Chapter 101: Are You Concerned About Me, or About the Primordial Realm?

Chapter 101: Are You Worried About Me, or About the Tai Chu Realm?

He Ci kept his eyes fixed on him. "I know, Shen Lian, this is what drew me to you."

Shen Lian seemed cold and distant, but underneath, he had a gentle, kind heart.

His looks were just one side of Shen Lian.

He Ci paused for a moment. "If I could, I'd want you to be happy, Shen Lian. You're carrying too much right now."

Shen Lian hesitated. "Don't read too much into it. My life's fine as is."

He Ci shook his head and dropped it.

Yan Huaixuan had said he'd be fine in three hours, but when Shen Lian returned, Yan Huaixuan's face was still paper-white.

Shen Lian's brow furrowed hard. He sat beside Yan Huaixuan and pressed his fingers to Yan Huaixuan's wrist, only to find that the spiritual energy inside him was still a mess.

Shen Lian's pupils shrank. He looked at Yan Huaixuan. "Didn't you say you'd be back to normal in three hours?"

Yan Huaixuan coughed once. "When you ask that, are you worried about me, or about whether I can still fight for the Tai Chu Realm?"

Shen Lian pursed his lips. "Obviously for the Tai Chu Realm."

"Mm," Yan Huaixuan dropped his gaze. "Don't worry, it won't slow things down. I'll be back on the battlefield tomorrow."

It was Shen Lian himself who had given that answer, yet seeing Yan Huaixuan like this, his heart unexpectedly clenched.

He stood up coldly. "Since you've got it handled, I won't say more. Get some rest."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Yan Huaixuan's mouth—hard to read.

When he finished, he saw Shen Lian still hadn't left.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Lian said flatly, "Nothing!"

His voice was heavy as he turned to go, but then he sensed an icy spiritual sense sweeping straight over their area.

Cultivators didn't usually just throw their spiritual sense around. If it brushed against a big shot, that'd be seen as a provocation.

Whoever dared to do this had to be totally sure of their own strength, and moreover, that power carried a faint whiff of demonic energy Shen Lian caught.

Daring to pull something like this in cultivator territory?

Shen Lian moved fast. He grabbed Yan Huaixuan, yanked him close, and threw out a treasure.

The treasure looked like an umbrella, spinning slowly above their heads. The spiritual power it gave off instantly hid them both.

But that spiritual sense hung around, refusing to leave, like it was hunting for something.

Shen Lian's heart dropped, because he remembered what He Ci had told him.

It wasn't just cultivators after Yan Huaixuan—the demons also seemed sure he was the Demon God about to be born.

So this demon had come for Yan Huaixuan?

To be clear, no one knew yet that the one who'd drawn the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Thunder was Yan Huaixuan.

But anyone who could piss off Heaven was on the same side as the demons.

The demons would definitely come take that person.

That spiritual sense kept circling, not leaving. Shen Lian could barely keep the Flower Shadow Umbrella going above his head.

Yan Huaixuan frowned and put his hand on Shen Lian. "That person's cultivation is at least Heavenly Immortal Realm. Your Flower Shadow Umbrella won't last more than two incense sticks' worth of time. Get out of here now—I won't die."

Shen Lian glanced at Yan Huaixuan. "Not your business. I already told you—"

Before Shen Lian could finish, Yan Huaixuan cut in, "I know. You said I'm the Tai Chu Realm's savior, and my life's still worth something."

Shen Lian opened his mouth, instinctively looking up to meet Yan Huaixuan's eyes.

But he couldn't see anything clearly—Yan Huaixuan's eyes looked like they were wrapped in fog.

Shen Lian looked away. "As long as you know that."

Just as Shen Lian was thinking about how to hide their tracks once the Flower Shadow Umbrella gave out, the demon's spiritual sense disappeared.

Gone?

Shen Lian held on for another half an incense stick's worth of time. Still no movement. Everything was as quiet as before.

Chen Xue and the little paper person were scared stiff.

"Did it leave?"

Shen Lian said at once, "No."

He grabbed Yan Huaixuan and ripped a Teleportation Scroll in one go. The two of them vanished on the spot.

Right after they teleported, Shen Lian looked back and saw a crimson figure appear in the sky where they'd just been. The figure had blazing red hair and held a three-pronged spear, charging straight for their house.

Chen Xue gritted her teeth. "Good thing we got out of there."

But Shen Lian didn't look happy at all. That demon's power was definitely nothing to mess with.

After all, it had shown up above Floating Cloud City, and He Ci and the others had no clue.

And if they really left and the demon couldn't find them, what if it took its rage out on all of Floating Cloud City?

Shen Lian immediately shot a message to He Ci's jade token.

He Ci was stunned on the other end. "A demon? We felt that spiritual sense too, but we just figured it was some big shot from a sect!"

Shen Lian was caught off guard too.

Chen Xue said, "Maybe since you used to be half a demon cultivator, you're more sensitive to demonic energy."

But that wasn't something she could tell He Ci.

He Ci clearly trusted Shen Lian a lot. "I'll quietly gather the sects now."

Shen Lian held the second scroll tight but didn't move.

Yan Huaixuan seemed to read his mind.

He grabbed Shen Lian's hand. "Crush it."

Shen Lian suddenly looked at Yan Huaixuan. "What did you say?"

Meeting his cold, questioning gaze, Yan Huaixuan's tone stayed flat. "Don't overthink it. If you're worried about Floating Cloud City getting caught in the crossfire, just teleport us somewhere else. I'll find a way to lure that demon over."

Shen Lian hadn't expected that response.

For a second, he stood there, frozen.

For a split second, he thought Yan Huaixuan was telling him to abandon Floating Cloud City together.

Shen Lian pursed his lips. "Oh."

He crushed the scroll, deliberately picking a spot way out in the middle of nowhere.

Shen Lian was about to ask Yan Huaixuan how he'd lure the demon.

He looked up and saw half of Yan Huaixuan's cold, handsome face crawling with purple curse marks again, his eyes turning a stark, bare violet.

In that instant, the world changed color—as if the Heavenly Dao itself sensed unprecedented wickedness, and Heavenly Thunder began to gather, drop by drop.

But Yan Huaixuan only let it show for a second before the curse marks on his skin faded away.

In their place, blood spilled from the corner of his lips. His brows furrowed, his face going even paler.

He grabbed Shen Lian's hand. "Keep teleporting."

Sure enough, with that Heavenly Thunder, a dense surge of demonic energy came rushing from afar.

They were now sure—this demon was targeting Yan Huaixuan specifically.

Shen Lian immediately used the third scroll.

What they didn't know was that shortly after they left, a figure appeared in midair, staring at the now-empty spot with a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Where do you think you're running to?"

This time, Shen Lian and Yan Huaixuan teleported to a remote wasteland.

No cities here—even if a fight broke out, it wouldn't affect other cultivators.

But the moment they landed, Shen Lian felt Yan Huaixuan, who he was supporting, get heavier.

That's when Shen Lian felt something warm spreading across his shoulder.

His pupils contracted. He quickly set Yan Huaixuan down, only to see the blood at the corner of his lips—flowing without end.