Little tail? I will protect you.

The Blood-Colored Plateau was dim, with great ravines stretching across the land.

A thin, blood-colored mist still drifted in the void.

Countless Demonic Beasts rushed out from various areas, a surging tide kicking up dust, causing rocks to roll and the mountains to tremble.

Chii!

A dazzling sword energy, like a cold, cascading waterfall, suddenly slashed down from the horizon.

The void seemed to freeze. Where the sword energy passed, large numbers of Demonic Beasts were instantly frozen, then shattered into powder with crisp crackling sounds.

A slender figure in a plain gauze dress, her skirt fluttering, leaned on a sword in the air, arriving like a divine rainbow.

All Demonic Beasts blocking her path disintegrated before her sword, turning into powder before they could even scream.

Soon, a path was cleared before her.

Li Mengning moved like a dancing butterfly, her posture ethereal, her serene expression unable to hide a hint of worry.

Countless sword shadows swirled around her.

Behind her, it was as if an ancient sword repository had opened, with sword after sword appearing as phantom images, then whistling past, slashing through heaven and earth with astonishing sharpness, cutting through everything.

She didn't know why the Blood-Colored Plateau had suddenly experienced such a massive upheaval.

Nor did she know why countless Demonic Beasts had suddenly gone berserk.

All she knew now was... that disobedient person was in grave danger.

Buzz!!!

The sky full of sword shadows whistled and slashed, sword light like a sea, covering the heavens and earth, pressing down for hundreds of miles.

Li Mengning's clear, serene eyes rapidly scanned the various areas, while her other slender, jade-like hand tightly gripped a cleanly washed Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus.

Suddenly, behind a rock about half her height not far away, she saw that familiar figure.

He didn't seem injured, but his face was much paler than before.

"Jiang Lan..." Her heart finally relaxed, and she transformed into a stream of light, landing beside Jiang Lan.

"You came?"

A familiar, faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils. Jiang Lan glanced at her, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

He could clearly sense that Li Mengning seemed a little angry. Her face, hidden by a light veil, showed no emotional fluctuations. It was usually like this, but not like today, where she was ignoring him.

At least before, if he asked her something, she would softly hum in response.

However, he had also deceived her first. Without any cultivation, not only had he ventured alone deep into the Blood-Colored Plateau, but even this sudden surge of Demonic Beasts could have easily taken his life.

"Don't be angry anymore, I was wrong."

Jiang Lan smiled, immediately admitting his fault and apologizing, "There won't be a next time."

Li Mengning's clear, serene eyes stared intently at his face, then she softly uttered two words, "Liar."

She was indeed a little angry, but not because Jiang Lan had deceived her.

It was because he knew she had no cultivation, yet he had insisted on forcing his way into the depths of the Blood-Colored Plateau, gambling with his own life.

"I had a plan, and you know me, I'm very afraid of death, I wouldn't easily gamble with my life."

Jiang Lan seemed to know what she was thinking as he said softly, "If there's one thing I have plenty of, it's trump cards for survival."

Li Mengning still didn't speak, her clear eyes quietly watching him.

"Fine, next time I take a risk, I won't send you away anymore."

Jiang Lan felt a slight headache.

Only then did Li Mengning softly hum, then say gently, "The sect will arrive here soon."

Jiang Lan understood, which was why he waited for her here. He just didn't know how many Domain Breaking Talismans Li Mengning had left; they were great for traveling and escaping.

However, activating a Domain Breaking Talisman required a certain level of strength. Originally, he had no cultivation, so even with a Domain Breaking Talisman, it was useless. Thus, he had none on him.

It seemed he would have to ask his family for some later.

"Let's go..."

Jiang Lan said, then, with extreme naturalness and familiarity, he wrapped his arm around Li Mengning's slender waist and held her tightly.

It wasn't that he was deliberately taking advantage of her.

It was just that without the cover of the Domain Breaking Talisman's light, with his current physical strength, traveling through the void would be unbearable, his body would be torn apart by the Gale Wind.

The commotion on the Blood-Colored Plateau was so great, but no one would suspect him.

Li Mengning gently pursed her red lips, her crystal-clear earlobes tinged with a faint blush.

Then, the void before them trembled slightly, blurry ripples spreading out, and the two figures quickly vanished.

Along the way, Jiang Lan caught a faint scent of blood, which was somewhat unexpected. It wasn't the stench of Demonic Beast blood, but carried a strange, faint fragrance.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

The Demonic Beast guarding the Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus shouldn't have been a match for Li Mengning.

"There are two of them," Li Mengning replied.

She had killed both Demonic Beasts at the Demon King level. Although she sustained some injuries, her strength was truly terrifying.

Among the young prodigies of her generation, very few could probably block even one of her sword strikes at this point.

In the original plot, if her Dao heart hadn't been damaged by her own death, and if she hadn't been delayed by me, it would have been truly difficult for the Protagonist, Lin Fan, to quickly surpass her.

This guy's talent wasn't just powerful; he was also diligent and hardworking. When he disappeared usually, it was because he was cultivating.

"That thousand-year-old Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus is a rare heavenly treasure for you, who cultivates the Supreme Profound Nether Art. After you refine it, your strength should increase significantly," Jiang Lan said.

"You don't want it?" Li Mengning asked, sounding a bit confused.

Jiang Lan smiled and said, "What use would it be to me? I'm a cripple who can't cultivate. Using such a heavenly treasure on me would just be a waste."

Li Mengning was stunned for a moment. Her clear, serene eyes looked directly at him, and then she said very seriously, "You are not a cripple..."

In her heart, Jiang Lan had never been a cripple, neither in the past nor now.

"Go back and try consuming the Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus," she added in a low voice.

Jiang Lan felt that this Quasi-Saintess was truly a bit stubborn.

He sighed with a hint of helplessness and said, "This Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus was originally for you to pick and refine yourself. I'm still counting on you to protect me. If your strength doesn't increase, and you encounter an assassin stronger than that Lin Fan, who will protect me?"

"Uncle Ying can't possibly follow me around the clock. And you, little tail, I just can't shake you off."

Hearing Jiang Lan call her a "little tail," Li Mengning was slightly taken aback.

It seemed like she really was like his tail, following him wherever he went. Did he dislike this?

"What I mean is, from now on, I can only rely on you for protection, so you need to become stronger."

Jiang Lan knew she might misunderstand. After thinking for a moment, he changed his wording.

Otherwise, with her stubbornness, who knew how long it would take for her to understand.

"Mhm..."

"I... I will protect you."

Li Mengning's mind was still a little dazed, and Jiang Lan's words, "from now on," still echoed in her ears.

"Huh?"

Noticing the sudden change in Li Mengning in his arms, Jiang Lan couldn't help but be surprised.

"You... you're hugging me too tightly..."

Li Mengning whispered, "I... I suddenly can't seem to catch my breath."

By the time the two returned to Yuyi City in Jiangling Commandery, it was already the evening of the next day. The sun was setting in the west, and the sunset clouds were as brilliant as maple leaves.