Chapter 104: Using You Until Death

Ning Xianyu dreamed again.

She was once more back at that dreamlike seaside castle—the blue sky, the turquoise sea, the golden sandy beach, and the delicate white waves, as if painted by an artist.

This time, she was lying on a tree, feeling utterly refreshed and invigorated.

A little red stone figure peeked out from behind the leaves. Seeing how exhausted she looked, it leapt down and landed squarely on her stomach.

The tiny figure was so small that Ning Xianyu thought it couldn’t weigh much, but the sudden jump knocked her right off the tree.

"Pfft... cough, cough... Are you trying to kill me?"

Ning Xianyu rolled over and struggled to get up.

The little red figure tilted its head and pointed to an ugly stone beside them.

Startled, Ning Xianyu wondered how such an ugly and huge stone could appear in her dream—larger even than the stone lions at the bank entrance.

Taking a closer look, she suddenly recognized it—it was the Divination Stone. But why had it grown so large?

“Why is this stone so huge in my dream?”

The little red figure rolled around contentedly on the Divination Stone.

Though its body was bright red, its eyes were black and endearing. It had no hair; instead, there were little swirls on its head that looked like the curls on a laughing Buddha.

Ning Xianyu couldn’t resist touching the stone—it felt exactly like stone, but smooth, delicate, and warm.

They exchanged a glance and smiled.

Lying comfortably on the grass, Ning Xianyu thought how wonderful this dream was—if only she could live like this forever.

The little red figure imitated her, lying on her chest and pressing down until she struggled to breathe.

“Get off, get off,” she said, reaching out and grabbing something rough—like a thick vine.

Wait, that wasn’t the little red figure.

She opened her eyes in alarm and realized she was bound tightly by thick vines, unable to move.

Somehow, she had ended up in a small wooden cabin, sparsely furnished and deserted.

She struggled violently, gasping for air, on the verge of suffocation.

Just as she tried to summon her spiritual power, the vines suddenly retracted and vanished.

Ning Xianyu sat up on the bed, heart pounding and gasping for breath.

The door was suddenly pushed open. Xuanyuan Tunhan cautiously glanced inside before looking at her.

“Awake?”

Ning Xianyu stared at him with a strange expression, as if seeing a ghost.

Xuanyuan Tunhan frowned, “What kind of look is that?”

She shook her head slowly.

[System: “Boss, look at the Great Demon Lord. Is he acting strange? He’s actually talking nonsense now.”]

System: “How is asking if you’re awake nonsense? Isn’t that normal?”

Ning Xianyu: “No, no, no. Waking up is obvious. Most would ask, but since he already saw me, he wouldn’t ask again.”

Is the Great Demon Lord malfunctioning? Why is he talking nonsense? Or is this a fake?

Inside the formation, anything could happen. Maybe this was an imposter.

Or perhaps, she was still dreaming.

While she pondered this, Xuanyuan Tunhan suddenly raised his arm. A pulling force gripped her, and she was yanked off the bed, falling to the floor hard, her nose aching.

“Wah, that’s bullying!”

[System: “Now you’re sure—he’s real.”]

Xuanyuan Tunhan looked at her in disbelief as she scrambled up and checked her belongings.

After a moment, he said, “From now on, don’t use the Qiankun Sword unless absolutely necessary.”

With one hand covering her nose, and the other hanging the sword back on her waist, she asked in confusion, “Did I faint because I used the Qiankun Sword?”

Could it be that wielding the sword consumed too much energy, leaving her drained and unconscious?

But that didn’t make sense—she had used it before without any problem.

Xuanyuan Tunhan explained, “Using the Qiankun Sword for small fights is fine, but breaking through barriers or dividing realms requires immense spiritual power. If your power isn’t enough, the sword will drain your essence. If you can’t withstand it, you’ll black out.”

Hearing this, Ning Xianyu was alarmed and quickly handed the sword back.

“I don’t want it. Here, take it.”

Becoming a dried-up husk was too high a price.

But Xuanyuan Tunhan refused to take it.

“Since you’ve used the sword, it will stay with you until your death.”

“What?” Ning Xianyu felt this was a forced sale. When she was given the sword, no such clause was mentioned.

What kind of tyrannical contract was this? No way to sever ties—only death would end it?

And why did it feel more like she was the sword’s employee, destined to be squeezed dry?

Xuanyuan Tunhan said innocently, “You didn’t ask.”

“I—I didn’t ask?”

Who would think of that?

He pondered for a moment and then comforted her, “If you don’t want to be drained, either use it sparingly or train hard to raise your spiritual power to my level. Then you won’t be afraid.”

Ning Xianyu looked at him helplessly and whispered, “When I die, please cremate me. I don’t want to be buried underground and eaten by worms. That’s disgusting.”

A joke—there was no way she could train to the Great Demon Lord’s level.

It took hundreds of thousands of years for such a prodigy to appear. How could a little couch potato like her compete with such a marvel?

Xuanyuan Tunhan lost patience and slapped her head.

“I’ve never seen anyone so lacking in fighting spirit.”

Ning Xianyu rubbed her head.

“Well, now you have.”

[System: “After hundreds of thousands of years, never seen a couch potato. You’re quite the rarity.”]

[System: “Actually, I’ve never seen anyone like you.”]

Xuanyuan Tunhan took a deep breath, letting her out.

“I will supervise your training from now on. If you don’t train properly, I’ll hand you over to the demonic cultivators for insect taming.”

Ning Xianyu was startled.

“You promised to let me live well.”

“Taming insects can be a good life too. Maybe even better.”

But just imagining being used for insect taming was unbearable.

She could only agree to train.

She didn’t understand why the Great Demon Lord insisted on forcing her to train.

What had she done to deserve training personally by him?

“Ancestor, where’s the white lotus? Why haven’t I seen her?”

Go find your new favorite—stop fixating on me.

Xuanyuan Tunhan suddenly stopped. When she unexpectedly bumped into him, he looked down at her from above.

“Do you think if I pamper the white lotus, I would forget your existence?”

How did he know?

Ning Xianyu shook her head with difficulty.

“No! I hate her. You’re my ancestor; you should only cherish your disciple. How could you let an outsider steal my spotlight?”

She spoke with such sincerity she almost believed it herself.

The Great Demon Lord seemed convinced.

He even reached out and gently stroked her head, as if petting a little dog.

“That’s exactly why I only pamper you.”

Go on, get lost!