The Ancestral Hall of the Ye Family.
Ye Xiao pushed open the palace doors with a loud bang to see Ye Zhantian standing in front of the ancestral hall, completely alone.
At that moment, Ye Xiao felt completely numb all over, and with a trembling voice, he asked, "Grandfather, where is the Supreme Bone?"
"Oh? Xiaorui, you already know?"
Ye Zhantian turned around and nodded at Ye Xiao. "I know you're in a rush, but don't rush..."
"Grandfather has already found out for you. Ye Fan, a collateral branch descendant of the Ye Family whose parents died when he was young, awakened the Supreme Bone just a few days ago. I have already sealed his spiritual consciousness and locked him in the rear hall."
"Xiaorui, as long as you can fuse the Supreme Bone into your body, and match it with your Double Pupils, no one in the Ye Family will be your match in the Battle of the Divine Child a month from now."
"Ye Fan, parents both dead, digging out the bone..."
Hearing this, Ye Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tense heartstrings finally relaxed.
The surname matches, the name matches, an orphan...
They haven't dug it out yet!!
"I refuse!!"
"Huh?"
Ye Zhantian was stunned for a moment, frowning as he looked at Ye Xiao. "Xiaorui, do you know what a Supreme Bone means? It means you will become the most monstrous heaven-gifted prodigy in the Three Thousand Dao Prefectures, invincible in the same realm, a young supreme!!"
"The Double Pupils are already an invincible path, why would I need to borrow someone else's bone?"
Ye Xiao's expression was solemn, radiating an overwhelming aura of forced superiority.
The Supreme Bone was undoubtedly precious, but the moment he thought of the ten-thousand-fold return reward he would get after refusing, Ye Xiao felt his little bird twitch... excitedly.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking the villain setting and refusing the Supreme Bone. Received the ten-thousand-fold return reward: Immortal Dao Bone.]
[May I ask if the host wishes to bind with the Child of Heavenly Mandate: Ye Fan.]
"As expected..."
A trace of cunning flashed in Ye Xiao's eyes, and he secretly praised the system brother as awesome.
Immortal Dao Bone!!
He had once heard his grandfather say that supremes were merely the peak of the Dao in the Three Thousand Dao Prefectures.
Above the supremes were the Emperor Realm, the Immortal Realm, and the Dao Realm.
The reason the Ye Family was called an eternal family was because powerhouse Great Emperors had once emerged from the clan, making them a true imperial-blood clan.
And the Immortal Dao Bone had completely transcended the category of living beings; it was a bone of the true Dao!!
"Bind!!"
[Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully binding with the second Child of Heavenly Mandate, gaining 1% Heavenly Mandate Value, 2/100.]
"Xiaorui... you..."
"Grandfather, you don't need to say anything. I know what to do. Give me the Qiankun Ring."
Ye Xiao waved his hand, snatched the Qiankun Ring directly from Ye Zhantian, and hurried toward the rear hall.
...
[Child of Heavenly Mandate: Ye Fan]
[Golden Finger: Supreme Bone]
[Hidden Golden Finger: Chaotic Divine Physique]
[Template: Bone-digging and Awakening Progression]
[Identity: Collateral branch disciple of the Ye Family main clan, successor of the Primordial True Spirits]
[Plot Trajectory: The Child of Heavenly Mandate has his Supreme Bone dug out, awakens the Chaotic Physique, flees the Ye Family, stumbles into a mysterious mountain village, receives teachings from a true spirit, and becomes invincible in his generation.]
In the rear hall, Ye Xiao looked at the black-robed youth lying on the bed, his eyes carrying a hint of contemplation.
Although he refused the bone-digging and obtained a reward of an Immortal Dao Bone from the system, Ye Fan's spiritual consciousness had been sealed by Ye Zhantian and he was imprisoned here, so he had most likely already guessed his own fate.
At a time like this, even if Ye Xiao let him go, it would be impossible to ever win back his trust.
Yet a Chaotic Divine Physique might prove to be a decent thug for Ye Xiao in the future.
As a villain, how could one not have lackeys following by their side?
What if all these followers were chosen by Heavenly Mandate?
Jiejiejie...
"System brother, as long as it's a stroke of good fortune I bestow, no matter when it's given, will the Child of Heavenly Mandate always give rewards in return as long as he opens it every seven days?"
Ye Xiao pondered for a moment, and quickly made up his mind.
Unlike Gu Mingyue, Ye Fan had no emotional foundation whatsoever with Ye Xiao; he felt only hatred.
Therefore, if he wanted to win the submission of this Child of Heavenly Mandate, he couldn't just offer warmth.
At this moment, a bold plan had already formed in the back of Ye Xiao's mind. As long as it went smoothly, not only could he continuously fleece Ye Fan like a sheep, but one day in the future, he could also make him follow him heart and soul.
[Ding, theoretically speaking, yes.]
"In that case..."
From Ye Zhantian's Qiankun Ring, Ye Xiao selected a divine technique and precious art called the Ape Demon Body-Refining Formula, a grade-seven Foundation Establishment Pill, a top-grade Daoist artifact Nine Dragons Imprisoning Heaven Cauldron, a ginseng great medicine, and numerous divine talismans and precious materials. He sealed them separately into different Qiankun pouches, using cultivation realms to distinguish the timing for opening them.
According to Ye Xiao's speculation, once Ye Fan awakened the Chaotic Divine Physique, his cultivation would inevitably skyrocket.
Even if he couldn't personally bestow fortune upon Ye Fan, as long as Ye Fan opened the Qiankun Ring from time to time and enjoyed the spiritual treasures and materials inside, it would bring Ye Xiao endless returns.
(Spiritual Treasures: precious artifacts, spiritual artifacts, Daoist artifacts, holy artifacts, supreme artifacts, imperial artifacts, immortal artifacts.)
(Cultivation Methods: martial arts, profound techniques, dharma formulas, divine abilities, supreme dharmas, imperial arts, immortal scriptures.)
(Spiritual Materials: precious medicines, spiritual medicines, great medicines, immortal medicines, undying medicines.)
[Ding, recognition from the system: you really are a motherfucking dog.]
"Stinky little brother, bear with it, I'm going in..."
Ye Xiao walked up to Ye Fan, suddenly thrusting out a palm, and accurately plunged it right into his... chest.
As a wisp of spiritual patterns mixed with a trace of Demonic Intent drifted down, the golden bone in Ye Fan's chest instantly turned black, completely concealed, leaving behind zero aura.
The Zhou Tian Derivation Technique!!
This precious art was a supreme dharma rewarded by the system, capable of perfectly concealing any aura.
That way, Ye Fan would assume his Supreme Bone had been dug out by Ye Xiao, which wouldn't affect the progression of his subsequent plot.
Only after going through hardships, growing rapidly amidst hatred, and bringing his divine physique to completion would he be of use to Ye Xiao.
As for that wisp of Myriad Transformations Demonic Intent, it was to make it convenient for Ye Xiao to detect his aura's location at any time, lest he be ambushed and killed.
Moreover, this wisp of Demonic Intent would also become an opportunity for Ye Xiao to tame Ye Fan.
My foolish little brother, hate me.
"Hiss... it hurts..."
Gradually, a look of bewilderment appeared on Ye Fan's face, accompanied by the pain of being torn apart, feeling as though something was being forcefully shoved into his body by someone.
Fortunately, though, this tearing sensation came from his front rather than his back, otherwise Ye Fan might have suspected the clan head had some special hobbies.
He slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing the mild-looking youth standing before him with blood-stained hands, his gaze suddenly froze.
"My Supreme Bone..."
Ye Fan looked down at his shattered chest, his face turning deathly pale.
It was gone!!
At this moment, he couldn't feel the slightest ripple of the Supreme Bone at all, and a realization instantly arose in the depths of his heart.
"Ye Xiao!! You dug out my Supreme Bone?! You beast..."
"Smack."
Before Ye Fan could erupt, Ye Xiao directly slapped him across the face.
"Useless rage is the most pointless display. I'll take your Supreme Bone. Inside here are some pills and cultivation methods, considered a bit of compensation for you. You can leave."
Ye Xiao casually tossed the Qiankun Ring onto the ground, his expression remaining indifferent throughout. "Of course, you can also choose not to take it, though in that case you might lose more than just your Supreme Bone."
Ye Xiao shook his head and smiled with casual ease, turning to walk out of the palace without paying the slightest attention to the murderous intent and venomous hatred in Ye Fan's eyes.
"Why didn't you kill me..."
"Because I am... benevolent."
Without looking back, Ye Xiao walked out of the grand hall and vanished from sight.
"Pfft."
Hearing this, Ye Fan clenched his fists tightly, and a mouthful of blood sprayed directly from his mouth.
What the actual fuck.
In the eyes of Ye Xiao, the first heir of the Ye Family, a collateral branch nobody like him was no different from an ant.
This feeling of being ignored and wantonly toyed with made a fire burn incessantly within Ye Fan's heart.
"Hum."
Right at that moment, his expression suddenly froze, and his eyes gradually filled with a hint of shock and disbelief.
He could sense that right where his Supreme Bone had been excavated, a trace of miraculous, ancient chaotic aura was slowly reviving.
"This is..."
Ye Fan swallowed hard, hesitating for a moment before suddenly bending down to pick up the Qiankun Ring on the ground, and enduring the pain in his chest, he fled frantically toward the outside of the Ye Family grounds.
Otherwise, once Ye Xiao and his grandfather discovered the secret on his body, they would resort to any means necessary to snatch away his destiny.
"Ye Xiao, just you wait for me. Sooner or later, right before the entire Holy Prefecture, I will tear open your chest, expose your ugly face, and take back everything that rightfully belongs to me."