Chapter 74: The Unattainable Beauty Turns Jealous

Chapter 74: The Unattainable Beauty Turns into a Jealous Lover

Shen Lian immediately realized that the other person was indeed somewhat similar to He Ci—not in facial features, but in the aura he carried and his overall type of looks.

He Ci was on the more handsome side, and so was the man in front of them.

Seeing that they hadn't spoken, the young man asked again in a gentle voice, "Mind if I sit here? If it's taken, I'll go."

Shen Lian averted his gaze.

He Ci, however, didn't notice anything unusual. "No one's sitting there. You can take that seat."

He pointed at the chair across from him, but to his surprise, the guy didn't even look at him. He simply nodded, then sat down beside Shen Lian, offering him a smile. "Thanks."

He Ci: "...?"

At that moment, even someone as laid-back as him could sense a hint of danger.

He asked casually, "What's your name?"

The young man acted like he hadn't heard him at all, instead turning to Shen Lian. "Can I know your name? I'm Shen Nian."

Shen Lian frowned and looked away. "Sorry, but I don't think we're at the point of exchanging names yet."

Shen Nian didn't say anything else, just gave a soft "Mm."

He Ci couldn't hold it in any longer. He tugged Shen Lian's sleeve. "A Lian, let's go sit over there."

But the second the name "A Lian" left his mouth, He Ci felt an intense chill crawl up his spine.

But when he turned to look, there was nothing.

Shen Lian noticed something was off with him. "What's wrong?"

He Ci also found it odd. "Do you feel a cold draft around here?"

Shen Lian shook his head. "No."

He looked at He Ci. "You felt something?"

He Ci nodded quickly. "Yeah."

Shen Lian seemed to think of something, his face darkening as he immediately looked around.

His body tensed up. Could it be that he's here?

It wasn't that Shen Lian was overthinking—Yan Huaixuan was just too unpredictable. He didn't know if he'd really escaped Yan Huaixuan's clutches, or if Yan Huaixuan just hadn't come after him yet.

As he was thinking, Shen Lian's gaze landed on the guy who called himself Shen Nian again.

Noticing the look, Shen Nian froze for a second, then quickly flashed him a shy smile.

Shen Lian paused and looked away.

As far as he knew, Yan Huaixuan would never have that kind of expression.

That man always hid everything deep inside, his face always carrying an aloofness no one could read—more precisely, Yan Huaixuan never kept anyone in his heart to begin with.

Let alone an expression with even a hint of fawning or shyness.

But Shen Lian still swapped seats with He Ci.

He Ci immediately grinned and turned back to give Shen Nian a little chin-up.

What he got instead was a pair of completely emotionless eyes.

But it disappeared in an instant.

He Ci didn't think much of it—after all, they'd be at Tianyang City soon.

But unexpectedly, the Immortal Boat hadn't been flying long before it suddenly stopped.

The whole boat started rocking violently.

He Ci and Shen Lian sat up. "What's going on?"

Furong, who'd been there earlier, also came out, her face changing. "Damn, talk about bad luck!"

Up ahead, massive black clouds started gathering, the demonic energy swirling above threatening to swallow the whole city.

A group of demons had been blocked outside Sun City's barrier, pissed that they couldn't get in—when they turned around, they spotted an Immortal Boat slowly drifting their way.

One by one, they turned to stare at the people on the boat.

"Looks like tonight won't be a total waste after all."

"Save the freshest one for me!"

Shen Lian also paused—he was pretty familiar with one of the demon leaders.

It was none other than Tadanya of the former wolf clan.

In an instant, all the laughter turned into terrified screams. After all, anyone who came here to have fun clearly didn't train much.

The crowd looked toward Tianyang City in panic. "City Lord! Save us!"

"City Lord, open the barrier and let us in!"

The old cultivator stationed in Tianyang City slowly opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I can't open it. Tianyang City is too important—if the demons get in, the Primordial Realm will fall into chaos."

"But I've already asked the nearby cities and sects for help. You'll have to find a way to hold them off."

Hearing that, the demons all burst out laughing. "A boat full of trash like this?"

Furong gritted her teeth in anger. "Damn it! Of all times, they had to show up now!"

How the hell were they supposed to hold them off?

There were even demons at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, while their side was nothing but a bunch of dead weight.

A rainbow-colored crystal suddenly appeared in Furong's hand.

She shouted sharply, "Everyone! If you don't want to die, pour every last bit of your spiritual energy into this stone!"

"This is a top-grade teleportation crystal—it can move our whole boat in an instant!"

Hearing that, everyone immediately started pouring their spiritual energy into the crystal.

Shen Lian, however, sensed that something was off.

He pressed a hand against He Ci. "Don't move."

After a dozen or so cultivators had poured all their spiritual power into the teleportation stone, Furong waved her hand and took off with her Hehuan Sect disciples, men and women alike.

"Hehe, you guys hold the rear—our Hehuan Sect is outta here first."

"You bunch of scumbags!"

"But this Immortal Boat is a defensive artifact—if you can hold out, you might just make it until backup arrives~" Furong flicked her hair back. "I didn't even take the Immortal Boat with me. Toodles."

He Ci couldn't help it. "Damn!"

He looked at Shen Lian. "How did you figure it out?"

Shen Lian nodded. "I noticed none of the Hehuan Sect cultivators were channeling their spiritual power—they were all crowding around Furong instead."

He Ci gritted his teeth, and just then, the demon army flew right up to them.

He Ci ground his teeth. "What are you standing around for? Defend yourselves!"

The cultivators who'd been complaining scrambled to activate the flying ship, and in an instant, the Immortal Boat was enveloped in a massive barrier.

From among the demons came a mocking voice, "These cowards really did turtle up in a shell."

"Why not just toss them into the wilderness?"

Tadanya sneered with contempt. "A bunch of human trash—I'd dirty my hands just dealing with them."

Shen Lian and the others suddenly realized their ship had been grabbed from behind and hurled violently away.

In an instant, they were plunged into the eye of the storm.

The Immortal Boat pitched violently, and Shen Lian swayed with it.

He Ci quickly moved to grab Shen Lian. "A Lian, hold onto me."

But unexpectedly, that Shen Nian guy was faster, catching Shen Lian around the waist first. Shen Lian froze, then heard a low, gentle voice by his ear, "It happened so suddenly—sorry for the intrusion."

He Ci's eyes widened. He stepped forward to shove Shen Nian away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Shen Nian's hand came up empty. He rubbed his fingertips together, then shot He Ci a smile. "At a time like this, what's on your mind?"

He Ci frowned. "You—just stay the hell away from A Lian, that's all."

"Enough. Let's focus on steadying the Immortal Boat first."

Shen Lian cut off both their words. He thanked Shen Nian, then grabbed He Ci's hand and turned away. "Don't waste words with him—let's find a way to stop the ship first."

Anyone with eyes could see that Shen Lian was on He Ci's side.

Behind them, the smile Shen Nian had managed to keep vanished in an instant. He stared at the two standing together.

His gaze lingered especially on the hand where Shen Lian was gripping He Ci's wrist.