The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 42

Deep within the secret realm, majestic spiritual energy gathered, creating a misty environment that felt like a dreamscape. It was a place where reality and illusion blurred, and its profound depths were enough to make anyone halt in their tracks.

A figure sat perched upon a tree branch, eyes lowered as if watching the ferocious beasts gathering below. Her emerald pupils, shimmering like expensive gemstones, held a chilling coldness. Below her, the beasts retracted their fangs, their monstrous visages turned docile, acting as “obedient” as pets in her presence.

A light breeze brushed past, dispersing the thick clouds and allowing a few rays of sunlight to spill through. This revealed the woman’s face, one look was enough to see the cold disdain etched between her brows. Her fluttering robes made her look like a fairy fallen to the mortal realm, appearing utterly out of place amidst the eerie and sinister surroundings.

The woman’s slender, fair hand brushed against the leaves before her. Frowning in displeasure, she plucked a leaf, her voice laced with impatience.

“Another group of fools who don’t value their lives. Every time they come, they have to snatch something away.”

“And this time, It actually wants me to give up a divine artifact. Does It think divine artifacts are as common as cabbages on the street? Just giving it away like that…” Toward the end, a flicker of irritation flared in her eyes.

Sensing her mood, the prostrate beasts trembled instinctively, not daring to breathe for fear of triggering her temper.

However, the woman suddenly remembered something. A flash of doubt crossed her eyes, and her frown deepened as she muttered softly to herself, “But why is it so much earlier this time? What variable occurred that even caught It off guard, making It so anxious for me to appear?”

The surroundings remained silent, no one could answer her. After pondering for a while and failing to find a satisfactory answer, she puffed out her cheeks helplessly. Staring at the beasts below only made her more frustrated. With a casual wave of her hand, the beasts felt as though they had been granted a pardon. They didn’t scatter in chaos but retreated in an orderly fashion, making as little noise as possible to avoid further annoying her.

The woman sighed, leaning halfway against the tree, looking bored and world-weary.

Suddenly, a biting, cold aura approached. Alertness instantly flooded the depths of her eyes. She tilted her head, squinting at the newcomer, then let out a cold laugh and spoke eerily.

“You have quite the nerve. A Cultivator of the Soul Transformation stage dares to trespass into the secret realm.”

As she spoke, she leaped lightly from the branch. Once she landed, she looked up at the visitor. Beneath the shadows of the trees, a figure gradually emerged. With fluttering robes and a long sword in hand, the person arrived like the onset of a harsh winter. The coldness they brought caused waves of chills and a creeping sense of dread.

However, the woman showed no sign of fear. Instead, she studied the newcomer’s cold, elegant face for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought.

“Xiyu.”

The newcomer spoke. The voice was clear and cold like flowing water, yet it carried a familiar quality that left Xiyu momentarily dazed.

Hearing the voice, Xiyu’s brows knit. After a long pause, she seemed to remember something and spoke with surprise.

“Haven’t you been here before?”

Chi Li sheathed her sword, and the terrifying, murderous aura in her eyes vanished. she looked up calmly at the woman standing a short distance away.

The two remained silent, neither speaking. The air was thick with stillness, save for the faint rustle of the wind in the treetops.

Xiyu was the leader of the ferocious beasts and the master of the secret realm. By all logic, she shouldn’t have been discovered, but centuries ago, she had encountered Chi Li. Back then, Chi Li had just finished a violent slaughter of beasts and ended up alone.

At that time, the two had faced each other just like this. The only difference was that back then, Chi Li hadn’t sheathed her sword, she had raised it and attacked immediately. Chi Li had remembered that this person wasn’t among the cultivators who entered the realm. Without asking questions, she engaged in a fierce battle.

However, Chi Li had forcibly suppressed her cultivation below the Golden Core stage at the time. After only a few moves, she unexpectedly broke through.

The Golden Core Lightning Tribulation gathered over the secret realm. Xiyu, who was still trading blows with Chi Li, couldn’t dodge in time and was struck by the lightning as well. Having suffered such a disaster for no reason, Xiyu wasn’t seriously injured, but Chi Li’s tribulation was no small matter, it had destroyed more than half of the secret realm, taking a long time to recover.

Exasperated, Xiyu had wanted to kick Chi Li out, but she was bound by the rules she herself had set for the realm. She could only resign herself to letting Chi Li stay. Knowing she was at fault but unable to leave, Chi Li spent the following days by Xiyu’s side, though it was less “companionship” and more “surveillance,” as she feared Xiyu would target the other cultivators.

Seeing Chi Li again, Xiyu felt more than just surprise, she remembered the misery of being struck by lightning all those years ago. Snapping back to the present, she studied Chi Li again, confirming this was indeed the person who dragged her into that lightning storm. She immediately took a step back, her expression guarded.

“Why are you here again? And how did you get in?”

Chi Li didn’t immediately answer. Seeing the lingering wariness, she thought for a moment before speaking.

“I’ve come to accompany my Junior Sister.”

Hearing this absurd reason, Xiyu’s frown deepened. Clearly not buying it, she spoke heartlessly, “Accompanying anyone is forbidden.”

Then, Xiyu realized Chi Li had no intention of explaining how she had entered. She set aside her wariness and walked a circle around Chi Li, realizing that what stood before her was only a primordial spirit, which had been intentionally suppressed below the Golden Core stage.

Knowing that asking trivial questions was useless, Xiyu asked, “And where is this Junior Sister of yours?”

She looked around mockingly, as if trying to expose the lie.

“Not here,” Chi Li replied calmly.

Xiyu was nearly moved to laughter by the sheer audacity. “So you risked coming in just to catch a glimpse of her from afar? You must really like this Junior Sister of yours.”

Xiyu’s words were dripping with sarcasm, as she was clearly quite annoyed. But Chi Li didn’t deny it. Instead, she nodded seriously and gave a simple, “Mm.”

Xiyu calmed down, her expression turning serious. “Since your Junior Sister isn’t here, you must have another purpose for coming to see me, right?”

Since Chi Li was already inside, forcing her out could damage her primordial spirit if not handled carefully. Although Xiyu held a grudge over the lightning incident, she didn’t hate Chi Li enough to kick someone while they were down.

Chi Li didn’t plan on hiding it. She held out her hand and, under Xiyu’s confused gaze, spoke bluntly.

“Give me the divine artifact.”

Xiyu’s gaze moved from Chi Li’s hand to her eyes, her face filled with disbelief. A long silence followed, but Chi Li did not withdraw her hand, making the atmosphere even more heavy.

“Is this appropriate?” Xiyu finally managed to choke out. “Are you robbing me in broad daylight?”

“No.” Chi Li shook her head, her tone becoming polite and courteous. “I am asking you for it.”

Xiyu’s cold face cracked slightly, but she still had no intention of handing it over. She continued her interrogation.

“How do you know there’s a divine artifact?”

“I’ve seen it before,” Chi Li replied blandly.

Faced with yet another absurd answer, Xiyu pressed her lips thin. Seeing that Chi Li didn’t seem to be joking, she switched topics. “How do you know the artifact is on me?”

In the past, whenever the secret realm opened, the magic tools were hidden in extremely obscure locations and without exception, none were ever on her person. This was why, for the longest time, Chi Li was the only one to have ever encountered Xiyu by accident.

Chi Li’s fingers curled slightly as she withdrew her hand. She lowered her eyes and let out a soft laugh. Her voice took on the same dark tone Xiyu remembered from their first meeting, yet it carried an unintelligible emotion.

“Because you are going to hand deliver it to someone.”

Her tone was certain, as if she had already witnessed that scene. Xiyu’s expression darkened instantly, her eyes flashing with displeasure.

“Chi Li, I’ll assume you’re talking nonsense. And I think I should solemnly inform you: no one has a ‘face’ big enough to deserve me personally delivering a gift.”

Chi Li’s smile vanished. She stared at Xiyu with a scrutinizing gaze. “Then answer me this, why are you carrying this time’s artifact on your person?”

Caught off guard, Xiyu faltered. She couldn’t come up with a reason. She frowned, carefully recalling the “decree” she had received. After thinking for a long time, it dawned on her. It really did want her to deliver it personally.

Thinking of this, Xiyu’s lips pulled into a tight line, her eyes filling with irritation and restlessness.

Chi Li didn’t care if she answered. She looked toward the distance, where the roar of ferocious beasts echoed.

“You arranged things over there, didn’t you?”

The fact that Chi Li had guessed the entire plan left Xiyu stunned for a moment. “You even know about that?”

Chi Li ignored the question and spoke again in a calm voice. “You were planning to go take a look, weren’t you?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone was one of absolute certainty.

“Your cultivation…” Xiyu instinctively took a few steps back, staring intently at Chi Li, trying to discern her true power. But it was in vain, it was as if she were overthinking it.

Chi Li ignored her and continued, “It wants you to go.”

“Heaven has sent down a decree…” Xiyu began, but she was coldly interrupted by Chi Li.

“I know.”

Her tone carried a naked disgust that left Xiyu dazed. Xiyu looked at Chi Li and finally offered a well-meaning warning.

“Attempting to speculate upon or defy the Will of Heaven… will lead to death.”

“I know.”

Chi Li’s answer remained those two words. However, the hatred in her voice was unmistakable. Though it flickered only for an instant, Xiyu’s keen senses caught it.

“You’ll know once you go there,” Chi Li said coldly.

Xiyu knew that the place Chi Li referred to was where she had arranged for the beasts to be. She glanced in that direction and let out a cold, haughty laugh.

“I’d like to see just who has such great ‘face’ after all.”

In the distance, the howling of beasts pierced through the cold, dark forest, signaling a rising chaos.