Chapter 1241

Although unable to sense the alternating day and night outside, as a cultivator, Jonathan could calculate the passage of time through various means.

The rhythm of calm breathing, the pulsation of the circulatory system, and even the completion of the rotation by training every meridian in his body could be used for timekeeping.

After all, in the world of cultivators, controlling the frequency of one’s own circulatory system and the timing of one’s breathing was as familiar as an ordinary person knowing how many fingers they had. It was something etched into every single cultivator’s instinct.

After about twenty hours, the sound of chaotic footsteps once again echoed through the empty corridors of the prison.

Stellario opened his eyes and looked at Jonathan, who nodded slightly at the former.

“They must be here to take us up,” Jonathan then remarked.

Following his words, Merilyn, who was beside Stellario, slowly opened her eyes.

Realizing that she had fallen asleep leaning on Stellario’s shoulder the whole night, Merilyn jumped up as if she had stepped on a mouse.

However, due to her sudden use of spiritual energy, she triggered the prison’s formation. It rapidly stripped away the spiritual energy in her body, causing her legs to give way beneath her.

Stellario hurriedly reached out to catch her, but she instinctively tried to avoid him. The two ended up colliding with each other in a flustered state.

“Are you all right?” Stellario fell to the ground, using his own body as a cushion as he held Merilyn securely in his arms.

However, what Stellario failed to notice was that at this moment, he had inadvertently grabbed Merilyn’s bosoms while the woman had her back turned to him.

Even Jonathan, who had seen his fair share of awkward moments in his life, was shocked. He gaped at the sight before him.

Merilyn, who was lying in Stellario’s arms, was stunned for a moment before she immediately stood up and punched Stellario.

“You pervert!”

In response, Stellario curled himself up in the corner of the cell while Merilyn chided him.

Jonathan quickly stepped forward to check on Stellario’s condition.

“My goodness. Are you okay? We still have a fight later. Don’t tell me you’re rendered disabled at a time like this.”

Jonathan pried Stellario’s hands away to reveal Stellario’s bloody and tear-stricken face.

“Do you even have a heart? I only held you because I was worried you’d get hurt. Are you trying to kill me?” Stellario said, sobbing piteously.

Jonathan, however, was unfazed as he let go of Stellario’s arms and said in annoyance, “Since you can still flirt with girls, you’re most probably fine. Drop the act and get on your feet!”

At that instance, Merilyn realized that she had misunderstood Stellario’s intention and hurriedly knelt down beside him. With her face flushed, she said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

Stellario, who was still lying on the ground, opened his eyes to take a peek at Merilyn.

Her cloak was long lost, so all she was wearing was an animal-skin tube top. From this angle, her undulating curves were a feast for Stellario’s eyes.

“Okay, okay. I was just teasing you.” Satisfied by the visual feast, Stellario sat up from the ground.

With practiced ease, he jammed his pinky finger into his nostril while pressing his crooked nose with his other hand before giving it a forceful push to realign his broken nose bridge.

He then spat out a mouthful of blood and flicked his finger to stop the nosebleed.

“I’ve endured much worse beatings in my childhood. Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Stellario assured Merilyn in a rather nonchalant tone.

Despite that, Merilyn was well aware of how much strength she had used just now. She hadn’t gone easy on him.

While she didn’t use spiritual energy when punching him, Stellario, too, made no attempt to defend himself.

It was a pure collision of force, and her punch was powerful enough to knock down most of the cultivators in their village.

Tears streamed down Merilyn’s face as she looked at Stellario, who was still wearing a silly smile despite the blood on his face.

“Please… don’t leave me behind,” Merilyn pleaded.

Jonathan had wanted to discuss their upcoming plan with Stellario but was caught off guard by Merilyn’s words.

He shook his head slightly as he looked at Stellario.

Merilyn had indeed saved his life, but he reckoned that their debt toward her was already repaid twice over, considering the fact that he and Stellario had spared her life twice.

Jonathan had never considered including Merilyn in his plan for the upcoming arena fight.

He didn’t care about her well-being in the prison cell. After all, to him, whatever connection they had had already been severed when Merilyn swung her blade at him.

Stellario, on the other hand, didn’t share Jonathan’s sentiment. A hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes as he glanced at Merilyn.

Shaking his head slightly, he took a step back and reached out to hold Merilyn’s hand.

“Jon, I want to take Merilyn with me.”

His sudden proposal left Jonathan momentarily stunned.

Even Merilyn, who had been weeping, glanced at Stellario in a daze.

“Stellario, don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with Merilyn at first sight. Both you and I know there are plenty of girls who are more beautiful than her out there. Besides, I refuse to believe that you are someone who would forsake your own interests for the sake of a woman,” Jonathan snapped.

However, Stellario shook his head again.

“Jonathan, I came to this decision out of consideration of my own interests. I admit that my chances of survival will greatly increase by staying with you, but don’t forget how our partnership was established.

Compared to your cunning nature, I’m more inclined to trust Merilyn. There’s hardly any suspense about who will win when the two of us team up against others, but then again, even without you, I may not necessarily lose. Now, you only have two options—either take Merilyn with us, or we part ways.”

As Stellario spoke, he grabbed Merilyn with his left hand and shielded her while using his other hand to perform a hand seal, getting ready to fight Jonathan.

“He knows I won’t take action rashly right now,” Seboxia said amiably, materializing in Jonathan’s mind.

“I can’t kill him, but I can make him suffer to teach him a lesson.”

Jonathan was about to respond when a shout came from outside the prison cell.

“Prisoner in cell number one, your application for the arena fight is approved! Time to eat! Open the door!”

Jonathan turned his head in the direction of the voice.

He noticed that the number of prison guards had increased to around forty people and wondered if it was because they killed a prison guard yesterday.

One of the guards yelled at the top of his lungs while another was holding an exquisite lunchbox.

“Which one of the three of you will be fighting?” the guard asked.

Before Jonathan could say anything, Stellario declared aloud, “All three of us will be fighting together!”

“All three of you?” The guard holding the lunchbox was slightly stunned before a derisive smile appeared on his face.

Opening the lid of the lunchbox, the guard took out three steamed potatoes and threw them into the cell.

“Eat up! Fill your stomachs before you meet your doom!” the guard said, sneering.