However, this didn’t hinder the cultivators’ fanatical pursuit for a heavenly human furnace.
Lin Xuanzhi told himself countless times that Yan Tianhen had killed innocent people and had fallen into the demonic path. It was difficult and hopeless to eradicate his heart demon. However, when he remembered the way Yan Tianhen felt in his arms and when Yan Tianhen secretly tried to kiss the corner of his lips when he thought Lin Xuanzhi was asleep, he still couldn’t help but feel pain in his heart.
Once Lin Xuanzhi walked both the righteous and demonic paths in parallel, he was like a man riding two horses, and it was dangerous to keep going this way. He had to choose a road.
Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t choose Yan Tianhen because there was too much hate and misunderstanding between them. Therefore, as a rising star of the righteous path and a disciple valued most by Sky Peak Sect’s Sect Master, Lin Xuanzhi finally chose to completely break all relations with Yan Tianhen– for his future and for his revenge.
At that time, he thought he would never forgive Yan Tianhen because of what happened with Lin Zhan, with Leng Jixue, and with the innocent people who died under Yan Tianhen’s hands.
Yan Tianhen’s life became even more difficult. Not only was he pursued by the righteous path, but he was also betrayed by many of his own subordinates. Those demonic cultivators were even more concerned about benefits than the righteous cultivators. When they learned that the man they’d been following actually had a furnace constitution, they targeted Yan Tianhen. Everyone, no matter good or evil, wanted to obtain such a rare human furnace.
Lin Xuanzhi didn’t see Yan Tianhen with his own eyes when Yan Tianhen made his escape. However, Lin Xuanzhi had been the one who led the people to “arrest” Yan Tianhen. From his exhausted and miserable state, he could certainly infer how much torture Yan Tianhen had experienced.
Yan Tianhen’s cultivation at that time was already very high, but he was probably too tired and didn’t want to continue escaping, so he was caught easily by Lin Xuanzhi.
When they faced each other, their gaze seemed to hold for tens of thousands of years.
Like how they were staring at each other now.
Lin Xuanzhi’s long hair that usually fell straight down his back had a few strands scattered in front of his face. He pursed his lips and said calmly, “Ah Hen, I can’t explain the past, but if you want a solution, we can do what you want.”
Yan Tianhen smiled lightly. On his face, which was full of cracks, there was some indescribable contempt.
“The body of a human furnace can indeed enhance one’s soul and is also a good tool to improve one’s cultivation.” Yan Tianhen touched his face and said with a strange smile, “It’s really hard on you. You can actually still do it while looking at such a face.”
“Ah Hen…”
“I remember that Dage used to like doing me from behind.” Yan Tianhen’s tone was full of indifference as if he were mentioning other people’s affairs. “Probably because this face of mine would frighten you.”
Lin Xuanzhi was deeply grieved. He would rather be treated with hostility than see Yan Tianhen deny their past by belittling himself — although their history was indeed a miserable thing that couldn’t be mentioned.
With a pale face, Lin Xuanzhi stared into Yan Tianhen’s eyes and asked, “Are you belittling me or yourself by saying such things?”
Lin Xuanzhi sighed. “It was indeed that time. Ah Hen, I really can’t explain the past, but in this life, I’ve always treated you sincerely, I don’t believe you can’t feel it.”
“Back then, you also treated Leng Jixue with the same sincerity.” Yan Tianhen looked at Lin Xuanzhi with a smile. “Now you already know Leng Jixue is Bai Yichen. You might as well continue to renew your relationship with him from the past life. Don’t tell me that you don’t care about him. You used to…”
Once upon a time, they had broken up completely. Wasn’t Leng Jixue’s death precisely the reason that they broke up?
Lin Xuanzhi was dazed. “Now, no matter what I say, you won’t believe it.”
Yan Tianhen nodded. “So, let’s not say anything. Let’s just forget it.”
Lin Xuanzhi clenched his fists and then released it feebly. He lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, “You have just recovered your past life’s memories, so your mood is unstable. Let’s not talk about it until you calm down in the future…”
“I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore.” Yan Tianhen interrupted Lin Xuanzhi’s words, tied his belt, and took off the jade pendant he had worn for many years.
Lin Xuanzhi felt suffocated. This was the jade pendant he’d given him many years ago when Yan Tianhen just came to the Lin family’s house.
The jade used wasn’t the best, but it was the design that was important.
This was the first piece of jade he had carved with his own hands. He shaped it into a rabbit with big ears. The rabbit’s ears, eyes, and small tail were emerald green, while everywhere else was white-jade. It looked very lovely and lifelike.
It stayed on Yan Tianhen’s person for so many years.
“Once, you shattered this jade with your own hands. This time, I will give it back to you.” Yan Tianhen gently laid the jade rabbit on the ground. “You and I have already been intimate with each other, and we can’t be called enemies, so let’s not make this quarrel too ugly. In the future, we’ll go our separate ways. If we meet each other again, we can greet each other and laugh. As for further interactions, let’s not have those anymore.”
Lin Xuanzhi watched his back leaving with pursed lips. But in the end, he didn’t pursue him.
He bent down, picked up the jade rabbit, and held it tightly in his hand.
Yan Tianhen came out of the hidden cave and didn’t know where he should go. He walked in a random direction for a while, before feeling someone following him.
Yan Tianhen stopped and was so full of irritation that he didn’t know how to vent. He suddenly turned around and shouted at Lin Xuanzhi, “Don’t follow me! I don’t want to see you anymore.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s dirty and weary face showed an obvious touch of sorrow, but he said firmly, “There are dangers everywhere in here. Even if you don’t want to see me, you have to wait until after we get out.”
Yan Tianhen’s eyes were a little cold as he stared at Lin Xuanzhi. “Surely you’re no match for me right now. Half of my seal has been broken. My cultivation isn’t what you think it is. When I was at the peak of my cultivation in the previous life, you were no match for me either.”
Lin Xuanzhi snorted and said faintly, “You won’t listen to what I say, so I naturally won’t listen to what you have to say.”
Yan Tianhen’s anger suddenly burst out. He raised his hand and condensed his Yin flame into a sword with a wide blade. The body of it was dark and had a red core that was emitting murderous intent. Yan Tianhen made a swinging motion like he was chopping down with a blade, and a giant crack appeared on the land. It ran towards Lin Xuanzhi’s feet with a crackle.
With the Zhige sword’s scabbard, Lin Xuanzhi drew a line under his feet. The vigorous wind furiously blocked the big crack just three feet away from him. One Yin and one Yang sword technique collided with each other, and the land between the two people turned over.
“Profound Realm?” Yan Tianhen was stunned, then coldly smirked. “Dage, I’ve long thought that your cultivation should not be just at the Primary Realm. Who would have thought that you really reached the Profound Realm.”
Lin Xuanzhi explained, “I broke through to the Profound Realm in the land of lightning strikes.”
Yan Tianhen nodded. “I’m no match for you after all.”
Lin Xuanzhi asked him, “Do you have to compete with me? In any case, I will not cross swords with you.”
“If you didn’t cross swords with me, then how did I die?” Yan Tianhen smiled miserably and tightened his grip. The Yin flame that was scattered by the Zhige sword condensed back into his hand and became a long whip.
Yan Tianhen didn’t want to say much. He directly whipped it towards Lin Xuanzhi. Lin Xuanzhi naturally wouldn’t let him run wild in this place, but he didn’t draw out his sword as he fought with Yan Tianhen.
Yan Tianhen grew more and more enraged the longer they fought. After a while, his eyes turned red and he directly summoned his corpse puppet, Ling Chigu, through the contract. Once the seal suppressing his demonic bloodline broke, Yan Tianhen was full of killing intent.
“What the hell are you doing?” Feng Jingyu’s voice was startling, and he turned into his human form. With a wave of his hand, he forcibly separated Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen, who were fighting so hard that they were inseparable, from each other.
Yan Tianhen, with glowing red eyes, wanted to continue whipping Lin Xuanzhi, but Feng Jingyu used his fast reflexes to grab Yan Tianhen’s shoulder from behind. “Other people are about to track you two to this place, but you guys are actually fighting each other? Are you motherfucking itchy under your skins, ha?”
When Feng Jingyu shouted at them, Yan Tianhen’s hands trembled, and he mercilessly glared at Lin Xuanzhi for a moment. Then he slammed his whip toward the ground, clenched his hands, and the Yin flames dissipated.
But Ling Chigu was still going after Lin Xuanzhi in a lethal manner. Lin Xuanzhi backhanded with his scabbard to dodge one of Ling Chigu’s attacks, then used his spiritual Qi to cut apart the silver spear.
Only then did Feng Jingyu realize that something was extremely wrong. Ling Chigu had no self-awareness. He completely listened to the orders of his master, Yan Tianhen. However, watching Ling Chigu’s behavior, it seemed that Yan Tianhen wanted to kill Lin Xuanzhi very badly!
How can that be possible?
How did things turn out like this while I was away for a day?
“Ah Hen, are you crazy?” Feng Jingyu watched Ling Chigu fight with Lin Xuanzhi unarmed, and his entire person was frightened.
Yan Tianhen took a deep breath and slowly suppressed the strong urge to murder. “Ah Gu, come back.”
Ling Chigu suddenly stopped and quickly returned behind Yan Tianhen.
Dumbfounded, Feng Jingyu glanced between Yan Tianhen and Lin Xuanzhi, who stood in the same place and didn’t come over. He tried to say something when his sharp eyes noticed the red marks on Yan Tianhen’s neck.
Feng Jingyu, “…”
Goddamn beast!
Yan Tianhen glared at Lin Xuanzhi angrily, then turned around and left — Whatever. In any case, he wouldn’t pay attention to Lin Xuanzhi.
Feng Jingyu looked at Lin Xuanzhi for a while, and upon seeing that Ling Chigu had run after Yan Tianhen, he followed as well.
“Henhen, did he force you?”
“No,” Yan Tianhen said impatiently.
Feng Jingyu let out a small “ah” and raised a long and narrow brow above his phoenix eyes. “Is this a disharmony in bed? Ah Hen darling, you must understand your Dage. He has been a little virgin for so many years. It is understandable that the first time was short and caused a little pain. You don’t have to be so angry and ashamed that you want to kill him, right?”
Yan Tianhen snapped, “…You, shut up! You’re not allowed to casually speculate on my Dage’s ability!”
“…Oh.”
Feng Jingyu couldn’t help but think: Although it looked like Yan Tianhen couldn’t wait to skin the other party and pull out his bones, in reality, he was still very defensive of him.
After that, the rims of Yan Tianhen’s eyes suddenly reddened. He knew that Lin Xuanzhi was keeping a certain distance behind him, but he didn’t want to see that person at all right now.
—
Sarah: and there’s the lover’s spat but lmao at FJY trying to guess the reason