msmithbooks Chapter 71 No, you don't want to
Chapter 71 No, you don't want to
Cheng Xiao thought this was absurd.
The system tasked him with winning over the female lead, but it turned out he had to find her himself and get to know her on his own.
Think about the previous two instances.
The travel routes were all planned in advance.
After entering the Zuowang Snow Pavilion, the cold air grew stronger and stronger.
Cheng Xiao noticed that there were only a few young Taoist boys sweeping the place, and not even a guard, which made things convenient for him.
He had never seen the saintess, nor did he know who she was.
But there is a way to make him recognize it and avoid mistaking it.
That means you see who has a "favorability rating" above their head; the one with a "favorability rating" is the female protagonist of this instance.
Cheng Xiao released his divine soul.
In the Forget-Me-Not Pavilion, he found nothing that could threaten him, and his soul could come and go freely here.
After a few breaths, he finally saw the "Holy Maiden".
Deep within the Forgotten Snow Pavilion lies an extremely cold icy pool, from which mist constantly rises. The Holy Maiden is currently sitting beside the deep pool.
The saintess was dressed in white, her long hair reaching to the ground. Her eyes were an icy blue, as if sculpted from ice and snow. Her skin was snow-white, without a single flaw, and seemed to glow under the light of the luminous pearl. Her ethereal temperament and exquisite beauty were rare in the world.
The cultivation world is full of beauties, but Cheng Xiao has never seen anyone as beautiful as this before. Compared to humans, this saintess is more like a work of art.
Although she is beautiful, she lacks a certain warmth and humanity.
On the saintess's head, Cheng Xiao saw a familiar progress bar, but the name of the progress bar had changed from "favorability" to "selfishness value".
Cheng Xiao swept his divine sense over her and discovered that this holy maiden only had the cultivation level of the Integration Stage.
After passing the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators begin to grasp the laws of heaven and earth. The more they grasp, the stronger they become. Before they can fully master these laws, the cultivation system is divided into three stages.
These are the Refinement Stage, Integration Stage, and Mahayana Stage, respectively.
Although the Saintess's strength was only one realm lower than his on paper, their actual abilities were worlds apart. Just like now, she was clearly swept by his divine soul, yet she didn't notice anything at all.
The higher one's cultivation level, the greater the gap between different realms becomes.
Just as Cheng Xiao was about to withdraw his divine soul, he noticed that the saintess, who was cultivating, had blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
He was showing signs of going astray.
Knowing that the Holy Maiden's cultivation level was inferior to his, Cheng Xiao appeared beside the deep pool in a flash.
By the time the saintess realized what was happening, there was already a man beside her!
This man was clearly dressed in the clothes of a menial disciple, yet he sneaked in silently, and she didn't notice him at all until he appeared!
This shows how terrifying it is.
The saintess remained calm. She quickly composed herself and said to the person before her, "May I ask who you are? Have I, Gu Yunshu, offended you before? I am sorry to have come uninvited. Please enlighten me."
The fact that the other party could appear here without her noticing proves that their cultivation level is definitely far above hers.
"Cheng Xiao is a menial disciple of the Supreme Dao Sect, and also an undercover agent planted by the Blissful Gate within the Supreme Dao Sect." Cheng Xiao made no attempt to hide it.
There's no point in beating around the bush when dealing with someone who cultivates the ruthless path.
Alarm bells rang in Gu Yunshu's mind. When did their Supreme Dao Sect become so infiltrated?
Even spies from the Demonic Sect can directly infiltrate the inner sect.
Although Gu Yunshu remained outwardly calm, she was already silently circulating her internal energy.
After all, the other party's open appearance here might mean they're there to assassinate her.
"There's something wrong with your cultivation of the Path of Ruthlessness. If you continue cultivating like this, you'll eventually be devoured by your inner demons. Your cultivation level will be a minor issue; you might even lose your life," Cheng Xiao said quietly.
The saintess named Gu Yunshu in front of him looked very much like her master when he was alive.
To cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, one must always uphold one's Dao heart. If one's Dao heart is unstable, the backlash from the Path of Ruthlessness will be stronger than any other cultivation method.
Gu Yunshu was a little confused. Why did this person suddenly start instructing her in cultivation?
"My affairs are none of your concern. If you have come here only to tell me these things, then you may leave now. I will pretend I have never met you." Gu Yunshu cupped her hands in greeting.
She is not a reckless person.
Faced with this unexpected situation, she chose to take a roundabout approach.
If Cheng Xiao really leaves, then she will have time to contact rescue efforts.
She had tried to communicate with her master telepathically, requesting help, but found that the entire Zuowang Snow Pavilion was sealed off, and her soul couldn't escape.
"Don't be nervous. Although I am an undercover agent sent by the Demonic Sect, I no longer want to stay in the Demonic Sect. The reason I risked coming here is actually to negotiate a deal with the Holy Maiden," Cheng Xiao said truthfully.
Since Gu Yunshu didn't take action immediately, it means she can communicate.
If there's anything, the two of you can talk it out slowly.
If Gu Yunshu had attacked him immediately after he finished introducing himself, he would have had no choice but to beat her up first to subdue her before they could talk.
Thankfully, things didn't escalate to that point.
Otherwise, even if a Nascent Soul stage expert couldn't defeat him, they would certainly be able to risk their life to send the message out.
He can't just kidnap the saintess, can he?
At that point, the task will be completely unnecessary.
"A deal?" Gu Yunshu wondered.
Cheng Xiao cut to the chase: "Tomorrow, the sect will discuss your marriage alliance with the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. I know you don't want to get married, but whether you agree or not, you will inevitably suffer from the backlash of your inner demons when you break through to the Mahayana stage. Your current state is proof of that."
He discovered that the people of the Supreme Daoist Sect were adept at using overt schemes.
Regardless of the outcome of the marriage, it can weaken Gu Yunshu's power.
"Whether I suffer a backlash or not is none of your business. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion is not a benevolent organization, but your demonic sect..." Gu Yunshu said in a serious tone.
However, before she could finish speaking, Cheng Xiao interrupted her: "I've said it before, I've wanted to leave the Demonic Sect for a long time. You don't want a marriage alliance, and I want to leave the Demonic Sect. Although we have different positions, we can still cooperate."
Gu Yunshu wanted to refute, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't say a word.
She really didn't want a marriage alliance.
But the shackles called "the overall situation of the sect" always bound her.
She had been practicing in seclusion for a while, trying to prolong the time and escape reality, but that day finally came.
Cheng Xiao continued, "The Demonic Sect doesn't want to see the Supreme Dao Sect and the Heavenly Sword Pavilion join forces, so the Demonic Sect's mission for me is to kill the people of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion and stop the marriage alliance. I am absolutely confident that I can kill the people of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion and stop this marriage alliance. In exchange, you only need to help me remove the Gu worms from my body and help me escape from the Demonic Sect."
Gu Yunshu did not immediately refute it after hearing this.
She desperately wanted to kill the people from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, but there was no way she could bring herself to do it.
"How do you know I really don't want a marriage alliance? You should know that if the Supreme Dao Sect and the Heavenly Sword Pavilion join forces, your Demonic Sect will suffer a heavy blow. In my heart, righteousness is more important than personal feelings!" Gu Yunshu said firmly.
Upon hearing the other party's words, Cheng Xiao remained calm. He simply stared into the Holy Maiden's eyes and said unhurriedly, "You don't want to."
Gu Yunshu realized that she couldn't see through Cheng Xiao's eyes.
There was no emotion in her eyes, as calm as the deep pool beside her.