Chapter 27: Make Him Pay Worse Than Death

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Make Him Pay Worse Than Death

It had already been nearly a month since Yizhou and the others departed for their mission, yet Sui Sui still had not received any news from them. However, this was within his expectations.

According to the original novel, after discovering that the Soul Bell had already disappeared without a trace, the group would be separated by the increasingly violent snowstorm while searching for answers.

It would take them some time before they managed to reunite, only to realize that Yizhou was still missing.

After failing to find him, the group would eventually send a message back to the sect requesting reinforcements. However, it would not be until three months later that Yizhou would finally emerge from the hidden ice cave.

Because of this, Sui Sui was not too worried at first. He believed that as long as the events followed the original plot, Yizhou would eventually return safely.

However, one afternoon while Sui Sui was working in the Herb Garden, he happened to overhear the conversation of several visiting disciples.

"Did you hear? Senior Brother Fu and the others returned from their mission recently."

"Of course I heard. Apparently, something unexpected happened during their mission. They encountered a demonic cultivator."

"Yeah, a senior brother I know was there when they returned. The situation was terrible. Some disciples lost an arm, some lost a leg, some were severely injured and unconscious, and some... didn’t make it back. It was truly tragic."

"Even Senior Brother Yizhou went missing and still hasn’t been found. I don’t know if he..."

"Shh, don’t say that. Senior Brother Yizhou is incredibly talented. It would be such a pity if someone like him perished."

"I wonder what kind of mission they encountered that they ended up facing a demonic cultivator..."

The moment those words entered his ears, Sui Sui’s movements froze.

Fu QiongRan and the others had already returned?

And they had been attacked by a demonic cultivator?

That was completely different from what happened in the novel.

According to the original story, they were supposed to be separated because of the snowstorm after discovering that the Soul Bell had disappeared. There was never supposed to be an attack from a demonic cultivator.

Then what about Yizhou?

Unable to hold back his worries, Sui Sui immediately began asking around for more information. However, the disciples involved in the mission were currently either recovering from their injuries or placed in seclusion to heal, so no one could provide him with any useful answers.

Several days passed after the news of Fu QiongRan’s group’s return spread throughout the sect, yet there was still no information regarding Yizhou’s whereabouts.

Although Sui Sui knew that the protagonist’s luck was ridiculously strong and that Yizhou would not die so easily, he still could not completely relax. The events had already deviated from the original story, and he could not guarantee that everything would continue to follow the same path.

After all, no matter how powerful Yizhou was, he was still only a low level cultivator. If he faced an enemy with a much higher cultivation realm, even someone like him could still fall.

The sect immediately sent several stronger cultivators to investigate the area where the incident occurred. They managed to recover the bodies of some of the disciples who had fallen during the mission, and according to their investigation, the enemy they encountered was most likely a high-ranking demonic cultivator whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

With Fu QiongRan, the strongest person in their group, only being at the peak of golden core formation, it was already considered a miracle that the remaining disciples managed to survive and return.

This deadlock continued for another four months.

During this time, Sui Sui continued his life in the Herb Garden. After the recording crystal was repaired, Elder Jingyan and Senior Brother Ji invited him to stay as a permanent helper instead of just a temporary worker.

Although he was unable to assist with harvesting spiritual herbs, as that required the use of Soul Force, there were still many other things he could help with, such as planting herbs, watering them, recording their growth, and organizing the daily records.

Aside from his assigned duties, Sui Sui also spent a lot of time learning about different types of spiritual herbs from Senior Brother Ji. He found that working in the Herb Garden was actually quite peaceful, and compared to the chaos he experienced after transmigrating, these days were surprisingly comfortable.

One afternoon, after finishing a large pile of work, Sui Sui returned to his living quarters to rest. After washing away the exhaustion from the day, he walked back toward his room.

However, before he even opened the door, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if something unexpected was about to happen.

But Sui Sui was too tired to think deeply about it. He had spent the entire day working and simply wanted to rest, so he ignored the strange feeling and pushed open the door.

The moment he stepped inside, his entire body froze.

A familiar scene that he had not seen for four months appeared before him once again.

"Y-you? How? You’re back? Since when?" Sui Sui stared at the person in front of him in disbelief. He had not heard any news about Yizhou’s return recently, so seeing him suddenly appear in his room was completely unexpected.

"Just got back right now. You’re the first person I came to see. How about it? Are you touched?" Yizhou said with a smug expression, clearly enjoying Sui Sui’s surprised reaction.

"Touched in your dreams."

Hearing the familiar teasing tone from Yizhou again, Sui Sui suddenly felt that all the worry he had spent the past few months carrying was completely unnecessary. This person was clearly fine, looking energetic and healthy, as if he had not just disappeared for four months.

"So? What happened? Why did you only come back now?" Sui Sui asked, unable to suppress the curiosity building inside him.

"It’s a long story."

Yizhou then briefly explained everything that had happened during the mission. From the moment they opened the formation, to the sudden explosion, the appearance of the demonic cultivator, and finally how he had fallen into the hidden ice cave.

However, when talking about his experience inside the cave, Yizhou deliberately omitted certain details. He did not mention the mysterious blue flame he discovered, only explaining the parts that Sui Sui already told him about.

"So after obtaining the Ice Elemental Spirit, there really was another cave filled with spirit herbs and other treasures? And you spent the remaining four months cultivating inside and collecting them?" Sui Sui asked in excitement.

It seemed that the information from the novel had not been wrong after all. In the original story, this detail was only briefly mentioned by the author as a passing remark, saying that it was a pity Yizhou had missed the hidden cave filled with spirit stones.

At that time, when Yizhou obtained the Ice Elemental Spirit in the novel, he had already been trapped inside the cave for several months.

His spiritual energy had been greatly depleted, and after seeing the passage leading outside appear, he immediately left without exploring further.

However, this time, because of Sui Sui’s reminder, Yizhou already knew that the exit would only appear after obtaining the Ice Elemental Spirit.

He did not waste his remaining strength waiting for an unknown escape route, allowing him to explore the hidden area while he was still in good condition.

As a result, he had obtained another opportunity that he originally missed in the novel.

Hearing Yizhou recount everything that had happened, Sui Sui secretly felt a little pleased.

If he thought about it carefully, every opportunity Yizhou had gained this time was because of his reminder, proving that changing the plot was not necessarily a bad thing.

Although he still had no idea how to stop Yizhou from walking down the path of becoming a tyrant, this was at least a good start.

If he kept helping the protagonist like this, perhaps he could at least be promoted from a disposable side character to a reliable little brother. Who knew, maybe one day the protagonist would even be moved by his sincere camaraderie.

Meanwhile, Yizhou quietly observed every change in Sui Sui’s expression. Although Sui Sui knew many things that even he did not, it seemed he did not know everything.

After all, from beginning to end, Sui Sui never asked about the purple flame.

If he truly knew every secret hidden inside that cave, then the first thing he should have asked about was not the Ice Elemental Spirit or the spirit stones.

Compared to those treasures, the mysterious purple flame was the true fortune hidden within the cave.

Based on the ancient records he found in the hidden space before his rebirth, Yizhou had already guessed the flames’ identity.

It was the Nether Divine Flame, one of the Divine Flames that existed since ancient times and a power that had long vanished from the world.

According to those records, the last known owner of the Nether Divine Flame was a peerless expert whose cultivation had nearly reached the Divine Sovereign Realm.

However, that person mysteriously disappeared one day without leaving behind any trace, leading many to believe they had perished long ago.

Now that Yizhou had discovered the flame hidden within this cave, he could not help but wonder if this place was actually the final resting place of that ancient expert.

Perhaps after their death, their innate Divine Flame had remained here all these years, waiting for someone compatible enough to inherit it.

The almost four months he spent inside the cave were not merely for mining spirit stones. Most of that time was devoted to slowly refining and absorbing the essence of the Nether Divine Flame.

Fortunately, the flame was unexpectedly compatible with his physique. Otherwise, even if he had discovered such a heaven-defying treasure, he would never have been able to claim it as his own.

The more he explored the hidden cave, the more convinced Yizhou became that it once belonged to an unimaginably powerful cultivator. As for whether that person was truly dead or had simply left, even he had no way of knowing.

As for how he entered the cave, it was likely because the violent explosions during the battle had damaged part of the formation protecting it. That single crack allowed him to stumble into the hidden space by pure chance.

The formation itself was extraordinary. It completely concealed the cave from the outside world, making it impossible for anyone to detect its existence. Likewise, once someone entered, escaping was equally difficult unless they found the proper method to leave.

The fact that Sui Sui knew so much about this hidden cave was undoubtedly suspicious.

However...

Yizhou was willing to trust him just a tiny bit.

Just one more time.

If Sui Sui truly betrayed him in the future, then Yizhou would personally make sure the price he paid would be far worse than death.