After The Death Escape and Ascension, The Male Protagonist of Long Aotian Went Crazy - Chapter 8

Whose memory was this?

Master… ascension…

Could it be from the day her master fell?

The Sect Master of the Xuan Yin Immortal Sect and the Immortal Lord Shuiyu had studied under the same teacher, both disciples of Immortal Lord Chenxu. She had once been the most gifted cultivator in the immortal world.

Immortal Lord Chenxu was also the founding ancestor of the Xuan Yin Immortal Sect.

Ten thousand years ago, after a battle against the Demon Lord, both sides suffered grievous losses. The Demon Clan was sealed within the Endless Domain, while Immortal Lord Chenxu perished a hundred years later.

For centuries afterward, the cultivation world languished in decline—until Chenxu’s two disciples led the remaining cultivators and restored order, fighting until the demons broke through the Endless Domain’s seal and attempted to return. It was Shuiyu who cut them down with a single strike, sealing them beneath a cliff with an array.

Thus the name Immortal Lord Shuiyu spread far and wide, her status in the cultivation world unshakable to this day.

Shi Hua had not seen her master for a thousand years.

Yet when memories surged up now, her chest felt oddly hollow, as if she had forgotten something vital.

That same feeling had surfaced when she was first bound to the system.

Shi Hua did not believe in coincidences.

“System, what trickery did you and Heaven use on my memories?”

The system shivered within its space.

It had said from the start not to meddle with Shi Hua, but Heaven always forced it to clean up after!

【Immortal Lord, how could I ever harm you? We’re grasshoppers tied to the same rope!】

Shi Hua remained unconvinced.

Her memories held no gaps—she remembered everything from ten thousand years ago—but those words she had just heard? Not a trace of them.

The system was definitely hiding something.

But this was not the time to pursue it.

A muffled boom resounded from the cave beneath the sea, shaking the seabed.

Shi Hua immediately flew inside.

The cavern was another world, a separate space untouched by the seawater.

The stone walls were dry, a few sword marks etched deep, likely by Qin Xiyan.

From the depths came flashes of lightning and an unusual aura.

The immortal herb was there.

The battle inside raged fiercely. Shi Hua alighted lightly on a cliffside ledge to observe below.

The cave walls were riddled with small holes—not for air, but sparking with electricity.

The bridal sedan stood below.

Wei Shizhou and the others had just arrived. At the sight of the sedan, Xie An rushed forward without a second thought. The moment he stepped out, he was struck by bolts of lightning from the walls. Qin Xiyan immediately raised her sword to shield him, warning the others to be careful.

The lightning seemed to target only them, sparing the sedan at the center.

Like electric eels in the sea, the bolts were swift and merciless. Several of them were hit, their bodies numbed.

Xie An winced, clutching his waist. “Damn it, where are these bolts coming from?!”

At this rate, their spiritual power would run dry first.

Qin Xiyan acted decisively. Timing it just right, she leapt before the sedan, knelt on one knee, stabbed her sword into the ground, and quickly formed an array.

Light patterns burst forth, raising a sturdy barrier.

The lightning was cut off.

“Wonderful! Thank goodness for Senior Sister’s quick thinking!”

Xie An, panting heavily, went up to the sedan. “Don’t be afraid, you’re safe now.”

Inside, the girl sobbed, too terrified to speak.

Qin Xiyan helped her out gently, soothing her until she calmed.

At the sight of the glowing array and unfamiliar men, the girl grew timid again, hiding behind Qin Xiyan.

From above, Shi Hua nodded approvingly. “Clear-minded, that disciple. Not bad.”

【Of course! She’s the heroine of this world!】

Shi Hua made no comment.

Heaven did have a knack for picking heroines.

“Does the script mention what beast lies here?”

【Hold on, I’ll check.】

The system scoured the text and fished out a single line.

A South Sea flood-dragon, capable of summoning rain and wielding lightning. In the sea, it was unrivaled.

“A flood-dragon.”

Shi Hua had slain so many she had lost count.

Neither true dragon nor mere beast, flood-dragons devoured living humans to cultivate, their lairs always heaped with bones.

Ones that wielded lightning were rare, however.

【Immortal Lord, this beast is stronger than the heroine. They may not stand a chance.】

Shi Hua’s lips curved slightly. “With me here, one flood-dragon can stir no storm.”

This one had slaughtered countless coastal folk. Its death was deserved.

And its dragon sinew was flexible, perfect for forging artifacts. Qin Xiyan still lacked a weapon suited to her hand—why not refine one from this sinew as a gift? Let the beast’s crime pay its debt.

“Careful!”

The cavern quaked, boulders falling to block the exit.

The array held for now.

Xie Wanmian cut the falling rocks aside, shielding Qin Xiyan.

“This place won’t hold. Go deeper.”

The only path lay through the pitch-dark tunnel ahead.

They rushed inside without hesitation.

Shi Hua descended lightly, frost blooming with each step until the cave turned to ice.

“Clever beast,” she murmured.

It had destroyed its own lair to lure them in.

Unhurried, she followed. “Does the script say why the flood-dragon came to the South Sea?”

【…Found it!】

【Just one line: it was wounded while being pursued by the Palace Master of Bixu Palace. Fleeing, it discovered no other beasts dwelled here and hid to recover.】

That Palace Master had hunted it personally, after it slew her prized disciple.

From faint memories, Shi Hua recalled some things about Bixu Palace.

“All the more reason it should die.”

With each step, lotus-shaped frost blossomed beneath her feet.

Wei Shizhou and the others halted in a wide cavern.

They looked up—and froze.

Heaps upon heaps of bones piled high, dried bl00d trails snaking from them.

They had stumbled right into the beast’s lair.

Weapons drawn, they circled protectively around the girl.

Her terrified gaze fell upon a trinket among the bones—a simple pearl necklace.

“Ah-Qing…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“That’s Ah-Qing’s necklace… She was chosen as a ‘bride’ and thrown down here a month ago…”

She and Ah-Qing had grown up together.

Qin Xiyan spared her a glance. “I’ll retrieve it for you.”

A deafening roar shook the cave, stone raining down.

Xie Wanmian raised a barrier, shielding them as Wei Shizhou and Xie An rushed forward.

From the underground lake, a massive claw crushed a stone pillar.

The flood-dragon emerged.

Xie Wanmian gripped his sword tightly.

Xie An gawked. “…A fl-flood-dragon?”

Such a beast could swallow them whole.

“You vermin dare steal from me?!”

Qin Xiyan stood tall, sword in hand. “Demon beast! You slaughter innocents and dare call yourself ‘I’? Do you fancy yourself a true dragon?”

“Insolence!”

The flood-dragon lashed its tail down.

Qin Xiyan shielded the girl, darted aside, then charged with her sword.

“Monster, prepare to die!”

In the script, Qin Xiyan was upright and just, her sense of morality clear.

That was why Xie Wanmian would fall so deeply for her.

From the shadows, Shi Hua watched as they clashed.

Then she noticed—Wei Shizhou was missing.

A sweep of her gaze found him skulking behind a pillar.

While his peers fought desperately, he hid.

【Immortal Lord, don’t forget the mission!】

Shi Hua hadn’t. She looked back to the battle.

The flood-dragon’s colossal body shook the cavern, stones crashing down.

Then—Wei Shizhou crept around behind it.

Seizing the moment, he stabbed at its rump.

The beast howled like a dog.

Even armored in scales, that spot was vulnerable.

“Vermin!”

Enraged, the dragon swiped at him—but Wei Shizhou slipped away, soaring on his sword.

“First time I’ve seen a beast curse itself! You’re quite self-aware, eh?”

Xie An doubled over laughing.

They had struggled for so long without effect, draining their energy. But Wei Shizhou’s sneak attack had hit home!

“You insects! You drive me to fury!”

The dragon roared, shaking the cavern.

Qin Xiyan and Xie Wanmian seized the chance to trap it within an array.

Realizing it was tricked, the beast smashed against the barrier, cracks spreading fast.

Xie An shouted, “It’s breaking free—run!”

Too late.

The barrier shattered. The shockwave blasted the four back.

The dragon’s tail arced straight for Qin Xiyan.

In that instant, Wei Shizhou felt that all-too-familiar tug at his collar.

Eyes wide, he thought—Not again—just before he was hurled forward.

And took the strike in her place.

“Urgh!”

This time, Wei Shizhou truly thought he’d ascended.

Dizzy and faint, he barely saw Qin Xiyan and the others rushing over. Their voices blurred into silence as darkness closed in.

【Mission accomplished!】

【Immortal Lord, save him now, or he’ll really die!】

The plot had diverged. Though the male and female leads hadn’t bonded here, Shi Hua’s sabotage task was complete. But if she didn’t intervene, the male lead might actually perish.

“I know.”

Shi Hua brushed her sleeves and stepped forward.

A deadly chill swept the cavern, freezing everything.

The half-submerged flood-dragon was trapped in solid ice before it could flee.

“What power is this?!”

Shi Hua cast a glance at the unconscious Wei Shizhou and sent a healing pill into his mouth from afar. Then she turned to the beast, smiling faintly.

“Filthy creature.”

Her red lips parted, steps light as frost.

A crushing cold enveloped the dragon, paralyzing it entirely save for its rolling eyes.

“For preying on innocents—you deserve death.”

Her blade flashed.

Sensing death, the dragon chose to self-detonate, dragging them all to the grave.

But it had underestimated Shi Hua, assuming her power only slightly greater.

“Self-detonate?”

The others blanched.

Shi Hua, however, only smiled coolly, eyes darkening as she clenched the void. An ice sphere formed around the beast, sealing it in an instant.

When the blink of an eye passed, the flood-dragon was frozen through, its life extinguished.

She still needed its sinew—how could she allow it to blow itself up?

A pity she couldn’t dissect it at leisure.

Her gaze cooled again.

Still smiling, she extracted the dragon sinew from the ice sphere.

Bl00d dripped thick and foul, reeking of all the mortals it had devoured.

Shi Hua frowned slightly.

Better wash it clean before forging.

Wei Shizhou stirred, half-conscious. Through blurry eyes, he saw her freeze the dragon to death and draw out its sinew.

He nearly fainted again.

So she really was a wicked woman—he knew her gentle act had been a façade!

Shi Hua turned her gaze on him, voice cold. “Still pretending to sleep?”

Wei Shizhou bolted awake in terror.

Damn! The wicked woman wanted his life again!