149: Fairy's inner demon, witch action

The entrance to the Ancient Barren Domain has been completely sealed by the power of Chaos.

Lin Fan and Su Meier's figures transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the "Flowing Light Realm" as guided by the Immortal Lord's dying words.

The wind whistled past their ears.

The earth rapidly receded beneath their feet.

Yet, Lin Fan's state of mind was clearer and more resolute than ever before.

That fate of being a "Dao Protector" that was forced upon him, after initial resistance and self-mockery, had now settled into a strange motivation.

It was like a top player, accustomed to dominating single-player games, suddenly being told he had to participate in an ultimate world championship that determined the survival of the server.

The pressure was immense.

But, the path ahead became incredibly clear because of it.

He no longer needed to aimlessly seek death to farm rewards.

Every red dot on the map, every motto left by the Immortal Lord, became the highest level of quest guidance.

He knew that what awaited him ahead would be terrifying existences far surpassing Ancient Immortal remnants, unknown challenges capable of overturning the entire Cultivation World.

A sense of tension was ever-present.

But more than that, there was a hidden anticipation of finally stepping onto a true stage.

He held Su Meier's hand, feeling that probing malice still clung to him like a shadow, locking onto him from afar.

Lin Fan ignored it.

Mere clowns.

Once he finished his important business, he would have plenty of time to turn back and drag these rats hiding in the gutters out, one by one, and crush them... Meanwhile.

Qingyun Sect, Lingxiu Peak.

Inside Zhao Linger's Alchemy Room, the fragrance of pills wafted, yet it couldn't dispel the hint of worry on her brow.

She sat on a prayer mat, the flickering fire in the Pill Furnace before her casting her beautiful face in alternating light and shadow.

It had been three days.

Ever since those Disciples who had narrowly escaped from the Secret Realm of Souls brought back that earth-shshattering news, she had been unable to find peace.

Lin Fan.

That Junior Brother who always followed behind her, seeming a bit timid yet also stubborn.

That person who, in the Secret Realm, repeatedly did incredible things that overturned her understanding.

He had actually, by himself, entrapped and killed dozens of Prodigies, including the Crimson Sun Sect's Saint.

He had actually, under the pursuit of Nascent Soul Old Monsters, emerged unscathed.

He had actually, disappeared.

When the news reached the Sect, the entire Qingyun Sect erupted.

Some were shocked, some disbelieved, some gloated, believing Lin Fan would surely face the furious retaliation of the Crimson Sun Sect and even the entire Cultivation World.

Only Zhao Linger.

She didn't doubt the truth of the news.

Because she had seen it with her own eyes.

She had seen his "fearlessness" when facing the beast tide.

She had seen his " Strange Resurrection" after Xiao Chen's sword pierced his Heart.

She was simply restless.

An unprecedented panic seized her Divine Soul, making her unable to sit still.

In her mind, involuntarily, she replayed every little moment she had spent with Lin Fan.

The first time they met, he clumsily offered her the herbs he had gathered, his eyes darting away, not daring to meet her gaze.

In the library, he asked her for guidance on Cultivation Technique, but all his questions were about survival methods like how to run faster and hide deeper, making her both annoyed and amused.

In the Secret Realm, he stood in front of her, using his not-so-broad back to shield her from all dangers, yet his mouth uttered nonsense like, "Senior Sister, you go first, I'll stay and die for a reward."

And also, when he was severely injured by Xiao Chen and fell into her arms, the calmness in his clear eyes and... a hint of elusive tenderness.

Scene after scene, frame by frame.

Moments she had once overlooked, moments she had dismissed as a Junior Brother's reliance on his Senior Sister, moments she had deliberately distanced herself from with her identity and reserve as a "Fairy."

Now, however, they were like the sharpest carving knives, etching deep marks into her Dao Heart, one after another.

She realized.

Her feelings for him were not merely the simple camaraderie of fellow Disciples.

It was an emotion so complex that she herself couldn't explain or articulate it.

There was curiosity.

There was reliance.

There was worry.

And even, a hint of longing that she herself was unwilling to admit.

The moment this thought emerged, it was like a rapidly growing vine, instantly entwining her entire Dao Heart.

"Boom!"

The Pill Furnace in front of her let out a muffled thud.

The furnace fire suddenly went out of control, a wisp of black smoke rose, and the room's pill fragrance turned into a pungent burnt smell.

A furnace of excellent Heart-Calming Pills was ruined.

Zhao Linger's body trembled slightly.

She looked at her slightly trembling fingertips, felt the chaotic spiritual energy within her, and the color drained from her face.

Heart Demon.

She had actually, because of a man, developed a Heart Demon.

For her, who had been hailed as an Immortal Dao Prodigy since childhood, with a clear Dao Heart, and a resolve to pursue the supreme Dao, this was absolutely unacceptable.

She had always believed that she would, like her Master and the Seniors in her Sect, sever worldly ties, remain undistracted, and eventually achieve Ascension.

Love between men and women, she thought, was merely fleeting, a stumbling block on the path of cultivation.

But Lin Fan's figure, like a brand, was deeply etched into her Divine Soul, impossible to erase.

She began to question.

Question her past indifference.

Question whether her so-called "Fairy" identity was a ridiculous bondage.

Pain.

An unprecedented entanglement and struggle, like two invisible large hands, tore at her Soul.

She sat cross-legged, forcibly circulating her Heart-Calming Art, trying to expel that figure from her mind.

But the more she suppressed it.

The clearer that figure became.

His smile, his helplessness, his grand words before seeking death, the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her.

"Pfft--"

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from Zhao Linger's mouth, staining her moon-white dress.

She opened her eyes weakly, her gaze filled with confusion and helplessness.

No.

If this continued, her Dao Heart would collapse, and her cultivation would be completely destroyed.

After a long silence.

Zhao Linger slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

She walked to the water mirror, looking at her pale, complex-eyed reflection.

On that exquisitely beautiful face, there was no longer the usual serenity and composure.

Suddenly, she made a decision.

A decision that would change her entire life.

She wanted to find him.

She wanted to know what kind of person he truly was.

She wanted to know what secrets he harbored.

She also wanted to know what kind of feeling she truly had for him.

Even if this meant deviating from the "Dao" she had always adhered to.

She would stop at nothing... Crimson Sun Sect.

Li Hanyue's Immortal Cave was chillingly cold.

Unlike Zhao Linger's entanglement and struggle.

Li Hanyue was much more pragmatic.

She stood before a massive sand table, on which lay a detailed map of the entire southern region of the Cultivation World.

Several Cultivators in black robes knelt on one knee, reporting the latest intelligence to her.

"Reporting, Young Miss, according to the residual spatial fluctuations around the Secret Realm of Souls, and the reports from our informants embedded in various Sects, the target... Lin Fan, was last seen heading towards the depths of the Ancient Barren Domain."

"Ancient Barren Domain?"

Li Hanyue's brows furrowed slightly.

That place was notoriously a death trap, where even Nascent Soul Old Monsters dared not venture easily.

What was he doing there?

"Continue."

Her voice was as cold as ever, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Yes."

"Our people discovered a recently destroyed Ancient Immortal ruin Seal on the outskirts of the Ancient Barren Domain, with residual Qi intensity far exceeding that of a Nascent Soul.

At the same time, three Nascent Soul Loose Cultivators escaped from within, babbling about 'devils' and 'Immortals,' their Divine Souls seemingly severely damaged.

We speculate that Lin Fan likely entered that ruin and emerged alive."

Li Hanyue's gaze suddenly sharpened.

In her mind, Lin Fan's ordinary face, always with a hint of cynical smile, instantly appeared.

And his fearless fighting style.

And the layer of impenetrable mystery that always surrounded him.

A strong, unwilling emotion rose from her heart.

She, Li Hanyue, was the Crimson Sun Sect's unparalleled Prodigy, the acknowledged strongest among her peers.

But now, a Lin Fan, who appeared out of nowhere, repeatedly left her far behind.

This feeling made her very displeased.

At the same time, an even more intense curiosity burned within her like a flame.

What secrets did he possess?

How could he be so Heaven-Defying?

She didn't believe in some 'Child of Luck.'

She only believed in seeing for herself.

She wanted to see it with her own eyes.

To see if this man truly had three heads and six arms.

"I request permission for outdoor training."

Li Hanyue turned around and spoke faintly to the Void Realm behind her.

An aged figure silently emerged.

"Young Miss, the Sect Master instructed that you are at a critical stage of Breakthrough to Nascent Soul and should not go out."

"My decision is made."

Li Hanyue's voice was devoid of any ripples.

But in her cold eyes, there was an unyielding determination that brooked no refusal.

"Besides, don't you also want to know how Xiao Chen died?"

The aged figure was silent for a moment, finally letting out a sigh.

"...Please, Young Miss, be extremely careful."

Li Hanyue said no more, her figure flickered, transforming into a crimson sword light that shot into the sky.

Her target, directly towards the Ancient Barren Domain.

She had to catch up to him.

She must catch up to him... In the speeding light.

Su Meier suddenly let out a soft " Huh."

Her fluffy fox ears unconsciously emerged from her hair, twitching slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Fan asked, turning his head.

"Young Master, I seem to... feel several very subtle auras behind us, constantly following us."

Su Meier's face showed a hint of alertness.

"Some are strong, some are weak, but they are all far from us, seemingly just tracking, with no malice."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan's lips curved into a subtle arc.

Of course, he knew.

Those auras had been trailing them ever since they left the Ancient Barren Domain.

One of them was cold and sharp, carrying a familiar Sword Intent.

Another was gentle yet persistent, like a wisp of breeze that couldn't be brushed away.

As for the remaining ones, they were probably spies from the Crimson Sun Sect or other forces.

He had noticed them long ago.

He just couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

He could feel Su Meier's concern; she held his hand, unconsciously tightening her grip, her palm slightly sweaty.

Lin Fan's heart warmed.

He returned the gesture, clasping her soft, boneless hand more tightly in his own.

"With me here, everything is fine."

His voice was light, yet it was like a warm current that instantly flowed into Su Meier's heart.

Su Meier's body stiffened, then she completely relaxed.

She looked up at Lin Fan's resolute profile, feeling the dry and domineering warmth emanating from his palm.

A sense of being completely protected made her entire heart feel hot.

She nodded vigorously, returning a sweet smile capable of captivating all beings.

Just that sentence was enough.

However, in this brief moment of tenderness.

Lin Fan's gaze inadvertently swept across the distant sky.

There, he could feel a fluctuation even grander and more heart-pounding than the Peeper, than the Ancient Immortal remnants.

That was the aura of the "Era Calamity."

As he inherited the identity of "Dao Protector," his perception of this aura became increasingly clear.

It was like a countdown before the end of the world.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Every moment, it reminded him.

Time was running out.

He had to speed up.

Just then.

Lin Fan's footsteps suddenly paused.

He pulled Su Meier down from the clouds, stopping before a desolate valley.

In the center of the valley, a massive and ancient Teleportation Formation was emitting faint spatial fluctuations.

Around the edges of the Formation, a faint, almost dissipated Immortal Dao aura lingered.

This, should be the Teleportation Formation leading to the "Flowing Light Realm" mentioned in the Immortal Lord's dying words.

However.

Lin Fan's gaze did not fall on that Teleportation Formation.

He looked up at a large rock not far ahead.

There.

He felt a familiar aura that had been waiting for a long time.

The aura was cold.

Proud.

Like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath.

But deep within that coldness and pride, there was also a hint of complexity, an indescribable complexity that even she herself had not noticed.

It was Li Hanyue.