Is This How It Starts? I Choose To Fake My Death [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 13

Minghuang Station.

Juanchitai.

“A bunch of trash!”

Watching the phantom projection of the blood array shatter before him, Wu Xun did not shift his stance, yet the shockwave bursting outward from his entire body erupted in a ring shape, smashing the massive load-bearing pillars until they cracked all the way through.

Below him, the numerous Phoenix Envoys who had barely managed to return stood with lowered heads, not daring to channel their cultivation to resist, kneeling and filling the entire ground.

Wu Xun stated, “A night has passed. Can anyone among you tell this venerable one where Xie Feng is currently located?”

Silence hung heavy within the great hall.

Not a soul dared to court disaster by provoking his wrath at this juncture.

With a cold gaze, Wu Xun swept his eyes across the crowd one by one, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

The Snow Domain was sealed jointly by ancient deities; the depth of the Daoist power it contained was truly beyond his capacity to shake.

To accomplish his grand objective, sacrificing a hundred Scarlet Falcons yesterday merely allowed him to blind the Snow Domain for a mere five hours.

Throughout that span, Juanchitai mobilized virtually its entire roster, searching for a full night without managing to locate Xie Feng.

Now that the blood array was broken, repeating the same trick was impossible.

The sole opportunity he possessed to execute Xie Feng had been squandered in vain; how could he not be furious!

Xie Feng had managed to scrape by alive despite being poisoned with the Dan-Eroding Venom, and even if his arrival yesterday signaled a desperate end, he could not possibly have acted with negligence.

Back in the day, Xie Feng relied on a lowly cursed constitution to secretly master the power of the Primordial Golden Phoenix; there was no saying he could not stage a comeback now.

Though the personage beneath the throne served as the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable, he ultimately paled in comparison to Xie Feng’s awakened Primordial Golden Phoenix.

With him around, the supreme glory that rightfully belonged to the Scarlet Phoenix lineage would never return to the hands of the prince.

Regardless of the cost, Xie Feng had to die!

Closing his eyes, Wu Xun took two steps forward and inquired again, “What of the prince? How are his injuries?”

Upon learning of the blood sacrifice yesterday, the prince descended forcibly to the mortal realm and suffered severe injuries while blocking the grand array. He well knew the prince possessed the steadfast uprightness of towering pines and a benevolent disposition, and explanations would undoubtedly be required later.

Another dead silence filled the hall.

Before Wu Xun’s patience ran dry, someone finally spoke with a strained voice, “Venerable One, the prince, his whereabouts are unknown.”

Wu Xun abruptly pivoted his gaze toward him. “What did you say!”

Trembling as he prostrated himself on the ground, the Phoenix Envoy stammered, “This subordinate surmises that perhaps the prince, much like Xie Feng, has fallen into the Snow Domain seal.”

Wu Xun’s complexion instantly turned ashen to the extreme.

He bellowed in fury, “Then what are all of you waiting here for? Why do you not hurry off to search!”

Panicking instantly, the crowd scrambled to their feet and filed out in a disorderly stream.

Watching the various Scarlet Falcons disperse into the distance, Wu Xun paced left and right twice before abruptly raising his hands to form hand seals, transforming into a streak of flowing light that pierced straight into the firmament.

The mortal realm.

The Snow Domain seal.

Sensing the pressure from the arms behind him vanish in unison, Shen Ji looked toward Xie Feng.

The golden mark flickering across the other’s brow dimmed accordingly, leaving only a faint speck of silver radiance at its center.

Moving downward, he met Xie Feng’s gaze, cold as a frozen pool. The apathy previously devoid of emotion now rolled with surging rage, appearing far more vivid than before.

Meeting his gaze, Xie Feng paused the palm strike aimed at him slightly, his five fingers slowly curling inward as he stated coldly, “Release me.”

Shen Ji pushed himself up from the ground, leaning lazily against the adjacent wall.

Watching Xie Feng resume cross-legged meditation to cultivate, he asked with a smile, “Care to offer an explanation?”

Xie Feng turned a deaf ear.

Forming hand seals with both hands, he detected the thread-like spiritual energy within his Dantian and could not help knitting his brows.

Situated at the deepest core of the seal, his cultivation suppressed to the absolute extreme, he was rendered virtually equivalent to a mortal.

“What is amiss?”

Looking at Shen Ji, Xie Feng countered, “Is your spiritual energy exhibiting anomalies?”

“Negative.”

Shen Ji replied, “It vanished briefly during our descent, but presently it appears somewhat enhanced compared to before.”

He harbored this sensation because, relative to being on the surface, his injuries were no longer as severe, and the scorching, burning torment across his internal organs had subsided considerably.

At this thought, he appended, “Was it owing to the dual cultivation?”

Xie Feng lapsed back into silence.

Raising a hand to press against his chest, Shen Ji remarked, “What is this, you forced a severely injured patient like me to dual-cultivate with you, and now you offer not even an apology afterward?”

Xie Feng stated frostily, “If you still possess the leisure for idle nonsense, it would seem your injuries remain insufficiently severe.”

Though his words spared no face, a jade bottle materialized out of thin air within his palm, hurtling straight toward Shen Ji’s face.

Catching it with one hand, Shen Ji’s smile deepened. “Even if you yearn for my early demise, you ought to consider this: once I am dead, whom shall you force to dual-cultivate with you?”

Every sentence he uttered revolved around those two words, causing the hand with which Xie Feng formed seals to tighten repeatedly.

“Or perhaps,” Shen Ji drawled at a leisurely pace, “the one doing the forcing was not actually you.”

Xie Feng’s gaze narrowed slightly as he cast a cold look at him.

Shen Ji asked, “How much longer intend you to keep this hidden?”

Xie Feng stated in a low voice, “It concerns you not.”

“Concerns me not?”

Lifting his right hand to flex it briefly, sparks of sporadic spiritual energy flickered in and out of existence between his fingers. “Truly?”

The instincts of the golden mark stirred restlessly within his body, prompting Xie Feng’s face to darken with mild displeasure. “Cease!”

Suppressing his laughter, Shen Ji teased, “Your Majesty, was it not you who claimed it concerns me not?”

Xie Feng closed his eyes briefly, forcefully suppressing the emotions that ought not to be casually disrupted by a mortal: “Since you are already aware, remember henceforth that you are forbidden from casting spells in my presence.”

From start to finish, Shen Ji felt no willingness toward dual cultivation, and this served as a compromise benefitting both parties.

Shen Ji offered no commentary on this point.

Restoring his physical strength slightly while seated in place, he surveyed his surroundings.

The entrance through which they fell had vanished, yet the ice crystals embedding the rock walls supplied ample illumination, sufficient for him to discern the surrounding terrain.

This space was far from as expansive as the cavern spawning the Profound Crystal Snow Lotus, nor was it nearly as gloomy.

The smooth stone walls lacked virtually any sharp protruding rock formations, appearing entirely non-threatening beneath the lustrous white light.

Shen Ji brushed aside the milky-white smoke drifting past his side.

During their fall, he clearly recalled that the snowy white mist blanketing the ground was not this dense, consisting merely of a shallow layer. Presently, as time elapsed and with him seated here, it had accumulated to waist height.

He followed the direction of the rolling mist and looked ahead.

To the front-left stood a circular aperture roughly a person in height.

He recalled equally well that the previous night, this location featured a wall embedded with ice crystals, lacking even a dog-hole.

Shen Ji lowered his gaze for a brief moment, then stood up and walked over.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, he inquired, “How much comprehend you regarding this seal?”

Xie Feng replied, “Little.”

Prior to this, he had never set foot in the mortal realm.

Lacking qualifications to traverse the three realms in his youth, upon ascending to the throne of the Phoenix Emperor, scrolls leading to the three realms were automatically delivered to Minghuang Palace, eliminating any necessity to transit through the mortal realm.

As for the Snow Domain linked to the mortal realm, he naturally would not have concerned himself with it had it not been for the necessity of shattering the sealed passage.

Xie Feng gazed at the retreating figure before him.

Yet never did he anticipate that the individual daring to draw close to him would be a mortal he had previously held in utter disregard.

“So you possess no knowledge of how we might exit?”

Xie Feng answered, “Correct.”

Shen Ji paused his steps slightly.

Canting his face sideways without turning back to look at Xie Feng, he resumed his advance. “You inquired regarding my spiritual energy earlier; what is it, is your spiritual energy malfunctioning?”

Xie Feng stated, “Indeed. This place should constitute the core of the array, and my capabilities are heavily restricted by the seal.”

Perhaps owing to experiencing life and death together, or perhaps due to Shen Ji repeatedly risking his life to shield him, not until the words left his mouth did he realize he had harbored zero concealment toward Shen Ji just now.

Frowning, he re-evaluated the figure ahead.

Shen Ji walked with his customary stride, appearing utterly oblivious to the fact that he had personally handed over his fatal weakness of total cultivation loss.

“Then you must exercise caution hereafter; should an accident occur, you can make preparations beforehand.”

Hearing the unconcerned tone in his voice, Xie Feng withdrew his gaze, holding the matter in utter indifference. “Mhm.”

The two arrived at the aperture in succession.

Standing shoulder to shoulder beside the opening, Shen Ji reined in his smile. “Let us enter.”

The interior revealed a passage expanding progressively as they advanced, similarly illuminated by radiant ice crystals guiding their path.

Reaching the terminus of the passage, the interior terminated abruptly in a stone platform barely a meter wide, while the mist beneath their feet cascaded continuously, cascading downward from the platform like a waterfall.

Stepping out of the aperture, Shen Ji observed the scenery before him and found his breathing slowing involuntarily.

The system marveled within his consciousness: “This place is breathtaking!”

Approaching the edge of the stone platform, Shen Ji discovered that the passage they emerged from constituted merely a single avenue among thousands within the seal.

Countless circular apertures encircled an unfathomably deep abyss, materializing and fading amidst the light, thin white smoke drifting through the upper altitude.

Glittering ice crystals twinkling one by one outside the apertures decorated the massive dark-blue hemispherical dome, resembling the myriad glittering stars of a clear night sky.

Xie Feng lingered at the aperture, watching him tread lightly amidst the clouds.

The thin, shifting mist continuously brushed against Shen Ji’s swaying hem, occasionally climbing his shoulders to obscure his silhouette, appearing dim and vague in the somewhat subdued radiance, akin to an apparition poised to depart at any instant.

“What await you?”

The cold voice breaking the quiet from behind prompted Shen Ji to reply, “Only a single path exists here.”

Xie Feng traced his line of sight forward.

A stone path wound downward, plunging into the depths of the white mist.

Shen Ji stated, “Let us proceed and inspect below.”

Mindful of Xie Feng’s current capabilities, he gripped his firearm and took the lead.

Fortunately, this pathway merely appeared perilous, yielding zero unexpected mishaps throughout the descent.

Except at the terminus of the stone path, where forward progress ceased entirely and sheer darkness yawned below.

Tossing down a glowing lightstick, Shen Ji estimated the vertical drop at roughly ten meters.

He turned toward Xie Feng.

Xie Feng cast a cold glance at him. “No spellcasting permitted.”

With that, he formed hand seals and transformed into his true form, swaggering down right past him.

Shen Ji: “”

An ungrateful, foolish bird lacking even the courtesy to carry him downward.

Reduced to relying on self-reliance, he pulled a rope from his inventory, secured it firmly, donned his gloves, and slid down the rope’s end.

Upon landing, spotting Xie Feng, who had already resumed human form, he remarked casually, “Your true form bears little resemblance to a phoenix.”

Xie Feng remained silent for a protracted stretch.

Just as Shen Ji assumed he harbored no intention of responding, the other offered a faint reply: “The colorless white phoenix portends a curse within the Phoenix clan and is consigned to the Golden Flame Pool for cremation at birth; outsiders rarely bear knowledge of this.”

Cremation?

Shen Ji glanced at him.

Even delivered in a casual tone, one could readily visualize the arduous process behind such shocking phrasing.

Evidently, Xie Feng’s upbringing had hardly been pampered from youth either.

Xie Feng continued, “Following minor mastery of my cultivation, my true form transformed from a white phoenix into a silver phoenix.”

His spiritual energy indeed manifested as silver, differing distinctly from ordinary phoenixes.

Shen Ji recalled the system mentioning Xie Feng’s juvenile true form, realizing it merely represented different developmental stages.

Unwilling to dwell upon Xie Feng’s painful past, Shen Ji bypassed the topic and stated, “A light source gleams ahead; let us rest once we reach it.”

Xie Feng replied, “Very well.”

Venturing further forward, familiar ice crystals reappeared flanking the pathway.

Radiant luminescence cast across their bodies, transmitting a wave of subtle warmth.

Distinct from the scorching touch accompanying Xie Feng, this warmth proved soothing and pleasant, brimming purely with comfort.

Wreathing wisps of mist gathered from the ground, creeping upward from beneath his soles to twine around his arms and slip gently between his fingers.

Equally distinct from the golden light manifested prior to dual-cultivation with Xie Feng.

The white mist clung passively to his body, exuding a sense of unalloyed dependency.

He raised a hand, causing the mist to retreat slightly at his sudden movement before insouciantly tangling with him once more shortly after.

He queried Xie Feng, who had already detected the phenomenon, “What is this?”

Xie Feng’s gaze carried a faint complexity. “If my conjecture is accurate, this is the primordial breath formed over ten thousand years within the Snow Domain.”

Though positioned in the mortal realm, the Snow Domain was forged jointly by ancient celestial deities; naturally, its primordial breath constituted the purest essence in heaven and earth, an entity encountered solely by rare fortune.

The blood aura emitted during Shen Ji’s inadvertent intrusion had evidently caused the seal to acknowledge his aura, volunteering itself for his deployment.

Shen Ji exhibited minimal reaction to the revelation.

“So this is the Snow Domain primordial breath!”

The system reacted instantly: “Host, documentation specifies the main villain relies on this to recover his cultivation, ah what is to be done, the primordial breath appears to have become yours!”

Hearing this, Shen Ji looked toward Xie Feng as well.

Xie Feng instructed, “Locate a secluded sanctuary, and I shall assist you in absorbing it.”

Shen Ji inquired, “You harbor no desire for this item?”

Xie Feng swept a glance at him, presuming he harbored reservations. “Fear not, the primordial breath recognizes its master; unless the master willingly yields it, none may usurp it. You suffered the Scarlet Phoenix’s palm strike, injuring your lungs; utilizing the primordial breath to heal at present ensures your safety hereafter.”

Ever since entering the Snow Domain seal, this ungrateful phoenix had grown uncharacteristically considerate, appearing exceedingly bizarre.

Supplying pills and answering every query was one matter, but proactively aiding in locating healing methodologies hardly matched Xie Feng’s customary demeanor.

Hearing him finish, Shen Ji sighed softly. “Consider it a debt I owe you.”

Xie Feng frowned. “What?”

Shen Ji reiterated, “Tell me plainly, do you desire it or not?”

Discerning his underlying implication, Xie Feng froze slightly.

The system alternated between panic and delight: “Host, are you finally preparing to seriously pursue the quest progress!”

The time limit until the female lead’s ascension stood at a mere month, and the main villain’s cultivation recovery remained an elusive prospect. The system had been driven virtually to the brink of electric shock overload during this span!

Shen Ji proceeded, “Should you desire it, I can yield it to you presently.”

The quest progress constituted merely a secondary factor.

When the system previously lacked comprehension of human speech, it marked his initial instance of forcing Xie Feng.

That matter ultimately stemmed from the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable’s conspiracy; he refused to deem it his fault.

Yet having brought Xie Feng away from Mount Tianshan, unintentionally in process, yet resulting in Xie Feng’s destined fortuitous encounter falling upon him, he could not comfortably accept a heavenly treasure seized through such misdirection.

Xie Feng’s pupils flickered. “Wherefore?”

Shen Ji chuckled softly. “As I stated, consider it a debt I owe you.”

Even an individual wielding elevated authority such as Xie Feng could not avoid inner turmoil when confronting such an immense windfall amidst destitution.

Yet he understood clearly that Shen Ji owed him no genuine debt.

Including yesterday, Shen Ji not only owed him nothing, but had rescued him on multiple occasions.

Hence, he comprehended even less why Shen Ji repeatedly extended goodwill toward him.

The prior Profound Crystal Snow Lotus was merely an immortal-grade treasure, whereas the Snow Domain primordial breath sufficed to enable a mortal to ascend to immortality in a single bound, rendering it infinitely more valuable and a supreme treasure contested even among the four realms.

Regarding such a supreme treasure, an offhand remark of “consider it a debt I owe you” fell far short of a valid rationale.

Gazing deeply at Shen Ji, he probed, “What seek you, status, or power?”

Smiling, Shen Ji shook his head.

Xie Feng stated, “If you genuinely assist me, within three months, I can guarantee you a position beneath one person and above ten thousand within the Three Realms.”

His tone remained unpretentious and devoid of grandiosity, yet carried an innate, tyrannical firmness inspiring absolute conviction.

Shen Ji knew this assertion would undoubtedly materialize as truth.

Undeniably, the terms proposed by Xie Feng proved extraordinarily enticing.

Subjected to poaching right before his eyes, the system seethed with unspoken rage, offering a submissive yet anxious plea: “Host, these represent the main villain’s honeyed words, sugar-coated projectiles; surely you will not consent, surely you will not depart with him?”

It wished solely for the main villain to recover his cultivation and promptly correct the quest trajectory, rather than having the main villain poach the host and bring the entire quest to a complete standstill!

Xie Feng pressed, “How say you?”

Shen Ji stated, “Indifferent.”

Xie Feng’s conditions were indeed alluring, yet none aligned with his personal desires.

Realizing Xie Feng’s forced participation across their multiple dual-cultivation sessions, the initial murderous intent Xie Feng harbored during the first two instances suddenly became entirely comprehensible.

However, being understandable provided no grounds for entirely wiping the slate clear.

Observing his interactions with Xie Feng over this interval, apart from a colder temperament, Xie Feng’s primary critical flaw stood glaringly apparent.

Namely, fully aware that Shen Ji participated involuntarily in their dual cultivation, Xie Feng nonetheless repeatedly selected murder as an outlet for venting spleen. This callous disregard for human life manifested even more profoundly in Xie Feng’s future unification of the Five Realms at the expense of devastating the mortal domain.

This conflicted fundamentally with his people-centric ideology.

Consequently, collaborating with Xie Feng entailed perpetually courting mortal peril.

Preferring independence over a position sitting above ten thousand.

Naturally.

The paramount rationale rendering him unable to consent lay precisely in the terms he intended to table next.

“I have no need for power or status.”

Xie Feng frowned. “Then what?”

Shen Ji met his gaze with a faint smile.

“Your Majesty, what I desire is you.”

Xie Feng halted his steps abruptly.

Shen Ji halted in tandem, turning to face him.

Xie Feng kept his clenched right hand clasped behind his back, relaxing and tightening it repeatedly.

After a protracted silence, he uttered in a deep voice, “Shen Ji, utter not such jests.”

“Who claims I jest?”

Shen Ji stated with utter directness, “Sixteen sessions of dual cultivation, traded for the Snow Domain primordial breath, whereupon we each pursue our respective paths and sever all ties. How sounds this?”

Hearing this, Xie Feng’s expression abruptly froze into chilling severity.

Ice-cold hostility materialized fully within his eyes: “Impossible!”

Shen Ji urged, “Speak not in absolute terms. Ponder upon it; otherwise, bypass this opportunity, and how many tri-months shall you require to recover your cultivation?”

A fresh layer of frost covered Xie Feng’s cold, fierce expression. “Choose any condition save this one.”

Shen Ji chuckled anew. “Your Majesty, no alternative exists. My condition is singular; agree or refuse, the choice rests with you.”

Xie Feng stared at the white speckles dancing within his palm, demanding abruptly, “If I refuse, you intend to cease employing spiritual energy entirely?”

Shen Ji curved his lips into an arc, his smile lacking overt prominence: “That remains my prerogative, unrelated to you.”

The underlying implication hung transparently in the air.

The surge of fury welling within Xie Feng’s chest crashed like rolling waves, arising with inexplicable turbulence. He could not resist speaking with biting sarcasm, “So the Snow Domain primordial breath served merely as compensation to dismiss me?”

Shen Ji mused thoughtfully, “Your framing possesses merit.”

“…” Xie Feng’s chest heaved with heavier respiration, his tone chilling further. “Shen Ji, sooner or later, I shall slay you.”

Shen Ji replied unconcernedly, “I am aware.”

The sixteen dual-cultivation sessions were designed precisely to preclude that day from materializing.

Directing the swirling smoke gathering in his palm toward Xie Feng, he urged, “Therefore, I suggest accepting my terms; at minimum, it guarantees your cultivation recovers promptly. Moreover, dual cultivation is a shared endeavor; derived you no benefit whatsoever?”

Xie Feng offered four frigid syllables: “Utterly shameless.”

Shen Ji invited the insults: “As long as it pleases you.”

In any case, following the completion of those sixteen sessions, even if the other desired to hurl insults, no target would remain to vent upon.

At this, Xie Feng pressed his thin lips into a straight line. Catching the heavy respiration sounding beside his ear, he forcefully suppressed the roiling anger raging within his breast, pivoted on his heel, and strode toward a stone grotto not far away.

Approaching the grotto, the interior lay fully exposed, proving identical to the exterior.

“Seeking an escape route?”

Xie Feng pivoted to find Shen Ji smiling faintly, arms folded as he leaned against the grotto entrance.

“Alas, Your Majesty the Phoenix Emperor, prior to your descent into the mortal realm, you failed to conduct adequate research regarding this seal. Lacking cultivation presently, how propose you to dismantle the array?”

Flashes of the two inquiries raised not long prior flickered through his consciousness, imbruing Xie Feng’s pupils with returning, heavy rage.

“Cease struggling.”

Straightening his posture, Shen Ji surveyed the modestly dimensioned grotto. “Your personally selected venue appears quite satisfactory.”

With that, he directed his gaze toward Xie Feng.

Before Xie Feng could execute hand seals to transform into his true form, a thread of spiritual energy surged directly before him, binding tightly against the golden mark between his brows.

Xie Feng’s complexion shifted slightly; modifying his hand seals, he fought to resist the golden mark’s backlash.

Gazing at the slowly approaching Shen Ji, his voice deepened further: “Shen Ji, if you desist now, room for maneuver remains.”

Scanning the pale knuckles, Shen Ji stepped right before him and pressed a hand against his neck.

At this contact, Xie Feng’s restrained breathing quickened fractionally.

The thumb coated in a layer of spiritual energy traced unhurriedly across his pulsing carotid, brushed gently past his cheek, and arrived at the slowly illuminating golden mark upon his brow, hovering its pad just above.

Shen Ji stroked the slightly feverish temperature beneath his palm.

“What if I refuse to desist?”

Xie Feng’s pupils blazed with fury.

Gazing straight into those eyes from close quarters, Shen Ji pressed downward with a smile.

Xie Feng shuddered violently in response.

He never anticipated that the golden mark representing his heritage would exhibit such extreme sensitivity in Shen Ji’s hands.

The instant the familiar tactile sensation adhered to him, Shen Ji’s hand felt as though it were kneading his primordial spirit directly.

Boiling desires poured across his body, sparking surges of surging heat primed to erupt.

Xie Feng’s sculpted lips compressed into a rigid line, struggling to suppress his chaotic, intolerable breathing while his tense spine stiffened like iron.

Pulling Xie Feng into his embrace, Shen Ji pressed a gentle kiss upon the golden mark between his brows, trailing kisses across his restrained, disciplined brows and eyes. Sweeping his gaze over the thin lips trembling amidst heavy breaths, he lifted his eyes once more to meet his gaze, murmuring softly,

“Your Majesty, this is the first.”

Xie Feng’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he averted his gaze abruptly.

Following an instance of forced dual cultivation, Xie Feng pinned Shen Ji’s hand down and stated coldly, “Enough.”

Shen Ji remarked, “I harbor a query I wish to pose.”

Xie Feng frowned in his direction.

Shen Ji queried, “Desire you to acquire the Snow Domain primordial breath expeditiously?”

“What?” Xie Feng’s expression grew icy. “No.”

His refusal failed to exit his lips before the mortal’s spiritual energy triggered the Golden Phoenix’s insatiable intimacy, sweeping over his entire being with instincts reignited within his bloodline and swallowing him whole in the blink of an eye.

Shen Ji leaned down and pressed downward once more.

Xie Feng ground his teeth: “Shen Ji!”

Shen Ji’s unaltering vocal cadence resonated beside his ear.

“This is the second.”

Directly following came the third, the fourth…

Having secured a favorable inception, each subsequent session of dual cultivation unfolded naturally.

As the sixteenth dual-cultivation session concluded, Shen Ji emerged from the grotto carrying Xie Feng.

To minimize Xie Feng’s torment to the absolute maximum, he had essentially fulfilled the point objective within the shortest conceivable timeframe.

Regrettably, Xie Feng himself appeared somewhat disinclined to accept the outcome.

“Set me down.”

A full ten days having transpired, Xie Feng’s voice sounded low and raspy, rendering even the coldest tone tinged with lingering tenderness.

Glancing at him, Shen Ji set him upon the ground.

Clad in a golden robe, Xie Feng masked all physical traces left upon his person.

Walking shoulder to shoulder with him, Shen Ji arrived at the location where the Snow Domain primordial breath accumulated most densely.

“Sit, I shall fulfill my pledge.”

Seating himself cross-legged with a sullen expression, Xie Feng uttered not a single syllable regarding the events of the past ten days, acting precisely as though he had thoroughly purged that degrading memory the moment dual cultivation concluded.

Since he refused discussion, Shen Ji cooperated by omitting mention, merely prompting, “Proceed.”

Xie Feng rasped, “Spiritual stones.”

Shen Ji dumped the entirety of the remaining spiritual stones from his inventory before him.

Ignoring them entirely, Xie Feng’s hands moved in a blur of hand seals.

True to Shen Ji’s assertion, he emerged far from empty-handed across those sixteen dual-cultivation sessions.

“Close your eyes and center your mind.”

Nodding, Shen Ji complied.

With the array taking initial form, Xie Feng finally lifted his gaze to fixate upon Shen Ji before him.

Even at this juncture, maintaining complete lack of defense toward him and displaying such fearless audacity, was he truly certain he would refrain from killing him?

The stray thought had barely surfaced before extraneous imagery rolled in tandem across his mind.

Xie Feng’s expression darkened abruptly as he concentrated his mind and gathered his focus.

Short moments later.

Shen Ji perceived a gentle, soothing warmth rippling across his entire frame, flowing outward from his Dantian to disperse toward the palms of his hands.

Xie Feng’s silver eyes remained unblinking, staring fixedly at him.

Entrusting one’s physical form entirely to another’s control required absolute absence of hesitation, failing which even the array formation would collapse.

Shen Ji had attained his desire; had he reneged at this juncture, even he would have been rendered helpless.

Yet the outcome matched prior patterns.

The extraordinarily rare ten-thousand-year primordial breath flowed effortlessly from Shen Ji’s palms, summoned forth under his guidance.

This indicated conclusively that Shen Ji had never harbored intent to break his word.

Xie Feng knitted his brows deeply.

When the warmth within his meridians faded entirely, Shen Ji opened his eyes to find the surrounding mist completely dissipated.

He looked toward Xie Feng.

The other remained seated cross-legged, presumably yet to complete the refinement of the primordial breath.

Standing up, Shen Ji stepped a short distance outward, attempting to locate a secondary exit.

The system could not restrain its inquiry: “Host, are you still not fleeing?”

Though lamenting the points expended by the host on dual-cultivation with the main villain, the host had offended the main villain with such severity that perishing at the main villain’s hands would render its losses total, amplifying its distress.

Shen Ji asked, “Possess you a method?”

The system stated, “I consulted data. Per the main villain’s assertions, you presently function as the temporary master of the Snow Domain seal; in truth, you possess the capacity to transit freely within the array boundaries.”

Shen Ji found it curious: “Wherefore does the seal recognize me as master?”

The system stated, “I remain baffled as well! Subsequently, upon checking documentation, the condition stipulating seal mastership requires an aura equivalent to ancient celestial deities coupled with heart’s blood. Pondering deeply, I surmise it likely mistook the main villain’s aura for the host’s. After all, it constitutes an inanimate object lacking my intellectual prowess.”

Shen Ji strongly suspected that upon discovering this rationale one day, Xie Feng would experience sufficient fury to turn apoplectic.

The system appended, “Furthermore, seal recognition carries an expiration timeline dictated by the master’s spiritual soul strength. The main villain’s timeline stood at merely half a year, whereas for the host, a fortnight should certainly apply!”

The temporal window remained manageable.

Recalling something, Shen Ji inquired, “Will gifting the primordial breath to Xie Feng incur repercussions?”

The system stated, “Negative; the primordial breath functions merely as an accessory bonus to mastership, a gift bestowed by the seal itself.”

Shen Ji set his mind at ease.

Stepping into a blind spot outside Xie Feng’s field of vision, he conducted a preliminary test.

Noting an aperture opening gradually before him as anticipated, a smile touched his lips as he prepared to return.

Taking barely two steps around the corner, he locked eyes directly with Xie Feng, causing his stride to halt.

“Awakened.”

Xie Feng first swept his gaze across the unvanished smile remaining at the corner of Shen Ji’s lips before stating, “I presumed you would seize the opportunity to escape, failing to anticipate you remaining far more foolish than I projected.”

The system murmured quietly, “Host, behold; you forced the main villain for ten days and ten nights, and he harbors bitter hatred toward you!”

Bitter hatred?

Shen Ji cared little.

Herein, regardless of the intensity of Xie Feng’s animosity, he was reduced to venting solely through verbal barbs.

Otherwise, following prior workflow, another round of dual cultivation should have long since initiated.

Presently, the expiration timeline governing Xie Feng’s spiritual energy anomalies remained obscure, but he understood that once Xie Feng completely restored his cultivation, every effort would be deployed to eradicate this sequela.

Consequently, he was obligated to escort Xie Feng out prior to that juncture, lest Xie Feng experience a sudden recovery and grant him an authentic taste of a “main villain’s” bitter hatred.

Shen Ji proposed, “Draw near, I have discovered an egress.”

Frowning slightly, Xie Feng stepped forth to follow him behind.

Shen Ji emphasized, “Upon exiting, we part ways.”

Xie Feng pressed his lips into a line.

Lacking sufficient strength presently and encumbered by his heritage interference, even absent Shen Ji’s pronouncement, he would never voluntarily travel in company with this individual.

Yet creeping vexation swirled persistently within his heart, an unfamiliar, nameless irritation churning in his chest that repeatedly blocked the silver flames condensing in his palm. He could only offer a cold sneer: “Upon our next meeting, death shall be your sole destination.”

“Unnecessary, surely.” Shen Ji sighed helplessly. “As the saying goes, a hundred days of grace stemming from a single night of intimacy, we—”

He paused, appending with uncertainty, “Twenty days, or—”

Before finishing the sentence, a ferocious gust of wind cleaved viciously from his side. Sidestepping to evade it, he raised a hand in surrender. “Very well, I shall remain silent.”

Xie Feng cast a cold gaze at him, retracting the hand he tucked into his wide sleeve and clenching it fiercely.

The system felt paralyzed: “…”

Was the main villain in the book not supposed to possess an inscrutable demeanor devoid of visible emotion?

The host was presently inciting him to the verge of volcanic eruption at any given moment; I implore you, the host’s generation of hostility is excessively stable, and I am terrified!

Shen Ji stated, “Fret not, I guarantee you shall never lay eyes upon this face of mine henceforth.”

The heavy fury blanketing Xie Feng’s countenance receded unbidden.

He stated, “Should I slay you, naturally I shall view it no more.”

Smiling softly, Shen Ji offered no refutation.

Guiding Xie Feng upward, they stepped into the aperture manifested through his covert manipulations, promptly welcoming the violent wind and snow pouring inward from the exit.

Reaching this juncture marked the true commencement of farewell.

Pondering briefly, Shen Ji offered a conventional pleasantry: “Wished you an early recovery.”

Deigning not even to grant him a glance, Xie Feng turned on his heel and departed directly.

Shen Ji: “”

Foolish bird.

Devoid of the slightest manners.

Watching Xie Feng’s silhouette vanish into the boundless expanse of snow, he mounted the Gale Leopard, simulated a departure spanning a short distance, then leaped directly into the grotto aperture kept open by the Snow Domain seal in his honor.

With the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable expending exhaustive efforts without locating the seal, this location proved unquestionably more worry-free and effortless compared to Shouluo Village.

With his point balance fulfilled, he needed merely to await the expiration of the three-month duration to shed the identity of “Shen Ji” entirely.

At this thought, just as Shen Ji prepared to open the point mall, a shrill shriek erupted from the system.

“Dire peril approaching a vital character, not the male or female leads, unquestionably the main villain! Per the original plotline, he never departed the Snow Domain seal throughout these three months! Quickly, close your eyes and sense the seal; it will transport you to any destination you desire!”

Hearing this declaration, Shen Ji frowned and immediately closed his eyes.

The Snow Domain seal responded obediently to his intent, scanning for any anomalous auras hovering above the seal.

Swiftly, a projection imprinted itself within his consciousness.

Densely packed crowds of figures in the sky formed hand seals directed downward, chanting incantations as they laid an inescapable net.

Atop the heads of the multitude, sixteen blazing scrolls unfurled slowly, brewing torrential might at terrifying speed!

It constituted the array established by the Scarlet Phoenix.

Shen Ji instructed the Snow Domain seal to dispatch him directly to the vicinity flanking Xie Feng.

Emerging from the grotto, he mounted the Gale Leopard, pierced at breakneck speed through the un-enterable array boundary, and galloped straight before Xie Feng.

Spotting Shen Ji amidst the personal vanguard array, the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable felt a shadow cross his heart.

On the prior occasion, this very mortal had spared Xie Feng’s life.

And the Scarlet Phoenix lineage could not shoulder the consequences of a secondary failure.

He issued a resolute mandate:

“Slay him!!”

Lacking leisure for contemplation, Shen Ji vaulted forward, pressing Xie Feng, who evidently failed to anticipate his arrival, beneath him, tucking him inside a newly opened seal grotto during their evasion.

“Shen Ji?”

Glancing toward Shen Ji from amidst the snow surface gradually closing shut, the astonishment in Xie Feng’s silver eyes instantly morphed into agitation. “What do you imagine you are doing, descend here!”

Blazing, searing scarlet-gold flames resembled falling meteors, reflecting a doomed, soul-consuming world-burning inferno within his field of view!

Shen Ji’s pitch-black pupils, resembling deep pools, fixed upon him with their customary, unyielding calm.

The leisurely, casual voice resonated once more beside his ear.

“Recover swiftly.”

Xie Feng’s pupils mirrored an opposing heavy fury and frost.

He lunged abruptly to seize Shen Ji’s collar, yet the grotto entrance snapped shut at that exact instant.

“Shen Ji!”