Long Xuanye Seriously Injured, a Mortal Choice

Long Xuanye said, standing up, "I'm going to go pack my things."

He turned and ducked to the side of the thatched hut, out of Saint Cai'er's line of sight.

The moment he stood still, a fishy sweetness surged into his throat.

"Pfft—"

He forcibly suppressed a mouthful of dark red blood, but it seeped from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the soil.

His vision went black in waves, and the world spun around him.

It felt as if a fire were burning inside his brain, scorching every one of his nerves.

The aftereffects of overdrawing his Inner Spiritual Power had finally erupted.

Last night, the system had issued another choice.

It was the same fixed pattern.

The reward for completely annihilating the Devil Race squad was one point of Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power, but the difficulty of completion had naturally risen accordingly.

To instantly kill a squad led by two fourth-step members of the Devil Race, he had utilized three seconds of "Chaos Begins."

It was a brief duration, yet it had nearly drained all the spiritual power from his entire body and left a massive burden on his physical frame.

He dared not be injured, and he dared not let Cai'er discover it.

Long Xuanye leaned against the wall, dry-heaving violently for a while until that tumultuous, churning sensation subsided slightly.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, took a deep breath, composed his expression, and then walked back as if nothing had happened.

The fourth day.

The sun was high in the sky before Long Xuanye finally drifted into consciousness.

It had been a long time since he had woken up this late.

His consciousness was hazy, his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and his bones groaned under the strain.

"Xuan Ye, you're awake?"

A voice filled with deep concern rang in his ears.

Saint Cai'er was holding a basin of clear water; seeing him open his eyes, her face was instantly filled with worry.

She reached out a cool little hand and pressed it against his forehead.

"So hot... you have a fever."

Saint Cai'er's brows furrowed tightly. "Lie down. You are not allowed to cultivate today. Get some proper rest."

Long Xuanye had no strength to argue, so he could only let her press him back onto the makeshift bed made of straw.

In his hazy state, a thought flickered through his mind, and he summoned the system panel that only he could see.

[Divine Choice completed]

[Choice: Annihilate the invading Devil Race squad]

[Mission Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +1, Inner Spiritual Power +2]

The reward was generous.

So generous that... it made his heart sink.

Because the enemy from last night had been more formidable than any he had faced before.

He instinctively checked his own status; his Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power had quietly reached 5 points.

Last night...

Long Xuanye tried to recall, but only fragmented, blood-stained scenes remained in his mind.

He only remembered being dominated by the instincts of a wild beast, forcibly draining the life force and Devilish Qi of a fourth-rank Devil Race member, condensing it into a pure Dark Blade in his palm.

After that, there was only a streak of black light cutting through the night sky, followed by several heads soaring into the air.

The memories after that were a complete blank.

"Xuan Ye, let me wipe you down. It will make you feel more comfortable."

Saint Cai'er's voice pulled him back from his bloody recollections.

A warm towel gently brushed across his cheeks and neck, the movements as soft as a feather.

After finishing the wipe, Saint Cai'er did not leave; she simply sat quietly by the bedside and took his hand.

Her hand was small, yet very warm.

In his blurred state of consciousness, Long Xuanye felt a sense of peace. For some reason, he felt as if he hadn't transmigrated to the Sacred Demon Continent at all, but was simply lying at home, recovering from an illness, with someone sitting by his bedside, worried about him.

He opened his eyes to see Cai'er tilting her head, pressing her face against his.

The girl's face was silky smooth and cool, which felt very comfortable.

"Xuan Ye, it's going to be okay."

"It's going to be okay."

"I'm going to the nearby town to buy some fever medicine for you," Saint Cai'er said softly.

"You have to wait for Mommy to come back, okay?"

"Everything will be alright."

Long Xuanye felt as if he had been embraced, followed by the sound of breathing gradually fading into the distance.

Saint Cai'er turned around, walked out of the house, and stepped onto the forest path.

Long Xuanye lay on the straw mat, watching her back until that slender silhouette completely vanished at the edge of the tree shadows.

Inside the thatched cottage, it became so quiet in an instant that only his own heavy, scorching breathing remained.

And it was at this very moment.

A cold, mechanical voice boomed in his mind.

[Divine Choice triggered]

[Option One: Annihilate the invading Devil Race squad. Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +2, Inner Spiritual Power +10]

[Option Two: Flee this place immediately. Reward: Inner Spiritual Power +3]

Long Xuanye's pupils constricted to the size of pinpricks.

Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power, two points!

Inner Spiritual Power, ten points!

An unprecedentedly generous reward—so generous that it made the blood in his veins almost freeze.

The higher the reward, the higher the difficulty!

This meant that the incoming enemies would be overwhelming in strength, far exceeding any previous... desperate situation!

He fell silent.

Flee?

He instinctively looked at Option Two.

But what about Cai'er?

If he chose to flee now, what would happen to Cai'er, who was heading to the town all by herself?

She would run straight into that group of... Devil Race!

At the mere thought of that scene, Long Xuanye felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Is there no other choice?"

He suddenly spoke, his scorching breath searing his parched throat.

"Tell me which town Cai'er is going to! Speak!"

"Is there no option for me to take Cai'er and run away together?!"

The System remained silent, as always.

Only those two options hung, lonely and isolated, in his sea of consciousness.

Long Xuanye's chest heaved violently.

Suddenly, he let out a soft chuckle.

The laughter was hoarse and dry, yet carried a hint of desperate madness.

He propped up his weak body with his arms, his bones and muscles groaning under the strain, and slowly, bit by bit, he sat up.

Then, he reached back and gripped the short blade at the head of the bed.

"Clang—"

The blade left its sheath, carving a chilling arc through the dim thatched cottage.

He walked out of the cottage.

The midday sun shone upon him, warm and gentle.

Long Xuanye seemed to hear Cai'er speaking again.

Everything will be alright.

In the wind, the sound of distant forest leaves being rapidly brushed aside reached him—dense and heavy, the kind of commotion only a large group of people moving at high speed could make.

Damn it!

Long Xuanye cursed inwardly.

A trace of regret welled up in his heart, uncontrollable.

Perhaps...

Perhaps from the very beginning, he shouldn't have taken Cai'er with him.

If he had let her leave with that White-Robed Assassin, given the resources of the Assassin's Sanctuary, she would have been safe and sound. She wouldn't have had to live this life of constant fear and uncertainty with him.

"I choose option two."

On the other side.

On the forest path leading to Odin Town.

Saint Cai'er was quickening her pace, her small face filled with anxiety.

Suddenly, she came to a halt.

On the road ahead, two figures had appeared silently, as if out of nowhere.

They wore dark gray fitted outfits, their forms obscured by the shadows of the trees. Their presence blended perfectly with the surrounding environment; had they not revealed themselves, an ordinary person would never have been able to detect them.

They were from the Assassin's Sanctuary.