Ye Ling looked at Zhang Mingyu, who was extremely respectful before him, and said, "Now that Zheng Yi Sect is in ruins and needs rebuilding, it's the time when you, as the sect leader, should be stationed to stabilize people's hearts. Yet, you've come to the back mountain to find me. Could it be that you're here just to flatter me?"
Zhang Mingyu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty, and naturally, I don't need to fawn over you. I have something important to tell you this time."
Ye Ling raised an eyebrow, "Is it about Hong Chen Pavilion?"
"Yes, a part of it."
Zhang Mingyu nodded, "Actually, seventy-one years ago, Ye Feng of Hong Chen Pavilion secretly visited our Zheng Yi Sect."
Hearing Zhang Mingyu's words, Ye Ling's interest was instantly piqued, his eyes lighting up, "Continue."
Zhang Mingyu fell into recollection and said, "Back then, Ye Feng approached our Zheng Yi Sect with the intention of learning a divine ability created by our sect's founder, called 'Jian Shen Yuan'."
"'Jian Shen Yuan'?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Mingyu explained, "'Jian Shen Yuan' is a divine ability that cultivates pupil power and tempers the soul. After mastering this ability, one can open the Abyss-Seeing Pupils, divine the matters of the world, and communicate with spirits."
"By cultivating 'Jian Shen Yuan' to its peak, one can ascend to immortality even without breaking through to the ninth rank."
Ye Ling asked, "So, the reason you can see the Black and White Impermanence is because of this divine ability?"
"Yes." Zhang Mingyu bowed to Ye Ling again, "I rely on this divine ability, but my talent is dull, and I can only see spirits, not communicate with them."
"Compared to Your Majesty, who can communicate with spirits without relying on any divine ability, I am far behind."
"Stop flattering me, I don't fall for that," Ye Ling waved his hand and returned to the main topic, "So, you mean that Ye Feng's attempt to obtain the divine ability 'Jian Shen Yuan' from the Zheng Yi Sect seventy-one years ago is related to the attack on the Zheng Yi Sect today?"
Zhang Mingyu said, "Yes. 'Jian Shen Yuan' had been lost for many years. Ye Feng searched the entire Zheng Yi Sect but couldn't learn the divine ability. He only took away a damaged scroll of 'Jian Shen Yuan'."
"Now that Hong Chen Pavilion is attacking, it's likely for the divine ability I possess."
Ye Ling asked again, "Then where did the divine ability you possess come from?"
Zhang Mingyu replied, "The Jian Shen Yuan that I practice was accidentally bestowed upon me by a white tiger."
"I know that this divine ability will bring disaster to the Zheng Yi Sect, so this secret has always been hidden in my heart, and no one else knows that I have this divine ability."
Ye Ling frowned slightly, "Since you didn't inform anyone, how did Ye Feng know this secret?"
Currently, the strongest异士 (yìshì - extraordinary person/cultivator) in the Zheng Yi Sect was only Zhang Zhiyue, who had just awakened.
He hadn't even reached the eighth rank.
Yet, Hong Chen Pavilion had sent several eighth-rank cultivators, and even one half-step Hong Chen Immortal!
Such combat power was enough to shake the foundations of China. Yet, Ye Feng sent these people to assassinate a mere sixth-rank 异士 like him...
Besides the divine ability 'Jian Shen Yuan', there was no other reason for Ye Feng to be so insane.
Zhang Mingyu said with a wry smile, "This is also what troubles me... But apart from this divine ability, I really don't know why Hong Chen Pavilion would target our Zheng Yi Sect."
"Perhaps the damaged scroll that Ye Feng took back then recorded some secret method that allowed him to detect that I had learned 'Jian Shen Yuan'."
After hearing Zhang Mingyu's words, Ye Ling pondered for a moment, then said, "You've said so much, what do you want me to do?" Zhang Mingyu bowed deeply to Ye Ling and said, "I implore Your Majesty to learn 'Jian Shen Yuan' and then cripple my divine ability!"
Hearing Zhang Mingyu's words, Ye Ling's expression changed slightly, "Are you serious?"
Although he wasn't very interested in the divine ability 'Jian Shen Yuan', according to Zhang Mingyu's account and the scale of Hong Chen Pavilion's mobilization, 'Jian Shen Yuan' was definitely one of the top divine abilities in the world, and could even be considered a great divine ability in the immortal realm!
For such a sect treasure, anyone would hide it. Let alone passing it on to others, even teaching it to someone else would require careful consideration and hesitation.
Zhang Mingyu's words were too unexpected for Ye Ling.
Zhang Mingyu said resolutely, "Currently, with the strength of our Zheng Yi Sect, we are far from being able to protect this divine ability. If I forcibly keep it, it will only bring disaster to the sect."
"Rather than letting our Zheng Yi Sect be annihilated because of this divine ability, and then having the divine ability fall into the hands of villains, it's better to hand it over to Your Majesty for safekeeping."
Ye Ling smiled, "I never said I was a good person. Aren't you afraid I'll use this divine ability for evil deeds?"
Zhang Mingyu said frankly, "With Your Majesty's strength, 'Jian Shen Yuan' is merely adding flowers to the brocade, perhaps not even that. I am not worried about that."
"You are indeed a strange person, giving up your divine ability so readily," Ye Ling couldn't help but look at Zhang Mingyu with more respect.
Even on the Eastern Xuan Continent, one could hardly find a few people who could be as decisive and turn their backs as Zhang Mingyu.
In the past sixty thousand years, he had seen too many tragedies of people dying for wealth and birds dying for food.
Zhang Mingyu knelt solemnly before Ye Ling and said earnestly, "I implore Your Majesty to grant my request!"
"With Your Majesty's strength, you can surely block all incoming villains and protect 'Jian Shen Yuan'!"
Ye Ling looked deeply at Zhang Mingyu, then shook his head and smiled, "Alright, for the sake of Zhang Muya and Xiao Xia, I'll help you this once."
A ball of demonic energy surged from Ye Ling's palm and drifted slowly towards Zhang Mingyu, enveloping him.
"Don't resist, relax your whole body. I'll withdraw after I've read your divine ability," Ye Ling whispered, and began to browse Zhang Mingyu's martial arts and cultivation techniques.
Soon, Ye Ling replicated Zhang Mingyu's memories of the divine ability 'Jian Shen Yuan', and at the same time, completely erased his memories of this divine ability.
To prevent Hong Chen Pavilion from finding Zhang Mingyu again, Ye Ling even used spiritual energy to cleanse Zhang Mingyu's body and eyes, crippling his divine ability and pupil power.
After Ye Ling finished, Zhang Mingyu's combat power dropped by ninety percent!
His cultivation base fell to the third rank!
"Th-thank you, Your Majesty..."
Zhang Mingyu collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat, his aura at its lowest point.
The process of crippling his divine ability inevitably involved his meridians. Although it was brief, Zhang Mingyu still endured immense pain.
However, there was no regret on his face for losing his divine ability, and a faint smile even graced his lips.
Liberation...
Ye Ling: "..."
He silently looked at Zhang Mingyu lying on the ground. After a long time, he condensed a ball of white light in his palm and sent it into Zhang Mingyu's forehead.
"This is?"
Feeling a large amount of profound knowledge pouring into his mind, Zhang Mingyu's expression changed drastically, and he looked at Ye Ling with shock!
Ye Ling said lightly, "I take your 'Jian Shen Yuan', and give you 'Tong Tian Jue'. We are even."
"Cultivate it well yourself, and don't waste this opportunity."
'Tong Tian Jue' was considered a top-tier cultivation technique even on the Eastern Xuan Continent. If Zhang Mingyu could master even thirty percent of it, ascending to immortality on Earth would be no problem!
Thinking of the profound characters and spiritual energy circulation diagrams in his mind, Zhang Mingyu naturally knew how precious the cultivation technique Ye Ling had given him was!
Its grade far surpassed 'Jian Shen Yuan'!
Zhang Mingyu was immensely shocked, and then his eyes became extremely serious. He solemnly kowtowed to Ye Ling three times.
"Your Majesty's kindness, Mingyu... will never forget!"