Chapter 720 - 727: Quite the Performance

Song Wanning remained motionless, her expression one of outright suspicion.

Her distrust was practically written on her face.

Tian Li didn’t seem to mind, continuing his assault on the death energy.

Soon, he was injured. The death energy seeped into his body through the wound, and his skin instantly changed color.

His entire body turned dark and dusky, even his face, as if he were completely shrouded in the death energy.

But he didn’t give up, continuing his battle against the death energy.

Finally, after several minutes, with a deafening boom, the death energy violently dispersed, fading away bit by bit before their eyes.

The Array shattered in response.

Tian Li coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the death energy covering his body rapidly dissipated.

Clutching his wound, he quickly retreated to Song Wanning’s side.

Song Wanning stared at him with wide, innocent eyes.

A dark gleam flashed across the depths of Tian Li’s eyes.

Then, he offered a wan smile.

He took out an Elixir Pill and popped it into his mouth.

His injuries began to heal, and the color returned to his face.

"I knew you still suspected me."

A wry smile touched Tian Li’s lips as he shook his head.

"But we truly are allies."

"I believe that one day, you will come to trust me."

With that, he walked back to the center of the Array. After fiddling around for a moment, he dug a hole in the ground.

The hole led underground, and a briny, metallic scent rushed out.

"Let’s go down and take a look."

Without a backward glance, Tian Li jumped into the hole, showing no intention of rushing or forcing Song Wanning to follow.

"Sister, don’t go! He must have an ambush waiting down there."

The Dragon Spirit said nervously, tugging on Song Wanning’s collar.

Who knew what was waiting in that hole?

Song Wanning was silent for a moment before deciding to go see for herself.

She had to go, even though she knew it might be dangerous.

She had to find out if Tian Li was truly one of the invaders who had awakened their consciousness.

Arriving at the mouth of the hole, Song Wanning swept the area with her Divine Sense. When she detected no immediate danger, she jumped in.

Below the opening was a passageway.

Tian Li was walking ahead, holding a Luminous Pearl aloft. A smile graced his face when he saw Song Wanning descend.

It even held a hint of gratification.

Song Wanning raised an eyebrow. Following behind him, she voiced her question.

"Have you been here before?"

Tian Li shook his head. "This is my first time. I simply know a few divination techniques and calculated this position."

Tian Li’s voice echoed through the tunnel, sounding somewhat distant.

Song Wanning said no more and simply followed him.

Soon, they stopped again. A ferocious beast had appeared before them.

The beast’s aura was deep and steady. Its eyes were slightly open, revealing only the whites, with no pupils to be seen.

It raised its head, staring eerily at the pair as its aura continued to intensify.

Tian Li moved to shield Song Wanning and said simply, "I’ll handle it."

With that, he charged toward the ferocious beast.

Song Wanning stood at a distance, pondering Tian Li’s motives.

’Is he trying to bait me into action?’

’Or is it something else...?’

With this question in mind, she watched as Tian Li became locked in combat with the beast, their battle causing the entire cavern to tremble.

Debris began to fall from the walls around them.

BOOM—

ROAR—

The beast let out a savage roar. Its attacks grew more vicious, and it soon covered Tian Li in wounds.

Tian Li didn’t utter a single cry, pressing his assault against the beast.

Perhaps because he knew Song Wanning wouldn’t help, he never once called out to her, even as his immortal power neared depletion.

This left her small companions completely bewildered.

...

THUD—

The ferocious beast collapsed, and Tian Li dropped to his knees with a thud.

He was covered in blood, his face deathly pale from exhaustion.

Song Wanning walked over and confirmed the beast was dead before turning to look at Tian Li in silence.

A complicated expression flickered in her eyes.

Tian Li smiled at Song Wanning. "I’m not dead yet. Don’t worry."

"Who’s worried about you?"

Song Wanning’s face was cold as she took a few steps back, saying nothing more.

The smile on Tian Li’s face deepened. He struggled to his feet and hastily shoved a few Elixir Pills into his mouth.

He was heavily injured this time; it wouldn’t be a quick recovery.

After dealing with the beast’s corpse, he limped over to Song Wanning and plopped down beside her.

"Let me recover first, then we can move on."

"Since I’m the one who brought you here, I will ensure your safety."

"You can trust me on that."

Without any further explanation, Tian Li closed his eyes and began to heal his wounds.

Her expression a mixture of complexity and scrutiny, Song Wanning studied him for a few moments before sitting down nearby to act as his protector.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Only after Tian Li had recovered did the two of them continue onward.

The rest of their journey was fraught with peril, and they encountered one crisis after another.

Tian Li always took the lead, rushing to the front just as he’d promised, protecting Song Wanning from the slightest harm.

And Song Wanning’s attitude finally began to shift.

Though she was still suspicious, a hint of worry had crept into her gaze when she looked at him.

Before long, Tian Li was wounded once again, this time far more grievously.

He could no longer even support his own weight.

Song Wanning frowned and stepped forward to help him up.

Looking at his tightly shut eyes, her expression flickered with conflict and indecision before she took out several Elixir Pills and placed them in his mouth.

...

Time ticked by, and at last, Tian Li awoke.

He gazed at Song Wanning, his smile more brilliant than ever.

"Thank you!"

Song Wanning remained stone-faced, looking as if she wanted nothing to do with him.

But this only made Tian Li’s smile grow wider and more carefree.

So, once he had recovered, they set off again.

It wasn’t long before they encountered another enormous, ferocious beast.

Song Wanning’s lip twitched. ’Aren’t these dangers a bit too frequent?’

’Even I’m getting a little tired.’

"This ferocious beast... it’s at the Heavenly Immortal Level..."

Tian Li’s expression was grim, his eyes filled with dread.

As if making a great resolution, he turned back to Song Wanning. "If I fall here today, then I’m leaving the task of eliminating the invaders to you!"

With that, he charged at the beast.

A worried expression appeared on Song Wanning’s face, but she still remained where she was, not intervening.

But she could no longer watch with the same cold indifference as before.

After a series of violent clashes, Tian Li was soon too grievously wounded to stand.

He coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood as his aura rapidly faded.

A flicker of deep concern crossed Song Wanning’s features, and she took the initiative to offer, "I’ll help you!"

She raised her Longsword, about to charge, but Tian Li held up a hand. "Don’t!"

"I can handle this!"

"Stay out of it!"

"One of us dying is enough."

With that, he dragged his battered body forward, charging at the beast once more.

The sight of his "heroic" charge made the corner of Song Wanning’s eye twitch.

’He’s a pretty convincing actor...’