Even though he had become a cultivator, Yan Lin still maintained good sleeping habits. Upon waking up the next day, he suddenly discovered a red mark on his left collarbone; it looked as if it had been bitten by some sort of insect.
Yan Lin was full of question marks. What kind of insect could actually bite through the defense of a peak Golden Core stage cultivator?
If it were some kind of demonic creature, it would be impossible for it to break into a room where he had placed a taboo seal. After thinking it over without coming up with an explanation, Yan Lin had no choice but to let it go. It wasn’t anything urgent anyway, and a cycle of his spiritual energy revealed no abnormalities within his body.
Yan Lin quickly threw it to the back of his mind, so he didn’t notice that when Yan Li greeted him with a beaming smile, those slightly lowered eyes reflected the looming red mark peeking from his collar, and an even darker hue surfaced from the depths of his pupils.
At present, no matter how reluctant Yan Lin was, a protagonist had joined the team and the kind that couldn’t be shaken off at that. It was very depressing. Moreover, the man found reasons from time to time to lean in close, either to ask about cultivation matters or other things, leaving Yan Lin no chance to plot further with that Abyssal King.
Although he felt this Abyssal King was unreliable, he couldn’t find any other Monsters to hook up with now. Furthermore, with this Abyssal King present, other Monsters likely wouldn’t dare approach. Yan Lin could only sigh that these days, even being a villain was hard work.
At this moment, he selectively ignored the protagonist’s warped feelings.
Currently, they were walking through a marketplace belonging to cultivators. Bordering the coast, one could see the vast, blue, calm, and waveless expanse of the sea in the distance, merging with the sky into a single line. Occasionally, a few seabirds flew past, leaving behind crisp and pleasant cries.
At the pier, a huge flying boat was suspended. A translucent light screen could be vaguely seen enveloping it, and the words < Immortal Realm Spirit Boat > were carved on the hull.
“That is the Spirit Boat heading for the Penglai Immortal Realm. The Penglai Immortal Realm opens once every ten years; we’ve happened to run into it now.”
Yan Li’s deep voice sounded in his ear, and Yan Lin couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at him.
“How do you know?”
All these years, hadn’t he stayed inside the Yaoguang Sect just like himself? Except for that half-month when he left once to slay Monsters for revenge, but the two places were 108,000 miles apart; he couldn’t have come here for no reason.
And now that the plot was a complete mess, setting aside that the scene where the villain gouges out a bone to save his life was delayed by two years, the fact that the protagonist was actually willing was just… let’s not mention how ridiculous it is; talking about it only brings tears.
In other words, the protagonist did not leave the Yaoguang Sect after “escaping death,” but had remained inside the sect, basically never taking a step out.
Yan Li smiled, his features deep.
“Before leaving the sect, this Junior Brother had already read through all the major and minor events within the cultivation world. If the Senior Brother has anything he doesn’t understand, he can ask me for enlightenment.”
Yan Lin nodded slightly and turned his head, ignoring him.
However, Yan Lin hadn’t chosen to come here randomly.
In the original plot, it was described that a rift in the Abyss would appear near the Penglai Immortal Realm. It would be the largest rift to date, and for the first time, a Monarch-level Monster would pass through it.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but shoot a side-glance at a certain Abyssal King. He wondered if this upcoming Monarch-level Monster would be one of Bai Si’s lackeys?
“Hmm? Why is Lin’er looking at me like that? Could it be that you are deeply infatuated with me?”
“…”
Yan Lin quickly withdrew his gaze to avoid “stinging his eyes.” He thought the guy was fairly normal at first, but why does he feel more and more… greasy?
He remembered catching glimpses over the past few days of this Abyssal King always holding a small booklet and reading it. He couldn’t be reading some kind of trashy book, could he?
Just as he was thinking, he saw the other party pull out that familiar booklet from nowhere and read it with rapt attention.
Yan Lin felt a bit of curiosity and leaned his head over. It happened to be flipped to a page with an illustration. What entered his sight was a man on top and a woman below, both completely naked…
His vision suddenly went dark as someone covered his eyes from behind. Rare for him, Yan Lin didn’t care about the protagonist’s touch; he took the opportunity to avert his gaze, his face slightly embarrassed.
So, just when did this Abyssal King start reading this kind of book? And he actually looked like he was enjoying it.
However, Yan Lin recalled the text he had briefly skimmed; it was just some storybooks about romance between men and women, though the illustrations were quite bold.
He blinked, his long, curled eyelashes lightly brushing against Yan Li’s palm, bringing a restless, itching sensation. Yet, before Yan Lin could react, the hand was released inconspicuously.
Dropping his palm to his side, Yan Li rubbed it slightly. The smile remained on his face, but the look in his eyes deepened somewhat.
With this small interlude over, Yan Lin temporarily set aside the idea of plotting with the Abyssal King and began to wander through this marketplace for cultivators. With people coming and going, it looked no different from the mortal world.
It was just that among the goods displayed on the stalls on both sides, besides immortal herbs, spiritual medicines, talismans, and treasures meant for sale, there were also items used for bartering.
From this, it was clear that rogue cultivators made up the majority in the market, but there were also disciples from formal sects wearing their uniforms entering and exiting shops.
As Yan Lin walked along, he could actually hear discussions about Monsters. But come to think of it, the matter of the Abyssal Demons was no secret now; more and more Monsters were emerging from the rifts where the seals had loosened.
This nearby area was also the territory of the Taixu Sect, a major sect within the cultivation world. There were three Tribulation Transcendence stage masters guarding the sect, which the Yaoguang Sect could not hope to compare with.
Speaking of which, the location where Perfected Wuyan went to deliberate this time seemed to be the Taixu Sect?
In that case, let’s pay a visit. He could use that as an excuse to get onto the Spirit Boat and head together to the Penglai Immortal Realm, which opens once every decade.
Just as Yan Lin made up his mind, the Abyssal King on the other side happened to flip to the last page of the booklet. After skimming through it, the palm-sized storybook turned into powder in his hand.
With a slight smile on his refined face, he glanced sideways at his partner, who was covered from head to toe in the things Yan Lin had bought. He was slightly surprised, and then a flash of malice crossed his eyes.
He suddenly spoke leisurely: “The books introduced by Fellow Daoist Yan are indeed refreshing.”
Clearly, he had not missed that little interlude that just occurred.
Yan Lin’s ears twitched, and he turned his head.
However, Yan Li’s expression remained unchanged as he replied, “Since that’s the case, if you like them, you should read more.”
He actually didn’t deny it?
Yan Lin didn’t know their relationship had reached such a stage. He remembered clearly the gloomy appearance of the protagonist when he first arrived, looking as if he wanted to kill the Abyssal King—though the Abyssal King had brought that on himself.
If the two of them could fight, he would be happy to see it; it would count as fulfilling one of his duties as a villain.
Speaking of which, since the plot collapsed, he hadn’t been able to fulfill his responsibilities as a villain for a long time. Especially since the protagonist held those kinds of feelings for him—usually pouring tea and water and whatnot Yan Lin finally understood: the guy was fundamentally willing and enjoying it very much!
Thinking this, he felt a bit weary of life.
Now that he couldn’t find other Monsters to connect with, he had to settle for this Abyssal King as a second-best option, only to find him completely unreliable.
However, in terms of strength, as a Demon King of the Abyss, he must be very powerful, surely? At least not someone the current, not-yet-matured protagonist could deal with.
If that’s the case, could it be that he would never again see the exciting scene of the two of them fighting?
Yan Lin felt a bit of regret. But since it involved his deal with the Villain System, if the protagonist were beaten to death, the deal might not be able to continue.
Thinking of this, Yan Lin could only silently give up on a certain restless thought in his heart.
However, the situation did not shift according to his will—especially when his teammate was a certain Abyssal King who never played by the rules.
His wicked sense of humor unsatisfied, and having never known the meaning of threat or fear, the Abyssal King once again fixed his eyes on Yan Lin, his gaze flickering slightly.