Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 329 326: Great Dream of 1000 Years (10) - Revealing the Cruel Truth Before Lin Qianyan

"Um... Pei Yuhang, have you been well since we parted ways on Mei Mountain?"

Lin Qianyan gently brushed a strand of black hair from her ear, her fingertips trembling slightly. Her gaze was lowered, not daring to look directly at Pei Yuhang, and her voice was so soft it was as if she were afraid of startling something.

They were clearly here to decide who was number one under heaven, yet Lin Qianyan's voice was filled with a reserved, youthful shyness, as if she were meeting the man she secretly admired.

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang's body stiffened slightly. His fingers subconsciously touched his collar, under which were the haphazard love bites Shang Miaoyan had left.

Even now, Pei Yuhang could still feel the lingering scent of Shang Miaoyan's mockery and possessiveness from them.

'Had he been well?'

'Of course not... Day and night, he endured humiliation and violation at the hands of that Witch.'

'He was a plaything in the hands of a despicable, wicked woman. Every inch of his body had been marked with shame, toyed with at her whim.'

'He was the strongest under heaven, yet now, because of the Life-taking Gu inside him, he didn't have a shred of strength to resist. He couldn't even take his own life to preserve his honor.'

'That day he'd spent admiring the snow with Lin Qianyan on Mei Mountain was his last good memory before falling into the clutches of that Witch, Shang Miaoyan.'

But how could Pei Yuhang have the face to tell Lin Qianyan about such a disgraceful matter?

His Adam's apple bobbed. His gaze flickered as he avoided Lin Qianyan's eyes. The face that was once full of vigor now looked weary.

Still, he managed to force a bitter smile.

"I... I've been doing alright."

Pei Yuhang spoke against his heart.

Lin Qianyan seemed to sense Pei Yuhang's sorrow. She took a step forward and asked with concern, "Pei Yuhang, have you run into some kind of trouble?"

As she drew closer to him, a strange fragrance wafted from his body. It was a decadent, turbid scent that made Lin Qianyan subconsciously furrow her brow.

Seeing this, Pei Yuhang's pupils contracted. He quickly backed away, unwilling to let his "defiled" body shame the elegant beauty before him.

"Enough! Sect Leader Lin... you came here to fight for the title of number one under heaven, didn't you?"

"Since that's why we're here, let's stop wasting time. We should begin."

Pei Yuhang drew the Silent Sword from his back, its cold glint aimed at Lin Qianyan.

Seeing this, Lin Qianyan pressed her lips together slightly.

'And here she thought... that she and Pei Yuhang had actually grown close.'

'It seemed she had been getting ahead of herself.'

'In that case...'

Lin Qianyan raised her head again, the tenderness in her eyes vanishing, replaced by resolve and determination. She too drew her sword and pointed it at Pei Yuhang, declaring in a solemn voice:

"Pei Yuhang, the number one Swordsman under heaven! I, the number two, now formally challenge you!"

Feeling Lin Qianyan's battle intent, the hot blood and martial spirit in Pei Yuhang's heart began to melt away his inner turmoil. He let out a great shout:

"Come!"

At that same moment, Lin Qianyan took a step forward. Her immense Inner Strength sent the fallen leaves of the entire bamboo forest swirling around her in a cyclone—

"Come!"

...

On another small mountain, Shang Miaoyan gazed into the distance, watching the bamboo forest ebb and flow like a sea of green waves. A slow smile graced her red lips.

"So, the number one and number two under heaven have begun their battle?"

"Just look at that clash of Inner Strength and Sword Qi. And amidst the surging emotions, that suppressed mutual admiration, affection, and longing... aah, Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan really do look like a couple~"

As she said this, a mocking glint appeared in Shang Miaoyan's beautiful eyes, and her tone suddenly shifted.

"However, not even fate can stop me, Shang Miaoyan, from taking what I want by force."

"Just thinking about the live show I'm about to put on for that cold, pure Sect Leader of the Jade Maiden Sect... it's already getting me excited."

"I hope that after this, Xiaohan will finally accept his fate and become my, Shang Miaoyan's, exclusive toy forever~"

Shang Miaoyan licked the corner of her lips. Sensing that the clash of Inner Strength and Sword Qi in the bamboo forest was growing ever more magnificent, as if the two had reached their peak, she rose and started walking toward the summit of Bai Mei Mountain.

...

BANG—!!

Two swords clashed, and in the end, it was Pei Yuhang, the number one Swordsman under heaven, who was at a disadvantage.

In a duel between top masters, one wrong move leads to a cascade of errors.

Pei Yuhang's momentum steadily crumbled until Lin Qianyan finally disarmed him of his Silent Sword.

A Swordsman without a sword is naturally defeated.

Lin Qianyan was also at the end of her rope, but she held on by a thread, standing before Pei Yuhang to declare that she had now become number one under heaven!

Her beautiful eyes, looking at Pei Yuhang, were filled with disappointment as she said softly:

"Pei Yuhang, the sword in your heart has grown dull. It's even become dim and lusterless."

"I don't understand how you could be so arrogant as to stay up all last night. Not only did you fail to bring your body to its peak condition, but you even lost a great deal of your Essence, Qi, and Spirit."

At this, Lin Qianyan slowly sheathed her blade. She took Pei Yuhang's Silent Sword and said with disappointment:

"You are no longer worthy of being number one under heaven."

Pei Yuhang's eyes remained downcast; he said nothing in response.

Just then, a mocking voice sounded, putting Lin Qianyan instantly on guard.

"Who's there?!"

"The number one under heav—... never mind."

"In any case, once I defeat you—a spent arrow at the end of its flight—I, Shang Miaoyan, will be number one under heaven. The previous rankings are hardly worth mentioning."

Shang Miaoyan walked out of the bamboo forest with a smile, looking at the devastation that resembled the aftermath of a super typhoon. She clicked her tongue in amazement.

"As expected of the number one and number two. This level of power is beyond the Jianghu's definition of martial arts, isn't it? Could it be that while we're practicing martial arts, you two are cultivating immortality? Hahaha~"

"You're from the Celestial Demon Sect?" Lin Qianyan's voice was as cold as frost, laced with suppressed fury.

"What are you doing here? Do you intend to be the fisherman who profits from the conflict, assassinating both me and Pei Yuhang?"

Hearing this, Shang Miaoyan shook her head gently, the smile on her face not fading in the slightest.

She held up a slender finger and wagged it from side to side, as if teasing a disobedient kitten.

"No, no, no. I couldn't bear to kill you."

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Pei Yuhang's master, the current Saintess of the Celestial Demon Sect, Shang Miaoyan."

'Pei... Pei Yuhang's master?'

The expression on Lin Qianyan's face froze instantly, as if she had heard something from a fairytale. Her fingers trembled slightly, and the tip of her sword unconsciously drooped.

"What do you mean!"

There was a tremor in Lin Qianyan's voice; she clearly couldn't accept this fact.

'The number one Swordsman under heaven, who once looked down on all heroes with his unparalleled Swordsmanship, was actually in league with the Demon Sect? This completely subverted everything she thought she knew about Pei Yuhang.'

Shang Miaoyan watched Lin Qianyan's reaction, the smile on her lips deepening.

"What? Are you surprised?"

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an intangible pressure. "Pei Yuhang has been my man for a long time."

Lin Qianyan's face turned pale in an instant. Her voice trembling, she hissed, "Impossible! Pei Yuhang would never stoop to your level!"

Shang Miaoyan offered no explanation. She preferred to use actions to shatter Lin Qianyan's last illusion.

"Pei Yuhang, come here and kiss me. Make it passionate. Let's give the inexperienced Sect Leader Lin a little taste of the real world~"

As Shang Miaoyan spoke, Pei Yuhang, who had been standing silently behind Lin Qianyan, actually rose to his feet. He walked past Lin Qianyan and headed toward Shang Miaoyan.

"No, no! Pei Yuhang, do you know what you're doing?"

Lin Qianyan tried to go and grab Pei Yuhang, but without a shred of strength left in her body, she fell helplessly to the ground.

She could only watch, wide-eyed, as the white-robed young master she had admired for all these years reached out and wrapped his arm around Shang Miaoyan's slender, serpentine waist.

Then, the two of them became entangled in a deep kiss.