Chapter 721 - 728: Playing Him All Along

Tian Li fought the ferocious beast with even greater frenzy.

Song Wanning stood to the side, griping internally, but her face showed just the right amount of concern.

After a few more exchanges, Tian Li was injured again, his stamina clearly failing.

He staggered back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just as he was about to speak, Song Wanning suddenly tossed out an Elixir Pill.

"This is a Violent Burst Pill!"

She shouted sharply, and Tian Li understood at once.

He immediately grabbed the Elixir Pill and swallowed it. The Spiritual Power in his body skyrocketed in an instant.

His movements grew ferocious, and within a few maneuvers, he even managed to gain a slight upper hand.

Soon, under the effects of the Violent Burst Pill, Tian Li’s strength soared, forcing the ferocious beast into a hasty retreat.

Finally, with a roar of unwilling fury, the ferocious beast was cut down by Tian Li.

Blood splattered across the ground. Tian Li collapsed in exhaustion, his entire body wracked by the backlash of the depleted Violent Burst Pill.

He lay completely exposed before Song Wanning, a clear display of his absolute trust in her.

Song Wanning was, in fact, quite moved. She hurried over to help him up and put several Elixir Pills into his mouth.

"Are you all right?"

The worry in her voice was undeniable, but her expression remained as cold as ever.

Tian Li gave her a weak smile, his eyes full of mirth.

"I’m fine. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. One of us has to carry the burden of our duty."

At his words, Song Wanning fell silent, but she was no longer as guarded against Tian Li as she had been at first.

Tian Li naturally sensed this. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth as he said with feigned nonchalance, "All these injuries are worth it, as long as you can believe me..."

"Don’t say any more."

Song Wanning cut him off, her expression conflicted.

"I’ll go deal with the beast’s corpse. You rest and heal."

She turned away as if to escape, busying herself with the beast’s corpse and leaving him with only the sight of her back.

Tian Li lowered his gaze, a dark gleam flashing in the depths of his eyes.

’Song Wanning was indeed suspicious, but she was nothing special.’

’As long as I appear sincere enough, she’ll believe me sooner or later.’

Tian Li closed his eyes and resumed meditating to heal his wounds.

...

For the next few days, Tian Li focused on healing.

Song Wanning stayed by his side, her attitude growing a little warmer.

Once Tian Li had fully recovered, the two of them prepared to continue onward.

This time, however, they encountered no further danger.

The corners of Song Wanning’s lips lifted slightly as she followed behind him, moving forward bit by bit until they finally arrived at a strange place.

Before them lay a pile of black dung that gave off a nauseating stench.

A single flower grew atop the pile of dung, looking as if it were steeped in an aura of filth.

And yet, the flower was wreathed in an endless amount of Immortal Spirit Qi.

The two swirled together, intertwined.

"This is the place!"

Tian Li gazed at the flower, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He explained to Song Wanning, "This is it. This must be the true location of the flaw!"

"There might be more clues about the invaders in there!"

With that, Tian Li walked directly toward the flower.

Song Wanning silently took a few steps back, her hand gripping her Longsword tightly. A grim look flashed in her eyes.

The next instant, Tian Li strode forward, then turned to face Song Wanning and spread his arms wide.

"Hahaha! This is it!"

The expression on his face changed in an instant. A mysterious aura floated out from his body and descended upon the flower.

And that aura was very familiar—it was the same source aura found in the Elixir Pills.

The source aura of a Pill Master.

Tian Li’s expression twisted into a momentary snarl. As the flower absorbed the source aura, his eyes lit up, and the way he looked at Song Wanning transformed entirely.

"Hahaha—"

"Song Wanning, everyone says you’re so talented, so clever."

"Your talent is indeed impressive, but... when it comes to wits, you’re just average."

Disdain filled Tian Li’s eyes. He found the woman before him utterly laughable.

"All it took was a little trick, and you came running right to me."

"Someone like you? You think you’re worthy of hunting invaders?"

Now that he had dropped all pretense, he looked much more natural.

At the very least, he was easier on the eyes.

The corners of Song Wanning’s lips curved upward. She wasn’t the least bit angry.

"Gasp! You actually tricked me?"

She covered her mouth with an exaggerated expression of shock.

Tian Li, who had just been basking in his victory, felt his expression instantly darken.

"Song Wanning, don’t think you can turn this around with your little tricks."

"You killed so many of my comrades! You should have known this day would come!"

Tian Li’s expression grew dark, and a murderous aura emanated from him.

He had originally been just a normal person who transmigrated into the body of this Buddhist Practitioner overnight.

He’d thought he was on the classic "wolf in sheep’s clothing" path, destined to reach the pinnacle of life. But a short while ago, a new consciousness had awakened within him.

Only then did he learn that he had actually transmigrated here for a much grander purpose, shouldering a great mission from his original world.

And Song Wanning was the obstacle standing in the way of their great cause—their greatest enemy.

So, he started gathering information on Song Wanning, setting up an ambush in the city well in advance, waiting for their first meeting.

Later, he had meticulously designed this whole scenario, waiting for Song Wanning to take the bait.

And just as he had expected, Song Wanning had indeed taken the bait.

He had allowed himself to be covered in wounds just to make her believe him. Soon, he would make Song Wanning feel every last bit of that pain herself.

"Gasp! So you’re an invader too?"

Song Wanning acted as if she had only just realized it, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

"You hid it so well. I didn’t notice a thing."

Her exaggerated performance made Tian Li’s heart sink to a new low.

"Song Wanning... Still putting up a brave front, even now?!"

"Is there any point?"

This wasn’t the reaction Tian Li had wanted to see.

He couldn’t make heads or tails of Song Wanning’s behavior.

She didn’t look surprised in the slightest. ’Could it be...’

A terrible premonition welled up from the depths of his heart. Tian Li fixed his gaze on Song Wanning’s defiant expression.

"You were pretending?" he asked suddenly.

Once the thought took root, it was impossible to dismiss.

If Song Wanning was really just pretending, then her scheming was terrifyingly deep.

"How could I have been pretending? I treated you as a real companion."

Song Wanning chuckled, her eyes filled with an icy light.

’Inwardly, though, she was anything but calm.’

’So Tian Li really is an invader with an awakened consciousness!’

’That means the other invaders have likely awakened as well.’

’And their target might not just be me, but the people of this entire world...’

’If that’s true, then this is disastrous.’

"Song Wanning!!"

Tian Li flew into a humiliated rage, only then belatedly realizing he had been played.

He had thought his own acting was superb, never imagining that Song Wanning was just playing the fool and going along with his performance...