Chapter 34

Yuan Yao never expected this unidentified object to be so shameless; she instantly flew into a rage.

She swung her sword upward violently, a single slash cutting horizontally across the water, splitting it in two!

But when she tried to leap upward, the parted water quickly flowed back, pressing Yuan Yao down.

"Carefree First Form——"

"Brandishing the Sword to Match Heaven!"

Boom!

"Carefree Second Form——"

"Listening to Flowers Shatter Rain!"

Boom boom!

"Carefree Third Form——"

"Turning Heaven and Earth!"

Boom boom boom!

Yuan Yao consecutively unleashed three techniques in the water, breaking the current; just as she was about to burst out of the lake surface, a white-clad figure stepped onto the water, moving with extreme speed.

It was Xie Yan!

Xie Yan naturally saw Yuan Yao, and he did not slow his speed.

Yuan Yao saw her head about to be stepped on, and she instantly dodged into the water.

Xie Yan's toe barely missed her head; after lightly tapping the water a few times, he suddenly stopped, and just as he was about to turn back to look at Yuan Yao, a snow-white hand violently yanked his ankle downward.

With a "splash," the white-clad youth, caught off guard, was violently dragged into the water.

The youth fell into the water, his first instinct being to escape the lake, but at that moment the unidentified object below violently trembled, causing the lake's currents to twist again, instantly dragging his body into the flow and pulling him downward.

Yuan Yao glanced at Xie Yan caught in the current, then swiftly raised her sword and slashed upward!

Soon the sword blade split the current, and she shot upward at top speed, then returned to the lakeside.

She panted, exhausted.

She glanced back at the lake gradually calming, recalling how she had just dragged Xie Yan into the water; her heart leapt, and she knew she had to run—if Xie Yan caught her, it would be disastrous!

As she prepared to leave, a voice from the 250 system suddenly echoed in her sea of consciousness: 【Warning warning! Target Xie Yan is irreplaceable; he must not die at the host's hands!】

Yuan Yao heard this and suddenly froze.

"Is he going to die?"

Before the 250 system could reply, Yuan Yao realized something, her face changing dramatically; without hesitation she turned and jumped into the lake.

She swam downward as fast as she could, feeling somewhat panicked, murmuring: "Don't die, don't die..."

Although she disliked him, she didn't go so far as to wish him dead!

Soon she saw Xie Yan's silhouette; he remained motionless in the water, appearing to have fainted.

She swam over and drew near.

She reached out and cupped his face, which wore a ghostly mask; at this moment he had already closed his eyes.

"Xie Yan! Xie Yan!" she shouted anxiously twice.

Finding no response, she wanted to lift his mask to check his breathing, but when her fingers touched the hard mask, she withdrew her hand.

He wore a mask, surely hiding some secret.

Afterwards, she grasped his still-warm wrist and pulled him upward.

Meanwhile, the unidentified object, having thought she returned for its sake, never expected she was doing it for someone else; it instantly trembled with uncontrollable rage, churning the lake's currents.

Yuan Yao gritted her teeth and shouted: "If he dies, I'll kill you!"

After a pause, she added: "Once I revive him, I'll come back!"

Only after she spoke those words did the unidentified object cease its movement.

Yuan Yao struggled to pull him upward, but she hadn't expected him to look so slender yet weigh so much!

Yuan Yao could only change her posture to bring him upward.

She reached out and put her arm around his shoulders.

No, this pose wouldn't let her hold him.

She tried another pose.

She wrapped her arm around his waist; through his clothing she could feel the ripple of his abdominal muscles, and his waist was still quite slim and taut.

At this moment Yuan Yao exerted all her strength to bring him upward.

At the same time, the 250 system's alarm sounded in her sea of consciousness.

【Warning! Irreplaceable Xie Yan must not die at the host's hands!】

Yuan Yao clenched her teeth.

With a "splash," the two surged together onto the lake surface.

She finally dragged him onto the lakeshore.

As a child, she had seen in medical texts how to rescue drowning victims; thus, the moment she pulled him ashore, her first action was to press on his chest.

One press after another.

"Wake up!"

"Xie Yan!"

Beneath the mask, water welled up from Xie Yan's mouth.

Yuan Yao saw he still showed no sign of waking; after a brief hesitation, she gritted her teeth and reached to remove his mask.

But just as her fingers touched the edge of the mask, a hand as pale as sickness clamped down on her wrist.

With such force it nearly crushed her bones.

"Hiss—" Yuan Yao winced from the pain, lowered her gaze, and happened to lock eyes with a pair of icy, abyss-like eyes.

In the next instant, she shot out a hand and grabbed his throat with lightning speed, threatening, "Let go!"

Xie Yan felt the warmth of her palm and the strength of her grip.

Not enough.

Not suffocating enough.

It doesn't compare to the suffocating sensation of falling into the water just now.

His gaze icy, he stared at her, unable to understand why she would save him.

After a pause of three seconds, Xie Yan figured it out.

She's just being overly kind.

Xie Yan let out a scoff, slowly released her wrist, and Yuan Yao also loosened her grip on his throat before leaping back into the lake as fast as she could.

In the lake, only her head broke the surface, her hair completely wet, water droplets sliding over her snow‑white skin, giving a breathtaking beauty.

"Xie Yan, you swore an oath—you can't kill me."

Xie Yan slowly sat up, his drenched clothes and hair instantly returning to normal, his ghost‑mask hiding his face and most of his emotions.

The youth glanced coldly at the person in the water, then rose and turned away.

Yuan Yao watched his retreating back and felt he was somewhat lonely.

Yuan Yao could sense that his mood was off.

Probably not because of her, but because of his drowning incident.

Could he have psychological trauma from drowning?

Yuan Yao watched him disappear from sight, then came to her senses and slapped her own cheeks to wake herself up.

Don't think about it!

Afterward, she swam toward the lake bottom.

Half an hour later, Yuan Yao reached the lake bottom and said to the "Unidentified Object," "Do you have any way for me to rescue you?"

The "Unidentified Object" remained silent.

Yuan Yao sighed helplessly, "If not, I'd hardly be able to help you break the seal. Look, I'm only at the Initial Foundation Establishment stage—so weak."

Seeing no reaction, Yuan Yao added, "How about waiting until I become stronger later, then coming to rescue you?"

As soon as she said that, the "Unidentified Object" began to tremble violently.

It was clearly unwilling.

"Or you could just think of a way for me."

Yuan Yao seemed to think of something, then asked puzzled, "Why did you choose me? Why not that person outside? He's far stronger than me."

Although she didn't really want to admit it, Xie Yan's strength is no less than that of the Youngest Senior Brother.

That elliptical unidentified object trembled slightly.

——Because only you can hear my call.