Chapter 60: Drowning Person

Walking along the narrow staircase leading downward, the surroundings were as dark as death.

Their footsteps were silent, so quiet that Xu Yuan could clearly hear the erratic breaths of the woman beside him.

She clutched his wrist.

Her hands tightened, gripping fiercely, as if afraid that this fragile sensation might vanish at any moment.

Xu Yuan walked upward in silence.

Su Jinxuan's alluring eyes, once full of charm and allure, now held only a faint, pitiful helplessness.

"In such a serene setting, Su Miss—how has your sleep been these past days?"

A voice, smooth as jade, suddenly broke the stillness of the long, dim corridor.

This time,

he did not call her Jinxuan.

Silence for two seconds,

then a voice, slightly trembling, reached him:

"Xu... Xu Changtian, you're just a demon. If you're so evil, then kill me right now."

She no longer called him "Third Brother."

Subtle, indirect displays of familiarity had no effect at all.

She was afraid,

she was repulsed,

she wanted to kill this man—this demon—right beside her.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan did not grow angry. He chuckled softly:

"If I am a demon, then why does Su's lady hold me so tightly?"

"......" Su Jinxuan remained silent, yet did not let go.

Xu Yuan, seeing this, casually tugged and pulled his wrist free from the tight grip of her hands.

"Ah..."

The tangible presence vanished instantly, and Su Jinxuan immediately let out a panicked cry, then frantically searched for his presence.

Xu Yuan silently retreated to the side, his source qi entering his eyes, watching silently as the woman groped in the darkness of the tunnel.

Was her reaction exaggerated?

Not at all.

When he first tried this at the experience center, even counting the time he spent asleep, he had only lasted a few hours.

At first, it had been fascinating, indifferent, even the softness around him had felt quite comfortable.

But as time passed, the silent darkness began to spread a growing restlessness within his mind.

At this moment, to persist, one must scatter their attention, drifting back to memories of the past.

Xu Yuan had done exactly that in the experience center, and as he drifted off into thought, he fell asleep from the fatigue of the previous day.

But do you think that simply waking up means everything is settled?

No. No. No.

The real struggle begins after waking up—the profound loneliness of silence surrounding you, sinking deep into softness, unable to move, unable to speak, as if falling forever into an abyss.

And it is precisely when Xu Yuan has built up psychological resilience, knowing he can always release himself, that these overwhelming waves of despair arise.

When Su Junxuan awoke, there was no professional staff to help her loosen her bonds as she struggled.

She did not know how long she would be bound in this place.

All she faced was struggle, struggle until exhaustion overcame her, and she drifted off to sleep, only to wake again, swallowed by that silent, timeless, spaceless void.

The cycle repeated endlessly.

After ten days, Su Jinxuan was still not mad—Xu Yuan now held her in deep respect.

After searching for a long time, unable to locate his body, Su Jinxuan simply folded her arms over her chest and huddled down on the ground.

She did not beg for mercy; instead, she stubbornly bit her lower lip and curled her legs tightly against the wall.

Silently observing for several breaths, Xu Yuan rubbed his brow.

How could this make him seem like a villain?

It was this woman who had first attacked him without cause.

If it weren’t for his innate resilience in both spirit and soul, he would already be nothing but a dog at her mercy.

"Hmph."

A soft snort.

Immediately, Su Jinxuan turned toward the direction of the sound, her delicate, rosy eyes shimmering with a hint of mist.

But she had no cultivation, and the strange spirit spores of the mesmerizing demonic body had all been sealed off. She couldn’t even perform inner vision, let alone see anything in this darkness.

Xu Yuan watched her like this, and ceased controlling the sound of his footsteps.

Perhaps she was acting. Perhaps she was truly frightened.

But none of that mattered.

The secret report from Jin City had already given him enough reason to do many things to her.

He slowly walked toward Su Jinxuan, crouching down halfway:

"Su miss, stop being stubborn, will you?"

As he spoke, he gently extended his hand and placed it softly upon the curled knee of her trembling form:

"Grab hold of me. We’re going up."

"........."

"........."

........

Long Hong Valley, a hidden realm.

This was already the third day Qin Mo had entered this secluded realm space, and the first day he had begun to heal his wounds.

Crouched within a mountain cave, peering out cautiously.

A crimson, eerie mist spread throughout the entire realm, and shadowy figures flickered and drifted through the fog.

Beyond that,

came the deep, resonant "thud—thud—thud" of footsteps.

Looking upward, vague and hazy forms of immense size drifted aimlessly through the blood-mist.

"Old man, old man..."

Qin Mo whispered the words into his mind, calling softly and carefully.

Soon, a deep, resonant voice—like a sub-bass built into the very air—answered lazily:

"Hmm? What's up?"

The voice in Qin Mo's mind grew sharp with frustration:

"You never said there were monsters like this! What in the world are these things?"

The middle-aged voice chuckled carelessly, showing no urgency:

"Relax, just corrupted beasts turned by the strange spirits. They contain magical crystals—something that's a tremendous boon to your cultivation method."

Qin Mo could no longer hold back, his inner voice erupting in bitter laughter:

"I'm not going to 'benefit' you, old man! If I don't get crushed underfoot by these things, I'm already lucky to be alive!"

"Ha-ha~"

The middle-aged voice laughed lightly. "Don't worry. This secret realm was originally breached by the strange spirits. Back then, some ordinary humans must have lived here. With your current strength, you should be able to defeat these corrupted humans easily."

"Moreover, if you intend to borrow my strength to rescue that sweetheart of yours, you must expect to brave some measure of risk. Even so, I cannot help but counsel you: to turn a kingdom to ash for the sake of a fair maiden is a thoroughly foolish endeavor."

Pausing for a heartbeat,

the middle-aged voice casually reminded him:

"The coachman you beheld last time was likely a grandmaster of the third rank. The forces backing that third young master possess no small measure of might. Should you slay him, you will have truly kindled an inextinguishable feud."

Qin Mo collected his straying thoughts, exhaling a soft breath as he murmured a question:

"Miss Su saved my life; now that she is forced against her will, I cannot simply stand by and watch. Besides, old man, you saw it yourself before—even if I spare that profligate, he is certain never to let me go."

The middle-aged voice let slip a faint sigh, followed by a light, irreverent chuckle: "Had you listened to me back then and claimed that Great Yin-Yang Joyous Union Art, none of these troubles would have come to pass. A single dose of ecstasy powder, and the grain would have long been cooked into rice."

"......" Qin Mo remained silent.

Seeing this, the middle-aged voice ceased his mocking, lowering his tone as he spoke softly:

"Just a jest, do not take offense. That little girl possesses the Demon Body of the Charming Soul; by my reckoning, that third young master has already fallen under her sway. So long as the third-rank grandmaster at his side perceives nothing amiss, she remains perfectly safe."

Qin Mo exhaled softly:

"Old man, you say these beasts are corrupted by the strange spirits? What are strange spirits?"

"Do you not know what strange spirits are?"

The middle-aged voice sounded surprised, then sighed quietly, "It seems there have been countless events over these several thousand years... Ah, back in those days..."

"Old man... can you just stop talking nonsense?" Qin Mo interrupted, frustrated.

The middle-aged voice sounded slightly hurt: "For thousands of years, I've been stuck in the soul-jewel, no one speaking to me—only studying techniques. Now I've given you the techniques, and you don't even say a word to me, not even a single sentence!"

"... "Qin Mo.

"Ha ha ha!"

The middle-aged voice burst into laughter, then quickly suppressed it, speaking solemnly: "Alright, no more jokes. Strange spirits come from the deep wilderness. They are extremely dangerous. Had it not been for the surge of Qi currents back then, with great talents emerging across the world, those strange spirits might have wiped out our entire human race."

Qin Mo furrowed his brow.

Da Yan lies east of the sea, north against the barbarian tribes, northwest over the vast desert, and southwest bordering the ancient abyss—only the south remains stable.

Because it rests upon the Great Wasteland.

Based on what he knows, the Great Wasteland is a barren expanse unfit for any living being.

"Is the Great Wasteland so dangerous?"

"Otherwise?"

A middle-aged man's voice carries a hint of reflection:

"Boy, only sages can forge spatial realms.

This secret realm—broken by the aberrant spirits—what does that signify? You surely won't fail to understand, will you?"