Lin Hao saw someone—Ling Xiao.

Lin Hao remembered the encounter with the Evil Demon in the depths of the Demon Suppression Cave. He had originally thought Ling Xiao was as good as dead, but now, seeing him appear here, Lin Hao’s wariness skyrocketed.

One of the reasons Lin Hao had walked out so confidently was his trust in his own Spiritual Sense.

But a more important reason was that Lin Hao had recovered the memories Chu Tiandu lost in the Demon Suppression Cave.

These memories had been sealed for thousands of years. For them to be strangely recovered now, there could only be one reason: the culprit who had sealed them was gone.

This was the main reason Lin Hao believed the Evil Demon had been eliminated.

But now, seeing Ling Xiao so suddenly, Lin Hao couldn’t help but be on guard.

Only after recovering Chu Tiandu’s memories of the depths of the Demon Suppression Cave did Lin Hao truly understand how terrifying that Evil Demon was.

Even an unparalleled expert like Chu Tiandu had been controlled by a mere wisp of its remnant soul. In comparison, Ling Xiao was far too weak.

"Senior Brother, you’re out! That’s great!" Ling Xiao was very happy to see Lin Hao.

Lin Hao smiled and asked, seemingly casually, "How did you get out?"

"I don’t know either. In that cavern, I glanced at the eyes of those skulls and fainted. I woke up once after that, but before I could figure out what was happening, I was knocked unconscious again by a tremor. When I came to for the second time, I was lying in that same spot, and weirdly enough, my memories had been tampered with."

Ling Xiao frowned, his voice laced with lingering fear.

Just as he was leaving the Demon Suppression Cave and about to return to the sect, a new set of memories about the cave had suddenly appeared in Ling Xiao’s mind.

These memories contradicted his original ones, yet they felt more real.

To figure out what was going on, Ling Xiao had bid farewell to Wu Taichu and returned to the Demon Suppression Cave.

And as a result, he ran into Lin Hao.

Hearing Ling Xiao’s story, Lin Hao nodded. ’This is a classic tactic of the Evil Demon. It wanted to use Ling Xiao to lure more Sect Disciples into the Demon Suppression Cave to absorb their True Essence.’

"As long as you’re all right, that’s what matters. Let’s go," Lin Hao said, suggesting they leave.

But Ling Xiao stopped and said to Lin Hao, "Senior Brother, there’s one more strange thing."

"Oh?"

"My cultivation level suddenly reached the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm. Can you take a look for me and see if someone has tampered with it?" If he hadn’t recovered his memories, Ling Xiao would have certainly been ecstatic.

But after regaining his memories, Ling Xiao only felt a sense of panic and unease.

"Alright. Let’s talk after we leave this place," Lin Hao agreed with a nod. Both for Ling Xiao’s sake and his own, he had to get to the bottom of this.

That Evil Demon was too cunning; it was entirely possible it had done something to Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao nodded but stepped aside, gesturing for Lin Hao to go first.

Lin Hao didn’t hesitate and walked ahead.

As he did, Lin Hao appeared casual, but he was secretly on high alert.

He didn’t know if the Evil Demon was truly gone. Having just escaped death, Lin Hao wasn’t about to gamble with his life again.

As it turned out, Lin Hao’s worries were unnecessary. Ling Xiao didn’t try to ambush him and instead followed obediently behind him out of the Demon Suppression Cave.

Outside the Demon Suppression Cave, Lin Hao paused for a moment, then leaped into the air.

The next moment, Lin Hao stomped his foot down hard.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook and the mountains trembled as if in a massive earthquake.

A seemingly ordinary stomp had produced an unimaginable result.

The mountain collapsed, the ground gave way, and the Demon Suppression Cave was buried, completely obliterated.

Lin Hao had just flown back down when Wu Taichu and Elder Gu arrived.

The massive tremor from the direction of the Demon Suppression Cave was something they couldn’t ignore.

Seeing Lin Hao, Wu Taichu’s anxious heart was finally put at ease. He glanced at the non-existent Demon Suppression Cave, didn’t ask about it, and then said joyfully, "Ancestor Uncle, you’re out."

’Ancestor Uncle?’

Ling Xiao had entered the Demon Suppression Cave right around the time Lin Hao joined the sect, so he naturally had no idea about Lin Hao’s status. Hearing this now, his brain completely froze.

However, Wu Taichu and Elder Gu didn’t notice his condition. Wu Taichu glanced at Lin Hao and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Ancestor Uncle, why do I feel that you’re a bit different?"

"Different?" Lin Hao was equally confused.

"Yes. Just by standing there so casually, I feel a sense of pressure. It seems like there’s something about you that can suppress me," Wu Taichu said after some thought.

"That’s right, I feel it too," Elder Gu also nodded. "Master Uncle, did you have a fortuitous encounter in the Demon Suppression Cave?"

’Ancestor Uncle, Master Uncle!’

This time, Ling Xiao heard it loud and clear.

He stared at Lin Hao in utter shock, stunned by his identity.

THUD!

Distracted, Ling Xiao tripped over a rock. He even forgot that he was a Martial Artist and fell flat on the ground like an ordinary person.

Only then, hearing the noise, did Wu Taichu remember Ling Xiao was there.

Seeing Ling Xiao pick himself up, Wu Taichu hurriedly introduced Lin Hao to him. "Xiao’Er, Ancestor Uncle Lin Hao is Ancestor Cang Yan’s junior brother. Hurry and pay your respects to the Grand-Ancestor Uncle."

Lin Hao’s status was so terrifying that Ling Xiao trembled and was about to fall to his knees.

"There’s no need for that." Lin Hao stopped him. "My public identity is that of a disciple of the Sect Leader. If you don’t mind, just call me Senior Brother."

What a joke, as if Ling Xiao would dare to mind.

Besides, calling him Senior Brother was much better than Grand-Ancestor Uncle. Ling Xiao quickly and respectfully called out, "Senior Brother."

Lin Hao nodded, then answered Elder Gu’s earlier question. "I didn’t have a fortuitous encounter, but it’s true I almost didn’t make it out."

When Wu Taichu heard this, he looked at Ling Xiao, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes before disappearing.

Although Lin Hao had said it nonchalantly, the fact that he said it at all meant the situation in the Demon Suppression Cave was definitely different from what Ling Xiao had described.

At this moment, Wu Taichu had reason to suspect that Ling Xiao hadn’t wanted Lin Hao to get out.

Ling Xiao’s cultivation was now at the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm, and his Spiritual Sense was equally astonishing. He clearly felt Wu Taichu’s killing intent and hurriedly said, "Reporting to Master, my memory was just tampered with by an evil entity in the Demon Suppression Cave."

"Ling Xiao is telling the truth. Master, Elder, please stand guard for me. I’m going to check if there’s anything abnormal inside his body." Lin Hao also spoke up to vouch for Ling Xiao, while deliberately avoiding the topic of how he reached the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm.

Ling Xiao shot Lin Hao a grateful look.

As for Lin Hao’s words, Wu Taichu chose to believe them unconditionally. Hearing his request, he and Elder Gu quickly moved to the side and fell into their roles, vigilantly standing guard for Lin Hao.

Sitting cross-legged on the spot, Lin Hao began to infuse his True Essence into Ling Xiao’s body to inspect him.

At this point, Lin Hao’s True Essence was even purer and more majestic—the bane of all evil True Qi.

Ling Xiao’s body was completely undefended, allowing Lin Hao’s True Essence to enter freely.

Before long, Lin Hao’s True Essence had swept through his body once, but found nothing.

"Ling Xiao, can you remember what you did after you got out?" Lin Hao asked.

That Evil Demon was far too cunning; Lin Hao had to be careful.

Ling Xiao shook his head, then said, "I didn’t do anything. But whenever I think of you, I seem to become furious."

Ling Xiao answered Lin Hao respectfully.

This respect came from the bottom of his heart.

He remembered everything that had happened in the Demon Suppression Cave. Lin Hao had saved his life.

This was a kindness.

And just now, when Lin Hao’s True Essence entered his body, Ling Xiao felt its incredible power.

His lack of defense was one thing, but on the other hand, his very bloodline felt a powerful sense of awe toward Lin Hao’s True Essence, unable to muster even a hint of resistance.

This made Ling Xiao realize that Lin Hao’s power was beyond his imagination.

This was might.

Faced with both kindness and might, Ling Xiao could only submit to Lin Hao.

Hearing Ling Xiao’s answer, Lin Hao frowned and inspected his body once more.

This time, Lin Hao proceeded slowly and with extreme care.

Finally, upon entering Ling Xiao’s Dantian, Lin Hao discovered the abnormality.

In Ling Xiao’s Dantian, a small clump of orange blood was flowing.

This was Ling Xiao’s bloodline; he possessed an Element Body.

And mixed within this orange blood was an extremely fine thread of black blood.

It was incredibly active and moved with extreme speed, so fine it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Having found it, Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He then carefully mobilized his True Essence to surround it.

Under Lin Hao’s deliberate control, it had nowhere to hide and was finally intercepted.

This thread of black blood was insignificant compared to Lin Hao’s powerful True Essence, but its own power was boundless and terrifying.

Realizing the danger, it suddenly shot out, trying to escape the pursuit of Lin Hao’s True Essence.

This sudden movement caused Ling Xiao immense suffering.

His True Heart of Destiny stirred violently, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. The piercing pain almost made him pass out.

But Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay conscious.

’I don’t want to become a bloodthirsty monster!’

That thread of black blood darted through Ling Xiao’s Lifebound True Blood, actually feeding on it and showing signs of growing larger.

Lin Hao didn’t dare to be careless and pushed his True Essence with all his might.

His unique True Essence first enveloped Ling Xiao’s Lifebound True Blood, then moved to suppress the black blood.

Within Ling Xiao’s body, inside his Lifebound True Blood, Chaos Qi suddenly began to spread.

In the face of the powerful Chaos Qi, this thread of black blood was doomed, no matter how heaven-defying its abilities were.

Finally, Ling Xiao’s Lifebound True Essence returned to its orange color.

Still not reassured, Lin Hao circulated his True Essence through Ling Xiao’s system countless times to cleanse it before finally withdrawing.

However, just to be safe, Lin Hao also left a trace of his True Essence inside Ling Xiao’s body.

The amount was small enough to be negligible.

But if Ling Xiao’s Lifebound True Blood showed any signs of abnormality, Lin Hao would definitely be the first to know.

This was a precaution against future trouble.

"Alright, you’re fine now," Lin Hao said, retracting his power.

Ling Xiao opened his eyes. After a moment of shock, he couldn’t help but kowtow to Lin Hao, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

There was no other reason than this: Ling Xiao discovered he had once again profited from a disaster—his cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm.

Lin Hao thought Ling Xiao was just thanking him for resolving the crisis and gave a slight smile.

But beside them, Wu Taichu and Elder Gu wore looks of utter astonishment.

The two exchanged a look, and it was Wu Taichu who asked Lin Hao, "Ancestor Uncle, what did you do for Xiao’Er? How did his cultivation reach the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm in just a moment?"

"Is that so?" Lin Hao himself was surprised. Then he smiled and said, "If he hadn’t been shackled by the Evil Demon’s wicked methods, he would have reached the Seventh Layer already. It’s not my accomplishment."

Wu Taichu and Elder Gu nodded, letting the matter drop with Lin Hao.

Only Ling Xiao himself knew that this was clearly Lin Hao’s doing.

Lin Hao’s True Essence was too terrifying; just by cleansing his body, it had caused him to break through to the next layer.