In Demon Sword City, snowflakes fluttered down.

    The inner disciples wandering around in white robes were unaware that the mysterious killer who had once caused a bloodbath in Yunxiao City was now targeting them. (TLN: Chapter 35)

    Meanwhile, in the secret realm, Li Muyang, who everyone believed to be dead, had just finished eating roasted bamboo shoots and lay down.

    “Goodnight, Elder Yan,” he said, settling in for sleep after a satisfying meal.

    This was his temporary dwelling in the bamboo forest, with a large rock above his head that provided shelter from the wind and rain.

    The fire crackled, emitting a warm aura.

    Although Li Muyang’s physique, even at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, meant he wouldn’t freeze to death in the snow even if his cultivation was stripped away, having a fire to warm himself was still very pleasant.

    Across from Li Muyang, the woman who had also enjoyed the roasted bamboo shoots but seemed to want more furrowed her brows.

    Yan Xiaoru looked at the outer disciple who was so carefree and unrestrained in front of her, seemingly wanting to say something.

    But in the end, she just put down the bamboo skewer and gave a light, expressionless “hmm.”

    Their first normal conversation in the secret realm ended in such a manner.

    Li Muyang’s life returned to its regular routine: playing games every day, practicing the Startling Swan Sword Mantra, eating bamboo shoots, playing more games, and then sleeping.

    There wasn’t much food in the secret realm, but the bamboo shoots from the forest tasted the best.

    Li Muyang’s main food was mostly roasted bamboo shoots.

    It was a pity there were no animals in the secret realm. Otherwise, with such a large bamboo forest, catching a few bamboo rats for some meat would have been great.

    After her failed suicide attempt on New Year’s Eve, Yan Xiaoru hadn’t tried to take her life again.

    She returned to the grassy area outside the bamboo forest, sitting ten steps away from Fairy Yu’s grave every day, attempting to tame the Startling Swan Immortal Sword, although such attempts were destined to be fruitless.

    However, whenever smoke rose from the bamboo forest at mealtime, Yan Xiaoru would come uninvited, unabashedly helping herself to the roasted bamboo shoots.

    These bamboo shoots nourished by spiritual energy indeed tasted good.

    Li Muyang noticed that aside from eating these bamboo shoots, Yan Xiaoru didn’t eat anything else.

    Apparently, she had finished all the snacks and pastries in her Qiankun Ring...

    Tsk... Could it be that this woman decided to commit suicide only after finishing all her snacks?

    Li Muyang found the thought quite funny.

    Who would have thought that Elder Yan of the Demon Refining Sect, so cold and aloof on the outside, was actually a complete foodie in private?

    Fortunately, the bamboo shoots in the forest were plentiful, and Li Muyang roasted a large amount every day to feed Yan Xiaoru, hoping that this woman wouldn’t be in a hurry to die.

    If this continued, she might really die in the secret realm.

    Li Muyang became even more eager to practice the Sword Control Heart Mantra in the game, relentlessly slaying monsters while carrying the head of the Shape-Shifter Master.

    His aptitude was too ordinary; to master a top heart-controlling technique like the Sword Control Heart Mantra, even with the help of the system, he had to work extremely hard.

    At this time, Li Muyang dared not slack off in the slightest.

    He poured all his time into the game, even reducing the time he spent eating and sleeping to try and accelerate his cultivation progress.

    As Li Muyang cut down on meal times and rest, his conversations and interactions with Yan Xiaoru also became increasingly scarce.

    This wasn’t a problem, after all, although the two were in the same secret realm, the gap in their status was too great.

    One was an elder of the Demonic Sect, the other an Outer Sect nobody.

    Although they could converse due to the crisis, a nobody is still a nobody and shouldn’t get carried away.

    Li Muyang always had a clear understanding of his own status.

    He didn’t want to get too arrogant now and face Yan Xiaoru’s reckoning later.

    However, this neglect seemed to make the woman, whose life was hanging by a thread, grow more and more despondent.

    Finally, one night, as usual, Li Muyang quickly finished his portion of roasted bamboo shoots and lay down, pretending to sleep.

    It was then that the woman, who had been silent for a long time by the fire, suddenly spoke up.

    “Li Muyang...”

    Her voice was weak, but her tone was as cold as ever.

    Yet, she unusually called Li Muyang by his name, her gaze quietly fixed on him.

    Seeing Li Muyang open his eyes and sit up, the woman looked into his eyes and asked seriously, word by word, “Have you grown tired of me?”

    Her voice was feeble and powerless, but she asked very earnestly. Li Muyang was stunned for a moment, blinking and saying, “Huh?”

    What the heck... Where did this come from?

    Li Muyang was completely dumbfounded.

    But the woman by the fire looked at him, quietly and deliberately saying, “From now on, I won’t waste words. I want to impart to you the ‘Netherworld Demon Technique’ that I have cultivated. Are you willing to learn it?”

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