Chapter 603: The Destination of Qing Tan

Facing the curious gazes of everyone, the Darkness Master lazily said. "You guys are still as useless as ever. You can't even handle the leaked Demonic Qi. Are those old monsters in your tribe so reluctant to make a move?"

"They are all in seclusion..."

Yuan Qian replied somewhat awkwardly. What the Darkness Master said wasn't a lie. If those old monsters had acted together, the matter of the Devil Suppressing Prison could definitely have been resolved. However, for some reason, those old monsters had been evasive and reluctant to act. He couldn't handle the Demonic Qi on his own, and he hadn't thought of seeking help from other Reincarnation Stage practitioners.

Now that Yuan Qian thought about it, it did seem quite strange. He was once again lost in thought.

"Could it be that we have all fallen victim to some special method employed by the Yimo?"

The Darkness Master shook her head upon hearing this and ceased paying attention. Instead, she looked at Ying Huanhuan with joy and exclaimed, "Junior Sister!"

However, the response she received was a puzzled look from Ying Huanhuan. The Darkness Master immediately understood.

"You haven't awakened your memories yet?"

"What memories?" Ying Huanhuan was completely puzzled now. Why did all these Eight Ancient Masters refer to her as 'Junior Sister'?

"Have you not told her?" The Darkness Master didn't answer directly but turned to ask Xiao Ming instead.

"I think Huanhuan would prefer to be herself," Xiao Ming replied gently.

Initially, he didn't mind if Ying Huanhuan regained her memories since they didn't have any particular connection; thus, he activated the Reincarnation Seal to obtain the Ice Ancestral Symbol.

However, after almost two years with Ying Huanhuan as his disciple and having developed a bond, Xiao Ming found her current personality quite agreeable. Whether she awakened her memories or not didn't matter to him anymore.

If she were to awaken her memories, it might be better to wait until her current personality matured a bit more.

The Darkness Master recalled the cold and aloof personality of her Junior Sister from her previous life. She then glanced at the current Ying Huanhuan and found herself agreeing in her heart.

"What you said makes sense. With you here now, there's no need for Junior Sister to bear the heavy burden of saving the world. This arrangement isn't bad either."

"What are you two talking about, Master?" Ying Huanhuan was completely bewildered.

"Now that it has come to this, I won't hide it from you any longer. You are actually the Reincarnation of one of the Eight Ancient Masters, the Ice Master." Xiao Ming turned to Ying Huanhuan, sighed, and softly explained.

"What!!!" The shock was written all over Ying Huanhuan's face, while Mu Lingshan and Qing Tan were equally shocked. Huanhuan had such an extraordinary background!!?

Yuan Qian and the others were also stunned. They had not expected this young girl's identity to be so astonishing. She was actually the Ice Master, second only to the Symbol Ancestor. They hadn't even noticed it at all before.

"Don't worry, if you're not ready to awaken your memories, I can help you seal them off. As your strength and experience grow, the impact of these memories on you will diminish significantly," Xiao Ming reassured Ying Huanhuan, gently patting her head as he noticed the growing panic on her face.

Feeling the warmth above her head, Ying Huanhuan leaned into Xiao Ming's embrace and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Can't I just not awaken my memories? I don't want to be some Ice Master. I just want to be Ying Huanhuan..."

"Well, it's not impossible. However, the memories of your previous life's cultivation could be of great benefit to you. With my assistance, you could quickly become a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the Reincarnation Stage if you awaken your memories now. Aren't you tempted?" Xiao Ming gently stroked her hair as he asked.

Ying Huanhuan lifted her head from Xiao Ming's embrace and locked eyes with him, her gaze filled with stubborn determination.

"I'm not tempted at all!"

"Alright, as you wish."

Sealing her memories didn't mean that she couldn't awaken her former strength; it just meant that Xiao Ming would have to put in a little more time and effort, and Ying Huanhuan would need more time to master her former strength. But if he did not indulge this disciple of his, who else would?

Yuan Qian couldn't help but swallow hard as he listened from the side. The Senior was truly the Senior… He could even seal the memories of a Reincarnator, and not just any Reincarnator, but the Ice Master, second only to the Symbol Ancestor in terms of strength.

Such a level of strength was something they couldn't even dream of sealing. In fact, they would be wishing for her to awaken immediately!

"Thank you, Master!!"

Seeing Xiao Ming's willing agreement, Ying Huanhuan's face blossomed into a radiant smile. She raised her pretty face and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing the nearby Mu Lingshan to immediately cry out in surprise.

"Ah! Why are you taking advantage of the situation to kiss Big Brother!"

"He's my Master, what's wrong with kissing him?" Ying Huanhuan, buoyed by Xiao Ming's assurance, became lively again and teased Mu Lingshan with a playful face.

"Then Big Brother is also my Big Brother, and I want to kiss him too!" Mu Lingshan said as she attempted to pounce over, making Qing Tan blush on the side.

"Stop fooling around!" Xiao Ming caught the pouncing Mu Lingshan and flicked her forehead with his finger.

It was only after Mu Lingshan covered her forehead with teary eyes and became much more obedient that Xiao Ming put her down. Then he gently nudged the smug Ying Huanhuan away.

The Darkness Master watched Ying Huanhuan's playful antics and smiled. The junior sister was the most adored among the Eight Ancient Masters, but such a smiling face was something they hadn't seen in her previous life.

"Cough cough, Senior Xiao... Now that the matter is settled, if there's anything you need, just let us know. If it's within the capabilities of our Dragon Tribe, we won't be stingy."

Yuan Qian chimed in when he saw that the conversation between Xiao Ming and his group had concluded.

"Some medicinal herbs collected by your Dragon Tribe would be good." Xiao Ming glanced at him and didn't refuse the offer. The Dragon Tribe was known for its wealth, and the Tian Xuan Continent was rich in resources. He couldn't say that the Dragon Tribe lacked any treasures he valued.

"All right, I'll send someone right away." Yuan Qian made a gesture, and an elder hurriedly left.

After that, Xiao Ming turned his attention to the Darkness Master.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Plans?" The Darkness Master thought for a moment. "My strength is not fully awakened yet. I'll find a place to wait until my strength is fully restored. Then I'll go find Senior Sister and the others."

"I have a recommendation for you."

"What place?" The Darkness Master asked curiously.

"The Palace of Darkness in the North Xuan Region."

"The Palace of Darkness… It seems to be a legacy I left behind."

"Correct, the Palace of Darkness is now the overlord of the North Xuan Region. No one will bother you there while you regain your strength. Oh, and bring Qing Tan along with you." Xiao Ming waved his hand and led Qing Tan to stand in front of the Darkness Master.

"This young girl seems to have a special constitution!" The Darkness Master noticed something unusual about Qing Tan. The latter seemed to be constantly absorbing the Yin Energy around her.

"Qing Tan possesses the Terminus Devil Body, and your legacy is very suitable for her." Xiao Ming explained. While he could teach Qing Tan himself, the Darkness Master's legacy was indeed more suitable for her. The Darkness Master was only one realm below him and had her unique understanding of cultivation. Therefore, her legacy couldn't be too bad.

"It does seem very suitable," the Darkness Master nodded, agreeing to the arrangement.

"Master…" Qing Tan, however, timidly clutched the hem of Xiao Ming's clothes, clearly somewhat reluctant.

"Don't worry, with your current strength, you won't be gone for long. I'll come get you back soon…"

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//Hi guys, just a quick update to let you know that this arc (WDQK) has already concluded on Patreon, and the first chapter of the Great Thousand World ARC is already available.

I've also been considering taking on a DD2 story once we're caught up with this one. What are your thoughts? Would you be interested in a DD2 story?