360: Long Tianxing's imagination

At this moment, Long Tianxing had no idea how Zhou Yan was characterizing him in his mind.

He had noticed Zhou Yan long ago, but he hadn't taken the initiative to approach him.

This wasn't because he still had any competitive thoughts, but rather because as soon as he saw Zhou Yan, he was reminded of the comparison he had wanted to make in his heart before.

Whenever he thought of that comparison, he remembered Kong Xuan, whom he had met on the way, especially when he saw Zhou Yan's golden eyes, which were so similar to Kong Xuan's.

For a time, his feelings of guilt grew even stronger.

Originally, after Long Tianxing learned of Kong Xuan's death, he actually wanted to use his own death to attract his Master's attention.

He wanted to rely on that unreliable Master to deal with Schrödinger, and then see if he could save Kong Xuan in the process.

For no other reason than the fact that Kong Xuan had saved his life.

But things didn't happen as he had expected.

When he woke up again, the first thing he saw wasn't the Yellow Soil of the Underworld, but a primitive forest at night.

Only then did he realize he was still alive.

After checking himself, Long Tianxing found that his body was somewhat weak, and a strand of white hair had appeared on his forehead, but Schrödinger was nowhere to be found.

He didn't know what had happened, but he knew this was the result of his Luck being in operation.

It must be because this Eastern Extreme Secret Realm was of great importance, so he didn't die but survived by some miracle; however, this also meant he could no longer save Kong Xuan.

Realizing this, Long Tianxing hurriedly dragged his injured body to search the vicinity, only to find Zhou Yan's previous battle traces and residual aura.

He confirmed once again that he could protect nothing, and in the end, he could only head toward the Eastern Extreme in desolation.

He couldn't contact his Master now, and by the time he could, let alone whether his Master could make an exception to resurrect Kong Xuan, even if it were possible, the other party would likely have long since entered Reincarnation.

Long Tianxing knew that Kong Xuan's death was absolutely caused by him.

She had saved his life, yet she suffered because of his Luck; all sorts of thoughts piled up, making it impossible for him to recover for a long time.

“What’s wrong, Junior Brother Long? This doesn't look like you.”

Hearing this, Long Tianxing raised his head and looked at Zhou Yan with eyes full of the vicissitudes of life.

“You don’t understand.”

After that single sentence, he lowered his head again, and the conversation fell into silence.

“What is wrong with this guy? His Heart Demon is so thick.”

“He couldn't have actually been ‘plucked,’ could he?”

Fortunately, Zhou Yan now mastered the Law of the Heart and the Golden Eyes of Delusion Breaking; with the two combined, he easily discovered the reason for the other's state.

“What the hell, he's trapped by love!”

This was the conclusion Zhou Yan finally reached, but calculating by the time, this kid shouldn't have had any time to mess around with romance.

He couldn't have managed to get a girlfriend during the time they were separated, could he?

Then again, it was hard to say; after all, meeting an enemy, falling off a cliff, and meeting a Fairy Sister who teaches divine arts seemed to be part of a protagonist's plot.

Zhou Yan sat down and began to offer counsel like someone who had been through it all.

“Junior Brother Long, I’ve been through this too. I can see at a glance that you are trapped by love.”

“Take my advice, there are plenty of fish in the sea. With your qualities, what kind of good girl couldn't you find?”

“You need to cheer up. We’re going to explore the Secret Realm together; that’s the real priority.”

“It just so happens I can introduce a few friends to you. We can join forces and create new glories within the Secret Realm.”

At this moment, Zhou Yan only thought the other had met someone he loved but couldn't have, which caused this sudden change; after all, the feelings of an overbearing CEO always come out of nowhere.

But Long Tianxing shook his head and said,

“You don’t understand. I hurt another good girl.”

“She was free-spirited and clever. She saved my life, yet in the end, she died because of me. Ultimately, it was this fate that influenced it.”

“I don’t plan to explore this Secret Realm. Once I’m inside, I’ll just wait to exit. The reason I’m still here is also because of fate; I simply cannot escape fate after all.”

This was the first time Long Tianxing had bared his heart to a peer, and he never expected the first person he told would be his arch-rival.

No, he was no longer an arch-rival.

A person like himself was no longer worthy of forming bonds with others.

Looking at the suddenly emo Long Tianxing, Zhou Yan was at first completely bewildered, but as he processed the information in the other’s words, he was instantly horrified.

“Holy crap!”

“I was wondering how he had time to date. It turns out he freaking viewed my female persona as his love interest!”

“Wait, what the hell is this guy imagining now?!”

Long Tianxing’s brain worked differently from others, which was something known to the entire Sect.

Zhou Yan only found out later that this kid had always viewed him as an arch-rival and had assigned him a bunch of character traits.

This was information Zhou Yan had obtained once when he used the Six Desires Heaven on Long Tianxing.

After that, Zhou Yan’s skin crawled for a long time, and he conversely avoided Long Tianxing for quite a while.

He had only recently gotten over it, and now Long Tianxing was pulling this again. He couldn't have already imagined his female persona as some deceased White Moonlight, could he?

How on earth did he connect all these things?!

“No way!”

“This unhealthy trend must be eliminated!”

Zhou Yan hurriedly organized his words, preparing a countermeasure.

Meanwhile, the trio with Bai Ling in the distance began discussing again.

“Is Brother Zhou in trouble? Why does it feel like Long Tianxing’s state has gotten worse? We won’t fail to become teammates, will we?”

Bai Ling wasn't worried about this SSR teammate; he was simply afraid that the Child of Destiny wouldn't be on their side and would still have that Face full of vicissitudes.

Once they entered the Secret Realm, who knew what kind of chaos he would cause? At that time, since the Three Sects were closely linked, he would have to follow along and clean up the mess.

However, Shi Suiyan was very confident.

“It’s hard to say about other things, but Senior Brother still has a way of dealing with Junior Brother Long. He should be able to solve it.”

“I trust my Senior Brother.”

Seeing Shi Suiyan take a stance, Xuanyuan Qingyao also nodded and chimed in from the side.

“Me too.”

Shi Suiyan’s veins instantly bulged as she grabbed both of Xuanyuan Qingyao’s cheeks and pulled them to the sides.

“You woman, you are not allowed to think about my Senior Brother!”

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Qingyao only cried out in pain with her expressionless Face and made a half-hearted attempt to stop Shi Suiyan.

Looking at the two girls making a scene again, Bai Ling wiped his Face.

“If I had known, I would have tricked a few more people from the Butian Pavilion to come. Now there isn't even anyone I can talk to. Are there no humans left?”

“Sigh, I hope Brother Zhou can succeed.”

“If I’m the only one in this team, it’ll be too awkward and uncomfortable.”

“What!”

“You’re saying Kong Xuan isn't dead!”

The gloom on Long Tianxing’s Face was swept away, replaced by a hint of joy.

Zhou Yan also nodded with a solemn expression.

“I was wondering what was wrong with you earlier; so you were worried about this.”

“I met Kong Xuan on the way here. She told me about you and was worried about your condition.”

“I even comforted her, saying that you are a Child of Destiny and would be fine.”

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but seeing you like this, I didn't have the chance to say it before I had to comfort you first.”

As he spoke, Zhou Yan poured two cups of tea and gestured for him to take a sip to calm his nerves.

Long Tianxing took the cup, and looking at the tea leaves floating inside, he showed a Face full of complex emotions.

There was surprise, relief, and also some things that couldn't be clearly explained.

“Woman, you really are special. I knew you didn't die.”

Seeing Brother Long reveal that signature wicked and charming smile of his again, Zhou Yan knew he had recovered.

He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Long Tianxing suddenly asked,

“How did you two meet? Where is she now? Is she married?”

“Pfft!”

Zhou Yan sprayed a mouthful of tea directly onto Long Tianxing’s Face.

This spray from a Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator hit its mark with precision.

When Zhou Yan was making up excuses, he had already thought about how to answer.

If asked how they met, he’d say they met through the pre-prepared meals business, that she was from the Eastern Region, and that she had helped him escape the Truth Cult’s pursuit in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

He would say he had long known of the Truth Cult’s schemes, which was why he left late, as he was actually planning a route.

If the other party asked where Kong Xuan was, he’d say she went back to the Eastern Region; after all, he really was going back to the Eastern Region, so it wasn't exactly a lie.

But he had everything planned out, yet who knew Long Tianxing would actually ask if Kong Xuan was married.

What should he say?

That she was married, and to Zhou Yan?

Fortunately, at the same moment Zhou Yan sprayed tea all over Long Tianxing’s Face, the distant sky was instantly dyed green, and a sudden burst of life aura erupted.

“The Secret Realm is about to open!”

Someone shouted this, and in an instant, everyone’s gaze was drawn toward it.

Only Long Tianxing was wiping his Face with a look of disgust.

“Why are you so jumpy? It’s just the Secret Realm opening. Was it necessary to spray me in the Face?”

Zhou Yan realized that Long Tianxing had connected his recent loss of composure with the opening of the Secret Realm and hadn't noticed anything amiss; only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and hurriedly explain.

“Rushing here these past few days and dealing with the Truth Cult was too exhausting. I was indeed startled when the Secret Realm opened just as I arrived.”

“Let’s not talk about that for now. We need to hurry. Everyone else is leaving; if we don't go now, we won't make it.”

“Since your heart is no longer troubled, you might as well team up with me. I’ll introduce a few friends to you.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. I did help clear your heart, after all. You can’t possibly refuse to give me even this much Face, can you?”

Long Tianxing looked at Zhou Yan, who had stood up and was hurriedly returning to the crowd, and in the end, he couldn't refuse.

Originally, he had thought that even if Kong Xuan was fine, he didn't plan to continue exploring the Secret Realm.

But Zhou Yan had indeed helped remove the knot in his heart, so he would just consider it as helping Zhou Yan once.

As for whether Long Tianxing doubted the truth of Zhou Yan’s words or his relationship with Kong Xuan?

Naturally, he did not.

Long Tianxing only saw this as another manifestation of his Luck, which was why Kong Xuan was safe and sound, and why Zhou Yan, who just happened to be acquainted with Kong Xuan and had met her, came to clear his confusion.

Although he was still almost harmed by his Luck, at least the outcome was good this time; if he took it slow, he could still handle it.

Just like that, he downed the tea in one gulp, put the cup into his Storage Ring, and followed the team at Zhou Yan’s call.

Only, a bit more of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Kong Xuan, I will see you again and repay your kindness.”