Chapter 175: Ye Junhe

Chapter 175 Ye Junhe

Shen Lian raised his finger, and the shattered mirror fragment crumbled into ash. A faint shriek rang through the air, and then everything went quiet.

The world around him was fading away.

Everything Shen Lian knew began to dissolve.

But then, Shen Lian suddenly felt like all his strength had drained away.

Just as his body went limp, Yan Huaixuan caught him.

Shen Lian hesitated, his voice hoarse. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

He lifted his hand to push Yan Huaixuan away and straighten himself.

But Yan Huaixuan called out, "Shen Lian."

He looked at Shen Lian very seriously and said quietly, "It's okay to let yourself be vulnerable sometimes."

Shen Lian froze.

Yan Huaixuan said softly, "Ever since you entered the Great Wilderness Spirit Realm, you haven't relaxed for even a moment."

"You're very strong now, and you've grown so much."

Take the Mirror Demon, for example—Shen Lian solved the puzzle quickly, and even when facing the most fragile parts of his own heart, he stayed calm and clear-headed.

"But I also hope you can relax sometimes and rest in my arms for a bit."

"I'm not saying this because I want you to depend on me," Yan Huaixuan said, his fingertip gently brushing the corner of Shen Lian's eye. "I just want you to know that I've always been here for you."

Maybe because of everything he'd been through in the mortal world, Shen Lian had always wanted to appear strong. He didn't want to rely on anyone or show any weakness.

Even around Yan Huaixuan.

Shen Lian paused, then looked away. "Why are you being so sappy all of a sudden?"

Yan Huaixuan pursed his lips. "It's my fault."

A thousand words, and all of it was because of him.

If it weren't for him, Shen Lian would still be that innocent and carefree person.

Not like this, with high walls built around himself.

But then, unexpectedly, Shen Lian buried his face in Yan Huaixuan's chest.

It was so sudden that Yan Huaixuan froze. His eyes moved stiffly.

They settled on Shen Lian's hair.

Shen Lian's face was buried in his chest, and his voice came out muffled. "So big."

Those three words made Yan Huaixuan's eye twitch.

He sucked in a breath. "Shen Lian!"

Shen Lian lifted his head from Yan Huaixuan's chest, his eyes dark and unreadable. "What? Didn't you just say I could lean on you for a bit?"

As he spoke, he placed one hand on Yan Huaixuan's chest.

Then, right in front of Yan Huaixuan, he gave it a squeeze.

Shen Lian said slowly, "Beep. Rest successful."

With that, Shen Lian started to pull away from Yan Huaixuan's arms.

But Yan Huaixuan grabbed his wrist and yanked him back.

Yan Huaixuan pressed a kiss to Shen Lian's forehead.

Meeting Shen Lian's gaze, Yan Huaixuan couldn't help but smile. "I need a rest too."

He paused. "Mm, that was very effective."

Meeting his eyes, Shen Lian's heart thumped wildly.

It was all Yan Huaixuan's fault for seducing him for no reason.

Now he felt completely flustered.

Shen Lian gritted his teeth and smacked Yan Huaixuan's chest.

"Stop seducing people."

Yan Huaixuan was startled at first, then helpless. "Don't accuse me falsely. When did I ever seduce anyone?"

Shen Lian ignored him, the corner of his mouth curling up as he turned and walked away.

Yan Huaixuan watched him go, utterly helpless. He quickly caught up and reattached himself to the little paper figure, returning to Shen Lian's chest.

After the Mirror Demon died, the seawater vanished, and the world returned to its normal order.

Shen Lian's feet touched solid ground. He looked around, searching for his fellow disciples.

But the surroundings were desolate—he was completely alone.

Even the Water Mirror used for broadcasting was gone.

Shen Lian frowned. Had he been the only one pulled into that world?

"Mm, you were the one who landed the final blow on the Mirror Demon. It held a grudge, so in its dying struggle, it cast an illusion on you."

Shen Lian hummed in acknowledgment. If he hadn't been able to face the scenes in the illusion, he would have been slowly devoured by it and eventually possessed by the Mirror Demon.

Shen Lian stepped forward. "Let's go. We'll probably run into them soon."

Shen Lian's guess was right. He hadn't gone far before he heard noises.

To be safe, Shen Lian didn't show himself right away.

Only when he went over and confirmed it was Mo Xingyuan and the other two did Shen Lian step out.

"Senior brother, senior sisters."

The three of them froze when they saw Shen Lian, then immediately rushed over.

"Lian Song!"

"Junior brother."

Li Xuan strode over. "Lian Song, it really is you. Where did you disappear to?"

Shen Lian said, "The Mirror Demon counterattacked as it was dying, dragging me into its illusion world."

Upon hearing this, Mo Xingyuan and the others asked nervously, "Did you get hurt?"

Shen Lian shook his head. "I'm fine."

Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief.

Mo Xingyuan quickly filled Shen Lian in.

It turned out that the moment they entered the small secret realm, the Mirror Demon had swept them away.

But the Mirror Demon had only snatched a few hundred cultivators; the rest were dealing with all sorts of other demonic beasts.

At that, Li Xuan frowned slightly. "Wasn't Fei Yun supposed to be really righteous? Why are there evil demonic beasts in his secret realm?"

After all, the cultivators the Mirror Demon devoured were really dead.

Everyone else shook their heads.

Once the Mirror Demon died, they entered the real secret realm—this forest.

But according to Mo Xingyuan, when they woke up and realized Shen Lian was gone, they'd been searching everywhere for him, while also looking for a way out of the forest.

"This forest is weird. No matter which way we walk, we end up back where we started."

"A ghost maze?" Shen Lian frowned.

Zhao Yin shook her head. "Not sure yet."

"Oh, right, we met some people."

Mo Xingyuan shifted aside a bit so Shen Lian could see the people ahead clearly.

The second Shen Lian looked over, he froze.

Those three had an aura that stood out immediately.

Their cultivation was deep and unfathomable. Even seeing the four of them from the Qingfeng Sect, they didn't bat an eye.

Instead, they stayed calm and polite.

"Who are they?"

Shen Lian's gaze swept over the leader, and his eyes flickered slightly.

He pushed down the weird feeling inside him.

Of the three, the man in front was handsome and introduced himself: "I'm Ye Junhe, a wandering cultivator."

"These are my younger brother and sister—Ye Canglan and Ye Congyue."

Shen Lian nodded upon hearing this.

Zhao Yin said, "Just now, Li Xuan was almost ambushed by a demonic beast, and it was Miss Congyue who saved him."

Li Xuan looked a bit embarrassed.

Congyue simply nodded.

Ye Junhe's gaze fell on Shen Lian, and he said warmly, "May I ask your name?"

"Lian Song."

Ye Junhe nodded. "I see this forest is not very safe. How about we form an alliance and leave together first?"

Shen Lian looked at Mo Xingyuan. "I'll go with whatever the senior brother says."