Chapter 94: Candid Feelings

Shi Ran's heart suddenly surged with an uncontrollable sorrow; this sorrow came like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing her. Su Changhen actually killed his own child with his own hands? Why is this? Master Ling Xiao, the sole Mountain‑holding Lord of the cultivation world, is actually the Demon Lord's son!

However, she hadn't yet had time to collect her thoughts when her whole body plunged into boundless darkness; after an unknown period, her consciousness gradually returned.

A lone lamp glowed ahead, its dim yellow light casting a swaying shadow on the damp closure. The person opposite her had their back to her, a green robe appearing especially chilly in the faint light; that secluded silhouette matched her memory exactly.

"Master!" Shi Ran cried out instinctively; a tear silently traced her cheek and fell onto the cold stone floor.

Ling Xiao slowly turned his head; his eyes seemed to hold ten thousand feet of ice, but upon touching Shi Ran they completely melted, bringing the warmth of spring; in an instant the ice and snow thawed, the hand in his sleeve tightened then loosened, and he finally said coldly, "You're awake?"

Shi Ran pushed herself up, wiping away her tears without a trace; she couldn't say anything now, otherwise Master would be unable to cope, so let that tear flow in her dream. Shi Ran glanced around pretendingly; the damp rock walls were covered with sparkling ice crystals, and beneath her feet lay dark, damp mire. "Master, where are we…"

"This is the deepest cavern of the Ice Snow Abyss within the secret realm!" Ling Xiao frowned slightly, then suddenly reached out to touch Shi Ran's brow; the icy sensation made her heart jump. "You're injured!"

The lotus mark on Shi Ran's brow flickered faintly, shifting between blue and red in the dim light, truly hot to the touch and quite alluring! Ling Xiao's slender fingers lingered over the mark, the warmth from his fingertips deepening his gaze.

"How could Master be here again?" Shi Ran suddenly recalled Su Changhen's dying injunction, silently stepping back without a sound; she clearly remembered that Master should be out there capturing the fleeing Si Tong.

Ling Xiao let out a soft sigh; "Outside the secret realm, I saw you trapped in a dream, unable to free yourself, so I had to intervene." His voice was gentle as water, a stark contrast to his usual aloof composure.

Alarm bells rang in Shi Ran's heart—this wasn't right! Master would never set aside his duties for anyone, nor would he use such a gentle tone to coax her into daydreams. Instinctively she stepped back a little, avoiding Ling Xiao's icy fingers, and asked, "Have you seen my senior brothers, Master?"

"And my senior sister!" Shi Ran probed, saying, "We've lost contact with our senior sister for a long time; I don't know if she's safe."

The warmth in his hand vanished suddenly; Ling Xiao pondered, rubbing his fingertips, "How could they compare to you?" He then gave a meaningful smile, "Rangrang, come, let me as your master treat your wound."

That cry of "Rangrang" struck Shi Ran like a thunderbolt—Master had never addressed her so intimately! And they aren't important?! Even Mei Ruoxue isn't important? How could this be? As the story's second male lead, he regards the female protagonist as his very life!

Shi Ran suddenly drew her Ice Stream Sword, pointing the tip at Ling Xiao's throat, and demanded sharply, "You are not my master! Who are you!? Why are you impersonating him!?"

Ling Xiao smiled faintly, rising slowly without haste, his sleeves fluttering to reveal a hint of demonic energy, "Isn't this what you've been thinking, Rangrang?" He stepped closer, his voice laced with enchantment: "Isn't your constant longing just because I care only for you? Now that I've done as you wished, why do you push me away!?"

What nonsense is he spouting!?

"Shut up!" Shi Ran, ashamed and angry, swept her Ice Stream Sword through the air, tracing a cold blade of light.

She formed a seal with her left hand; a fire talisman ignited instantly, scorching flames surging toward him like a tide—one blade of cold light, one flame, left and right striking together. Expecting Ling Xiao to have no escape, she was surprised when the "Ling Xiao" gave a light laugh, leapt up, and dodged the cold blade.

As the Dragon Chant Sword left its sheath, its icy sword qi extinguished the flames entirely. Shi Ran did not retreat but advanced; ice and fire dual techniques intertwined and collided in the narrow cavern, ice crystals and sparks flying everywhere.

After a few breaths, Shi Ran's body had been sliced by the Dragon Chant Sword; several gruesome wounds appeared, blood gradually staining her white robes red.

The fake Ling Xiao laughed arrogantly a few times: "Why go to such extremes? If your true master saw this, wouldn't he feel heartbroken?"

Shi Ran knelt on one knee, blood flowing from her palm onto her Ice Stream Sword; she thought of calling someone to lend her a hand, ignoring the arrogant fake Ling Xiao.

"What righteous sect, what pure cultivation—master and disciple have sunk to this level, I scoff!" The fake Ling Xiao continued to provoke Shi Ran: "Does your master know what's on your mind? My little Rangrang?"

Shi Ran's eyes turned icy; she forced herself to stand: "You motley-mouthed old fool, aren't you done yet?" She smeared blood over her Ice Stream Sword, which burst into brilliant aurora-like light, like a galaxy arriving: "No matter what, I'm still stronger than you, a thousand‑year‑sealed old turtle that can't turn over!"

Having said that, Shi Ran rushed forward, her sword moves fierce—each stance and form were those Ling Xiao had taught her the night before his departure. She drove the fake Ling Xiao back step by step, then successfully swung a blade that cut off his arm; it fell to the ground and turned into a wisp of black shadow that vanished.

"He Yuan, right? You've been trapped in this Snowy Abyss for thousands of years, aren't you cold? Surely no one talks to you!" Shi Ran laughed, flourishing her sword, "To be honest, aren't you envious of my master—receiving the world's reverence, the disciples' respect, and even someone as lovely as me deeply admiring you... aren't you angry?"

The fake Ling Xiao—ah, no, that is He Yuan—was practically dying of rage; this girl is utterly shameless! Where did Ling Xiao's brat pick up this disciple! He ranted all over, "You... you still have no shame!"

Seeing He Yuan's angry black aura roiling, Shi Ran felt a secret delight; taking advantage of his disturbed mind from her anger, she swiftly formed a seal with her left hand, sending an icy‑blue talisman flying from her sleeve straight at his face!

"Shame?" Shi Ran snorted coldly, her sword undiminished: "I am open and aboveboard—like is like, dislike is dislike; it's far more candid than you hiding in the dark, afraid to show your true face!"

He Yuan panickedly dodged, but the talisman still grazed his cheek; instantly half his face erupted in black smoke as if corroded.

He Yuan roared angrily; demonic energy surged around him, the whole cavern began to vibrate violently, and countless ice spears fell from the ceiling.

"Little brat, you're courting death!"

Shi Ran nimbly weaved through the falling ice spears, her Ice Stream Sword turning into a flowing light in her hand; she deliberately kept provoking him: "How about that? Did I hit the mark? You only know how to impersonate others—are you just hideously ugly, with no one to spend your life with, not even anyone who admires you..."

"Shut up!" He Yuan erupted in total fury, his form swelling instantly into a mass of black mist that blotted out the sky; within it, a hideous skeletal demonic apparition howled, "I will make you taste a fate worse than death!"