Chapter 384 - 390: "Domain

From the shadows of the trees, a figure slowly emerged. It was Song Wanning.

She had known someone was in the cave from the very beginning and had been on her guard.

But since they hadn’t made a move, she couldn’t just kill them on sight.

Just to be safe, she had deliberately circled back, only to find this person recording everything with a Memory Stone.

Clearly, their intentions were malicious.

There was no need for her to be polite.

"Senior, I really didn’t mean to—"

The man spoke with a subservient air, but then he suddenly lunged, scattering a handful of hallucinogenic powder as he activated an Earth Escape Talisman.

His mind was consumed with a single thought: escape.

However, just as he moved, he saw Song Wanning’s icy gaze through the cloud of swirling powder.

The Blood Lotus on her forehead flashed. In the next instant, his entire body froze, and his vision was filled with nothing but blood-red.

The longsword behind him cleanly pierced his heart. Its cold tip churned rapidly inside him, instantly shredding the organ.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but in reality, it was over in a single breath.

The man’s life force drained away at an astonishing rate. In his terror, his Nascent Soul shot out of his body, desperate to escape, its face a mask of confusion and panic.

But as he looked around, he saw blood-red lotuses everywhere.

His entire world had been reduced to nothing but blood-red lotuses.

The man’s spirit wavered. In a panic, he looked back and thought he saw Song Wanning’s emotionless eyes.

In the next moment, the surrounding Blood Lotuses closed in on him.

"AHHH—"

With a horrific scream, the man’s Nascent Soul was crushed, dissipating completely into the air.

And yet, his physical body stood there perfectly unharmed, his chest not pierced by any longsword.

Only his eyes had lost their light, leaving behind an empty shell, a body without a Nascent Soul.

It had become a perfect vessel, suitable for possession.

Song Wanning’s expression was cold, the mark on her forehead long since faded. From start to finish, she hadn’t lifted a finger.

Instead, she had tried activating the Blood Lotus within her Sea of Consciousness.

The result surprised even her. The Blood Lotus was capable of creating a "domain," a world of its own.

But this "domain" primarily targeted the Divine Soul, meaning everything the man had experienced was a manifestation of his own fears.

In other words, he had died of his own terror.

It was a cruel and unexpected method.

’My power has surged in just a few short days since ascending. This feeling is incredible...’

Song Wanning waved a hand, disposing of the man’s body, and a slow smile touched her lips.

’Tagging along after these invaders and picking up their scraps is truly wonderful.’

’After all, where would I find such treasures without them?’

A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she took the man’s Storage Ring. A quick glance inside suggested he was most likely a talisman cultivator.

The Storage Ring was filled with a huge pile of talismans, but his actual strength must have been lacking, or he wouldn’t have been so focused on running away.

Song Wanning casually put the Storage Ring away, crushed the Memory Stone, and then truly departed.

...

"Are you all right?"

Xiao Heyun bent slightly, extending a hand toward Yun Yunzhou.

He had reverted to his original appearance. With his exceptional looks and charisma, a single glance was enough to make one swoon.

He even deliberately angled himself to show off his sharp jawline, striving to present his most handsome side to Yun Yunzhou.

He had finally found another chance to play the hero saving the damsel in distress; he couldn’t miss this opportunity to raise her favorability score.

’But sometimes it was just so infuriating, having to rely on the favorability of these women to get anything.’

’He was clearly the transmigrated protagonist, yet he had to constantly worry about these women’s attitudes. It was utterly humiliating.’

’Only when he reached the pinnacle of the Cultivation World would he be free!’

In a daze, Xiao Heyun could already picture the wonderful scene of his future: a massive harem, with beautiful women in both arms.

However, the injured Yun Yunzhou’s face was grim. She picked herself up, completely ignoring Xiao Heyun’s outstretched hand.

Her gaze held not a shred of admiration. Instead, it was filled with undisguised wariness and disgust.

When no system notification came, Xiao Heyun’s heart skipped a beat. He felt that something was wrong.

’Why is Yun Yunzhou having no reaction to me at all?’

’This isn’t logical!!!’

’The Holy Daughter of the Barbarian Clan fell for me, so why hasn’t Yun Yunzhou’s favorability moved an inch?’

Though filled with confusion, Xiao Heyun maintained his persona and coldly withdrew his hand.

"It was a trivial matter. Don’t worry about it."

"The threat is gone now. You can take what’s inside for yourself."

He stepped to the side, revealing the cave entrance behind him.

Yun Yunzhou had been injured just moments ago fighting for whatever was inside.

Yun Yunzhou shot him a glance, turned, and entered the cave. She emerged a moment later.

She had obviously collected the item.

Xiao Heyun thought, ’Now that Yun Yunzhou has benefited, her favorability should at least go up a little, right?’

’Even just one point would be fine.’

But it didn’t happen.

Yun Yunzhou walked past Xiao Heyun with a foul expression, her eyes filled with revulsion.

She curled her lip and, after spitting out the words "Pathetic imitation," turned and flew away.

Leaving Xiao Heyun completely dumbfounded.

"System, what... what the hell did she mean by that?"

"I want to check Yun Yunzhou’s favorability!!!"

Xiao Heyun felt utterly insulted, and his aura turned menacing.

[Host, current favorability for target Yun Yunzhou is -30!!!]

The system’s voice trembled, clearly just as angry.

"What? -30?"

Xiao Heyun was about to go insane with rage. "I fucking saved her! How can it be negative?"

It was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation, and his mind went blank.

’With my looks and Cultivation, how could any woman possibly hate me?’

[Host, I don’t know either. Her initial favorability was -30...]

That meant Yun Yunzhou had hated him from the very first glance...

Let alone love at first sight!!

"FUCK!!!"

Xiao Heyun started cursing again. He’d lost count of how many times he’d sworn recently.

"That bitch is so ungrateful! Just wait until I conquer her. We’ll see how I get my revenge then!!!"

Xiao Heyun was truly livid. It reminded him of his past life as an otaku shut-in.

Back then, women would look at him with nothing but disgust and revulsion.

’They were all just a bunch of gold-diggers and snobs!!!’

"Let’s go! I refuse to believe I can’t conquer a single woman!!!"

...

"Pfft—"

Having watched the entire exchange, Song Wanning almost burst out laughing.

"This Yun Yunzhou is rather interesting."

A thoughtful look crossed her eyes. In terms of talent and background, Yun Yunzhou was a top-tier choice.

’It’s a shame for her to be a villainous supporting character. It might not be a bad idea to work together against the invaders.’

"Sister, why does Yun Yunzhou hate Xiao Heyun so much?"

The Golden Small Sword zipped closer, eager for gossip.

"Xiao Heyun clearly saved her."

It had been worried that Xiao Heyun would get his way, but who knew the outcome would be so delightful.

Hearing this, Song Wanning’s lips curved into a slight smile as the image of another person surfaced in her mind.