"Yes," Duan Ling Tian answered.
Under Xia Jie's watchful eyes, Duan Ling Tian felt as though his thoughts were laid bare before Xia Jie. Regardless, he did not dare to ignore Xiao Jie's question. Based on the Xia Jie and Yun Qing Yan's man's conversation, he knew this simply dressed middle-aged man was from the Xia family, which was also his wife's, Ke'er, family in her past life. For this reason, he did not think Xia Jie's timely appearance was a coincidence.
Xia Jie who was staring at Duan Ling Tian looked as though he had discovered new lands as he exclaimed, "N-ninety-nine Heavenly Veins?" His sudden exclamation shocked Duan Ling Tian and Tang Xiao Xiao.
Tang Xiao Xiao looked confused while Duan Ling Tian was surprised Xia Jie was able to tell he had 99 Heavenly Veins in his body. According to Elder Huo, the Three-legged Golden Crow, Saint Veins were known as Heavenly Veins in Devata Realms. Moreover, the celestials placed more importance on the veins compared to the people in mundane realms. Duan Ling Tian was unaware of the importance of Heavenly Veins in Devata Realms. After all, having 99 Heavenly Veins did not bring many benefits to him compared to other things. Perhaps, just as Elder Huo had said, the power level in the mundane realms was just too low.
Xia Jie quickly regained his composure when he realized his momentary slip. Then, he said, "You seem smart, but you're too weak. Who knew after Xue'er reincarnated, she would marry you and have a daughter? Indeed. It seems like the marriage is predestined."
Xue'er? Duan Ling Tian, naturally, knew Xue'er was Ke'er. His spirit was invigorated when he heard Xia Jie mentioning Ke'er. His eyes were bright as he asked, "Senior, how's Ke'er now?"
"Ke'er?" Xia Jie was momentarily confused before he recalled his niece had told him that her name was Ke'er in her current life.
"She has been imprisoned. How do you think she's doing?" Xia Jie said in a rather unkind manner as he looked at Duan Ling Tian.
"Imprisoned! Did Yun Qing Yan imprison Ke'er?" Duan Ling Tian's expression changed drastically.
"Yun Qing Yan? That brat is a member of the Yun Family. He doesn't have the guts to imprison the little princess of my Xia Family. It's her father, your old-fashioned father-in-law, who imprisoned her!" Xia Jie said as he stared intently at Duan Ling Tian.
Ke'er who had regained her memories of her past life was both Xia Ning Xue and Ke'er. He knew Xia Jie was referring to Ke'er's father in her past life.
Duan Ling Tian's expression changed dramatically as he said in a chiding tone, "What? What kind of father would be such an assh*le? She's his daughter. Moreover, she already has a husband and a child. How can he still force her to marry someone else?" It seemed as though he had lost control as he cursed, "Damn it! Damn it!"
Xia Jie only silently watched as Duan Ling Tian lost his temper. However, his gaze that was hidden beneath his unkempt hair turned rather odd.
"Duan Ling Tian, you..." Tang Xiao Xiao said worriedly. She had seen Xia Jie's odd gaze and was worried Xia Jie would be angered by Duan Ling Tian's outburst and incessant cursing of Xia Jie's elder brother.
However, Tang Xiao Xiao was interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter. " Very good! You scolded him well!"
"That fellow is a b*stard! A real b*stard! I've been wanting to curse at him for a long time now B*stard! B*stard!" Xia Jie cursed unrestrainedly. It seemed as though he had bottled up his frustrations all this while. In fact, he had been annoyed by his brother for a long time now. However, there was not much he could do since his elder brother was the head of the Xia family.
Xia Jie's sudden outburst stunned Duan Ling Tian and Tang Xiao Xiao, causing them to look at him with their mouths agape.
When Xia Jie discovered he had lost his composure, he quickly pulled himself together. He looked at Duan Ling Tian with eyes that were filled with satisfaction as he said, "Not bad, not bad. Little brat, you're good. Although your father-in-law doesn't recognize you as his son-in-law, I, your third uncle, recognize you as my niece's husband. I like you more compared to that brat, Yun Qing Yan."
"Third uncle?" Duan Ling Tian startled.
"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Xue'er's third uncle, the third master of the Xia family. You can call me third uncle like Xue'er does," Xia Jie introduced himself.
"Yes, third uncle." Duan Ling Tian truly did not expect that he would receive the middle-aged man's approval even after he had cursed at his father-in-law. He was pleased by this. After all, this meant that not everyone in the Xia family was against him. At the very least, he had a supporter.
However, Duan Ling Tian was dealt a heavy blow when he heard Xia Jie's words. "Although I like you and wish that you can be with Xue'er, there's nothing much I can do to help. My elder brother is like a dictator. You can only rely on yourself to obtain his approval." He seemed to be reminded that he was short of time and quickly said, "The spatial tunnel connecting the Divine Offering Land and the Devata Realm is about to close so I'll keep my words short. Xue'er's father has imprisoned her and taken her Spatial Ring away. That's probably why Yun Qing Yan is bold enough to send someone to kill you. After all, your Soul Pearl is in the Spatial Ring. Even if you die, Xue'er wouldn't know about it for the time being."
Duan Ling Tian finally discovered why Yun Qing Yan was so bold as to send someone to kill him. Earlier, he had wondered why Yun Qing Yang was not afraid of Ke'er taking her own life after learning about his death. As it turned out, Ke'er was not in possession of his Soul Pearl at the moment because her Spatial Ring had been confiscated by her father.
"Although my b*stard of an elder brother plans to threaten Ke'er into marrying Yun Qing Yan using your family and friends, he won't have the time to do it now since something big is happening in the Divine Offering Land. After three days, the spatial tunnel connecting the Divine Offering Land to the Devata Realms will close for roughly 1,000 years. During this 1,000 years, there will be many things happening in the Divine Offering Land. Therefore, Xue'er will be safe during this time. However, after things have settled down in 1,000 years, my b*stard elder brother will surely turn his attention back to this matter. At that time, if you don't possess enough strength to gain his approval, I'm afraid Xue'er will only be pressured into marrying that brat, Yun Qing Yan!"
"Third uncle, I only h-have 1,000 years?" Duan Ling Tian was startled by this revelation.
"That's right! You only have 1,000 years. If you fail to obtain his approval by then, both of you can only be separated."
1,000 years. Although Duan Ling Tian had not even lived for more than 100 years, he still felt pressured by this time frame that was given to him. He had a feeling that even if he had strength comparable to a Heavenly Emperor in a Devata Realm, it still would not be sufficient for him to gain Ke'er's father's approval. A grim expression could be seen on his face as he asked, "Third uncle, may I know where the Divine Offering Land is located?"
Even a random servant whom Yun Qing Yan sent out to kill him was capable of forcing Feng Qing Yang, the Heavenly Emperor of Solitary Destructive Heaven, to escape to the Asura Hell, one of the seven deadliest places in Devata Realms. This proved that people from the Divine Offering Land were extraordinarily strong.
"The Divine Offering Land is a place separated from Devata Realms and mundane realms. It's a realm opened up by someone powerful! Anyway, you'll learn more about it once your cultivation base has reached a certain level in the Devata Realms. If I reveal too much information about the Divine Offering Land, it will only be a burden to you." Xia Jie explained why he could not reveal too much information about the Divine Offering Land to Duan Ling Tian.