Tick-Tock

"Tick-tock."

Stalactites dripped, splashing water in the dim underground, slightly cool and chilly.

The alternating hot and cold sensations brought on by the impending death made Xu Yuan want to grasp everything he could, but everything around him seemed so unattainable.

The familiar darkness and chill made Xu Yuan feel as if he had returned to the cave where he first started.

However, perhaps because of that experience, even as confusion and dizziness continued to erode his consciousness, Xu Yuan felt that he still maintained a certain level of cognitive ability and could hear the dripping sound of water in his ear.

It is well known that people who become demented are not so rational, and after death, the 'drip drip' sound of falling water cannot be heard.

In other words, Tianyan has already helped him win the bet with Tianye.

The Lock of Shared Life is a Secret Method that kills five hundred enemies but also injures one thousand of your own.

Unless he commits suicide, even if he tears apart his own original Will Soul, the backlash effect on Tianye will not be equivalent to his injuries.

Tianyan truly lived up to his chosen teammate's reputation; he was able to react in such a short time.

Fortunately, she realized what was happening.

A jumble of thoughts continued to spread, and consciousness gradually cleared from its initial haze.

But Xu Yuan quickly realized that being awake in this boundless darkness was not a good thing.

Staying awake in the darkness, where time seems to have no meaning, is a form of torture.

Unable to move, unable to speak, unable to even twitch.

You have no idea how much time has passed in the outside world, how long you will remain in this darkness, or what you will face when you wake up.

If he could, he would rather lose consciousness and then, the moment he opened his eyes, see the saintess on the washboard giving him a lap pillow, and the disdainful look she cast down at him.

Fortunately, the constant dripping of water in the empty environment offered some solace, but unfortunately, this only sound gradually became part of the torture as time passed.

"Tick-tock."

"Tick-tock."

"Tick-tock."

After an unknown amount of time, when Xu Yuan had become numb...

Another stalactite fell, splashing up tiny water droplets, and at the same time, other sounds reached his ears.

"So you finally couldn't help but ask?"

"Tick-tock."

"... Since you've betrayed me, you should have been prepared to die."

"Tick-tock."

"Overestimating one's abilities and going against the will of Heaven."

"Tick-tock."

"Since I am the heavens, if he doesn't die, who will?"

"."

"."

The faint sound came from afar, gradually becoming clearer as it came from a broken, indistinct voice.

Tianye

It is not the Tianyan, but the Tianye.

Realizing this, Xu Yuan's numb consciousness instantly cleared.

Why Tianye?

Under normal circumstances, Tianye was no match for Tianyan, let alone the fact that Tianye had his heart ripped out by him and was then severely injured by Tianyan's self-destruction using the Lock of Shared Life.

Under such circumstances, even if Tianyan is not at his peak, there should be no reversal.

No way.

He wouldn't wake up to find Tianyan, who had been cut in half by Tianye's new skill, being the first thing he saw.

"Tick-tock."

Another stalactite fell, interrupting Xu Yuan's chaotic thoughts.

And it was with this single drop of stalactite that Xu Yuan realized his senses had returned to his body like water flowing into a channel.

The moment his five senses returned completely, Xu Yuan was completely numb.

The tearing pain emanating from the depths of his Will Soul nearly caused him to faint again; the more ruthless he had been before, the more excruciating the pain would be now.

After struggling to adjust for a few breaths, Xu Yuan finally opened his heavy eyes, and the sight that greeted him brought him a slight sense of relief.

Although he didn't get to enjoy the Saintess's soft, warm lap pillow, at least he was still unharmed and hadn't been inexplicably cut in half as he had feared.

Tianyan sat quietly cross-legged to one side of him, his eyes closed as if he were cultivating.

In front of him was a sealed stove, from which wisps of fragrance wafted.

Turning my gaze away, I looked around and saw a dark cave with thick fog and a wet ground covered with a thin layer of unknown liquid.

It's viscous, but has a refreshingly cool feel to the touch.

Lying on his back on this layer of accumulated liquid even made the tearing sensation in his sea of consciousness dissipate considerably.

"Tick-tock."

As he pondered, another stalactite pierced the mist and fell, landing squarely between Xu Yuan's brows with a 'plop' as it dispersed into a cloud of mist. The cool sensation it brought actually seeped into his sea of consciousness.

"Woke up?"

A crisp sound suddenly rang out. Xu Yuan turned around and saw that she had already opened her eyes, her golden pupils shining brightly in the darkness.

"Yes, she's awake."

As soon as he spoke, Xu Yuan realized that his voice was as dry as a saw cutting through old tree bark.

"How do you feel?" Tianyan slowly stood up from the ground, his steps creating ripples as he stepped on the water. His voice carried a hint of heartache. "Your Will Soul was torn apart, does it hurt?"

Seeing the girl approaching, Xu Yuan, lying on his back, grinned and chuckled softly:

"It does hurt a little. What do you want to do?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yuan's pupils contracted; he saw the girl in front of him lift her foot.

Then,

Bang!

He kicked Xu Yuan in the lower abdomen, specifically in the Dantian area.

Even without shoes, it's as if they are wearing them.

The tearing sensation in his Will Soul that had just subsided instantly swept over his entire body again.

"And now?"

Tianyan's words were icy, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as he looked down at him condescendingly. "Does it still hurt?"

"."

After a long silence, Xu Yuan's cheeks twitched, and he gritted his teeth, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"Are you fucking sick?!"

Bang!

The girl pressed her toes down slightly on his lower abdomen, causing Xu Yuan to wince in pain.

Stepping on this washboard wasn't enough; they actually used their Source Qi to do it!

After a few breaths of pain, Xu Yuan stopped talking, gritting his teeth and meeting her gaze without yielding an inch, but he managed to refrain from swearing.

Because we can't beat them now, we need to start from the heart.

After a few breaths of eye contact, Tianyan remained aloof, but unconsciously bit his lip.

"Tick-tock."

Another drop of stalactite fell.

Under the man's fiery gaze, the girl was the first to look away and retract her toes, but her voice remained as clear and cold as snow:

"If you know it hurts, why did you do it?"

"What's it to you?" Xu Yuan said sarcastically. "Go on, you idiot."

"."

After a moment of silence, Tianyan took a deep breath. "Xu Yuan, I don't want to argue with you right now."

"Arguing? You're kicking each other, does that count as arguing?"

Xu Yuan's lips curled slightly as he continued sarcastically, "He finally woke up, and then he kicked him so hard he didn't get back to where he was. I was so badly injured, and I still tried to save someone... no, now he's an ungrateful wretch."

He knew, of course, that the "washboard saintess" was angry.

She was angry because of his risky actions.

But is this a matter of taking risks, or a matter of whether we all end up failing if we don't take risks?

He's betting his life on this; even if you're angry, can't you speak properly?!

Seven years and you still can't get him back to his old ways, huh?

"Tianyan, what's wrong with your temper? Don't take it out on me. If you're so capable, wait until I'm back to my full strength and then we'll have a go at it!" Xu Yuan said with a frown, suddenly noticing that the slender body of the girl in front of him was trembling slightly.

Tsk. Was my comment a bit too harsh?

Tianyan glared at him, a cold smile playing on his lips, and said in a chilling voice:

"Wait until you're fully recovered? What are you trying to prove, a mere Iron Body Realm relying on Jing He's cultivation level?!"

Xu Yuan's eye twitched, and he chuckled softly:

"Whether I'm just putting on an act or not, I don't know, but at least I can handle you, Holy Maiden."

The gaze within the Tianyan Golden Eyes turned dangerous:

"Alright, you try it. I won't hold back this time."

"Suit yourself. Half a month has almost passed, and I'd like to see how you plan to cure that Charm Poison."

"Ha!" Tianyan laughed in anger upon hearing this, "Xu Yuan, all you've got are these low-down, despicable methods."

"Baseness is the incompetent barking of mediocre people."

"Me, mediocre? Me, who stepped into the Origin Beginning at the age of twenty-one, is mediocre? What are you, Xu Yuan, then?!"

"You don't actually think that cultivation level is everything, do you?"

Although his body was lying on the ground, Xu Yuan's gaze towards Tianyan revealed a hint of contempt, as if looking at an idiot. "If it weren't for me, with your intelligence, Holy Maiden, surviving even a year in this illusion would be a miracle."

"Ah, I almost forgot, this illusion seems to be your ancestral tomb trying to kill you, tsk tsk."

"Xu Yuan! Haven't you said enough?!"

"What, are you in such a hurry?"

"."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

Tianyan clenched his fists tightly, looked away, and said in a weaker voice, "Xu Yuan, can't you just talk properly?"

"Am I speaking properly?"

Xu Yuan chuckled upon hearing this, "Come on, Tianyan, tell me who the hell started kicking people right away?"

Tianyan's slender body trembled as if she had reached her limit. She bit her lip, her voice trembling:

"Isn't this all because of what you did?"

What did I do?

"Ah, so you were worried about me? But our Holy Maiden's concern is quite unusual; my current health can't handle it."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and teased with a smile, "Tianyan, our parents gave us a mouth to speak and communicate, not..."

Boom!!!

The words came to an abrupt halt, interrupted by a tremor in the cave.

The trembling originated from the girl's fist hovering in front of Xu Yuan's head, and the spiderweb-like cracks on the stone slab gradually spread from the ground behind Xu Yuan all the way to the end of the cave.

Xu Yuan stared at the fist for a moment, then muted his microphone and looked away.

Tianyan stared at his profile for a few moments, then slowly withdrew his fist, sniffed, silently turned around, and walked barefoot through the liquid on the ground back to where he had just stood up and sat down.

Xu Yuan remained lying in place with his microphone muted, using the unknown Spirit Liquid to repair his torn Will Soul.

A moment of silence enveloped the two of them once more, with only the seemingly unchanging sound of the stalactites dripping still ringing out.

"Tick-tock."

"Tick-tock."

I don't know how much time passed,

"That."

Her voice suddenly rang out, still clear and melodious.

Xu Yuan opened his eyes and glanced to the side.

In the darkness,

Tianyan gripped the hem of his robe tightly, as if a mosquito had just landed on it.

"I was wrong about this. Please don't be angry, okay?"