Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 190 - 187: Escape from a Predicament

Chapter 190: Chapter 187: Escape from a Predicament

"Sure."

To Ye Xuan’s surprise, Mu Yan almost didn’t think before nodding in agreement.

"That easy?"

Ye Xuan had some doubts. She agreed so quickly; there must be some trickery involved. But then again, if she turned her back on him after he had saved her, he would be utterly helpless, which was very likely to happen.

"In that case, if you truly plan to serve me, then open your soul to me. Let me plant a spiritual power brand in it, and then I can rest assured."

Thinking it over, there seemed to be no other way to ensure Mu Yan wouldn’t turn on him afterward.

"You want to control me? I would rather die from this curse than have you intervene."

Unexpectedly, Mu Yan flatly refused him after hearing his request, leaving Ye Xuan somewhat taken aback. She had agreed so quickly and now rejected him just as decisively.

"You, lad, how could you treat the girl this way? What’s the most important between people? It’s trust! Since the girl has agreed, why not save her first and see what happens?" At that moment, the Flood Dragon beside him couldn’t stand by silently any longer and spoke out.

"Damn it, whose side are you on? Shut up."

Ye Xuan glared at him. This creature was not helping and was even speaking in favor of the Witch. Was this his spirit beast?

"Think it over. If you don’t agree, I won’t help you. If you let the Soul-devouring Curse take effect, you will surely die. Remember, once a person dies, everything is gone."

His face still cold, Ye Xuan calmly looked at the pale but stunning face before him and spoke indifferently.

"There’s no need for your concern."

Ye Xuan’s suggestion to implant a spiritual power brand seemed to touch on a matter of principle for Mu Yan. She turned her head away and tightly closed her eyes, as if awaiting death.

Seeing her like this, Ye Xuan felt rather helpless. It appeared that she truly wasn’t afraid of death, and threatening her with it was useless.

"Forget it, this time I’ll be a living Buddha and trust you once."

Ye Xuan wouldn’t actually watch Mu Yan die before him. After hesitating, he exhaled a breath, then pinched his right hand’s index and middle fingers together and pointed at the location of the Soul-devouring Curse.

Hiss...

Under the touch of Ye Xuan’s finger, a wisp of black air drifted from the curse mark. Upon contact with the air, it quickly dissolved and disappeared, as if it didn’t belong to this world.

As the black air faded, Mu Yan’s complexion also showed signs of pain. She let out muffled groans. Her pitiful appearance would likely arouse a sense of pity in any man.

Ignoring Mu Yan’s expression, Ye Xuan performed Sealing hand signs. True Qi gathered at the tip of his fingers, continuously pointing at several acupoints on her body, and finally pressing on the curse mark. As True Qi converged, more black air emerged steadily from the curse mark. The sinister black lines that had been spreading throughout her body were now being suppressed by the dispersing True Qi, their color slowly fading.

With the curse mark’s power being suppressed, beads of sweat also formed on Ye Xuan’s forehead. The creator of this Soul-devouring Curse was no ordinary person, and with his current abilities, resolving it was not an easy task.

Had he not encountered many such curses in his previous life, he probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve this much. Fortunately for her, it was because of him that this Witch still had a chance to live.

Several minutes later, on Mu Yan’s fair skin, the deathly black lines also dissipated one by one, and the source curse mark’s energy gradually calmed down.

"It’s done."

Ye Xuan withdrew his fingers and then exhaled a heavy breath. The Soul-devouring Curse was temporarily resolved, but complete elimination would require some herbs, which, being trapped here, were naturally impossible to obtain.

The power of the curse mark resolved, and Mu Yan’s complexion regained its color. However, the effects of the curse had sadly drained a significant amount of her vitality, which could potentially shorten her lifespan if it recurred frequently. Such a curse was indeed malicious.

"Thank you."

Mu Yan, feeling the curse mark’s power dissipate, breathed a sigh of relief. A rare look of gratitude appeared in her eyes, as she owed her life to Ye Xuan.

"No need. All you have to do is remember what you’ve said. From now on, you no longer serve the Black Demon Sect, but me," Ye Xuan responded. "However, you won’t have to follow me for too long. Once I leave the Tiannan Region, you will be free. At most a year, and I should be leaving."

"As an exchange, I will completely remove the Soul-devouring Curse from your body before I leave," Ye Xuan said with an indifferent expression.

"No problem."

Mu Yan’s eyes lit up; she originally thought she might have to serve Ye Xuan for a long time, but just one year, this deal was incredibly favorable for her.

Ye Xuan was initially somewhat suspicious of Mu Yan’s decisiveness, but he was too lazy to ask further. It seemed that this Enchanting Heart Witch wasn’t wholeheartedly loyal to the Black Demon Sect after all. The Soul-devouring Curse she had been under was likely a means of control by the Black Demon Sect’s leaders over their subordinates.

And it seemed that Mu Yan was only working for the Black Demon Sect because of this vicious method.

Indeed, the Black Demon Sect had been destroyed for hundreds of years. By now, there were very few who remained truly loyal. Compared to being manipulated and tormented by the Soul-devouring Curse, the condition Ye Xuan offered to erase the curse was almost too good to require any consideration on Mu Yan’s part.

To her, the Black Demon Sect wasn’t a place worth reminiscing about but rather a demonic pit she couldn’t escape.

"Alright, since you two have come to an agreement, let’s hurry up and find a way out. Being trapped underground here is no good."

At that moment, the Flood Dragon beside them reminded Ye Xuan. Although the dragon had high cultivation, in this situation, he was also out of ideas. It was unknown how far they were from the surface, and blindly using brute force could not only fail to open an exit but might trigger another collapse, making it even harder to escape.

"Let me take a look."

Ye Xuan shook his head. At a critical time like this, it was up to him. The passage was now blocked, so the only option was to look for an exit nearby. If he really couldn’t find anything, he’d have to take the risk and let the Flood Dragon use brute force to see if they could break out a way.

After speaking, Ye Xuan started to search around. Two days passed, and Ye Xuan still hadn’t found any mechanism or secret door. Just as he was about to give up, suddenly, his ear pressed against the stone wall caught the sound of something like flowing water.

Woosh woosh...

As his Divine Sense strengthened, the sound of the water grew louder and louder, eventually becoming quite distinct. It was indeed the sound of moving water.

"Little Long, attack full force at my position, but this time, don’t collapse the tunnel again," Ye Xuan backed away and then gave the Flood Dragon a wry look as a reminder.

"Don’t worry, that was just a fluke last time. Let me show you what your Brother Long is capable of—true artistry," the Flood Dragon chuckled, then its smile quickly faded and it focused, the breath sinking into its Dantian. With a loud shout, it punched out like a dragon, and this time, its punch was exceptionally concentrated. Striking the stone wall, it possessed a strong penetrating force and directly created a round hole.

Dust flew in the air. The small hole created by the punch was just big enough for a person to get through. Without hesitation, Ye Xuan was the first to enter the hole. Agile and quick, he passed through the opening and upon landing, an underground river suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"Perfect, there is a hidden river here. All we need to do is follow this river upstream, and we should find an exit to the surface."

The moment he saw the river, a burst of surprise and joy surged within Ye Xuan. The riverbed sloped downwards, and the water surely came from the surface. Following the river would definitely lead them out.

An hour later, following the river, the trio of Ye Xuan finally saw the long-missed glimmer of light—an exit at last.

...

Underneath a cliff, three figures lay lazily on the grass, basking in the long-lost sun. The feeling of being trapped underground for over a month was incredibly uncomfortable, casting a psychological shadow that was nearly suffocating.

Humans are better off living on the surface.

The joy of a narrow escape from death slowly appeared on the faces of Ye Xuan and Mu Yan. Facing what seemed like a dead end, even Ye Xuan had tasted despair. Although he had faced life and death situations before, the notion of being trapped alive and dying like that was probably the most terrible way to go.

While Ye Xuan was still soaking in the rare sunshine, Mu Yan had already stood up next to him and looked at him with her beautiful eyes, "I need to go back and report."

Since she had miraculously escaped, she naturally had to return to the Black Demon Sect to report back, regardless of her loyalty to the sect.

"If you go back now and King Wang Ruo asks, how will you answer?" Ye Xuan’s expression tensed slightly as he asked.

"I have my own plans, and it will not involve you. I was lucky to escape, so the King should not be suspicious," Mu Yan said lightly.

"Then, go. I will fulfill my promise to you as soon as possible," Ye Xuan waved his hand, his tone softened a bit. Despite the fact that this Witch had been troublesome before, they had been through hardships together, and they had even shared bodily intimacy, albeit under irrational circumstances. Nevertheless, that was the truth, and at this point, the grudge in his heart had almost dissipated.

"Mm, if there is any major movement in the sect, I will send you a message."

Mu Yan nodded and then, in a flash, quickly disappeared into the woods in front of them.