Heart Protection

HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 96

 Although Yan Hui and Tian Yao had confessed to each other, they weren't in a rush to further their relationship because of the tense situation between the xian cultivators and the demon clans. Their interactions didn't change from before. Yan Hui cultivated even harder after hearing Tian Yao burned Liu Mu Sheng. She knew Su Ying was going to harbor a grudge over that and sooner or later would seek out Tian Yao for revenge. 

But Yan Hui didn't understand: "Why would she trick out and say I was already dead?"

Tian Yao replied: "Probably to make me give up on looking for you. She likely didn't think that Ling Xiao would let you go and let you return to Qing Qiu."

As for why Ling Xiao wanted Yan Hui to stay way from the xian-demon dispute and why Su Ying didn't want Tian Yao to look for Yan Hui, the two of them didn't go into detail.

Tian Yao didn't elaborate his neidan matter with Yan Hui, and she didn't ask him any probing questions. They had their own tacit understanding. No words needed to be spoken in their trust.

Compared to the silent, intense battle preparations by the demon clans, the other side of San Chong Mountain was a mess.

After Su Ying charged into Qing Qiu by herself, the word in the jianghu was Liu Mu Sheng's indescribably tragic death and Zhenren Su Ying's madness. She didn't send out people to seek revenge nor prepare for battle. She just isolated herself in Guang Han Sect and didn't come out of seclusion.

The other leader of the xian cultivators, Zhenren Ling Xiao, was even harder to track down. No one knew where he went. Not a single person in Chen Xing Mountain could find a trace of him.

Of the three leading xian sects, Zhenren Qi Yun and Zhenren Ling Xiao were gone without a trace and Zhenren Su Ying wasn't coming out of seclusion. Thus for now the sects were without a leader. When the demon sects started to attack San Chong Mountain, the sects were practically faced with defeat after defeat. At this time, news came from Central Plains that demons had launched a sneak attack on Chen Xing Mountain.

There were 28 peaks; two of them had been flattened in the battle. None of Chen Xing Mountain's disciples knew which demon did it.

The cultivators in Central Plains were alarmed. After all, Chen Xing Mountain was located in the interior of Central Plains. If the demons could sneak attack Chen Xing Mountain, then what place in Central Plains was safe.......

The demons who received the news were also stumped.

Qing Qiu's king wasn't personally making the decisions for the battlefield. Usually, the country's heir headed the discussion with several princes and then implemented the plan. After the sneak attack on Chen Xing Mountain, the heir asked around who ordered the attack. None of the princes answered. The heir even especially sent people to ask Tian Yao, but naturally the reply was negative.

The news was strange, but in the end, it was something that happened in Central Plains. After a few days, no one cared about it. The demons hoped Central Plain's affair would become messier and messier.

But after those two days, there was more news from Central Plains that the demons couldn't ignore-------

Zhenren Qing Guang had come out of seclusion. 

When that intel came out, the disordered xian army immediately calmed down. All of the demons were stunned.

Yan Hui heard the news from Zhu Li. She was stunned and sat there with no reply for a long time.

Zhenren Qing Guang came out of seclusion? How was that possible.........

If it was according to her previous thoughts with Ling Xiao and Su Ying always leading the xian forces against the demons in battle, then Zhenren Qing Guang would always stay in seclusion. It was possible that Ling Xiao and Su Ying kept him imprisoned. But now, Zhenren Qing Guang actually came out.......

Could it be because of Su Ying's negligence in her grief over Lu Mu Sheng's death, or was it something to do with Ling Xiao?

Yan Hui didn't understand it. She originally thought after Zhenren Qing Guang came out, he would pick up the peace of 50 years and quash the xian-demon dispute. After all, this was a difficult to obtain peace that happened after his battle with Qing Qiu's king 50 years ago.

But what happened was different from what Yan Hui thought.

After he left seclusion, Zhenren Qing Guang immediately invited the head of every sect to Chen Xing Mountain. Even Su Ying, who wouldn't come out of seclusion for the past few days, was ordered over by his people.

Immediately following that, Central Plain's xian sect started to organize and plan again. Every sect had been given a mission. It was like they finally found their backbone. They started to lay out defenses around San Chong Mountain and targeted attacks at specific areas. 

The situation in the front line became increasingly worrisome.

Instantly, everyone in Qing Qiu was even busier than before. Even Zhu Li from time to time would disappear. Tian Yao also started to receive various arrangements. Sometimes it was to break a difficult to break formation. Sometimes it was to deal with several difficult sect leaders.

Tian Yao would bring Yan Hui along every time. For him, dealing with spell formations and xian cultivators were easy, but Yan Hui lacked experience using demon magic in battle against people. Bringing her to the frontlines was a good chance to practice. 

This time, an enormous spell formation suddenly appeared in a small village. The village was behind San Chong Mountain near Central Plains. Qing Qiu's princes were involved in battles in their own respective areas, so they couldn't personally address the issue. Thus, the mission fell onto Tian Yao.

When Tian Yao heard where the formation was, he hesitated on bringing Yan Hui. However at this time Yan Hui reached the fifth level in "Demon Bestowal". She couldn't break through and lacked the practice to fully comprehend it. Yan Hui thought Tian Yao's hesitation was strange: "Is there something different about the place this time?"

Tian Yao was silent for a moment: "It's your hometown."

Yan Hui was stunned: "Oh." She said, "Is there something about why I can't go?"

"I'm afraid on the battlefield you'll be lost in the past."

That indeed was the place where she grew up and the place where she met Ling Xiao. It was that place where she once pledged to the white-clothed xian cultivator that she wanted to learn xian cultivation. From then on, she would fight the demons and rid the world of evil. She would uphold righteousness and protect the common folk.

Tian Yao didn't voice his thoughts, but Yan Hui knew what was on his mind. She just laughed and said: "Then this time I'll leave my past behind me." Her smiles disappeared, and she solemnly asked: "When are we going?" 

"This afternoon."

"I'm going to adjust myself. Get me when the time comes."

"Okay."

Yan Hui turned and left. When she got back to her room, she sat down cross-legged and planned to adjust her mood to her best state. Just then, Huan Xiao Yan bounced in from the window. She yelled out: "Master, Master! Someone from outside sent a piece of paper! Do you want to see it?"

Qing Qiu had a clear-cut rewards and punishment system. After accompanying Tian Yao to the battlefield several times, she would occasionally receive rewards and official title documents from Qing Qiu's upper rulers. Yan Hui naturally paid these no mind. She lazily replied with closed eyes: "Leave it. I'm going out today. I'll look at it tomorrow."

Huan Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. For now, she completely forgot about that whatever paper stuff. She immediately bounded to Yan Hui: "You're going to go fight again? Take me too! I also want to gain experience! Recently there's been too many demons that can't sleep. They're all worried about the war. In their dreams, I'll cast an illusion where they have a victorious battle. They're definitely happy about that, so I can stuff myself. Look, these few days I grew even taller and bigger!" Huan Xiao Yan praised herself, "I have also changed with the times!"

"Yes." Yan Hui praised her a little. "Remember to watch over the house." Then she paid her no more attention.

Huan Xiao Yan knew that was all the attention she was going to get. She bit her lip, not fully accepting it. She looked around and then sneaked off to the side.

In the afternoon, Tian Yao turned into a dragon, and Yan Hui sat on his back. They headed to the enormous spell formation. 

This time Tian Yao frowned when they reached the village's surroundings. He circled around in the air, not landing.

Yan Hui asked: "What is it?"

Tian Yao examined the formation for a long time: "The formation is strange."

Yan Hui was stunned. For Tian Yao to say a formation was strange, then it must really be strange: "Then what......."

She hadn't finished when she felt a strong force from the still far away formation. It was pulling her down. Yan Hui planned to hold onto Tian Yao, but when she reached out to him, she discovered he was gone. She didn't know when he had disappeared. Yan Hui suddenly started to fall. 

She immediately steadied herself in midair so that she could stably land. Just when she was about to stand upright, Yan Hui heard Tian Yao's voice by her side: "Yan Hui."

 Yan Hui raised her head. It looked like Tian Yao had also just landed. He looked around: "We've been pulled into the formation. For now, let's look for its center." Done speaking, he started to walk. When Tian Yao saw Yan Hui wasn't following, he stopped and looked back: "What is it?"

He looked at Yan Hui for a long time. Then he held out a hand: "You're not coming?"

Yan Hui hesitated and didn't reach for his hand. Suddenly from behind came a murderous aura. Yan Hui didn't have time to dodge. Tian Yao wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to the side, dodging a sharp wood branch piercing up from the ground. He waved his hand and set the branch aflame until it turned to ash.

Yan Hui slightly relaxed after feeling Tian Yao's warmth and seeing his magic. Tian Yao looked down at her: "What happened to you back there?"

Yan Hui shook her head: "Nothing, just felt something off."

Yan Hui followed after Tian Yao. When they reached a fork in the road, there was an enormous dead tree there. That was the tree that had sealed Tian Yao's soul. It was there that Yan Hui met Ling Xiao and also unexpectedly released Tian Yao's soul.

From a certain point of view, she met two people that day 10 years ago. One that could be seen, and one that couldn't be seen.

Fate really was strange.

Tian Yao's footsteps suddenly stopped. He looked back at Yan Hui: "Are you thinking about the past?"

Yan Hui shook her head: "Just thinking that fate is strange. How it just so happened your heart protection scale entered my heart."

Tian Yao was silent for a moment and then straightened his expression: "Yan Hui." He continued, "Acutally, I never told you. What is actually in your heart that lets you live isn't the power of my heart protection scale. It's just a heart protection scale. It can fill in the hole in your heart so you won't die. But it definitely won't let you 'live'. What enables you to live is my neidan."

"I guessed that already." Yan Hui fell silent for a moment. "Tian Yao......."

She just started to talk when the ground by her foot suddenly started to tremor. Once again, a sharp branch pierced through. Yan Hui quickly flew up to dodge the branch, but suddenly an enormous force from above pressed her down onto the ground.

Tian Yao again brandished his hand to completely burn the sharp branch. However from behind him came densely back branches that shot towards him like an arrow. Tian Yao burned them again and again. He started to frown soon afterwards. Then from all around immediately appeared the branches. They pierced towards Tian Yao at the same time. Tian Yao's flames shaped themselves into a circle to burn the surrounding branches. However, a few branches still pierced his body.

For a moment, Tian Yao's face contorted in extreme pain.

Yan Hui panicked, and she immediately went to support Tian Yao: "You........" She said only that one word when she saw the branches piercing Tian Yao's body start to grow, following his bone structure. They swelled inside him and broke through his skin. Thorns appeared in his palm.

Yan Hui felt herself go numb at the sight.

She heard Tian Yao speak through clenched teeth: "Without my neidan, I can't burn the branches inside my body."

Yan Hui stared blankly. Tian Yao suddenly turned his head and looked at her: "Yan Hui.......if I asked you if you were willing to return my neidan to me, how would you respond?"

Yan Hui looked at him for a moment and then immediately responded: "I'll return it to you."

"Alright," said Tian Yao. "Then return it to me."

The branch in Tian Yao's branch suddenly grew and rushed at Yan Hui's heart. At the same time, Yan Hui heard a "pop" in her ear. Immediately her face hurt. "Master, wake up! Don't just randomly promise things to people in dreams!"

Yan Hui's eyes suddenly snapped open. Huan Xiao Yan was sitting by her side. Yan Hui was laying down on the ground by the enormous dead tree. However the piercing branches weren't there, and neither was Tian Yao........