Chapter 99: Piercing Through

“You approached me just to help him steal my things?”

“Yes.”

In the very distant past, Zuo Yuanxi vaguely remembered questioning Lin Ying’an in this way.

Then the other woman had grinned cheekily and nodded in affirmation.

“We’ve known each other for centuries and became dao companions under the witness of heaven and earth. Do all these years of friendship mean nothing to you?”

“Our marriage was only for the benefit of our two clans in the first place. What friendship are you talking about?”

Lin Ying’an had used her incarnation to answer these questions, because she knew that if she said them herself, Zuo Yuanxi would kill her on the spot.

Zuo Yuanxi had shattered the incarnation Lin Ying’an left behind, unaware that it was their final meeting.

She naturally also didn’t know how much mental fortitude Lin Ying’an had needed at that time to maintain her outwardly happy smile before taking that so-called treasure to meet her death in this world.

That treasure was an aid to help the Male Lead ascend, but if used at the wrong time, it could turn into poison.

Although Fu Jun had privately mocked Lin Ying’an as a gullible fool, when she brought the treasure over, he still didn’t dare believe it easily and tricked her into testing it first under the pretext of sharing it with her.

How could Nian Zhi’an not know what he was thinking? System S-232 knew too. So, to hasten the Male Lead’s ascension into an immortal and set this world back on track as quickly as possible, the system urged Nian Zhi’an to consume the treasure promptly.

Lin Ying’an’s strength was far from sufficient for ascension. After taking the treasure and drawing down the thunder tribulation, she would end up with her soul scattered to the winds. Of course, Nian Zhi’an wouldn’t truly scatter; at the moment of death, she would be pulled into the system space.

The Male Lead had the strength for it, but his mental state had suffered too great a blow. He was no longer the Male Lead from the world’s original trajectory. Yet the system placed immense faith in someone like him. Nian Zhi’an had nearly grinned from ear to ear. She smoothly handed the treasure to him, watched him swallow it, and let the bright red words “mission failed” slap the system across the face.

Nian Zhi’an had only felt it was a pity that her emotions were constantly under the system’s surveillance, so she couldn’t properly mock it when the failure happened.

But now, seeing this scene, she suddenly felt that in this world, it was hard to say who had won or lost in her game with System S-232.

“Bang!” An explosion suddenly rocked the Demon Alliance Leader’s villa, nearly startling the old fellow into throwing out his back. The demons responsible for security immediately extinguished the blaze. Then they dug out yet another basement beneath the villa’s basement—that was where the explosion had originated.

The Alliance Leader was an old monster who had lived for many years, after all. One glance at that basement told him something was fishy. Thinking of his missing daughter, he glanced at his attendants, dismissed those subordinates whom his future son-in-law had already contacted, and summoned his true secret guard unit to investigate the sub-basement below.

Meanwhile, in that flooded forest, Nian Zhi’an exerted all her might and finally pried open a gap in the barrier Zuo Yuanxi had set up.

As soon as the gap in the barrier opened, the violent power inside nearly struck her a heavy blow.

Only then did Nian Zhi’an suddenly understand that Zuo Yuanxi hadn’t set up the barrier to worry about Fu Jun escaping, but to protect her.

How powerful was the self-destruction of one of the world’s strongest demons, the Merman Clan Chief? Even the aftermath of that power wasn’t something an ordinary Pallas’s cat Demon could withstand.

This was Zuo Yuanxi’s final protection for Nian Zhi’an.

The moment she saw that Puppet Cat Demon, she had anticipated what would happen next.

After erasing Lin Ying’an’s final trace of aura, Zuo Yuanxi no longer had the strength to continue resisting her heart demon.

Nian Zhi’an struggled through the gap she had barely opened. The situation inside was extremely perilous; even a single misstep from her would result in several gashes from the rampaging power.

It was quite frustrating, really—in this situation, she still had to watch out for Fu Jun’s life. The alarm for the Male Lead’s critical condition had been blaring in her head for a long time, with the system jumping up and down in panic, yelling so much that her ears hurt.

“If you’re so worried about his life, go keep an eye on him over there,” Nian Zhi’an said with a slight frown.

The system carefully studied Nian Zhi’an’s expression and, confirming she wasn’t speaking in jest, tentatively asked: 【Then I’m really going?】

“Go quickly. You’re no help here anyway,” Nian Zhi’an added. “If you let him slip away, then don’t bother coming back.”

The system nearly snapped to attention in salute but, seeing that its host didn’t even glance at it again, muttered softly: 【Be careful.】

Then it hurried off to keep the Male Lead’s life hanging by a thread.

Its host had that legendary protective charm, so the little system wasn’t worried about her safety at all. Now, as long as it could stabilize Zuo Yuanxi, the current crisis would be resolved.

Nian Zhi’an tugged at the corner of her mouth. Easy to say, but far from easy to do.

After the little system left, she put away her protective charm. Though it guaranteed she wouldn’t be injured, it would reflect any fatal attack back at the caster.

Nian Zhi’an looked up at the center radiating violent power. She raised her hand, heedless of how the power sliced into her like knives. She simply calmed herself and sensed the power in the air. She seemed to hear the merfolk sighing and sobbing lowly, and she felt the other’s emotions turn to dead wood after losing all will to live.

“Thinking about it carefully, all these years, it seems I’ve always owed you an ‘I’m sorry,’” Nian Zhi’an said, her expression softening slightly. “You’ll be fine. Remember, if you ever beat me up in the future, go easy on me for today’s sake!”

After experiencing so many worlds, aside from the external power she couldn’t strip away from the main system, Nian Zhi’an didn’t have many abilities left. But there was one she was fairly confident in.

That was her soul power, gradually strengthened through the grinding of countless worlds.

Once the little system finally located what seemed to be the Male Lead, it quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It turned back to check on its host’s situation, only to see the last flutter of her clothing vanish into the heart of that violent power.

【Aaaahhh!!!】 The system let out a panicked groundhog screech. Now, when it tried to contact Nian Zhi’an, it found its signal disrupted by the rampaging power—it couldn’t reach her at all!

It knew its host liked to act recklessly, but this was too reckless! Thank goodness she still had that legendary protective charm. Don’t panic—the host could definitely handle it.

The little system comforted itself. Fortunately, Nian Zhi’an knew its personality and had stowed the charm behind its back; otherwise, it would have fainted from fright right then.

Zuo Yuanxi’s soul was in chaos, intertwined with damage from the secret technique’s backlash. She had no desire to survive herself, shrinking her last sliver of awareness into a corner.

Did she want to kill Lin Ying’an? No—in truth, following her heart’s genuine wish, Zuo Yuanxi didn’t want to. It was just that the heart demon, born from the long years of phantom incarnations, had twisted it. If she truly killed Lin Ying’an, she would fulfill the heart demon’s wish and sever the last tie to Zuo Yuanxi’s true heart.

“Zuo Yuanxi, can you hear me?” Nian Zhi’an tried infiltrating a portion of her soul power to call out to Zuo Yuanxi, but received no response.

Gentle methods probably wouldn’t work here. Nian Zhi’an sighed softly, then drew her somewhat battered ancient blade. Without its spirit, the blade had lost its former luster and appeared dilapidated. But it had once been a true immortal artifact, more than capable of cleaving through the rampaging demon power blocking her path.

Clang!

Nian Zhi’an sensed a sound and immediately raised her blade to block, barely parrying a sword thrust from deep within the power.

This body’s power was still too weak. Though Nian Zhi’an blocked the strike, her wrist went numb from the shock, nearly losing her grip on the blade.

“Get out of here!” Zuo Yuanxi’s voice came through, laced with pained forbearance.

“That won’t do.” Nian Zhi’an refused as she pressed deeper.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“What’s a heart demon yapping about?” Nian Zhi’an swept her blade horizontally. “You think I can’t tell?”

“Zuo Yuanxi” fell silent for a moment, then said, “You want to save her? Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”

“Unless that soul-scattered person comes back to life, no one can save her.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint. That soul-scattered person you mentioned really did come back to life.” Nian Zhi’an delivered a huge “surprise.” “So, want to verify if it’s really me?”

“Zuo Yuanxi’s” scarlet eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t believe Nian Zhi’an’s words, but she found this Pallas’s cat Demon particularly strange.

Zhi’an seized the opportunity to charge straight at her opponent. After dodging the sword thrust toward her, she clamped the flat of her blade onto Zuo Yuanxi’s body. She unleashed her Soul Power without reservation, stripping away the System’s concealment. She was certain that both Zuo Yuanxi and her Heart Demon were intimately familiar with it.

“You!” The Heart Demon’s eyes widened as she stared at Zhi’an. She subconsciously reached out a hand to touch her but quickly pulled it back. She was certain this wasn’t an Illusion Technique—after all, she herself had been born from one and was intimately familiar with them. The fact that even she couldn’t detect any flaw meant that her opponent was genuine.

Meanwhile, Zuo Yuanxi’s consciousness truly began to stir. Unfortunately…

The Heart Demon gazed at Zhi’an with a pitying expression. She said, “Her consciousness is no longer clear. Once it fully awakens, it will only slaughter you even more mercilessly. Cat Demon, you’ve made another wrong decision.”

The Heart Demon wasn’t adept at controlling the body and hadn’t had time to unleash even a tenth of its power. But Zuo Yuanxi was different. When control of the body was seized back, Zhi’an was immediately flung away. The vast disparity in their combat prowess filled her with immense pressure.

She couldn’t win, yet she couldn’t flee either.

Although the Heart Demon couldn’t control the body, it could still influence Zuo Yuanxi, compelling her to mercilessly drive the sword in her hand through Zhi’an’s body.

Warm blood splashed onto Zuo Yuanxi’s hand—unlike the sensation from killing that Puppet just moments ago. An indescribable, piercing pain slashed through her mind. An inexplicable panic unexpectedly yanked back a shred of her reason, causing her to involuntarily release her grip on the sword.

Her soul wavered. Zhi’an clutched Zuo Yuanxi and vomited several mouthfuls of blood. Seizing the moment, she immediately shattered the multiple heavy seals that Zuo Yuanxi had once placed.

Only in this situation could Zhi’an finally touch her soul. She drove out the filthy entity that sought to harm her, then carefully wrapped Zuo Yuanxi’s damaged soul with her own Soul Power, nurturing it at any cost.

“I-I didn’t—didn’t…” Zuo Yuanxi’s expression gradually turned dazed and shattered.

“You didn’t mean it. I know. I’ll heal you. Don’t be afraid.” The familiar aura enveloped her, and Zhi’an’s tears fell onto Zuo Yuanxi’s shoulder.