It was always a problem when things were evenly matched. Su Luo once again lowered his strength, even appearing as if he had been pushed back by Little Yu.
"Su Luo seems to be struggling now. Let's finish him off!"
"Keep it up, mysterious friend! You're almost there!"
"What does it matter if the Heavenly Demon Sect is here? They're still no match for us."
While dealing with the demon beasts, the people around couldn't resist taking the opportunity to belittle the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Little Yu: "..."
She stopped.
She looked at those who were speaking to her.
At first, she was a little angry, but then she thought, they weren't entirely wrong.
This was the path Su Luo had chosen.
"What's wrong? Looking around in the middle of a fight? Do you think I'm not worth your time?" Su Luo, unaware of why Little Yu had stopped, reminded her.
"No."
"Then let's continue."
Su Luo was now entering a state of frustration.
Little Yu cooperated with Su Luo, their moves always in sync.
Fighting alongside Su Luo was enjoyable, but now it felt different from before.
Especially with the noisy surroundings, which only added to Little Yu's irritation.
It was indeed hard to accept.
"Our fight isn't over yet. Don't get distracted by other things." Su Luo didn't understand why Little Yu had drifted off again.
"Su Luo, I actually don't want to fight you."
"What's the big deal? Just treat it like our usual sparring sessions. Besides, we're not really fighting." Su Luo didn't understand why Little Yu suddenly had such thoughts.
"It's different from sparring. Now, I'm your enemy."
"What's the problem with that?"
Ever since he defected from the Seven Stars Sword Sect, hadn't they been in this kind of relationship? But it didn't change anything.
"I can't explain it clearly." Little Yu shook her head. "Never mind."
Little Yu then realized that now wasn't the time to think about other things. They needed to deal with the demon beast army first.
Su Luo nodded.
...
After a long battle, the last demon beast finally fell.
Although the demon beast army had come with great force, it wasn't enough to crush Yunzhu City.
Humanity had once again emerged victorious.
Su Luo made his escape once the act was over, otherwise, the crowd would have turned on him just as they had on the demon beast army.
What a hassle.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan was surrounded by the crowd, their faces filled with indescribable joy.
They lifted Lin Xuan high into the air and carefully caught him as he came down.
Lin Xuan's role in this battle had been too significant. Once again, his strength and quick thinking had earned him everyone's praise.
The cheers of victory echoed through the skies.
Di Haoao, on the other hand, could barely stand. His body felt completely drained of strength.
He had given it his all, but it hadn't taken long for him to be defeated.
After resting for a bit, he had stubbornly returned to the battlefield.
Now, it was clear that he had only been a hindrance.
Di Haoao was covered in wounds. Even the simple act of breathing felt like his entire body was being torn apart.
But the most painful thing was his heart.
Di Haoao looked over at Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan was surrounded by a crowd, the very image of a great hero.
Why wasn't it me standing there?
Di Haoao's eyes darkened slightly.
Such a failure.
So useless.
So pathetic.
"We won. Those demon beasts are truly despicable. One day, we'll make sure they pay for this, right, Aoao?" Long Xinxin stayed by his side, trying to comfort him.
Di Haoao, however, closed his eyes and pretended to faint.
He no longer had the confidence to respond to Long Xinxin's words.
...
Su Luo and Little Yu returned to their temporary residence.
"So, what was wrong earlier?"
Little Yu had already figured it out. She simply didn't like being on the opposite side of Su Luo, even if it was just an act.
But if she said it out loud, Su Luo wouldn't let her change anything.
"Those people were saying unpleasant things. I didn't like it." Little Yu hid a small part of the truth.
"That's normal. I've heard worse. Don't let it bother you."
"Mm."
At that moment, Yun came out to greet them: "You're back."
She had just returned as well. Hunting demon beasts was something she was quite willing to do.
Once inside the room, Su Luo said to Little Yu, "Get some rest."
Thanks to Su Luo, there were no injuries, but the battle had been long for Little Yu.
"I think I'm fine."
"Don't push yourself. I know you better than that."
"Mm, I'll sleep for a bit. Wake me up later."
"Sure."
As soon as she lay down, Little Yu felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
Su Luo gave her a massage to help her sleep better.
"Ouch, my back is sore too. I wonder if anyone will give me a massage," Yun said, clutching her waist.
"Then lie down too."
"Ah, really?" Yun was just joking. She didn't expect Su Luo to actually offer.
"Why not? It's no trouble."
"Actually, my back feels better now."
"What, don't trust my skills?"
"Absolutely not! Su Luo is the best at everything."
"Then lie down."
Yun nervously lay down.
Su Luo began the massage.
At first, Yun felt a bit awkward, her whole body tense.
But Su Luo's massage was indeed good, and she soon relaxed.
...
The next day, everything was normal.
The third day passed without incident.
But on the fourth day, something major happened in Yunzhu City—Di Haoao had gone missing.
Just when he was about to get married, he had disappeared.
The news of Di Haoao's disappearance spread throughout Yunzhu.
The entire city was searching for him.
No one knew where Di Haoao had gone, but Elder Wei surely knew. He was responsible for protecting Di Haoao, so how could he have let him disappear under his watch?
However, Elder Wei told no one, silently observing Di Haoao from the shadows.
Di Haoao was like a walking corpse these days, unable to stop thinking about everything that had happened recently.
One thing after another, none of it bringing any joy.
Long Xinxin's gentle companionship only made him feel more ashamed.
He had run away.
Elder Wei sighed. Di Haoao's mentality was still not strong enough.
At his age, the Emperor Heaven Sect Master had already been defeating prodigies left and right, steadfastly walking his own path.
Running away was only temporary. Some things had to be faced eventually.
Di Haoao, it's okay to feel lost. Finding your way amidst the confusion is also a form of growth.
You must overcome this.
...
The Heavenly Demon Seven gathered together. The news of Di Haoao's disappearance was excellent for them.
"Hmph, Di Haoao disappearing at a time like this means the marriage alliance has failed," Liao Duci said.
"Indeed, all our efforts these past few days have paid off."
"Hmph, it's definitely because we defeated Di Haoao, shattering his confidence," Situ Ye said smugly.
"Ha, if it weren't for the rumors we spread, he wouldn't have broken down so quickly," Cui Baiquan was also pleased with his own plan.
*Slap!*
Situ Ye suddenly slapped Cui Baiquan: "Have you forgotten your place? You can do the work, but the credit is never yours."
Cui Baiquan didn't dare to argue.
He could only glare resentfully at Su Luo. It was all because of Su Luo that he had become even worse off than before.
"What are you looking at? My plan definitely played a part too. You got a problem with that?" Su Luo joined in, competing for credit.
What could Cui Baiquan say? "No, I have no problem with it."