Chapter 76 He held her tightly.

He thanked him again.

Si Yao exclaimed, "Rare indeed, truly rare!"

However, she was in a very good mood and turned to him, saying, "Next time you have an episode, don't shut me out like you did just now, or I'll really think you're sulking with me."

These words seemed to remind Li Ye, who, oblivious to his impending doom, started again, "I had forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Why don't you hurry up and go see your old flame, Ye Guyan?"

Si Yao's face darkened. "The moonlight is so beautiful, yet you insist on making me see another man. Li Ye, you're such a spoilsport."

His gaze held a hint of probing. "After all, you said he was poisoned because of you."

"Yes, that's true." Si Yao nodded, stretched, and said, "Since you've said that, I really should go and visit him."

Seeing her about to leave, Li Ye felt a mix of emotions.

He's really conflicted; he understands himself less and less.

As Si Yao was about to leave, he couldn't control himself and stepped forward to take her hand. "You can see whichever man you want these days, but I only have one request."

"Hmm?" Si Yao's eyes widened. What kind of request could he possibly make?

Then Li Ye instructed, "During this period of our time together, until my primordial spirit returns to its place, you must not be with any other man..."

He still didn't say the words "dual cultivation".

However, Si Yao understood what he meant. If Si Yao really wanted to cultivate with another man, she really couldn't find a second suitable one in the short term.

She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I, Si Yao, am not the kind of person who is fickle. I can handle you alone for the time being. How could I have the mind to think about anything else?"

The first half of the sentence was fine, and Li Ye thought it was acceptable, but what did the second half mean?

cope?

He frowned. In short, once their strange relationship ended, she could then have the energy to find someone else.

Why do I feel a little resentful?

After her primordial spirit returned to its rightful place, he would definitely leave and head to the Demon Realm. So why is he still concerned about which man she will have a relationship with afterward?

Li Ye understood himself less and less.

He didn't come to his senses until Si Yao waved her hand in front of him.

Her bright face drew closer to him, and she tiptoed to whisper in his ear, "Then I'm leaving?"

She was leaving to visit Ye Guyan.

The thought of Ye Guyan smilingly calling her "Little Siyao" or even touching her inappropriately was unbearable.

Li Ye clenched his hands tightly, which were hidden in his sleeves.

In the end, he couldn't help but reach out and pull Si Yao into his arms.

Then, he hugged her tightly.

All of this happened so suddenly that Si Yao was completely stunned.

She froze in Li Ye's arms, bewildered, "Why...why are you suddenly like this..."

However, Li Ye did not respond immediately. He simply hugged her tightly and even lowered his head, trying to bury his face in her neck.

The soft, gentle breathing brushed against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

What's wrong with him?

Si Yao leaned against Li Ye's chest, his strong heart beating right next to her ear.

Her heart also jumped, and then quickened, keeping pace with his heartbeat.

Actually, she was very nervous.

As she slowly raised her hand, intending to hug his lean waist, Li Ye gently stroked her hair before releasing her.

Si Yao stared at him blankly, only to hear him say, "There's a dead leaf in your hair, so I have to get closer to remove it for you."

"Huh?" Si Yao craned her neck and squinted her eyes. This excuse was a bit far-fetched.

However, she didn't expose him. Instead, she found it intriguing that the mighty Demon Lord Li Ye had learned to lie in front of her...

A sea breeze blew by.

Si Yao finally left.

After she left, Li Ye stood in the wind for a long time.

As the moon set below the horizon, his gentle gaze faded, and he softly called out the name "Yan Ao".

Yan Ao appeared, standing behind Li Ye, whose back looked somewhat lonely.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else you require?"

Li Ye frowned. "During the day, the back mountain of Tianchen Island was filled with demonic energy. Many of those who caused trouble were demons, especially the leader. Although he was masked, I don't think I was wrong. He should be Wei You."

At this point, he turned around, his expression grave. "You've been in the Demon Realm for several days. Have you heard anything?"

Yan Ao's expression changed drastically. "So it really is Divine Envoy Wei You? He... There are rumors in the Demon Realm recently that His Highness Zhao Chu has handed over half of the Demon Realm's Ice Power to Wei You."

Yan Ao did not acknowledge Zhao Chu's identity as the new Demon Lord, but continued to refer to him as the Second Prince.

Upon hearing Yan Ao's words, Li Ye's sinister eyes turned murderous. "What exactly does Zhao Chu want to do? He has only been on the throne for less than ten years, yet he wants to invade the five major sects and unify the nine provinces?"

Yan Ao said, "That's right. Before Prince Zhaochu plotted against you, he had been advising Your Majesty to unify the Nine Provinces."

At that time, Li Ye naturally did not agree with Zhao Chu's suggestion.

A thousand years ago, when Li Ye's father, Yin Huang, was still in power, he had already started a war with the demon realm and the nine provinces of the human realm, causing hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the demon realm to be killed or wounded, and countless people to lose their husbands and children and be displaced.

In that battle, the old Demon Lord Yinhuang perished, and the Demon Realm, the Monster Realm, and the Human Realm all suffered heavy losses. It was from that time that the Demon Realm, the Monster Realm, and the Human Realm signed a treaty of non-aggression.

From that time onward, Li Ye, who had just come of age, ascended to the throne.

In order to fulfill his father's dying wish and ensure that no war breaks out in the Demon Realm for three thousand years, he must make up for the devastation caused by war and allow the displaced people of the Demon Realm to enjoy more peaceful days.

At that time, the Demon Realm's soldiers had suffered heavy losses and were in a period of recuperation and preparation, but Zhao Chu insisted on attacking the Nine Provinces.

After Li Ye refused several times, he finally aroused Zhao Chu's desire to usurp the throne.

Recalling the past, Li Ye clenched his fists. "Zhao Chu's stupid brain. The Demon Realm is currently short of troops, and its weapons and supplies are not abundant. If we start another war against the Nine Provinces, the Demon Realm will definitely get involved. At that time, it will only be the people of our Demon Realm who suffer."

Zhao Chu's subordinate, Wei You, chose to instigate a disturbance on Tianchen Island, where all the sects had gathered, which was clearly a declaration of war against the five major sects.

This is blatant mischief!

Li Ye was furious. Zhao Chu's behavior might even lead to the destruction of the Demon Realm.

His primordial spirit must return to its rightful place as soon as possible.

East of the Hehuan Sect Guest House is the Luanqin Valley Guest House.

Under the moonlight, Si Yao arrived at Ye Guyan's room.

He has woken up.

Upon seeing Si Yao appear, he wished he could prop himself up from the bed.

Si Yao quickly pressed him back down, "Although the poison in your body has been cured, you still need to rest well."

Ye Guyan lay on the bed, staring intently at Si Yao. "Little Si Yao, I woke up and couldn't find you. I thought you had abandoned me."

Si Yao didn't know how to respond to his words, so she could only smile and say, "Gu Yan, thank you for stepping forward just now, otherwise I might have been the one who was poisoned."

Ye Guyan's eyes softened, and he smiled, even reaching out to lift a strand of hair from Si Yao's chest. "So, how should little Si Yao properly thank me from now on?"

This is what makes things most difficult for Si Yao.

She didn't want to owe anyone a favor, especially not someone like Ye Guyan.

He was used to joking around and had many beautiful women around him. Si Yao had no idea which of his words were true and which were false.

However, Si Yao had already stopped caring about these things ten years ago.

Like Xia Chongyun, he was not accepted by the Si Yao Jade Maiden Sutra.

She pulled the strand of hair from Ye Guyan's hand, still smiling, and mimicked Ye Guyan's tone, "As long as it's within my power, I will do my best."

After all, Ye Guyan taking the poison for her was a great favor.

"Oh? Anything you can do?" Ye Guyan's eyes became meaningful.

Si Yao understood immediately. "Gu Yan, you know best what I can and cannot do. If you're referring to that kind of thing, don't forget, ten years ago, we tried it, and it simply didn't work..."

A hint of sadness flashed across Ye Guyan's eyes, then he raised the corners of his mouth, shook his head and smiled, "Little Siyao, there's no need to be so blunt. Actually, I wasn't thinking about that matter just now."

"That's alright..." Si Yao said, her expression relaxing a bit.

Seeing Si Yao breathe a sigh of relief, Ye Guyan said, "Look how nervous you are. Don't worry, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Compared to Xia Chongyun, Ye Guyan's advantage is that he won't pester people too much.

He's probably the kind of person who takes things easy.

Perhaps he himself is a womanizer, which gives the impression that he is not faithful in relationships.

That's why Si Yao flirted with him back then, and even though she wouldn't "take responsibility" for him in the future, she didn't feel much guilt towards him.

However, Si Yao also knew that perhaps ten years ago, in Ye Guyan's eyes, their relationship was nothing more than a fleeting fling.

In this way, Si Yao didn't have much mental pressure.

"Gu Yan, it's getting late, you should get some rest." Si Yao didn't intend to keep him any longer.

Ye Guyan asked, "Will you come to see me again tomorrow?"

"Look!" Si Yao laughed heartlessly and had no choice but to agree.

Not far after leaving the guest house in Luanqin Valley, they encountered Yu Ke on the road.

Yu Ke looked serious and, upon seeing Si Yao, asked, "Where have you been all afternoon? Tianchen Island is in complete chaos."

Si Yao chuckled a few times and gave a perfunctory reply before feigning sudden realization, "Right now, the sect leaders are all in a meeting, right? After all, there was such a big disturbance during the day."

Yu Ke nodded, "You're right. Around dusk, the sect leader went to the main hall of Tianchen Island to discuss matters with the other sect leaders, and he hasn't come out yet."

At this point, her brows remained furrowed. "Those demons during the day—no, I don't even know if they can be called demons, they should be called puppets. Even the sect leaders haven't figured them out yet. Those puppets don't seem to be the methods of the Demon Realm, so it's still uncertain whether the commotion during the day was really instigated by the Savage Demon Realm."

Demon Realm...

Si Yao couldn't help but think of the Demon Clan and Li Ye.

She looked at Yu Ke, "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. The fact that they chose to appear before all our sects had left the island means either the Demon Realm is actively provoking us, or some other unknown organization is using the Demon Realm's name to divert trouble."

Yu Ke clenched her fists. "If the Demon Realm takes the initiative to provoke us, it means that they will definitely invade the Nine Provinces in the near future. More than a thousand years have passed since the last war between the Demon, Monster, and Human Realms. The Demon Realm has been recuperating for a thousand years, and they may want to make a comeback."

"If that's the case, our cultivation world will be in turmoil." Si Yao was used to a leisurely life and didn't like war.

Perhaps because of Li Ye, she was unwilling to see the cultivation world and the demon realm fight each other.

Yu Ke took a deep breath. "In short, the days ahead won't be so easy. Perhaps the sect leaders will make a decision tonight, and our major sects will definitely take action."

She was right.

At midnight, the leaders of the five major sects finally finished their discussion.

They ultimately decided that, starting tomorrow, each faction would form a small team and head to Wuzhou to carry out reconnaissance missions.

Wuzhou is located in the westernmost part of Kyushu. Further west of Wuzhou lies the towering and majestic Western Mang Mountains.

Beyond the Western Mang Mountains lies the endless, desolate demon realm.

Due to the turmoil on Tianchen Island during the day, the major sects suspect that it was mostly the work of the Demon Realm. Therefore, they need to send elders and disciples to Wuzhou and the vicinity of the Ximang Mountains to check for any movements of the Demon Clan.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the day all the sects returned home, but no one expected that in just one day, everyone's plans and schedules would be completely disrupted.