Chapter 75: If He Dies, I Die Too

Chapter 75: If He Dies, I Die Too

Shen Lian and He Ci had barely found their footing when the Immortal Boat suddenly started spinning a full three-sixty.

"Damn it!"

The boat erupted in a chorus of miserable yells.

Shen Lian and He Ci were forced apart, and He Ci scrambled to grab Shen Lian's hand. "A Lian!"

But just as he moved, a fierce gust of wind laced with demonic energy came barreling at him.

It could cleave He Ci in two in the next instant.

Shen Lian barked, "Don't come over!"

He Ci could only fall back, watching helplessly as Shen Lian got flung to the other side again.

Shen Lian was definitely not having a good time. The boat was like a giant pendulum, but even worse—and there was no safety net. Normally, as cultivators, they wouldn't be this pathetic, but the real problem was they still had to keep the boat's defensive formation up.

Shen Lian's head was spinning, and his face had gone pale.

But the next second, something wrapped around his waist, steadying him and taking the edge off the dizzying, weightless feeling.

Shen Lian figured it was He Ci charging over despite the danger. "Didn't I tell you not to move around so recklessly?"

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing it was that young man, Shen Nian.

Meeting his eyes, Shen Nian said quietly, "Sorry, I saw you were having a hard time. Don't worry, I'm not touching you."

Shen Lian looked down—what was wrapped around his waist wasn't a hand, but a sword hilt.

Shen Nian offered him a gentle smile.

Shen Lian was about to refuse when Shen Nian's face suddenly turned serious. "We're about to enter the passage."

Shen Lian's expression immediately turned grim. Up ahead, an exit was visible, its other end pitch black, like a gaping bloody maw ready to swallow them whole.

He'd heard earlier—those demons had dumped them in the Lost Snow Domain, the most dangerous place for demons, rumored to be a leftover corner from when the sky was patched up, buried in snow all year round.

Roaming here were only mindless beast-demons and demons, along with some vicious, exiled horrors.

Great. They hadn't made it to Tianyang City, and now they were stuck here instead.

As they got closer to that dark void, fear crept onto the faces of every cultivator on board.

They could almost see what was waiting on the other side—something that would rip them to shreds.

The boundary loomed closer. He Ci, seeing Shen Nian practically holding Shen Lian, gritted his teeth and charged over, grabbing Shen Lian's other hand. "A Lian, don't be scared, I'll protect you."

As he spoke, he shot a vicious glare at the young man named Shen Nian.

Shen Nian merely quirked the corner of his lips. He Ci couldn't tell what that smile meant—sarcasm? Mockery?

He found out soon enough. The boat fully crossed the boundary.

A massive force, strong enough to tear everyone apart, swept over them all at once. The boat's defenses shattered completely, and the vessel itself broke apart.

He Ci's pupils shrank as he was about to be hurled out.

At that moment, Shen Nian withdrew his sword hilt and murmured, "Forgive me."

Then he wrapped his arm around Shen Lian's waist, pulling him into his arms.

He was about to raise his eyes and coldly sweep them over He Ci.

But unexpectedly, Shen Lian reached out and grabbed He Ci's wrist tightly. "He Ci, don't let go."

The smile at the corner of Shen Nian's lips froze. His gaze fell to the two wrists, where black threads were rapidly tangling together.

Shen Lian had hit his limit. He'd used who knows how many treasures to protect himself and He Ci.

Then he blacked out completely.

When he woke up again, it was to bone-piercing cold.

Shen Lian's body trembled as he blearily opened his eyes. Around him was nothing but desolation, snow falling from above—but strangely, the snow seemed to hit an invisible barrier before it could touch his head.

His mind was foggy at first. He thought he was still back on Earth, confused by the bizarre scene.

Then his eyes moved, and a handsome face came into view. The young man's voice was gentle. "You're awake."

Shen Lian slowly came to. He had arrived at the Lost Snow Domain.

Not only that, he realized his upper body was resting in Shen Nian's arms. Shen Nian was sitting cross-legged, holding him.

Shen Lian sat up immediately.

Shen Nian was about to ask if he felt okay anywhere, but Shen Lian's first thought was He Ci. "He Ci? Where are you?"

Behind him, Shen Nian's eyes were dark and terrifying.

All Shen Lian could see was white as far as the eye could reach. "He Ci?"

He turned to Shen Nian. "Did you see He Ci or not?!"

Shen Nian shook his head. "No, I didn't."

But Shen Lian immediately rolled up his sleeve, followed the curse line, and finally found He Ci buried under a thick layer of snow, eyes squeezed shut.

The little paper figure also crawled out of Shen Lian's clothes, digging at the snow with all its might.

"Gotta dig! Gotta dig for people!"

Shen Nian followed behind him, his eyes locked on the black line. "What is this?"

Shen Lian seemed not to hear him. He dragged He Ci out of the snow.

"He Ci."

He Ci was covered in wounds, but luckily, as a Sword Cultivator, he was thick-skinned, so he still had a breath left—though he wasn't in great shape.

Shen Lian immediately pulled a pill out of his storage pouch. He Ci definitely couldn't swallow it in his state, so Shen Lian grabbed a medicine bowl, dissolved the pill in water, and got ready to pour it down He Ci's throat. But He Ci's jaw was clenched tight from the cold.

Shen Lian couldn't get his mouth open at all.

He frowned, then simply took a mouthful himself and grabbed He Ci's chin.

Shen Nian, who had been watching coldly, immediately seized his wrist. "What the hell are you doing?"

Shen Lian said icily, "None of your business. We're not that close, are we?"

Shen Nian pursed his thin lips, took the medicine bowl from Shen Lian's hand, and said, "No need to go through all that. I have a way."

Shen Lian wondered what way he could possibly have, but Shen Nian had already taken the bowl from him before he could argue.

Shen Lian started to say something, but Shen Nian somehow actually managed to get He Ci's mouth open.

Seeing that, Shen Lian's tense body relaxed.

He didn't notice Shen Nian subtly shift to block his view.

Shen Nian looked down at He Ci with an expressionless face, then dumped the medicine out.

He came back and handed the empty bowl to Shen Lian. "There, nothing to worry about now?"

Shen Lian ignored him. His Spiritual Sea still hadn't recovered from the earlier jostling.

"So what's your deal with him? Why do you care so much?" Shen Nian asked casually.

Shen Lian rubbed his brow and said flatly, "We're bound by life and death."

Shen Nian: "?"

Shen Lian shook the black thread connecting his wrist to He Ci's. "This is a twin curse. If he dies, I die too."

He raised his eyes and stared at Shen Nian with a blank expression. "Are you done asking?"

Shen Nian: "..."

Shen Nian glanced at the bowl in his hand, then turned away. "Done."