Chapter 28: Yan Duo’er’s Acceptance

She saw Lin Ritian and her now possessed son, Lin Fan approaching the small mound, where Lin Ritian arranged some items around it and dripped a few drops of liquid onto the Sunfire Flower. Then she saw Lin Fan sitting cross-legged in front of the flower, while Lin Ritian recited something.

"What are they doing?" Hu Jiuli asked, puzzled.

"I... I don't know," Yan Duo'er stammered, but her heart was filled with unease.

"They seem to be trying to refine the Sunfire Flower. It seems they want to refine you. The Sunfire Flower Monarch possesses extremely strong vitality. Even if it dies, it will only revert to being a Sunfire Flower. As long as there's time, it will resurrect again. There's basically no way to completely eliminate the Sunfire Flower in the mortal world. Whatever Lin Ritian is preparing, although I don't know what it is, it's likely something to suppress the 'your' resurrection," Qin Tian said lightly, with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"No! It's impossible! I don't believe it! Ritian wouldn't do this!" Yan Duo'er said, holding her head in anguish.

Hu Jiuli sighed and hugged her friend, feeling pained. She already knew Yan Duo'er's history. The two sisters, once young and spirited, were once dazzling figures in the Tiancang Realm, but after marriage, one became a widow for a thousand years before being killed, while the other sacrificed herself. Both were tragic victims of fate.

As Hu Jiuli comforted Yan Duo'er, she glanced at the screen and noticed Lin Ritian's visage for the first time. A flood of memories invaded her mind and suddenly, her body trembled, and a fierce expression appeared on her face. Pointing at Lin Ritian on the screen, she exclaimed, "Husband! It's him! He's the one who killed me in the past!"

"I see. I'll help you seek revenge," Qin Tian nodded. He had known about this matter for a long time.

Yan Duo'er looked up at Hu Jiuli, shocked and then quickly shook her head. "It's impossible, Jiuli, you must be mistaken. Ritian wouldn't kill you. I've mentioned you to him before. He knows you're my good friend. He wouldn't do such a thing."

"How can I be mistaken about something like this? That appearance, and that aura. He didn't even say a word when he attacked me. Luckily, Bingchan was already practicing in the Tianjian Sacred Land at that time and wasn't here. Otherwise, she might have fallen victim too," Hu Jiuli said bitterly.

"But... why?" Yan Duo'er asked.

Qin Tian pondered for a moment and speculated, "Perhaps he thought Jiuli would interfere. If Jiuli were still alive, when you were besieged back then, she would have probably helped. The situation wouldn't have been under Lin Ritian's control then."

Hu Jiuli nodded. She would definitely have helped her friend in distress, and they lived very close to each other. And, she had no grievances or grudges with Lin Ritian, so why would he try to kill her upon meeting?

Yan Duo'er's mind was in turmoil. She didn't know what to say or what to do. Her thoughts were chaotic.

"The crucial moment has arrived," Qin Tian said, looking at the screen with a smile.

The two women looked at the screen. In the cave, the father-son duo had completed the ritual. A red light enveloped the Sunfire Flower, and then, visibly, the flower disintegrated within the red light. Finally, it merged with the red light and slowly entered Lin Fan's body.

Anyone seeing this could understand what was happening instinctually.

"What a heartless man! Duo'er trusted him so much. If that was really Duo'er, then she might have already perished, with no chance of rebirth," Hu Jiuli said indignantly, her foxy eyes livid.

Yan Duo'er… simply lowered her head. She was surprised by her own calmness. Before seeing the truth, she had been very afraid and anxious. She firmly believed that Lin Ritian loved her. But now that she had seen the truth, she felt relieved instead of being as heartbroken and painful as she had imagined.

"But... why would he do this?" Yan Duo'er asked, puzzled, her voice strangely calm.

Qin Tian embraced Yan Duo'er and teased, "Shall I, your dear husband, go help you ask him personally?"

Hearing himself call her husband, Yan Duo'er looked up at Qin Tian with a dazed expression, her mind flashing with their short memories together.

Indeed, compared to Lin Ritian, Qin Tian was much strong, young, handsome, and treated her well. He even saved her twice. What more could she ask?

Coming to a realization all of a sudden, Yan Duo'er placed her hands on Qin Tian's chest, lifted her head, and kissed his lips lightly. She said, "Please."

"Hey, call me husband," Qin Tian chuckled.

"No way…" Yan Duo'er shook her head.

"Come on, come on," Qin Tian urged over and over again until…

"Husband..." Yan Duo'er shyly called out.

"That's right, good girl. You two stay here and enjoy the show. I'll be right back," Qin Tian said, patting Yan Duo'er's head before disappearing from the spot.

"You've finally accepted him. Now, we sisters are all husbands' women," Hu Jiuli said with a smile.

"Yeah," Yan Duo'er nodded with a smile.

Both of them were spirit beasts aging thousands of years, and their mentalities were quite mature. Once they came to terms with things, they adapt quickly. Hu Jiuli had her daughter, and Yan Duo'er had her ex-husband, Lin Ritian. Although it was challenging to win over mature women like them, once successful, they would follow you faithfully. This was one of the advantages of mature women—they only wanted a stable harbor and had passed the age of playing games and hopping around.

In the cave, after the 'ritual', Lin Fan didn't feel any changes at all—there was no sudden increase in strength, nor was there a surge of spiritual energy. He looked at Lin Ritian with suspicion, wondering if this old bastard was playing tricks on him.

Noticing Lin Fan's expression, Lin Ritian asked, "What's wrong, Fan'er? Has the second spiritual vein in your body awakened?"

"I don't feel anything at all." Lin Fan said stupidly.

"What? How is that possible? Let me check." Lin Ritian placed his hand on Lin Fan's shoulder, and after a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide. It was true that the second spiritual vein in Lin Fan's body had not awakened.

"Oh no! That wasn't your mother just now. Someone has been here and replaced her!" Lin Ritian suddenly came to senses.

"Damn it! Who could it be?" Lin Fan almost gnashed his teeth, his face contorted with rage, and his breath was like a bellows, his face looking extremely ugly.

"I don't know but they shouldn't have gone far. Let's go after them quickly!" Lin Ritian roared with raging anger and rushed out madly, with Lin Fan following suit.

Underneath Lin Ritian's ferocious expression, there was a hint of worry and fear. Yan Duo'er's disappearance seemed to be a terrifying matter for him.

At that moment, Qin Tian happened to 'bump' into the two. He laughed heartily and said, "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet you here."

Seeing Qin Tian, Lin Fan's expression turned fierce, and he roared, "Qin Tian! What are you doing here? Actually, it's better that you are here. If you didn't come, I would have come to find you!"

As Lin Fan was about to draw his sword and charge, Lin Ritian stopped him. He stared at Qin Tian with an unfriendly gaze and said to Lin Fan, "Fan'er, finding your mother is the priority now. It's a matter of great importance and cannot be neglected. Once we find your mother, we'll come back to deal with him."

"His mother? Are you talking about this Sunfire Flower?" Qin Tian took out a flower from his pocket that looked exactly like the one inside the cave, but it emitted an aura of overlord.

"So, it was you who stole it! Kid, you've got guts! I advise you to return her to me immediately. In return, I promise to let you die painlessly," Lin Ritian said, each word squeezed out of his teeth. His hand holding the big sword was trembling. One could imagine how angry he was right now.

"No way." Qin Tian chuckled and sniffed the Sunfire Flower in his hand like a rouge.

"Damn you!" Lin Ritian cursed angrily, veins popping up around his temple.

"Father, why waste time talking to him? Let me just go up and kill him!" Lin Fan sneered coldly, looking eager to try. He was extremely confident now. Working so hard in cultivation, wasn't it all for this moment?

He wanted to tear apart the one who humiliated him and snatched away the person he loved!

"Don't be in hurry? What if he panics and hurts your mother?" Lin Ritian scolded Lin Fan first and then looked at Qin Tian and said, "Kid, state your purpose, and we can discuss it."

Qin Tian looked Lin Ritian up and down, appearing surprised. "I didn't expect you to care about her so much."

He waved the Sunfire Flower in his hand and continued, "Since you care about her so much, why did you plant her in such a place? No spiritual aura, no sunlight, and damp. I refuse to believe you didn't know about this, or perhaps you wanted her to die faster?"

"Oh, right. You becoming the youngest Soul Transforming Realm cultivator also relied on her sacrifice, didn't it? How peculiar." Qin Tian spoke in a calm tone.

"You know quite a lot but be careful of what you speak. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll rip your mouth apart," Lin Ritian glared at Qin Tian with fury in his eyes.

"Why are you so excited? Did I hit a nerve somewhere?" Qin Tian smiled lightly.

Lin Ritian looked at Qin Tian, his eyes suddenly flickering. He changed the subject and said, "Kid, return her to me quickly. She is my beloved wife. I love her very much. If she's harmed, I'll be heartbroken and my cultivation may decline. Don't hurt her. She is the Sunfire Flower Monarch. Even if she dies, she'll resurrect. You can't kill her unless you obliterate her soul and erase her essence as the Sunfire Flower Monarch."

Lin Fan looked somewhat dazed at Lin Ritian. How could he say such things? It's like he wants the Sunfire Flower Monarch to die.

Qin Tian was also stunned. He didn't expect Lin Ritian to resort to such cheap tricks. However, if he wanted to act, he would play along. He revealed a hint of evil smile and said, "Hahaha, I didn't expect you to be so foolish. Since that's the case, don't blame me!"

With that, he gathered his spiritual power and directly annihilated the soul of the Sunfire Flower in his hand, erasing everything about it, completely dissipating it.

Lin Ritian stood still, neither sad nor roaring. He looked at Qin Tian with a cold smirk, a sense of relief in his eyes. After so many years, he was finally liberated.

"Fan'er, kill him," Lin Ritian said calmly.

"Alright! Leave this scum to me. I will make him taste the cruelest torment in the world!" Lin Fan licked his lips cruelly, a ferocious expression on his face.

As a transmigrator, he ended up in such a miserable state, all because of Qin Tian. He now hated Qin Tian to the core.

"Scum, where's your protector? Why didn't you bring them along?" He waved his hand, a large fiery red sword appeared. He smirked cruelly and continued, "Well, it's fine. Today, I'll let you know that offending me is the dumbest thing you've ever done in your life."

Watching Lin Fan brimming with confidence, Qin Tian couldn't help but find it amusing. He was so ordinary and weak yet so self-assured. Qin Tian felt almost embarrassed to deflate his confidence.

With a swing of his big sword, flames ignited on it, burning with fiery intensity that distorted the space. Lin Fan bent his knees, his entire body like a cannonball, charging towards Qin Tian.

"Fiery Flame Thirteen Swords!" Lin Fan roared, slashing thirteen strikes continuously towards Qin Tian, engulfing him in a massive blaze of flame.

"Hahaha, scum, now you know how powerful I am. Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily," Lin Fan looked at Qin Tian being consumed by flames ahead, his face showing an almost sickening smile.

"Still too weak."