Sacrificial Offering

This sudden apology felt somewhat unnatural to Xu Yuan. Having narrowly escaped death, he had indeed been irritated upon waking from his coma to Tianyan's sour expression, but he wasn't quite as furious as he made himself appear. His words and expressions just now were mostly an act put on to seize the moment. Taking advantage of this opportunity bought with his own life, he wanted to teach this washboard Saintess a lesson and gradually soften her haughty nature. What era did she think it was? Still acting tsundere? Didn't she know tsundere fell out of style over a decade ago? Still, three feet of ice doesn't freeze in a single day; shaping someone to one's liking was naturally a lengthy process. And as a favored daughter of heaven in every sense—apart from her figure—turning Tianyan's temperament around bit by bit was doubly difficult. After all, when this washboard first appeared before him, she had acted like a bratty little girl. Over the span of seven years, Tianyan had already restrained herself immensely. Even so, Xu Yuan could hardly imagine words of apology ever coming from Tianyan's rosy, cherry-like lips. She was simply too proud. An innate pride made it impossible for her to give voice to any feelings of guilt. Even when she knew she was in the wrong, at most she would only make amends through actions. For instance, taking the initiative with daily chores like carving beast meat or cooking ingredients, or perhaps teaching him an interesting secret art or two. Apart from that, apologizing was out of the question—impossible in this lifetime. In short: stubborn to the bitter end. Yet now, she had actually apologized on her own initiative? Silence lingered. With her head bowed, Tianyan trembled slightly, a faint flush rising on her cheeks. It was as though that apology had consumed all her strength. Xu Yuan felt an urge to laugh, but he held it back. After a moment's thought, he remained silent, keeping a straight face as he closed his eyes and withdrew his gaze. His life-risking sacrifice, her unreasonable fit, and the uncontrollable ripples stirred in her heart regarding him were more than enough to justify this silence. Too easy a forgiveness is soon forgotten. All right, truth be told, he just felt the conditioning was working well, so he had to press his advantage and etch this feeling into the washboard's heart. "..." Time trickled by with the dripping from the stalactites. Having received no response for a long while, Tianyan cautiously lifted her eyelashes to steal a glance at him. Then, upon seeing his cold profile, her breath hitched slightly. Her dainty canine gently sank into the corner of her lip, and a faint taste of iron began spreading through her mouth. She hadn't actually wanted to act that way earlier... She knew he had damaged his own intent-soul so that they could both survive, but the moment she saw that nonchalant grin on the bastard's face when he woke up, her emotions had gotten out of hand. She hated this about him—hated how he shouldered every risk without a word, only to put on that smiling, uncaring facade afterward. This time his intent-soul source had been torn apart, nearly leaving him never to wake again. What about next time? Didn't he ever consider... What... what if he died? Tianyan lowered her eyes. She wanted to say something more, but feared whatever came out would turn into disdainful complaints again. A tight ache swelled in her chest, and her hands clenched tightly into fists. "..." In the silent darkness, Xu Yuan quietly opened his eyes and glanced sideways at the brooding Saintess. *Tsk, look at her, all pitiful...* Forget it. Lessons could be taught step by step; there was no need to rush things all at once. After all, this lifetime might still be very long. "How many days was I unconscious?" "..." Hearing his voice, Tianyan immediately looked up, only to avert her gaze the instant their eyes met. Her voice was very soft: "Not long. About seven days..." Seven days. Looking at Tianyan again, Xu Yuan looked closely and noticed that the smooth long hair that usually draped down her back had grown somewhat disheveled, and her expression bore a visible exhaustion. It seemed that during these seven days, the washboard Saintess had worried over him incessantly. It appeared his earlier ruthlessness toward himself had indeed gone a bit too far. "Seven days, huh..." Xu Yuan's voice returned to its usual calm, as if the friction from moments ago had never happened at all. He mused, "In only seven days, the tears in my intent-soul source have barely managed to mend..." *Drip, drop.* Another drop fell from the stalactite, splashing against his glabella with a refreshing, heart-soothing chill. Xu Yuan glanced up at the liquid continuously dripping onto his glabella and asked softly, "What is this stuff?" "Yin Soul Liquid," Tianyan replied in a low voice. "What?" "Yin ghost Yin Soul Liquid." "..." Hearing her confirmed reply, Xu Yuan looked around at the still pool of liquid on the ground once more, a look of astonishment in his eyes. He naturally knew what Yin Soul Liquid was—a soul-nourishing treasure found exclusively within ghost mist. Whether condensing an intent-soul, tempering it, or repairing it, Yin Soul Liquid was a supreme treasure among treasures. Yet the question was, how had Tianyan found such a massive formation pool of Yin Soul Liquid within three days? The conditions for the formation of Yin Soul Liquid were extraordinarily demanding. It required a vast number of yin ghosts to have their souls obliterated in the exact same spot, allowing their origin soul power to settle and condense over time into such a treasure. Furthermore, according to what he knew about Yin Soul Liquid: Nearly every place where Yin Soul Liquid formed was claimed by a powerful yin ghost. After all, yin ghosts were themselves composed of soul power, and such a treasure held an innate attraction for them. Judging by the scale of the pool before him, the yin ghost's strength would be at least at the Transcendent Realm or higher. Thinking this, Xu Yuan subconsciously looked toward Tianyan. Unable to use his intent-soul, Xu Yuan couldn't probe her aura. Without its assistance, even mobilizing his Source Qi was exceedingly sluggish. Yet with his naked eyes alone, he could still detect a pale frailty on her exquisite face. In Tianyan's current state, she couldn't possibly be a match for a Transcendent yin ghost. Puzzled, Xu Yuan frowned and asked, "How did you find this place?" Tianyan lightly pressed her lips together and glanced toward the outer reaches of the cavern. "It was Tianye. Your self-inflicted injuries were too severe. The soul-nourishing medicines we had on hand could at most keep you clinging to life, so I had no choice but to turn to Tianye for help." "..." Xu Yuan fell silent. Tianye. With the immense reach of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, locating a pool of Yin Soul Liquid like this wasn't particularly difficult. But... "Why did she tell you?" "Because of you." "..." Xu Yuan blinked. Tianyan continued on her own, her voice crisp yet faint: "She said she likes you very much, and that she would be very disappointed if you died. So she told me about this pool." Lying on his back on the ground, Xu Yuan curled his lips into a light chuckle. "Heh, women sure seem to find me irresistible." Having said that, Xu Yuan waited for Tianyan to scold him with disgust for being shameless. But this time, all he met was silence—and after the silence, her melancholic murmur: "Actually... you really could choose her. While you were unconscious, I studied that Lock of Shared Life. Once that secret art is cast, it can never be undone. With your methods, Tianye would..." "All right, all right." Xu Yuan cut off her rambling, a faint laugh coloring his strange tone. "How did the dignified Saintess of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion turn into a self-pitying little bride? "I said I wouldn't betray you, so I definitely won't." "..." Tianyan's heart inexplicably sped up. It pounded so fast—never before had her heart raced this violently, not even when unleashing those devastating arts. The downturned corners of her lips twitched slightly upward. Pouting, Tianyan pressed her lips together and said softly, "...At least you have some principles." "Heh, naturally." Xu Yuan answered with a chuckle. Looking around, he saw only dense mist enclosing the area. In his current state, he wasn't capable of piercing through this fog to see what lay beyond. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "So, where is Tianye?" Hearing this, Tianyan pointed toward the outer reaches of the cavern, a halo of light blooming at the tip of her slender index finger. *Buzz—* A streak of golden light trailed through the darkness, darting straight into the mist. A moment later, a dazzling golden brilliance flared in the corner of Xu Yuan's vision. Turning toward the light, a few zhang away, another golden-eyed girl sat atop a boulder half a zhang high in the cavern. She was still dressed in those tattered robes, her feet dangling in the air. Her fair elbows rested on her knees as she languidly fiddled with a Sumeru ring. Around her, a cubic cage constructed of golden runes trapped her firmly inside. As the cage lit up, Tianye slowly turned her head to look over. Seeing that Xu Yuan was awake, a spark of pleasant surprise flashed in her alluring eyes. Smiling sweetly, she gave the Sumeru ring in her hand a gentle wave at him, her red lips parting slightly. No words could be heard, but reading her lips, she seemed to be saying: *You're welcome.* Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. *Madwoman.* Xu Yuan parted his lips, about to ask about the voice he had faintly heard while hovering near death, but what his gaze caught as he looked around made him shut his mouth instantly. It was a corpse. A female corpse with a voluptuous figure, her neck snapped, lying quietly right at Tianye's feet. Xia Qing was dead. Perched atop her body was a shadowy monster, radiating a terrifying aura so powerful it nearly warped the surrounding space. Had it not been kept contained by the cage of golden runes, that aura might well have torn apart Xu Yuan's intent-soul once again, which had only just begun to mend. A Transcendent yin ghost! Xu Yuan whipped his head back to Tianyan. "This is..." Tianyan's eyes were calm as she answered in an emotionless murmur, "The master of this lair." Xu Yuan's heart sank slightly. "What about Xia Qing?" "The sacrificial offering to save you."