Yino was truly getting a headache from Jinyue.
While she was annoying, if Jinyue hadn’t said anything, Yino wouldn’t have known Ruoning was in danger. But trying to thank her felt wrong since Jinyue always spoke in half-truths, making every conversation with her feel like a mental tornado for Yino.
Deep down, Yino wasn’t actually worried about Ruoning. After all, she was the chosen one of destiny and the precious daughter of the Liu Manor. In the original game, she made it all the way to becoming an official and noble without issue – how could she possibly meet her end in this newbie area of Azure Forest so early in the second volume?
However, since this reincarnation timeline differed from the original game’s plot, it was better to be cautious about such mysterious matters than to ignore them!
In the end, Yino reluctantly believed Jinyue’s words.
They were childhood friends after all. Though Ruoning was stubborn and needed some discipline, she was still the girl who said she’d marry him. If she really did get killed and gave some final dying confession, wouldn’t Yino have to live with that regret for the rest of his life?
“Jinyue, are you really some kind of prophet?”
Above the dense forest of Azure Forest, Yino muttered while flying on his sword, carrying Yunjin and Jinyue behind him.
“I just happened to hear about it…”
Jinyue hugged Yino, puffing up her cheeks with an innocent look.
Yino scoffed, treating such ghost stories as pure nonsense.
In the game, Jinyue called herself the Pleasure Demon, and her closest relationship was naturally with Ruan Liuli, the Full Moon Sect’s Holy Maiden who moonlighted as the Life Demon.
Now that Jinyue was pulling this stunt, Yino naturally made some connections.
“There are signs of battle on the ground, it must be nearby.”
After traveling for a moment, Yino landed and put away his sword.
He cautiously surveyed the surroundings, seeing this clearing was covered in battle scars and bloodstains but no bodies. The ancient trees nearby also bore chilling sword marks.
“These sword marks…”
Yino’s attention was drawn to the sword marks on the trees, as the remaining sword energy was somewhat similar to Ruoning’s from before.
But Yino didn’t act rashly, first reaching back to hold Yunjin’s hand before feeling safe enough to step forward and examine the sword marks on the trees.
Yet in that brief moment of holding hands, Yino suddenly realized his hand had grasped empty air behind him. freeweɓnvel.com
Yino whirled around to look, but the forest clearing behind him was empty.
As the sun gradually set, a cold wind blew past, and a few already decaying carnations drifted down from above.
Instantly, Yino’s lips twitched as he drew in a sharp breath.
“Jinyue, you kissed me a few times just to gain my trust and lure me here, didn’t you…”
He wasn’t a fool.
Though this scene wasn’t in the original game, from Jinyue first leading the conversation, to Yino now being alone and trapped, to the signature carnations floating down from above –
This cliché plot progression was all too familiar to Yino!
Clearly, Jinyue was responsible for leading the way, while these carnations represented the handiwork of the Full Moon Sect’s Holy Maiden Ruan Liuli, so Ruan Liuli must be the mastermind about to make her appearance! Yino wasn’t without caution, but who could have guessed Jinyue’s first kiss would be so worthless?
This was an absolutely unavoidable trap!
She told Yino that Ruoning was in danger, and since Yino was nearby, forget about being filled with righteous indignation to save someone – could Yino really be so cold-hearted as to not even take a look? And once you come to look, curiosity kills the cat – there’s no escape.
“Holy Maiden, hiding isn’t your style.”
Seeing escape as impossible, Yino simply drew out the Frost Chant sword to face destiny head-on.
He stood in the center of the forest clearing, quietly sensing his surroundings while calling out, remaining vigilant for any blood-colored vines that might come shooting out.
However, as his voice faded, those eyes hiding in the darkness still didn’t reveal themselves.
“Holy Maiden, could you be here to avenge Gu Wanglan?”
Yino called out again.
As soon as he spoke, he suddenly sensed killing intent from an oblique angle behind him.
The other party’s cultivation was at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, and they were hiding in the darkness to launch sneak attacks. By the time Yino with his Core Formation cultivation could sense the killing intent, he was basically near death.
However, in this crisis, the [Emergency Evasion] talent of his Innate Sword Dao Holy Physique helped Yino control his body to quickly sidestep by a hair’s breadth.
Naturally, this evasion was also within Yino’s plans.
BOOM!!!
The blood-colored vines missed their target and forcefully stabbed into the ground, instantly creating an explosion of dust where Yino had just been standing.
Yino still didn’t strike, because these blood vines were worthless to the Full Moon Sect’s Holy Maiden – even if he drew his sword to cut them now, they would just regenerate endlessly.
Tap, tap, tap…
As the dust settled, Yino finally heard the light footsteps of the spellcaster.
He waved away the dust and looked intently, gradually meeting eyes with the stunning young woman who walked out from the shadows.
Ruan Liuli’s appearance was no different from the game – white bandages, a blood-red evening gown, grayish-white carnations growing on her clothes, and that always-hooded, slightly sickly yet beautiful face.(Picture in first chapter)
This was the villainess boss who appeared at the end of volume two in the game.
But Yino never expected to have the honor of facing off against Liuli right as he entered Azure Forest.
What the hell was this?
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In the game when fighting this boss, not only did other righteous cultivators provide strong support, even Jinyue helped the protagonist fight the boss!
Now this was great – Jinyue had run off who knows where, directly tricking me here to duel Liuli.
“Your reactions are truly quick, worthy of being Mother Goddess’s favored lucky one.”
Ruan Liuli gradually emerged from the shadows, staring directly into Yino’s eyes.
Her tone held no malice, even making Yino feel some warmth and intimacy, just like that feeling of being doted on by Mother Goddess at the Life Altar before.
This was also normal.
After all, in the Full Moon Sect, the Holy Maiden largely represented Mother Goddess’s will.
“So…?”
As she drew closer, Yino couldn’t help but grow more vigilant, left hand controlling his sword while his right hand had already pulled out an ice-blue jade pendant from his sleeve.
Though Yuyan’s ultimate move couldn’t instantly kill Liuli, letting her experience what the beauty of overwhelming power felt like with Yuyan’s ridiculous stats would definitely be enough.
“So, I’ve come to recruit you.”
Ruan Liuli said lightly, raising her hand to gently pinch a carnation.
“Recruit me?” Yino’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Yes, since you know who I am, and you’re already a believer recognized by Mother Goddess…”
At this point, Ruan Liuli suddenly stopped walking.
In the sunset light, she vaguely noticed the ice-blue jade pendant between the fingers of Yino’s right hand.
But she showed no fear, instead her red lips unexpectedly curved into a smile: “Next, you just need to drink blood to acknowledge kinship and become this Holy Maiden’s blood servant. Then you can officially become a member of the Full Moon Sect!”
“Wait, since when did the Full Moon Sect require drinking blood to acknowledge kinship to join–”
Yino discovered the blind spot.
But before he could finish speaking, Ruan Liuli suddenly raised her hands to dance, the blood vines surrounding her body explosively growing:
“Because, you are Mother Goddess’s most special child!”
“Holy sh–!”
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
In Azure Forest, battle erupted for the second time, the scale no less than when Ruoning was captured earlier.
…
Meanwhile, beyond the aftershocks.
The foxgirl, bound and suspended in mid-air by several blood-colored vines, angrily twisted her body while cursing–
“Damn it, when did Liuli learn such underhanded tricks!”
Contrary to Yino’s suspicions, Jinyue truly hadn’t meant to harm him this time.
She had just heard the sounds of battle and remembered the harsh words Ruan Liuli had left at the Witch Tea Party, so she told Yino that the woman who called herself his fiancée might be in danger.
Everything Jinyue said was true.
She just hadn’t expected that the moment she and Yino landed, both Jinyue and Yunjin would be silently snatched away by vines that shot out from behind them. By the time she regained her senses, Jinyue and Yunjin were already suspended in mid-air.
Jinyue tried to struggle, but her cultivation level was limited, and these vines were specially made by Ruan Liuli. The more Jinyue twisted and struggled, the tighter the vines constricted, continuously draining her life force.
As time passed, Jinyue gradually lost the strength to struggle.
What was even more frustrating was that Ruan Liuli was currently engaged in battle with Yino and wasn’t even here.
Without the spellcaster present, Jinyue had no target for her illusions!