Chapter 132: You Are Just a Coward

Xuanyuan Tunhan sat in his chair, feeling not even the slightest bit of the superiority he should have enjoyed. He could not explain it himself, but he felt the flames within his divine core reigniting, scorching his entire body. Meanwhile, Ning Xianyu was still sitting with her master, eating and drinking, looking perfectly happy. Xuanyuan Tunhan mused that perhaps it was because this woman was too far away from him, and he could no longer sense the purifying power of the Nine-Branch Epiphyllum, which was why he felt so restless.

"Come here." His tone was somewhat impatient, sounding quite angry.

Wei Nian and the others looked over, confused as to whom he was addressing. Only Ning Xianyu knew he was calling her. She glanced at the great demon lord, then at her own master, feeling a bit hesitant.

Xuanyuan Tunhan grew even more impatient, his voice sounding increasingly irritable: "Come here."

Was he angry? Why was he suddenly so angry? Ning Xianyu thought to herself that, as someone who had nearly died drawing her sword for him just two days ago, shouldn't she be treated a little better?

"I have a headache, I'm not coming." She shrunk closer to her master, determined not to move.

Xuanyuan Tunhan’s expression darkened further: "Come here!" He shot her a cold glare, clearly giving her one final chance; if she didn't come, she would have to face the consequences.

Wei Nian felt that Xuanyuan Tunhan was bullying his disciple. If the child didn't want to go, why force her? He decided he had to stand up for his little apprentice. However, just as he was about to rise, Ning Xianyu suddenly stood up. She picked up her cushion, obediently walked to the side of Xuanyuan Tunhan’s chair, and sat down cross-legged, pouting.

(Coming over is fine, what’s the big deal? The great demon lord is just a capitalist, always exploiting his small employees. All that talk about me being someone he’d die to save—what a fantasy.)

The system chuckled: (Admit it, you're afraid of him; you're just a coward.)

Ning Xianyu replied: (So what if I'm a coward? You only live once; sometimes you have to be a coward when the situation calls for it.)

The great demon lord had always been this way, so she didn't think much of it. Xuanyuan Tunhan’s mood, however, was clearly much better. His hand reached out unconsciously to rest on her shoulder. A refreshing and soothing aura emanated from her, and the flames in his divine core indeed dimmed significantly.

Wei Nian looked at the two of them with surprise, sighing and shaking his head. She could truly no longer be considered just his disciple; there were some things he ought to explain to her sooner rather than later.

***

Yi Tianling was currently conversing with the stone tablet. He had been drawn into a realistic vision, personally witnessing the origins of the Demon Star. He saw everything, feeling so shocked that he almost forgot where he was.

"So, for all these years, so many predecessors have been sacrificing themselves one after another to appease the Demon Star..." He was utterly stunned. How could his predecessors go to such lengths? And for all these years, no one had known of their contributions. Their names weren't even remembered; people simply assumed they had gone missing. Yi Tianling watched in shock as one after another disappeared, tears falling involuntarily. "What must I do to resolve the Demon Star? How can I save Akali?"

The stone tablet offered no answer, instead ejecting him directly from the illusion. Everyone watched as he collapsed suddenly, lying there in a daze. Su Yun'er rushed over: "Brother Yi, what happened?"

Yi Tianling remained trance-like, as if he hadn't heard her at all. Seeing him crying, Su Yun'er asked in shock: "Brother Yi, what exactly did you see?"

At this moment, Wei Nian and Xuanyuan Tunhan approached, looking at him with concern. "Yi Tianling, what is the matter?"

Yi Tianling didn't look at anyone, his eyes fixed on Xuanyuan Tunhan in awe. "Senior Xuanyuan, I never realized you had done so much for the Cloud Wilderness Continent."

Xuanyuan Tunhan raised an eyebrow slightly: "It showed you all that?"

Yi Tianling replied: "It did, it did, it showed me everything."

Seeing that he was still unable to steady his emotions, Xuanyuan Tunhan told him to go rest. "Does anyone else wish to see something?"

Su Yun'er said: "Senior Ning, you go first."

Ning Xianyu quickly waved her hand: "I have nothing I want to see, I'll pass." She would only come to see it when there was something she truly needed to know; there was no rush.

Senior Xuanyuan gestured for the others to wait aside: "I will go." Just as Wei Nian and the others were about to leave, he reached out and pulled Ning Xianyu back. "You stay here."

Huh? Ning Xianyu felt strange: "Can two people watch at the same time?"

***

She had never heard of the stone tablet allowing two people to see the answers simultaneously, and truthfully, she had nothing she wanted to ask; she didn't want to see the great demon lord’s answers. But Xuanyuan Tunhan told her to just stay put and stop talking nonsense.

Ning Xianyu had no choice but to sit cross-legged obediently at his side, one hand holding his, the other resting on the stone tablet. At first, she felt nothing, only that the tablet was exceptionally cold and uncomfortable to touch. But after a while, she felt as if she had fallen asleep, and when she opened her eyes, she was in a strange world.

This world was vast, with fresher air, bluer skies, and towering trees everywhere. The trees were so tall that a person standing beneath them felt like a tiny dwarf; even the grass was tall, much of it taller than a human. At first, Ning Xianyu thought she had shrunk, but looking down, the ants on the ground were still tiny, and there was some very small grass as well. It wasn't that she had shrunk; it was just that the trees in this world were incredibly tall.

Seeing that she was alone, Ning Xianyu quickly called out: "Great Demon Lord? Ancestor? Where are you?" Could it be that she was the only one here? Where had the Great Demon Lord gone?

Just as she was speaking, she suddenly felt as if she were holding onto something. She turned her head and, oh my, the Great Demon Lord was standing right next to her. Moreover, they were holding hands, and she hadn't even noticed.

Xuanyuan Tunhan looked at her with a dark expression: "Don't shout, don't call out randomly."

Ning Xianyu didn't dare to shout anymore, but she was still very curious: "What's the situation now?"

Xuanyuan Tunhan said: "Just watch."

As Ning Xianyu watched with curiosity, a man and a woman approached. They were both breathtaking, with the bearing of immortals, and they looked very familiar. She looked closer and realized they were Immortal Youquan and Fairy Qingyu. The two were holding hands, looking very affectionate.

She instantly understood; they had come to a time before the great war between the ancient trees and humanity, when Immortal Youquan and Fairy Qingyu were still alive and well, and deeply in love. She turned to look at the Great Demon Lord, feeling curious. Why did the Great Demon Lord want to see this? What was his relationship with these two?

Xuanyuan Tunhan pulled her along to follow them and whispered: "Keep a close eye on her sword."

Ning Xianyu looked over and saw that the sword Fairy Qingyu was holding was none other than the Qiankun Sword—the very sword she was carrying now. Could it be that the Great Demon Lord brought her in here to...

"Do you want me to learn swordsmanship from Fairy Qingyu?"

Such painstaking efforts, she thought. However, thanks, but she didn't want to learn.