Chapter 61: Shen Lian Loved Him So Much

Chapter 61: Shen Lian Loved Him Like This

His eyes flew wide open, and even Shen Lian's hand froze mid-air.

Ling Yun's sword spirit was still blazing, its voice thick with pain.

It turned to Yan Huaixuan. "I'm sorry, Master. I let you down. Back then, maybe even you didn't realize how much Shen Lian had gotten to you."

"I was afraid you'd lose your path to ascension, so I took it upon myself to teach Shen Lian a wrong cultivation manual."

"That manual would ruin Shen Lian's spiritual foundation."

Yan Huaixuan's pupils shrank. It took him a long moment to slowly drag his gaze to Shen Lian's face.

He'd thought Ling Yun had just made a few tweaks when teaching Shen Lian, but he never imagined Ling Yun had written the manual backwards.

Ling Yun's form flickered, and scenes began to unfold before them.

Yan Huaixuan watched—these were scenes from the lower realm.

In them was Shen Lian.

Shen Lian was holding Ling Yun, curled up on the bed, voice hoarse, tears welling in his eyes.

"Yan Huaixuan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take your chance away."

Or maybe when Ling Yun was teaching him the technique, Shen Lian's eyes lit up.

He immediately wrote it down, then double-checked it over and over, before shyly coming up to Yan Huaixuan.

"A Xuan, this is the manual. Practice this, and you can ascend too."

Seeing the joy in Shen Lian's eyes, and a hint of trying to please—but Shen Lian didn't know this manual would one day ruin his spiritual foundation.

Yan Huaixuan's breath hitched.

At that moment, he couldn't breathe at all.

When Shen Lian had given him that wrong manual, what had he been thinking?

He had thought—

Shen Lian didn't just want to steal his chance—he wanted to destroy him.

Yan Huaixuan had scoffed at the thought.

The scenes shifted again—Shen Lian, just moments before, had been leaning softly against him, telling him that once they both cultivated, they could ascend to the upper realm and become a carefree dao couple.

At the time, Yan Huaixuan had felt nothing, but in Ling Yun's recording—

Yan Huaixuan now saw how cold his own gaze had been.

And Shen Lian had suddenly scrambled out of his arms in a panic, pretending to be fine, saying he'd go make dinner.

But the moment he stepped out of the main hall, he leaned against a tree, hunched over, and blood poured from his mouth.

Shen Lian frantically wiped the blood from his lips, muttering, confused.

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening to me?"

Shen Lian was as frantic as a lost, helpless child, despair written all over his face.

Shen Lian didn't know why, but Ling Yun did.

Now Yan Huaixuan knew as well.

When Ling Yun hesitated, suggesting Shen Lian stop cultivating for a while—

But Shen Lian shook his head.

"I'm about to ascend with Yan Huaixuan."

He absolutely couldn't fall behind.

"I can't slow Yan Huaixuan down."

Hearing those words, Yan Huaixuan suddenly felt an indescribable pain clawing its way out of his hollow chest.

Yan Huaixuan's eyes were dry and stinging.

Yan Huaixuan already knew what came next.

Shen Lian, already poisoned to the bone, had no idea he was dying, still dreaming of ascending with Yan Huaixuan.

Love shone from every corner of his eyes and brows.

Until—

that day, when he watched Yan Huaixuan cut the red thread of fate.

Seeing this, Yan Huaixuan spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering all over his robes. On the snow-white hem, large patches of red stood out starkly.

Ling Yun didn't know why it had held onto these memories.

Maybe it was its own unease, maybe its guilt.

But Ling Yun knew one thing—all these years, it hadn't been able to break through because it had already spawned an inner demon.

Yet unexpectedly, Shen Lian suddenly swept all those images aside.

"Get the hell out!"

Yan Huaixuan looked at Shen Lian, only to see utter disgust on his face, his voice filled with bone-deep, rasping hatred.

"Who told you to keep these?"

These were all Shen Lian's most hated memories—every single one reminded him of how stupid he'd been in the past.

Every single one reminded him that he'd been pathetic.

Yan Huaixuan turned to Shen Lian. "Shen Lian..."

Seeing the hint of guilt in his eyes only made Shen Lian feel sicker.

"I don't need your guilt. Go to hell, you and your sword!"

Ling Yun was now nothing but a wisp of a remnant soul, speaking weakly.

"Shen Lian, don't blame my master. He didn't know. Back then, when your body self-destructed, it was my master who used half his cultivation to rebuild your spiritual foundation."

“At first, the master just wanted to teach you a lesson, not to destroy you. The master is not that kind of person.”

But Shen Lian wouldn’t listen. He sneered, “Don’t think I’m fooled—you’re just making that up to cover for your master!”

“My life was bought with Chen Xue’s life!”

Even Ling Yun was taken aback by Shen Lian’s words.

He hurriedly said, “Look for yourself—Chen Xue, he—”

But his flame was nearly spent.

In the end, he was swallowed by the flames.

Ling Yun’s voice faded.

Finally, it dwindled to just one phrase.

“I’m sorry.”

Shen Lian clutched Chen Xue tightly and sneered, “Liar.”

He lunged straight at Yan Huaixuan.

Meanwhile, the sect cultivators outside were about to break through the barrier he’d set.

Yan Huaixuan was forced to withdraw his spiritual power early.

Just as Shen Lian thought he could kill Yan Huaixuan, a powerful surge of spiritual energy suddenly gathered around Yan Huaixuan.

Shen Lian’s eyes narrowed, and Yan Huaixuan effortlessly caught the sword in his hand.

“How is this possible…”

Yan Huaixuan’s voice was hoarse. “Do you think I could hold off the elders of the Ten Great Sects alone, yet fail to withstand your mere Void-Thread stage?”

Shen Lian’s face darkened. Unwilling to believe it, he pressed his attack harder.

Yan Huaixuan sensed the cultivators’ auras drawing closer. His voice was raspy as he said, “Shen Lian, whatever grudge you hold, let’s deal with the Ten Great Sects’ elders first.”

Shen Lian sneered, “I’d rather die alongside you!”

At those words, a sharp pain stabbed through Yan Huaixuan’s heart again.

But he forced it down. A pale blue bell appeared in his palm. As the bell grew, it enveloped Shen Lian, forming a barrier around him.

Shen Lian refused to accept it. He struggled desperately, slamming into the barrier, but couldn’t break through.

“Yan Huaixuan,” Shen Lian stared at him from inside the barrier, “you’ll die a horrible death!”

At that moment, the whole space twisted and rippled.

Yan Huaixuan gazed at him through the barrier and said quietly, “Shen Lian, don’t resist.”

Cultivators flooded the sky above, and the entire small secret realm trembled.

“Kill the demon!”

As those words fell, Yan Huaixuan’s sword pierced the barrier and ran straight through Shen Lian’s chest.

Shen Lian let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from his lips.

He stared hard at Yan Huaixuan, but his senses slowly faded. Through the haze, he heard something.

“Yan has slain the demon.”

Yan Huaixuan had killed him for the second time.

When the cultivators in the air approached, all they saw was Yan Huaixuan pulling his sword from the demon’s body.

His expression was unreadable.

The demon’s aura was weak. From their angle, they couldn’t see the face—only the jade token bearing the name Lian Song.