ling for +555 +555 +555… Zu An’s expression turned cold as he shot back, “So what if I’m messing with you? Hurry up and open this up already. Who knows, it might be enough to ransom your life.” “Hmph, even if I don’t know who you are, my father and big brother will still be able to find out,” Shi Ling said with a sneer. Zu An frowned. He was just about to use force when Yun Jianyue reminded him, “His glove still carries his aura. You should be able to open the storage pouch with it.” Zu An’s eyes lit up. He put on the glove. A heaven-grade weapon wasn’t a deity-grade divine artifact, so it didn’t acknowledge an owner. When he reached toward the pouch with this glove, sure enough, he was able to successfully open it. Inside it was a large pile of all kinds of spiritual medicines, each stalk not inferior to those that had previously been beneath the cliff at all. There were many bottles and containers with different pill medicines inside. Zu An didn’t have enough time to examine each one carefully, but anything that was worth storing inside clearly wasn’t ordinary. There was a large pile of all kinds of sparkling ki stones, each of them heaven-grade. Zu An didn’t need them for his cultivation, but they were a hot commodity in the cultivator world, so it was still a stash of treasure. There was also a beast skin scroll that had all kinds of diagrams drawn on it. At the very top were the words ‘Lion’s Roar Technique’! Zu An was startled. This seemed to be the cultivation manual for the Lion’s Roar Technique! It was a powerful area of effect skill, and yet he had actually ended up getting his hands on it so easily. Shi Ling’s eyes seemed about to bulge out of their sockets when he saw what was happening. He cursed, “My dad and my big brother definitely won’t let you go! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, they’ll find you and skin you alive, and crush your bones into ashes!” You have successfully trolled Shi Ling for +999 +999 +999… Zu An’s expression turned cold. He said, “If that’s what’s going to happen anyway, I might as well just kill you first.” Shi Ling’s entire body shivered when he sensed Zu An’s killing intent. Why did I have to say those things… However, he had always behaved arrogantly. With how things were, he wasn’t willing to make himself any more of a laughingstock. He shouted, “If you’re going to kill me, then kill me! Either way, my dad and my big brother will get revenge for me. You’ll suffer ten times more than me!” The other fiend race cultivators only watched with amusement. Only Qiao Heng and Princess Suolun spoke up to stop Zu An. “Young master, you must be lenient!” “You absolutely must not!” Zu An didn’t seem to have heard their words at all, however. His palm smacked the top of Shi Ling’s head. “Huh?” Yun Jianyue couldn't help but wonder, “Was he ever this ruthless of a person?” She had always criticized that side of him, calling him too soft-hearted. Thus, she actually admired his actions. Yan Xuehen frowned. As someone from the orthodox sects, she didn’t like killing. Even though Shi Ling fully deserved it, she was more worried that after this event, Zu An would turn into a bloodthirsty person. Meanwhile, Yu Yanluo was worried that if Zu An fully offended the Lion race, he might end up in great danger. Still, the Snake race wasn’t so easily bullied either. The Lion race won’t be able to interfere with my territory, hmph! At that moment, however, a terrifying shockwave rippled out. Shi Ling, who had been lying on the ground unable to move, suddenly raised his hand and blocked the attack. Another wave of golden radiance rushed outward. Zu An sensed a dangerous aura and immediately used Grandgale, withdrawing several dozen li away. He remarked, “You’re finally willing to bring it out?” Shi Ling’s entire body was covered in golden light. He slowly rose into the air, his eyes incredibly cold and seemingly completely void of emotions. He replied, “Oh? You knew of my existence?” All of the other fiend race cultivators were stunned when they witnessed the sudden developments. What was going on with Shi Ling right now? He clearly hadn’t reached the master rank yet, so why was he able to fly in the sky so easily? Furthermore, what was with that terrifying pressure coming from his body? Even they were getting scared. Yu Yanluo was confused. Shi Ling had been lying on the ground like a dying dog without any strength to retaliate. Why had he suddenly erupted with power like this? She instinctively looked toward the two grandmasters. Yan Xuehen frowned and remarked, “One body, two souls?” “That doesn’t seem too likely,” Yun Jianyue said, shaking her head. “If it were one body and two souls, how could the other soul possibly be this much stronger than the host? It seems more like a possession.” “But this does not seem like a possession either,” Yan Xuehen said, observing Shi Ling carefully. She added, “Shi Ling’s aura has not disappeared. A possession would not allow Shi Ling to keep existing. It looks more as if someone temporarily attached their soul to his body.𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 Princess Suolun seemed to have suddenly thought of something. Her expression changed greatly and she called out, “Shi Qian, is that you?” “What?!” When the others heard that it was the Lion race’s great prince, they all looked at the youngster in the air with incredible shock. Wasn’t this Shi Ling? When had he become the great prince? The Lion King had a creed of modesty, uprightness, mercy, valor, justice, sacrifice, glory, and spirit, so his sons were named after those words.[1] The ‘Shi Ling’ in the air didn’t reply to Princess Suolun, instead staring straight at Zu An. However, Zu An looked at the figure in the air and didn’t reply. He had witnessed the emperor Zhao Han hiding in the crown prince’s body before, in the secret dungeon. He had sensed that there was something off about Shi Ling, and that it had felt a bit familiar. Because he had the Rage point system, he was more sensitive than others when it came to matters of the soul. Shi Qian hadn’t been hidden nearly as well as Zhao Han, which was why Zu An had been able to pick up on something. That was why he had gone for a lethal blow to test the waters. Sure enough, Shi Qian had been forced out. Yun Jianyue suddenly thought of something. She said, “There is a rumor about a cruel technique called the ‘Forbidden Devil’s Seed Manual’. Cultivators who practice it find a vessel with outstanding aptitude to apply a special imprint to. That way, a portion of the vessel’s cultivation also benefits the user. Once they fully mature, the vessel’s cultivation is completely absorbed by the user. Such vessels might just unknowingly end up donating their life’s work for another’s sake.” The other young fiend race cultivators were shocked when they heard that. They had clearly never heard of such a technique before, but it sounded incredibly sinister! No wonder Shi Qian’s cultivation had advanced so rapidly, making him one of the five great experts at such a young age. The expression of the ‘Shi Ling’ in the air changed briefly, but it quickly returned to normal. He replied, “What nonsense. The only reason I have done this is because I know that my younger brother is prideful and arrogant, and as he is still too young and unable to weigh situations properly, he might easily offend those he should not. That is why I left this behind to protect him. This lady over there, please do not speak such slander and try to destroy our brotherly bond!” Yun Jianyue sneered. She didn’t feel like wasting her breath on him. The other fiend race cultivators were mostly convinced, however. Shi Qian’s explanation made sense. They were brothers, after all. Even if he wanted to find a vessel, it wasn’t too likely that he would choose Shi Ling. Zu An frowned and remarked, “Why do I feel as if you’re a pervert? You secretly went inside your brother. Then, when your little brother ends up having a great time with his wife, will it be him sleeping with his wife or you sleeping with your sister-in-law?” 1. Modesty = ‘qian gong’, Spirit = ‘ling hun’. ☜