Xiang Wentian was startled to see his daughter rush in, then heard Xiang Yushuang's painful scream. An elder ran over, apologetically saying, "Sect Leader, Yushuang sensed Huo Chongjun was in danger and woke up, using moves that would inflict heavy damage on both herself and the enemy. Seeing her disciples, we didn't dare stop her. I was too late, I..."
Xiang Wentian raised his hand to stop him from continuing, his eyes already filled with tears, "Shuang'er... Shuang'er, why are you doing this to yourself..."
Xiang Yushuang felt as if she were being torn apart within the formation. She reached out to Xiang Wentian, staring intently at him. Xiang Wentian saw her lips moving; she was calling for her father!
Xiang Wentian staggered, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face pale. He was torn between two conflicting emotions. He couldn't let Huo Chongjun, that demonic cultivator, go. If Huo Chongjun's cultivation level rose further, it would likely require countless resources to hunt him down, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people. But he only had one daughter, and at the Nascent Soul stage, he could no longer have children. This was his only daughter; how could he let her bear the burden of the enemies he had incurred? Shuang'er was implicated because of him!
Xiang Wentian's spiritual power surged violently, and the elders rushed to help him. Xiang Wentian spat out another mouthful of blood. Seeing that his daughter was on the verge of death, he was heartbroken and, unable to bear it any longer, waved his hand and dispelled the formation. Huo Chongjun instantly swept towards Yu Shuang and disappeared without a trace.
Xiang Wentian grabbed the elder's hand tightly, "Chase! Chase them quickly!" He then sat down on the ground and immediately began to regulate his breathing. He had almost suffered a qi deviation!
The elder knew he had made a wrong decision, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He could only order someone to protect Xiang Wentian and personally lead a group to pursue them. However, Xiang Wentian only intended to deal with Huo Chongjun in the secluded back mountain, and there was no one guarding the area. By now, they had already lost track of the two. Moreover, only the sect leader and elders knew about Huo Chongjun and Xiang Yushuang's affair, and it couldn't be spread. Finding them would require finding an excuse, making the pursuit even more difficult.
An hour later, Xiang Wentian suppressed the raging spiritual power and, after careful consideration, gave the order: Huo Chongjun has been possessed by a demonic cultivator and has abducted Xiang Yushuang.
Although this would still have an impact on the Xuantian Sect, it was at least better than having a demonic cultivator as the successor to the sect leader. The Xuantian Sect immediately launched a large-scale tracking and manhunt, and sent messages to other sects, asking them to join in the capture.
Xu Zifan had just returned to the Hehuan Sect when he received the news. Sect Leader Shi said disdainfully, "Even someone who was injured can escape from the Xuantian Sect. Xiang Wentian is becoming more and more confused."
She didn't say Xiang Wentian was weak, because with such a large difference in strength, it should have been a simple matter for Xiang Wentian to deal with Huo Chongjun. She didn't need to know the details to guess that Xiang Wentian acted on emotion and made a mistake.
Xu Zifan sighed, "Sect Leader Xiang values the reputation of the Xuantian Sect and Xiang Yushuang too much; he's not decisive enough. Now that Huo Chongjun has escaped, we've gained another enemy. Sect Leader Shi, Huo Chongjun is currently injured. Why don't I go out and find him, and eliminate him before he recovers?"
Shi Yunxuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'm going too, Mother. Please give us more good stuff, and we can smash him to death with magic weapons."
Sect Leader Shi was amused by her. "What do you mean, 'kill him'? Do you think our enemy is a joke? Huo Chongjun's cultivation method is extremely evil. His father was only eliminated by Xiang Wentian and that old guy from the Thousand Swords Sect working together. If you two go there, aren't you just throwing yourselves into the lion's den? Especially you, Yunxuan, you never listen when I tell you to cultivate diligently. Now look what's happened. You're only at the Golden Core stage. How can you fight Huo Chongjun? Zhengyang, even if you defeat Huo Chongjun today, you can't be careless. He didn't use any demonic techniques today and hasn't revealed his true strength yet."
Shi Yunxuan glanced at Xu Zifan, sensing his strong desire to go, and stepped forward to tug at Sect Leader Shi's sleeve, shaking it gently. "Mother, please let us go. If we're so afraid to even leave the house, how will we ever be able to stand on our own? Crisis and opportunity coexist. There's never a safe place in the cultivation world, and our identities dictate that we can't live a life of ease forever. Let us go out and gain experience. If you're worried, Mother, please give us some good things for self-defense, okay?"
"You silly girl, you even act so coquettishly in front of Zheng Yang, aren't you afraid he'll laugh at you?"
"Brother Xu wouldn't laugh at me, would he?" Shi Yunxuan leaned on Sect Leader Shi's shoulder and asked Xu Zifan with a smile.
Xu Zifan smiled slightly, "Very cute."
Shi Yunxuan, who had been shamelessly asking for things, suddenly felt a little embarrassed under his gaze. She quickly turned around and shook the headmaster's arm, "Mother, please agree. We'll be fine. The flowers in the greenhouse can't withstand the wind and rain. Let us go."
Sect Leader Shi wavered and looked at Xu Zifan, asking, "Zhengyang, what do you say?"
Xu Zifan bowed and said with a smile, "Sect Leader Shi, I am always cautious and will not do anything I am not sure of. Just like my duel with Huo Chongjun, I would never have made a move if I did not have absolute confidence in winning. This time, in addition to eliminating Huo Chongjun, I also want to go to some faraway places, some places I have heard of but never seen. If Sect Leader Shi allows Yunxuan to go with me, I will definitely protect her with my life and stand with her through life and death."
Shi Yunxuan curled her lips into a smile, and when she saw Sect Leader Shi looking over, she returned her gaze with a smug look. Her mother always said that there is no such thing as unchanging love in this world; even if one becomes a Daoist couple, their feelings will fade over time. No one is indispensable to anyone else; time can smooth over everything. She believed this, so what she pursued was not a love that would last until the seas dried up and the rocks crumbled, but rather the bond of protecting each other with one's life and sharing life and death.
Her pursuit once seemed like a joke to her; it seemed pretentious for the young master of the Joyful Union Sect not to engage in dual cultivation. Even she herself hadn't held out much hope, preparing to choose someone for dual cultivation when she took over as sect leader. But now she had waited! And not long at all; in the prime of her life, she received Xu Zifan's promise. She believed in Xu Zifan, whether from her observations or her intuition; she truly trusted him.
Sect Leader Shi's gaze softened, and he stroked Shi Yunxuan's hair. "Girls really are hard to keep at home once they grow up. Not only do they want to travel, but they also want to empty my treasures. Alright, take Zhengyang to choose. Bring whatever is useful."
Shi Yunxuan hugged her happily, "Thank you, Mother!"
Sect Leader Shi led Shi Yunxuan by the hand to Xu Zifan, placing their hands together. "Zhengyang, I'm entrusting my most precious daughter to you. You must protect her and bring her back to me safe and sound."
Xu Zifan solemnly promised, "Rest assured, I will definitely keep my word."
With Sect Leader Shi's permission granted, Xu Zifan and Shi Yunxuan packed their things and left the sect. Of course, before leaving, Shi Yunxuan took more than ten magical treasures from Sect Leader Shi.
Once the two left the city, Shi Yunxuan, brimming with fighting spirit, asked Xu Zifan, "Brother Xu, where are we going to look for someone?"
Xu Zifan smiled and fiddled with the black iron fan, saying nonchalantly, "I've been looking everywhere, but I don't know where he's gone."
Shi Yunxuan glanced at him, pursed her lips and smiled, "I don't believe it. You couldn't possibly not have a backup plan. You must have already guessed that Sect Leader Xiang wouldn't be able to destroy him, right?"
Xu Zifan sighed with regret, "I did think that way, but I still hoped he would make a move, after all, he is the leader of the Xuantian Sect, different from us. But it seems that he is no different from us, both of us are too selfish."
"So what backup plan did you have?"
"I mixed Soul-Chasing Incense into the pills I gave Huo Chongjun. Although I don't know where he will go, he will leave traces of Soul-Chasing Incense wherever he goes. We should be able to find clues if we go to the vicinity of the Xuantian Sect."
Shi Yunxuan looked at him in surprise, "You've already mastered infusing the Soul-Chasing Incense? And he hasn't even noticed? But your alchemy skills haven't improved much yet, have they?"
Xu Zifan smiled and took her hand, leading her forward. "I haven't improved much, but I found a few things I urgently needed to learn first, and it seems I'm doing quite well."
"The things you learn first are definitely the scams and those that instantly boost your strength."
"You guessed right, but there's no reward. Let's go." Xu Zifan playfully flicked her nose, summoned his flying sword, and they headed hand in hand towards the Xuan Tian Sect. He liked the feeling of not needing to waste words when talking to her; only a girl like her could fight alongside him and travel the cultivation continent.
Having escaped the formation, Huo Chongjun was evading capture by various sects. He found a cave behind a waterfall in the middle of a mountain stream, where he and Xiang Yushuang cultivated together day and night, consuming a large number of elixirs. Unfortunately, Xiang Yushuang was severely injured and on the verge of death. If he were to use yin-yang cultivation to replenish his yang energy, he would surely kill Xiang Yushuang. He had no choice but to cultivate yin and yang together to heal their injuries, and then use Xiang Yushuang to improve his cultivation once he was fully recovered.
Xiang Yushuang cried as she questioned him, "Are you really the son of that devil Huo Yan? Are you really here to seek revenge on my father? And what about me? Do you have any sincerity towards me at all?"
Impatience flashed in Huo Chongjun's eyes. He continued his actions but said, "Of course I'm sincere towards you. Otherwise, I would see your father every day and have so many opportunities. Why didn't I take action? It's because I fell in love with you that I missed my chance."
"I don't believe you! You're lying to me again..." Xiang Yushuang's tears flowed uncontrollably as she desperately pounded on him with her hands. "Don't touch me! Don't even think about using my physique to cultivate anymore!"
"Shuang'er, cooperate with me. You are seriously injured, even more so than me. I'm trying to save you. I can't bear to see you suffer. You are my Daoist partner, aren't you? If you hate me, you can kill me, but let me heal you first." Huo Chongjun understood Xiang Yushuang. This kind of personality was the one he despised the most, but it was also the easiest to manipulate. He knew how to speak to soften Xiang Yushuang's heart.
As expected, Xiang Yushuang stopped struggling. Although she was still crying sadly, she turned her head away, closed her eyes, and refused to look at him, showing an uncooperative attitude. But this was a sign of compromise, and it was easy to appease her.
The gloom in Huo Chongjun's heart continued to grow. Once he recovered from his injuries, he would definitely find an opportunity to get rid of that old bastard Xiang Wentian! And Xu Zifan, that foolish senior brother he hadn't taken seriously back then, actually ruined his plans. He should have killed him back then! But it didn't matter, whether they died sooner or later, they were going to die anyway, and he would definitely be the ultimate winner!
Huo Chongjun and Xiang Yushuang's injuries were healing rapidly, and Xiang Yushuang's attitude towards him was gradually improving. She even advised him not to seek revenge, saying she would plead with Xiang Wentian on his behalf. Huo Chongjun agreed verbally, but the hatred in his heart grew stronger. They had forced him to hide in a cave, endlessly engaging in dual cultivation, and fawning over a woman he didn't like, showering her with sweet words—this was an utter disgrace. In the future, after he eliminated Xiang Wentian and Xu Zifan, Xiang Yushuang, that fool, would be nothing more than a tool for cultivation. At that time, he would make Xiang Yushuang pay for all the humiliation he had suffered today.