Category: Female Lead Was Coaxed Away by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 93: You Can Only Like Me (19)

Song Jin’yue felt like she encountered demonic beasts every few steps. She suspected Jiang Zhiyan was deliberately making things difficult for her, she hadn’t encountered so many demonic beasts when she came here before.

Jiang Zhiyan floated in front of Song Jin’yue, watching as she expertly dismembered a demonic beast and extracted its Golden Core.

To get a good night’s sleep, Song Jin’yue found a good spot and, seemingly using all her knowledge, set up a formation. Jiang Zhiyan, watching her clumsy and unfamiliar movements, didn’t know what to say.

Song Jin’yue muttered incantations, clearly having memorized the contents of the book.

“I think her brain isn’t working very well in this world,” the System said.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak, remaining silent, she actually had the same thought, but she still had to give her wife some face.

“Maybe it’s because a part of her soul fragment is missing?” The System paused. “Why don’t you put the soul fragment back?”

Jiang Zhiyan held the soul fragment up to the sunlight: “I don’t know, I feel like something serious happened in the mortal realm, if I put it back and her memories return, she might be in pain, I want to figure things out first, so I can comfort her better.”

Xie Liaoyi wasn’t like her, Jiang Zhiyan knew she was completely cold-blooded, as long as Xie Liaoyi was fine, nothing else mattered, the current Xie Liaoyi could only calmly accept disasters unrelated to her.

“But she has to accept it eventually,” the System said.

“Mm… one day later is one less day of pain, she can still live with it for now.”

“Then she’ll remember you one day later,” the System said. “And, didn’t you want to leave quickly?”

Jiang Zhiyan was silent for two seconds: “That’s true, but what if she doesn’t want to leave after she remembers?”

Actually, if possible, Jiang Zhiyan wanted to directly erase Xie Liaoyi’s memories, but that was clearly disrespectful, if Xie Liaoyi knew, she would definitely be even more unhappy.

Song Jin’yue, after making sure everything was ready, cast a Cleaning Spell. She sniffed her clothes, still feeling a strange smell, took out the animal hide mat she had made earlier, spread it on the ground, lay down, and with a peaceful expression, looked like she had transcended worldly concerns.

She took out her communication jade.

[Song Jin’yue: Are you very happy?]

[Su Huo: How did you know?]

[Su Huo: I went shopping all day today, the Demon King paid for everything, I bought a bunch of random things, the demon food tastes a bit strange, but it’s quite good after you get used to it, they said if I didn’t like it, I could get human food.]

[Su Huo: The people accompanying me are good-looking, speak nicely, and are interesting, although the people on the street aren’t very polite, I still had fun.]

…

Su Huo excitedly recounted her day, and Song Jin’yue replied with “Goodbye” and put away her communication jade.

Jiang Zhiyan lay down beside Song Jin’yue and looked at her.

“Even the night sky is so strange in the Demon Realm,” Song Jin’yue muttered.

Jiang Zhiyan also looked up at the sky. It was indeed strange, there was no moon or stars, just a reddish glow, looking very oppressive, like a storm was brewing.

Song Jin’yue sighed.

“Jiang Zhiyan, are you there?” Song Jin’yue said. “I always feel like you’re hiding a lot of things from me, a lot of things. Although I know I’m not very bright sometimes, you can’t treat me like a fool.”

“Forget it, don’t talk to me, I know you’ll just say I haven’t coaxed you.” Song Jin’yue yawned. “I’m going to sleep, keep an eye out for me, even if a demonic beast steps on me, I’m not getting up.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Song Jin’yue: …

The System was shocked, she could actually act so shamelessly.

“As for you saying I don’t like you, I think I still do, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone crazy and come to the Demon Realm to suffer like this,” Song Jin’yue muttered. “When I was following Wei Jingqian, if he asked me to do these things, I would have run away long ago.”

“I’m such a lazy and cowardly person,” Song Jin’yue’s voice became softer and softer.

“A workaholic in the last world, and now completely slacking off, was the workaholic personality transferred to another soul fragment?” The System was shocked.

“Maybe.”

“So, just tell me everything,” Song Jin’yue suddenly realized that one of her reasons for coming to the Demon Realm was to find Jiang Zhiyan and get answers, but she had somehow started training, completely led by Jiang Zhiyan. “Isn’t mutual honesty the foundation of a relationship? You have so many secrets.”

Song Jin’yue rubbed her eyes.

“What if knowing some things will make you sad?” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue’s eyes widened slightly on hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s voice, feeling a bit embarrassed: “You were actually listening? You’re back?”

“Mm,” Jiang Zhiyan responded, then continued, “I found something related to you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure either, but it’s related to you.”

“Then give it to me.” Song Jin’yue’s mind cleared up a bit, then she continued, “You don’t want to give it to me? Is it dangerous?”

“It might affect your mood.”

“Do you think I’m in a good mood right now?” Song Jin’yue asked sincerely.

“It will greatly affect your mood.”

“I just killed an early Nascent Soul demonic beast by myself,” Song Jin’yue said, the corners of her mouth turning up. Realizing she was being too smug, she coughed twice and softened her voice. “Give it to me, give it to me~”

Jiang Zhiyan stared at Song Jin’yue’s face, watching her slightly flustered expression.

The System hoped these two wouldn’t do anything inappropriate out in the open, it would be too scandalous, what if someone’s divine sense scanned them… oh, it forgot, Jiang Zhiyan was already a demigod, her cultivation speed was truly like a bug.

Jiang Zhiyan took out the fragment, she could feel it being pulled, it was the fragment within Song Jin’yue’s body sending out a signal.

She let go, and the fragment flashed before her eyes, disappearing into Song Jin’yue’s forehead.

“She doesn’t seem to be in any pain at all,” the System said. “Host, you’re so pitiful.”

“Our situations are different,” Jiang Zhiyan said, observing Song Jin’yue. “It’s good that she’s not in pain, why should she suffer?”

Song Jin’yue’s expression seemed a bit dazed. If Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t feel her breathing and heartbeat, she would have thought something was wrong. Jiang Zhiyan leaned closer to Song Jin’yue’s cheek.

After a long while, Song Jin’yue finally blinked.

“How do you feel?” Jiang Zhiyan asked eagerly, clenching her fists nervously.

Song Jin’yue covered her forehead and frowned: “YanYan?”

“Xie Liaoyi?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, her eyes lighting up slightly, she returned to her body and then quickly rushed back, half-kneeling in front of Song Jin’yue. “You look terrible.”

“The mortal realm…”

“What happened?” Jiang Zhiyan’s smile faded a bit.

“It’s very chaotic, something happened during my reincarnation, my soul was injured, and a part of my soul fragment fell into the underworld, then something that was suppressed in the underworld escaped,” Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “I was taken by her, she doesn’t seem to have a physical body.”

“That’s a part of this character, it seems my previous guess was correct,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “I don’t have direct control over that part, but my obsession is too strong, so it affected that part.”

“My consciousness was always blurry, occasionally lucid, then one day I could suddenly move freely.”

Song Jin’yue frowned and continued: “Although I couldn’t cultivate, my intuition told me something was wrong, my neighbors were getting sick and dying, I realized she might be using their life force to nurture me, but I couldn’t communicate with her, she could probably understand what I said, but she didn’t listen to me, so I could only refuse the nourishment and turn back into a soul fragment, I don’t know what happened after that.”

“So what’s the situation in the mortal realm now?” Song Jin’yue looked up at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Not good,” Jiang Zhiyan paused.

“Is it serious?” Song Jin’yue knew her question was redundant. “Did she continue even after I stopped?”

“It seems so, I didn’t receive her memories, she’s acting purely on instinct,” Jiang Zhiyan held her wrist.

“But don’t worry, I’ve already informed the people in the cultivation world, this matter doesn’t really have much to do with you or me. The original owner is a descendant of an Ancient God, humans slaughtered gods for cultivation, her lineage has a blood feud with humanity, even without you, she would still appear and take action,” Jiang Zhiyan continued.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Jiang Zhiyan looked into Song Jin’yue’s eyes, wanting to divert her attention.

Song Jin’yue stared at Jiang Zhiyan for a while, then raised her hand, cupped Jiang Zhiyan’s face, kissed her forehead, her expression still tinged with fatigue: “You must have been so angry these past few days.”

Jiang Zhiyan: ?

Jiang Zhiyan shook her head, trying to pull away her hand.

Song Jin’yue wrapped her arms around Jiang Zhiyan’s neck and kissed the corner of her mouth: “I know, I still remember to coax you, always making you feel so wronged… If I can’t remember next time, just ignore me.”

“That’s not possible, you’re too carefree, if you can’t remember next time, I’ll really lock you up, then make a PowerPoint presentation of our experiences and force you to remember.”

“A dark room?” Song Jin’yue said thoughtfully.

Jiang Zhiyan pinched Song Jin’yue’s waist and nuzzled her face: “You should continue resting, I’m going back.”

“Not staying with me?”

“I’m still angry, you haven’t coaxed me properly yet,” Jiang Zhiyan looked into her eyes. “I’ll deal with the mortal realm and the cultivation world, you focus on cultivating, after all, you know, Golden Core… I’ve prepared the perfect cultivation spot for you.”

Jiang Zhiyan nuzzled her cheek.

Song Jin’yue hummed softly: “Why not just dual cultivate? Isn’t that faster? I like your outfit.”

“That’s too comfortable, not good,” Jiang Zhiyan gently massaged the back of Song Jin’yue’s neck. “Rest, based on your experience, you should be able to reach the Western Territory in three days, right?”

“It might take a little longer.”

“Why?”

“I need to prepare an apology gift.”

Chapter 92: You Can Only Like Me (18)

Jiang Zhiyan went to a town, flew in the air, and looked down. The mortals all looked like they were nearing the end of their lives, and the spirits also looked like they were about to disappear at any moment. Looking closely, she noticed a strange mark on each of them.

“I feel like the mortal realm is nurturing a monster,” Jiang Zhiyan paused, then continued, “Someone wants to become a god and is absorbing their life force.”

This method didn’t even trigger a heavenly tribulation, because heavenly tribulations couldn’t occur in the mortal realm.

She landed again, casually grabbed a spirit, and examined it carefully: “Does this mark exist in this world?”

“I don’t think so,” the System said.

“But it looks familiar.”

System: …

“Don’t tell me it’s related to you again?” the System said, feeling a headache coming on. “Why do so many unexpected things happen to you?”

“I don’t think it’s related to me,” Jiang Zhiyan released the spirit. “I’ve been very well-behaved this time.”

The spirit she had just grabbed, its eyes clouded and dull, walked forward listlessly.

Jiang Zhiyan started searching for the location of the underworld’s mechanism. Interestingly, she couldn’t find it, such a large underworld, and it had actually disappeared, no wonder this place had lost its order, had the cultivation world not noticed?

Or had they noticed but not said anything? After all, only a few people were qualified to know about such things.

If the mortal realm completely lost its order, it would definitely affect the cultivation world and the Demon Realm, and the entire world would collapse. But she wasn’t interested in saving this world, she just wanted to find Xie Liaoyi quickly and take her away. She felt like informing them was already a great deed.

“That person is almost a demigod now, can’t they sense my presence?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned, the difference in their cultivation levels was too great, they should be able to sense her. She completely released her aura, no longer concealing it.

The surrounding environment suddenly darkened.

“They’re here,” Jiang Zhiyan said to the System.

The System was a bit nervous.

Jiang Zhiyan frowned in confusion, she felt like something was off, the next second, she felt her spirit being pulled away, the other party didn’t use much force, just guiding her.

“I’m truly speechless,” the System sighed. “What is going on?”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak, she felt something enveloping her, but she couldn’t see it, she could use cheat methods, but she didn’t sense any danger, so she didn’t do anything.

She was brought to a residence, not very large, but comfortable, clearly someone had lived here for a long time.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t see anyone, but she could sense their presence. A gentle breeze brushed against her neck, then she felt something enter her body, the sudden pain almost making her lose her balance.

“Host, you’re so pitiful,” the System sighed.

Jiang Zhiyan immediately sat down on the ground and adjusted her breathing. This energy belonged to her, it was like water flowing into the sea, almost impossible to extract.

The book didn’t mention this part, so it was probably related to her divine ancestry.

She braced herself on the ground, leaving finger marks in the earth. This pain lasted for several hours, she didn’t faint from the pain, her mind was exceptionally clear, sweat soaking her clothes, but she couldn’t tell if she was hot or cold.

When the pain subsided, a soul fragment appeared in front of her.

Jiang Zhiyan was stunned for two seconds, and the System was also silent.

She picked up the soul fragment, it was definitely Xie Liaoyi’s aura, but… why?

There were few things she couldn’t explain, but she couldn’t quite grasp this.

“Was I the one causing trouble here? To find Xie Liaoyi’s soul fragment?” The logic seemed sound, but Jiang Zhiyan had no memory of this.

But no matter the reason, finding a soul fragment was good. This fragment seemed incomplete, which was probably why Song Jin’yue hadn’t awakened yet.

“I was causing chaos, why don’t I have any memory of it?” Jiang Zhiyan looked down at her hands. “What happened?”

“I don’t know…”

“Every time I face a heavenly tribulation, it’s like it’s trying to kill me, is it possible that it’s because of this other me?” Jiang Zhiyan’s expression was hard to describe, if another part of her had indeed caused chaos in the mortal realm, then it was perfectly normal for the heavenly tribulation to want to kill her, she frowned and speculated, “This other me probably doesn’t have any consciousness, so no memories, just instinctively searching for Xie Liaoyi.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked around the courtyard: “Did she live here before? Why did she become a fragment again?”

“Help me find out what exactly happened in the mortal realm, if anyone recorded it,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“I’m looking, I’m looking,” the System sighed. “The incidents in the mortal realm will definitely be blamed on you now, if the cultivation world finds out… I feel like even the Demon Realm might become your enemy. I thought you were using others, but it turns out you’re the biggest victim.”

“It’s fine, we’ll just leave sooner,” Jiang Zhiyan said slowly. “I believe in the world’s self-correcting ability, I believe in those people in the cultivation world.”

“Host, I’ve truly done so much for you, I hacked into the Tianyan Pavilion’s library and found descriptions of gods, Host, I’ll make it short,” the System spoke rapidly. “It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, there were only gods and humans on this continent, no human cultivators or demon cultivators. Humans envied the gods’ immortality, so they attacked them.”

“Clichéd story,” Jiang Zhiyan commented.

The System ignored Jiang Zhiyan and continued: “The gods died and turned into spiritual energy, they could have lived, but they couldn’t bear to fight back, and some other things happened that weakened them.”

Jiang Zhiyan twitched the corner of her mouth.

“But one god fought back, and their appearance led to the emergence of demon cultivators. They wanted revenge, but were destroyed by the Heavenly Dao, leaving behind only a divine descendant. The place where they died became the Demon Realm,” the System paused. “But the book didn’t mention the whereabouts of the divine descendant, the people in the cultivation world searched for a long time, and later, because they couldn’t find them, the matter was forgotten.”

“The books available now all say that the gods naturally perished, leading to the emergence of spiritual energy,” the System added. “The original owner was found by the Wei family by the roadside.”

“The Wei family is that kind-hearted?” Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. “There must be something more to it.”

“There is, the Wei family’s ancestors participated in the siege against the gods tens of thousands of years ago, so they might know your identity, but I don’t know why they raised you,” the System speculated. “As for what happened in the mortal realm, I looked into it, they don’t know themselves, they only feel that their average lifespan is decreasing, and they’re more susceptible to diseases.”

“Now everyone is praying to gods and Buddhas, the cycle of reincarnation is broken, so many children born now are wandering souls who accidentally entered a womb, I estimate that the mortal realm can only last for ten more years at most.”

“So I might really be struck to death when I go back,” Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand. “I can now glimpse the essence of this world without cheating, the fact that the cycle of reincarnation is broken means that the one in charge of reincarnation before wasn’t a true god? Yes, the gods are already dead… then what was in charge of reincarnation before? A clone of the Heavenly Dao consciousness?”

There were no heavenly tribulations here, but the Heavenly Dao was everywhere, she could faintly sense an uncomfortable gaze on her.

“The Heavenly Dao and the world consciousness don’t seem to be the same in this world,” Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes. “It can’t just kill me and the female lead, the world consciousness has higher authority than the Heavenly Dao in this world… World consciousness, I’m counting on you.”

“Even if you’re a big victim, you can still find a bigger victim,” the System commented.

“What does it have to do with me? The problems here are caused by the world’s settings, it’s normal for the world consciousness to be responsible,” Jiang Zhiyan said, refusing to take the blame for this inexplicable mess.

Now that she had found the item, she could go back.

Before leaving, Jiang Zhiyan erased all traces of her presence and severed all clues that could lead back to her, she didn’t do anything unnecessary.

After returning, she went to Tianyan Pavilion, found the Sect Master, who was standing in front of Tianyan Pavilion’s most treasured artifact, his face pale, his hand on the table, supporting his shaky body, he seemed to have been here for a long time.

She glanced at him and activated the artifact.

His eyes widened, the words “mortal realm” appearing in the air.

After doing all this, she left Tianyan Pavilion.

Judging by his expression, he didn’t know about the situation in the mortal realm. It made sense, these people always talked about “all living beings under heaven,” but this “heaven” wasn’t the true “heaven,” just the cultivation world, and these “living beings” weren’t all living beings, just “cultivators.” Of course, there were also many people with noble ideals, but judging from the current situation, there weren’t many among these powerful cultivators.

Internal strife among the top cultivators was common, and now that the mortal realm was endangering the cultivation world, she was curious about what they would do, would they stop fighting amongst themselves? Would they make peace with the Demon Realm?

Jiang Zhiyan had originally planned to return directly to the Demon Realm, but thinking about what the System had said earlier, she made a detour to the Wei Estate.

The Wei family was a powerful clan in the cultivation world, occupying an entire city, the city backed by a spirit vein, the main branch of the Wei family lived directly on the spirit vein, and the Wei family ancestor lived in the deepest part of the spirit vein, cultivating right next to it.

She located him and raised an eyebrow.

“Neither human nor ghost, I think I can piece together this story now,” Jiang Zhiyan said, crossing her arms. After all, the ancient legends were all there, humans gained the ability to cultivate by killing gods, she was a divine descendant, and the Wei family was probably planning to sacrifice her to help the Wei family and their ancestor reach a higher level.

Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand, wanting to dig up the entire spirit vein, but thinking about the situation in the mortal realm, she put her hand down.

There was no rush, if she acted now, she would expose herself, it was better to let the Wei family do something for her, and then deal with them after they were no longer useful.

“If you’re going to target the Wei family, then what about the male lead?”

“As long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine, I’m not going to kill him, neither the world consciousness nor I want him to die, he won’t die even if he wants to,” Jiang Zhiyan said coldly. “I hope he cultivates the Path of Emotionlessness diligently and doesn’t let this affect his state of mind.”

When returning to the Demon Realm, Jiang Zhiyan deliberately passed by Song Jin’yue and watched her quietly. Her cultivation level didn’t seem to have changed, but her realm had stabilized considerably, and her combat skills had significantly improved, the training was clearly effective.

She originally wanted to sneak a kiss on Song Jin’yue, but seeing the foul-smelling demonic beast blood on her face, she decided against it.

Chapter 91: You Can Only Like Me (17)

“Just a reminder, I’m still angry, you haven’t coaxed me,” Jiang Zhiyan reminded her.

Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan dumbfounded, a little confused, she really couldn’t understand how this person could say such absurd things in such a cold tone.

Su Huo moved to the side, keeping her distance from the two. She wanted to gouge out her eyes and plug her ears.

“You two go to the Western Territory on your own.”

“Huh?” Su Huo moved back and looked at Song Jin’yue. “Hurry up and coax her!”

Song Jin’yue shook her head: “I don’t think this is a matter of coaxing or not.”

“Indeed it’s not, it’s your training, you lack practical combat experience, you’re too weak, a storm is brewing between the two realms, how are you going to survive if you’re this weak?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Su Huo. “You can come back with me first.”

A smile appeared on Su Huo’s face, then she suddenly disappeared: “Does this mean it’s fine even if I die?”

“You have a wide network of connections, you can hide anywhere,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Su Huo, looking at Jiang Zhiyan’s expression, felt like she was being mocked.

“You’re right, I’ll go with you.”

Song Jin’yue: ???

Song Jin’yue looked at Su Huo in shock: “You’re just abandoning me like that? Didn’t you say your cultivation improved after going mining with her?”

“Oh, why are you putting it like that?” Su Huo glanced at Jiang Zhiyan a couple more times. “This is all for your own good, Senior Sister Song, you’re much older than me, you can definitely handle this kind of thing.”

Su Huo took out a storage pouch and handed it to Song Jin’yue: “Here, take this, good luck.”

Just as Song Jin’yue was about to take it, Jiang Zhiyan reached out and snatched it, after picking through the contents, she gave Song Jin’yue two bottles of Replenishing Spirit Pills: “This is enough.”

Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan, it was the same familiar routine, making her feel both exasperated and reassured.

And she also knew the answer to a previous question.

Even if they were having a disagreement, Jiang Zhiyan would still make her cultivate.

This was the most reassuring thing for Song Jin’yue, more reassuring than being at the Myriad Swords Sect, where she always felt like Jiang Zhiyan didn’t want her anymore, she didn’t want to experience that feeling again.

“Then can you send me back to where we came from?” Song Jin’yue frowned. “What was your purpose in bringing me here?”

“Can’t you tell? She wanted to meet you sooner!” Su Huo said. “Judging by her attire, she was originally planning to follow you, but she couldn’t resist.”

Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand, casually tore a rift in the air, and pushed Su Huo into it. Su Huo screamed, the rift closed, and her scream abruptly stopped.

Jiang Zhiyan’s mood instantly improved, she had wanted to do that for a long time.

The passing demon cultivators were all on edge, softening their footsteps, afraid of being targeted by Jiang Zhiyan.

Nascent Soul cultivators were rare for them, too distant, and this emotionally unstable Nascent Soul cultivator felt like she could kill them at any moment, and no one would avenge them.

The Demon Realm was free, but the pressure to survive was also immense.

“I’ll send you out,” Jiang Zhiyan said, grabbing Song Jin’yue’s arm and placing her on her sword.

Song Jin’yue looked down; it was Nameless, and it was still using spiritual energy, untainted by demonic aura, she was a little surprised.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak. Song Jin’yue looked at her profile: “Can’t you just teleport? Why fly on a sword?”

Jiang Zhiyan still didn’t speak, and Song Jin’yue continued: “Oh, do you want to spend more time with me?”

“Just keep flying west to reach the Western Territory, do you know your directions?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Song Jin’yue moved closer to Jiang Zhiyan, then boldly hugged her waist. After hugging her, she realized Jiang Zhiyan’s clothes were cropped, revealing her waist. Song Jin’yue, who grew up in the cultivation world, felt a bit flustered, but since she was already hugging her, it wasn’t possible to let go: “I don’t.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t react, she took out a book from her storage pouch and handed it to her: “There are thirteen ways to determine direction inside… Wait, how can you set up formations if you don’t know your directions?”

Song Jin’yue was still dazed, not knowing where to put her hands, she froze for three seconds: “I…”

“Give me half a bottle of Replenishing Spirit Pills, formations don’t require much spiritual energy, I can borrow demonic aura.”

Song Jin’yue came back to her senses, frowned, stared at Jiang Zhiyan, then abruptly withdrew her hand, reluctantly poured three Replenishing Spirit Pills from the bottle, and under Jiang Zhiyan’s death stare, added two more: “You only have ten! You promised me half.”

Jiang Zhiyan withdrew her hand.

“Why don’t you just give me a map?” Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “What if I accidentally wander into somewhere I shouldn’t go?”

After saying that, Song Jin’yue kissed Jiang Zhiyan’s cheek and blinked at her. Jiang Zhiyan glanced at her: “No, not all places have maps.”

“Fine, wasted kiss.”

“Heh,” Jiang Zhiyan snorted coldly and looked away.

Song Jin’yue’s face flushed. She turned her back to Jiang Zhiyan and sighed softly, she probably only dared to do these two things today, nothing more.

She took out her communication jade and glanced at it. Since leaving the Myriad Swords Sect, the number of people messaging her had suddenly increased.

[Wei Jingqian: Did you find her?]

[Song Jin’yue: We met.]

[Wei Jingqian: Mm.]

He didn’t say anything more. Song Jin’yue twitched the corner of her mouth, the Path of Emotionlessness was truly emotionless, he didn’t even care about his younger sister who grew up with him.

[Song Family Head: Are you crazy? Get back here! If you don’t come back, the family will expel you!]

[Song Family Head: I told you to maintain a good relationship with Wei Jingqian, what are you doing now? Giving up your engagement with him and getting together with Jiang Zhiyan? Jiang Zhiyan is a woman, and so are you! She’s even fallen into demonic cultivation! Have you lost your mind?]

[Song Family Head: Yes, you’ve lost your mind, come back now, and I can tell others you were being controlled by her.]

[Song Jin’yue: Expel me then, I’m not going back.]

After saying that, Song Jin’yue deleted the Song Family Head’s contact, along with the other Song family members.

Her relationship with the Song family was very superficial, they wanted to use her to solidify their status, but they looked down on her, trying to control her actions.

The other people who messaged her weren’t close acquaintances. Song Jin’yue realized she had very few close relationships, almost none.

“Did many people contact you when you came to the Demon Realm?”

“I don’t know, I crushed my communication jade,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue turned her head slightly: “Why?”

“Annoying.”

“No one contacted me,” Song Jin’yue sighed. “I’m so unpopular.”

“Because you’re too weak, once you become stronger, everyone will come looking for you. The ancestor of the Myriad Swords Sect was also very unpopular before, and so was the ancestor of the Wanfa Sect.”

Song Jin’yue hesitated: “Don’t I have any redeeming qualities? Then what do you like about me? I’m so weak?”

“You’re supposed to be coaxing me, not the other way around,” Jiang Zhiyan looked down. “Get down.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Zhiyan pushed Song Jin’yue off the sword.

It seemed that the previous battle had improved her mental fortitude, she quickly took out her sword after falling, Song Jin’yue steadied herself and looked up, Jiang Zhiyan had already disappeared, but she knew the other party was definitely watching her.

“So heartless.”

Song Jin’yue looked at the book that fell with her, opened it, looked up at the sun, determined her directions, and her expression became serious.

Since leaving, she had constantly been reminded of her own incompetence, few cultivators didn’t know their directions, thankfully, she was lucky, the direction she had been walking in was west.

Otherwise…

She put away the book and landed.

“You have seven days,” Jiang Zhiyan’s voice rang in her ear.

“Is the connection between us still there?” Song Jin’yue realized this time Jiang Zhiyan was using voice transmission.

“Yes, there’s a slight problem.”

Song Jin’yue paused: “It’s so unstable, then we can form a Dao Companion contract.”

“I’m still angry.”

Song Jin’yue sighed softly.

“I have to go out for a bit, I’ll ask the Western Demon King to keep an eye on you, he’ll save you if you’re about to die,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue frowned: “Where are you going again?”

“The mortal realm.”

“Huh?” Song Jin’yue didn’t understand, but Jiang Zhiyan didn’t explain. “But if you go to the mortal realm, what if you bring the war there?”

“No one besides you will know, I’ll be back soon.” Jiang Zhiyan still wanted to check out the underworld – using cheat methods, if she went there personally, she felt like she might not be able to come back, it would be too big of a commotion.

The mortal realm was closer to the underworld; Jiang Zhiyan wanted to take the easy way out.

There were several layers of barriers between the mortal realm and the cultivation world in this world. It was very difficult for mortals to pass through them, but it was easy for cultivators. The “immortal descending to the mortal realm” that mortals often saw referred to cultivators. Mortals thought that they could become immortals after passing through the barrier, but in reality, they still had to cultivate diligently after crossing over, and it was very likely that after all that effort, they would discover they didn’t have the potential for cultivation at all.

“Just like high school teachers tricking high school students into thinking everything will be fine once they get into university,” the System commented.

Jiang Zhiyan very discreetly passed through the barrier, using the method of out-of-body experience, her spirit arrived, but not her body.

She found a suitable location and started working.

The System, looking at the red alerts filling its vision, sighed. Jiang Zhiyan was becoming increasingly reckless for Xie Liaoyi, it felt like something bad was going to happen.

But whatever, they would cross that bridge when they came to it, it was Jiang Zhiyan’s System, it was already on this boat, there was no getting off.

“Are the two realms actually overlapping?” Jiang Zhiyan was a little surprised.

After all, most of the time, the underworld was “the netherworld,” below, but in an overlapping situation, it clearly couldn’t be considered below.

Humans and spirits were mixed together. Jiang Zhiyan was so focused on working that she only now realized something was wrong with the mortal realm.

Chapter 90: You Can Only Like Me (16)

Song Jin’yue looked expectantly into the distance, but there was no movement. She sighed softly: “She’s really angry.”

“Just coax her a bit more, I think Jiang Zhiyan is easy to coax,” Su Huo interjected.

Song Jin’yue looked at Su Huo: “Really? I don’t think so.”

Jiang Zhiyan twitched the corner of her mouth; this person had never even tried to coax her, she turned her head away.

Su Huo peeked out from under the blanket and looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “Have you ever coaxed her?”

Song Jin’yue thought for a few seconds: “Uh, well, we hadn’t really established a relationship before, how could I coax her? It would feel strange.”

“Okay, if you see Jiang Zhiyan, just throw yourself into her arms and kiss her.”

“Huh?”

“Then act spoiled and clingy, I’m telling you, she definitely won’t push you away!”

Song Jin’yue frowned: “That’s not my style.”

“Oh, why are you being so hesitant about coaxing someone!” Su Huo looked at Song Jin’yue. “You have to have the right attitude at a time like this. When I went mining with her, she was in a bad mood every day, probably because you didn’t contact her.”

Song Jin’yue: …

Song Jin’yue fell silent.

Su Huo glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, her intention to take credit clear.

Jiang Zhiyan was a bit speechless.

“But at that time, we weren’t anything, okay, stop giving me random advice, I’ll think about it myself, the more you say, the more confused I get.” Song Jin’yue took a blanket and covered her head with it.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Song Jin’yue.

Along the way, they encountered several attacks from strange birds. Jiang Zhiyan didn’t lift a finger, and Su Huo, looking at Jiang Zhiyan’s lazy demeanor, wanted to sell her out several times, but Song Jin’yue didn’t say anything, diligently doing all the work.

Thankfully, they finally arrived at their destination safely.

Song Jin’yue sighed softly, although she had been resting most of the way, she still felt very tired.

The three of them were very conspicuous, appearing at the gates of the Eastern Territory’s capital city, instantly attracting everyone’s attention. Demon cultivators looked at them with undisguised malice.

Song Jin’yue’s hand rested on the hilt of her sword.

“Human cultivators?” a person asked, having already drawn his sword. “How dare you swagger in here like this?”

Jiang Zhiyan took out a token: “We’re here to see the Demon Lord.”

“Ha… so you’re the Demon Lord’s guests.” The person sheathed his sword, his gaze lingering on Song Jin’yue and Su Huo’s faces for a second, then landing on Jiang Zhiyan’s face.

The surrounding people didn’t speak, but their gazes were still like hyenas looking for an opportunity to take a bite.

Jiang Zhiyan ignored them and walked straight towards the Eastern Demon Lord’s palace, the other two quickly following.

Su Huo glared at a man who made a lewd gesture at her. Song Jin’yue, afraid of causing trouble, didn’t react, but her expression was also very unpleasant. Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand and crushed the heads of several people in the air. Now all the gazes retreated, no one dared to look at them anymore.

Song Jin’yue: ?

Song Jin’yue: Was there something wrong here?

Su Huo gasped and looked at Jiang Zhiyan, she had already understood the way of communication in the Demon Realm after only being here for such a short time. She quickly glanced away, then looked at Song Jin’yue again, she had thought Song Jin’yue would be uncomfortable, but unexpectedly, she accepted it calmly, her shock seemingly only stemming from Jiang Zhiyan’s ability.

Song Jin’yue stared at Jiang Zhiyan’s profile, her mind racing, then looked away.

Was it really Jiang Zhiyan?

But if it wasn’t, the logic still made sense, after all, you wouldn’t bring a weakling to see the Demon Lord, and it was normal for a young lady not to want to work.

Song Jin’yue felt like her mind hadn’t been clear for a single day since Jiang Zhiyan left.

She had already communicated with the Eastern Demon Lord through divine sense; the latter knew she was coming, so no one stopped them when they entered the palace. A person came out, greeted them with a smile, and led them to the garden.

“They won’t be coming with me, take care of them,” Jiang Zhiyan said, turning to look at the two who were about to follow.

“Yes,” the servant responded and took the two away.

The Eastern Demon Lord was feeding fish by a man-made pond. She wasn’t a pure-blooded demon, but a human cultivator, so the architectural style of her palace leaned towards the cultivation world. It was clear that she was very wealthy, many of the plants in the garden required spiritual energy to survive.

Coincidentally, the Eastern Demon Lord was also from the Myriad Swords Sect, she was Zhao Xun, the current Grand Elder’s senior sister, so she and Jiang Zhiyan were somewhat related.

Hearing their footsteps, she turned around and looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “Five hundred years, and two people from the Myriad Swords Sect have fallen into demonic cultivation, they must see us as a thorn in their side.”

“Human cultivators all see us as a thorn in their side, one more, one less, it doesn’t matter,” Jiang Zhiyan sat down not far from her. “Tianyan Pavilion will be releasing half of the Demon Lord’s heart in a while, I, the Northern Demon King, and that one from the West, we don’t want it.”

Zhao Xun raised an eyebrow: “None of you want it? Then I don’t want it either, only they treat that thing as a treasure.”

“The Southern Territory…” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her.

“I have a way to make her not want it, you just want none of us to take it, right?” Zhao Xun said with a faint smile.

“Mm,” Jiang Zhiyan nodded.

Zhao Xun twitched the corner of her mouth, a hint of mockery in her narrow eyes: “Only a fool would want it, I say we just throw the heart to someone in the cultivation world, who do you think is suitable?”

“You’re asking this, so you must have someone in mind,” Jiang Zhiyan’s expression remained calm.

“Someone you’re very familiar with, Wei Jingqian,” Zhao Xun looked into Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes.

“No,” Jiang Zhiyan shook her head.

“What, you still have feelings for the Wei family?” Zhao Xun said mockingly.

“No, but he’s not suitable,” Jiang Zhiyan’s tone was firm, he was the protagonist with plot armor, why make things difficult for herself? She would have to prevent him from killing her people while also making sure he didn’t die, just thinking about it was troublesome. “How about the Sect Master of the Wanfa Sect?”

Zhao Xun stroked her chin: “That’s not easy to do.”

“It’s still safer than Wei Jingqian, anyway, Wei Jingqian is not an option,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Zhao Xun, the two stared at each other for three seconds, then Zhao Xun chuckled and looked away.

“Whatever, I won’t be able to beat you in a while anyway,” Zhao Xun looked away. “So who’s going to get the heart?”

“Anyone.”

“Then I’ll go,” Zhao Xun said, resting her chin on her hand. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to the cultivation world, I should go back and see my old friends.”

Jiang Zhiyan had no objections, happy to be free.

“Host, aren’t you afraid she’s just trying to trick you?” the System said worriedly. “I have a feeling something big is about to happen.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t care, she also had this premonition, so she planned to send Song Jin’yue for body refining in the next two days.

“Why did you fall into demonic cultivation?” Zhao Xun asked curiously, looking at Jiang Zhiyan and sitting up slightly. After learning that Jiang Zhiyan had fallen, she specifically had someone investigate her.

Jiang Zhiyan had a very comfortable life in the cultivation world, the only possible reasons for her to fall into demonic cultivation seemed to be “Wei Jingqian” and “Song Jin’yue.” So she had deliberately mentioned Wei Jingqian just now, wanting to see Jiang Zhiyan’s reaction, which was very calm, but she still didn’t want to choose Wei Jingqian.

“It’s inconvenient to act in the cultivation world, it’s better to be a demonic cultivator, free to do as I please,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“That’s it?” Zhao Xun glanced at Jiang Zhiyan. “Aren’t you free enough already?”

“Not enough, I don’t want Song Jin’yue to see Wei Jingqian, the Myriad Swords Sect is too small,” Jiang Zhiyan said, standing up, using the table for support. “Thank you for your hospitality, Demon Lord, we’ve discussed everything we need to, I still have things to do, I’ll be going.”

Zhao Xun: ?

Zhao Xun frowned, her mind in a mess, she didn’t quite understand. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s retreating figure thoughtfully.

***

“Is that Jiang Zhiyan?” Song Jin’yue looked at Su Huo. “Don’t lie to me.”

“How would I know?” Su Huo looked completely bewildered. “Why do you think she’s Jiang Zhiyan?”

If the System were present, it would give Su Huo’s acting a perfect score.

“Her temper seems exactly the same, when we met, she deliberately sent a demonic beast after me!” Song Jin’yue said with a mournful face. “She’s really angry.”

Su Huo wanted to take a sip of water to calm down, but she didn’t dare drink the water here: “It’s not necessarily her.”

“It’s too embarrassing, what if it is her…” Song Jin’yue covered her face, thinking about what she had said.

“Whether it’s her or not, the moment you stepped into the Demon Realm, she could hear everything you said if she wanted to, so there’s no difference. If it is her, isn’t that great? Didn’t you want to find her? If it’s her, it means she still cares about you,” Su Huo chuckled and nudged Song Jin’yue’s arm.

Song Jin’yue gave a couple of dry laughs: “Those are two different things, if it’s her, then her acting is really good…”

She looked at Su Huo again and said coldly:

“You better not be lying to me, my cultivation is higher than yours now.”

Su Huo: ???

As expected, it was best not to get involved in the affairs of lovers.

Song Jin’yue cried out and slumped onto the table: “I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I even said she had a bad temper in front of her.”

Su Huo blinked: “Why are you so sure it’s her?”

“I don’t know, intuition, a gut feeling,” Song Jin’yue suddenly realized something. “Wait… didn’t she say her name was Yan Zhizhi?”

“Mm.”

“Zhizhi Yan, Zhiyan…” Song Jin’yue covered her face.

“Let’s go.”

Hearing the voice behind her, Song Jin’yue’s expression twisted, she looked at Su Huo pleadingly: “What do I do? What do I do? Say something! Help me!”

“Why did you send me a voice transmission? Her cultivation is so much higher than ours, what’s the difference between that and shouting in her ear?” Su Huo asked, looking at Jiang Zhiyan.

Song Jin’yue felt her vision darken, what was she doing?

“Aren’t you coming?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Coming, coming,” Song Jin’yue stood up, using the table for support, not daring to look at Jiang Zhiyan.

She took a deep breath.

Calm down, calm down.

Don’t panic.

That was what she was thinking, but her steps were unsteady, she felt like she was about to fall at any moment.

Jiang Zhiyan followed behind her, watching Song Jin’yue, preventing her from actually falling, but her mind was on something else: “I always feel like a part of her soul is missing in this world, but there doesn’t seem to be any problem, could it be something from her previous life?”

“Perhaps?” the System responded.

“Does this world have an underworld system?” Jiang Zhiyan continued to ask.

“Yes, but reincarnation, honestly, that concept only applies to mortals,” the System explained.

Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes: “I’ll check the novel again when we get back, there must be a reason.”

Song Jin’yue still tripped and fell face-first while crossing the threshold. Jiang Zhiyan caught her just before she hit the ground and let her float beside her and Su Huo.

“There’s no need to be so harsh,” Song Jin’yue closed her eyes, she felt someone laughing at her.

Jiang Zhiyan placed her back on the ground steadily: “Can’t you even walk properly?”

“No, I…” Song Jin’yue opened her mouth to explain, then closed it, she didn’t know how to explain, and couldn’t this person tell? She glared at Jiang Zhiyan angrily, and after a few minutes, couldn’t help but transmit her voice to Jiang Zhiyan, “If you think I did something wrong, just tell me, I think there’s a lack of communication between us.”

“The problem is, I don’t know what you did wrong,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan, confused: “Don’t you like me anymore?”

“No,” Jiang Zhiyan immediately said.

Song Jin’yue looked away: “Really? But I feel like something’s off.”

“Then maybe it’s because you don’t like me,” Jiang Zhiyan said faintly. “If I have to find fault with you, that’s your fault.”

Song Jin’yue: ?

What a domineering statement.

Chapter 89: You Can Only Like Me (15)

“Why are you running? Save me!” Jiang Zhiyan shouted at Song Jin’yue, who was turning to flee. “Aren’t you a righteous cultivator? Are you going to abandon me?”

“You’re running too, so let’s run together,” Song Jin’yue said without looking back.

“I think your cultivation is higher than this demonic beast’s!”

“But I’m tired!” Song Jin’yue was exhausted, she just wanted to rest, why was it so difficult?

The demonic beast suddenly accelerated and lunged at Song Jin’yue, who swiftly cut off half its claw with her sword. She sighed, frowned, and glanced at the demon girl who had dodged to the side, feeling like she had been tricked.

“Not bad reflexes,” Jiang Zhiyan commented.

System: …

“I thought you came here to be lovey-dovey with her, not to put her in danger?” The System was shocked and confused.

After defeating the demonic beast, Song Jin’yue wanted to sit down, but the strong smell of blood might attract other demonic beasts, she glanced at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Aren’t you leaving?” Song Jin’yue asked.

Jiang Zhiyan immediately ran towards Song Jin’yue: “You could clearly defeat it, why run away? It’s more troublesome for you to run.”

“I don’t want to fight.” Song Jin’yue didn’t want to talk to Jiang Zhiyan and looked at her warily. This person appeared out of nowhere, logically, she couldn’t defeat that demonic beast, her cultivation should be lower than hers, but Song Jin’yue didn’t sense it when she approached.

If it weren’t for the fact that the other party’s voice and figure didn’t seem like Jiang Zhiyan’s, she would have suspected it was her, after all, that woman was capable of such things… Song Jin’yue looked at her, observing carefully.

“I don’t think we need to travel together,” Song Jin’yue said tentatively, taking another step back.

“Ha, looking down on me? I’m the daughter of the Western Demon King’s left emissary!” Jiang Zhiyan looked Song Jin’yue up and down. “What are you self-righteous righteous cultivators doing in our Demon Realm?”

“Western Demon King?” Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Hmph, so, are you scared now?”

Song Jin’yue was certain now; this wasn’t Jiang Zhiyan, Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t this… lively. She felt a bit disappointed, but this person was very likely sent by Jiang Zhiyan, the Demon Realm was too vast, it would be too difficult to encounter her without a specific purpose.

And normally, demon cultivators would try to kill a human cultivator like her on sight, but this demon girl didn’t, so she was very likely one of Jiang Zhiyan’s people.

Song Jin’yue’s heart was filled with renewed hope.

“Do you know Jiang Zhiyan?” Song Jin’yue asked.

“Why?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her warily.

“How is she doing now?”

“Why are you asking? Are you here to gather information for those people?” Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and asked.

Song Jin’yue blinked: “If I were here to gather information, I wouldn’t be trapped here, can you take me to the Western Territory? I’m Jiang Zhiyan’s… fiancée.”

Jiang Zhiyan: ???

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Song Jin’yue, whose face was flushed, looking very flustered, and she coughed twice.

“Fiancée? You and Jiang Zhiyan are already at that stage?” Su Huo asked in surprise.

Song Jin’yue felt a headache coming on upon hearing Su Huo’s voice.

She hadn’t felt anything when she told Wei Jingqian and the others, but afterward, she started to feel embarrassed, and now being heard by Su Huo, it was even more…

Song Jin’yue wanted to faint on the spot.

“When did you two get to that stage?” Su Huo leaned closer and looked at Song Jin’yue, who refused to look at her. “When?”

Song Jin’yue glared at Su Huo with dissatisfaction, this person really didn’t know how to read the room.

“She’s also a member of the Wei family, if Wei Jingqian won’t fulfill the engagement, then she will,” Song Jin’yue said.

Su Huo frowned: “But… she’s already been expelled from the Wei family, oh, right, you’ve been confined, so you didn’t know, but Jiang Zhiyan’s surname isn’t even Wei, does that even count?”

“Why wouldn’t it count?” Song Jin’yue glared at Su Huo, did this person not know how to speak? Su Huo just laughed.

Song Jin’yue was speechless.

As expected, Jiang Zhiyan’s friend was just as annoying as Jiang Zhiyan herself.

“So can you take us to the Western Territory?”

“How do I know if you’re telling the truth?” Jiang Zhiyan said, crossing her arms. “Besides, I have a mission.”

“We can help you with your mission, and then you can take us to the Western Territory,” Song Jin’yue immediately said. Traveling in the Demon Realm with a demon as a guide would be much safer, especially a demon with status, at least they wouldn’t have to worry about being killed by demon cultivators along the way.

Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes: “It seems like you’re not in a hurry to get to the Western Territory.”

“I am in a hurry, but I want to get there alive,” Song Jin’yue sighed. “What’s your mission?”

“Going to the Eastern Territory to find the Eastern Demon King,” Jiang Zhiyan said. She hadn’t actually planned on going there, it was a last-minute decision, she felt that if she didn’t keep an eye on them, Song Jin’yue, accompanied by Su Huo, might really focus on escaping.

Song Jin’yue: …

“Huh?” Song Jin’yue felt her vision darken. “Is it far?”

“It’s alright, but it might be in the opposite direction for you,” Jiang Zhiyan lifted her chin slightly. “We’ll fly on swords, since you want me to guide you, you have to offer some compensation.”

“Su Huo, you take her,” Song Jin’yue looked at Su Huo.

“I have a flying artifact,” Su Huo said, taking out a giant bowl from her storage pouch. “I snatched it from the bald donkey.”

She placed it on the ground, chanted an incantation, and the bowl rapidly expanded, more than enough to fit three people.

“Don’t tell me we’re going to sit in a bowl,” Song Jin’yue asked.

“Mm,” Su Huo nodded. “Although it looks a bit trashy, it’s very useful.”

After saying that, Su Huo jumped in first, found a spot to lean against, took out a blanket, covered herself with it, and looked at the two with a smile: “Aren’t you coming up?”

“Although it’s not quite befitting my status, whatever,” Jiang Zhiyan said, jumping in, looking around with some disdain, then taking out a small blanket and placing it underneath her.

Su Huo turned her head and rolled her eyes.

“What’s the relationship between the Western Territory and the Eastern Territory?” Song Jin’yue asked curiously.

“Not good,” Jiang Zhiyan said. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, she hadn’t planned on going there, although that person from the Northern Territory had been urging her, asking them to have a meeting.

Song Jin’yue’s expression fell: “Is it possible that we’ll be detained there after we arrive?”

“Very possible, we might even die there,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Su Huo turned her head again: “Actually, the two of us can just fly there directly…”

“If it’s just the two of us, flying in the sky with this thing, are we asking for trouble?” Song Jin’yue asked seriously.

Su Huo sighed softly and looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “I haven’t asked yet, what’s this young lady’s name?”

“Yan Zhizhi,” Jiang Zhiyan made up a random name.

“Okay, okay, so it’s Miss Yan,” Su Huo nodded, then discreetly took out her communication jade, she felt like this person was a liar from the moment she saw her, and hearing this name, she was even more convinced. She knew many demon cultivators and demons, including many from the Western Territory, she had never heard of this person, how could she not have heard of someone who could go see the Demon King alone, and who was so weak?

“It’s me, don’t look for anyone.”

Su Huo: ???

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s voice transmission, Su Huo looked around, then glanced at Jiang Zhiyan opposite her, who was looking at her with a chilling gaze.

She silently put away her communication jade, covered her face with the blanket, her expression twisting beneath it.

What were these two doing?

What game were they playing?

Su Huo already regretted coming, why did she always encounter these kinds of things?

Thinking about how she had offended a monk because of this made her feel her vision darken.

[Su Huo: Master, I believe you’ll forgive my recklessness, right? I’m just doing this for a friend.]

[Guanyi: You’ve already gone to the Demon Realm?]

[Su Huo: There’s no other way, I’m helping a friend pursue love, once she succeeds, I’ll return your things, but the spirit stones and pills might be gone, Master, just treat it as accumulating merits, don’t hold it against me.]

[Guanyi: You might not be able to come back.]

[Su Huo: ?]

Su Huo frowned, but Guanyi didn’t reply.

“That’s strange, Guanyi told me we might not be able to come back,” Su Huo looked up.

“I’m not planning on going back, but why?” Song Jin’yue also looked up.

“He didn’t say,” Su Huo frowned. “Forget it, if we can’t go back, then we’ll just stay here, seek refuge with Jiang Zhiyan, she can’t just abandon us.”

As she spoke, Su Huo glanced at Jiang Zhiyan several times, hinting strongly.

Jiang Zhiyan ignored her, leaned against the edge of the bowl, turned to look in the direction of the cultivation world, and took out her communication jade.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Do you have spies in the cultivation world? What’s the situation there recently?]

[Bei: I’m planning to sow discord, I heard Tianyan Pavilion is going to take out something and make us fight over it.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Oh, whatever it is, I don’t want it.]

[Bei: I haven’t even said what it is yet.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Half of the Demon Lord’s heart?]

[Bei: How did you know?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: My status is relatively high.]

[Bei: I don’t want it either, who knows if I’ll be possessed after using it.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Zhao Xiting won’t want it either, so it’s between South and East, I’m currently on my way to the Eastern Territory.]

[Bei: I’ve always wanted to ask, do you not know my name?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: I don’t want to know, it’s too much brainpower, I’m hanging up.]

The Northern Demon King gritted his teeth.

“What’s going on with Jiang Zhiyan now?” Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “I’m really not trying to gather information, I’m just…”

“I don’t know, haven’t seen her, she’s been staying in the palace ever since arriving in the Western Territory, hasn’t come out, the Demon King arranged people to take care of her, but she refused them all,” Jiang Zhiyan shook her head. “I heard she was injured in the cultivation world, she seems heartbroken.”

Su Huo bit her lip, having just put down her blanket, she pulled it over her head again, biting her lip, trying hard not to laugh.

Song Jin’yue frowned and sighed, her sadness quickly dispelled by the trembling Su Huo beside her.

“What’s wrong with you?” Song Jin’yue cautiously leaned closer, wanting to lift the blanket and take a look.

Su Huo gripped the blanket tightly: “Nothing, nothing at all, you two talk, you two talk, I’m just chatting with someone.”

Song Jin’yue understood and moved away.

Jiang Zhiyan wanted to throw Su Huo out. Although there was a blanket separating them, Su Huo still felt a very unfriendly gaze and tried hard to hold back her laughter.

Song Jin’yue felt that there was something strange about Su Huo, but she didn’t overthink it and looked at Jiang Zhiyan again: “So she’s been alone this whole time?”

“Mm.”

“Then how do you know she was injured?” Song Jin’yue couldn’t help but ask, she felt like something was off.

“Rumors, powerful people always have many rumors surrounding them, and so many people offered themselves to her, but she refused them all, she must have someone in her heart, and she doesn’t seem like she’s cultivating the Path of Emotionlessness,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Didn’t you say you were her fiancée? Oh, I remember now, that person just said you weren’t her fiancée before, you regretted it, so you came looking for her.”

System: “Host, I feel like your shamelessness has reached a new level.”

“Shut up,” Jiang Zhiyan said, getting into character.

Song Jin’yue frowned: “Can you contact her?”

“Why don’t you contact her yourself?”

“I tried, but she’s ignoring me,” Song Jin’yue bit her lip. “I don’t understand.”

“Really?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned and checked the rune, there was nothing wrong with it, but she really hadn’t heard Song Jin’yue’s voice for a long time, what went wrong?

Song Jin’yue sighed softly: “It’s indeed my fault, she has every right to be angry, I was a bit heartless, I don’t know if she’ll forgive me.”

“Then I don’t know, she doesn’t seem like someone with a good temper,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Her temper is indeed very bad,” Song Jin’yue nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhiyan: ?

“I think she might be able to hear you,” Jiang Zhiyan kindly reminded her.

“I’m telling the truth, it’s fine even if she hears me,” Song Jin’yue looked around. “If she’s angry, she can just come out and confront me.”

“Hurry up, Jiang Zhiyan, I’ve already come to the Demon Realm, do you really not know? Come and confront me!” Song Jin’yue shouted loudly, leaning against the edge of the bowl. “You said I was too weak, so you didn’t take me with you, now I’ve come on my own!”

“You’ve already reached Nascent Soul, did you not hear me, or are you just ignoring me?!”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Song Jin’yue: “She still hasn’t awakened, even after all this?”

“Maybe because it’s a fantasy world? This world has concepts like reincarnation, maybe something went wrong, after she fell, she became part of this dimension, she might have been truly affected,” the System speculated. “But I’m not sure either.”

Su Huo peeked out from under the blanket, looking at the two in front of her, these two… were really strange, she wanted to say something, but she felt like Jiang Zhiyan would kill her, she glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, met her gaze for a second, and quickly ducked back under the blanket.

Forget it, she wasn’t getting involved, she valued her life, it was best to stay away from a bickering couple.

Chapter 88: You Can Only Like Me (14)

This was the first time Song Jin’yue had traveled to the Demon Realm alone.

She felt a bit panicked.

This was a very dangerous undertaking, especially with the current tense situation.

After using the teleportation array twice, she had used up all her spirit stones and could only fly.

Thankfully, Jiang Zhiyan had tampered with her sword, otherwise, with her cultivation level and lack of background, flying around with such a sword, she was worried it would be stolen.

Song Jin’yue looked down at the endless forest below, her heart pounding. Once she flew past this forest and a bit further, she would reach the Demon Realm.

Last time, Jiang Zhiyan brought her here, this time she could only enter on her own.

She felt like she could already hear the roars of demonic beasts.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She had rested for a day and a night before entering the Demon Realm, because spiritual energy was scarce within the Demon Realm, making recovery difficult, and she didn’t have many Replenishing Spirit Pills.

The place where Jiang Zhiyan brought her in last time was still unguarded.

The moment Song Jin’yue stepped onto the land of the Demon Realm, Jiang Zhiyan sensed it, looking at the flickering rune on her palm.

“She actually came by herself,” Jiang Zhiyan clenched her fists.

“Should we go pick her up?” the System asked.

“No, let’s watch, she has no practical combat experience,” Jiang Zhiyan closed her eyes. “How can a cultivator improve just by practicing indoors?”

After entering the Demon Realm, Song Jin’yue realized a serious problem. She didn’t know where Jiang Zhiyan was, so if she wanted to find out, she would have to go to the nearest demon city and ask, but she hadn’t brought anything to disguise herself.

Holding her communication jade, she decided to contact Su Huo first.

[Song Jin’yue: I want to find Jiang Zhiyan, do you know where she is?]

[Su Huo: You went to the Demon Realm alone?]

[Su Huo: You’re out???]

[Song Jin’yue: Mm.]

[Su Huo: I’ll ask for you, wait a moment.]

[Song Jin’yue: Are you still in contact with her?]

[Su Huo: No, she crushed her communication jade, we’re out of contact. I don’t dare go to the Demon Realm to find her, because a bald donkey has been following me, so annoying. And honestly, I don’t know what state she’s in right now.]

[Song Jin’yue: Okay.]

Song Jin’yue looked at the land ahead and walked forward, she stopped flying on her sword, the spiritual energy consumption was too high in the Demon Realm.

Su Huo was indeed reliable.

[Su Huo: She’s in the Western Demon King’s capital, it’s very far, how are you planning to get there?]

[Song Jin’yue: Walk… I didn’t bring anything, and I don’t have any money, but if I don’t encounter any demonic beasts, it should be enough.]

[Su Huo: I’ll come find you.]

[Song Jin’yue: Isn’t there still someone following you?]

[Su Huo: It’s fine, I’ve wanted to beat him up for a long time, I’ll find some helpers, you go ahead, I’ll come find you after I’m done here.]

Song Jin’yue frowned, she didn’t think it was a good idea, but clearly, Su Huo wasn’t someone she could dissuade.

She sighed softly, opened the map of the Demon Realm she had bought earlier, found the territory occupied by the Western Demon King, and her eyes widened slightly.

It was too far.

It was a good thing she had been diligently cultivating recently, otherwise, she might die of exhaustion on the way.

Song Jin’yue felt that her luck was truly terrible. Not long after she started walking, she encountered a group of demonic beasts, not many, only six, but two were at early Golden Core, and four were at late Foundation Establishment.

She rarely had actual combat experience, most of the time she was with Wei Jingqian’s team, and with Wei Jingqian, she rarely had to fight, at most, she helped prevent sneak attacks from smaller monsters. This was the first time she faced such a “big scene” alone.

But she didn’t have time to think, she could only draw her sword. She couldn’t expend her spiritual energy as freely as she did in the cultivation world, she had to conserve it, because fighting might attract other demonic beasts, and she might not be able to escape.

After fighting for a while, Song Jin’yue decided to run away, it was the most efficient way to conserve spiritual energy.

She stepped on her sword, darted between the demonic beasts, and flew up into the sky. Looking down, she breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully she was fast, more demonic beasts were already gathering.

“She ran away,” the System said.

“She should run, if she didn’t, she’d be waiting to die, wouldn’t she?” Jiang Zhiyan said, resting her chin on her hand. “Not bad, she knows how to assess the situation.”

“Is this considered training?” the System continued to ask.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

System: …

Song Jin’yue flew for a distance, then landed again, adjusted her breathing, and quickly recovered. The deeper she went, the scarcer the spiritual energy, so she had to recover whenever she could.

“As expected, very clever,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

System: ?

“You really can praise anything,” the System said, speechless.

Jiang Zhiyan ignored it and frowned: “Her luck is really bad, how did she end up right outside a Nascent Soul demonic beast’s nest?”

“It’s not like she can tell it’s a nest.”

Song Jin’yue was feeling pleased with herself, she felt like the place she chose was perfect, a mound of earth behind her, concealing her completely, she felt very safe, but she still felt like there was something there.

She looked around, but didn’t find anything. She extended her divine sense, but still couldn’t find anything.

A giant eye appeared from the mound behind her, its cold gaze fixed on Song Jin’yue.

Song Jin’yue sensed something, opened her eyes, turned her head slightly to the right, and her hair stood on end. She grabbed the sword beside her and, before she could steady herself, flew away.

Actually, she hadn’t seen anything clearly, she only knew that a black circle, almost as tall as herself, had suddenly appeared behind her.

“What is that thing?” She glanced back, the place where she had been sitting was gone. A giant demonic beast climbed up and chased after her at an incredible speed, leaping high into the air.

Song Jin’yue felt like she had flown high enough, but it wasn’t enough, if she hadn’t dodged quickly enough, she would have been caught.

Jiang Zhiyan frowned, watching. Song Jin’yue drew her sword mid-air, her target clear, the beast’s two giant eyes.

“She comprehended sword intent?” Jiang Zhiyan was a little surprised. “I thought she would slack off without me there.”

“It seems like she didn’t, and she even came looking for you,” the System said, then suddenly felt like it shouldn’t have continued, and indeed it shouldn’t have, judging by the upward curve of Jiang Zhiyan’s lips. “But do you really not need to go and check on her?”

“I trust her, she’s a Sword Cultivator,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue quickly took a pill and darted through the gap created by the demonic beast’s leap, accelerating again, and stabbed her sword into the beast’s left eye. Before she could pull it out, seeing the claw swiping at her, she seized the opportunity to dodge and landed on the beast’s head. The claw, unable to retract in time, struck its left eye, pushing the sword in further.

She had originally planned to recall her sword, but after thinking for a few seconds, she changed her mind and controlled the sword to move within the beast’s body.

The demonic beast howled in pain and actually tore open its own flesh, trying to pull out the sword, its foul-smelling, crimson blood splattering on Song Jin’yue.

Song Jin’yue had never seen such a bloody scene in her life. She was stunned for two seconds, recalled her sword, and quickly fled while the beast was in a frenzy.

She cast several Cleaning Spells, but she still felt like she smelled terrible, she was about to go crazy.

[Song Jin’yue: Bring more Replenishing Spirit Pills when you come.]

[Su Huo: I snatched five bottles from the bald donkey and bought a lot more.]

[Song Jin’yue: Are you sure you won’t make enemies with the Great Clarity Temple doing that?]

[Su Huo: It’s not a big deal, don’t they always talk about compassion? I was short on supplies, what’s wrong with him giving me some?]

[Song Jin’yue: Hurry up and come.]

The two shared their locations. Song Jin’yue had originally thought she had traveled a long distance, but now, looking at the map, she felt like she hadn’t moved at all.

She decided not to move and wait for Su Huo. She took a fasting pill, the taste so terrible that her face twisted in disgust.

Song Jin’yue looked at the endless land in front of her and sighed softly.

The natural scenery in the Demon Realm was truly unpleasant, and the food wasn’t as good as in the cultivation world, what did Jiang Zhiyan like about this place?

“Why did she stop moving?”

“It looks like she’s waiting for someone…” the System commented. “She wouldn’t be planning to bring someone to persuade you to go back, would she?”

Jiang Zhiyan’s smile faded slightly: “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so, then why aren’t you smiling?”

Jiang Zhiyan got up and walked out. She hadn’t left the palace since moving in, and people outside had all sorts of speculations about her. The Demon Realm was very open, with little regard for propriety, and strength was valued above all else. The news of her defeating the Western Demon King and forming an alliance with the Northern Demon King had spread. They initially thought she had some relationship with the Western Demon King and didn’t dare to do anything, but later they realized she didn’t, and many started offering themselves to her, forcing her to spend the past two days setting up numerous barriers.

The Demon Realm was indeed very open. Jiang Zhiyan walked down the street and saw several couples engaging in public displays of affection. Fortunately, she herself had no morals and calmly walked past them.

“Host, where are you going?” the System asked.

“To see her,” Jiang Zhiyan walked into Tianyan Pavilion. “Being able to open a Tianyan Pavilion here is quite impressive, although it’s just a branch selling equipment.”

There weren’t many people in Tianyan Pavilion. Those who could afford to shop here were all important figures in the Demon Realm. The manager, seeing Jiang Zhiyan’s Myriad Swords Sect uniform, was stunned for two seconds, then quickly realized who she was. She was the only one who would dress like this in the Western Territory.

It wasn’t that Jiang Zhiyan was attached to the Myriad Swords Sect, she was just comfortable wearing it and too lazy to buy new clothes.

She glanced at the counter, bought a mask, some clothes that fit the Demon Realm’s traditions, and a latest model communication jade.

“Charge it to Zhao Xiting’s account,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Zhao Xiting was the Western Demon King’s name.

“Alright,” the manager smiled, took out a ledger, and recorded it.

“What’s the situation in the cultivation world now?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, leaning against the counter.

The manager looked at Jiang Zhiyan, thought for a few seconds, and said good-naturedly: “No different from usual.”

“With the current tense relationship between the two realms, Tianyan Pavilion is still cooperating with the Demon Realm?” Jiang Zhiyan tapped the counter.

The manager still smiled: “You don’t know who’s behind Tianyan Pavilion, do you?”

“Give my regards to the ancestor of the Wanfa Sect,” Jiang Zhiyan said, placing a high-grade spirit stone on the table.

The manager looked at her, puzzled: “Wanfa Sect? Not Myriad Swords Sect?”

“I didn’t misspeak, Wanfa Sect, I wanted to join the Wanfa Sect before, unfortunately, I didn’t have the fate,” Jiang Zhiyan sighed softly.

The manager nodded: “Alright, I’ll definitely pass on your message.”

Jiang Zhiyan took her things and left. After leaving the city gates, she found a place to change her clothes.

“I feel like demon clothing suits me better, sleeveless, crop top, and shorts, much more convenient for movement than the clothes in the cultivation world,” she said. However, such attire was too avant-garde for those “proper” people in the cultivation world.

She checked her disguise, with her aura concealed, Song Jin’yue probably wouldn’t recognize her.

Jiang Zhiyan located Song Jin’yue, but didn’t approach rashly. She watched her from afar; Song Jin’yue was sitting on the ground, looking like she was about to wilt from the sun.

“She hasn’t set up an array after all this time?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

“You just praised her for being clever not long ago,” the System said.

Jiang Zhiyan paused: “Even clever people can have moments of brainlessness.”

“You’ve said it all.”

As expected, Song Jin’yue didn’t notice her.

Jiang Zhiyan scanned the area with her divine sense and forcefully controlled a mid-Golden Core demonic beast.

Song Jin’yue, who hadn’t rested much, heard the ground tremble, froze for a second, looked up, and saw a masked demon girl running towards her.

Although Song Jin’yue didn’t say anything, her mind was screaming, “Don’t come any closer!!!”

Chapter 87: You Can Only Like Me (13)

“She’s been in seclusion for a month, hasn’t come out once, and we still have to watch over her here, so annoying, I heard there are many rewards for doing missions recently.”

“Haven’t we heard anything about Jiang Zhiyan lately?”

“No, her soul flame is burning steadily again, we don’t know what’s going on, and the Demonic Sword hasn’t been found either, no news at all.”

“The Northern Demon King even got the Sun and Moon Mirror back, how did Jiang Zhiyan even get in there, right under the ancestor’s nose?”

“Didn’t the ancestor say anything?”

“How would I know what the ancestor said?”

The two guards squatted by the door, whispering.

Song Jin’yue, inside the room, opened her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror; the ink stain was still there, but it had faded considerably. She wanted to continue body refining, but from the fourth level onwards, she needed some external stimulation for cultivation, but she didn’t have the materials.

She had to leave. She stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

“Can I leave now?” Song Jin’yue asked.

The few people guarding her stood up and looked at Song Jin’yue. She was wearing a mask on her right cheek, covering the ink stain. Her cultivation level seemed the same as before, so they thought she hadn’t made any progress during her seclusion, their gazes filled with disdain again.

They suspected that her comprehending sword intent was just a coincidence, after all, some people did comprehend sword intent under pressure. If Song Jin’yue was truly that capable, she would have been famous long ago, and no one would criticize her for following Wei Jingqian around.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for cultivation materials,” Song Jin’yue frowned. “You keep saying Jiang Zhiyan imprisoned me, what are you doing now?”

“The elder is worried that Jiang Zhiyan will hurt you again, don’t take kindness for granted.”

“Then I don’t need it, I’m leaving,” Song Jin’yue said, holding her sword and about to leave.

The two guards exchanged glances.

“Wait a moment, we’ll report to the elder.”

…

Deep within the Demon Realm, a figure flew out of the lava, followed by a surge of molten rock. The lava quickly cooled in the air, volcanic rock falling like rain, randomly striking the demonic beasts below.

Jiang Zhiyan faced another heavenly tribulation.

The cultivation speed of demonic cultivators was always fast, and Jiang Zhiyan’s reckless cultivation method was even faster. Moreover, she had modified the Demon Lord’s cultivation technique to better suit herself.

This heavenly tribulation seemed to be intent on taking her life. The lightning struck her, its residual power creating several abysses in the already scarred earth.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhiyan had already reached the bottom of the volcano during her cultivation, and the pain there was no different from a heavenly tribulation.

She had ruined two sets of clothes in a single day.

Thankfully, she had brought many sets of clothes in her storage pouches.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, her field of vision had expanded considerably, basically covering the entire Demon Realm.

“Host, your eyes are red.”

“Mm.”

“It looks like you have pink eye,” the System said seriously.

Jiang Zhiyan: ?

“Do you even know how to speak?” Jiang Zhiyan said, speechless. She had disguised her eyes, the red color was indeed too conspicuous, but it definitely didn’t look like pink eye, it just made her look more villainous, adding a touch of evil, mystery, and madness.

Perhaps it was because her aura had changed after falling into demonic cultivation, even with normal eye color, she still didn’t look like a good person.

While she was adjusting her breathing, several divine senses came and went. This time, with her increased strength, she didn’t bother concealing herself.

Since the Demon Lord was sealed, the Demon Realm had been divided into four territories, ruled by the four Demon Kings. The Demon Kings had changed many times, but the Demon Realm had never been unified. Currently, the weakest was the Western Demon King, at mid-Nascent Soul, he was the most proactive in searching for the Demonic Sword and the first to come and investigate.

While Jiang Zhiyan was recovering, a heavy hammer struck towards her head. She instantly disappeared, teleporting a hundred miles away – to the Western Demon King’s hidden territory. Several pairs of eyes fell on this location, observing the battle, but none of them intended to interfere.

The Western Demon King’s plan was to kill her while she was weak. Jiang Zhiyan’s progress was truly astonishing, and if he couldn’t kill her, he would at least severely injure her. He never expected Jiang Zhiyan to chase him down right after enduring nine bolts of lightning.

He raised his hammer to block, and Jiang Zhiyan’s sword qi pressed down on him like a tidal wave, the aura of death shaking his mind. How could such sinister sword qi exist within a righteous sect?

He felt another sword appear behind him.

Judging by the style of the two swords, they were a pair, and she had actually formed contracts with both of them, both celestial-grade swords. Normally, a person could only form a contract with one high-grade spiritual sword.

The sword qi weaved into a dense net, like a cage, at an incredible speed. With an attack coming from the front, the Western Demon King didn’t have time to react and could only defend. He braced himself on the ground, black scales appearing on his body.

A formation appeared beneath Jiang Zhiyan’s feet, a black storm sweeping towards him, ghostly cries echoing around him, invading his mind, and unsettling him.

The Western Demon King couldn’t understand where this woman learned all these strange tricks. His scales were thick, and he didn’t feel the true power of the sword qi at first, inwardly relieved. But when hundreds of identical sword qi pressed down on him, it initially felt like ants biting, then gradually, they pierced through his scales, and all the sword qi poured into the wound.

He howled in pain. Demons had a fast recovery rate, but Jiang Zhiyan’s sword was faster. The sword qi didn’t dissipate after entering his wound, trying to directly invade his heart, forcing him to divert his attention to block it.

The Western Demon King was constantly on the defensive, with no chance to counterattack. Jiang Zhiyan’s attacks were precise and relentless, leaving no openings. She seemed to need no time to think, the formations and sword qi seamlessly connected, multitasking on three fronts.

“Actually, I don’t want to kill you,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

He looked up, Jiang Zhiyan’s breathing had evened out, and she took a few pills right in front of him.

Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand, and his eyes glazed over, he finally gave up resisting and knelt on the ground.

The sounds the Western Demon King heard weren’t just distracting him; they were actually a type of mental toxin. By the time he heard them, the toxin had already spread rapidly. This mental toxin was more difficult to detect than ordinary mind control, so the Western Demon King hadn’t noticed it. Demons focused more on physical combat, their mental defenses were only at the level of an average Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Very useful,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at him. “Take me to your capital.”

“Host, you feel like the future big boss of this world,” the System said, watching Jiang Zhiyan’s actions, clearly not those of a good person.

“I’m not a good person to begin with,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Those several gazes were still on her. They had opened a water mirror since Jiang Zhiyan’s tribulation began, watching her breakthrough together.

“Why does it seem like her sword is still using spiritual energy?” someone asked, breaking the silence.

“Not fully demonic? But she looks completely demonic, she fell, but her sword didn’t?”

“Did she really form a contract?”

“How can she control celestial-grade swords without a contract?”

“Two celestial-grade swords is absurd, has anyone seen these two swords before? They seem to have appeared out of nowhere.”

“She refined them herself,” a person from the Wanfa Sect said.

“Huh?”

“She refined them at Tianyan Pavilion.”

The few people fell silent, exchanged glances, and finally looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s master, the Grand Elder of the Myriad Swords Sect.

The Grand Elder’s expression wasn’t much better than theirs, clearly having lost control of his emotions.

“Her formations are also quite good, what a pity,” the Sect Master of the Wanfa Sect said with a chuckle. “Did she fall into demonic cultivation because she was bored? I’ve heard about the Myriad Swords Sect’s cultivation methods, they restrict the development of geniuses.”

“She should have joined our sect, the Myriad Swords Sect only likes rigid and inflexible people.”

The members of the Myriad Swords Sect didn’t speak, a direct disciple falling into demonic cultivation was already a very shameful matter, and the fact that she displayed skills learned outside the Myriad Swords Sect after falling was even more shameful.

“I’ll personally capture her and bring her back,” the Grand Elder of the Myriad Swords Sect stood up.

“Alright, at a time like this, we’re all old, let’s be more composed. We still don’t know her true strength, don’t act rashly, let’s think of a way to cause chaos in the Demon Realm.”

…

Jiang Zhiyan wondered how long these people planned to watch. Enough was enough, thankfully, after watching her for about half an hour, they finally looked away.

The Western Demon King regained his ability to think, but the thought of “submitting to Jiang Zhiyan” had already been implanted in his mind.

When the Demon King needed to handle official business, Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t be bothered, so based on her experience, she created a “mental toxin.” Now it was perfect, she could use all his resources without doing anything herself.

She stayed at the Demon King’s palace, politely declining the servants he offered.

“You didn’t come looking for me, I’m very heartbroken, Miss Jiang.”

Hearing the Northern Demon King’s voice, Jiang Zhiyan twitched the corner of her mouth: “You’re very brazen, sending your divine sense directly into the Western Territory, aren’t you afraid of leaving traces?”

“I just wanted to reminisce with Miss Jiang, I’m truly grateful for your help in retrieving the mirror.”

“So when are you giving me my reward?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“I’ve prepared it long ago, it’s up to you when you want to come and get it.”

“If you’re so grateful, then show some sincerity and have someone deliver it,” Jiang Zhiyan said, flipping through the list of the Western Demon King’s assets, feeling pleased.

The System, looking at the materials, sighed inwardly, so many things, enough for Jiang Zhiyan to cause a hundred incidents.

“I feel like we can build a battleship,” Jiang Zhiyan said to the System.

“Take it easy…” the System said, speechless.

“Forget it, it’s too troublesome.” Jiang Zhiyan closed the book. She had been chatting with the System for a while, and the Northern Demon King still hadn’t responded.

The Northern Demon King was thinking, he didn’t want to make an enemy of Jiang Zhiyan, because his most powerful skill was mind control, but Jiang Zhiyan was somehow immune, and she clearly had many other tricks up her sleeve. Fighting her wasn’t worth it no matter how he looked at it.

He believed that the difference between him and the other Demon Kings was his ability to assess the situation, the other Demon Kings were just reckless.

“I’m here to form an alliance with you, your ambition isn’t small, you need allies.”

Jiang Zhiyan tapped the table twice.

At this moment, the System really wanted to answer for Jiang Zhiyan: “No, she has no ambition, her only ambition is to wake up her wife and leave quickly.”

“Ambition, huh…” Jiang Zhiyan said nonchalantly. “Of course, I also want to coexist peacefully with you, the Demon Realm can’t afford to lose any Nascent Soul cultivators right now, that’s why I didn’t kill him.”

“The team delivering your gifts will set off tomorrow, I’ll inform the other two of your intentions.”

“Happy cooperation,” Jiang Zhiyan responded.

…

“You can’t leave without the elder’s permission, even if you leave the courtyard, you can’t leave the mountain gate without their permission.”

Song Jin’yue, holding her communication jade, contacted Wei Jingqian.

[Song Jin’yue: I want to leave.]

“It’s best for you to stay here right now,” Wei Jingqian said, walking out of the adjacent courtyard.

Song Jin’yue frowned: “You heard me earlier?”

Wei Jingqian didn’t speak, just looked at her, his gaze no different from when he looked at the surrounding plants.

“I want to leave.”

“She broke through,” Wei Jingqian said. “This time, a single palm strike can kill you, it would be difficult to save you again.”

“She broke through again?” Song Jin’yue frowned, because she hadn’t received any response from Jiang Zhiyan, she suspected she was in secluded cultivation, but she had already come out, why was she ignoring her? Her mood suddenly plummeted. “I want to leave, I’ll take responsibility for my own life, even if I die, I can accept it, you don’t need to save me.”

Wei Jingqian frowned at her, he really couldn’t understand Song Jin’yue’s logic.

“Didn’t you not want this engagement? I’ve decided to transfer the engagement to her, it’s still within the Wei family, I don’t think you can stop me from looking for my fiancée.” A strong voice in Song Jin’yue’s heart urged her to go to the Demon Realm, although she didn’t know why.

Wei Jingqian: ???

Wei Jingqian, who rarely showed strong emotions since starting to cultivate the Path of Emotionlessness, looked slightly shocked. The other disciple was also confused.

He looked at Song Jin’yue, wondering if she had gone crazy, or if there was some other reason.

Song Jin’yue clenched her fists.

“Then you can leave,” Wei Jingqian turned around.

Song Jin’yue breathed a sigh of relief and immediately followed him.

“Senior Brother! But the elder said…”

Wei Jingqian ignored him. With the Chief Disciple leading the way, Song Jin’yue smoothly left the mountain gate of the Myriad Swords Sect.

“Your choice.” Wei Jingqian looked at Song Jin’yue and took out a magic weapon, handing it to her. “After all, I owe you this.”

“No need,” Song Jin’yue didn’t accept it.

Thinking about Jiang Zhiyan’s craziness, if she accepted it, she didn’t know what Jiang Zhiyan would do.

Chapter 86: You Can Only Like Me (12)

“How are you?” Wei Jingqian asked.

“Hm?” Song Jin’yue returned to her senses and looked at Wei Jingqian. “I’m fine, what about her?”

She clasped her hands nervously. The elder of the Myriad Swords Sect had just healed her injuries, they weren’t serious, but she still needed to rest for a while.

“The Wei family has already sent people,” Wei Jingqian said, sitting two meters away from Song Jin’yue. “What exactly happened?”

Song Jin’yue shook her head: “I don’t know either… What will you do if you capture her?”

“Whether it’s the rules of the Myriad Swords Sect or the Wei family, those who fall into demonic cultivation will either have their spiritual roots severed or be imprisoned forever,” Wei Jingqian said without any emotion, seemingly having no sibling affection for Jiang Zhiyan.

Song Jin’yue’s expression changed, she looked at Wei Jingqian, gripped her cup tightly, and coughed twice: “Is there no room for redemption? She didn’t do anything, I think she might have been accidentally misled by the demons, or something else.”

“There’s no turning back after falling into demonic cultivation, and there’s only one outcome for human cultivators who fall into demonic cultivation, they lose their minds and go on a killing spree,” Wei Jingqian said. “Her Dao Heart was unstable, that’s why she fell.”

Song Jin’yue’s emotions surged, she wanted to say something, but coughed violently, unable to utter a word. After a long while, she finally spoke: “How can you be so cold-blooded?”

Wei Jingqian didn’t speak.

There was a knock on the door, then someone pushed the door open and walked in, looking at Song Jin’yue: “She imprisoned you for more than three months and even sealed your meridians.”

“But she didn’t do anything to me,” Song Jin’yue looked at her.

“Didn’t do anything to you? Imprisoning you, sealing your meridians, abandoning you in the Demon Realm, and striking you with a palm, and that’s considered nothing? What else does she have to do to be considered ‘doing something’?” The person crossed her arms. “She’s always hated you, this time she was trying to kill you.”

“I don’t think so,” Song Jin’yue said. “I spent so much time with her, I know how she treats me.”

The other person twitched the corner of her mouth and rolled her eyes, not saying anything more to Song Jin’yue. In many people’s eyes, Song Jin’yue’s mind wasn’t quite right.

Song Jin’yue didn’t want to talk to them either and lay down.

She was annoyed.

Wei Jingqian was willing to sit here and accompany her, she should be happy, but now she only felt irritated.

Her mind was in a mess. She knew that with Jiang Zhiyan’s current abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult to make sure her actions weren’t discovered, but she had still left clues, to make sure Jiang Zhiyan wouldn’t be implicated if she fell into demonic cultivation.

But it was difficult for her to distance herself from Jiang Zhiyan.

Song Jin’yue couldn’t understand Jiang Zhiyan’s motive for falling into demonic cultivation, there were only a few common motives, but she felt none of them applied to Jiang Zhiyan.

“You can leave now, I want to rest,” Song Jin’yue said, turning her back to them.

“Okay.”

Song Jin’yue tightly closed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable that she hadn’t completed her eight hours of cultivation today. After several months, eight hours a day had become a habit.

Although there was no wooden puppet and no Jiang Zhiyan, she still felt a bit guilty.

…

The Wei family elder’s cultivation was a minor realm lower than the Northern Demon King’s, and at the same realm, demons were stronger than human cultivators, so the Wei family elder could only barely hold him back, preventing him from reaching the mirror.

The two Spirit Severing elders guarding the border quickly arrived. Hearing that the Sun and Moon Mirror had been taken by Jiang Zhiyan, they immediately notified the elders at the Myriad Swords Sect to check.

As expected, the mirror at the Myriad Swords Sect was gone.

Actually, the mirror was still there, but after leaving it, Jiang Zhiyan used forceful methods to make it undetectable to everyone in this world. If both mirrors appeared at the same time, even if the mirror could be used, she might be hunted down by the Northern Demon King. Now that everyone knew the mirror was with the Northern Demon King, it greatly reduced the pressure on her.

The System experienced another violent tremor.

Jiang Zhiyan used to make excuses for her cheating, but now she was doing it openly, without any concealment, not even exploiting loopholes, but directly creating them.

Shocked the first time, numb the second time.

Everything that happened to Jiang Zhiyan seemed normal.

Jiang Zhiyan returned to the depths of the Demon Realm. Normally, the demonic aura here would be uncomfortable for a newly fallen demon cultivator like her, but it wasn’t, she felt as comfortable as breathing, her strength rapidly recovering. Although strange thoughts would occasionally pop up in her mind, she could control them, it was like reading irrelevant comments on a live stream.

Was this the power of a god’s descendant?

It seemed a bit useless, but still somewhat helpful.

She found the volcano based on the coordinates and jumped directly into the crater.

System: …

“Host, can you not be so reckless?”

“I won’t die.”

Jiang Zhiyan fell into the churning lava. Having just experienced a heavenly tribulation, this burning pain felt much better.

“Let’s throw Song Jin’yue down here when she finishes her fifth body refinement,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“As expected, good things should be shared with your wife, right?” the System commented.

“Mm,” Jiang Zhiyan agreed.

Her body rapidly descended, her high-grade protective robes couldn’t withstand the heat and disappeared first, followed by her hair. She silently recited the cultivation technique she learned from the Demonic Sword, resisting the surrounding lava.

The lava here wasn’t ordinary lava; it was a “volcano” created accidentally during an ancient war. The lava here was a rare liquid spirit ore, containing a type of energy that wasn’t demonic aura or spiritual energy, but something like their initial, primordial state.

“Primordial Qi?” Jiang Zhiyan wondered.

This primordial energy flowed through her meridians again and again, it was very painful, but she gained a lot from it. She felt like she was about to explode, but she could barely hold on, Jiang Zhiyan started strengthening every inch of her skin.

“Host, the Northern Demon King got the mirror, he called for reinforcements.”

“He has allies?” Jiang Zhiyan was surprised. “He must have offered them quite a bit, I wonder if he’ll still keep his promise to me.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“If he doesn’t, then he’ll be the first one I deal with,” Jiang Zhiyan descended further.

“Host, I advise you to take it easy.”

“I haven’t reached my limit yet,” Jiang Zhiyan found a good spot and stopped. “This is perfect.”

While cultivating, Jiang Zhiyan’s breathing almost stopped several times.

The System was terrified. Although Jiang Zhiyan was now at Nascent Soul, and her soul wouldn’t die even if her body did, she would have to start cultivating all over again if she became a wandering soul!

…

After returning to the Myriad Swords Sect, Song Jin’yue was assigned to the courtyard next to Wei Jingqian’s, partly for protection, partly for surveillance. Many people thought she was innocent, but some also believed there was some kind of deal between her and Jiang Zhiyan, every day, people came to ask her all sorts of questions.

Su Huo was also questioned. When she heard that Jiang Zhiyan had fallen into demonic cultivation, she thought she had misheard. Although she wasn’t surprised, when she learned that Jiang Zhiyan had also injured Song Jin’yue, her jaw almost dropped. However, after learning the details, she understood Jiang Zhiyan’s intentions.

She didn’t say anything, claiming she didn’t know Jiang Zhiyan well, but the people investigating her didn’t leave, continuing to follow her. She was a bit tired, although she was thick-skinned, being watched while flirting with others was still very uncomfortable.

She had originally wanted to make them give up, but then she discovered that the person following her was a monk, who didn’t care about her flirting at all.

“Damn monk, damn Jiang Zhiyan!” Su Huo felt like this was retribution for taking a bag of Star River Ore.

Song Jin’yue’s situation wasn’t much better than Su Huo’s. She resumed her cultivation, but they wouldn’t let her leave the courtyard. The food wasn’t as good as what Jiang Zhiyan prepared for her, the people weren’t as kind as Jiang Zhiyan, when she talked to them, they were reluctant to respond, and when she complained to the Song family, they told her to behave.

It was better being “imprisoned” by Jiang Zhiyan.

“Jiang Zhiyan’s soul lamp flickered today,” the person guarding Song Jin’yue said, surprisingly taking the initiative to speak to her.

Song Jin’yue was stunned for a second: “Why would her soul lamp flicker?”

“It’s normal, for those who fall into demonic cultivation, few survive.” The person stared at Song Jin’yue’s face. “You were with Wei Jingqian before, and now this, when will you come to your senses?”

Song Jin’yue looked at the person without speaking, her eyes blank, she felt something stirring within her, but she couldn’t remember, there seemed to be a barrier between her and her memories.

At times like this, she chose to practice her swordsmanship to relieve her emotions.

That day, she practiced for nine hours, then was forcibly sent back to her room.

The next day, Song Jin’yue broke through, reaching late Golden Core.

The guard was shocked, and while Song Jin’yue was practicing her swordsmanship, he sensed her sword intent, an exceptionally melancholic sword intent. With a single swing of her sword, his mind went blank, and he even shed tears.

Song Jin’yue felt like crying. She looked up at the sky, while confined in Jiang Zhiyan’s courtyard, she had looked up at the sky countless times, wondering if Jiang Zhiyan would suddenly fly back, but now she really wouldn’t.

She had actually comprehended sword intent not long after Jiang Zhiyan left.

And she couldn’t inform her, how frustrating.

“Jiang Zhiyan, Jiang Zhiyan!” Song Jin’yue called out in her heart.

But there was no response. She had called out many times these past few days, but there was no sound from the other end, had she severed the connection too? But the rune on her body was still there.

She thought of Jiang Zhiyan saying she was too weak.

Song Jin’yue looked at the two guards at the door, she was indeed too weak, if she were stronger, she could break through this door, find Jiang Zhiyan, and get answers to all her questions, those people wouldn’t have dared to confine her here in the first place.

In the end, it was all because of their disdain and disregard.

The guard snapped back to reality, looking at Song Jin’yue in disbelief. What kind of person could break through and comprehend sword intent consecutively, and she was only at Golden Core? He stared at Song Jin’yue for a long time, confirming that she hadn’t fallen into demonic cultivation, and was slightly relieved, but also felt jealous and resentful.

Song Jin’yue adjusted her breathing, her expression unchanged: “I’m going into secluded cultivation, there’s no need to send me food anymore.”

“Okay…” The guard looked at her blankly, his attitude clearly much more respectful.

Song Jin’yue, sensing this immediate change, felt a bit amused, and paused: “If there’s any news about Jiang Zhiyan, please let me know.”

“Okay.”

This time, he didn’t say her mind wasn’t clear, although Song Jin’yue also felt like her own mind wasn’t very clear.

She returned to her room and called out two more times before entering meditation.

Still no response.

Song Jin’yue frowned, thinking about Jiang Zhiyan’s flickering soul lamp, her heart pounding, her brow furrowed.

It wasn’t that Jiang Zhiyan was deliberately ignoring her, but she was currently in a rather mysterious state, automatically blocking all outside information, including the connection between her and Song Jin’yue. She could only communicate with the higher-dimensional System.

She was like a baby in the womb, curled up, enveloped by lava, as if countless umbilical cords were connected to her, frantically absorbing nutrients from the surroundings.

“Host, your current state is a bit terrifying.”

“But I feel very good,” Jiang Zhiyan half-opened her eyes, revealing half of a crimson pupil. She tried for a moment and managed to fully open them. “As expected, I should throw her down here, this place is very comfortable for body refining.”

“Yes, it’s just that there’s no hair,” the System said.

“It’s fine, this is the cultivation world, hair grows back quickly,” Jiang Zhiyan felt her forehead and eyebrows, then closed her eyes again.

Chapter 85: You Can Only Like Me (11)

Although Song Jin’yue and Jiang Zhiyan lived in the same courtyard, it was no different from living alone. Jiang Zhiyan, in secluded cultivation, hadn’t left her room once.

“Sigh,” Song Jin’yue sighed, looking at the wooden puppet. Her spiritual energy was no longer restricted, she could chat with anyone, and people could come find her. She had been so strictly controlled before, now that she was suddenly free, she felt a bit strange.

Song Jin’yue looked at the closed door. If it weren’t for the occasional fluctuations of spiritual energy, she would have suspected Jiang Zhiyan had died inside.

Actually, Jiang Zhiyan had gone out in the middle of the night, but Song Jin’yue didn’t know.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t have any ulterior motives; she simply didn’t want to interact with Song Jin’yue. After all, her life was already difficult enough, and having to listen to unpleasant words would be too pitiful.

She could ignore other people’s words, but it was difficult to ignore Xie Liaoyi’s, even if the other personality wasn’t lucid right now.

Although she was usually very calm, it was still difficult to face everything rationally at all times.

And after experiencing a lucid Xie Liaoyi in the previous world, she couldn’t help but have higher expectations for the “her” she encountered later.

What if…

Jiang Zhiyan knew she was being stubborn, but she couldn’t help it, she couldn’t control her thoughts, after all, the moment she tried not to think about it, she was already thinking about it.

She opened her eyes and sensed the flow of spiritual energy within her body.

Late Golden Core.

This cultivation speed was like riding a rocket. After forming a contract with the Demonic Sword, she should be able to directly form her Nascent Soul. She wanted to take advantage of the heavenly tribulation to sharpen the three swords. She estimated that her tribulation wouldn’t be small, although it couldn’t completely mask the auras of the three swords, it would be enough to divert attention.

Jiang Zhiyan tapped her thigh lightly, a plan already forming in her mind.

[Bei: Did you get it? Do you need my people to help you?]

Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes, looking at the message from the Northern Demon King, and frowned. His way of asking made it sound like he was trying to set her up.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Almost, don’t act rashly, and don’t rush me, do you think the forbidden grounds of the Myriad Swords Sect are that easy to enter?]

[Bei: I know.]

Jiang Zhiyan heard the sound of sword practice outside and got up to go out.

Hearing the sound, Song Jin’yue turned around, both surprised and alarmed: “Are you done with your secluded cultivation? You’ve already reached late Golden Core? Isn’t your cultivation speed too fast?”

“There’s no problem,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Song Jin’yue, the ink stain on her face had faded slightly.

Seeing Jiang Zhiyan staring at her face, Song Jin’yue took a step back, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Looking at the ink stain.”

Song Jin’yue: …

“Didn’t you say we were going somewhere after you came out?”

“Mm,” Jiang Zhiyan responded, looking at Song Jin’yue.

She felt that her next actions might worsen their already ambiguous relationship, but there was no other way, only absolute strength could keep Song Jin’yue by her side.

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

After several months, Song Jin’yue finally left the courtyard. She looked around and followed Jiang Zhiyan.

This time, other people could see her. After greeting Jiang Zhiyan, they would look at Song Jin’yue with unfriendly gazes, but she didn’t care, few people in the Myriad Swords Sect liked her.

The two left the Myriad Swords Sect, and Jiang Zhiyan took out her flying artifact.

“Aren’t we using the teleportation array?” Song Jin’yue sat on the soft cushion, examining Jiang Zhiyan’s flying artifact, mentally calculating its cost. The number was too large, she couldn’t calculate it, and she lowered her head.

Song Jin’yue hadn’t been to many places, and it was even more difficult to discern their surroundings in the sky, until she saw the distinct reddish-black dividing line.

“We’re going to the Demon Realm?” Song Jin’yue ran back from the deck. “Why are we going to the Demon Realm?”

“I have some business there,” Jiang Zhiyan said, seeing that they were almost there, she put away the artifact, wrapped her arm around Song Jin’yue’s waist, and flew directly into the Demon Realm.

Song Jin’yue sensed that Jiang Zhiyan’s actions were unusual.

“What are you doing? Calm down,” Song Jin’yue grabbed Jiang Zhiyan’s arm.

Jiang Zhiyan kissed Song Jin’yue’s forehead, and Song Jin’yue’s body stiffened for a second.

She was looking for an open space not too close and not too far from the border, which wasn’t difficult to find in the Demon Realm.

“Give me your sword.”

“Oh,” Song Jin’yue was stunned for a second. “Are you going to sharpen it? Isn’t it too dangerous to sharpen it in the Demon Realm?”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak, and Song Jin’yue looked at her uneasily.

After arriving at the location, Jiang Zhiyan put Song Jin’yue down and layered several formations on her to ensure she wouldn’t be injured by the upcoming heavenly tribulation.

“Jiang Zhiyan…”

“I like you,” Jiang Zhiyan interrupted Song Jin’yue.

She originally wanted to say something more, but looking into Song Jin’yue’s eyes, she felt it was unnecessary.

She took out the Demonic Sword and formed a contract with it.

Song Jin’yue stared at the sword, shrouded in demonic aura, her eyes wide, thinking about the recent events surrounding the Demonic Sword, her mind in a mess.

Other people might need various procedures to fall into demonic cultivation, but for Jiang Zhiyan, all she needed was to form a contract with the Demonic Sword. After the contract was formed, she quickly put away the sword and concealed its aura.

As the connection between Jiang Zhiyan and the Demonic Sword was established, demonic aura surged into her body, she felt her meridians transforming, and at the same time, her cultivation level soared, reaching a breakthrough point.

Jiang Zhiyan endured the excruciating pain and started sharpening the swords.

Falling into demonic cultivation and breaking through at the same time was very dangerous.

Jiang Zhiyan’s heavenly tribulation was spectacular. Large, dark clouds gathered in the sky, blocking out the sun. She gritted her teeth and quickly sharpened the three swords. Amidst the dark clouds, rays of light tried to break through.

The System watched Jiang Zhiyan multitasking and checked her body’s data.

Although as a system, it couldn’t feel pain, judging by the numbers, it was a miracle that Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t fainted.

“Something’s not right, even falling into demonic cultivation shouldn’t be this painful,” Jiang Zhiyan said, half-kneeling on the ground and looking up at the sky. It wasn’t her first time falling into demonic cultivation, although it was a different book, the process was usually similar. “And this heavenly tribulation… isn’t it a bit too much?”

The area covered by the tribulation clouds seemed even larger than that of a Spirit Severing tribulation, golden lightning brewing within the clouds.

Before Jiang Zhiyan could react, a bolt of lightning, thicker than a tree trunk, struck down, instantly engulfing her.

Many people had wanted to come and investigate, but seeing the heavenly tribulation, most of them gave up, such a powerful tribulation, they might be accidentally injured.

Song Jin’yue looked up in shock, wanting to say something, but several artifacts fell down, protecting her.

She pressed against the barrier, trying to find Jiang Zhiyan, but she couldn’t see anything clearly.

It was too bright, temporarily blinding her, and Song Jin’yue closed her eyes.

She wanted to contact someone to protect Jiang Zhiyan, but Jiang Zhiyan had just fallen into demonic cultivation, even if someone came to protect her, she wouldn’t be able to escape the tribulation.

Jiang Zhiyan gritted her teeth, her bones felt like they were being shattered and reassembled, she faintly smelled roasted meat.

There were nine bolts of lightning in total. Jiang Zhiyan stuck her sword into the ground and moved a distance south.

However, this makeshift lightning rod was useless, the lightning continued to chase her, as if trying to kill her.

She sighed softly.

She stopped trying to cut corners and endured the nine bolts of lightning.

She definitely wouldn’t die, it was just a bit tiring and painful.

Jiang Zhiyan lay on the ground, a strange concept appearing in her mind.

“Descendant of an Ancient God.”

But besides this, there was nothing else.

However, it explained, to some extent, the strange phenomena surrounding Jiang Zhiyan.

Without waiting for Jiang Zhiyan to speak, the System went to investigate.

Jiang Zhiyan took a few pills she had prepared in advance, adjusted her condition, and stumbled towards Song Jin’yue.

As soon as the barrier was lifted, Song Jin’yue rushed over and supported her: “Why did you fall into demonic cultivation?”

Her voice was hoarse, looking at Jiang Zhiyan, she really couldn’t understand, Jiang Zhiyan had such a good life in the cultivation world, why did she choose the path of demonic cultivation?

“Ask Wei Jingqian for help, ask him to come pick you up,” Jiang Zhiyan said, dropping Spring’s Birth on the ground and looking at Song Jin’yue.

“What? Aren’t you coming back?”

Jiang Zhiyan struck Song Jin’yue’s chest with her palm, and Song Jin’yue fell to her knees, coughing up blood, she looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

“I’m not going back, you’re free,” Jiang Zhiyan whispered.

She added silently in her heart: For now.

Song Jin’yue grabbed Jiang Zhiyan’s sleeve, clutching her chest, and swallowed the blood: “Why aren’t you taking me with you?”

“Because you’re too weak,” Jiang Zhiyan looked into her eyes. “And, didn’t you want to stay away from me?”

“I only admit to the first point,” Song Jin’yue coughed twice. She understood Jiang Zhiyan’s intention in striking her, but she hadn’t used much force. “Aren’t you going to hit me again? Wasn’t that too light?”

“I’m very weak right now.” She could have used more force, but there was no need.

Jiang Zhiyan removed Song Jin’yue’s hand and turned to leave, but she only left Song Jin’yue’s line of sight, she was still watching from elsewhere, only leaving after confirming that people from the cultivation world had arrived and taken Song Jin’yue away.

“Host, I don’t understand.”

“She stayed with me for so long, if she didn’t do something to distance herself from me, she wouldn’t be able to survive,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “I didn’t clean up the formations in my courtyard completely, and there are still traces of the restriction on her meridians.”

The entire Myriad Swords Sect knew that the original owner hated Song Jin’yue, so it would be normal for Jiang Zhiyan to want to kill her, no one would suspect anything.

During her breakthrough, many Spirit Severing cultivators’ divine senses came to investigate, but probably because she was only at Nascent Soul, they didn’t interfere. Cultivators above Spirit Severing rarely did anything openly.

If they wanted to kill or capture her, they would do it discreetly, like now.

Jiang Zhiyan kept moving, rapidly absorbing the surrounding demonic aura to heal her injuries.

“Host, I found some information, it’s a hidden setting. In the original outline, you were supposed to be the final boss, but because the book wasn’t doing well, the author dropped it. Although your bloodline wasn’t activated in the main text, the setting was retained, but many details weren’t fleshed out… normally, there should be some inherited memories,” the System explained. “Now that it’s activated, I don’t know if the world consciousness can fix the bug itself.”

Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes and used several props on herself. Her communication jade was flashing frantically, clearly, the news of her falling into demonic cultivation had spread. She glanced at it, applied a bit of force, and the jade shattered, scattering on the reddish-black ground.

She left the mirror in a corner, placed a few paper figures with her aura on them, and sent a message to the Northern Demon King.

“Did you sense the mirror? Go get it yourself, I’ll be in seclusion for a while.”

The Northern Demon King, lying on the soft couch, opened his eyes and turned into a red streak, flying south, just in time to run into the Wei family members who were chasing Jiang Zhiyan.

Their eyes met.

The Northern Demon King, seeing them, wasn’t surprised at all: I knew it!

The Wei family elder didn’t plan on fighting the Northern Demon King, his gaze landing on the mirror not far away, he directly attacked, trying to snatch it, and called for reinforcements from the border.

“Jiang Zhiyan! Well done!” The Northern Demon King took out his whip.

Jiang Zhiyan heard the Northern Demon King’s voice, her expression unchanged, she continued to fly towards the depths of the Demon Realm, she remembered the male lead having a fortuitous encounter here.

The male lead probably wouldn’t fall into demonic cultivation now, she would take all the fortuitous encounters after falling into demonic cultivation for herself.

Chapter 84: You Can Only Like Me (10)

“You’ve already reached mid-Golden Core?” Su Huo asked quickly, seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two.

“It still needs to stabilize,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“I feel like I’m about to reach late Golden Core too, I’ve been stuck at mid-stage for so many years, and after going to the Demon Realm with you, I’m finally seeing signs of progress,” Su Huo said with emotion. “So good, I’ve gained a few more hundred years of life.”

“You’ve been living too comfortably, cultivation is about challenging human limits, in a comfortable environment, it’s naturally difficult to improve.”

“But I’m from the Joyful Union Sect, I thought flirting with six people at the same time was already my limit,” Su Huo frowned.

Jiang Zhiyan: …

Song Jin’yue, who was drinking water, almost choked on hearing Su Huo’s words.

“Indeed, I should challenge my limits and find someone with a higher cultivation level to dual cultivate with me,” Su Huo said thoughtfully, stroking her chin. “Spirit Severing?”

Su Huo glanced at the two quiet people, as expected, this home couldn’t function without her.

“But Spirit Severing cultivators are usually elders, it would be difficult to seduce them, and I’m not interested in the elders in our sect,” Su Huo said, touching her chin. “Do you two have any suggestions?”

She paused for two seconds, then continued.

“Actually, two women can also dual cultivate now.” Su Huo looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “Cultivate diligently, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Song Jin’yue subconsciously tightened her grip on her cup. She continued to look straight ahead, but glanced at Jiang Zhiyan from the corner of her eye.

“No.”

“You’re so cold and heartless.” Su Huo, who was just joking, wasn’t angry. She glanced at Song Jin’yue. “Forget it, it’s no fun.”

She took out her communication jade.

[Su Huo: It doesn’t seem like she’s completely uninterested in you.]

[Jiang Zhiyan: I know.]

[Su Huo: Then why do you always look so heartbroken?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: You don’t understand.]

[Su Huo: There are things I don’t understand? Huh? Do you know what a master is?]

Jiang Zhiyan ignored her and put away the communication jade.

Su Huo looked at Jiang Zhiyan with dissatisfaction.

The master had taught her the way, and she didn’t even listen.

Song Jin’yue’s face darkened.

These two were using communication jades right in front of her, did they think she was an idiot?

Did they have to secretly talk behind her back?

Thinking about Su Huo’s suggestion earlier, Song Jin’yue bit her lip and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan.

But she didn’t think Jiang Zhiyan was that kind of person.

What was she thinking? What Jiang Zhiyan did had nothing to do with her.

“You gave me a sword, is there anything you want?” Song Jin’yue asked, holding her cup. “Although it’s difficult for me to give you something of equal value, I can, mm, give you my life.”

Jiang Zhiyan knew what Song Jin’yue meant, but hearing her say it still made her feel uncomfortable.

“I didn’t give you the sword so you could repay me, the food is here, let’s eat,” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t want to hear any more.

“Oh,” Song Jin’yue responded.

“Continue body refining for the next two days, I’ll remove the restriction on you,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Song Jin’yue’s eyes lit up and she looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

“I advise you not to slack off recently, because we might be going out after I finish my secluded cultivation,” Jiang Zhiyan said, taking out a mask from her storage pouch and handing it to her. “But I don’t think the mark on your face will disappear before I’m done, so…”

“Why are you looking down on me?” Song Jin’yue took out a small mirror and looked at herself. “I think it’s faded quite a bit.”

“Maybe you’re just used to it,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “It hasn’t actually changed much.”

Song Jin’yue’s expression fell, and she sighed. After Jiang Zhiyan left, she had been washing her face every day, it felt like she had scrubbed off several layers of skin, and yet there was no change? It had clearly faded a bit, although the size hadn’t decreased at all, well, maybe it really hadn’t.

She was a bit dejected, would this thing stay on her face forever? If she ascended, would her portrait also have a large black spot?

Song Jin’yue put away the mirror.

Forget it, ignorance is bliss.

There were many dishes, a whole table full. Song Jin’yue’s eyes lit up, with the arrival of food, the strange atmosphere in the courtyard dissipated considerably.

Su Huo eagerly opened the wine, and the fragrance instantly filled the courtyard. She took a deep breath: “This wine is really good.”

“The restaurant owner’s prized possession,” Jiang Zhiyan said, asking Su Huo to pour her a glass.

Su Huo tried her best to liven up the atmosphere, but only Song Jin’yue responded, Jiang Zhiyan seemed lost in thought, her mind not present, not listening to their conversation.

“You said we’re going out after your secluded cultivation, where are we going?” Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan and asked.

Jiang Zhiyan came back to her senses and looked at her: “I don’t know yet, we’ll talk about it later, I’ll be in seclusion first.”

“How long will you be in seclusion?” Song Jin’yue continued to ask.

“It depends.”

Song Jin’yue twitched the corner of her mouth: “That’s like saying nothing at all.”

“I really don’t know, because I haven’t decided yet, I only have a general idea, are you that eager to leave?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

For cultivators, staying in one place for months, years, or even centuries due to cultivation was perfectly normal. For example, the ancestor of the Myriad Swords Sect hadn’t left his residence for a very long time.

Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan without speaking.

“Do you want me to send you to Wei Jingqian?” Jiang Zhiyan stared into Song Jin’yue’s eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”

Song Jin’yue stared at Jiang Zhiyan: “I didn’t say anything, you’re just making assumptions.”

Su Huo carefully picked up her wine cup and took a sip, trying not to make any noise, but as luck would have it, the wine pot bumped against the cup, and both Jiang Zhiyan and Song Jin’yue looked at her.

She suddenly felt immense pressure, but she didn’t look up, steadily poured herself another glass of wine, pretended nothing happened, and put down the wine pot.

“Don’t overthink it, I was just asking,” Song Jin’yue said. “I haven’t seen him for months, and I haven’t gone crazy.”

“That’s a sign of insecurity,” Su Huo said, taking a sip of wine, shaking her head, and giving an experienced comment.

“I’m finished, you two can continue,” Jiang Zhiyan put down her chopsticks, she couldn’t stay here any longer.

Not a single word they said was pleasant to her ears.

“Don’t forget to complete your eight hours after you finish eating,” Jiang Zhiyan reminded her.

Song Jin’yue: …

Song Jin’yue looked at Jiang Zhiyan expressionlessly. This person never forgot to remind her about the eight hours, she was so touched, she was curious, if they had a big fight, would she still remind her about the eight hours of cultivation?

“What eight hours?” Su Huo asked curiously.

“She wants me to cultivate for eight hours every day, either practicing swordsmanship or body refining.”

Su Huo: ?

“As expected of a Sword Cultivator, I’ve only heard of it before, I didn’t expect anyone to actually practice for so long,” Su Huo said with emotion. “Then you should hurry up, you have three hours left today.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Song Jin’yue gritted her teeth.

“What if you really can’t complete the eight hours today?” Su Huo was curious.

“Make it up double tomorrow.”

Su Huo blinked, as expected, there was a reason why some people couldn’t win anyone over.

“I can’t help you, but I sympathize with you,” Su Huo said seriously.

Song Jin’yue wanted Su Huo to find someone to get her out of here after she left, but she couldn’t think of anyone to ask for help, and Su Huo was closer to Jiang Zhiyan, so she might not even help her.

And Jiang Zhiyan had also formed a contract with her, so it didn’t seem to make much difference whether she ran away or not.

Was she going to be bound to Jiang Zhiyan for the rest of her life?

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem that terrifying.

But why did she want to run away so badly?

Jiang Zhiyan sat on a cushion in the training room, sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

“Host, what are you thinking?”

“Cultivate to late Golden Core, get the items from the trade, then fall into demonic cultivation, if nothing unexpected happens, I can directly reach late Nascent Soul.”

“Then what?” the System continued to ask.

“Then find a weak Demon King and take over his territory, but I haven’t decided which demonic cultivation technique to practice yet,” Jiang Zhiyan pulled out the Demonic Sword. “It’s time to prove your strength.”

The dejected Demonic Sword instantly perked up, its spirit renewed, a sword without a purpose, unable to help, what was the meaning of its sword life?

“Do you have any recommendations for demonic cultivation techniques? I want to fall into demonic cultivation,” Jiang Zhiyan asked directly.

“Is there any point in asking it? It can’t even speak properly,” the System said, thinking about the Demonic Sword’s way of speaking. “Even if it knows any techniques, it’ll only be able to say them one word at a time… can your Golden Core lifespan outlast it?”

“Contract,” the Demonic Sword said.

The System interrupted the stuttering Demonic Sword: “It wants you to form a contract with it.”

“You want me to form a contract with you?” Jiang Zhiyan asked back.

“King,” the Demonic Sword continued, its emotions even more agitated.

System: “It remembers the techniques the Demon King has seen.”

The Demonic Sword didn’t have much of a sense of owner loyalty. Some swords wouldn’t easily form contracts with others while their owners were still alive, but the Demonic Sword was different, it would form a contract with anyone it deemed worthy, and because of its domineering nature, it could even run away if it was dissatisfied with its owner.

“Fine,” Jiang Zhiyan replied.

The Demonic Sword was very happy, this overlord understood sword language, unlike the previous Demon King, who was too stupid, they couldn’t understand each other.

It was willing to consider Jiang Zhiyan a kindred spirit.

“Then what about Song Jin’yue?” the System asked. “You’re not planning to take her with you when you challenge the Demon Lord, are you?”

“No, I’ll make arrangements for her, then take her away,” Jiang Zhiyan said, her heart aching at the thought of Song Jin’yue. “Let her enjoy some freedom for now.”

“I’ll let her go after I finish my secluded cultivation, don’t talk to me, I’m going into meditation.”

“Okay,” the System said.

Su Huo leaned against the table, slowly eating, looking at Song Jin’yue practicing her swordsmanship, then at Jiang Zhiyan, who was surrounded by a swirling vortex of spiritual energy, and suddenly felt like it wasn’t good for her to be so idle.

She thought for a few seconds, then stuffed a large piece of meat into her mouth.

Since she didn’t want to cultivate, she might as well keep her mouth busy.

It was shameful to waste food.

After finishing her meal, Su Huo suddenly realized something.

She seemed to be trapped here as well. Jiang Zhiyan was in meditation, and people in meditation couldn’t be disturbed, did she have to wait until Jiang Zhiyan came out before she could leave?

She couldn’t even stand staying in the entertaining Tianyan Pavilion, staying in this boring courtyard for months would probably kill her.

After eating her fill, Su Huo stood up and tentatively touched the barrier. She found that her hand easily passed through it, and because she had used some force, she almost fell.

She looked back at Song Jin’yue, who immediately put down her things and ran over. She also reached out and tentatively touched the barrier.

The barrier was still there, unchanged.

“So this barrier only blocks you?” Su Huo withdrew her hand. “Then I’ll leave tomorrow morning, I’ll clean up the table, you can continue practicing your swordsmanship.”

Song Jin’yue looked at the barrier. She found Jiang Zhiyan to be very contradictory, she could sense Jiang Zhiyan’s concern for her, but she hadn’t shown her any trust so far.

She sighed softly.

Even now, she really wouldn’t run away, but how could she make Jiang Zhiyan believe her?

She thought about Su Huo saying Jiang Zhiyan lacked a sense of security, so how could she give her a sense of security? This was all unfamiliar and distant to her.

The next morning, Su Huo said goodbye to Song Jin’yue. Su Huo briskly walked out of the courtyard, but when she tried to go back in, she found herself blocked.

Su Huo’s eyes widened.

This barrier only allowed exit, not entry?

So Jiang Zhiyan had planned to get rid of her all along.