The Villain Marked the Protagonist's Fiancée (Through the Book) - Chapter 16

As Fang Zhiluo watched the color drain from Yun Xiao’s face, she realized she didn’t have time to dismantle the array. She rushed forward to support Yun Xiao.

Yun Xiao leaned against Fang Zhiluo’s shoulder, smiling weakly. “I’m fine,” she said. “I just won’t be able to join you at the Sect Grand Tournament.”

After catching her breath, she continued, “I think I need to enter seclusion to heal.”

The spiritual energy was surging chaotically within her body, and she needed to refine it quickly.

Sensing the unstable spiritual energy around Yun Xiao, Fang Zhiluo knew she had to enter seclusion immediately. She tossed ten High-Grade Spirit Stones to the shopkeeper and helped Yun Xiao out of the inn.

Wasting no time, she rented a Cave Abode with abundant spiritual energy for Yun Xiao.

Although the Cave Abode had its own defensive array, Fang Zhiluo activated her only Seventh-Grade Defensive Formation Plate for added protection.

Turning to Yun Xiao, who was already sitting cross-legged in meditation, she said softly, “Focus on healing. This formation can withstand three attacks from a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator.”

Sensing Fang Zhiluo was about to leave, Yun Xiao opened her eyes. “When I emerge from seclusion, I’ll come find you.”

Fang Zhiluo paused, then nodded hesitantly. “Alright.”

Back at the inn, the battle-scarred hall had been restored to its original state. Cultivators who had planned to rest there were chatting casually, as if nothing had happened.

Just as Fang Zhiluo reached the upper floor, Xie Yunfan called out to her from the corridor.

“You’ve been fawning over that female cultivator who has repeatedly humiliated me in public. Do you even remember that I’m your fiancé?” Xie Yunfan demanded sharply.

Fang Zhiluo took two steps back, her expression calm as she replied, “She saved my life.”

Dissatisfied with this answer, Xie Yunfan asked coldly, “Are you suggesting I should treat her as a life-saving benefactor, just like you do?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Fang Zhiluo countered, her tone shifting. “But I can’t stand by and watch her get hurt in front of me.”

In the Ninth-Tier Giant Crocodile’s cave that day, Yun Xiao had risked her life to create an escape opportunity for Fang Zhiluo. Without Yun Xiao’s sacrifice, Fang Zhiluo would have surely perished.

Yun Xiao might not mention it, but Fang Zhiluo could never forget.

She owed Yun Xiao her life.

Xie Yunfan nodded with a cold smile, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You heard her words earlier. We’re destined to clash. When that day comes, whose side will you take?”

Fang Zhiluo frowned, unable to understand why Xie Yunfan viewed Yun Xiao as an enemy.

While Yun Xiao had indeed provoked Xie Yunfan with her words, she had never resorted to sneak attacks. On the contrary, Xie Yunfan had been the one to initiate hostilities during their first encounter. It was only natural for Yun Xiao to harbor resentment.

Refusing to delve deeper into the matter, Fang Zhiluo met Xie Yunfan’s icy gaze with unwavering resolve. “I won’t take either side,” she declared firmly.

To side with Xie Yunfan would be to betray the debt she owed Yun Xiao for saving her life.

If Fang Zhiluo sided with Yun Xiao, she would be criticized. If this caused friction between the two sects, her culpability would be immense.

Feeling betrayed, Xie Yunfan’s anger surged. He gritted his teeth and snarled, “Do you think I can’t live without you?”

Fang Zhiluo shook her head. “Not at all, Martial Uncle Xie has never lacked admirers.”

Xie Yunfan’s anger subsided slightly, a flicker of smugness crossing his eyes. “Good, you understand. But you’re still my only fiancée.”

“A fiancée with a verdant green pasture on her head?” Fang Zhiluo retorted, turning to leave.

She could accept Xie Yunfan’s lack of affection, but she refused to tolerate his disrespect.

He knew Yun Xiao saved my life, yet he still attacked her—that’s disrespect.

Flirting with other female cultivators right in front of me—that’s disrespect.

Questioning me and then threatening me—that’s the ultimate disrespect.

In that case, I have no reason to treat him with courtesy.

Xie Yunfan’s flawed character delayed Fang Zhiluo’s journey. She resumed her travels the day after his departure.

Cultivation knows no time. In the blink of an eye, Yun Xiao had been in seclusion for a year. She had finally refined all the spiritual energy within her body and was ready to break through to the Divine Transformation Stage at any moment.

The reason she hadn’t immediately advanced was because A’Luo had told her that the top two hundred participants in the Sect Grand Tournament could enter the Ancient Secret Realm.

The Ancient Secret Realm had a cultivation restriction, allowing only cultivators below the Divine Transformation Stage to enter.

Rumor had it that the Ancient Secret Realm was fraught with peril, but the rewards were equally substantial. Every cultivator who emerged alive from this realm reaped considerable gains.

Yun Xiao felt her luck was decent enough. Going there might yield some real treasures, and if she could conveniently snatch Xie Yunfan’s opportunities along the way, all the better.

Besides, with A’Luo’s cultivation level, securing a spot within the top two hundred of the Sect Grand Tournament—or even the top ten—would be no problem.

She had promised to find A’Luo after her seclusion, and she couldn’t break her word.

Ignoring the Dragon Egg’s protests, Yun Xiao forcibly stuffed it into her Spirit Beast Pouch.

During her seclusion, she had sensed something amiss with the Dragon Egg. Unsure how to help, she remembered the Treasure Herb Nurturing Spirit Zhi she had originally prepared for it. She retrieved the herb and gave it to the Dragon Egg.

It was a desperate measure, like trying to revive a dead horse, but to her surprise, it worked. The Dragon Egg not only revived but also grew noticeably larger.

After settling the rent for her Cave Abode, Yun Xiao hurried onward without stopping, finally arriving just in time for the opening of the Ancient Secret Realm.

In addition to the elite disciples from various sects, the gathering also included rogue cultivators and representatives from the Demon Realm.

Spotting Fang Zhiluo immediately, Yun Xiao strode toward her, calling out, “A’Luo, I’ve come to find you!”

Fang Zhiluo turned to see Yun Xiao approaching, her face radiant with vitality.

Fang Zhiluo sized Yun Xiao up and down, confirming she was unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward, whispering, “You can’t enter the Ancient Secret Realm without a Token.”

Yun Xiao retrieved her Token from her Storage Pouch and waved it in front of Fang Zhiluo. “This one?”

Fang Zhiluo cautioned, “As long as you’re prepared. The Ancient Secret Realm is full of dangers. Be extremely careful once you’re inside.” With that, she divided half of her Talismans and handed them to Yun Xiao.

Yun Xiao’s eyes curved into a bright smile as she patted her Storage Pouch. “I’m well-prepared. I even brought this,” she said, producing an Immortal-Binding Rope. “With this, we can teleport to the same location.”

Remembering the Sect’s mission, Fang Zhiluo replied truthfully, “Other Sect disciples will be entering as well. I need to keep an eye on them.”

“Perfect! I’ll help you watch over them. It’ll make things easier for you,” Yun Xiao insisted, unwilling to part with A’Luo so soon after reuniting.

Fang Zhiluo was about to respond when a sudden shout erupted nearby.

“It’s opening! The Secret Realm is opening!”

Yun Xiao had never witnessed the opening of a Secret Realm before. Before she could even get a clear look, a vortex sucked her inside.

Realizing what had happened, she immediately called out, “A’Luo, I’ll find you!”

The Ancient Secret Realm opened only once every five hundred years. Fang Zhiluo, barely over a century old, had only heard about it from previous generations and had never heard of the Secret Realm swallowing people whole.

Harboring this doubt, Fang Zhiluo quickly found Daoist Yuhui and hesitantly asked, “Master, do you know what just happened?”

Daoist Yuhui gazed in the direction where the vortex had vanished, his voice indifferent. “This has never occurred before. Enough. Go now, and remember your promise to me.”

“Yes,” Fang Zhiluo replied, turning to address the murmuring disciples. “Azure Cloud Sect disciples, heed my command! Follow me into the Secret Realm.”

Including Fang Zhiluo, twenty-four Azure Cloud Sect disciples had obtained Tokens to enter the Ancient Secret Realm. Among them were six Foundation Establishment disciples, ten Golden Core Stage disciples, and eight Nascent Soul Stage disciples.

These were the sect’s most prodigious talents, nurtured with countless resources. Each loss would be a blow to the sect.

Yet in the Cultivation World, the strong preyed on the weak. Disciples couldn’t remain sheltered within the sect forever; only through facing adversity and danger could they truly grow. All Fang Zhiluo could do was fulfill her duty as the eldest senior sister and protect them to the best of her ability.

Yun Xiao, forcibly sucked into the Secret Realm, landed face-first in the mud. Cursing under her breath, she scrambled to her feet and surveyed her surroundings.

She found herself in a small mountain hollow, its ground carpeted with mid-grade and high-grade spirit herbs. A winding stream flowed three miles away, and an eerie silence hung in the air. Everything felt unsettlingly off.

Sensing no immediate danger, she tossed out the Defensive Formation Plate A’Luo had given her earlier, crouched down, and began digging up spirit herbs with gusto.

After two days of relentless digging, Yun Xiao finally cleared the Spirit Herbs from the mountain hollow.

She cast a Dust Cleansing Spell on herself, plopped down on the ground, and pulled out Spirit Food from her Storage Pouch, devouring it in large mouthfuls.

Suddenly, the pockmarked hollow she had ravaged began to tremble.

Yun Xiao quickly chewed and swallowed the Spirit Food in her mouth, bent down to retrieve her Formation Plate, activated the Light Body Technique, and bolted.

The moment she fled, the hollow erupted as a five-foot-long Ninth-Tier Earth Dragon shook its body and lunged after her.

Glancing back at the relentless Earth Dragon, Yun Xiao’s mind raced like a stampede. “It’s just some Spirit Herbs! Okay, I took all the mature ones, but they were only mid-grade and high-grade!

“Fine, there were a few top-grade spirit herbs mixed in, but this is still an overreaction!”

The Earth Dragon spat a mouthful of mud at Yun Xiao, who dodged it with ease.

“Brother Earthworm,” she taunted, “you need to work on your aim.”

This insult enraged the Earth Dragon. It slammed its tail against the ground, and eight pillars of mud erupted from the earth, hurtling straight toward Yun Xiao.

“Damn it, it’s serious!” Realizing the Earth Dragon wouldn’t let her escape easily, Yun Xiao drew a sword from her Inner Space and swung it at the mud pillars.

Over the past year, besides refining Spiritual Energy, she had also haphazardly developed a rudimentary sword technique.

Though her swordsmanship was still rudimentary, it was a vast improvement over her previous hand-to-hand combat skills.

Daring not to slacken, she channeled Thunder Spiritual Power into her sword and slashed at the Earth Dragon.

Before the Earth Dragon could react, she tossed a High-Grade Spring Return Pill she had refined herself into her mouth, tore off a Sixth-Grade Gale Talisman, and vanished from the area.

She fled two hundred li in a single breath, only collapsing to the ground after confirming the Earth Dragon wasn’t pursuing her. Yun Xiao exhaled deeply, collapsing to the ground.

The gap between the peak Nascent Soul and the Divine Transformation Stage was indeed a chasm. Even using eighty percent of her strength had only wounded the Earth Dragon. It seemed she needed to undergo the Tribulation of Accumulation as soon as she left this place, and perhaps fleece the Heavenly Dao while she was at it.

After resting for a while, Yun Xiao headed east.

Her luck truly was remarkable. Along the way, she harvested dozens of top-grade spirit herbs and Spirit Fruits, though the guardian Demonic Beasts proved troublesome, forcing her to flee repeatedly.

Her self-created swordsmanship also reached a minor breakthrough thanks to these encounters.

One day, Yun Xiao lay on a tree branch, gazing absently at the azure sky.

If only she could use communication talismans within the Secret Realm, she would have found A’Luo by now.

“Senior Brother, hang in there! Once we find Martial Aunt Fang, you’ll be saved!”

Yun Xiao parted the leaves and saw a female cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment struggling to carry a near-lifeless male cultivator on her back. Both wore the disciple robes of the Azure Cloud Sect.