Chapter 558: Do you like me?

Xie Yan's face was grim and vicious; just as he was about to strike again, he saw Yuan Yao's gaze fall upon him.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, hiding the surging chill in his eyes, and when he lifted his gaze to Yuan Yao, his eyes had softened.

"Listen to me." Yuan Yao said to him.

Xie Yan gave a low reply: "Hmm."

Yuan Yao withdrew her gaze, but secretly sent a voice transmission, her tone tinged with teasing: "You should say: Yes, Master."

Hearing that, Xie Yan's gaze fell on her small head, and the corner of his mouth twitched up almost imperceptibly.

He also replied via voice transmission, his voice low: "Any reward?"

Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao nearly choked on her own saliva.

Reward?

Did he really think of himself as a servant?

Her tone was crisp and decisive: "No."

Soon, the agreed-upon fifteen minutes had passed.

Except for the Six Sons of Qian Shan, Xie Yan, Qian Yunzhou, Dong Jiao, Ling Huya, Xiao Zhufeng, and Zhai Qingye—twelve people—another twenty-seven joined the Eliminate the Abyss Squad.

In total, thirty-nine people.

Meanwhile, the team led by Yu Jing from Tian Jiaocheng had only fifty-five people left.

Yu Jing naturally also wanted to join the Eliminate the Abyss Squad, but she couldn't. As the vice leader of the Tian Jiaocheng team, if she left too, the whole team would fall into disarray.

Yuan Yao stood up and looked toward Yu Jing.

The two exchanged a glance; everything was understood without words.

"We might have to survive in the Boundary Abyss for a long time." Yuan Yao still spoke, her tone serious as she told Yu Jing: "If you need any help, I'll help you."

Upon hearing that, Yu Jing's usually cold face showed a hint of a smile: "Good."

Immediately afterward, Yuan Yao walked a few steps toward Quan Li's direction and said: "When we find a way out, I'll contact you again."

"Good." Quan Li curled her lips into a smile.

"Since that's the case, we'll leave first as well." The Fourth Prince of the Yao Clan, Xie Xu, rose slowly, smiled, then glanced toward Xie Ang and said: "Older brother, let's go."

Xie Ang coldly glanced at Xie Xu, seeming dissatisfied with his overreach.

Xie Ang turned and left.

The remaining Yao clan heavenly pride followed quickly.

Xie Xu still smiled, but his eyes held no warmth.

The Tian Jiaocheng team and the Eliminate the Abyss Squad also went their separate ways.

Those humans who had just joined the Eliminate the Abyss Squad exchanged glances, their hearts still filled with apprehension.

Some even felt regret.

Ying Wuji said: "Let's first find a place to rest and recuperate."

After finding a secluded spot to rest, Xie Yan immediately set up a defensive barrier.

"Do we still have a way to leave the Boundary Abyss?" Bian Chen asked anxiously.

"Yes." Yuan Yao replied concisely.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and all eyes turned to her.

Yuan Yao said in a deep voice: "Since the Boundary Abyss Beast Master can influence the opening and closing of the Boundary Abyss, our target is it."

"But with our current strength, we probably can't even budge the Boundary Abyss Beast Master a bit." Dong Jiao frowned, her tone full of gravity.

Yuan Yao looked around at everyone: "So we need to become stronger."

"Stronger?" Jiang Shuai snorted, his tone tinged with self-mockery: "Even if we were given a hundred years, we might not be able to stand against the Boundary Abyss Beast Master, let alone defeat it."

"A hundred years?" Yuan Yao shook her head, her eyes sharp: "We need the fastest possible increase in cultivation; a hundred years is too long—we can't wait that long."

She lifted her gaze, sweeping over each young, slightly discouraged face, her voice clear and strong: "In the cultivation world, you are all recognized as peerless geniuses. Don't you have any confidence in your own talent?"

The heavenly pride, whose hearts had been shrouded in disappointment and despair, all froze at her words, then lifted their heads to look at Yuan Yao, their eyes reigniting with a complex spark.

Yuan Yao said: "Let's first cultivate and increase our strength in the Boundary Abyss until we have the power to fight the Boundary Abyss Beast Master."

Jiang Shuai analyzed: "Then we'd have to stay in the Boundary Abyss for at least thirty years."

Qian Yunzhou raised his brows slightly: "Thirty years is too long—what about ten years?"

"If we could leave the Boundary Abyss within ten years, that would be great." Hua Chengyan sighed softly: "If I had known, I wouldn't have come in."

Yuan Yao tilted her head to glance at Hua Chengyan.

Hua Chengyan showed a helpless smile.

At that moment, Xiao Lingwei looked at them: "Your injuries haven't healed yet; first sit here and meditate to rest."

Everyone present nodded in response.

Immediately, they scattered in groups of two or three, found spots, and sat to meditate and rest.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yao set up a sound-isolating barrier and chatted with her senior brothers and sisters for a while.

Cang Li anguishedly asked: "Really, there's no other way to leave the Boundary Abyss?"

Ying Wuji shook his head, his tone complex and heavy: "Our only option now is to rapidly increase our strength; otherwise, something big will happen out there."

"Something big?" Xue Jin caught those two words sharply.

Yuan Yao looked toward Ying Wuji: "Junior Senior Brother, it's also time to tell them."

"But..." Ying Wuji hesitated, unwilling for them to know the misfortune they suffered in their past life.

"What exactly are you two hiding from us?" Cang Li demanded immediately.

Xiao Lingwei narrowed her eyes: "I've long noticed you seemed to be hiding some secret earlier; now you still don't want to say?"

Several people looked toward Ying Wuji and Yuan Yao.

Ying Wuji finally revealed the events of his past life, but he concealed some details.

Under their astonished gazes, Ying Wuji continued: "So, Lu Xiangxiang trapping us this time is absolutely not that simple! If we cannot leave the Realm Abyss in a short time, it means that the Carefree Sect and our master are in danger, even the entire cultivation world."

Song Yan, Xiao Lingwei, Cang Li, and Xue Jin all fell into silence upon hearing this, their moods becoming unusually heavy.

They all needed time to digest it.

…

Yuan Yao dispelled the sound-isolating barrier, and her gaze turned to Xie Yan.

"I'll talk with Xie Yan alone." She left these words and walked toward him.

Xie Yan's gaze never left her from beginning to end.

"Xie Yan, come with me."

"Okay."

Many present watched their retreating figures as they walked side by side, each with different expressions.

Qian Yunzhou's face remained calm, but his heart lake quietly stirred a ripple of heaviness.

The two walked to a secluded spot and stopped; Yuan Yao immediately set up a barrier, isolating them from any outside surveillance.

She lifted her gaze to him and whispered: "During the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, I almost thought… you were going to die."

Xie Yan lowered his gaze, locking eyes with her; his look was deep as if probing her heart, his voice clear and cold like a spring under the moon: "If I really died, would you grieve for me?"

"Yes." Yuan Yao did not hesitate.

Under her gaze, Xie Yan tentatively reached out and embraced her.

Upon finding that she had no intention of struggling or refusing, he held her tightly in his arms, inhaling her familiar fragrance—sweet but not cloying—making his throat tighten.

"I wanted to tell you my identity after the Immortal Sect Grand Competition… but it's too late now."

"You can say it now." Yuan Yao felt his cheek too close, making her a bit uncomfortable; she turned her face slightly away, but he followed and pressed it back.

His cheek skin felt cool, yet his breath was scorching, and his ear brought a hint of tingling numbness.

She had just reached out to push him away when she heard his voice.

"I am a half-demon, the child of the Demon Realm's Demon Emperor and a human woman named Ming Peng."

Yuan Yao's motion paused, "I know."

"You… will you despise my bloodline?"

"No, I won't."

He fell silent for a moment, his voice low and solemn: "Do you like me?"