Chapter 126 He Agreed

The entire woods were filled with the agonizing screams of Ning Xianyu. The System kept telling her not to be afraid, but she could no longer hear it. She felt as though her entire body was in agony—a pain beneath the skin, as if her nerves were being seared by fire and then rubbed with salt.

Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er were filled with rage upon hearing her cries.

"Senior Nian Laisheng, you are the head of a sect. To bully someone like this is truly shameless."

"Senior Nian Laisheng, let Senior Ning go!"

Nian Laisheng looked at the two of them and told them not to waste their breath. "I was surprised you two managed to get in, so I checked the spatial barrier and reinforced the weak spots. Even if you found them, you wouldn't be able to leave."

He held Ning Xianyu aloft, seemingly indifferent to her painful wails, and turned his gaze toward Xuanyuan Tunhan, who was still resisting.

"Senior Xuanyuan, it is only ten thousand years. If you agree, I will release these two little ones and leave Ning Xianyu to keep you company. For those ten thousand years, you can spend your time here getting along with the trees; they will not harm you."

He gestured toward the town in the distance. "To ensure you live happily here, they have gone as far as living like humans. That is sincere enough, is it not?"

Ning Xianyu could hear nothing now. Had she been able to hear him, she certainly would have cursed him out. *Sincerity, my foot. If you're so sincere, why don't you go sacrifice yourself to the heavens?*

Seeing no reaction from Xuanyuan Tunhan, Nian Laisheng sighed. "After spending so many years in Shifang Mountain, my patience has worn thin."

With that, he flicked his finger again.

Ning Xianyu’s screams no longer sounded human; her throat was raw and hoarse. It was unbearable, as if she had been tossed into a vat of sulfuric acid, with more of it poured down her throat.

The System, having absorbed her pain to its fill, finally shouted, "Enough! That is enough!"

With a sharp *ding*, Ning Xianyu suddenly felt the pain vanish. She opened her eyes and found herself floating in mid-air, the world before her appearing as if veiled in white gauze. Nian Laisheng was still speaking, and Xuanyuan Tunhan was still resisting, yet they seemed unable to see her.

"What happened to me? Am I dead?"

The System replied, "You are not dead. I used all your emotional points to exchange for five minutes of soul detachment. Your soul has left your body, which is why you cannot feel the pain."

Ning Xianyu asked, "Only five minutes? What happens after that?"

The System said, "After five minutes, I can kill you. How about that? I’ve already procured the poison."

Ning Xianyu said helplessly, "Your way of saving me is to kill me? I really must thank you."

What an unreliable system. It spent every day thinking of nothing but killing her. She started to suspect the System viewed her as a spare part—to be replaced the moment she broke.

"I have no other choice. Your next wish is five days away; I cannot trigger it early. Even if you were to wish, it would take twelve hours to manifest. If you don't want to be tortured to death, you must commit suicide now."

The System felt this was the best plan it could conceive. "Once you die, I will definitely, definitely find you a better body. How about Nian Laisheng’s?"

"No, thank you. I don't want it. I hate that big jerk."

The System said, "Fine, then you can choose for yourself when the time comes. We’ll scour the world to find you a good body."

Ning Xianyu looked at her own body, then at Xuanyuan Tunhan, who was still holding out. "Will the Great Demon Lord really abandon me?"

The System countered, "Do you think he would sacrifice ten thousand years of freedom to appease the heavens for your sake?"

Ning Xianyu thought about it and decided he wouldn't. "He is the Great Demon Lord, the dreaded Ancestor Xuanyuan. Of course he wouldn't give up anything for me. Fine, have the poison ready. I'm going to die."

Ning Xianyu asked the System if the poison would be painful or if she would look ghastly in death. The System replied, "Don't worry, it is painless. Your body will even smell sweet and won't rot for ten thousand years."

Ning Xianyu decided to forget it. "If it rots, it rots. I don't care. What on earth is this 'not rotting for ten thousand years' nonsense?"

"Oh, don't be so demanding. You'll be dead, so why would you care about the corpse?"

"I'll miss the good stuff in my storage bag!"

"I'll keep them for you, alright?"

"Alright."

With the plan settled, the five-minute mark was approaching. The System told her that as soon as it returned her to her body, she should take the poison immediately, and urged her to hold on for just a few more seconds.

Ning Xianyu said, "Fine, I'll hold on. Wait a moment, let me prepare."

The System began to count down, "Counting down now. Hold on! Ten, nine, eight..."

"I agree!"

Before the System could finish counting, Xuanyuan Tunhan suddenly shouted, "I agree to your terms. Let her go."

Nian Laisheng was stunned. "Senior, your word is law?"

Xuanyuan Tunhan stared at him coldly. "I never break my word."

Nian Laisheng laughed. "I believe you..."

Ning Xianyu asked in confusion, "What did the Great Demon Lord say?"

The System was also stunned, forgetting to send her back. "He told Nian Laisheng to let you go. He agreed."

Ning Xianyu was incredulous. "But how could the Great Demon Lord give up everything for me?"

The System was equally skeptical. "I don't know. Maybe he’s fallen for you, or perhaps he’s actually soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see you suffer?"

Whatever the reason, Xuanyuan Tunhan had already agreed.

However, Nian Laisheng said, "To be safe and avoid trouble, Senior Xuanyuan, it would be best if we draw up a contract."

With a wave of his hand, he first relieved Ning Xianyu of her pain. Without her soul, Ning Xianyu hung limp in his grip, looking lifeless. He then began drawing complex runes in the air before them; golden lines appeared, resembling an ancient ritual.

"Senior, once the contract is signed, you cannot go back on it. In ten thousand years, I will come to collect you."

Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er still didn't understand what was happening. "What ten thousand years? What are you making Senior Xuanyuan do?"

Nian Laisheng ignored them and continued drawing the runes. The design split in two, and one half drifted before Xuanyuan Tunhan.

"Senior Xuanyuan, press your mark here, and the contract will be sealed. You know the consequences of breaking it."

Xuanyuan Tunhan gritted his teeth. "Once the contract is sealed, I want all three of them to leave."

Nian Laisheng agreed, but asked, "Do you not want Ning Xianyu to stay with you?"

Xuanyuan Tunhan gave a mocking laugh. "I have no need for anyone’s company. And tell these ancient trees to get lost, or I will chop them all down for firewood."

Nian Laisheng agreed to that as well.

Xuanyuan Tunhan then took the stone from his sleeve and threw it to Yi Tianling. "Take it."

Yi Tianling, never expecting to receive the stone at such a moment, was moved to the verge of tears. "Senior Xuanyuan, I will find a way to come back and save you."

Xuanyuan Tunhan smiled faintly, then added, "Nian Laisheng, once they have left, tell them the full story."

Nian Laisheng looked at them with surprise, but he agreed.

Xuanyuan Tunhan took one last look at Ning Xianyu, then smiled. "I hope you are the turning point."

If she was the turning point, she could not die. If Ning Xianyu was the turning point and Yi Tianling was the protagonist, then perhaps they could deal with the Demon Star and save the six realms of Yunhuang. In that case, he might not have to die, which would be a good thing.

Still, he felt deeply unwilling to place his fate in the hands of others.

Nian Laisheng urged, "Seal the contract."