On the Forsaken Continent, it was not uncommon for foreign cultivators who arrived here to have once been the heaven's chosen of some race or sect.
"This girl's Master must have belonged to an ancient sect or been a powerful figure in his own right. For some unknown reason, he ended up here. If it's someone like that, it's reasonable that he could teach a disciple with such a temperament."
The palace-clad young madam was still speculating about Zhao Min's origins, but she had already confirmed one point: the other party was not a disciple of any major human power on the Forsaken Continent.
"Alright, last question. Did you come to the Forsaken Continent with your Master?"
Zhao Min felt helpless. She didn't know from what point the other party had become suspicious and determined that there was a problem with their identities. But when you are under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head; her strength was too weak.
"I'm not sure. From the time my junior brother and I can remember, we have been with our Master."
Zhao Min's face was as calm as ever as she spoke calmly. Her hand, however, began to condense Spirit Power once again, and another drop of blue liquid slowly began to form.
At the same time, she was constantly calculating in her mind how to get this person to save Li Yan.
This person must be a powerful expert of the Demon Clan here. Did she track her down because of the recent robberies? But it didn't seem like it, as the clues she left behind were quite obvious.
The other party could kill them at any moment, but this was undoubtedly the quickest opportunity to save Li Yan.
Just from the fact that the other party could tell at a glance that there was something wrong with Li Yan's soul, it was clear this was something not just anyone could do.
As she answered the other party's questions now, she tried to convey the meaning that she wanted them to leave quickly. This was also a way of testing the palace-clad young madam's intentions.
With her low strength, Zhao Min could only tread carefully. If it really came down to it, then she and Li Yan would just turn to dust and ashes here today.
In any case, she had already left behind a contingency plan—a contingency for mutual destruction.
Don't be fooled by the other party's current lack of anger. These old monsters had capricious and unpredictable personalities. They might suddenly turn hostile and kill someone in the next moment without any warning.
Besides, going to the market to save Li Yan was just a desperate last resort. Zhao Min didn't think her luck would be that good. It was better to gamble.
From beginning to end, Zhao Min tried her best to appear calm, even though she was anxious in her heart.
And since the palace-clad young madam said it was the last question, what came next would be the moment that decided their life or death.
Zhao Min could not see the other's face through the rain screen. Just as she was once again condensing the blue Spirit Power liquid, the palace-clad young madam's beautiful eyes stared at the slowly forming drop, the strange light in them growing even stronger. The difference between sensing it with her Divine Sense and seeing it with her own eyes made her already excited heart beat even more wildly.
On the other side, Zhao Min was rapidly thinking through everything she had just said, trying to see if there were any loopholes and if it was possible to patch them up.
"I have already told you, if you continue condensing spirit liquid like this, your realm will soon drop. Moreover, your junior brother's injury is to his Essence Soul. His demise is inevitable..."
The palace-clad young madam said this much, then her tone paused for a moment.
After hearing this, Zhao Min's body, which had been continuing to condense the Spirit Power liquid, stiffened. Then, she stared blankly at the blurry figure in the rain screen ahead.
Zhao Min's reaction was completely within the palace-clad young madam's expectations. She also felt that this was only reasonable.
"However, now that he has met me, he has a sliver of a chance at life."
"I can save your junior brother, but on one condition: you must become my disciple. What do you say?"
"I am Shanggong Changge of the White Demon Clan. If you know anything about the White Demon Clan, you should know my name."
This time, Shanggong Changge did not try to be mysterious. As a powerful expert in her own right, she did not like to waste too much time on such matters with a low-level cultivator.
After seeing Zhao Min, her thoughts had already changed. A plan that could bring her even greater benefits had formed.
She decided not to rush back to the clan with the girl before her. Instead, she would have Zhao Min become her disciple.
This time, she was sixty percent confident that she could handle the matter assigned to her by the clan elders. Her transfer back to the clan should not be a problem.
It would only take a few days, so there was no need to waste this god-sent opportunity before her.
If she took the white-robed girl as her disciple now, pretending not to know she possessed the 'Ice Soul Blue Jade Body,' and then, after bringing her back to the clan in the future, found a time to announce that she had suddenly "discovered" her disciple's special constitution, then the situation would be completely different.
In any case, if the possessor of the 'Ice Soul Blue Jade Body' did not deliberately display it, even an almighty Spirit Transformation cultivator would not be able to easily detect it.
By then, the white-robed girl and she would have an unchangeable master-disciple relationship. And when the clan learned of the white-robed girl's constitution, they would definitely cultivate her with no expense spared.
No matter what, they could not bypass her, the Master. Her every move would be crucial.
In the future, no matter how high the white-robed girl went, she would still be her disciple.
This would bring far greater benefits than offering the white-robed girl to the clan as a one-time contribution. The advantages it would bring her were simply incomparable.
After Shanggong Changge finished speaking, she kept her eyes fixed on the white-robed girl. As she had expected, the finger of the white-robed girl, which had condensed half a drop of spirit liquid, trembled violently.
The incomparably pure drop of spirit liquid had already fallen, dripping onto the forehead of the man below.
'It seems she has heard of my name.'
Seeing this, Shanggong Changge couldn't help but think.
Although she had not been in contact with the white-robed girl for long, she could still discern the cold indifference and proud aloofness about Zhao Min.
It was not faked; the white-robed girl was likely like this by nature. Look at how she had remained unfazed even after she had appeared.
Now that she heard she could save the man, no matter how strong her mind-nature was, she could not hide the agitation in her heart.
As Shanggong Changge was thinking, the white-robed girl, who had been motionless, suddenly stopped the flight of the Emerald Gourd and gently placed the man lying before her to one side.
Just like that, separated by the endless curtain of rain, she stood gracefully and bowed from afar.
"Junior Zhao Min pays her respects to Senior Shanggong. Earlier, due to my junior brother's grave injuries, my mind was in turmoil, and I was greatly disrespectful to Senior. Please forgive me, Senior."
Shanggong Changge was not bothered by this. The Demon Clan placed great importance on clear gratitude and grievances. From this, one could see the depth of Zhao Min's bond with her fellow disciple.
However, she had no idea that Zhao Min's heart was filled with apprehension at this moment. She didn't know any Shanggong Changge, but as long as it was someone who could save Li Yan, she didn't care who it was.
'The other party wants me as a disciple, but Junior Brother Li Yan's aptitude should be countless times better than mine. How could the other party not have taken a liking to him? Wouldn't that make her even more unwilling to let Li Yan die?'
A series of thoughts flashed through Zhao Min's mind. She didn't know why this person who called herself Shanggong Changge had taken a liking to her. There were many flaws in what she had said earlier, and it wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny.
But her worries were unnecessary. After Shanggong Changge confirmed she possessed the 'Ice Soul Blue Jade Body', she was even more agitated and even had the thought of subduing Zhao Min and taking her away directly.
It was only because she was wary of her human identity that she had to inquire clearly.
If she were to offend the person most feared by the clan because of this, the result would be something that even the two Supreme Elders would be unwilling to see, and she could not bear the consequences.
In addition, she couldn't just directly perform a Soul-Searching on someone who could inherit the clan's 'Heavenly Demon White Jade Plate' divine art.
As long as the other party resisted, she had no confidence she wouldn't injure the other's Divine Soul. This method was definitely not an option.
So, after Zhao Min personally revealed her sect, everything else was irrelevant to Shanggong Changge.
As long as Zhao Min herself agreed, even if a powerful human expert came looking for her in the future, it would be a matter of mutual consent. What could others say?
"Do you agree to the condition I just stated? Your junior brother's life is hanging by a thread."
Shanggong Changge looked at Zhao Min on the other side of the rain screen.
"Senior, my junior brother's aptitude is far superior to mine. Actually, taking him as a disciple would be more suitable."
"Him? He won't do..."
A strange expression appeared on Shanggong Changge's face, but Zhao Min on the other side could not see it clearly.
"Why?"
"You don't know?"
"Please forgive this junior's ignorance!"
Shanggong Changge then thought of something.
"That's right, this sect is probably reclusive year-round. Perhaps besides her Master, who knows a lot about the outside world, these two really might not know."
Thinking of this, Shanggong Changge dispelled her doubts.
She had yet to realize that after discovering Zhao Min was a special constitution of her clan that appeared once in ten thousand years, she had lost her composure without even noticing.
The 'Heavenly Demon White Jade Plate' cultivation method hadn't been practiced by anyone for nearly thirty thousand years. Otherwise, her clan would not have been suppressed by the Black Demon Clan to this extent, unable to produce a Spirit Transformation cultivator who could easily slay another of the same rank.
Today, Shanggong Changge was determined to bring Zhao Min back to the clan. Many of her doubts had actually been subconsciously answered by herself, providing answers. It was all just to find a subconscious reason for herself to bring Zhao Min back.
"Do you know what kind of cultivation constitution you have?" Shanggong Changge asked softly.
"Just a water-attribute Earth Spirit Root. Although an Earth Spirit Root is not bad, it's not uncommon either."
Zhao Min on the other side stared blankly at the blurry figure and replied, but in her heart, she felt a jolt. 'So she's here for the 'Ice Soul Blue Jade Body'.'
Zhao Min was also an intelligent person and immediately thought of the reason.
"I'm not talking about cultivation aptitude, but constitution. Are you really completely unaware of your own constitution?"
"This junior does not know!"
The two of them spoke to each other across the heavy rain screen, as wind and rain slanted through the sky.
"You should possess a special constitution suitable for inheriting a divine art of my White Demon Clan. And my White Demon Clan does not accept disciples from other clans. Unless it is someone like you, who can cultivate my clan's cultivation methods. Otherwise, it would be useless to accept them. Your junior brother does not have a constitution like yours."
"I am human, and I don't have a Demonic Core either!"
"No, your constitution will allow you to cultivate another Purple Mansion within your Dantian, similar to a Demonic Core. At that time, your combat power will far surpass that of cultivators of the same rank. But rest assured, you will still be human. That is something the cultivation method cannot change. The cultivation method you can practice values constitution, not bloodline."
Shanggong Changge explained softly.
"Junior understands. As long as Senior can save my junior brother, this junior will obey all commands."
This time, Zhao Min truly understood. As for Shanggong Changge's later explanations, they were more or less meaningless to her.
Demon Clan, Human Clan—right now, as long as Li Yan could be saved, nothing else mattered.
"You may not have fully understood. I can intervene and save your junior brother, but after he is saved, you can only leave with me, alone. From then on, he is him, and you are you. At least until you have achieved minor success in practicing this cultivation method, you will have no time to go out. The reasons are simple: one, he cannot enter the White Demon Clan; two, he cannot delay your cultivation."
After Shanggong Changge finished speaking, both sides fell into silence for a moment. Only the pitter-patter of dense raindrops hitting the protective shield around Zhao Min could be heard, creating a sound that beat against the heart.
On Shanggong Changge's side, the rain was silently blocked a few inches from her curvaceous figure before quietly merging back into the endless rain screen, sliding down into the earth below.
Shanggong Changge could see Zhao Min's every move. After listening to her words, Zhao Min was silent for a while, then turned her face to the side to look at the unconscious Li Yan. She just stared at him blankly.