The Cost of Protection

“Ugh!”

But then a sharp tearing sensation shot through Zhuang Xun’s heart once more.

He gritted his teeth, clutching Xuanyuan Luoshui tightly as he fell to one knee.

“No matter how many times…”

“The pain never lessens by even a fraction…”

He looked at the eerie black mist in his hand, forcing down the excruciating pain.

Channeling a mysterious, boundless power, he enveloped the mist, gradually making it dissipate in his palm.

“Ha… ha…”

Zhuang Xun gasped for air. His mind was foggy, drowsy, but the intense pain kept him from falling asleep, leaving him suspended between wakefulness and dreams.

In that haze, he recalled the words of the Great Dao that had reached his ears before the Heavenly Gate was sundered.

[Those of the lower realm, the best way to combat the Demon Seed of the Celestial Demon is with the power of the Great Dao—it is its bane.]

[The present Immortal Domain is in turmoil from the invasion of the Celestial Demon Universe. Once the turmoil subsides, the Heavenly Gate will be opened wide. Spread this word.]

“And I’m supposed to say this alone… Who would believe me?” Zhuang Xun muttered, already delirious. “I’m no savior…”

He planted his spear on the ground, one hand gripping the shaft tightly, his head slowly drooping.

His eyelids half-closed; two streams of blood trickled from the corners of his eyes, and a trace of blood seeped from his lips.

Then he gradually lost consciousness.

Yet even then, he maintained that protective posture, never letting go of her in his arms.

“……”

“……”

“Mm…”

After a long while, Xuanyuan Luoshui opened her beautiful eyes, a haze lingering in her crimson irises.

She seemed to have had a brief, beautiful dream.

In the dream…

Her master had taken the initiative to touch her, speaking to her in soft, gentle tones, like a pair of intimate dao companions.

But the sweet dream vanished in an instant, shattered by a cold voice.

“Master…”

“What’s wrong with you!”

****

Within Zhuang Xun’s sea of consciousness.

He sat cross-legged with closed eyes amid the endless starry sea, circulating his energy to regulate his breathing.

Beside him, a girl in a pure white fitted dress was rearranging some stars, sighing. “Father, you took too great a risk this time. You nearly destroyed your physical body.”

“The Great Dao body hasn’t been completed, and the situation was dire. I had no choice.”

“But Father could have removed the Demon Seed in a simpler, more brutal way. Why did you have to choose this method that causes you pain?”

“Even if it would have damaged her foundation, compared to having her heart devoured by the Demon Seed and becoming a mindless walking corpse…”

“This was the best outcome.”

Daoling felt no pity for anyone. Whether it was a child of fortune, a child of the Great Dao, a transmigrator, or a system bearer from a higher plane… they all received the same treatment in their eyes: suppress if needed, kill if needed.

There was only one exception.

Zhuang Xun opened his eyes, calmly gazing at the boundless starry sea. “But compared to seeing her get hurt, I’d rather bear a little more myself.”

This was his way of atoning for the guilt of having deceived her back then.

“Father doesn’t owe her anything,” Daoling said, walking over to Zhuang Xun and, without a word, lying down in his arms.

Zhuang Xun was used to this behavior and didn’t mind.

“From the perspective of karmic cycles… If it weren’t for Father’s unique cultivation technique that points directly to the Great Dao, and the divine artifacts he gave her as aids, her greatest achievement would be becoming a female emperor of a high-martial world. She wouldn’t have come to this higher realm of immortal cultivation, let alone pester Father…”

“Alright, wasn’t it you who assigned her to me in the first place?”

“How was I supposed to know Father would be so good to those girls… Giving them rankless techniques, bestowing divine artifacts, and guiding their cultivation so attentively…” Daoling’s words seemed tinged with jealousy.

But Zhuang Xun was still in a half-awake state, so they didn’t think much of it. Techniques and artifacts were no longer necessities for him.

“By the way… Did you secretly take those things from my computer?”

“?” A question mark seemed to appear above Daoling’s head. “What things?”

“Does Father mean that vulgar physical book?”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t know. All I remember is that back then I had only one thought: I wanted to capture Father. That’s all.”

Zhuang Xun stroked his chin, pondering after hearing Daoling’s answer.

Then how had those computer documents from his real world come about? And how had they turned into a physical book? Did it grow legs and walk over?

Zhuang Xun was now full of questions, with no idea how to find answers.

****

Tai Xuan Dao Sect.

In the courtyard of the Sect Master’s residence.

Xuanyuan Luoshui stared solemnly at the commentary on an ancient bronze mirror, beginning to form some ideas in her mind.

“Luoshui… this is already the second time you’ve used my dao artifact for divination.” Ziyin walked out of the residence and leaped to the seat opposite her. “According to our agreement, you must stay at the Dao Sect for another hundred years.”

“I know. A hundred years is nothing; I have plenty of time.”

“Hehe… Are you divining about your mysterious master again? Let me see what you found.”

Ziyin focused her mind, and the dao artifact flew to her automatically.

“A commentary?”

[Origin Body Incomplete, Demon Seed Emerging, Great Dao Annihilated, Fated for Deep Emotion.]

Ziyin saw the blood-red writing on her mirror and frowned. In the past, when using the dao artifact to divine causality, it always showed scenes. Why was there only a single commentary this time?

“Sect Master, can I go see Lingxu Zhenren?” Xuanyuan Luoshui felt she needed to understand the reasons behind things. She couldn’t let her master suffer unexplained dao injuries again.

“If you want to see my master, it depends on her mood… If she’s not happy, even I can’t enter her small world.” Ziyin poured a cup of spirit tea, stirring it with her finger, looking a bit helpless.

“Then can I talk to her?”

“Talk?” Ziyin shrugged. “That depends on whether she’s willing to reply to you.” Her master had such a quirky temperament that sometimes it took days for her to respond to Ziyin. It made Ziyin both frustrated and resigned, almost like pining after a lover but never obtaining them.

“……”

“How about this: tell her that you divined the karma of a reclusive expert and got an eight-character commentary. Then mention ‘Demon Seed Emerging, Great Dao Annihilated.’”

“Will that work?”

“You won’t know until you try.”

Xuanyuan Luoshui reasoned. The so-called ‘Origin Body Incomplete’ likely referred to her master’s physical condition. ‘Demon Seed Emerging,’ combined with the brief dream she had, should be the cause of that dream. As for ‘Great Dao Annihilated,’ perhaps her master had perceived her condition at the time and saved her using some method that touched the dao principles. But ‘Fated for Deep Emotion’… Xuanyuan Luoshui didn’t need to think further; the answer was clear. As her teacher, Zhuang Xun hadn’t completely let her go; instead, he cared deeply. And as for her, no need to elaborate. She had taken on the role of Grand Elder only to find him; she had no ambitious aspirations.