Chapter 35: Only After Losing Do We Cherish—The Fourth Demon Child, Han Yuntian!

"I killed him myself..."
"Calm down, kid..."
Shen Yan frowned, clearly sensing Yan Chen's rage.
"Shut up!"
Yan Chen roared in his heart, then said,
"If it weren't for your suggestion, how could she have suffered like this?"
Yan Chen didn't know why he was so angry—he just was, with no reason needed.
Shen Yan was stunned; this was the second time Yan Chen had lost his temper at him.
The first had been when his family faced extinction and he had no allies to help.
"Sigh..."
Shen Yan let out a long sigh and said nothing more.
What else could he say?
He understood now—Yan Chen insisted he didn't like Xu Yao, but deep down?
He had already fallen for her. Not only had he fooled others, but he had deceived himself as well.
Now, with things as they were, there was no turning back.
Shen Yan actually felt a little aggrieved; he had asked Yan Chen repeatedly for his opinion.
It was Yan Chen who sent her over, and in the end, he turned on Shen Yan, scolding him.
A classic case of good intentions gone unrewarded.
Yan Chen comforted Xu Yao in the room for a long while before her sobs finally ceased.
Xu Yao had been ravaged by Lin Chuchen; there was no way she could leave now.
Feeling stifled, Yan Chen carried her on his back. The thought of Xu Yao having been violated by Lin Chuchen filled him with fury.
Yet, it had been he who sent Xu Yao to Lin Chuchen's bed. Wanting to rage, he had no one to blame but himself.
"Don't tell your grandfather about this. I will avenge you. I swear to carve him apart, slice by slice."
Yan Chen stepped outside, paused for a moment, and said to the battered Xu Yao.
He did not want Xu Yun to ruin his plans.
"Mm, I trust you, Yan Chen."
Xu Yao nodded, moved. To her, Yan Chen avenging her was far better than her grandfather doing so.
...
"What do you make of this?"
In the void, Ling Tian had recorded all of Yan Chen's deeds.
With nothing better to do, he decided to observe Yan Chen's actions.
He told himself not to comment, but what unfolded was indeed a captivating drama.
Ling Tian hadn't expected Yan Chen to be so ruthless—just to deal with him, he sent a girl who loved him deeply to another man's bed!
[Yan Chen's Dao Heart damaged by 23%]
[Quest reward: Ancestor's Essence Blood +1]
Ling Tian heard the notification in his mind and sighed softly. This fellow had played himself into such a predicament?
Tsk tsk, it seemed this need was quite significant in his heart.
If he truly felt nothing, as he claimed, his Dao Heart would not have been harmed.
"That girl really loves him,"
Chu Xuan's blue-tinged eyes brightened as she answered Ling Tian.
Beside her stood Luo Changsheng.
Indeed, Ling Tian was able to observe Yan Chen without being noticed because Luo Changsheng was nearby.
Otherwise, he would have been detected long ago.
Luo Changsheng was a bit speechless. As a Saint Emperor of the Ninth Realm, peeking into others' emotional turmoil felt rather trivial.
But since Ling Tian had assigned him this task, he had no choice.
"Yes, that girl loves him deeply. Do you think he is unaware of her love?"
Ling Tian nodded, silently storing away the memory stone, acknowledging Chu Xuan's words, before turning the question back.
"But if he feels it, why would he send her..."
Chu Xuan raised her arm, eyes puzzled, and asked.
"He knows, but refuses to admit it. He deceives himself, only realizing what he lost when it is gone—just as he does now."
Ling Tian looked at Chu Xuan, his gaze knowing, explaining calmly.
Chu Xuan frowned, lost in thought.
"In truth, I let you witness these displays of love to help you understand that 'emotion' is easy to speak of, but hard to comprehend.
There is a kind of feeling called 'cherishing those before you.'
A kind of love called 'till death and beyond.'
When emotion runs deep, only then will what you desired that night come to pass naturally. At that moment, your trial of emotion will be overcome."
Ling Tian reached out and caught a drifting petal as he spoke at length.
Just as he said, during this time, Ling Tian had shown Chu Xuan various displays of affection between others.
Chu Xuan's understanding of emotion had grown deeper.
The more she interacted with Ling Tian, the more fascinated she became by him.
Initially she had chosen Ling Tian for his mastery of the sword, but now it was his character that drew her in.
After pondering a moment, Chu Xuan took up pen and paper, recording the day's events, Ling Tian's words, and her own reflections.
Ling Tian shook his head—what a silly girl. The stirrings of the heart can never deceive you!
"I truly suspect you're not a five- or six-year-old child, but an old monster steeped in the ways of the world..."
Luo Changsheng couldn't help but comment after hearing Ling Tian's words.
Ling Tian smiled, offering no explanation.
His hundred years of memory were basically wasted; there was nothing to cultivate, so he thought about other things.
Every craft has its master, and in some aspects, Ling Tian's understanding surpassed even those who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
"By the way, have you considered joining my faction?"
Once Chu Xuan had finished writing, Ling Tian asked.
"You always said that things too easily gained are not valued; this is far too easy for me. I fear I won't cherish it, so I must refuse..."
Chu Xuan flipped her notebook to a previous page, blinked, and solemnly read out that sentence.
Ling Tian...
Well then, he'd hoisted his own petard!
...
Three days later, the secret realm of the Flame Domain would open.
On this day, a vast crowd assembled outside the Flame Domain's secret realm.
There were disciples from surrounding sects, as well as rogue cultivators, both young and old.
But without exception, all had attained the Void Realm.
Of course, that was merely the minimum requirement.
Kings and higher were not few among them, though they could not enter the secret realm.
It seemed unfair, but the world of cultivation was never truly just.
Sect disciples had the advantage of team action, usually accompanied by those at the King Realm.
Rogues, however, appeared anxious.
Yet their eyes burned with fervor. Man dies for wealth, birds for food!
"Fellow Daoist, once inside, use this to contact us. It's much safer that way."
In the region of the Divine Fire Sect, a burly, honest-looking man handed Ling Tian a communication jade.
He didn't know Ling Tian's identity, but the sect master had instructed him, so he obeyed.
"Thank you."
Ling Tian nodded politely; he was the kind who repaid respect with even more.
"Of course, if you find Chen Ningshuang or Liu Yang, that's fine too."
Wu Dawei gestured to a man and woman nearby, warmly introducing them.
Ling Tian glanced over—the woman was icy-faced, radiating an aura of 'strangers keep away.'
Unlike Chu Xuan, her coldness was bone-deep.
The man was gentle and graceful, nodding a greeting to Ling Tian.
Ling Tian noted that both, like Wu Dawei, were at the King Realm.
No wonder Wu Dawei recommended them.
[At twenty-two, you experienced one of your greatest sorrows. On this day, the elite disciples of the Ling family suffered heavy losses. Your most cherished cousin, the Second Divine Maiden, was humiliated to death.]

[Trigger: Counterattack.]
[Kill the Fourth Demon Son, avenge your clan!]
[Reward: World-Destroying Eye (greatly intimidates demons, ultimate demon-slaying weapon)]
The notification sounded in Ling Tian's mind.
Second Divine Maiden?
A vague figure appeared in Ling Tian's memory, but since she was introduced this way, she must have been fond of him.
Demons? Fourth Demon Son?
Ling Tian narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd, and spotted black lettering above a heavily cloaked person.
He—that was the Fourth Demon Son.
This scourge must not be allowed to remain!
Under the cloak, Han Yuntian, the Fourth Demon Son, sensed a gaze and looked up, only to find nothing.
A sinister expression crossed his pale face—had he been discovered?
But if not, why hadn't he been attacked?
Perhaps he'd imagined it.
After some thought, Han Yuntian leaned towards the latter, his blood-red eyes greedily sizing up the cultivators like lambs awaiting slaughter.
"Hehehe...if I could devour all these people..."
Han Yuntian began to plot.
"It's opening, the secret realm is opening!"
A loud shout rang out, and the crowd surged forward, each eager to seize their fortune first.
Ling Tian saw this and no longer hesitated.
"Be careful..."
Chu Xuan grabbed Ling Tian's hand, reminding him, her gaze falling on Lin Chuchen amid the crowd.
She had met him before, and he had given her a very bad feeling.
Now that he was here, he surely harbored ulterior motives.
Chu Xuan, as a sealed Emperor, surpassed the King Realm and thus could not enter.
"Mm."
Ling Tian nodded. He wasn't worried; he could casually take out something and annihilate them all.
"What are you two talking about? It's time to go in."
Xiao Ling'er popped a candy into her mouth and, seeing Ling Tian hesitate, came over to ask.
But her gaze toward Ling Tian was a little uncertain.
After that day, to avoid awkwardness, Xiao Ling'er hadn't seen Ling Tian for several days.
"It's nothing, just reminding us to stay safe."
Ling Tian touched his nose.
Xiao Ling'er replied, then pulled Ling Tian into the secret realm.
"Yan Chen, you must kill that beast!"
Xu Yao, beside Yan Chen, glared at Lin Chuchen's back, gritting her teeth.
"Don't worry, take this. Once inside, I'll find you as soon as possible."
Yan Chen handed her a protective device, then the two entered the secret realm.
Ling Tian appeared again in a more secluded area, surrounded by dense forest. Xiao Ling'er was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed entering here meant random transmission.
Ling Tian took out the communication jade, checked the displayed location, and was about to head for the nearest marker.
Suddenly, a woman burst from the forest, exposing large swathes of pale skin, flinging herself before Ling Tian with an expression of panic and desperation.
She gazed up at him, pitiful and pleading:
"Fellow Daoist, save me! If you do, you can do whatever you wish with me..."