Under the nourishment of heavenly power, the remnant soul of the Nine-tailed Fox quickly recovered.
However, due to Ye Ling's forceful severance of her soul, that portion of the Nine-tailed Fox's memory had also vanished along with the dissipation of her soul.
Although Ye Ling greatly desired to know the Nine-tailed Fox's memories, the imprint was about to destroy all her soul. If Ye Ling had been fixated on the Nine-tailed Fox's memories earlier, not only would he have failed to glimpse her memories, but he might not have even been able to save her life.
By doing this now, he had at least saved her life.
This Nine-tailed Fox was a beast from the primordial era, incredibly rare.
Although in this Tongtian Tower, her body had been in a state of temporal stasis for a long time due to the influence of the law of time, and her cultivation had not advanced, the bloodline she possessed was undeniably an ancient bloodline!
A Nine-tailed Fox with such a bloodline, if released and allowed to cultivate properly, could quickly break through the ninth rank and ascend to the immortal realm.
Furthermore, with the Nine-tailed Fox's innate charm that could influence people's minds, if she were taken as a spirit pet, she could be of great use to Ye Ling.
Ye Ling returned the Nine-tailed Fox's repaired soul to her battered body, while simultaneously using his own spiritual power to mend her broken form.
The Nine-tailed Fox, knowing she had escaped death and gained freedom with the disappearance of the imprint, was overjoyed. She quickly prostrated herself before Ye Ling and bowed, "Your Majesty, for saving my life, I, the little demon Jiu Ling, am immensely grateful. I know not how to repay you."
Ye Ling sized up Jiu Ling and smiled, "Since you are so grateful, how about becoming my spirit pet?"
"Become Your Majesty's spirit pet?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Jiu Ling was first stunned, then a surge of ecstasy welled up in her heart, her eyes sparkling with delight!
She had personally witnessed how powerful Ye Ling was, suppressing the law of time with a single hand. Such a figure, even across the three realms, was a momentous individual of unprecedented renown!
As long as she clung to Ye Ling's coattails, even if she were not highly valued, her future would undoubtedly be bright!
With Ye Ling as her backer, her kin from Qingqiu would no longer be constrained!
Jiu Ling prostrated herself before Ye Ling, trembling, "Am I… qualified to follow Your Majesty?"
Ye Ling smiled, "If I say you are, then you are."
Receiving Ye Ling's affirmation, Jiu Ling no longer hesitated. She quickly kowtowed to Ye Ling, "I, the little demon Jiu Ling, am willing to follow you, my lord, and never betray you!"
Ye Ling was not one to dally. He drew a mark in the air and sent it into Jiu Ling's forehead, signing the contract of a spirit pet.
The moment she signed the contract with Ye Ling, Jiu Ling felt an exceptionally powerful force surge into her from the crown of her head, nourishing her entire being!
Jiu Ling's aura began to skyrocket at an astonishing rate, breaking through the ninth rank almost without any resistance, achieving immortality on the spot!
Jiu Ling's demonic energy completely transformed, becoming pure and immaculate, exuding a potent spiritual aura.
Jiu Ling's momentum continued to surge!
The Black and White Impermanence, who had not yet departed, witnessed Jiu Ling's cultivation surpass their own so quickly after signing the contract with Ye Ling. They were utterly astonished, their mouths agape. Feeling ashamed to remain, they bowed to Ye Ling and hastily returned to report.
Ever since Ye Ling had effortlessly crushed Lei Gong in the Pacific Ocean, annihilated the Tongtian Clan giants, and extinguished the Titan god with a single sword strike, Ye Ling's name had spread throughout the immortal realm, and his reputation in the underworld was equally resounding.
The Black and White Impermanence only needed to report Ye Ling's name upon their return, and the King of Hell would naturally understand what had transpired in the mortal world and would not hold the Black and White Impermanence accountable for their dereliction of duty.
"Your Majesty, I…"
At this moment, Wang Die slowly regained her senses. Looking at Ye Ling, she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
She still hadn't recovered from the fact that Ye Ling could suppress the law of time.
However… from the moment the law of time was awakened and began to consume her consciousness, she understood that she had made a mistake.
With her strength, she had no ability to control the law of time. Once the law of time consumed her and went berserk, not only would she be unable to stop Hongchen Pavilion's conspiracy, but the Earth itself could become even worse due to the rampage of the law of time!
Facing Ye Ling now, Wang Die felt three parts self-reproach and shame, and seven parts worry.
Her plan to use the law of time to thwart Hongchen Pavilion had failed. This meant that Hongchen Pavilion's ritual would undoubtedly succeed, resulting in the sacrifice of half the Earth's population, and societal collapse!
Everything would descend into chaos!
"Don't overthink it. It's good that you're alright."
Ye Ling sent his spiritual power into Wang Die's body, repairing the parts of her body ravaged by the law of time, and comforted her.
Indeed, Ye Ling intended for Hongchen Pavilion to complete their ritual, but this did not mean Ye Ling would stand by and watch them sacrifice half the Earth's population.
He had seized the power of the Heavenly Dao precisely to use it as a contingency.
This way, even if Hongchen Pavilion ultimately sacrificed half the population through the Tongtian Tower ritual, Ye Ling could use the power of the Heavenly Dao, combined with his own strength, to reverse time and resurrect those who had been sacrificed.
Unfortunately, Wang Die was unaware of Ye Ling's trump card.
Her plan had failed, and she had no further recourse. All she could do was watch the situation unfold.
The outcome of events was no longer something she could decide.
Ye Ling did not explain to Wang Die his intention of allowing Hongchen Pavilion to proceed. Instead, he asked Wang Die, "I've always been curious, how did you gain the ability to foresee the future?"
"How did you know that the law of time was slumbering beneath this Tongtian Tower, and how did you think of using the law of time to stop Hongchen Pavilion?"
Wang Die's actions now could not be explained by mere foresight.
Her ability to know the location of the slumbering power of the law of time, and the method to awaken it, indicated that someone was guiding her from behind!
And the person guiding Wang Die was definitely not well-intentioned.
Wang Die gave a wry smile, "Your Majesty, what is the point of asking these questions now? Everything is already over."
"It is certainly meaningful." Ye Ling looked deeply at Wang Die, "You must have realized yourself that you were deceived, haven't you?"
Wang Die fell silent, offering no reply.
Ye Ling continued, "Your presence here is absolutely not a coincidence. The person behind you used you to achieve some objective. Although the law of time has been suppressed by me, the plan of the person who used you might still succeed."
"If you tell me now who used you, there might still be a way to rectify the situation."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die first opened her mouth, her heart engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Finally, she made up her mind and confessed to Ye Ling, "Actually, the one who told me about Your Majesty's plan, and that the law of time was slumbering in this ancient ruin, was Your Majesty's master…"
"Xuan Xiao."