Ye Ling saw the reaction of the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom and smiled, "It seems you also know about the Ancient Spirit Tome. How... is that secret manual very precious?"
"More than precious? That's a supreme treasure!"
At this moment, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom was extremely excited, seemingly unconcerned that it was currently trapped by Ye Ling's runes. It spoke rapidly, "The Ancient Spirit Tome records all the divine abilities related to runes. It's equivalent to a complete cultivation system!"
"If one can thoroughly comprehend the Ancient Spirit Tome, it's equivalent to fully grasping the inheritance of the Creation God. At that time, let alone the Underworld Palace, even in the outer realms, there won't be many people who are your match!"
Hearing the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's words, Ye Ling was also quite surprised. He never expected this fellow to be so agitated.
"By the way, aren't you from the Underworld Palace? If you're telling me this now, aren't you afraid your master will hold you accountable?"
"What master? In front of the Ancient Spirit Tome, the Underworld Palace is nothing!" the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom cursed. It immediately withdrew its divine abilities and released Wu Xue, who had been hidden.
When Ye Ling saw the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom voluntarily release Wu Xue, the corners of his mouth twitched. He asked in surprise, "You... what do you mean by this?"
Thump!
Just as Ye Ling finished speaking, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom directly knelt before Ye Ling and said excitedly, "I beg the Emperor to take me as a disciple and teach me the Way of Runes!"
Ye Ling looked at the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom, which had suddenly knelt and bowed to him for discipleship within his prison. His mind went blank. He had no idea what was happening.
He knew that this phantom evolved from Spirit Devouring Qi was definitely not the consciousness of Spirit Devouring Qi itself, but rather an avatar of a powerful being from the outer realms. This fellow likely held a very important position in the Underworld Palace, otherwise, it wouldn't have been qualified to seize the last person of the Wu clan.
Ye Ling had always regarded such powerful beings from outer realms as mortal enemies. Yet, this kind of enemy suddenly knelt to become his disciple mid-battle. Ye Ling had never encountered such an absurd scene before.
"Are you kidding me?" Even Ye Ling couldn't control the situation at this point. He couldn't help but step back a few paces, distancing himself from the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom.
These people from the outer realms seemed like lunatics.
The Spirit Devouring Qi phantom, however, didn't care about its image at all. It said, "Emperor, you may not know, but the Way of Runes is ever-changing and is a path that everyone in the outer realms desires to cultivate. Unfortunately, runes are too profound, and entry is extremely difficult. Even in the outer realms, very few people master runes."
"Although I am a cultivator of the Underworld Palace and can use the Spirit Devouring Qi created by the Palace Master, Spirit Devouring Qi has now become rampant in the outer realms. It's a common power. Even if I cultivate it, I can only be considered a rookie in the outer realms, easily crushed by powerful beings at any moment!"
"But cultivating runes is different. As long as you master runes, you are a disciple of the Evil Emperor. Then, protected by the Evil Emperor, you can walk freely in the outer realms!"
Ye Ling's mind was still a bit hazy, and he couldn't fully process the long speech from the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom. He only heard a key piece of information and asked curiously, "Disciple of the Evil Emperor? Who is this Evil Emperor you speak of? Why can one walk freely by being his disciple?"
Hearing Ye Ling's question, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom was surprised. It looked at Ye Ling with astonishment, "You have the Ancient Spirit Tome, and you've even received the Evil Emperor's inheritance, yet you don't know who the Evil Emperor is?"
"The Evil Emperor's inheritance?"
Ye Ling was still a bit confused, but he quickly realized and said, "You mean, the Evil Emperor is a Creation God?"
Seeing Ye Ling's reaction, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom looked at him as if he were a bumpkin, unsure where to start complaining.
After a long pause, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom finally said, "So, after all these confrontations with us, you still don't know why we are actively invading Earth?"
Ye Ling replied, "I only know that you are after the Creation God's inheritance. As for who those Creation Gods are, I really don't know."
The Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's eyes widened, and it roared, "You don't even know whose inheritance it is, how did you get a Creation God's inheritance?"
Ye Ling spread his hands and said, "Someone forcefully gave it to me..."
Spirit Devouring Qi phantom: "Unfair..."
In fact, Ye Ling himself didn't understand how he was chosen. Even the Soul Suppressor hidden within him had disappeared without a trace after showing off once and instantly killing a Dao Venerable.
Without guidance, Ye Ling had no way of knowing information about the outer realms. Currently, he only had a vague understanding of the outer realms, knowing only that a large number of people there were coveting Earth.
The Spirit Devouring Qi phantom remained silent for a long time before finally accepting Ye Ling's situation. It said, "Anyway, that's the situation. Becoming a disciple of the Evil Emperor is something countless people yearn for. If you can take me as a disciple and let me have some connection with the Evil Emperor, I don't mind betraying the Underworld Palace."
"Don't you know nothing about the outer realms? With me here, I can tell you many things you didn't know before. Moreover, I can continue to be a mole in the Underworld Palace. Then, we can coordinate from within and without, and destroying the Underworld Palace will be no problem!"
Ye Ling looked at the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom deeply and asked, "Are you really from the Underworld Palace?"
Although Ye Ling was still unaccustomed to the 180-degree change in the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's attitude, he managed to calm down and began to weigh the pros and cons of this matter.
Regardless of the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's true intentions, if he could indeed obtain information about the outer realms from him, it would be incredibly good news for Ye Ling!
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. Even Ye Ling... facing unknown enemies all the time might stumble one day.
If he had a subordinate from the outer realms, the number of unknown variables would be significantly reduced.
After a moment of consideration, Ye Ling decided to take a risk and said to the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom, "I can consider what you've said, but I have one condition."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's eyes lit up, and it said excitedly, "Please tell me!"
"This is not urgent for now. You stay put for the time being." Ye Ling did not immediately state his condition. Instead, after adding several more layers of seals to the rune cage, he shifted his attention to Wu Xue.
Although the change in the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's attitude had caught Ye Ling off guard, he had not forgotten the purpose of his intrusion into the depths of the Soul Forgetfulness Tree...
To save Wu Xue.
Whether the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom was truly intending to betray the Underworld Palace or had other motives was not important.
The most crucial thing at the moment was to free Wu Xue from the control of the Underworld Palace and cut off one of the paths for the Underworld Palace to covet Earth.
The Spirit Devouring Qi phantom naturally knew what Ye Ling was about to do and smiled, "No rush, no rush! I've already released Wu Xue, and you can save her anytime. However, I also have a small request..."
Ye Ling: "What request?"
The Spirit Devouring Qi phantom smiled and said, "After you save Wu Xue, don't rush to remove the Spirit Devouring Qi within her. Once the Spirit Devouring Qi in her body completely disappears, the Underworld Palace will know that my mission has failed, and my consciousness will be pulled back, unable to speak with you."
"Our master-disciple ceremony... has not yet been held!"
Hearing the Spirit Devouring Qi phantom's words, Ye Ling was stunned for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "I understand..."