The Transmigrated Male Lead Confessed to Me - Chapter 28 (Part 2)

She still had other plans to carry out.

If everything went smoothly, perhaps it wouldn’t be long before she regained the strength she once had.

And then—

She could aim even higher.

If there was one thing she regretted most about her inexplicable death in her previous life, it was that she never got the chance to explore the path to ascension or probe the limits of Quasi-Saint cultivation.

As for the so-called “female protagonist” or “immortal swords”, those paled in comparison.

Immersed in her joy, it was only after some time that she noticed a familiar figure.

Beyond the hall was an open-air corridor bridge. Crimson-purple miasma rolled like waves, with fog coiling along both sides of the long bridge, yet never converging at the center.

From a distance, she saw a lone figure sitting on the side rail of the corridor, facing the boundless void. The Scythe-Winged Demons circled overhead, yet none attacked him.

Su Zhen glanced twice and suddenly appeared beside the other party. “Why are you here, Senior?”

Xiao Yu sat leisurely, though his expression was a bit tense. “I figured you’d be basking in the joy of leveling up and wouldn’t want to see me right away, so I sat further away.”

Su Zhen: “?”

He turned his head and looked at her with those soul-stirring blue eyes. “So, should I congratulate you on your advancement now?”

Su Zhen: “…Thank you.”

Though his phrasing was a bit odd.

Su Zhen leaned on the railing with both elbows. “Senior, do you know how long I was in there?”

“The Demon Realm is unstable…”

Xiao Yu pulled out a sundial engraved with formation arrays. “In the Human Realm, two hundred and thirty-one days have passed. Do you need it down to the exact hour?”

Su Zhen rubbed her forehead.

It wasn’t beyond expectations.

“Senior, you waited here for me this whole time?”

Xiao Yu gave a noncommittal answer. “Not exactly. I wandered around a bit within a ten-mile radius…”

Su Zhen: “?”

That’s basically waiting the whole time!

Xiao Yu pulled a book from his sleeve. “I brought lots of storybooks to pass the time. It’s not a big deal. Half a year is nothing. I’ve endured two thousand years.”

Su Zhen: “???”

How is that even the same thing?

Su Zhen felt deeply conflicted.

In her hundreds of years of memory, whether in seclusion or out adventuring, it seemed no one had ever waited for her like this.

Sometimes, when she emerged from seclusion, her master would summon her immediately, but always for a specific purpose, and Yuchen Xianzun never waited for her at the door in person.

Even relatives and friends wouldn’t linger by the door. After all, everyone had their own affairs.

So, reviewing her experiences, Su Zhen realized she had never, not once, seen someone waiting just to meet her after she emerged.

…Unless they had something to ask of her, in which case they might linger at the entrance of her courtyard or cave dwelling.

Su Zhen blinked. “Senior, do you need something from me?”

Xiao Yu actually nodded.

Su Zhen’s heart sank. “What is it?”

“In less than a year, you leapt two major realms and advanced into the Upper Seven Realms. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call that unprecedented.”

Xiao Yu nimbly jumped down from the railing, stood before her, and said with great enthusiasm, “You’re truly an Immortal Lord now. How about we go out and celebrate over a meal?”

Su Zhen: “……”

Clearly, she was the foolish one.

What serious matter could this guy possibly have?

“Don’t look so serious.”

The man beside her sighed. “If you don’t want to eat, we won’t. I was just saying.”

Su Zhen shook her head. “Wait a bit, I still have something to do. After I’m done, I’ll treat you. For now, I need to get a belated gift for my uncle.”

Xiao Yu didn’t press further. “Want me to escort you back to Qiongdu?”

Before Su Zhen could reply, two figures flew over from a distance and landed at the far end of the corridor bridge.

They were neatly dressed, wearing fine fabrics, fragrant sachets and decorative pendants hanging from their waists, and multiple rings on their fingers. The spiritual energy emanating from them faintly revealed their extraordinary cultivation.

The Thousand Chariots Sect’s Secret Archive was no safe haven, so Su Zhen remained on guard and noticed them early on.

She saw that both of them were in the Profound Immortal realm.

Ordinarily, cultivators of this level wouldn’t act so casually in the Secret Archive. Being neither at the top nor at the bottom, they had to be cautious at every turn.

But there were too many abnormal people here.

Su Zhen paused.

She sensed a ripple in one of their spiritual energy. It was very likely a sign of imminent action.

Su Zhen turned her head.

Xiao Yu looked at her, uncertain.

Su Zhen gave a resigned nod.

Suddenly, the two demon cultivators convulsed violently!

In the blink of an eye, their physical bodies were pulverized by an overwhelming burst of spiritual energy. Not even scraps of flesh were left behind. They were reduced to dust in an instant.

Two clumps of golden light, their primordial spirits, appeared in midair, attempting to flee, but were seized by an invisible force and thrown directly in front of Su Zhen.

Su Zhen relaxed. “Senior, you’re quite experienced.”

He knew their physical forms needed to be completely destroyed. Otherwise, even the smallest piece could allow them to regenerate.

Xiao Yu glanced at the primordial spirits on the ground. “The one on the left wanted to test your cultivation. If he could capture you, he planned to offer you as food to a member of the demon clan to whom he owes a massive debt. The one on the right was curious about your sword and wanted to snatch it for fun.”

The two clumps of struggling primordial spirits froze completely.

“So… are they useful?”

“Hm?”

Su Zhen didn’t recognize them and figured that three or four hundred years later, they would be dead anyway. “No…”

The two golden lights exploded with a pop, scattering into countless drifting specks of light that quickly vanished into the fog and miasma beyond the bridge.

Xiao Yu stood motionless in place, his spiritual energy unchanged. “Then, continue.”

Su Zhen looked at the glimmering points of light vanishing into the sky. “You were in quite a hurry, Senior.”

“Of course I am.”

Xiao Yu blurted out, “It’s rare I get the chance to help you with something, even if handling them wouldn’t be hard for you.”

“Mm. But it would’ve taken some time. Besides, you’ve already helped me quite a few times.”

Su Zhen smiled. “That one just now wanted this sword? Could she not tell it’s already broken?”

She was still holding Leng Xiang.

The pale green-blue blade, once shrouded in a soft luminous haze, had now lost all its glow and looked utterly dim.

Any artifact ranked as a spiritual weapon or above would naturally emit light even without spiritual energy infused into it, even if it were unbound.

That glow signified the presence of at least one attribute’s refined energy, and the existence of a spirit within.

Anyone with eyes could tell that a treasure completely devoid of light was either not even a spiritual weapon… or had been destroyed.

“She thought you couldn’t put it away for some reason, and deliberately concealed the sword’s glow to avoid drawing attention.”

Xiao Yu lowered his head and gave it a glance. “But…”

Su Zhen gave a slight nod. “It can still be saved.”

The part of the sword that had once belonged to the sacred sword had been completely devoured.

But the original, native sword spirit had been separated from it and remained within the sword, albeit in a very weakened state.

If it were nourished for some time with some rare heavenly and earthly treasures, it would surely regain the power expected of an immortal artifact.

However, even if this sword returned to Liu Yunyao’s hands, she would no longer be able to use it to sense the positions of the other sword spirits.

Su Zhen adjusted her grip on the hilt and stored Leng Xiang away. “Senior, have you ever been to Huanhua State?”

Xiao Yu responded without hesitation, “Of course, that’s—”

Su Zhen: “?”

Xiao Yu gave a light cough. “That’s a rather famous place.”

Su Zhen looked at him skeptically.

People often spoke of the Five Domains and Fourteen States of the Human Realm as if they were comparable, but in truth, the Five Domains were vastly larger in territory.

Even when combined, the territories of all Fourteen States likely weren’t larger than the Central Domain. Not to mention the difference in spiritual density, spiritual veins, or the number of treasure grounds and blessed lands.

Each State had its own spiritual veins and native resources, but they still couldn’t compare to the Five Domains.

Even the most spiritually rich immortal mountains among the Fourteen States would only count as second-rate sect territory in the eastern or southern regions of the Central Domain.

In terms of resource richness, Huanhua State ranked somewhere in the middle among the fourteen, and only barely at that.

If one were a pill cultivator or medical cultivator, they might need to visit Huanhua State to gather spiritual plants. Other cultivators usually only went there to find a boundary gate leading to the Demon Realm.

Su Zhen asked, “What were you doing there, Senior?”

Xiao Yu: “Sightseeing?”

Su Zhen was a bit confused. “Were there any scenic spots back in your era in Huanhua State?”

Xiao Yu placed a hand on his chest. “Must you phrase it so harshly? ‘Back in my era’? I’m only a thousand… maybe a little over a thousand years older than you.”

Su Zhen looked at him helplessly.

Xiao Yu sighed. “Alright, I was idle for a while and just wandered around.”

Su Zhen reluctantly accepted the answer. “Then Senior must’ve been to Qiongdu as well?”

Xiao Yu nodded without hesitation.

Then, as he reached out his hand, he hesitated slightly, letting his fingertip gently brush her shoulder.

His movement appeared casual, yet it was executed with precise control, touching only the fabric without making contact with her skin.

A mere touch, then immediate withdrawal.

The towering palaces, winding corridors, and swirling crimson-purple miasma of the Thousand Chariots Sect’s Secret Archive—

All vanished in an instant.

Xiao Yu raised his hand.

They were now standing in a slightly dim alleyway, with a bustling street visible not far away.

Both sides of the street were lined with shops. Signs of varying lengths hung across uneven buildings. Bamboo curtains fluttered, and the scent of medicine, wine, and food drifted out, carried away by the wind amid indistinct street cries, full of worldly life.

The Central Domain had Tiandu, the greatest immortal city in the Human Realm, but it was not the only one.

The immortal city of Huanhua State was named Qiongdu, and it was much smaller in scale.

Still, as a city, it had six streets and three markets, tens of thousands of households. Unlike mortal towns, however, it housed almost no ordinary humans. Even the weakest residents were at least at the Body Refining realm, having drawn qi into their bodies.

Thus, the city wasn’t heavily populated. Many rogue cultivators owned property here, and notable sects within the state all had branch residences and stationed members.

This city had originally been built with the help of Su Zhen’s ancestors.

As a child, she had often played in Qiongdu, and even after becoming a disciple, she would stop by whenever she returned to Huanhua State.

Later, as her cultivation grew and the Su family declined, she stopped returning and instead spent more time in the Demon Realm. It was only a single thought to return, yet she could never be bothered.

“Thank you, Senior. If I had come alone, it would’ve taken a lot more—”

As she spoke, Su Zhen turned her head.

Xiao Yu was staring blankly at his own hand.

Su Zhen: “???”

What was up with this guy now?

“Oh, it’s nothing. No need to thank me.”

Xiao Yu quickly came to himself. “If you’re coming from the other side, one formation isn’t enough because this side—”

“There’s a barrier here. Ordinary cultivators must enter through the city gate, and sometimes even have to register their identities.”

Su Zhen nodded. “I know. No need to explain, Senior. I don’t mind you touching me.”

“Earlier, your senior brother and junior sister…”

“Because I utterly loathe them, so I don’t want to be touched.”

“Oh.”

“Good thing you weren’t foolish enough to ask if I loathe you too.”

“Ahem. I may not be very clever, but I’m not that dumb.”

Su Zhen gave him a sideways glance.

Xiao Yu blinked. “I really have done a lot of dumb things… said a lot of dumb things, haven’t I?”

Su Zhen was silent for a moment. “What’s the best way to say this without hurting your feelings?”

Xiao Yu clutched his chest again, sighing dramatically. “Too late. I’m already hurt.”

Su Zhen rolled her eyes at him.