Chapter 049: Talking at Cross Purposes

Yan Shu followed the thunder and lightning forward, needing less than two hours before she emerged from the dense forest. The thunder continued to guide her, seemingly dissatisfied with her slow pace. The storm clouds would occasionally brush against her, sending bolts of lightning crashing down behind her.

Forced to her limits, Yan Shu had no choice but to switch from walking to running.

Crack!

A bolt of heavenly thunder split the night sky, striking the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Ahead, a woman raced forward; as the lightning faded, her silhouette vanished into the darkness.

Crack!

Again, a bolt of thunder tore through the night, scattering dust. The woman’s figure appeared in the gloom, then disappeared.

Crack!

Crack! Crack!...

She ran amidst sparks and lightning.

No one knew how long she ran, but eventually, the thunder vanished at the entrance to a mountain valley.

Yan Shu stopped, bending at the waist and gasping for breath. Though her spiritual power lent her strength, such a long run had drained her. Driven to run, she hadn’t noticed, but now, stopping, her legs trembled and felt weak.

Yet before her breath could settle, a deafening roar shattered the air.

It was the cry of a high-level demon beast, shaking the entire valley. No—there were not only demon beasts, but demon creatures as well.

Yan Shu lifted her gaze toward the valley, only then realizing how thick the demonic aura was—so intense that even in the darkness, she could see the miasma filling the entire valley.

The thunder had brought her here; clearly, Xiao Jihan was inside.

But the problem was, this scene had never been mentioned in the original novel. In the book, Xiao Jihan suppressed his cultivation and encountered almost no obstacles in the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm, merely showing off and rescuing Qiao Yue Ru and another supporting female character. Then, guided by Qiao Yue Ru, he entered the forbidden land and obtained the legacy of the Medicine King.

If the Xuanyan Sect was his beginner village, then the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm was a low-level dungeon for him. How could things have changed so drastically?

This overwhelming demonic aura—never mind someone at the Golden Core stage, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to survive!

Yan Shu feared death, but not entering meant certain death, while entering held a sliver of hope.

She steadied herself, gripped the Nine-Section Thunder Whip, and stepped into the valley.

The moment she entered, she was enveloped by demonic energy, thicker than she had imagined.

A ball of thunder rolled in her palm. Cautiously, she advanced step by step deeper into the valley.

The farther she went, the denser the demonic aura became, and the cries of demon beasts and creatures grew ever closer.

Dawn began to break, but the demonic haze remained undiminished.

Suddenly, she halted, stunned by the scene ahead.

Nearly a hundred demon beasts and creatures gathered, roaring and crowding the hollow of the valley, leaving no gaps. At their center, Xiao Jihan stood with tattered clothing, wounds covering his body, his handsome face streaked with blood—it was unclear whether it belonged to the beasts or to him.

His eyes were as cold as winter frost. Sword in hand, he stood at the center, confronting countless demons. Around him, the corpses of demon beasts had already piled up, evidence that the brutal battle had raged for some time.

Above his head, a crimson bar flashed violently:

Favorability: -99 (Murderous intent surging)

The demon beasts and creatures noticed Yan Shu’s arrival. They glanced at her, then returned their attention to Xiao Jihan, continuing their menacing roars, utterly ignoring Yan Shu.

Yan Shu: ...

Even demons practice discrimination?

Xiao Jihan had also noticed Yan Shu. He lifted his eyes to her, and his icy, handsome face suddenly broke into a smile. Even his voice, once so cold, now carried a hint of warmth.

With a smile on his lips, his words were gentle as he addressed her, “Master.”

That voice was too alluring—Yan Shu, a seasoned admirer whose values bent to beauty, found herself involuntarily stepping forward.

But only a single step.

The flashing warning of the favorability bar, the familiar scene—Yan Shu suddenly snapped back to herself.

This was the third time. The third time he had tried to kill her!

The -99 favorability (Murderous intent surging) chilled Yan Shu to the bone. She couldn’t understand how, in just a few days, the favorability had dropped eighty points!

She had worked so hard, diligently raising his favorability, but every time she thought she was close to success, reality mercilessly knocked her back to the start.

Separated by a crowd of demon beasts and creatures, Yan Shu couldn’t help but speak in a hoarse voice, “Why?”

Xiao Jihan was momentarily surprised, but his smile did not fade, remaining as seductive as ever. “What is Master talking about?”

Yan Shu’s whole body was cold, her heart sinking into an icy abyss. She ignored his smile, fixating on him with unwavering resolve. “Why do you want to kill me? Why are you so obsessed, so determined to kill me again and again?”

Xiao Jihan’s smile slowly cooled, stripping away all pretense, leaving only overwhelming hatred.

He sneered, “Why? That is what I should ask you, Master. What have I done to offend you, that you would go to such lengths, exhaust every scheme, to take my life?”

Yan Shu had no idea what he was talking about. She was busy trying to please him—how could she possibly want to kill him?

He was the favored son of Heaven, the protagonist of this world. Would she, weary of living, seek her own destruction?

Seeing her silence, Xiao Jihan’s face showed self-mockery. “Yes, I am your stain. As long as I live, I prove your disgrace! The number one genius of the cultivation world, the pure and flawless fairy of Xuanyan Sect—how could you allow a blemish like me to exist? How naive I used to be.”

Talking past each other, nothing could be more absurd.

Yan Shu had no idea what strange notions he had conjured, but one thing was certain: he was deeply prejudiced against her.

Even when she worked diligently to raise his favorability to cold indifference, the slightest disturbance would earn her a death sentence.

Yan Shu suddenly felt desolate.

She laughed at herself, looking at him. “Is it that no matter what I do, you’ll believe I want to kill you? Is it that no matter how well I treat you, you’ll think I have ulterior motives?”

Xiao Jihan looked at her coldly. “My spiritual power is exhausted; I am at my limit and cannot withstand a single blow from these demons. Why does Master persist in this charade?”

Yan Shu wanted to reply, but the demon beasts and creatures could no longer restrain themselves.

Did these two cultivators think they didn’t exist?

A roar rose from the midst of the monsters; suddenly, the horde surged toward Xiao Jihan!

He immediately focused, raising his sword to strike at the incoming beasts and creatures.

His spiritual power was indeed depleted—he could only fight with brute force.

At that moment, Yan Shu moved.