Ling Xiao is still pretending to sleep I trust you, don't you trust me

Ling Xiao was still feigning sleep!

If he had even the slightest alternative, he wouldn’t be left with no options at all.

Watching helplessly as two little brats ran amok right under his nose, stealing away the followers he had painstakingly cultivated...

For a former Immortal Emperor, this was an immense humiliation!

But what could he do?

Damn it, Wuji was still hunting him down!

Forced to flee deep into the River of Time, unable to return to his own era!

The most terrifying part was that if even the imprints of his will in this timeline were erased by those two brats... he would no longer belong to this history, becoming an existence trapped in the past!

Wuji would never let slip the chance to sever his path of return!

So, no matter how brazenly those two acted in front of him, he had to endure it!

Those two brats wouldn’t dare recklessly erase his will imprints—they’d most likely exile them somewhere instead!

When that time came, he’d gather all the scattered fragments of his will in this timeline, lurking in the shadows to bide his time!

You want the Primordial Chaos Creation Disk and the treasure vault, huh?

If you dare take them, I’ll dare give them!

Hell, I’ll even throw Wuji in as a bonus!

Ling Xiao had finally made up his mind.

Rather than stubbornly guarding his treasures while being chased by Wuji with no escape, all while fending off the two little traitors at home scheming to plunder his legacy—exhausted from juggling both fronts...

Why not make a choice? Let the two brats have their fill, then watch them and Wuji tear each other apart while he slipped away, lying low to recuperate and strike the fatal blow when the time was right!

“Heh, you twisted little seed, don’t disappoint me—I’ve got high hopes for you!”

Ling Xiao smirked coldly, pretending to be dead asleep.

Meanwhile...

After confirming that Chen Yi truly didn’t dare act recklessly in the presence of Ling Xiao’s will, the little golden dragon gleefully recruited Xu Jinghong into its ranks!

Only after reshaping the Primordial Chaos Imprint into its own design, securing absolute control over Xu Jinghong and ensuring Chen Yi couldn’t suddenly snatch its prize, did it finally transfer Ling Xiao’s will out of Xu Jinghong’s sea of consciousness.

This maneuver was child’s play for it.

All it took was carving out an insignificant portion of Xu Jinghong’s consciousness, crafting an avatar with an identical environment to the original sea of consciousness—tricking Ling Xiao’s will into believing it still held sway over Xu Jinghong, when in reality, it couldn’t care less!

To prolong the deception, the little golden dragon even infused some of its own will into Xu Jinghong’s avatar and synced the latter’s chat group updates in real time!

This way, if Ling Xiao could control Xu Jinghong through the Primordial Chaos Creation Dao, then Zhao Huazhen could do the same!

Even if Ling Xiao awakened and tried to command Xu Jinghong, the little dragon could simply interfere—disrupting the orders and making it impossible for him to quickly realize this “Xu Jinghong” was a fake!

“Tsk, this is going way too smoothly. Must be because my plan’s flawless. I overestimated Chen Yi—thought he’d be tougher, but he’s nothing special!”

The little golden dragon felt invincible, basking in its triumph.

But Chen Yi frowned slightly. The situation was unfolding too smoothly—better than even his most optimistic projections...

Something felt off, though he couldn’t pinpoint what.

“Looking at the bigger picture, the dumb dragon’s no threat, and Ling Xiao... is he really only wary of me?”

“If he didn’t know about the snakes in his own house, fine—but he’s fully aware... Is he actually trying to make amends with the dumb dragon?”

“Still, someone like him would care about that? To beings of his stature, all karma short of a peer-level foe is but dust on his shoulders...”

“Even if he feels guilt, if the dumb dragon still foolishly blocks his path, he’d never hesitate to crush it.”

“Unless... the dumb dragon isn’t in his way!”

Chen Yi’s gaze deepened. As the little golden dragon transferred Ling Xiao’s will into the simulated sea of consciousness of Xu Jinghong’s avatar and tossed it into the void turbulence, he silently flicked out a multicolored chaos pearl—wrapped in the same material as his cloaking cloak—to follow discreetly.

Whether Ling Xiao was truly oblivious or plotting something else, keeping tabs on his every move couldn’t hurt!

“Chen Yi, Ling Xiao’s will is out now. Quit stalling—say something!”

Inside Xu Jinghong’s sea of consciousness, the little golden dragon gloated, barking loudly.

Chen Yi’s lip twitched. “From the way you’re talking, you must think you’re hot stuff, huh?”

The little dragon paused, then chuckled awkwardly. “Nah, this Ling Xiao’s just a pushover. Anyway, Chen Yi, now that Old Xu’s free and you’ve got Xiuzhi in your grip—meaning you hold Old Xu’s lifeline...”

Hearing this, Chen Yi raised a brow. Was the dumb dragon trying to... plant a pawn beside him?

“So, I figure it’d be rude to keep controlling Old Xu with the Primordial Chaos Imprint. Better hand it over to you. Since the imprint’s rooted in his consciousness and bound to his soul, it can’t be removed. If I hold onto it, you’d always be suspicious, right?”

What a slick retreat-as-advance move!

It still doesn’t trust me!

Chen Yi smiled faintly. “What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t know squat about the Primordial Chaos Creation Dao. Even if you gave me the imprint, how could I stop you from pulling tricks behind my back?”

“If you doubt someone, don’t use them; if you use them, don’t doubt them. I trust you—don’t tell me you don’t trust me?!”

The little golden dragon froze, feeling like its schemes had been laid bare.

Oh heavens, he knew all along!

So all my convoluted plotting just made me look like a clown?

And here he is, believing in me so wholeheartedly, while I’m scheming to deceive him... I’m the worst!

Wait—no!

After a brief surge of guilt, the little dragon abruptly remembered the dirty tricks Chen Yi had pulled on it before.

Something’s wrong!

Zhao Huazhen, don’t let emotions cloud your judgment! Haven’t you suffered enough from being swindled?

What did Chen Yi teach you?

When in doubt, think about the consequences. Put yourself in his shoes... Would Chen Yi really pass up an Earth Immortal like Xu Jinghong?

No way. To achieve greatness, you can’t go it alone!

He’s so desperate for manpower, scraping up laborers wherever he can—why would he let an Earth Immortal slip away?

So he definitely wants him!

Sure, having Xiuzhi under his thumb could make Xu Jinghong obedient, but the Primordial Chaos Imprint’s control is absolute. Even if Xu Jinghong resisted, it could force compliance—the binding is too deep to break!

Knowing Chen Yi, he’d never leave such a gaping loophole unchecked.

But why refuse the imprint?

If he’s worried about me sneaking in backdoors, shouldn’t he want it more?

With the imprint, he’d have the upper hand. Even if I snooped around, I’d only gather scraps of info. If I tried anything worse, he’d catch me instantly...

So why reject it?!

What the hell is he thinking?!

Ugh, my brain itches... feels like it’s growing wrinkles...

Seeing the big silly dragon remain silent for so long, Chen Yi didn’t need to think hard to know its brain was overheating.

Just look at that flashy but useless head of yours—you haven’t even figured out the process yet, and you’re already trying to guess my intentions? Even if I gave you ten more brains, you still wouldn’t get it!

"Good boy, listen up. Stop overthinking. I’ll spell it out for you—I don’t give a damn whether you control Xu Jinghong or not. Even your true form is nothing more than a plaything in my hands. So what if you manipulate Xu Jinghong?"

"As long as it’s not Ling Xiao personally pulling the strings, it doesn’t matter. Got it?"

"You—!" The little golden dragon fumed, but its anger lacked conviction. "That’s downright disrespectful!"

As much as it hated to admit it, Chen Yi’s words made sense.

Damn it, am I really stuck in this quagmire forever?!

I refuse to believe it!