Garden
"I can't believe you two fought a copy of me and didn't even bother calling me over to help you face it. Nope! Instead, you sent me back here without any warning, then made us worry to death when the two of you didn't show up, and this entire place began showing cracks again."
Chen Linlin angrily stomped the ground, her expression furious as she clenched her fists in frustration.
She was upset, and she had every right to be.
It turned out that Xue Hui and Ye Ziyun had to face a tough opponent, and neither of them had even thought of calling everyone for backup.
Xue Hui, who was checking on Moi Ca, who was still in the middle of integrating with the God Phoenix Flame, gave a small approving nod, seeing that she was doing well.
He then turned toward Chen Linlin, sighing deeply before explaining why he had never called everyone to help them.
"Linlin, it's not that I never thought of calling any of you to help us out. It's just that doing so would have made that entire ordeal even tougher than what Ziyun and I had to go through."
He then swept his gaze across everyone before continuing.
"Both the strength and the number of people present at that time would have had a direct effect on how strong the opponent that appeared to face us would be."
This made everyone look at him in puzzlement, unsure of what he meant.
"The reason the crimson sphere only summoned one Legend Rank copy of Chen Linlin is because it believed that was more than enough strength to stop Ziyun and me, who were both Silver Rank."
Everyone showed looks of understanding as they realized the reason why.
"Fortunately, that crimson sphere didn't know the extent of my real strength. That's part of the reason why Ziyun and I managed to put up a fight against it and even win. If I had summoned any of you during that battle, that crimson sphere would undoubtedly have increased the strength of the opponent to compensate, especially you, Linlin. You're far too strong to be present there."
Despite his explanation, Chen Linlin remained unconvinced. She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed while sending Xue Hui an inquisitive look, obviously not believing any of his words.
"Really?.. I call bullshit. If that were the case, then why didn't you go there by yourself? If you were alone, that thing might have given you a weaker opponent. But nope, instead of doing that, you decided to bring Ziyun with you. What's up with that, huh!?"
Her words made the girls ponder.
Then they gave Xue Hui inquisitive glances, as Chen Linlin's words made a lot of sense.
Chen Linlin huffed, believing that she had caught him in a lie.
"Just admit it, Hui-Hui. You just wanted some alone time with Ziyun so you could woo her just like you did Ning'er. I bet you went out of your way to tell her sweet nothings, pulled her into your embrace, and gave her that look."
She blatantly accused him, making Xue Hui sigh in exasperation while Ye Ziyun's face exploded in red.
Curious, Jing Ya raised her hand, wanting to know the bit of information Chen Linlin had mentioned.
"Um... Linlin, what look are you talking about?"
Chen Linlin paused for a moment, thinking about how she would describe it, until a light bulb seemingly appeared above her head as she came up with an idea.
"Something like this."
She then pulled an expression eerily similar to Xue Hui's, a look capable of making girls flustered and faint.
A series of "Ooohs" escaped the girls' lips. They could totally imagine Xue Hui using that look to charm the ladies.
A bead of sweat appeared on Xiao Ning'er's forehead as she looked quite troubled. As much as she wanted to jump in and defend Xue Hui, she herself had received the exact same look Chen Linlin was imitating.
For a moment, Xiao Ning'er began to believe Chen Linlin's words and suspect Xue Hui.
But she quickly brushed off the idea, as it was something Xue Hui would only do to girls he had romantic feelings for, like her and Chen Linlin.
'Right... right?' Xiao Ning'er exclaimed inwardly before deciding to simply ask her friend to learn the truth.
"Ziyun, d-did Xue Hui ever give you that kind of look whenever you were together?"
This time, Chen Linlin, the trio of girls, and even Yu Yan all shifted their gazes toward the flustered-looking Ye Ziyun. They were all interested in hearing her side.
"N-no! Xue Hui and I just worked together to capture the soul core. Nothing like that happened, I swear! Believe me, we're just friends!"
She waved her arms frantically in front of her as she desperately denied the accusations.
"So the boss didn't pull you into his manly embrace?"
"Eek!"
Mei Lin's casual question drew the guiltiest shriek the girls had ever heard.
This was followed by Ye Ziyun's entire face, including her neck, exploding crimson red.
"I knew it!" Chen Linlin exclaimed through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe she had missed all the action just because Xue Hui wanted to spend alone time with Ye Ziyun.
"Boss, you..." Mei Lin's deadpan stare was enough to tell everyone exactly what she was thinking.
"Xue Hui, that's bad." Jing Ya shook her head in disbelief.
"Master... why?" Yue Ling looked at him with teary eyes.
"Young man, you're quite daring, aren't you?" Although Yu Yan herself had never experienced being in a relationship, she was knowledgeable enough to know that Xue Hui was being quite the rascal toward his girlfriends.
"Xue Hui..." Xiao Ning'er called in a low voice as she pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache beginning to set in.
"NO! NO! THAT'S NOT IT! XUE HUI ONLY EMBRACED ME BECAUSE IT WAS NECESSARY AT THE TIME!"
Despite her face burning with embarrassment, Ye Ziyun was quick to deny everything. She really didn't want her friends to misunderstand what had happened between her and Xue Hui.
"Did... did the boss... you know... necessarily kiss you as well?"
"NO! STOP SPOUTING NONSENSE, MEI LIN! NONE OF THAT HAPPENED!"
On the verge of tears, Ye Ziyun's entire body shook with indignation. She had the urge to beat Mei Lin for her careless remark.
Her arms flew toward Xiao Ning'er, tightly holding onto her arm as she looked at her pleadingly.
"Ning'er, believe me. Nothing like that happened. Xue Hui just swooped in and carried me to safety. That's all there was to it, nothing more."
To her relief, Xiao Ning'er gave her an understanding smile and pulled her into a hug.
Ye Ziyun let out a shaky breath as she felt Xiao Ning'er's hand gently rubbing her back.
"You don't have to worry about it, Ziyun. I believe you. Furthermore, I know that Xue Hui isn't that kind of guy, so there's nothing to apologize for."
Mei Lin, Jing Ya, and Yue Ling all dropped their jaws as they listened to Xiao Ning'er's comforting words. Their eyes widened as they looked at her as though she were the purest thing in existence.
Standing to the side, Xue Hui gave Chen Linlin a disapproving look.
"Look what happened. You guys almost made Ziyun cry."
His words made Chen Linlin flinch as she realized she might have blown everything out of proportion and caused Ye Ziyun unnecessary distress.
Glancing at the pitiful sight of Ye Ziyun being comforted by Xiao Ning'er, a feeling of guilt washed over Chen Linlin.
She quickly dropped her angry act and walked over to the pair.
"Ziyun, I'm sorry. I spoke carelessly. I never meant to accuse you of doing anything. I'm just upset that I didn't get to join the two of you during your fight, and I overreacted. I'm truly sorry."
She lowered her head in apology, her face filled with remorse.
Chen Linlin's apology was soon followed by the rest of the girls, as they realized they had all gone too far in accusing the two of them.
"You all don't have to apologize so much. I'm not mad or anything. I just got worried that you might misunderstand me and end up hating me."
The girls tilted their heads as they watched Ye Ziyun's cheeks turn red before she softly uttered her next words.
"I... I kind of enjoyed hanging out with all of you, so I'd be sad if you all started avoiding me."
Ye Ziyun turned her head to the side, too embarrassed to look at everyone. As she did so, she failed to notice the awestruck looks she was receiving.
"Aww!"
She jumped in surprise as the girls collectively gasped in awe.
They were so touched by her words that they all lunged at her at once, burying her beneath a flurry of hugs.
Xue Hui watched as Ye Ziyun became trapped in the middle of the group hug. She looked emotionally dazed, and the top of her head was practically steaming from embarrassment.
As they busied themselves showering Ye Ziyun with affection, Xue Hui took the opportunity to leave the Garden and return to the real world with Yu Yan hiding inside his sleeve.
Poof.
The two of them appeared outside the huge tree, hovering above it as they took in the sight before them.
Now that its soul core had been seized by Xue Hui, the huge tree was no longer releasing such overwhelming energy as before. Furthermore, it no longer possessed any aura, making it as still as the ordinary trees surrounding it.
"Xue Hui, is this tree dead? If I'm not mistaken, the reason this toxic forest remained untouched by the demon beast hordes for so many years is because of the extreme yin energy encompassing this territory. Now that it is gone, I'm afraid it is only a matter of time before this place becomes overrun by demon beast hordes."
Yu Yan asked with a hint of concern in her voice. As much as the huge tree had become a threat to them, it had also served as the protector of the people living within the toxic forest, leaving her worried for their safety.
"Mhm. Now that I have taken its soul core, its ability to refine spiritual energy has also disappeared. That means the extreme yin energy in this place will gradually dissipate from now on. By my calculations, it will take approximately one hundred years before all of the extreme yin energy in this area vanishes."
Yu Yan nodded. She had arrived at the same conclusion.
"Then wouldn't it be much safer for the people living here to move to Glory City, especially those of the Ancient Furnace Clan? They were good people, and there's also Moi Ca's family. We need to ensure their safety."
To her surprise, Xue Hui simply shook his head.
"While it's true that this place will eventually be in great danger from demon beast hordes as the extreme yin energy continues to dissipate, that won't happen for another fifty to sixty years. By the time that happens, the demon beast hordes will no longer be a threat to this world."
Yu Yan's brows knitted together in puzzlement. She didn't understand why Xue Hui had spoken with such certainty. Demon beast hordes had plagued humanity for thousands of years, so she couldn't comprehend how he could boldly claim they would cease to be a threat in the future.
She looked at him, about to explain why what he was saying was merely wishful thinking.
But she stopped the moment she saw the resolute expression on his face.
Her beautiful eyes widened as the true meaning behind his words finally sank in.
The demon beast hordes would no longer be a threat in the future because Xue Hui would protect humanity from every danger they brought.
End of Chapter 94.
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