The Villain Marked the Protagonist's Fiancée (Through the Book) - Chapter 12

A’Luo’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her full name was Fang Zhiluo, the foremost disciple of Daoist Yuhui of the Azure Cloud Sect and the most outstanding among her generation.

The Azure Cloud Sect and the Heavenly Evolution Sect, mentioned by Zhong Qiu, were both among the four great sects of the Heavenly Origin Realm. The two sects had long maintained close ties, having forged several marriage alliances over the past five centuries.

Both she and Xie Yunfan, the prodigy under the Sword Peak Lord of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, were considered peerless talents. Thirty years ago, their sects arranged their engagement to strengthen the bond between them.

Since their engagement, A’Luo and Xie Yunfan had only met privately twice. On other occasions, they merely exchanged polite greetings.

As betrothed couples, Zhong Qiu’s mention of Xie Yunfan couldn’t be ignored. A’Luo stepped out of the defensive formation and asked, “Has something happened?”

Xie Yunfan’s cultivation far surpassed hers, and the Illusionary Mist Forest offered him little in terms of training. Why else would he travel such a great distance to this place?

Zhong Qiu gripped her natal sword tightly, her voice seething with anger. “Martial Uncle Xie was critically injured by two Jade Flood Dragons. The Peak Lord had to implore an Elder from the Medicine Sect to intervene, saving him from certain death. How can we possibly let such a deep-seated grudge go unavenged?”

“Sect disciples have been searching for the escaped Jade Flood Dragon for over three months, but haven’t found a trace of it. Recently, we heard that a Demon Cultivator used Thunder Technique to kill the City Lord of Heavenly Wave City. Martial Uncle Xie suspects this Demon Cultivator is the Jade Flood Dragon and sent us to track them down.”

Fang Zhiluo lowered her gaze, lost in thought. The City Lord of Heavenly Wave City had died at Yun Xiao’s hand. Could Yun Xiao truly be the Jade Flood Dragon?

When they first met, Yun Xiao’s cultivation was on par with hers. Xie Yunfan, however, was invincible among his peers. Yun Xiao couldn’t possibly have harmed him.

Xie Yunfan must be mistaken.

Knowing Xie Yunfan’s arrogance, he likely wouldn’t believe her word alone. The only option was to warn Yun Xiao to be extra cautious.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Fang Zhiluo tossed a bottle of High-Grade Spring Return Pills to Zhongqiu. “Do as you please,” she said coldly.

With that, she turned and returned to the formation, teleporting back to the Cold Pool.

After careful consideration, she retrieved a Communication Talisman and relayed Zhongqiu’s information to Yun Xiao.

Unable to see Fang Zhiluo’s figure, one of the disciples couldn’t resist muttering, “Even if you don’t respect the monk, you should respect the Buddha. Martial Aunt Fang is showing far too little regard for Junior Martial Ancestor Xie.”

Zhongqiu snapped, “Silence! Martial Aunt Fang is simply reserved. Besides, didn’t she give us High-Grade Spring Return Pills to heal our injuries?”

“Our injuries were all caused by her Defensive Formation!”

Zhong Qiu flew into a rage, unleashing his oppressive aura on the disciple who spoke. “We should be grateful it was Martial Aunt Fang’s Defensive Formation we trespassed upon. If it had been anyone else’s, you’d be dead by now.”

The disciple, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, gasped for breath under Zhong Qiu’s oppressive aura, begging for mercy. “Martial Uncle Zhong, please calm down! I was wrong! I’ll never dare to speak like that again!”

Zhong Qiu withdrew his aura, opened the High-Grade Spring Return Pills Fang Zhiluo had given them, and distributed one to each of the other two disciples. He swallowed one himself, stowing away the remaining pills.

As for the disciple whose injuries had worsened? The tactless fool deserved to die.

Two hundred miles away, Yun Xiao had not only effortlessly slain the Heaven-Devouring Giant Wolf but had also discovered its Cave Abode, seizing all the Storage Pouches within.

Just as she was about to leave, she sensed a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Energy.

She focused her senses, tracing the energy to a source seeping from the stone wall directly behind her.

Determined to investigate, Yun Xiao manifested Flood Dragon claws and slammed them against the wall with all her might.

The wall didn’t even crack.

She had tested her strength earlier, and even hundreds of kilograms of stone couldn’t withstand a single strike from her claw. Yet this stone wall remained completely intact.

Perhaps there’s something valuable behind this wall.

After more than a dozen strikes, a crack finally appeared in the stone.

A dense wave of Spiritual Energy rushed forth. Not wanting to let anyone else benefit, she cast a spell to create a small barrier, preventing the energy from leaking out.

Naturally, she wanted to share any treasures with A’Luo. Yun Xiao retrieved a Communication Talisman bearing A’Luo’s spiritual signature from her Storage Pouch and noticed a message from A’Luo.

She immediately activated it, and A’Luo’s voice echoed from within:

“Xie Yunfan of the Heavenly Evolution Sect believes you are the Jade Flood Dragon who severely injured him. He will arrive at the Illusionary Mist Forest in three days. He is invincible among his peers; you are no match for him.”

The joy of discovering the secret vanished instantly, replaced by panic.

Has A’Luo discovered my deception?

The thought arose, but she quickly dismissed it. If A’Luo had truly uncovered her lie, she wouldn’t have sent this message.

Regaining her composure, Yun Xiao began analyzing why the Male Lead, Xie Yunfan, had targeted her.

After careful consideration, only one possibility remained: her use of Thunder to annihilate the City Lord of Heavenly Wave City had aroused Xie Yunfan’s suspicions.

Should I fight Xie Yunfan?

No, Xie Yunfan was invincible among his peers. Her cultivation had yet to reach the Soul Condensation Stage, remaining at the Divine Transformation realm. Even if she faced him, victory was out of the question, and her true identity would likely be exposed, drawing the wrath of the Heavenly Evolution Sect.

Remembering something, she retrieved a Transformation Artifact from her Inner Space, a treasure she had plundered from the Heavenly Wave City Lord’s treasury. This supreme-grade artifact could not only alter her appearance at will but also conceal her aura, making it an ideal tool for clandestine operations.

Crucially, cultivators below the Void Refinement Stage couldn’t see through its disguise. With this artifact, Xie Yunfan would never recognize her.

Having made up her mind, Yun Xiao sent a Communication Talisman to A’Luo, summoning her to help decipher the artifact’s secrets.

Fang Zhiluo arrived swiftly. Upon seeing the completely unfamiliar face before her, she instinctively formed a hand seal.

“A’Luo, it’s me!” Yun Xiao quickly interjected. “You said Xie Yunfan was watching me, so I thought I’d change my face.”

She spun around, asking, “What do you think? If I didn’t tell you, would you recognize me?”

“I can’t sense your aura,” Fang Zhiluo observed, her tone certain. “You know Xie Yunfan.”

Yun Xiao’s face twisted in distaste. “I crossed paths with him once. He’s arrogant, surrounded by women—a real piece of work.”

It wasn’t her fault for warning A’Luo about Xie Yunfan. In the novels, nearly all the talented female cultivators willingly entered Xie Yunfan’s “fishpond,” and she didn’t want A’Luo to be deceived by that hypocritical gentleman.

With this thought, her alarm bells rang loudly. She pressed, “Are you close to Xie Yunfan?”

“Just nodding acquaintances,” Fang Zhiluo replied, stepping forward and bending to pass through the small opening Yun Xiao had blasted.

Yun Xiao sighed in relief and followed closely behind Fang Zhiluo into the cave.

The cave was bottomless, its depths shrouded in darkness, yet the spiritual energy within was incredibly dense.

Caves with such concentrated spiritual energy often harbored Heavenly Treasures. Fang Zhiluo retreated briefly to cast a Sixth-Grade Defensive Formation and a Fifth-Grade Isolation Formation.

Remembering the three Formation Plates stored in her Inner Space, Yun Xiao’s eyes lit up with a sudden realization. “A’Luo, are you a Formation Master? You have so many Formation Plates!”

Fang Zhiluo reentered the cave. “I study formations as a secondary discipline. Fang Zhiluo—that’s my full name.”

As she spoke, she moved toward the area with the densest spiritual energy.

She felt no guilt about withholding her full name from Yun Xiao; it was merely a detail she hadn’t shared.

“What a beautiful name,” Yun Xiao praised, her lips curving into an unconscious smile. A’Luo had told her her full name—did this mean their relationship had deepened?

But why did the name sound so familiar?

Pushing aside her lingering doubts, Yun Xiao quickened her pace to follow.

The deeper they ventured, the denser the Spiritual Energy became, so thick that Yun Xiao found herself considering settling down here permanently.

Fang Zhiluo suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed warily ahead.

Yun Xiao slowed her steps to halt beside Fang Zhiluo, sensing a powerful presence lurking in the shadows.

After waiting for the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, and seeing no sign of attack from the hidden entity, she exchanged a glance with Fang Zhiluo and cautiously took another step.

Safe.

Even so, neither dared to lower their guard.

Fifteen minutes later, a pool of water came into view.

Several green lotus flowers bloomed in the pool. Judging by their fragrance and vibrant color, these were Supreme-Grade Jade Lotus, a rare Spirit Herb.

Legend held that Supreme-Grade Jade Lotus could be refined into Eighth-Grade Restoration Pills, capable of restoring a cultivator’s physical body.

In other words, as long as one’s Nascent Soul remained intact, consuming an Eighth-Grade Restoration Pill would allow them to regain their physical form without needing to cultivate to the Body Integration stage.

Who wouldn’t want an extra life? If word of this Supreme-Grade Jade Lotus spread, even Void Refinement cultivators would be drawn here.

Forcing down her excitement, Yun Xiao heightened her defenses to their maximum.

Heavenly Treasures were typically guarded by Demonic Beasts, and the Jade Lotus’s guardian was a Ninth-Tier Giant Crocodile.

A Ninth-Tier Demonic Beast was equivalent to a human cultivator in the Divine Transformation Stage.

The powerful presence Yun Xiao and A’Luo had sensed earlier was likely that very Giant Crocodile.

Although Yun Xiao had faced Divine Transformation Cultivators several times, one had been a Clone, and the other a Demonic Cultivator whose techniques were inherently vulnerable to her Thunder. She had never fought a Divine Transformation Stage Demonic Beast before.

Should she retreat?

No. Supreme-Grade Jade Lotus was even rarer than Nine Revolutions Golden Lotus. Neither she nor A’Luo was willing to give up so easily.

Since neither wanted to retreat, they would fight.

Yun Xiao sent a telepathic message to Fang Zhiluo: “I’ll distract the Giant Crocodile. You focus on harvesting the lotus.”

Fang Zhiluo nodded, her voice tight with concern. “Be careful.”

Yun Xiao soared above the pool, but before her hand could touch the Jade Lotus, the Giant Crocodile lunged from the darkness.

After twenty rounds, Yun Xiao was already bloodied. Realizing she was no match for the beast, she switched to a stalling strategy, hurling mid-to-high-grade Magic Artifacts pilfered from the Heavenly Wave City Lord’s treasury at the crocodile one after another.

Fang Zhiluo wasted no time. She rushed to the pool’s edge and, while the crocodile was entangled with Yun Xiao, swiftly plucked the five Jade Lotus blossoms from the water. The remaining immature bud was left untouched in the pool.

The loss of the lotus enraged the Giant Crocodile. Even with all her skills, Yun Xiao struggled to hold her ground.

She spat out a mouthful of stagnant bl00d, tossed a High-Grade Spirit Herb into her mouth, and charged forward again, rescuing the already wounded Fang Zhiluo from the crocodile’s grasp. “Go!” she commanded, brooking no argument.