Chapter 16: Ingratitude

Heavenly Origin Palace, Outer Sect Mission Hall. Yang Lingchen walked directly to the mission board and took seven or eight mission scrolls. There were tasks to hunt Tier 2 demonic beasts, quests to find medicinal herbs, and some for collecting demonic cores. The Heavenly Origin Palace was situated deep within the Northern Wilderness Mountains. As soon as Yang Lingchen left the Heavenly Origin Palace, he headed towards the Northern Wilderness Mountains. Along the way, he made sure to kill any demonic beasts he could defeat and collect any medicinal herbs he encountered. This trip wasn't just about completing missions; gaining experience was also one of his goals. Yang Lingchen practiced the Phantom Art constantly on his journey, and when he encountered demonic beasts, he used the newly learned God-Slaying Sword Art. Since both were top-tier divine realm cultivation techniques, their progress was quite slow. Although these two martial arts were slow to master, once he gained even a basic understanding, they would grant him an advantage far beyond his peers. Seven days passed in a flash. Through Yang Lingchen's relentless efforts, both the Phantom Art and the God-Slaying Sword Art had made significant progress. Now, when Yang Lingchen executed his movement technique, he could instantly flash dozens of meters away. Such speed and agility offered immeasurable advantages in combat. During this time, Yang Lingchen lived a very fulfilling life. By day, he battled and honed his skills against demonic beasts, and by night, he found an secluded cave to enter the Vast Heaven Jade and cultivate. "Help! Is there any senior or junior brother from Heavenly Origin Palace around?" One day, as Yang Lingchen was training in the mountains, he suddenly heard a cry for help from a distance. He quickly moved towards the source of the sound. There, he saw a beautiful young woman frantically fleeing, with an Armored Earth Lizard, over ten meters long, hot on her heels. Yang Lingchen estimated that if he didn't intervene, the young woman would surely die. And the demonic core of this Armored Earth Lizard was exactly what he had been looking for, as one of his accepted missions required it. Yang Lingchen executed his movement technique, instantly appearing in front of the young woman, blocking the Armored Earth Lizard. However, the beautiful young woman, upon seeing Yang Lingchen appear, didn't even offer a word of thanks. She seized the opportunity and vanished without a trace. The Armored Earth Lizard, nearly ten meters long and covered in scales, stared at the human who had suddenly appeared, its massive jaws agape. "This Armored Earth Lizard is huge!" Yang Lingchen felt a chill run down his spine under its gaze. But he didn't retreat. Although the Armored Earth Lizard was powerful, it wasn't entirely invincible, and he had the advantage of his movement technique. It wouldn't be too late to flee if he truly couldn't win. "Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!" Seeing this tiny human dare to provoke it, the Armored Earth Lizard roared, and its massive tail swept towards Yang Lingchen. "Boom! Boom!" Rows of trees were snapped by the Armored Earth Lizard's enormous tail. Its tail was like a harvester, leaving nothing standing in its path. If he were to be struck, he would surely be dead or crippled. Yang Lingchen dared not be careless. He used his Phantom Movement technique, combined with the God-Slaying Sword Art, and slashed towards the Armored Earth Lizard. "Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!" His long sword struck the Armored Earth Lizard's scales, producing a series of metallic clangs. The Armored Earth Lizard was covered in scales, and the ordinary mortal sword in Yang Lingchen's hand could barely scratch it. As the battle continued, Yang Lingchen gradually discovered the Armored Earth Lizard's weaknesses: its joints and its eyes. Under Yang Lingchen's continuous attacks, the Armored Earth Lizard's four limb joints and both eyes were completely incapacitated. Blinded, the Armored Earth Lizard became even more enraged, wildly thrashing its tail everywhere. Yang Lingchen, meanwhile, found a spot to recover his profound energy, planning to wait until the Armored Earth Lizard was exhausted before taking its demonic core. A moment later, Yang Lingchen finally recovered his profound energy. It took him a little more time to finally finish off the Armored Earth Lizard. Just as he was about to retrieve the Armored Earth Lizard's demonic core, "Stop! I discovered this Armored Earth Lizard first, and I was the one who injured it, which gave you the chance to kill it. So, this demonic core should belong to me." Unbeknownst to him, the beautiful young woman had reappeared behind Yang Lingchen. Yang Lingchen frowned. He had seen shameless people, but never someone this shameless. He ignored the young woman and directly took the demonic core. "You brat, hand over the demonic core, or I'll make sure you can't survive in the Outer Sect of Heavenly Origin Palace!" the young woman said with an icy voice. "Slap!" Yang Lingchen's figure flickered, and without hesitation, he slapped her. He had reached his limit. He had saved her life, and not only was she ungrateful, but she also tried to snatch his demonic core. "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" The young woman let out a scream and was sent flying backward, her right cheek instantly swollen. "You brat, you're dead! Do you know who I am?" The young woman slowly got up, glaring at Yang Lingchen with venomous eyes. "You wretched woman, do you believe I'll take care of you right here and now?" Yang Lingchen's figure appeared like a phantom, and he grabbed the young woman by the neck. A strong sense of suffocation immediately filled the young woman with infinite fear. This young man seemed utterly unconcerned about her identity. "What audacity! How dare you harm my sister, Li Tianxing's sister!" From a distance, a figure instantly landed in front of Yang Lingchen, exuding a terrifying aura. Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the other party, Yang Lingchen pulled the young woman in front of him, secretly on guard. This was a robust young man dressed in the robes of an Inner Sect disciple. "Brother... save... me," the young woman struggled to utter. Li Tianxing looked at Yang Lingchen with sharp eyes and said, "Brat, release my sister, or I'll wipe out your entire clan." Yang Lingchen had originally been ready to release the young woman, but Li Tianxing's sudden appearance changed everything. Now, he dared not release her; once he did, he would face the other party's relentless pursuit. "Aren't you going to ask why I harmed your sister?" Yang Lingchen asked. "No need to ask. Release my sister now, cripple one of your arms, and I'll let you live," Li Tianxing said coldly. "I saved your sister's life, yet she repaid my kindness with ingratitude and even tried to snatch my demonic core. If you want to save your sister, throw your storage pouch over!" Yang Lingchen suddenly tightened his grip with his right hand, while vigilantly guarding against Li Tianxing. Since they weren't being reasonable, he saw no need to be polite either. "Cough, cough, cough..." The young woman choked and coughed continuously, her face veins bulging, her eyes wide. "Stop! The storage pouch is yours. If you dare to harm my sister, no one in Heavenly Origin Palace will be able to save you." Li Tianxing threatened, then took off his storage pouch and threw it towards Yang Lingchen. "Now, retreat a hundred meters immediately. Then I will naturally release your sister," Yang Lingchen said coldly. Li Tianxing stared at Yang Lingchen with a sinister gaze, slowly retreating a hundred meters. At this moment, he wished he could strike Yang Lingchen dead. "Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!" "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" The young woman let out a series of heart-wrenching screams. "You cheap woman, that'll teach you a lesson." Yang Lingchen slapped her seven or eight times, instantly turning the young woman's entire face into a pig's head. Then, he instantly used his Phantom Movement technique and vanished into the forest. "You seek death!" Li Tianxing's figure swiftly lunged towards where Yang Lingchen had disappeared. A moment later, he returned to his original spot, as Yang Lingchen's figure had long since vanished without a trace. "Brother, I must kill him," the young woman's eyes were filled with venomous hatred. "Xinyi, don't worry. As long as he's still in Heavenly Origin Palace, we'll definitely find him." Li Tianxing's eyes were incredibly cold at this moment. A mere Outer Sect disciple dared to beat his sister, Li Tianxing's sister, into such a state right in front of him, and even extorted his storage pouch. To him, this was an absolute humiliation.