What?! All the fairies I topped up have come true?

Seeing the Netherworld Sect guard barging directly into his room, Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

However, he still tried his best to appear calm and asked, "Run? Where do you think you're going?"

Upon hearing this, the Netherworld Sect disciple frowned slightly and said, "It's nothing. Since you're still here, get up and prepare, then go and serve the Holy Maiden."

Lin Xiao shrugged, ignoring the person's inexplicable behavior, and walked out with the snacks she had prepared.

Upon seeing this, the Netherworld Sect disciples behind them narrowed their eyes slightly, their hearts filled with doubt.

The Holy Maiden, who had just finished her cultivation, said she sensed that this person seemed to have fled the sect, so how come he's still here?

Lin Xiao, of course, had no idea what had happened, and soon arrived at the Netherworld Palace with snacks.

The chilling atmosphere inside the Netherworld Palace was even stronger than yesterday. The flickering candlelight in the palace cast an eerie glow on the black dragon-shaped pillar.

Yu Jiuyou leaned against the throne covered with a black fox fur coat, his heterochromatic eyes half-closed.

Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the remaining plum packaging from yesterday, her expression showing a hint of impatience, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as Lin Xiao stepped into the palace, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, seemingly able to see right through him.

Lin Xiao's heart tightened, and he quickly handed over the bag of snacks in his hand, trying to be as humble as possible, saying, "Sir, I brought you some novel snacks."

Yu Jiuyou shifted her gaze from his face to the several exquisitely packaged snacks.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his heterochromatic eyes, but his tone remained indifferent: "So, you were still holding back yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat; he had forgotten about that.

However, before he could think of a reason to explain, the cold voice rang out again: "Bring the things over first."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao quickly stepped forward and carefully placed the preserved plums, dried hawthorns, and dried tangerine peel on the jade table in front of her.

Yesterday he had already figured out that this ruthless witch of annihilation had a particular fondness for sweet and sour snacks.

This was the only lifeline he could grasp.

Yu Jiuyou opened a bag of preserved plums, picked up a plum, and put it in her mouth to chew it carefully.

The sweet and sour taste spread across her tongue, softening the fierceness between her brows and making her bewitching eyes look gentler.

He glanced at Lin Xiao and saw him standing with his head bowed, his expression respectful, without making the slightest move.

Then, a very faint smile appeared on his lips as he said, "You're not entirely useless; you're better than those good-for-nothings in the palace who only know how to flatter."

[Ding: Detected that Yu Jiuyou's attitude towards the host has softened. Favorability increased by 5, current favorability 15.]

A notification sound rang in his mind, and Lin Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he still dared not relax in the slightest.

This small amount of goodwill is insignificant; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

"It is my honor to serve the Holy Maiden."

Lin Xiao said respectfully, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the outside of the hall, and he couldn't help but think of Lin Qishuang again.

Where exactly is Jiange?

Is Lin Qishuang safe there?

Yu Jiuyou is determined to kill her. If he finds out her whereabouts in the future, he will definitely not let it go.

Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, Yu Jiuyou suddenly spoke, her tone slightly teasing: "What's wrong? Distracted? Thinking about your little lover again?"

Lin Xiao froze, secretly amazed by the female demon's incredible ability to see through people's hearts.

I was only slightly distracted, but they noticed something was wrong.

Although he was surprised, he still said in astonishment:

"I wouldn't dare. I was just thinking about how to serve Her Majesty the Holy Maiden today, and whether there are any other instructions."

Facing this female demon, Lin Xiao was extremely respectful and dared not be careless in the slightest.

After all, the divine imprint within his body was still there, and he never wanted to experience that excruciating pain, worse than death, a second time.

Yu Jiuyou scoffed, his voice laced with disdain, "My double pupils can see through all the illusions of this world. You think you can hide your little schemes from me?"

She paused, then her tone suddenly turned cold: "However, you'd better put away those useless thoughts. Lin Qishuang has been taken away by the Sword Pavilion and won't be back anytime soon."

"If you dare mention her to my face, or secretly inquire about her, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Your subordinate will keep in mind the Holy Maiden's teachings." Lin Xiao quickly replied, but secretly pondered in his heart.

It seems that the Sword Pavilion is quite powerful, as even this female demon is wary of it.

Otherwise, given the she-devil's temperament, she would have already stormed into the Sword Pavilion and killed Lin Qishuang.

Based on this, Lin Qishuang should be safe for the time being.

As for myself, I should work harder to improve my strength and find a way to remove the divine imprint from my body.

Just as Lin Xiao was pondering this in his heart, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Lin Xiao was slightly surprised, and subconsciously looked outside.

But then a disciple of the Netherworld Sect rushed in.

Upon seeing this, Yu Jiuyou's expression immediately darkened, and he said coldly, "What kind of behavior is this, all so flustered and disrespectful?!"

Upon hearing this, the Netherworld Sect disciple immediately knelt on one knee in fright, his expression tense as he said:

"Holy Maiden, news has come from the Sword Pavilion that they will be holding a Sword Challenge in three months, inviting all sects in the Cangxuan Realm, including my Netherworld Sect."

"Sword Pavilion wants to challenge the world with swords?" Yu Jiuyou paused in the plum in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his heterochromatic eyes, and the candlelight in the hall trembled violently.

"That's interesting. The woman was just taken away by them, and the Sword Pavilion is already preparing to challenge the world with swords? Is it trying to establish its authority by using that woman's clear sword heart, or...?"

As she finished speaking, the chilling aura around her intensified, and the patterns on the black dragon-shaped pillar faintly turned blood-red.

The Netherworld Sect disciple who was reporting the information trembled with fear, lowered his head even further, and dared not even breathe.

He knew the Holy Maiden's temperament all too well.

Once anger is unleashed, corpses litter the ground.

Lin Xiao stood to the side, her heart pounding wildly.

He had no idea what was going on with the so-called "Sword Inquiry Under Heaven" event held by the Sword Pavilion.

But the fact that they even invited this female demon confirms that this must be a grand event.

Moreover, if this female demon goes to the Sword Pavilion, is it possible for me to see Lin Qishuang again?

He had a thousand thoughts running through his mind, but he dared not show the slightest sign of his inner turmoil.

All I could do was stand there with my head down, pretending to be indifferent to it all.

But his mind was already racing with calculations.

Since there are still three months left, he must increase Yu Jiuyou's favorability as soon as possible.

Ideally, one should be able to unlock the cultivation sharing permission; otherwise, let alone protect Lin Qishuang, one might not even be able to save one's own life.