Chapter 168: Xiao Hong Awakens, Innate Ability

Miao Dandan was the first to arrive here, or rather, the crack had appeared not far from her location.

Thus, without much effort, she arrived at the entrance of the crack in an instant.

At this moment, she was fully focused, deducing the Array Emperor Restriction before her, with fine beads of sweat seeping from her smooth forehead.

She completely failed to notice the arrival of Zhou Chen and the other person.

"Dandan."

As the familiar voice reached her, Miao Dandan's body suddenly stiffened as if by reflex.

Miao Dandan turned her head in a daze and saw the familiar Zhou Chen, with a woman in white who possessed an extraordinary temperament standing beside him.

"Mas… Young Master Zhou."

Miao Dandan hurriedly corrected herself, her gaze lingering briefly on Lin Xueer as a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

The woman before her not only had outstanding looks, but her cultivation had actually reached the third level of the Saint Realm, just like her own.

Even her figure was… Miao Dandan stole a glance downward and became somewhat lacking in confidence.

What concerned her most was the affection revealed in the other woman's eyes when she looked at Zhou Chen.

"You know each other?"

Lin Xueer's heart sank as she keenly perceived that the atmosphere between these two was somewhat unusual.

Miao Dandan curtsied slightly and said, "Miao Dandan of the Black Abyss Holy Land. I have met Young Master Zhou once before."

After speaking, she gave Zhou Chen an obscure look.

Zhou Chen also nodded with some embarrassment.

Although Miao Dandan's words were formally polite, they could not escape Lin Xueer's eyes.

A woman's intuition was always accurate, let alone with Miao Dandan acting so blatantly.

Lin Xueer revealed a faint smile and said, "So it is a Junior Sister from the Black Abyss Holy Land. I am Lin Xueer of the Frost Moon Holy Land. It is a pleasure to meet you."

In her heart, she secretly labeled Miao Dandan as her number one love rival.

Zhou Chen felt quite awkward and coughed lightly to change the subject, "Dandan, you arrived early. Have you found anything regarding this Formation?"

"Mas… Young Master Zhou, this is a Formation left behind by an Array Emperor. Because too much time has passed, its energy is depleted, but it still requires some time to crack."

While speaking, Miao Dandan took the opportunity to secretly size up Lin Xueer.

Although Miao Dandan was nominally Zhou Chen's maidservant, Zhou Chen's various actions had indeed made her heart flutter.

After learning about her Profound Yin Body Physique, Zhou Chen did not humiliate her in every possible way or treat her as a Cauldron; instead, he allowed her Physique to upgrade to the Profound Yin Divine Body and her cultivation to progress further.

If it had been any other Cultivator, she didn't dare imagine how miserable her fate would have been.

If Zhou Chen hadn't stopped her, Miao Dandan would have even wanted to offer herself to him back then.

The woman appearing by Zhou Chen's side now gave Miao Dandan a huge sense of crisis.

Thinking of this, she simply decided to go all out; she couldn't let the woman before her have an opening.

"Master, if you don't like the title Young Master Zhou, I can change it. If there is a need…"

Miao Dandan suddenly leaned close to Zhou Chen's ear, her voice like a mosquito's hum yet every word was clear, "Dandan can serve by your side at any time."

To Lin Xueer, Miao Dandan's words were like a clap of thunder.

A layer of frost suddenly rose in the depths of her eyes.

"Master?"

This woman actually calls Zhou Chen 'Master'? And she shamelessly recommended herself for his bed?!

Boom!

A terrifying chill erupted from Lin Xueer's body, as if the air itself was instantly frozen.

Lin Xueer felt quite angry in her heart. Looking at Zhou Chen, she said word by word, "Brother Zhou, what is going on?"

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Zhou Chen's forehead.

Facing such a Shura field scene really made him feel ashamed; Zhou Chen would rather face ten thousand horses and a thousand soldiers.

"Uh, listen to my explanation, it's like this…"

Zhou Chen scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's fine, Brother Zhou, I believe you. Actually, having a maidservant is quite good; she can even serve us tea and water when there's nothing else to do."

Lin Xueer's voice was very cold, and she emphasized the word 'maidservant' heavily.

Miao Dandan took a step forward, her black skirt fluttering without wind as she refused to back down, "This lady, I'm afraid the matters between me and my Master are not for you to criticize?"

"What did you say?"

Lin Xueer's gaze grew even colder, and the Emperor Cold Bead flickered in her palm.

The pressure of two Saint Realms collided violently, causing the entire spatial crack to vibrate slightly.

Just as Zhou Chen was at his wit's end, the spirit beast pouch at his waist suddenly vibrated violently!

Swoosh—

Zhou Chen undid the Restriction on the spirit beast pouch, and a golden light shot out into the air, landing and transforming into a giant black-and-white tiger, a full ten zhang tall.

The aura on the giant tiger had actually reached the fifth level of the Saint Realm, and the ancient pressure flowing from its body caused both women's expressions to change.

"Ancient Emperor Beast Bloodline—the Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger?!"

Two cries of surprise rang out in unison.

It was exactly Zhou Chen's beast pet—Xiao Hong.

Zhou Chen secretly wiped away sweat; this was truly timely.

Xiao Hong stood with its head held high, its crystalline fur flowing with a faint radiance, and a hint of cunning actually appeared in its crimson eyes.

"Master."

A childish yet clear voice rang out in Zhou Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

Divine Sense Transmission!

Zhou Chen's heart shook violently.

Although he knew that Xiao Hong would become even more extraordinary after absorbing the Ancient Emperor Beast Mystic White Tiger egg, he didn't expect it to directly gain sapience.

One must know that when Zhou Chen subdued Xiao Hong, it could only be considered a Yao Beast. For a wild Yao Beast to gain sapience was extremely difficult; only those who gained sapience could be called the Yao Race.

"Your Bloodline evolution succeeded?"

"Thank you, Master… I devoured… the essence of the Mystic White Tiger egg, evolving from a Profound Crystal Tiger into a Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger, and can now speak…"

Xiao Hong spoke to Zhou Chen in a muffled, intermittent voice.

As it spoke, Xiao Hong's body gradually shrank, slowly becoming the size of a palm, looking nothing like a Vicious Beast with a heaven-toppling Evil Qi.

Tsk tsk, it seems Xiao Hong's Luck isn't bad either; the Bloodline of the Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger can be called Heaven-Defying.

Not only was its strength astonishing, its speed was also not slow. At a critical moment for escaping, it would be even more agile than a flying boat.

"Master, this Formation is somewhat special. Ordinary methods might be troublesome. I seem to have awakened an innate talent that can erode Formation Restrictions. Can I give it a try?"

Xiao Hong looked at the Array Emperor Restriction before it, red light flashing in its tiger eyes.

Zhou Chen said with great joy, "That would be wonderful. Xiao Hong, give it a try; it's okay if it doesn't work."

Xiao Hong flew in front of the Restriction and slowly spat out a greyish aura from its mouth, which was exceptionally profound.

The Array Emperor Restriction that had just made Miao Dandan feel overwhelmed actually began to melt rapidly upon encountering Xiao Hong's grey airflow!

"This… what Divine Ability is this?!"

Lin Xueer and Miao Dandan were pale with shock.

If a tenth-level Saint Realm expert came to forcefully break the Array Emperor's Restriction, they would have to exhaust their efforts. Even if the strength was far less than before, it wasn't something that could be handled so easily, yet it was effortlessly neutralized by this Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger?

"This is the innate power of the Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger, Restriction Breaking."

Zhou Chen explained calmly, though he was also secretly shocked by the Mystic Ice Crystal Tiger's innate ability.

In just a few breaths, the Restriction had been corroded to create a gap several meters wide, just enough for them to pass through.

"Master, we can go in. I can't hold it for long."

Xiao Hong's Divine Thought came through.

Zhou Chen no longer hesitated and led the two women into the crack together.

When they had all entered the crack, the gap instantly restored itself to its original state.