Sheng Yuan was in despair, but then something unexpected happened to Ye Zhaozhao; her cultivation directly plummeted to the Nascent Soul stage. She was in such pain that as her senior brother, he couldn't possibly continue to pressure her.
"My Nascent Soul... my cultivation..." Ye Zhaozhao was heartbroken, partly acting, but a large part was genuine emotion. She looked at Sheng Yuan and the others with tear-filled eyes: "Senior brothers... what exactly happened to me? Will my cultivation never return?"
Ye Zhaozhao cried bitterly.
Shen Yue felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't help but say, "Junior Sister, this might just be an accident. As long as you focus on cultivating, your cultivation will surely return."
"That's right. With your cultivation speed, Zhaozhao, this level of cultivation will come back quickly," Chang Le'an also comforted her.
"Master has already gone to find a solution," Sheng Yuan said softly. "With Master's abilities, he will definitely find a way."
Find a solution?
Ye Zhaozhao's eyes flickered.
Although she was heartbroken, she knew that her cultivation decline was not something that could be solved by conventional means.
Not long after she transmigrated to this world, she was bound by this parasitic system.
As long as a suitable host was chosen.
It could observe destiny, seize cultivation, and eventually even claim all of the host's aptitude and spiritual roots for itself.
Such methods!
Unbelievable!
Moreover.
She had used the system to parasitize Li Shuang for so long, and no one had ever discovered any clues.
Ye Zhaozhao had long understood.
This system was a supreme existence beyond this world.
Before. She secretly rejoiced at this discovery.
But now, a hint of despair had been added.
No one else could even discover this system, so how could they do anything to it?
No one could help her regain her strength, unless... she once again crushed Li Shuang into the dust, and then continued to obtain everything from her through the system.
This was her!
Only way to recover!
Ye Zhaozhao's eyes were misty with tears, and she proactively looked at Sheng Yuan: "Senior Brother, I kept those talismans specifically for this secret realm trip. Originally, I thought that with Third Senior Brother's luck, plus these talismans, we would definitely have a bountiful harvest. Who would have thought... Third Senior Brother's luck..."
Ye Zhaozhao glanced at Chang Le'an, stopping herself from saying more.
Chang Le'an's face immediately turned ugly.
It was all that talkative Yan Fan's fault! Now, the entire Six Sects knew that his so-called luck was actually all Li Shuang's charity!
"Third Senior Brother, you can't be blamed for this," Ye Zhaozhao quickly said. "If Senior Sister Li didn't say anything herself, how could anyone know about the tricks she played behind the scenes? Ten years ago, she deliberately praised you, only to pull you down into the dust ten years later! That Yan Fan and she seem to have a good relationship; this matter seems to have been exposed by Yan Fan, but in reality, it was Senior Sister Li who secretly instigated it."
Ye Zhaozhao's eyes were red: "I truly don't understand what grudge Senior Sister Li has with Third Senior Brother that she would scheme against him like this."
Chang Le'an was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "So that's it, she really had ulterior motives! To tell you the truth, I am also a victim!"
After learning that his luck originated from Li Shuang's gift, Chang Le'an's feelings were actually very complicated.
But.
If he admitted that Li Shuang had done so much for him, what would his previous actions count as?
Returning kindness with enmity?
Unappreciative?
A clown?
He didn't want to bear such a reputation, nor did he want to become a clown. So, he could only speculate that Li Shuang was a deeply scheming person.
Didn't he know?
This speculation was utterly absurd.
Didn't he know?
Li Shuang was indeed wholeheartedly devoted to him back then.
But.
So what?
He needed a reason to put his mind at ease.
Rather than bearing such a heavy debt of gratitude, it was better to speculate about Li Shuang with the greatest malice, so that he could feel more at ease!
The moment Chang Le'an spoke, following Ye Zhaozhao's words, the cold figure by the cliff seemed to reappear before him. It was that voice that pulled him back from the brink of life and death.
But!
So what?
Did he beg Li Shuang to help him?
Did he beg Li Shuang to help him fake it?
All of that was her own free will.
He, Chang Le'an, owed no one!
Chang Le'an thought this.
In his mind, the cold figure by the cliff completely disappeared.
Although he had already made up his mind, Chang Le'an's body still trembled slightly.
Last time.
He was on the edge of a cliff, and Li Shuang pulled him back.
But next time.
Will anyone pull him back again?
Chang Le'an shook his head, casting off this absurd thought. He gritted his teeth and said, "The higher you're praised, the harder you fall. Senior Sister Li used this 'praise to kill' tactic on me."
Regardless of whether this was the truth.
From now on, he would believe it to be so.
"This time, our harvest wouldn't have been so meager either," Ye Zhaozhao said. "Third Senior Brother, do you remember? Several times when we encountered demonic beasts, Senior Sister Li was nearby. It was precisely because of these frequent encounters with demonic beasts that I was forced to use one talisman after another. Especially that first time we entered the secret realm, she clearly had the strength to defeat the Lion-Winged Beast, yet she just watched as it pressed us. If I hadn't used the speed talisman, how would the two of us have escaped?"
Ye Zhaozhao spoke with immense grievance: "When I used those talismans, was there ever a time when I wasn't forced to?"
Ye Zhaozhao's face was pale at this moment, her figure thin, making her look like fragile crystal.
Chang Le'an couldn't help but say, "Indeed! Could it be that this Li Shuang deliberately lured the demonic beasts?!"
Ye Zhaozhao quickly said, "Third Senior Brother, let's just talk about this among ourselves. We can't say it outside. After all, slaying demons is the righteous path. It's not a fault for Senior Sister Li to lure and kill demons. If I had enough ability, I would also want to slay demons."
Ye Zhaozhao looked at Sheng Yuan with tear-filled eyes: "Senior Brother, originally, I didn't want to use up all the talismans. But in the face of life-and-death danger, I truly had no choice. Senior Brother, please don't worry. Once I'm better, I will risk my life to earn spirit stones and make up for the deficit of Lingxu Peak."
"No, no, no, I'll go now!"
Ye Zhaozhao said, struggling to get out of bed.
The others quickly stopped her.
Sheng Yuan sighed, "Junior Sister, you should rest and recover first."
"Senior Brother, I've implicated you. I'm truly useless," Ye Zhaozhao said, her eyes misty with tears.
Sheng Yuan could only carefully comfort her.
After a bout of exertion, Ye Zhaozhao, lacking strength, fell back into a deep sleep.
The room was silent.
Chang Le'an couldn't help but say, "Senior Brother! Junior Sister's plan was originally flawless. It was all that Li Shuang... if she hadn't attracted so many demonic beasts, we would definitely have gained something."
Sheng Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What happened with the Lion-Winged Beast that you mentioned?"
Chang Le'an's eyes flickered, and he spoke with righteous indignation: "It's just as Junior Sister said, she watched as I and Zhaozhao were chased by the Lion-Winged Beast, but she didn't help at all!"
Sheng Yuan slowly said, "That is truly excessive."
Chang Le'an also looked very annoyed: "Isn't it! I wanted to argue with her then, but Junior Sister was kind-hearted and didn't want to pursue it."
Sheng Yuan nodded.
His eyes were deep, looking as if he had a lot on his mind.
"Junior Sister can't be left alone. Third Junior Brother, you stay here and watch over her. Lingxu Peak still has matters to attend to, I'll go first," Sheng Yuan said.
Chang Le'an nodded.
Lingxu Peak was a mess right now, and he certainly didn't want to deal with it. Let Sheng Yuan worry about it himself.