Chapter 18: What’s Stolen Must Be Returned

"Master!" Long Yan exclaimed. His Spiritual Body instantly drifted to Ye Zhaozhao’s side.

Ever since joining the sect, Ye Zhaozhao had never been in such a sorry state!

Long Yan reached out to help her up.

Fuming with anger, Ye Zhaozhao directly slapped Long Yan’s hand away. She couldn’t help but question him, "Where were you when Jiang Yi suddenly attacked? You just watched as she tossed me over?"

Ye Zhaozhao was going crazy!

She was at the Nascent Soul Stage, for crying out loud. This Jiang Yi was merely at the Golden Core Stage! But they were in the sect! How could she have anticipated that Jiang Yi would suddenly strike?

Jiang Yi was a little brat that Lin Qingling had picked up from the outside. Rumor had it that she was a half-blood between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan. Empowered by her bloodline, her physical strength was terrifyingly high. Caught entirely off guard, Ye Zhaozhao had actually been bested by her!

In her rage, Ye Zhaozhao’s face twisted fiercely, a trace of malice tinting her eyes.

Long Yan froze. The Ye Zhaozhao in his heart was nothing like this.

Whenever she looked at him, she was always as gentle as water. Her sweet smiles always made him lose himself. He was willing to do anything for Zhaozhao’s smile.

When Zhaozhao formed a contract with him, she had said that a Sword Spirit and a Sword Cultivator were naturally the most intimate companions. From then on, no one’s bond would be closer than theirs. She promised she would cherish him and care for him her entire life, and that they would accompany each other until the end of time.

Swayed by Ye Zhaozhao’s sweet nothings, he had unhesitatingly signed the most stringent Master and Servant Contract with her.

But... how long had it been? Why did the eyes of the Ye Zhaozhao who had sworn to love and protect him forever when coaxing him into the contract suddenly become so terrifying?

Was it just because he, like her, hadn’t reacted in time and had allowed Jiang Yi to succeed?

Long Yan’s face turned pale. Suddenly, Ye Zhaozhao realized her slip-up.

The Dragon Roar Sword had been tempered by Li Shuang for so many years. It was, after all, a Peerless Treasure Sword. She still needed Long Yan for what was to come. Although Long Yan couldn’t defy her under the Master and Servant Contract anyway, it was always better to have him serve willingly.

Ye Zhaozhao forced a smile. "Long Yan, I’m sorry. I was just too angry for a moment."

Relieved, Long Yan quickly pulled Ye Zhaozhao up. "It’s my fault for not protecting you well, Master."

No sooner had Ye Zhaozhao gotten to her feet than Shen Yue, who had been crushed beneath her, suddenly began coughing violently. Ye Zhaozhao hurriedly helped Shen Yue up.

Shen Yue, who was usually brimming with sharp arrogance, now looked as if all his pride had been shattered. His expression was dejected, but his gaze remained fixed firmly in Li Shuang’s direction!

Monstrous waves were crashing wildly in Shen Yue’s heart!

He had always thought he was a true genius of the Sword Dao. He had always believed that Li Shuang’s teachings were just her nitpicking. But today, Li Shuang had thoroughly taught him a lesson. She showed him just how many flaws existed in his proudest Swordsmanship when faced with a true master!

Eldest Sister had previously been instructing him with painstaking care. If he had only listened to a fraction of her advice, he wouldn’t have lost so miserably today.

Shen Yue struggled to stand, his lips trembling slightly. "Eldest Sister..." he called out instinctively.

But the next moment, his mind drifted into a daze. At this moment, Luo Mingyue was standing steadfastly in front of Li Shuang, guarding her closely. Liu Juncheng held his sword, watching him expressionlessly. Jiang Yi had also unhesitatingly stepped forward to shield Li Shuang.

Back at Lingxu Peak, it was always Li Shuang standing in front of them, shielding them from the wind and rain. But upon going to Heartless Peak, Li Shuang had become the one being protected.

Shen Yue’s body trembled uncontrollably. Standing together with Luo Mingyue and the others, Eldest Sister created an incredibly harmonious picture.

At this moment, an immense wave of terror assailed him. So, from now on, no one would stand in front of them anymore. No one would repeatedly urge him to practice his Basic Sword Skill. No one would tirelessly spar with him.

"Shen Yue, what else do you have to say now?" Luo Mingyue said coldly. "Li Shuang is a born prodigy in swordsmanship. If she had only cared about herself, her mastery of the Sword Dao would likely be even higher today! Who doesn’t know that besides her own Cultivation, she spent a massive amount of time on you junior brothers and sisters! She treated you with true sincerity and did everything she possibly could! But every single one of you ungrateful wretches took it for granted! Since that’s the case, stay far away from Li Shuang from now on!

"You treated Li Shuang’s sacrifices as your due right and trampled her affection into the mud! Master Lingxu even struck her himself, severing their master-disciple bond.

"Remember, Li Shuang never owed you anything! It was you who abandoned her."

Luo Mingyue’s expression was sharp and fierce.

Looking at the people shielding her, Li Shuang’s gaze couldn’t help but soften. At this moment, she felt incredibly relaxed and unburdened. This was the first time someone had stood in front of her, the first time someone had spoken up for her so loudly!

It turned out that she, too, deserved to be defended. She, too, deserved to be loved.

The circulation speed of the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique seemed to increase a fraction. Some bizarre changes seemed to be taking place in Li Shuang’s body.

Ye Zhaozhao’s expression, however, drastically changed!

For some unknown reason, at this very second, a portion of her Cultivation vanished into thin air. Ye Zhaozhao completely panicked.

She called out desperately in her mind, "System! System!"

"I am here," the cold voice of the system rang out in her mind.

"My Cultivation... my Cultivation! Why has it regressed slightly?" Ye Zhaozhao asked in terror.

The system’s voice remained frigid. "This system is bound to Li Shuang. The more negative emotions Li Shuang experiences, the greater the rewards the host acquires. But right now, not only is Li Shuang devoid of negative emotions, she is also producing numerous positive emotions. Since negative emotions can make the host stronger, positive emotions will naturally exert adverse effects on the host.

"If this continues, the Cultivation the host obtained from Li Shuang will be absorbed back by her. I suggest the host properly figure out a solution."

Ye Zhaozhao’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Over the past ten years, her rapidly growing Cultivation had actually all been stolen from Li Shuang! Li Shuang was the favored child of heaven. If she hadn’t been bound by the system, she probably would have been the first younger-generation disciple to enter the Divinity Transformation stage. Even with the numerous losses incurred during the process, stealing Li Shuang’s Cultivation through the system had managed to push her all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage.

But the system had never mentioned that this Cultivation could actually regress! She had painstakingly reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Having her Cultivation regress would be worse than death!

Ye Zhaozhao shrieked madly in her mind, "Why didn’t you tell me something this important sooner?"

The system’s voice turned sinister. "Are you questioning me? You don’t even stop to think—without me, you probably wouldn’t even be able to reach Foundation Establishment right now! Do you think you’re Li Shuang, capable of advancing your Cultivation by leaps and bounds on your own? Ye Zhaozhao, you are a piece of trash who can only rely on others! I advise you that rather than questioning me here, you’d better quickly find a way to continuously generate Li Shuang’s negative emotions."

After saying that, the system fell silent once again, as if too lazy to pay Ye Zhaozhao any more attention.

A trace of venomous resentment flashed through Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes.

Li Shuang! Li Shuang! It was always Li Shuang!

Outsiders saw her glory, but who knew how much effort she expended just to maintain her Cultivation! Why did Li Shuang get to have everything so effortlessly, while she had to plot and scheme painstakingly just to barely uphold her persona as a genius!

No! She had worked incredibly hard for all of this! Not even Li Shuang could snatch away what belonged to her!

Ye Zhaozhao forced her eyes to redden, then looked at Li Shuang with a pitiful expression.