"Pervert!" Lana Situ cursed indignantly on Evan Yang's behalf.
Warren Wong, still unwilling to give up, asked Lana, "Lana, if you're willing to come with me now, I'll save you right away."
"Go if you want! We don't need you!" Lana Situ snorted coldly.
"Fine, fine, then you can die here." Warren Wong controlled his flames, left this parting remark, and burned a path forward. But the ants were countless; every time Warren burned a path, the ants immediately swarmed in behind, making it impossible for Evan Yang and Lana Situ to follow, leaving them to defend themselves.
Once Warren had gone far, Evan Yang laughed, "Why didn't you leave with him?"
Even now, Evan Yang could laugh, leaving Lana Situ baffled. She retorted, "You still have the mood to laugh?"
"Should I be crying instead?" Evan Yang laughed again.
Lana Situ sighed helplessly, "If I accepted his so-called kindness, he'd definitely want me to submit. I really dislike him, so even if it means dying, I won't leave with him."
"Looks like he really likes you." Evan Yang chuckled.
"That's not liking. He just wants to possess me. He's a hundred thousand miles away from real affection. I'd rather be clean and die gloriously than let him have his way." Lana Situ spoke with a fearless spirit, as if facing life and death.
Lana Situ's words struck a chord with Evan Yang. At least Warren Wong wasn't truly in love with her—otherwise, he wouldn't have left her behind. Thinking about this, Evan recalled their conversation that night and asked curiously, "Are you afraid of dying?"
"Who isn't afraid of death? Sometimes there's just no choice—it's fate." Mentioning death made Lana Situ think of her own condition.
"Do you have a terminal illness?" Evan Yang couldn't help but ask.
"You? How did you know?" Lana Situ exclaimed in surprise.
"Just heard it somewhere," Evan Yang replied casually, trying to brush it off.
Only her family, the Wong Clan by chance, and some people from her sect knew about her condition. Evan Yang's knowledge made Lana curious, but since she was already facing death, she didn't press further. Instead, she sighed sadly, "I have the Profound Yin Body."
"Profound Yin Body?" Evan Yang was shocked.
The Profound Yin Body is a rare constitution, counted alongside the Medicine God Body and top-grade spirit bodies. But it's not a blessing; girls with this body have short lifespans unless they break through to higher cultivation realms. If they can't shatter the restriction, they'll face merciless death by the age of twenty.
For a girl, learning she would die at twenty meant her heart became completely isolated—waiting for death or trying to break free from fate.
As one with the Profound Yin Body, Lana Situ refused to wait for death. She started cultivating at a young age, but still remained at the Foundation-Building stage, unable to break through. With little time left, if things went on like this, she would eventually be unable to escape her fate.
Evan Yang didn't know Lana Situ's real age, but hearing this news made his heart ache, as if he was about to lose a good friend.
Lana Situ, as if used to it, smiled and asked, "Do you think I'm pitiful?"
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Evan Yang didn't think Lana was pitiful at all. He praised her, "No, you're brave!"
"Brave?" Lana Situ trembled when she heard those words, feeling the urge to cry.
When Lana Situ learned about her condition at a young age, she faced it bravely. She had few friends and spent every day cultivating, hoping to break the shackle. Only recently, after failing to advance, did she venture out to seek opportunities.
Evan Yang's words made Lana Situ look as if she might burst into tears.
Noticing Lana's change in expression, Evan Yang didn't know what to say. He could only comfort her, "Would you talk to me about your past?"
Her past? Lana Situ had never told anyone before. But, feeling she might soon die to the ants, she smiled and said, "Then you'll be my first listener."
"It's an honor!" Evan Yang smiled encouragingly.
"I remember when I was old enough to understand things, I once felt cold all over. No medicine could cure it, so my family invited skilled cultivator-physicians to check me. When they told my family I had the Profound Yin Body, my family grieved for a long time. I didn't understand then—only knew that to break the shackle, I had to cultivate and become strong. So I joined my current sect and trained bitterly for ten years, only recently coming out." Lana Situ spoke as if giving a final confession.
Ten years is a long time. For a girl, how many years of youth does she really have? Evan Yang knew Lana Situ wasn't as strong inside as she appeared. Sure enough, after telling her story, a few tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes.
After all, she was still a girl. Evan Yang forced himself to suppress his emotions, because he still had something important to do.
"I never thought I'd have a friend before I died." Lana Situ smiled, as if saying her final farewell.
"Yeah, I'm honored to have a friend like you too—but it's not your last moment." Evan Yang withdrew his spiritual qi barrier.
"Are you crazy?" Seeing Evan Yang put away his barrier, Lana Situ was shocked. Her tears vanished, replaced by worry for him.
Evan Yang smiled under Lana Situ's gaze, then summoned a flame in his palm. Strangely, its color was different from Warren Wong's. Evan understood why: his Ninety-Ninefold Purefire had reached the second layer, the Blazing Fire Realm, making his flames even stronger than Warren's. In an instant, he incinerated the ants around him.
In just a brief moment, Lana Situ witnessed something unbelievable.
After clearing the ants around himself, Evan Yang went straight to Lana Situ, took her hand, and said, "Let's go." With one hand holding her and the other wielding fire, he led the way back along their original path.
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
Along the way, they occasionally saw some dead ants—the ones Warren Wong had killed earlier.
Led by Evan Yang, Lana Situ felt both shocked and angry, but she kept her composure and didn't confront him just yet.
The two retraced their steps, guided by the Jade Rabbit, and finally exited the ancient fortress.
Outside the fortress, Evan Yang withdrew his aura, noticing that the ants seemed afraid to leave the castle—they only wandered inside.
"Whew, that was close." Evan Yang sighed as he looked back at the ancient fortress after crossing the sky bridge.
Lana Situ glared at Evan Yang. "You obviously knew Ninety-Ninefold Purefire—why didn't you use it from the start?"
Evan Yang, caught off guard, quickly grinned and said, "Well, I just forgot."
"Forgot? You?" Lana Situ realized Evan had tricked her. Her earlier heartfelt confession now felt embarrassing, and her face flushed red and white. She thought she was dying, so she told Evan her story, believing he'd be the first and maybe the last to know.
Seeing Lana's expression, Evan Yang smiled awkwardly. "Well, I remembered later—so let's hurry up and get going." Then he retreated and dashed off.
Lana Situ chased after him, cursing, "Damn beggar, I'm not done with you!"
Though Lana Situ sounded angry, she actually felt much lighter than before. Evan Yang noticed her expression was more natural, as if sharing her secret had eased her heart. So he let her vent freely.
Evan Yang, who was running ahead, suddenly stopped. Lana Situ stopped too. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Look." Evan Yang pointed ahead. It was none other than Warren Wong, sitting by the river to rest. He noticed Evan and Lana, glaring at them both.
Lana Situ glanced at Warren Wong and muttered, "Hypocrite!"
"Let's just go." Evan Yang knew this space was strange and didn't want trouble right now, fearing it would drain their energy.
But Warren Wong disagreed. Thinking he was safe, he walked over, blocked their path, and stared at them. "How did you get out?" he asked.
"Surprised, aren't you? Hypocrite!" Lana Situ snorted coldly.
Warren Wong thought they must have treasures, so he refused to let them pass and grinned, "Hand over all your magic tools."
"Warren Wong, you hypocrite! Don't think just because we're out of the fortress that we'll fear you." Lana Situ replied coldly.
Warren Wong sneered, "Inside the fortress, with all those ants and unknown dangers, I wouldn't dare fight you two. But out here—heh, today I'll make you mine!"
"Don't you dare!" Lana Situ knew Warren Wong was the Wong Clan's genius, and had heard he was given many magic tools. If it came to a fight, she might not be his match.
Evan Yang wasn't afraid of this clown causing trouble, so he replied without hesitation, "Are all Wong Clan members this arrogant?"
"Little beggar, the Wong Clan doesn't need your opinion!" Warren Wong had wanted to deal with Evan for a while. He snorted coldly, then unleashed his powerful late Foundation-Building aura.
Warren Wong's aura was overwhelming. Evan Yang, only at mid Foundation-Building, was at a disadvantage. Lana Situ immediately joined in, so the two of them together resisted Warren's pressure.
"Stop wasting your energy. Hand over your magic tools, and Lana, come with me. As for you, little beggar, I won't make things hard for you. How about it?" Warren Wong spoke like a master, casually deciding Evan and Lana's fate.
Facing Warren Wong's aggression, Evan Yang and Lana Situ exchanged glances. Lana spoke up, "Keep dreaming. I'd rather die than let you have your way."
Warren Wong frowned. He knew Lana Situ's personality and her terminal illness. If she wasn't afraid of death, she might really try a desperate move. He began scheming how to make her submit.
"Hmph." Seeing Warren Wong's strange look, Lana Situ snorted and brushed past him with Evan Yang.
Evan Yang thought to himself, "If he tries anything, don't blame me for taking out another Wong Clan member." He prepared to throw his dagger and use his double strike.
Lana Situ hoped her words would intimidate Warren Wong.
In just a brief moment, all three of their thoughts shifted.