"Do you want to continue this awkwardness?" Ye Qingcheng asked.
"No, I don't!"
Yun Fan quickly refused, joking aside. He was practically dying of awkwardness right now.
"Then you only have two choices!"
Ye Qingcheng said mysteriously.
"What two choices?"
Yun Fan asked curiously.
"The first choice is to end it all. It's just one cut, so it's better to endure temporary pain than eternal embarrassment!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan gave Ye Qingcheng a glare. What kind of terrible idea was this? He hadn't even experienced the taste of life in over twenty years, and she wanted him to castrate himself? He'd rather die.
Ye Qingcheng continued, "The second choice is to proactively break the deadlock. For example, you and I could consummate our relationship, thereby breaking my mother's insistence!"
This second choice seemed more humane, so Yun Fan asked, "Is there no other choice?"
"You..."
Ye Qingcheng angrily rebuked, "Yun Fan, you're ungrateful! I'm willing to make physical sacrifices, and you're still hesitating!"
"It's not that!"
Yun Fan said with difficulty, "It's just not the right time yet! If there were other options, that would be better!"
"Why isn't it the right time?"
Ye Qingcheng questioned again.
Yun Fan said, "I still want to take this opportunity to advance further and reach the peak of Xiantian!"
This was his true plan. As long as he could break through to the Xiantian peak, he would be considered a somewhat accomplished expert even in the hidden sects.
After all, he was only a step away from that realm, and he didn't want to give up just like that.
Ye Qingcheng became much calmer. She knew the difficulties Yun Fan would face, so she didn't press him at this moment.
Therefore, she decided to compromise.
"Then we'll have to put on a show, at least to deceive my mother. Otherwise, I'll be going into seclusion soon. By the time I come out, you'll probably already have children!"
"Acting again!"
Yun Fan was truly speechless. Life was indeed like a play, and a play was like life. Ever since he came to Jinling from Jiangnan, he had been acting non-stop.
He had become numb from acting.
"Of course, do you have a better method?"
Ye Qingcheng asked speechlessly.
Yun Fan didn't have a better method, so he immediately said, "Let's act! Let's act! I'm an experienced actor anyway!"
"Good, let's begin!"
Ye Qingcheng urged.
Afterward, the two entered the room. With his prior experience in this area, Yun Fan was already quite skilled.
But Ye Qingcheng said, "No, this is too fake!"
"We can't really go through with it, can we?"
Yun Fan said awkwardly. If he truly took that step, his breakthrough to Xiantian peak would be postponed indefinitely.
He realized now.
Although he was already a rare expert in the secular world, that was only when the hidden sects were not active. Once the hidden sects revealed themselves, being at the middle stage of Xiantian wouldn't be enough. The Xiantian peak could barely stabilize the situation, but to truly control it, one had to surpass Xiantian.
However, he wasn't too worried about what came after the peak, because at that point, no matter what he did, it wouldn't affect anything.
It would all come down to talent and strength.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng said to Yun Fan, "Perhaps I can imitate Jiang Xueyan!"
"I know about the dirty things you often do in hotels!"
She revealed a playful smile.
"What?"
Yun Fan asked in shock, "How do you know?"
He remembered that his secrecy was impeccable. Not only did Lin Tianxin not find out, but even his three senior sisters hadn't discovered it.
He never expected Ye Qingcheng to find out. This was simply illogical.
Ye Qingcheng said, "Do you remember I went to your hotel?"
"I remember. You went quite often. You scared me quite a bit back then!"
Yun Fan said speechlessly.
"So, I installed a miniature surveillance camera in your room. I watch the live broadcast whenever I have nothing else to do!"
Saying that, Ye Qingcheng licked her lips.
"Damn it... do I have any privacy left?"
Yun Fan was distraught. He never expected Ye Qingcheng to be a voyeur. The thought of Ye Qingcheng successfully spying on him in the hotel made him even more embarrassed.
However, the more this was the case, the bolder his idea became.
"Can you do it?"
"Who do you think I am?"
Ye Qingcheng immediately squatted down.
...
In the evening, Zhao Lingyue returned and saw Ye Qingcheng walk out with a smug look on her face.
"Why is this slut here again?"
Zhao Lingyue couldn't believe that Ye Qingcheng had taken advantage of her absence so quickly.
What puzzled her was Ye Qingcheng's shoddy makeup; even her lipstick had faded.
She thought that even the daughter of the prestigious Ye family would wear such cheap lipstick, and her disdain for Ye Qingcheng grew.
At this moment, Yun Fan came out. However, his mental state seemed a bit off; why was he so agitated?
"You're back!"
Yun Fan calmed down and said to Zhao Lingyue.
"Yes!"
Zhao Lingyue said, "I've activated my Zhao family's intelligence network to investigate, and both of the top prodigies have arrived in Jinling!"
"So?"
Yun Fan asked, "Do we have an opportunity to make a move?"
"Yes! It's tonight!"
She told Yun Fan.
"Isn't it too soon?"
"No!"
Zhao Lingyue said sternly, "In a situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, we rely on surprise. I learned that one of them is visiting the Heavenly Emperor tonight, so only one of them will be present. We'll have an hour to deal with the opponent!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan understood. However, he disagreed with Zhao Lingyue's analysis of "enemy strong, we weak."
Was he, Yun Fan, really that weak?
However, for now, he couldn't afford to dwell on it. He said to Zhao Lingyue, "Then let's prepare and set off!"
"Okay!"
Meanwhile, Ye Qingcheng returned to the Ye family.
"Mother, I'm ready!"
Ye Qingcheng said directly, her usual reticence gone, and her mood seemed much improved.
Ye Ji's eyes showed a hint of confusion. Her daughter's change was too rapid. Something was wrong, very wrong.
"Good! Go ahead!"
Ye Ji nodded.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng said, "Currently, I plan to go into seclusion for a long time, so I won't bring my phone or contact the outside world, to avoid any distractions!"
Ye Ji was even more pleased. What if Ye Qingcheng spent her seclusion period video chatting with Yun Fan all day?
This was something she had to consider. Originally, she had planned to persuade Ye Qingcheng not to bring her phone, but Ye Qingcheng had voluntarily handed it over.
"Your awareness proves that you've grown up, and I'm very pleased!"
Ye Ji said with satisfaction.
Then, Ye Qingcheng handed her phone to her and immediately went into seclusion.
Ye Ji also planned to return to her room, but at that moment, a strong intuition told her that Ye Qingcheng wouldn't be so kind.
Her act of willingly handing over the phone to her was too obvious.
So, she quickly turned on the phone and, as expected, her suspicion was confirmed. There was a video of about sixty minutes.
"What's going on?"
Ye Ji opened the video.
The video showed Ye Qingcheng and Yun Fan. At first, it wasn't anything special, but the moment Ye Qingcheng squatted down, Ye Ji's face turned green.
"Bastard!"
Ye Ji was instantly furious, and the phone in her hand turned to dust.
No matter what, she never imagined that Ye Qingcheng would use such a trick against her. She had to admit that this time, she had lost.
In the past, Ye Qingcheng was always at her mercy, but this time, she had been outmaneuvered by Ye Qingcheng.
...
In the middle of the night.
Yun Fan and Zhao Lingyue arrived at their destination.
Tonight's opponent was not simple; his name was Wang Taixu.
Wang Taixu's strength was roughly a bit stronger than Chu Mo at his peak, but according to Zhao Lingyue's explanation, Wang Taixu's intelligence was far superior to Chu Mo's.
This person was not only a strategist in the hidden sects but also decisive in his actions. In short, he was a formidable enemy.
The other person, Xiao Shankai, had gone to visit the Heavenly Emperor, so this was a perfect opportunity for the two of them.
However, as soon as they arrived, they found Wang Taixu drinking tea in the courtyard.
He was like a gentle scholar, and no one would have guessed that he was a decisive killer. Fortunately, he was from a hidden sect.
If he were in the secular world, he would definitely be a popular young heartthrob!
At this moment, Wang Taixu lit a cigarette and said to the two of them, "You two, I heard you were coming, so I've prepared a pot of fine tea for you!"
"You knew?"
Zhao Lingyue said coldly.
Wang Taixu said, "Although your speed is fast and you're lurking in the shadows, I still discovered you, so I knew you would come! Indeed, you've come!"
"Hmph!"
Zhao Lingyue snorted, "So what if you knew? Do you think we're afraid of you?"
Yun Fan was calm at this moment. He knew Wang Taixu was a shrewd strategist and must have other tricks up his sleeve.
"Miss Zhao, your Zhao family holds an extraordinary position in our hidden sects. Why are you betraying the hidden sects?"
Wang Taixu pressed.
"Because I want to!"
Zhao Lingyue said directly.
"I believe there might be other explanations!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared behind them. This was Xiao Shankai. He hadn't gone to visit the Heavenly Emperor but had been lurking in the darkness.
Xiao Shankai said, "The world knows that her sister was a former Ghost Valley disciple and was even designated as the sect leader before her identity was exposed. Later, she was expelled by that old man!"
"But in my opinion, that was just a cover-up. In fact, her sister was always a spy that old man sent into our hidden sects!"
This was Xiao Shankai's analysis.
Wang Taixu said, "It's pretty much confirmed!"
At this moment, they said to Yun Fan and Zhao Lingyue, "You two are exceptionally bold. We haven't found you yet, and you've come to our doorstep!"
Saying that, the two of them released their pressure simultaneously.
Under this pressure, Yun Fan calmly said, "It's not necessarily coming to our doorstep; it might be you seeking your own demise!"
"Hahahaha!"
The two of them burst into laughter. They were the top two prodigies of the hidden sects, so they didn't take Yun Fan seriously at all.
"Enough nonsense, let's fight if you want to fight!"
Zhao Lingyue prepared for battle.
At this moment, Wang Taixu said to Zhao Lingyue, "Miss Zhao, out of respect for our shared belonging to the hidden sects, if you put down your weapon and leave, we'll pretend nothing happened, alright?"
It wasn't that the two of them had softened their hearts. In fact, they were both afraid of one person: Zhao Lingyue's sister.
If Zhao Lingyue died here, her sister might fly into a rage and kill them.
After all, she was an out-and-out female demon, and apart from a few rare old monsters in the hidden sects, she was usually invincible.
However, Zhao Lingyue said, "Impossible!"
"Since that's the case, don't blame us for being impolite!"
Saying that, Xiao Shankai lunged at Yun Fan, while Zhao Lingyue engaged Wang Taixu in combat.
Although it seemed like a free-for-all, their main target was Yun Fan.
"Kid, let me show you the power of my Xiao family's twelve internal martial arts!"
Xiao Shankai roared with laughter and then, like a war machine, attacked Yun Fan. It had to be said that his strength was immense.
In the first few exchanges, even Yun Fan was suppressed.
But Yun Fan was not to be trifled with. At this level, with similar strengths, victory wasn't easily won.
"Bang!"
After one exchange, Yun Fan was sent flying and crashed heavily into the wall.
"The Sect Leader of Ghost Valley is nothing more than this!"
Xiao Shankai said disdainfully.
However, Yun Fan calmly stood up and said, "The Xiao family's internal arts are just average!"
"Now, let me show you the supreme martial arts of Ghost Valley!"
In an instant, Yun Fan attacked, reaching Xiao Shankai in a flash.
Xiao Shankai quickly defended himself, but at this moment, he realized he had only blocked Yun Fan's afterimage.
By the time he reacted, Yun Fan was already behind him and had landed a punch on his neck.
"Ugh!"
Xiao Shankai clutched his neck and let out a muffled groan. Fortunately, at the last moment, he circulated his internal energy to block Yun Fan's punch.
Otherwise, his neck would have been broken. Even so, he was severely battered by Yun Fan.
"Die!"
Xiao Shankai was enraged. He had thought that with his strength, he could defeat Yun Fan in tens of moves, but unexpectedly, he had suffered such a major setback.
At this moment, he became like a meat grinder on the battlefield, attacking Yun Fan with a whirlwind of destruction.
"Good!"
Yun Fan's eyes showed a hint of disdain. Did they really think he was a pushover?
"Miss Zhao, why must you do this?"
Wang Taixu looked calmly at Zhao Lingyue.
After dozens of exchanges, although Zhao Lingyue was not weak, she was younger than Wang Taixu.
Therefore, her strength was a notch lower. She had been suppressed by Wang Taixu throughout the fight, and her defeat seemed inevitable.
Zhao Lingyue said coldly, "Enough nonsense!"
"The fact that one person can make you fight so desperately... I see you like him, don't you?"
Wang Taixu asked confidently.
"Hmph!"
Zhao Lingyue said coldly, "I'm not interested in men!"
"Then you truly are devoted!"
After speaking, Wang Taixu attacked again. His only goal was to restrain Zhao Lingyue.
As for Yun Fan, in his opinion, Xiao Shankai could handle him. As long as Zhao Lingyue didn't help Yun Fan, Yun Fan's death at Xiao Shankai's hands was a certainty.
However, at this very moment, Xiao Shankai was sent flying by a palm strike from Yun Fan.
This startled both of them.
Xiao Shankai's eyes no longer held their previous disdain but were filled with endless rage and solemnity.
Ghost Valley's supreme martial arts were indeed terrifying. In terms of power, they surpassed his; in terms of subtlety, he was far behind.
Therefore, he suffered a great disadvantage in his fight with Yun Fan.
"What's going on?"
Wang Taixu also didn't expect Xiao Shankai to be suppressed by Yun Fan.
"This kid is definitely not as simple as he seems!"
Xiao Shankai said coldly.
"Do you want me to help you?"
He asked Xiao Shankai.
Xiao Shankai said angrily, "No need, because he's my prey!"
In an instant, he lunged at Yun Fan again. This time, he transformed into a fierce tiger, powerful and domineering.
Yun Fan sneered inwardly at this.
The more Xiao Shankai acted like this, the less worried Yun Fan became, because people were most vulnerable when their minds were clouded.
At this moment, Yun Fan gathered all his strength and attacked with a move he had used on Chu Mo before.
Now, he was using it on Xiao Shankai.
"Ah..."
At this moment, Xiao Shankai let out a fierce scream. That's right, under Yun Fan's move, he suffered unimaginable heavy damage.
All of this was due to his carelessness. If he hadn't been careless, the effect of Yun Fan's move would have been greatly reduced.
But it was precisely because of his carelessness that this situation had arisen.
"Not good!"
Just as Yun Fan was about to press his advantage, Wang Taixu decisively abandoned Zhao Lingyue and attacked Yun Fan.
"Kid, we underestimated you after all!"
Wang Taixu snorted coldly and quickly attacked. The folding fan in his hand was his perfect killing weapon.
Yun Fan, fighting barehanded, was inevitably at a disadvantage.
With Xiao Shankai cooperating, after just a few moves, Yun Fan's fist was cut with a bloodstain.
Among opponents of the same level, the so-called indestructible body was of little use; it merely enhanced defense slightly.
Seeing this, Zhao Lingyue dared not hesitate and joined the fray to help Yun Fan. However, the two of them completely ignored her.
They merely dodged her attacks; their true target was Yun Fan.
"Die!"
Xiao Shankai had acquired a sharp claw from somewhere and tore through Yun Fan's skin.
Yun Fan was forced into a corner by the two of them. In their eyes, Yun Fan's defeat was a foregone conclusion.
However, at this moment, the two of them had a bad premonition. It wasn't for any other reason but that a strange curve appeared on Yun Fan's lips.
"Retreat quickly!"
Wang Taixu, seeing this, abandoned the close-at-hand Yun Fan and quickly retreated.
Conversely, Xiao Shankai, blinded by rage, wanted to press his attack. However, at this moment, a sword light flashed.
"Ah!"
Xiao Shankai clutched his eyes and let out a pained cry.
Yun Fan, shedding his disheveled appearance, stood in place. In his hand, he held a sword he had obtained when he killed Gu Xiaochen. This sword was called "Cold Light."
"Cold Light!"
Wang Taixu exclaimed in surprise.
He was fortunate that he had retreated in time, otherwise, Yun Fan's sword would have landed on him instead of Xiao Shankai.
Xiao Shankai, however, paid a heavy price; his eyes were ruined.
"My eyes, my eyes!"
Xiao Shankai, now blind, flailed wildly.
When Yun Fan arrived, he had hidden Cold Light in the flower bed. He had thought he wouldn't need it, but at the critical moment, it had helped him immensely, crippling Xiao Shankai.
"Kid, you're so despicable!"
Wang Taixu was enraged. Xiao Shankai, in his current state, was of little use to him.
Yun Fan sneered, "Didn't you also set a trap to ambush me? This is called fighting fire with fire!"
"I'll kill you!"
Xiao Shankai, having lost all reason, charged at Yun Fan, driven by the pain of his eyes being stabbed.
That's right, he wanted to drag Yun Fan down with him.
"Pathetic!"
Yun Fan reversed Cold Light, and with a single sword strike, he cut Xiao Shankai in half at the waist.
"Ah!"
Xiao Shankai clutched his waist with difficulty, but it was indeed broken.
At this moment, Yun Fan didn't even look at him and said to Wang Taixu, "Your turn!"
"Hiss!"
Wang Taixu gasped.
Zhao Lingyue also picked up her butterfly sword and walked towards Wang Taixu.
Originally, they had surrounded Yun Fan and Zhao Lingyue, but unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, they were now surrounded by Yun Fan and Zhao Lingyue.
"Very good!"
Wang Taixu took off his suit jacket, revealing his shirt and vest, and said to Yun Fan, "One person can still defeat you!"
"Delusional!"
Zhao Lingyue launched the first attack, her butterfly sword aimed directly at Wang Taixu's throat.
However, at this moment, Wang Taixu activated his folding fan and caught her butterfly sword.
"Clang!"
After a crisp sound, her sword was directly broken into two pieces.
"Be careful!"
Seeing this, Yun Fan quickly pushed Zhao Lingyue away, because at this moment, Wang Taixu had activated his hidden weapon.
The silver needles from the folding fan flew out, and at a critical moment, Yun Fan raised Cold Light to block, sparks flying off the sword.
"Hmph!"
Wang Taixu snorted coldly and quickly fled.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yun Fan pursued him, and a sword qi strike fell, hitting Wang Taixu's back.
"Ugh!"
Wang Taixu let out a muffled groan, but he still managed to escape.
At this moment, Yun Fan stood in place, looking in the direction Wang Taixu had fled.
"Damn, he got away!"
Zhao Lingyue, who had caught up, said indignantly, "He's injured. If we chase now, it'll be a waste of effort!"
But Yun Fan said, "No need!"
"You're giving up?"
Zhao Lingyue was confused, not understanding why Yun Fan would give up. With their strength, they could have easily caught up to Wang Taixu.
"Look!"
Yun Fan lifted the hem of his clothes, revealing a conspicuous needle mark.
"Fiery Spirit Needle!"
Zhao Lingyue's face immediately showed a look of fear. At this moment, Yun Fan's lips turned pale, and he collapsed to the ground.
He had managed to block the first three needles in the chaos, but he hadn't blocked the fourth. It wasn't due to his lack of skill, but because Wang Taixu had attacked from the shadows.
Moreover, he had acted as a last-minute rescuer, which allowed the opponent to succeed.
If he had faced it head-on, he was confident that Wang Taixu's fourth needle wouldn't have even touched his clothes.
Then, Yun Fan collapsed.
"Don't scare me!"
Zhao Lingyue, in a panic, hugged Yun Fan and quickly left.
As someone from the hidden sects, she knew how terrifying the Fiery Spirit Needle was. Even a Xiantian expert would die if struck by it.
At this moment, she felt immensely guilty. If she hadn't been impulsive, Yun Fan wouldn't have taken the needle for her.
This needle was originally meant for her, but now Yun Fan had borne the consequences.
Upon returning home, Zhao Lingyue tried every method she could think of, but she was unable to force the Fiery Spirit Needle out of Yun Fan.
So, she was in a frenzy. Although her sister would be coming, if things continued like this, Yun Fan's body would be cold by the time her sister arrived.
"What do I do? What do I do?" she murmured in panic.
At this moment, Yun Fan was suffering endless torment. His physique was already that of a Primordial Yang Body, and with the searing heat of the Fiery Spirit Needle, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Moreover, his Dantian, where his power was stored, seemed to be increasingly unable to suppress it.
Once his Dantian shattered, he would become a cripple.
How could Yun Fan resign himself to that?
Currently, he was unconscious. To cool his body, Zhao Lingyue quickly ordered a batch of ice.
She removed his clothes and placed him in the middle of the ice.
At this moment, Zhao Lingyue's face turned crimson. After all, this was the first time she had seen a man's body, and she felt an indescribable sensation.
However, apart from checking Yun Fan's injuries, she dared not look anywhere else. In her mind, Yun Fan was destined to be her sister's man.
As his sister-in-law, she couldn't do anything that would betray her sister, not even a glance.
What shocked her was that anyone else would have died by now, but Yun Fan's vitality was stable.
This scene completely exceeded her expectations. Could it be that Yun Fan truly had something extraordinary about him?
Unbeknownst to her, Yun Fan was struggling to expel the Fiery Spirit Needle from his body, but after several attempts, he had failed.
Finally, Yun Fan became furious. Since he couldn't expel it, he would directly refine the Fiery Spirit Needle. He probably didn't even know that his strength was rapidly increasing at this moment.
Finally, reaching the critical point, he used his Primordial Yang energy to refine the raging Fiery Spirit Needle.
As the two forces combined, his strength advanced by leaps and bounds. The Xiantian peak, which had been within reach, was easily achieved.
"Break!"
With a shout from Yun Fan, he suddenly woke up from his unconsciousness. A surge of power erupted from his body, and the ice shattered instantly.
Zhao Lingyue, who was in front of him, didn't expect such a sudden change. She was thrown back by this surge of power.
Not only that, but when the shattered ice hit her, she let out a muffled groan.
"Ugh!"
Then, Zhao Lingyue crashed heavily to the ground and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Pfft!"
At this moment, her eyes widened in terror as she looked at Yun Fan, who had woken up.