Nan Yao stared pitifully at the wound on her arm.
Cultivators possessed far superior physical constitutions compared to ordinary people, with wounds healing at accelerated rates. Under her watchful gaze, the blood droplets on that scrape gradually dried up, the broken skin slowly disappeared, and then Yu Chichi thoughtfully wiped away the dust for her—
Wow!
Fair skin, smooth as congealed lard!
Yu Chichi was deeply moved: “That’s wonderful, Miss Nan Yao, you’re unharmed.”
Nan Yao: I’ve already died once before.
She looked up at Xie Diao, and Xie Diao looked back at her.
Xie Diao began reciting: “Although I’m an extremely petty, stingy person who holds grudges…”
“I can’t bear to hear such words!” Nan Yao interrupted indignantly. “Who? Who is so narrow-minded and short-sighted to utter something so chilling it makes one tremble all over? Simply outrageous!”
“You said it,” Xie Diao clearly wasn’t buying it.
Nan Yao remained indignant, declaring with fierce momentum and full confidence the most spineless words: “In that case! Then I’ll go write a self-criticism! I’m sorry!”
[Tournament Highlights Bulletin—
Xiao Wuji and Yun Wen Yue joined forces to slay the Netherworld Giant Demon, rescuing cultivators trapped by evil spirits. Xiao Wuji’s sword moved like a rainbow, breaking through with unstoppable force. His exceptionally skilled swordsmanship and profound spiritual power were dazzling to behold—truly worthy of being the Immortal Realm’s number one prodigy! What a privilege to witness such a spectacular battle on the God-Peering Mirror!]
However, another bulletin followed immediately.
[Tournament Highlights Bulletin—
That young girl named Nan Yao is currently writing a self-criticism in the Soul Summoning Forest. Hahaha, so adorable, everyone come take a look.Thus, eighty percent of the cultivators in the entire cultivation world switched their God-Peering Mirrors to the Soul Summoning Forest feed, watching intently and with great affection as Nan Yao lay on a rock, writing her self-criticism with a wronged expression. The other twenty percent were either disciples of Xiao Wuji’s clan or juniors in the Immortal Realm who admired him. They stubbornly boosted their senior brother’s view count, but still sneakily split-screened to peek at what Nan Yao was doing.
In the Soul Summoning Forest, beside the Soul-Igniting Lanterns.
Night had fallen. Qi Guyuan lit a campfire.
To the left of the campfire, Liu Zhiyai was explaining playing cards to the other three hangers-on. He had carved card shapes from bamboo and was teaching them how to play the famous table card game, “Bluffing for Gold.”
To the right of the campfire, Xie Diao leaned against a giant rock with his eyes closed, resting. Nan Yao lay on the rock, sobbing while hurriedly writing her self-criticism, while Xiao Huang stood on her shoulder observing her write.
Nan Yao was highly skilled at padding her word count with self-criticisms.
She began by praising today’s weather, then wrote several hundred words of scenery description to bulk it up, followed by exclaiming how delicious the grilled fish was. Finally, she lightly mentioned the incident where she used her ‘last words’ to curse out Xie Diao. Then, to demonstrate her sincerity, she promised to pay Xie Diao five hundred Spirit Stones as an apology after leaving Soul-Calling Mountain.
After writing the number ‘five hundred’, she sneakily glanced up at Xie Diao. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be looking her way, she stealthily crossed out ‘five hundred’ and changed it to ‘fifty’.
After changing it to ‘fifty’, she peeked at Xie Diao again. Seeing he still maintained his original posture, she lowered her head and fumbled to change the ‘fifty’ to ‘five’.
After changing it to ‘five’, she once again…
Xie Diao didn’t even open his eyes. He leisurely suggested, “How about changing it to ‘I owe you five hundred’?”
Nan Yao: “…” Darn, caught.
While Nan Yao was busy writing her self-criticism here, the elder at the Profound Darkness Hall nervously glanced at the Demon Lord beside him.
Ye Yin seemed to have already given up on using scoring to vent his emotions. He was holding a book, reading very seriously. Xuanxu Zhanglao took a closer look—the book was titled: The Ten Most Cruel Punishments in the Cultivation World.
On the nearby table, a large pile of books was neatly arranged:
How to Make a Man’s Reputation Ruined
A Book for Girls: No Man is Any Good
Besides Your Father, No Man in the World is Good to You
Stay Away from Gold-Digging Men
Xuanxu Zhanglao: “…” You might as well just name names directly.
*
When the Soul-Igniting Lanterns went out, the dead souls gathered around them did indeed become restless for a moment, but soon quieted down. They didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking, instead peacefully encircling the lanterns, waiting for dawn.
The wind stirred in the forest, causing the campfire to flicker back and forth.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard, as if someone was being chased by something. Before anyone could react, an Array Cultivator in tattered clothes stumbled out of the woods, collapsing in front of the group.
The Array Cultivator looked up, his pupils constricting at the sight of the campfire: “How dare you light a fire?”
Simultaneously, the previously calm dead souls seemed to suddenly catch a certain scent, instantly turning frenzied. They shrieked as they surged towards the woods, while the remaining dead souls whirled around, tightly encircling the group, leaving no gaps.
The campfire was extinguished by the wind they stirred up.
Tang Shaoling was puzzled: “What’s going on?”
“M-monster. You actually don’t know about the Two-Faced Demon in the Soul Summoning Forest? This Demonic Creature is a full five zhang tall. It sleeps during the day and awakens at night. It cannot hear sounds, but its vision and sense of smell are exceptionally sharp. That’s why no fires can be lit in the Soul Summoning Forest after nightfall…”
As soon as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps sounded from all around.
The footsteps drew closer step by step, the ground continuously shaking, causing leaves to fall from the trees throughout the forest.
“It’s these dead souls… They’re luring it here!” The Array Cultivator’s face turned deathly pale. He retreated a few steps, stood up, and charged out of the dead souls’ encirclement. “Quick, quick, run!”
But no sooner had he spoken than a massive shadow enveloped the group.
The Two-Faced Demon was even taller than the surrounding trees. Its entire body was blood-red, its skin uneven like a toad’s, covered with somewhat nauseating mucus. It clearly had a humanoid shape, but its neck bore two heads.
No ears, but each head had four protruding eyeballs. Just one glance was enough to feel eerie and panicked to the core.
The Two-Faced Demon slowly turned its heads, looking towards the group. Its eyeballs slowly blinked once.
The next moment, it raised its hand, formed a fist, and smashed down heavily towards them.
The surrounding trees were instantly crushed. The fist struck the ground, violently tearing up the earth and stones. Although this strike carried considerable force, it was also exceptionally clumsy.
Even Tang Shaoling, who often slacked off during lessons, could easily dodge it. He confidently flicked his hair: “Is that all?”
The cultivators watching this unfold on the God-Peering Mirror also breathed a slight sigh of relief—
[Good, the Two-Faced Demon didn’t go all out immediately.]
[But before Soul-Calling Mountain became a secret realm, I heard from a senior fellow disciple about this type of Demonic Creature. Although it looks clumsy, if truly provoked to anger, it can easily destroy the entire Soul Summoning Forest…]
[I actually feel reassured. There are two people in this team whose strength seems no less than Xiao Wuji’s, especially that Xie Diao fellow.]
[Xie Diao got caught.]
Xie Diao got caught!
How could this be?
The Two-Faced Demon’s punch had missed, but it didn’t seem annoyed. Its breathing, however, gradually grew heavier. One of its eyes rolled around in its socket, locking onto Xie Diao, who hadn’t moved an inch, and was even leaning against the rock, calmly watching it with composure.
The Two-Faced Demon looked at him. He looked at the Two-Faced Demon.
Qi Guyuan enthusiastically flattered Xie Diao: “What are you looking at? My big brother Xie Diao could annihilate you with just his pinky finger!”
The Two-Faced Demon’s breathing became even heavier. It frantically tore down the surrounding trees, opened its large hand, and grabbed towards Xie Diao.
Then, under the watchful eyes of all.
Xie Diao was caught.
Qi Guyuan watched as Xie Diao, motionless, was held in the Two-Faced Demon’s hand, unwilling to even struggle. But his face showed no sign of pain either, as calm as a corpse that had accepted its fate. He even yawned.
[How could this be?]
[I heard that the area where the Two-Faced Demon resides generates a kind of Spirit Pressure. This Spirit Pressure can cause people to lose their minds and fighting spirit, gradually becoming listless, and finally even breaking down and turning on each other.]
Could it be… Xie Diao was so intimidated by this Spirit Pressure that he couldn’t use his spiritual power?
“Big brother Xie Diao! Don’t give up! I’ll save you right now!” Qi Guyuan drew his sword, shouting hoarsely. “Don’t be controlled by the Spirit Pressure! You must at least have the will to survive!”
The will to survive?
These words seemed to awaken Xie Diao.
So everyone watched as Xie Diao put on a very perfunctory struggle, then slowly turned to look at Nan Yao beside him. In an utterly flat tone, yet trying his best to perform a hint of panic, he said: “Oh dear, I’ve been caught.”
“…” What are you acting for?
“What should I do.” Although Xie Diao was reciting lines of helplessness, he didn’t sound the least bit helpless. “Save me.”
Nan Yao fell silent.
The hangers-on also fell silent.
They were reassured.
Xie Diao was acting.
Even if his acting was terrible.
The only one still worried was the Array Cultivator spectating on the side. He panickedly yelled, “Hurry up and save him!”
The hangers-on looked at Nan Yao.
Nan Yao looked at Xie Diao.
Xiao Huang also understood something: “Could it be that you were just complaining to Xie Diao earlier about him always stealing your chances to shine, so now he’s deliberately pretending to be weak to let you show off?”
Correct.
Exactly so.
Although Xie Diao’s acting was very clumsy, Nan Yao still understood his hint.
Opportunities to successfully transform from a villain into a great hero in one fell swoop were rare. So Nan Yao decisively drew her sword, spiritual power gathering at its tip. Her sleeves fluttered gracefully as she stood atop the giant rock, confronting the Two-Faced Demon. She looked heroic and imposing, her aura extraordinary.
She stared at the Two-Faced Demon, her brows furrowed, her voice carrying a sharp edge: “Hmph, if you don’t let go immediately, I’ll chop you into eight pieces, dismember you, and feed you to the Bone-eating fish!”
“…” Xiao Huang fell silent for a moment. “Your lines are very un-heroic.”
Very un-heroic?
Nan Yao pondered this, feeling that her previous statement did indeed sound quite impolite. So she decided to start over.
“Hello.” Nan Yao said politely. “Might I ask if you could release that young man? If you disagree, would you permit me to casually attempt to kill you?”
Two-Faced Demon: “…”
Xiao Huang: …Why do you sound even more terrifying when you’re being polite!
Politeness aside, by the time Nan Yao finished her spiel, Xie Diao was already at the Two-Faced Demon’s mouth, on the verge of being bitten, crushed, and swallowed.
“Let me give you some advice.” Xie Diao lifted his eyelids, slightly tilting his head to look at the Two-Faced Demon. His tone sounded as flat as if he were making casual conversation. “You’d better not move right now. Otherwise, I’ll make your death even more unpleasant.”
The Two-Faced Demon trembled.
“If she kills you, you’ll die more comfortably than if I kill you.”” Xie Diao said with a smile.
Two-Faced Demon: …Could you please show some respect for the dungeon boss!
Author’s Note: The second update might take a little while. I feel there are some logic issues, so I scrapped it and am rewriting. Should be able to post within about an hour!
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me with the霸王票 or irrigated with nutrient solution from 2022-01-10 21:07:14 to 2022-01-11 23:14:36.
Thanks to Shaozhu for the 5 rocket launchers;
Thanks to Lin Zhong for the 1 grenade;
Thanks to Yu De’an for the 3 landmines; and to Choner, 23844765, Mr. Gao Ling Zhi Hua, Ke, Xun Yan, Mu Zhao Ting, Bai Bai Ya, Ye Zi, Bai Wu You, Yue Ye Tu, and 37831039 for the 1 landmine each;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Choner 65 bottles; Shan He Yu Ni 50 bottles; tt 47 bottles; Cat Teaching 40 bottles; Zhong Li Li Li Li Li Li 39 bottles; Rocking Chair 33 bottles; Mr. Wen Yuan 30 bottles; A Yi likes to be a cooking bucket 24 bottles; Mu Shan, Shi Ni Nuo Mi Ya, 「」, August Melting Hawthorn, Jiu Si 20 bottles; Qian Yan Girl 19 bottles; Repair Umbrella Repair YYDS 15 bottles; Orange 13 bottles; You Qi Chuan Feng Zao, Caramel Pudding, Excellent, You Just Ate Too Much, Monday, Wu Long Wu Dong, Jiu, Liu Shang Chun, Sky Pavilion, Yun Ran 10 bottles; Po Jing Chong Yuan and such is really tiring, Enthusiastic Zhou Ming Bai 8 bottles; Shi Li Gu Qing Huan゜ 7 bottles; Fu Sheng Da 6 bottles; He Zhao your wife is really spicy, Xiao Hu’s chubby face, Qing Zhan, Qing Xu-, Good Night, 41824019, stardust, lili ya, You You Lu Ming 5 bottles; Please show ID, Unchangable-R, A Little Sperm Whale 4 bottles; That’s right, I am your alternate account, Er Er San, Gua Ming, Yu De’an, Dyyyi 3 bottles; Yan Nan Gui, Shi Rou, Nan Bai, Bai Xia You Shan Jie Rao Guo 2 bottles; Yan Yan Yu Fei, Qian Mei Le Wu Wu Wu x﹏x, Island Little Lily, Shang Shuang, Salted Fish Essence, San Qing Lin Pi, Chen Yu Luo, Ling Du, Excellent Ben Xiu, Bai Wan Ying, (ΘωΘ), Du Xing, Le You, Mu Ci He Lou 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!