Besides... if Long Aotian truly trusted Elderly Grandfather, he would not have been so flustered right now, much less have unnecessarily answered that.
Even if Long Aotian did not question Elderly Grandfather deep within his soul, Bai Lan's words just now would remain lodged in Long Aotian's heart like a fishbone.
From then on, he would guard against Elderly Grandfather in every respect and would no longer lay all his secrets bare before him.
The outcome of mutual suspicion was never good.
Once the seed of doubt was planted in the heart, it would take root and sprout. Given only time to catalyze it, it would grow into a towering tree and utterly crush the trust between the two of them.
Elderly Grandfather, who lurked within Long Aotian's spiritual consciousness, was naturally no fool either. Every old monster who had lived for a thousand years was shrewd as a fox.
Elderly Grandfather naturally knew that once a crisis of trust arose between him and Long Aotian, the consequences would become severe over time.
Yet between coming clean about everything and continuing to conceal it, he would still choose the latter.
Because in Elderly Grandfather's eyes, Long Aotian was equally untrustworthy.
Perhaps Bai Lan's faintly smiling gaze was too glaring. Long Aotian snorted coldly, turned, and left, his retreating figure carrying the distinct air of fleeing in defeat.
"He's rattled. He must be rattled," the system said excitedly from the side.
"Anyone would be rattled by something like this. Having a powerful, unknown stranger living in your head is no good thing." Bai Lan chuckled. "The only reason Long Aotian can accept it is because he temporarily cannot do without the old man's help."
The flying ship traveled far faster than anyone had imagined. Through the thick spiritual-energy protective barrier outside, they could see the scenery rapidly receding.
But Bai Lan had no time to pay attention to any of that.
From the very beginning, she had known that during the group's journey to Azure Origin Sect, there would be a special plot involving the Destined Female Lead.
"Demon Race Young Master Lan Ning," one of the female lead's destined romances.
But there were no further details. The only description was: "Lan Ning saw the calm and composed female lead amid the panicked crowd and fell in love with her at first sight."
Bai Lan: "..."
While Bai Lan was still deep in thought, a series of booming impacts came from overhead.
Looking up, she saw countless enormous fireballs wreathed in black qi continuously bombarding the barrier outside the flying ship.
Several black-clad demonic cultivators, flying overhead on swords, had already surrounded the flying ship. All manner of attacks repeatedly slammed into the barrier outside it.
Bai Lan's heart skipped a beat. What was going on?
Well, well, well. The cultivation world truly was "warm and hospitable."
They were merely ordinary people who had just tested their spiritual roots, who had only just stepped through the gates of the cultivation world, and they had already encountered something this thrilling?
After hurriedly making a save, Bai Lan finally steadied herself and began observing the situation.
The barrier outside the flying ship looked sturdy, but faint cracks had already appeared at several crucial points. Looking outside, she saw that the huge fireballs and demonic cultivators were all striking one particular spot.
In other words, focus fire.
With something like a barrier, once a single hole was broken through, it made little difference whether the rest remained intact or not.
If even one corner of the barrier shattered, cultivators might still have a chance at survival. But ordinary people like them, without a shred of cultivation, would definitely suffer disaster as fish caught in the crossfire.
If one of those fireballs struck, she would become ash the next second.
"You have quite the nerve, daring to attack my Azure Origin Sect! Do you truly think I do not exist?!"
Just as the scene descended into chaos, a cold female voice rang out from within the flying ship. A female cultivator in purple robes flew into the air with a long whip in hand, her pressure spreading outward as she confronted the many demonic cultivators.
This person was an elder of Azure Origin Sect at the Core Formation stage.
But clearly, the demonic cultivators had someone of equal cultivation holding down their side as well.
Facing the overwhelming pressure of the purple-robed female cultivator, another force spread out and enveloped the demonic cultivators' camp.
A sinister, genderless cackle rang out. "So Fairy Zi Ling is overseeing this trip? What an honor. I have coveted your whip for a long time."
Bai Lan sucked in a sharp breath.
What was this, the cultivation world's version of a masochist?
The purple-robed female cultivator snorted coldly. "Sick in the head. Hiding and skulking about, making people sick. Come and court death sooner, and I may yet leave you an intact corpse."
"Ha~" That voice replied with a playful laugh. "You have truly frightened me to death, sir. Boo hoo hoo."
As it spoke, three blood-red flying blades shot out from the black mist opposite them.
Zi Ling sneered and raised her hand, producing several bolts of lightning that flashed toward the other side.
Battle was about to erupt. Amid the dazzling blur of attacks, someone aboard the flying ship suddenly shouted, "Senior Brother Liu! What are you doing?! That's the formation flag—don't touch it recklessly!"
Bai Lan's heart skipped a beat as she looked toward the source of the voice.
A cultivator dressed in the inner disciple robes of Azure Origin Sect flashed red light in his hand.
Who was that? Could he be a demonic cultivator's planted spy?
As soon as Bai Lan thought this, the barrier outside the flying ship vanished in an instant. In that same moment, the fireballs overhead fell straight toward the crowd.
There really was a mole!
One corner of the formation flag had been destroyed, causing a problem with the formation, and the barrier dispersed along with it.
This was beyond absurd. The cultivation world's formations actually used a series connection?
Destroy one corner, and the entire thing was destroyed.
A scorching heat rushed toward her. Bai Lan instinctively looked toward the two Children of Destiny.
Just as she thought!
The positions of the two Children of Destiny completely avoided the fireball's area of attack.
One second before she was swallowed by the fireball, Bai Lan loaded her save.
Time instantly rewound to ten minutes earlier. Bai Lan took a deep breath.
In another ten minutes, the mole called Senior Brother Liu would destroy the flying ship's formation.
The fireballs overhead would come crashing down in an instant, and half the ordinary people aboard the flying ship would die tragic deaths.
No matter how capable True Person Zi Ling was, she would never expect there to be a mole within the flying ship.
Expose the mole's identity? Then that Senior Brother Liu, who possessed cultivation, could crush her—an ordinary person—to death first thing.
For a cultivator, killing an ordinary person took only an instant, especially when the other party was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
So this problem had no solution. Every person had their own fate. She should save herself first.
Bai Lan looked toward Long Aotian, who stood in the distance with a furrowed brow, deep in thought. Her expression flickered, and she strode toward him.
Let me borrow a Child of Destiny's halo. Thanks.
Children of Destiny, whose luck was maxed out and who were restricted by the laws of Heaven, would never be accidentally harmed by this kind of area-of-effect attack.
Therefore, under these circumstances, standing beside Long Aotian was very safe.
"What are you trying to do?!" When Long Aotian saw Bai Lan walking over, he instinctively felt that nothing good was coming.
Bai Lan smiled lightly. "My conscience has awakened. I came to return your Storage Bag."
"Really?!" Long Aotian clearly believed her.
Bai Lan spread her hands. "I was teasing you. You actually believed me?"
Long Aotian: "..."
"One day, sooner or later, I will make you pay the price." Long Aotian's expression turned cold and sinister.
Before you continue