Amidst the roars of the World-Ending Spirit Fire, Feng Shi-yi’s soul scattered, leaving only a Chaos Heart suspended in intense light, flying towards Yue Qing-ning.
Seeing this, Ye Ling, unwilling to let Yue Qing-ning snatch the spoils, immediately struck out with his sword. The Chaos Sword Qi severed the intense light, knocking the Chaos Heart down.
Yue Qing-ning’s expression shifted slightly as Ye Ling blocked her. She quickly said, "Ye Ling, this item is useless to you. If you give it to me, I will gift you ten Chaos Seeds to help you break through to the Heavenly Void Emperor!"
The World-Ending Spirit Fire hurriedly exclaimed, "Kid, don't listen to that woman’s nonsense! One Chaos Heart can spawn infinite Chaos Seeds. To break through to Chaos Master, you need the Chaos Heart. Don't give it to her!"
Although Ye Ling didn't fully understand the Chaos Heart, he could tell from the World-Ending Spirit Fire's excited tone that it was an supreme treasure. He immediately wrapped the Chaos Heart of Feng Shi-yi with his rune chains and said to Yue Qing-ning, "Yue Qing-ning, I killed Feng Shi-yi, so the Chaos Heart should belong to me. Your attempt to snatch it mid-way is rather unsportsmanlike, isn't it?"
Seeing that Ye Ling was unwilling to part with the Chaos Heart, Yue Qing-ning's face became displeased. She said solemnly, "Ye Ling, with your current cultivation, absorbing the Chaos Heart will only cause your body to explode. Moreover, you have no way to preserve the Chaos Heart. Rather than letting you take it as a burden, it would be better to give it to me so I can increase my strength. This will also make the process of hunting down others much smoother!"
Ye Ling chuckled, "Have you forgotten that we are also enemies? While hunting the other eight is our common goal, in the end, you and I will surely fight to the death. If I give you this Chaos Heart, wouldn't that be digging my own grave?"
Yue Qing-ning immediately replied, "I can swear on my heart demon. As long as you give me the Chaos Heart, after all this is settled here, I will not harm you or the Inner Universe in any way. I will leave the Inner Universe immediately!"
"Oh?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your attitude wasn't like this before. I'm very curious, what made you change your mind?"
Yue Qing-ning did not conceal anything and stated directly, "I didn't know you possessed the Soul Suppressor and were the inheritor of the Demon Emperor. I have no intention of interfering in the conflict between Creation Gods. As long as you give me the Chaos Heart, I promise not to betray you!"
The World-Ending Spirit Fire roared, "Kid, don't listen to her. The Chaos Heart is too precious, even in the outer realms, it is quite rare. Keeping such a treasure for yourself is the true way!"
"Let's just kill her. Anyway, with the Devouring Domain, you can grow stronger as you fight, and you can kill the others yourself later!"
Hearing the World-Ending Spirit Fire's words, Ye Ling merely shook his head and smiled. He did not agree with the World-Ending Spirit Fire's approach, but he also had no intention of giving up the Chaos Heart.
Although this treasure was of little use to him at the moment, it did not mean he would give it to an enemy.
Ye Ling pulled the Chaos Heart towards him and said to Yue Qing-ning, "I'm sorry, but I cannot give you this Chaos Heart. If you wish to continue cooperating, then let's go find the next person to hunt. If you wish to snatch the Chaos Heart… I don't mind settling the score here."
Seeing Ye Ling's determined gaze, Yue Qing-ning knew she couldn't get the Chaos Heart from him. Her eyelids drooped, and her internal spiritual energy began to surge.
"Ye Ling… you're forcing me…"
Yue Qing-ning said in a deep voice. The surrounding atmosphere instantly became increasingly oppressive.
Gales howled!
Thunder roared!
In Yue Qing-ning's initial plan, Ye Ling, as the supreme being of the Inner Universe, had very limited information and should not have recognized the Chaos Heart and the Origin of the Great Dao.
She could have used Ye Ling to hunt down other Chaos Masters and Great Dao Immortal Lords, seizing the Chaos Heart and the Origin of the Great Dao. However, from her current observation, Ye Ling clearly knew what the Chaos Heart was!
The situation… had completely exceeded her control.
If she wanted the Chaos Heart, she had to kill Ye Ling!
Otherwise, if Ye Ling managed to collect a large number of Chaos Hearts and Origins of the Great Dao, she would surely die in the end!
Sensing the surging spiritual energy within Yue Qing-ning, the World-Ending Spirit Fire quickly said to Ye Ling, "Kid, that woman is preparing to forcibly snatch it. Be careful! Go ahead and kill her!"
"Mhm…"
Ye Ling nodded slightly, gripped the Chaos Sword, and unleashed Feng Shi-yi's Chaos Sword Domain, preparing to battle Yue Qing-ning.
But at that moment, a cosmic barrier suddenly appeared above Ye Ling and Yue Qing-ning. A powerful suppressing force descended from above, startling Ye Ling and Yue Qing-ning, who both looked up at the suddenly appearing cosmic barrier!
"Cosmic Barrier?"
Ye Ling looked at the suddenly appearing cosmic barrier, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. Before he could figure out what was happening, the Chaos Heart before him suddenly dissipated into light points and merged into the cosmic barrier, absorbed by it.
The World-Ending Spirit Fire and Yue Qing-ning watched in stunned silence.
At this moment, a message was suddenly transmitted to Ye Ling's mind by the cosmic barrier, allowing him to instantly understand what was happening.
The World-Ending Spirit Fire asked in confusion, "Wh-what happened? Where did the Chaos Heart go?"
Ye Ling came back to his senses and explained, "The cosmic barrier consumed too much energy suppressing those Chaos Masters and Great Dao Immortal Lords, and it urgently needs energy replenishment. Therefore, the cosmic barrier ate the Chaos Heart."
"Damn it! There's such a thing?" Hearing Ye Ling's explanation, the World-Ending Spirit Fire cursed furiously, "What kind of damn barrier is this? It even snatches things mid-way?"
Seeing the World-Ending Spirit Fire in a fit of rage, Ye Ling consoled him, "In my opinion, the Chaos Heart should belong to the cosmic barrier. If not for the cosmic barrier's suppression, I wouldn't have had the chance to kill Feng Shi-yi. The Chaos Heart wouldn't be something I could possess now. It's fine that it went to the cosmic barrier."
Ye Ling had always held gratitude towards the cosmic barrier, and he was willing to give the Chaos Heart to it.
Without the existence of the cosmic barrier, let alone him, the billions of living beings in the Inner Universe would not have survived.
Now that the cosmic barrier had consumed too much energy suppressing a large number of Chaos Masters and Great Dao Immortal Lords, Ye Ling, as the guardian, had the responsibility and obligation to help the cosmic barrier replenish its energy.
Moreover, he was currently only at the Supreme level and had no means to preserve the Chaos Heart. If he truly carried the Chaos Heart with him, the energy released by the Chaos Heart would continuously erode the cosmic barrier, accelerating its disintegration and ultimately harming billions of living beings in the universe, which was something he did not wish to see.
Hearing Ye Ling's explanation, the World-Ending Spirit Fire found it difficult to continue clamoring and could only mutter, "Damn… just a little bit…"
Ye Ling asked the World-Ending Spirit Fire, "What did you just say?"
"N-nothing, I just felt it was a pity." The World-Ending Spirit Fire immediately smiled, glossing over what he had said and no longer discussing the matter.
Yue Qing-ning, unable to hear Ye Ling and the World-Ending Spirit Fire's conversation, only saw the Chaos Heart suddenly absorbed by the cosmic barrier. She immediately flew in front of Ye Ling and anxiously asked, "Where did the Chaos Heart go?"
Ye Ling looked at Yue Qing-ning's anxious expression, spread his hands, and smiled, saying, "It seems your plan has gone up in smoke… From the current situation, all Chaos Hearts and Origins of the Great Dao that appear in the Inner Universe… will be absorbed by the cosmic barrier."
"You are also suppressed by the cosmic barrier… in other words, you have no chance of obtaining the Chaos Heart."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Yue Qing-ning was completely petrified!