Chapter 051: Wanting Only to Give You the Best

Such a vast expanse of lightning, each assault fiercer than the last—if it were any ordinary cultivator at the late stage of the Golden Core, their spiritual energy would have long been exhausted. Moreover, she had forged the lightning whip into a flood dragon with her own power. Yet she had merely depleted half her spiritual energy.

Was this the power of a natural Dao embryo combined with a mutated spiritual root? Both of them had suppressed their cultivation, both were at the late stage of the Golden Core, so why was her sea of energy, her reserves of spiritual power, so much greater than others?

Xiao Jihan’s emotions were tangled. Even with his cultivation suppressed to the Golden Core, he, as one who had truly reached the Nascent Soul stage, might not be her equal. If she wished to kill him, she could have done so easily, yet she hadn’t. Not only did she spare him, she had even sent him out of the valley, using her own blood to lure the ferocious beasts and monsters away.

He remembered now. Not long ago, when he was passing through the tribulation to form his Nascent Soul, she had used her own spiritual power and flood dragon to shield him from the final bolt of heavenly thunder.

“Fall!”

With a clear cry, the light blazed, and several bolts of lightning crashed down. In an instant, more beasts fell. Yet only moments later, two or three of the fallen monsters staggered back to their feet.

This could not go on. Xiao Jihan frowned, eyeing the horde of beasts and monsters, then raised his voice: “The wolf in the center—it’s their leader!”

Yan Shu immediately looked toward the center, spotting the black demon wolf. Its crimson eyes were fixed on her, unwavering.

The demon wolf met her gaze, suddenly lifting its head and letting out a howl—the very same sound she had heard outside the valley, the cry of a third-tier beast! With that howl, the attacks from the monsters grew even more savage.

Her lightning whip had become a flood dragon. Yan Shu summoned her flying sword, gripping it in her hand, fending off the beasts as she called out coldly, “Go!”

The golden-furred beast broke free from its entanglement and charged toward the black wolf. Yet after only a brief struggle, the gray wolf struck it down, reverting it to its original form and tossing it straight toward Yan Shu.

She caught the creature instantly. It had transformed back into the lightning whip, its aura now faint, barely glowing.

This sudden turn made Yan Shu frown, and Xiao Jihan, watching from outside, narrowed his phoenix eyes.

A third-tier demon beast—late Golden Core could contend with it, but only with full reserves. Yan Shu had already expended much of her power, and there were still waves of monsters and beasts.

The valley was saturated with demonic energy and the scent of blood. Corpses of monsters and beasts lay everywhere. Their blood corroded the land, and where once lush grass covered the valley, only bare earth and stone now remained.

Yan Shu was drenched in sweat; her hair clung to her brow, beads rolling down her cheeks, some dropping to the ground, some slipping into her collar.

Xiao Jihan abruptly withdrew his gaze, lowering his eyes.

He gripped his sword, paused in silence, then suddenly leaped from the ground, landing at Yan Shu’s side.

Yan Shu: …

Damn it!

She knew all along—this man couldn't possibly be out of spiritual energy!

That wretched hero! In the original story, he was notorious for his cunning, always feigning weakness before striking back. With his alluring appearance and vulnerability, he became the tragic beauty—women and even men were drawn to him. No one knew he possessed an uncanny, evolving spiritual root; his tactic of feigned weakness followed by reversal was unbeatable!

Yan Shu was certain—if she hadn’t read the original novel, hadn’t understood him, hadn’t instinctively thrown him out first, but instead gone to his side, this contemptible protagonist would have run her through with his sword without a second thought.

Xiao Jihan stood back-to-back with Yan Shu, facing the swarm of monsters and beasts.

With his arrival, Yan Shu immediately felt lighter.

His phoenix eyes locked on the black wolf as he slashed through the attacking monsters. He spoke: “It seems Master isn’t at all surprised that her disciple has not exhausted his spiritual energy.”

Yan Shu wanted to snort—she knew all about his calculating nature! But with her life at stake, she could only answer with desperate sincerity, “Whether you’ve run out or not, it doesn’t change that I’ll save you.”

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan’s hand tightened around his sword. He swept aside a monster with a flick of his blade, then said, “Does Master know that Hao Yuan Pill cannot be stored in an ordinary brocade box? Otherwise, its spiritual energy will leak. Outside, the ambient spiritual energy and essence of sun and moon masks the effect, but inside the secret realm, the energy disperses, attracting beasts and monsters?”

Yan Shu was taken aback, turning to him in surprise: “So these monsters and beasts were drawn by the spiritual energy leaking from the Hao Yuan Pill?”

Xiao Jihan turned as well, meeting her genuinely astonished gaze. For reasons unknown, his heart suddenly calmed.

He nodded. “Yes.”

Yan Shu was speechless.

No wonder he was so furious, accusing her of trying to kill him. The problem was, she truly didn’t know the Hao Yuan Pill required a special container, or that improper storage would cause spiritual energy to leak.

The original host was hopeless at studies; all her knowledge of this world came from the memories she inherited.

How could she possibly know?

She was truly, utterly wronged—more wronged than Dou E!

Yan Shu vented her frustration on the monsters, cleaving an attacking beast in two.

She huffed, “Believe it or not, I genuinely just wanted to give you the best—so I gave you the Hao Yuan Pill.”

Just wanted to give him the best…

Xiao Jihan’s lashes trembled, his grip on the sword tightening. In a hoarse voice, he uttered a single word, “I believe.”

Yan Shu was startled, quickly glancing above his head.

Affection rating: -80 (Extreme hatred)
Affection rating: -60 (Hatred)
Affection rating: -40 (Disgust)
Affection rating: -20 (Indifference)
Affection rating: 0 (Acquaintance)
Affection rating: 1 (Acquaintance)

She nearly wept for joy—a positive affection rating, though only one point. At last, in Xiao Jihan’s eyes, she was finally a person!

A monster suddenly lunged at Yan Shu. Xiao Jihan darted forward, his sword piercing the creature. He turned his head slightly and said, “Don’t just watch me—deal with these monsters first.”

Yan Shu quickly withdrew her gaze, smiling at the corners of her lips, and focused on the beasts before her.

Xiao Jihan glanced back, just in time to catch the irrepressible smile on her lips.

Just believing her—was it enough to make her so happy?

Both Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan were now at the late stage of the Golden Core, the highest cultivation permitted by the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm. Even though their spiritual energy was much depleted, working together they quickly cleared the monsters and beasts from the field.

Except for the black wolf.

The dawn had broken; the sun slowly rose, its golden rays spilling into the valley. As the sunlight touched the ground, the bodies of the monsters quickly dissipated into black smoke, vanishing into the air, leaving behind only a field of demon cores.