Chapter 186: Dao Companion Contract

Chapter 186: Dao Companion Contract

Yan Huaixuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he allowed Shen Lian to kiss him.

He could sense the faint trace of fear and dread coming from Shen Lian.

God knows what was going through Shen Lian's mind when he realized Yan Huaixuan was gone.

He had been terrified that Yan Huaixuan had truly died, or vanished entirely.

That no matter where he searched—high or low—he'd never see Yan Huaixuan again.

Shen Lian kissed him hard, like he was trying to prove Yan Huaixuan was really right there in front of him.

Yan Huaixuan went along with it completely, even parting his lips to let Shen Lian explore.

But compared to him, Shen Lian's kissing was clearly a little clumsy.

All he could do was kiss and lick all over the place with no technique, never quite getting it right, like no matter how he kissed, he just couldn't hit the spot.

Eventually, Shen Lian just gave up kissing. He pouted and looked at Yan Huaixuan.

Yan Huaixuan got it right away. He gently held Shen Lian, first kissing away the dampness at the corner of his eyes, then finally taking Shen Lian's lips with his own.

Shen Lian's small nose twitched a little as he slowly closed his eyes.

Clearly, Yan Huaixuan was taking very good care of him.

Who knows how long it had been.

Only then did Yan Huaixuan pull away from Shen Lian.

Shen Lian's eyes were glazed over as he leaned against Yan Huaixuan, his head resting on his chest.

Shen Lian caught his breath, trying to calm his racing blood.

Something occurred to him, and he looked up at Yan Huaixuan. "How did you suddenly reform your physical body?"

Shen Lian frowned. "This wouldn't have anything to do with that corpse, would it?"

Yan Huaixuan said, "Mm. That corpse tried to absorb me, but I ended up absorbing it instead."

Yan Huaixuan said it like it was no big deal, but Shen Lian couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

He stared at Yan Huaixuan and suddenly asked, "So did anything new show up in your head?"

Yan Huaixuan looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

Shen Lian pressed his lips together. He thought of the ancient battlefield and the figure in it who looked so much like Yan Huaixuan...

Shen Lian thought about it and decided to tell Yan Huaixuan anyway.

"When I was fighting that corpse, I somehow saw its memories."

Yan Huaixuan's fingers, which had been playing with Shen Lian's hair, paused for a moment. "Oh?"

Shen Lian said, "I saw an ancient battlefield. It looked like the gods had fought over something, and almost the entire Great Wilderness Spirit Realm was destroyed."

Before Yan Huaixuan could say anything, Shen Lian went on, "And I also..."

Shen Lian paused, looking at Yan Huaixuan.

Yan Huaixuan's expression stayed calm. "It had something to do with me?"

Shen Lian nodded. "Yeah. In it, I saw a deity who looked a lot like you."

Shen Lian watched Yan Huaixuan's expression closely.

But all he saw was Yan Huaixuan's brow furrow slightly. "You saw me?"

"Yeah," Shen Lian said, seeing no other reaction from Yan Huaixuan, and figured he probably didn't know about any of this either.

"But there are so many people who look alike in this world. I probably just saw what I wanted to see."

"Then don't think about it anymore," Yan Huaixuan said, tilting his head to kiss the top of Shen Lian's head.

Shen Lian pressed a finger to his lips. "Wait. What's the quality of your body now?"

With that, Shen Lian grabbed Yan Huaixuan's wrist.

And started examining him thoroughly.

He found that Yan Huaixuan's aptitude was even better than it had been in his previous life.

Shen Lian finally let out a sigh of relief.

Yan Huaixuan found it funny watching Shen Lian's expression change back and forth. He asked on purpose, "Are you satisfied?"

Shen Lian snapped out of it and rolled his eyes. "You're asking me if I'm satisfied? Isn't this about whether you can cultivate in the future?"

Yan Huaixuan sighed, pretending to be worried. "But what if my aptitude really is terrible? What if I can't keep up with you later?"

His cool, clear eyes looked at Shen Lian, looking a little nervous.

Shen Lian: "Then I'll just dump you and find someone new."

The second Shen Lian said that, he saw Yan Huaixuan's expression change.

Shen Lian was immediately pulled into a cool embrace, Yan Huaixuan's hand gripping his waist tightly.

"Shen Lian!"

Shen Lian could hear the gritted teeth in Yan Huaixuan's voice. He let out a soft laugh, the corner of his lips curling up—this was what Yan Huaixuan got for messing with him.

But for now, the most important thing was still getting out of this little secret realm.

Shen Lian told Yan Huaixuan all about Fei Yun.

"I don't want to get involved in any of that," Shen Lian said. "Now that you've reformed your body, let's get out of here."

As for everyone else's business, Shen Lian just didn't care.

Yan Huaixuan stroked his head. "Okay."

"Oh, right. What cultivation realm are you at now?"

Yan Huaixuan glanced down at himself. "True Immortal Realm."

That was the same as when Shen Lian had first entered the Great Wilderness Spirit Realm, but the key thing was...

Yan Huaixuan had only just reforged his physical body.

Shen Lian couldn't help but glance at Yan Huaixuan.

Yan Huaixuan noticed his gaze and, having been observing their surroundings, turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Shen Lian shook his head. "Let's leave first."

But even though Shen Lian wanted nothing to do with it, people kept coming after them.

Just as Shen Lian rose to his feet, Fei Yun burst in, shouting, "Run! Those people are chasing us."

But before Fei Yun could reach them, a hand grabbed him by the collar.

Fei Yun froze, looked up, and met a pair of lifeless, cold, clear eyes.

In that instant, an overwhelming terror rose from the depths of Fei Yun's heart. As a cultivator who had touched the Dao of heaven, even with his cultivation sealed, he wouldn't usually be scared off by a single look.

But the person before him gave him a suffocating aura of dominance.

It was a fear that ran bone-deep, straight from the soul.

Shen Lian noticed Fei Yun's unease and turned back. "What's wrong?"

Fei Yun shook his head, and then he saw that the man with features as cold and otherworldly as a celestial being—whose eyes had just been lifeless and icy—softened into warmth the instant his gaze landed on Shen Lian.

Fei Yun snapped out of that extreme terror.

He thought to himself, this guy really has two sides to him.

Seeing Shen Lian still looking at him, Fei Yun shook his head once more. "Nothing. Let's go—those villagers are about to catch up to us."

Shen Lian heard the ruckus as well. He grabbed Yan Huaixuan's hand and, with his other hand, grabbed Fei Yun by the scruff of his neck.

Then he shot off into the air.

Fei Yun: "...What the hell?"

Why was it that this guy got to hold hands, but he got grabbed by the collar and hauled like a little chick?

But now he was at their mercy, so he had to swallow his pride.

Shen Lian hadn't gotten far before the sky started to shift.

From a distance, he saw a horde of shriveled corpses surging at him.

Judging by their clothes, they were all the villagers he had run into that day.

Shen Lian's brow knitted together.

Chen Xue grimaced in disgust. "Who the hell are these things?"

As the corpses surged forward, Shen Lian stopped, moved Yan Huaixuan behind him, and coldly confronted them. "Scram."

But the village chief at the lead had eyes bulging with rage. "You destroyed our altar!"

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes. Altar?

That lotus pond?

Shen Lian smiled faintly. "So what if I destroyed it? If you want to live, get the hell out of here."

They dared to take Yan Huaixuan—he was already being merciful by not torturing those corpses a thousand times over before killing them.

At his words, the corpses' faces twisted into grotesque grimaces.

"You—no, that great one..."

"You've destroyed everything we've built!"