86: Chapter 86 Lin Aotian is furious

Lin Aotian's Divine Thought projection floated in mid-air, just as he was preparing to withdraw it.

While he was at it, intending to warn the surrounding ants, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

“Lin Aotian, this affectionate act of yours truly makes me sick.”

Lin Aotian spun around abruptly.

On a cloud not far away stood Leng Hanshuang, dressed in white. Her peerlessly beautiful face was expressionless, but her eyes were filled with loathing and disappointment.

“Frost?”

Lin Aotian's brow furrowed slightly, and he subconsciously tried to put on a gentle appearance.

“Why are you here too? Just as well, I have something to say to you...”

“Shut up!”

Leng Hanshuang gave him no chance to speak, and she didn't even bother to look at him again, as if a single glance more would be too much trouble.

“I originally thought that no matter how much of a bastard you were, you were at least serious about your feelings. But I never expected that even Senior Zi Yun... Heh, Lin Aotian, your appetite is truly not small.”

Leng Hanshuang's voice was filled with mockery and hatred.

“Putting aside those women in the Upper Realm, the current Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Sovereign Alliance, the Senior you used to claim to respect so much, is actually your lover too?”

These words were like a slap, ruthlessly striking Lin Aotian's face.

The Heavenly Sovereign Alliance Elders and Disciples who hadn't left yet all lowered their heads and played dead, but their perked-up ears betrayed their desire to overhear the gossip.

So... the former leader of the Righteous Path, Lin Aotian, actually had a thing with Alliance Leader Zi Yun?

This was now ironclad proof.

Even though Lin Aotian was just a projection, he felt a burning pain on his face at this moment. Having such private matters spoken aloud in public was an insult to his self-esteem.

“Frost! Don't talk nonsense! Zi Yun and I are perfectly innocent, we are good friends...”

“Innocent?”

Leng Hanshuang let out a cold laugh, her gaze like she was looking at a clown.

“If you are innocent, then there's nothing dirty left in this world. Lin Aotian, the thing I, Leng Hanshuang, regret most in this life is being blind enough to know you.”

After speaking, she gave Lin Aotian no chance to explain, flicked her sleeve, and turned into a streak of light, flying toward the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

That was precisely where Su Yun lived.

“Frost! Stop right there!”

Seeing this, Lin Aotian felt a surge of anxiety.

In the past, he might have maintained his posture and waited for Leng Hanshuang to return and admit her mistake on her own.

But that inexplicable breakup transmission from before, combined with her current resolute attitude, gave him a sense of crisis.

He felt like he was about to lose control over Leng Hanshuang.

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Ignoring everything else, Lin Aotian's Divine Thought projection instantly turned into a golden light and chased after the direction Leng Hanshuang had left.

“Listen to my explanation! Things are not what you think!”

...

Inside the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

Nangong Xue had just returned, her expression very ugly.

Because Lin Aotian's arrival had disrupted her plans, her heart was filled with both wicked fire and rage; her entire person was extremely irritable.

“Bang!”

Nangong Xue kicked open Su Yun's door, seeing Su Yun still sitting there leisurely sipping tea.

Greed resurfaced in her eyes, but it was outweighed by a desire to destroy and vent.

“Young Master Lin, it seems our serious business tonight cannot be completed.”

Nangong Xue walked into the room, casually setting up a soundproofing barrier, then approached Su Yun step by step. Her voice was raspy and sounded very dangerous.

“But it doesn't matter. Once that annoying fellow is gone, we'll have plenty of time to play slowly.”

Su Yun put down his teacup, lifted his eyelids, and looked at her with a smile.

“Alliance Leader Nangong, your acting is indeed not bad. Even an arrogant fool like Lin Aotian was played by you until his head spun.”

Nangong Xue stopped in her tracks, her gaze turning cold: “What do you mean?”

Su Yun stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and spoke in a flat tone.

“It's nothing. I just find it a bit amusing. The grand Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Sovereign Alliance was actually refined into a Puppet by her own good Disciple. Not only must her entire cultivation be drained, but she also has to act out a play with her former lover under her Disciple's control.”

Su Yun took a step forward, his gaze directly meeting Nangong Xue's instantly constricting pupils.

“Alliance Leader Nangong, tell me, if Lin Aotian knew that the deeply affectionate Zi Yun just now was actually just an empty shell... would his expression be quite spectacular?”

“You're looking for death!”

The killing intent in Nangong Xue's heart surged instantly.

This secret was her greatest weakness; she could never let a second person know.

She abruptly reached out her hand, her five fingers forming a claw carrying black-purple Devilish Qi, aiming straight for Su Yun's throat.

“How did you know? Speak! Or I'll extract your soul right now!”

Facing this strike that could insta-kill someone at the Soul Transformation Stage, Su Yun didn't even dodge. He only revealed a profound smile and softly spat out a sentence.

“If you don't want people to know, don't do it. Nangong Xue, do you really think you can deceive the heavens and cross the sea?”

This one sentence caused Nangong Xue to completely lose her reason.

Fearful and enraged, she roared out like a madwoman:

“So what if I deceive the heavens! That old woman was refined into a Puppet by me long ago! Half of her Divine Soul has been swallowed by me! Even if Lin Aotian finds out, what can he do? The Heavenly Sovereign Alliance listens to me now!”

More importantly, just a second before she said this, Su Yun had already quietly used the System item, the realm-breaking cone, to tear open Nangong Xue's soundproofing barrier.

And so.

This roar containing the great secret clearly spread out of the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

As luck would have it.

Lin Aotian, who was hurriedly chasing Leng Hanshuang and had just arrived, happened to land above the courtyard.

That sentence, 'That old woman was refined into a Puppet by me long ago,' was like a bolt of lightning striking Lin Aotian's head.

Inside the room, Nangong Xue maintained her posture of clawing at Su Yun, her entire body frozen in place. She keenly felt a familiar and terrifying aura erupting from above her head.

It was... Lin Aotian.

“Nan... Gong... Xue!”

A roar of fury instantly shattered the roof of the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

Boom!

Amidst flying debris, golden light shone brilliantly.

The eyes of Lin Aotian's projection were blood-red as he glared death at Nangong Xue below. The space around him was trembling because of his rage.

“What did you just say? You refined Zi Yun... into a Puppet?”

He didn't dare believe it, nor was he willing to believe it.

That Nangong Xue, who was so well-behaved, sensible, and respectful in front of him, had actually committed such an outrageous and rebellious act.

And just now, he had actually confessed his love to a Puppet like a fool?

Too humiliating.

It was simply too humiliating.

Facing Lin Aotian's gaze that looked as if it wanted to devour her, Nangong Xue panicked for a moment, but then she actually calmed down.

Since she had been discovered, then... there was no more need to pretend.

“Heh...”

A light chuckle escaped from Nangong Xue's throat.

She slowly withdrew her hand, turned around, and looked up at Lin Aotian in mid-air. The disguise on her face was completely torn away, revealing a wicked and crazed smiling face.

“Since you've heard everything, then I can't be bothered to act anymore.”

Nangong Xue stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked her lips, her eyes full of provocation.

“That's right, exactly as you heard. That old woman became my plaything long ago. As for you...”

She looked disdainfully at Lin Aotian's illusory figure.

“A hypocrite who only relies on women to rise to power, what right do you have to shout at me here?”

“Vile creature! I want your life!”

Lin Aotian completely exploded.

His hands formed seals, and a powerful golden palm print ruthlessly struck down toward Nangong Xue.

“Great Luo Heavenly Hand!”

This was one of Lin Aotian's famous ultimate techniques. Even if only performed by a projection, its power was enough to instantly kill a Void Refining Early Stage Cultivator.

Su Yun had already teleported to a corner the moment the roof was blown off. At this moment, he even took out a handful of melon seeds and watched the show with great interest.

“Die!” Lin Aotian roared.

However, facing this certain-kill strike, Nangong Xue not only didn't dodge,

but instead let out a cold laugh. Her figure advanced rather than retreated, charging toward that golden palm print.

“Great Luo Heavenly Hand? An old, outdated Move.”

She was seen raising her hand, a strange purple light emerging from her fingertips. With a very tricky angle, she tapped an inconspicuous spot on that giant palm print.

“The spiritual power circulation at your Qi Sea point has a three-breath delay. This palm looks impressive, but it's actually just a showy piece of junk!”

Poof!

A soft sound.

That seemingly powerful golden palm print actually shattered instantly under Nangong Xue's light tap, dissipating into the air.

“What?”

Lin Aotian's pupils shrank, his face full of disbelief.

How could she know the location of this Move's vital point? This was his secret technique that he never shared! Even Zi Yun couldn't possibly know it so clearly.

“Are you very surprised?”

Nangong Xue's figure suddenly appeared in front of Lin Aotian, her eyes filled with the viciousness brought by You Lan's memories.

“I don't just know this; I also know that every full moon night, an old injury flares up deep within your Divine Soul. That's a hidden danger left from when you forcibly cultivated in the Demon Abyss back then.”

“I also know that your most prideful Nine-Turn Golden Body Art has its weakness three inches below the left ribs.”

With every sentence Nangong Xue spoke, her offensive grew a degree more fierce.

Every Move was ruthless and poisonous, specifically targeting Lin Aotian's vitals.

“You... who exactly are you?”

The more Lin Aotian fought, the more alarmed he became.

This was fundamentally not Nangong Xue.

This level of understanding of him even exceeded his own. This ruthless combat style moreover carried a sense of familiarity that made him afraid.

“Who am I? Am I not your good Junior, Nangong Xue?”

Nangong Xue laughed wildly, giving him no chance to breathe at all.

“Lin Aotian, you are just a projection; your energy is limited. Guess how long you can hold out?”

At this time, Lin Aotian was already nearing his limit.

Under Nangong Xue's fighting style specifically tailored against him, his Divine Thought projection's light grew dimmer and dimmer, and his figure became increasingly blurred.

“Ah! I am not reconciled!”

Lin Aotian let out an unreconciled roar.

To think a Prodigy like him would be pushed to such a state by a Junior in the Lower Realm.

“Not reconciled? Then take your lack of reconciliation and scram back to the Upper Realm!”

A cold light flashed in Nangong Xue's eyes. Her hands ruthlessly plunged into the chest of Lin Aotian's projection, and from within her palms, a terrifying suction force erupted.

“Heaven-Devouring Demonic Technique! Break for me!”

With a tearing sound,

Lin Aotian's Divine Thought projection was actually torn in two by Nangong Xue's bare hands.

“You will regret this... I will definitely... kill you...”

Lin Aotian's final venomous voice echoed in the air, and then, that sky-filling golden light completely exploded, turning into countless spots of light and dissipating.

...

At the same time.

In the Upper Realm, inside a palace.

“Pfft!”

Lin Aotian's true body, sitting cross-legged, suddenly sprayed out a large mouthful of blood, his face turning white instantly.

The backlash from his Divine Thought being forcibly destroyed caused his Origin Qi to suffer a great blow.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about his physical injuries; his eyes were filled with both fear and rage.

“This familiar feeling, this tone, and knowing my weaknesses like the back of her hand...”

The name of a madwoman he had long forgotten, thinking she was long dead, slowly surfaced in his mind.

“You Lan? Could it be that bitch You Lan has possessed Nangong Xue?”

“Impossible! I clearly suppressed her with my own hands...”

Lin Aotian gripped the armrests of his seat tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“Good... very good! No matter who you are, to dare Move against my projection and dare destroy my Foundation... when the day comes that my true body descends to the Lower Realm, I will certainly extract your soul and refine your spirit, so you shall never be reborn!”

...

In the Lower Realm, the ruins of the Heavenly Sovereign Alliance's Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

The dust settled.

Nangong Xue stood in the center of the ruins, her chest heaving violently. Her original purple gauze dress was somewhat disarrayed, revealing some snowy-white skin.

Her hair was draped over her shoulders. Because she had used a Demonic Technique, her eyes had turned blood-red, and her entire body emitted a violent aura.

Although she had killed Lin Aotian's projection, she had also consumed a huge amount of energy and completely exposed her trump cards.

The culprit behind all this...

Nangong Xue slowly turned around.

Those blood-red eyes, like a wild beast's, locked onto the man in the corner who had just brushed the melon seed shells off his hands and was preparing to stand up and leave.

“Have you seen enough?”

Nangong Xue's voice was very cold.

She walked toward Su Yun step by step, crushing the stones beneath her feet.

“To actually dare to scheme against me!”

“Now... it's your turn.”