Chapter 118: Kneel Down and Say Thank You

The White Lotus was still pinning Ning Xianyu down when, quite unexpectedly, she turned her head, smiled, and covered her mouth with a strange piece of cloth.

The next moment, she unleashed a blast from a bizarre-looking device.

"What are you—ah!"

The White Lotus shrieked, clutching her body and recoiling rapidly. She felt a searing, fiery pain—a torment far worse than being scorched by flames. Ning Xianyu pursued her, spraying the mist relentlessly. She prided herself on being a kind soul; even in the heat of the moment, she refrained from spraying the White Lotus’s face, targeting only her body.

The device in her hand was a herbicide, an upgraded version from the future that she had exchanged for using her system. Its beauty lay in the fact that it was harmless to humans while being lethally effective against plants. Although the White Lotus was an ancient entity of unknown age, she was still vulnerable to this concoction and was forced to retreat step by step.

Having secured her trump card, Ning Xianyu began to wreak havoc. She charged forward, aiming her device at the vines that were attacking Xuanyuan Tunhan, unleashing a fierce barrage.

"Ancestor, quickly, cover your mouth!" she shouted while spraying. Amidst the swirling mist, she looked incredibly valiant.

Xuanyuan Tunhan caught the pungent scent and naturally kept his distance. Nian Laisheng, watching the vines retreat, couldn't help but wonder what exactly she was wielding. The vines, intimidated by her spray, dared not advance further and instead circled her at a distance.

Ning Xianyu’s supply was finite; she couldn't spray forever, so she stood her ground, gripping the sprayer tightly while keeping a wary eye on the vines.

Nearby, Xuanyuan Tunhan suddenly lashed out with a kick, sending Nian Laisheng flying, and followed up with a sword strike. Nian Laisheng, ultimately less skilled in martial arts than Xuanyuan Tunhan, was struck in the abdomen and stumbled back, clutching his wound. Yet, he did not falter; instead, his gaze shifted.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he sighed, "Senior, I intended to persuade you with kind words and invite you to stay. I never wished for things to escalate to this point."

Xuanyuan Tunhan sneered, "You have plotted every step of the way and even intended to use her as leverage. I fail to see where your 'kind words' were."

Ning Xianyu chimed in, "Exactly! You’ve been scheming against us from the very beginning, hiding and skulking about. Nothing you’ve done has been above board, so how dare you play the victim?"

Nian Laisheng was truly insufferable; even now, he wanted to occupy the moral high ground and preach. To hell with him.

Clutching his stomach, Nian Laisheng remarked, "You two truly have a deep affection for each other."

"I..."

Ning Xianyu complained to the system: [Is there something wrong with his brain? Is he that delusional?]

He was a complete lunatic. Had he and Wei Nian spent too long in these mountains until they went stir-crazy?

The system replied: [It is possible that being housebound for too long without any external contact has caused his brain to malfunction. Truly, one should not isolate themselves for too long.]

Nian Laisheng sighed, "Since you two share such deep feelings, I can rest easy."

His eyes turned cold and resolute once more, and he gestured sharply. Before Ning Xianyu could react, countless vines descended from the sky, burying her instantly. The attack was so swift that she hadn't even managed to spray her herbicide before being pinned down. Xuanyuan Tunhan tried to save her, but he was caught off guard and buried alongside her.

In the chaos, Ning Xianyu’s sprayer was knocked from her grip and lost. Terrified, she reached out to find anything to defend herself. Her hand brushed against an arm, and in her panic, she shoved it away, striking out and even landing two kicks for good measure.

A low, muffled groan of suppressed pain came from the darkness beside her.

That voice...

"Ancestor?"

Ning Xianyu was stunned. Was the person beside her the Great Demon Lord? She had just beaten up the Great Demon Lord?

It was too dark to see anything, but she heard the Great Demon Lord chuckle faintly. "Don't you always call me a Great Demon Lord behind my back? Why are you so obediently calling me 'Ancestor' now?"

Ning Xianyu, feeling guilty for having been overheard, stammered, "That... well, you see, Ancestor, what do we do now?"

They were buried deep, and she could feel the ground shifting. She had no idea what the vines intended to do with them.

Xuanyuan Tunhan said, "The vines are taking us underground. We will wait until we stop before we figure something out."

It was pitch black. Ning Xianyu felt the air growing increasingly damp and couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear. "Are they planning to bury us alive for ten thousand years?"

She usually enjoyed staying home, but there was a vast difference between choosing to be a shut-in and being forced into one. She did not want to be locked away.

Xuanyuan Tunhan replied in the affirmative, but his voice did not sound panicked. He told Ning Xianyu to move closer and focus on regulating her breathing.

Ning Xianyu silently complied, sitting beside him. However, she didn't know how to "regulate her breathing" and had nothing to regulate. Knowing the situation was dire and fearing she might provoke the Great Demon Lord, she sat quietly, hugging her knees.

After a long silence, they were still moving, and she had no idea how deep beneath the earth the vines were dragging them.

Suddenly, Xuanyuan Tunhan spoke again. "Nian Laisheng intends to use me as a sacrificial offering; he will not kill us. You can be assured of that."

Ning Xianyu was dazed for a moment, surprised to hear him say this.

[Is the Great Demon Lord comforting me?]

The system was also surprised: [It seems so.]

Ning Xianyu hesitated, then said dryly, "Thank you, Ancestor."

To be comforted at such a time—it seemed the Great Demon Lord’s temper had improved significantly. However, hearing her reaction, Xuanyuan Tunhan felt his gesture had been superfluous. Realizing he had actually comforted her, he couldn't help but snort coldly. He had expected her to be terrified, yet this woman seemed to have no idea what fear was.

Ning Xianyu shivered and carefully shifted further away. What had she done to upset him this time? Why the sudden mood swing? It was clear he was temperamental, and thinking his temper had improved was merely an illusion.

[Was your 'thank you' not sincere enough?]

[I don't know. Should I have knelt down to say it?]

[...Well, why don't you try?]

[Thanks, but no thanks.]

Kneeling to say thank you? Was she insane?

Hearing her chatter happily with the system, Xuanyuan Tunhan felt his previous impulse was even more unnecessary, and his aura turned colder and more severe.

Sensing his rising irritation, Ning Xianyu decided she needed to say something to diffuse the tension for the sake of her own life.

"Um, Ancestor, how do we get out of here?"

Given how things had turned out, the claim that they could leave on the fifteenth of every month was clearly a lie meant to fool idiots.

Xuanyuan Tunhan replied, "Where did Yi Tianling and Su Yun’er go?"

Ah? Ning Xianyu had forgotten about them, but it was true—they were gone.

"Were they captured?"

Xuanyuan Tunhan said no; Nian Laisheng’s target was them, so he wouldn't bother with the others. "We were looking in the wrong direction from the start. Nian Laisheng’s goal was us. There was no need for him to lure Yi Tianling and Su Yun’er in; they entered by accident."

Moreover, those two were certainly not on the same path as they were. Therefore, the key was to find out how they had entered, for that was how they would eventually leave.