Ji Liantan was just getting excited about the delightful scenario he had conjured in his mind when he suddenly sensed something amiss.
His excitement had gone a bit too far—so much so that it had even spread to his body.
Then it hit him: "Huh? Where are you touching?"
Shen Ying, who had been pressing her hand against his firm, perfectly sculpted backside, looked up in confusion. "What’s wrong?"
Ji Liantan’s face flushed red. "I asked you to scrub my back. Where exactly are you scrubbing?"
Shen Ying replied innocently, "Well, I have to be thorough, right? Can’t miss a single spot."
Ji Liantan knew she was playing dumb. He flicked her forehead with a loud tap-tap. "I knew you had your eyes on me. Ever since that day at the brothel when you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself, I’ve had you figured out."
"Behave yourself. You’re here to serve me, not take advantage."
"Don’t think just because I didn’t push you away back then that I’ve accepted your feelings. Dream on."
Shen Ying feigned deep disappointment. "Oh? So that’s what you really think, Senior Brother?"
"You know how I feel, yet you don’t draw a line between us. You still treat me the same as always, completely unguarded, and you don’t even mind being naked in front of me."
"And now you’re saying I’m the one with wild fantasies? Truly, the Young Master of the Harmony Sect knows how to brew tea."
With a displeased expression, Shen Ying stood up. "Fine. Since you’ve made yourself so clear, I won’t stay here and embarrass myself."
She stepped out of the hot spring, waved her hand to dry her clothes instantly, and her discarded outer robe flew back onto her shoulders.
Shen Ying left without hesitation. "Might as well go back and flirt with Senior Brother Ye Qingchen. No point wasting time on someone so ungrateful."
Ji Liantan hadn’t expected her to leave so abruptly, without giving him a chance to react.
Watching her retreating figure, he instinctively reached out, but before he could say a word, she was already gone.
Regret immediately washed over him. Why had he been so impatient?
What harm would it have done to indulge her a little? It wasn’t like she, a mere woman, could actually devour him.
If his coldness ended up pushing her completely into Ye Qingchen’s arms, how would he ever recover?
Unbeknownst to him, this wasn’t the first time he’d found himself compromising in his interactions with his junior sister.
Meanwhile, Shen Ying’s face showed no trace of her earlier anger.
In fact, she was in quite a good mood as she strolled through the nearby town, picking up a few things.
To the disciples of the Profound Extremity Sect, it just looked like she was out enjoying herself again.
After all, her elder, the Ye Peak Master, was in seclusion, her temporary guardian Ye Qingchen indulged her, and her master Lian Ying doted on her. Despite her short tenure in the sect, she had the privilege of acting as she pleased.
Shen Ying tossed an access token onto the table in front of Ye Qingchen. "Got it. Once the time comes and the secret realm opens, we can enter the competition grounds directly."
"Though this trip will take at least a month. What excuse will you use to be away for so long, Senior Brother?"
Ye Qingchen picked up the token, rubbing it thoughtfully. "No need to worry, Junior Sister. I’ve already requested permission from the sect leader to exterminate demons near the Forbidden Sea."
"Even if it takes half a year, no one will question it."
The Forbidden Sea was the stronghold of demonic creatures, separating the lands of the righteous and demonic paths. Unlike demonic cultivators, most of these creatures lacked intelligence and couldn’t weigh pros and cons.
Every year, some reckless ones tried to swim ashore and wreak havoc on nearby towns, so periodic extermination missions were common for righteous cultivators.
Shen Ying nodded. "Makes sense. And it’s conveniently on the way."
"I’ve heard the Forbidden Sea is home to sirens—beautiful creatures with voices like heavenly music, each as lovely as a moonlit fairy. Have you ever seen one, Senior Brother?"
Ye Qingchen gave her a surprised look. "I thought you were infatuated with Ji Liantan. Do you still have eyes for other men?"
Shen Ying laughed. "Just because I like Senior Brother doesn’t mean I’ve gone blind. Of course I can still appreciate beauty in the world."
"Take you, for example—in my eyes, you’re just as handsome as him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted such a troublesome task from you."
Ye Qingchen’s eyebrow twitched. "I almost forgot how blunt you are."
Still, he felt a flicker of satisfaction. If she wasn’t blindly devoted to Ji Liantan, then perhaps she wouldn’t stay fixated on him either.
In simpler terms: this was a wall worth tearing down.
With a lighter tone, he replied, "I’ve seen sirens before, but they’re not as beautiful as the legends say."
"Their voices are enchanting, but their appearances are gaunt and grotesque. The romantic tales are just illusions conjured by their songs."
Shen Ying sighed in disappointment. "I was hoping to play with a mermaid or two."
Ye Qingchen chuckled. "I’m afraid that wish of yours will remain unfulfilled in this lifetime."
Shen Ying smirked. "Oh, I wouldn’t say impossible."
If it could be done in the interstellar era, why not in a world of cultivation?
She’d tamed plenty of mermaids before.
For some reason, Ye Qingchen felt a pang of unease at her expression, as if some unseen threat had triggered his dao heart’s instinct for danger.
But this was just casual conversation.
In the days leading up to their departure, Shen Ying kept busy.
She wheedled more treasures out of Lian Ying and prepared ample supplies for the month-long journey.
When Ji Liantan came to bid her farewell before returning to the Harmony Sect, she deliberately ignored him.
On the day the secret realm opened, Shen Ying and Ye Qingchen descended the mountain and traveled a thousand miles toward the Forbidden Sea, well beyond the Profound Extremity Sect’s influence, before activating the access token.
With a flash of light, the two vanished.
The next moment, Shen Ying steadied herself and took in her unfamiliar surroundings.
She had expected to see a vast secret realm—whether a sea of blood and corpses, a wasteland of bones, or a serene paradise—something that reflected the legacy of the ancient master who had left it behind.
But this time was different. They had arrived in an enclosed space.
The area was sizable, but with hundreds of demonic cultivators gathered, it didn’t feel spacious.
Everyone—whether they’d entered through their sects’ assemblies or individually via tokens—looked equally bewildered.
Every previous Demon Path Grand Competition had been a free-for-all of schemes and betrayals, where terrain and traps played crucial roles, and temporary alliances were the norm.
But this time, they were all dumped into one place, hundreds of competitors staring at each other in plain sight.
What kind of game was this? How were they supposed to plot in secret now?
Whispers spread among the demonic disciples as they sized up their rivals from other sects.
Shen Ying scanned the crowd for members of the Harmony Sect. As the leading demonic faction, they were hard to miss, their presence impossible to ignore.
Before she could spot them, they had already noticed her.
"Senior Sister!"
Several melodious voices called out. Shen Ying turned to see a group of stunningly beautiful juniors rushing toward her with bright smiles.
Behind them stood Ji Liantan, glaring at her with clear displeasure.
Shen Ying ignored him, focusing entirely on her juniors.
"Senior Sister, where did you come from? I thought you weren’t joining the competition this time."
"Senior Sister, why did you suddenly leave the sect? It's been so long since you returned."
"Senior Sister, have you been living well outside? I hope you haven't suffered any hardships."
"Senior Sister, why aren't you speaking? Is it because of Senior Brother? He's so overbearing—unlike me, your junior brother. I only know how to cherish you."
