Chapter 25 The Ancestor Comes Out of Seclusion
Once the Flood Dragon had fully transformed, Lu Wuyan, as the Sect Master, soared into the air, positioning himself above the Dragon's head.
He formed a hand seal, then pointed two fingers forward, "Destroy!"
With that single word, the Flood Dragon opened its enormous mouth, letting out a deafening roar that echoed through the heavens and earth, and charged towards Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue.
Witnessing such an astonishing scene, and the Flood Dragon's colossal, mountain-like body that was difficult to take in with a single glance, Xia Qingyue had never seen such a grand spectacle before. She only felt insignificant and powerless.
In contrast, Chen Qing remained calm and composed, exuding the confidence of someone unperturbed even when a mountain collapses before him. After all, this mere Sect Protection Formation was more than one Realm inferior to the Kunlong Great Formation he had mastered.
Even though Chen Qing had not yet comprehended the Kunlong Great Formation to the Great Perfection Realm, destroying this Sect Protection Flood Dragon was more than enough.
Spiritual Qi was released, and the Kunlong Great Formation instantly lit up and spread out, forming a cylindrical cage that trapped the Flood Dragon within.
Following that, thick chains shot out from the Void Realm, tightly coiling around the Flood Dragon's body.
With a sudden burst of power, the Heaven Feather Sect's Sect Protection Flood Dragon was violently torn to pieces, transforming into scattered Spiritual Qi that returned to the world.
"Earth Rank, Earth Rank Formation! You, you are actually an Earth Rank Formation Master!" With the Formation broken, Lu Wuyan and the others suffered a backlash, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, their faces filled with disbelief.
'Earth Rank Formation Master?!'
Seeing Chen Qing use a Formation to dismember the Flood Dragon and forcefully break the Formation, Xia Qingyue was already sufficiently surprised and shocked, never expecting that Chen Qing, besides being a Cultivation Genius, also understood Formations.
When she heard the words "Earth Rank Formation Master" spoken by Lu Wuyan, Xia Qingyue's heart became even more restless.
Formation Masters do not have the complex Rank distribution of Martial Cultivators; there are only four Realms in total: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
Furthermore, Formation Masters are far rarer than Martial Cultivators of the same Rank, and their talent is incredibly difficult to find. A Formation Master is often an object of contention that various forces scramble to recruit.
Not to mention a Dual Cultivation Genius like Chen Qing, who possesses not only outstanding Martial Cultivation talent but also monstrous Formation talent.
Xia Qingyue firmly believed that once this matter was exposed, those top-tier major Sects would definitely fight fiercely over Chen Qing, scrambling to get him.
She was even more convinced that with Chen Qing's talent, intellect, and shrewdness… he would surely become a peerless overlord in the future!
Xia Qingyue had never been so confident about anything.
"Surrender! We admit defeat, we surrender! From now on, the Heaven Feather Sect is willing to completely submit to Young Master Chen, serving you like dogs and horses, we only ask that you spare our lives!" Lu Wuyan, knowing he was no match for an Earth Rank Formation Master, clutched his chest and compromised.
"Too late," Chen Qing uttered two simple words.
He had no intention of sparing Lu Wuyan or the Heaven Feather Sect when he came today.
It was still the same old saying: Chen Qing had given them a chance, but they themselves chose not to cherish it.
In that case, Chen Qing could not be blamed for being ruthless and eradicating them!
"Young Master Chen, it's good to leave a line in life for future encounters. If you don't trust me, I can make a Heavenly Dao oath to never betray you. Why must you be so ruthless?" Lu Wuyan wiped away the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
"If you had the chance to kill me, would you spare me just because I begged for mercy?"
…" Chen Qing's single sentence stumped Lu Wuyan; the answer was, of course, no.
Having no other choice, Lu Wuyan hardened his heart and decided to take a gamble. He raised his voice and shouted, "Lu Wuyan, the eighteenth Sect Master of the Heaven Feather Sect, requests Old Ancestor to emerge and save my Heaven Feather Sect!"
This kind of drama was all too familiar to Chen Qing, who had undergone Rebirth.
It was perfectly normal for a Sect to have an Old Ancestor, a powerful hidden expert.
"A bunch of useless trash!" Sure enough, immediately following, a voice that sounded aged yet full of vigor echoed through the Void Realm.
In the blink of an eye, a figure in a long robe suddenly appeared beside Lu Wuyan, with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard…
"Lu Wuyan respectfully greets Old Ancestor!" Lu Wuyan, seeing the Old Ancestor truly appear, immediately knelt down in worship.
The other Heaven Feather Sect Disciples, seeing this, followed suit, "Greetings, Old Ancestor!"
Their hearts were filled with wild joy upon seeing the Old Ancestor appear.
"This is great! The Old Ancestor has emerged, we are saved."
"So the Old Ancestor hasn't passed away yet, I always thought…"
"With the Old Ancestor making a move, it doesn't matter if that kid is a Formation Master, he will surely be easily annihilated!"
…
Believing they now had a backer.
Their change of face was incredibly swift.
With the Old Ancestor supporting them, they completely disregarded the Shadow Puppet and Chen Qing's identity as a Formation Master.
"Wife, do you see? In the future, if you embark on this Dao, you must never harbor mercy towards your enemies. Remember, being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself." Chen Qing used this example to remind Xia Qingyue.
"Thank you for the reminder, Husband, I understand." A living example was right before her, Xia Qingyue could not refute it and accepted it humbly, believing Chen Qing's intentions were good.
"Hiss!" Chen Qing gasped, staring intently at Xia Qingyue.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Xia Qingyue asked, puzzled, as their eyes met.
"No," Chen Qing shook his head, "I just feel that your 'Husband' seems to be getting more and more practiced."
At his words, Xia Qingyue first froze, then her little face flushed red as if she had been drinking. She averted her gaze and softly said, "You, you're not serious…"
…" Heaven Feather Ancestor.
…" Lu Wuyan.
Not only did these two not expect it, but the Disciples of the Heaven Feather Sect also didn't anticipate that even with their Old Ancestor emerging from seclusion, Chen Qing wouldn't even give him a proper look, still having time to flirt and display affection with Xia Qingyue.
"This guy is too presumptuous! He dares to not put our Heaven Feather Sect's Old Ancestor in his eyes!"
"Who says he isn't! Arrogant! I've seen arrogant people, but never one this arrogant!"
"He must have eaten a bear's heart and leopard's guts; they'll both suffer later!"
"Please, Old Ancestor, make a move and quickly kill these two ignorant fellows!"
…
Calls for killing were incessant.
The Heaven Feather Sect Disciples had such strong murderous intent towards Chen Qing for a reason.
When Chen Qing had used the Kunlong Great Formation to kill the Sect Protection Flood Dragon, they suffered a backlash, dropping at least two minor Realms in Cultivation. How could they not resent him? How could they not hate him?
If Chen Qing did not die, this resentment would truly be difficult to dispel.
"Good, good kid! Today, this Old Man will meet you and see just how capable you truly are!" Heaven Feather Ancestor was already displeased with Chen Qing's dismissive attitude, and with the crowd's encouragement, his killing intent surged.
He swiftly unleashed his might, displaying his Soul Emergence Realm Peak strength without reservation.
"A mere Soul Emergence Realm Peak, so noisy, one would think he was a Great Emperor." Chen Qing sneered.
A mere Soul Emergence Realm Peak…
"You! You're courting death!" Heaven Feather Ancestor's mouth twitched, his killing intent boiling.
Chen Qing no longer bothered to speak. A tide of shadows surged from beneath his feet, obscuring the sky and moon! Visibility plummeted!
In a single thought, he released ten thousand Shadow Puppets, each comparable to a Soul Emergence Realm Peak expert!
***
Chapter 26: Destroying the Sect
Tens of thousands of Shadow Puppets appeared in the blink of an eye, standing above the Heaven Feather Sect's Disciples, creating a solemn and respectful scene!
Witnessing this, the group of Disciples who had been loudly clamoring for the Heaven Feather Ancestor to execute Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue on the spot instantly fell silent.
Each of them was dumbfounded, mouths agape, but not a single word escaped, quiet, as quiet as a graveyard, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
"…" Even as an Old Ancestor and Sect Master, his expression was exactly the same as the Disciples, without the slightest difference.
"Are these?" The Heaven Feather Ancestor had no concrete understanding of Shadow Puppets. After he reacted, he turned to look at Lu Wuyan, the Heaven Feather Sect Master beside him, and asked.
"Reporting, Old Ancestor, these all seem to be Puppets, and each Puppet is equivalent to…" Lu Wuyan hesitated.
"Equivalent to what? Speak quickly!" Seeing Lu Wuyan still playing coy at such a time, the Heaven Feather Ancestor impatiently urged him.
"The cultivation Realm of this Puppet is equivalent to a Soul Emergence Realm…"
"The cultivation of this Puppet can be comparable to a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator?" Without waiting for Lu Wuyan to finish, the Heaven Feather Ancestor hastily blurted out.
Lu Wuyan shook his head and corrected him. "It's comparable to a Soul Emergence Realm Peak!"
"Soul Emergence Realm Peak!" Hearing this, the Heaven Feather Ancestor's body swayed, almost falling from mid-air.
He hadn't forgotten that his own cultivation was only at the Soul Emergence Realm Peak, yet Chen Qing had instantly summoned tens of thousands of Puppets with the same cultivation as him.
Even if the Heaven Feather Ancestor fought with all his spiritual Qi until the last moment, he might not be able to destroy two Shadow Puppets.
A strong sense of powerlessness and fear quickly filled the Heaven Feather Ancestor's entire being.
It was indescribable.
Looking at Xia Qingyue again, even though Chen Qing had informed her beforehand that he had many Shadow Puppets.
However, what Xia Qingyue never expected was that "many" here meant being able to summon tens of thousands of them at will…
Now, the burden in Xia Qingyue's heart finally settled, and she finally understood why Chen Qing was not afraid of the Heaven Feather Sect's power and dared to speak of annihilating the Sect.
If Xia Qingyue had these ten thousand Shadow Puppets, she would also have this confidence!
At the same time, she also understood one thing: for Great Wu, the real threat had never been Chen Xiong, the powerful chancellor, nor the hundred thousand iron cavalry outside the city, but Chen Qing.
Compared to these tens of thousands of Shadow Puppets, it was no exaggeration to say that they were not even a drop in the ocean.
Thinking of this, Xia Qingyue suddenly felt fortunate that she had agreed to marry Chen Qing back then, otherwise, if he were to get angry, who in the entire Great Wu Dynasty could bear his wrath?
She was also more convinced that with Chen Qing as her husband, as long as he did not rebel, the Great Wu Dynasty's grand ambition and eternal prosperity for thousands of years would not be difficult.
After realizing this, Xia Qingyue's last bit of grievance and resentment from being forced into marriage vanished into thin air.
Sacrificing herself to allow the Xia Clan's hegemony to last forever was worth it, absolutely worth it!
Moreover, Xia Qingyue no longer believed that marrying Chen Qing counted as a sacrifice…
As she was thinking, the Heaven Feather Ancestor's voice suddenly came from not far away, "Jiang Heng is willing to lead the entire Heaven Feather Sect to submit to Senior, and I hope Senior will show mercy and spare us!"
Seeing that even the Old Ancestor had knelt and surrendered, those opportunistic Disciples naturally followed suit.
"Please, Senior, show mercy and spare us!"
"Please, Senior, show mercy and spare us!"
…
Chen Qing deeply detested this kind of opportunistic behavior and was too lazy to respond, issuing a command to kill in his mind.
Tens of thousands of Shadow Puppets moved stealthily through the darkness, like ghosts, appearing instantly behind tens of thousands of Heaven Feather Sect Disciples, their palms transforming into blades.
One hand lifted the long hair, the other slit the throat, and with a forceful pull, the head and body immediately separated!
Tens of thousands of Heaven Feather Sect Disciples, including the Sect Master and Elders, all perished in just one breath.
From then on, the name of Heaven Feather Sect ceased to exist.
Chen Qing did not do anything to destroy the evidence. He left all the corpses on the spot and then disappeared into the dark world.
He wanted everyone in the world to know the consequences of being his enemy.
Hide?
Why hide?
The protagonist is still in seclusion signing in, and he has the Undying and Imperishable Body and the System in hand. If he doesn't act a bit arrogant, would he be worthy of this identity?
He wasn't reborn to live a pathetic life.
"Hoo…" Exhaling a mouthful of turbid Qi, Chen Qing put his arm around Xia Qingyue's waist and said, "Wife, now that the Heaven Feather Sect has been destroyed, we can go back and rest in peace."
"Mm." Xia Qingyue had already grown accustomed to such intimate contact with Chen Qing and did not resist. Instead, she actively reached out and hugged him to prevent herself from falling, everything looking so natural.
The reason Chen Qing sighed was because he was very much looking forward to what kind of reward the System would give him after killing so many people.
From the moment he deployed the Kunlong Great Formation until now, he hadn't had time to check the System panel, which was flashing with red dots.
With great excitement, Chen Qing summoned the System panel.
"Successful in doting on wife! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a random reward: Heaven Rank Low Grade Seven Star Flying Dagger +1!"
'Heaven Rank?!'
Chen Qing's expression was surprised; that Flood Dragon was actually worth a Heaven Rank weapon.
With curiosity, Chen Qing clicked to view the details.
"Seven Star Flying Dagger: Can control the flying dagger with Mental Energy. The stronger the Mental Energy, the farther the attack range. Killing enemies from thousands of miles away is but a thought! Note: The Seven Star Flying Dagger can be upgraded by devouring blood Qi. Each time a dagger star lights up, it can split, allowing control of an additional flying dagger!"
'Devour blood Qi to upgrade?!'
After confirming that he had not misread, Chen Qing quickly took out the Seven Star Flying Dagger and flung it towards the direction of the Heaven Feather Sect behind him.
Although Xia Qingyue was curious, she was sensible enough not to ask too many questions.
She only needed to know that Chen Qing would not harm her.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Xia Qingyue was exceptionally confident in this.
The next moment, the Seven Star Flying Dagger arrived above the Heaven Feather Sect ruins, its blade vertical.
Immediately after, countless streams of blood Qi converged towards it, like flowing red silk veils, all devoured by the Seven Star Flying Dagger.
And all the blood on the ground evaporated, while the corpses withered at a visible rate, becoming skin and bones.
Then, the Seven Star Flying Dagger, having completed its blood Qi absorption, returned to Chen Qing's hand.
Chen Qing gripped the hilt and looked at the blade; two dagger stars were already lit.
Including the one that was originally lit, it meant Chen Qing could now simultaneously control two Seven Star Flying Daggers with his Mental Energy.
He was more than satisfied with this reward. He let go of it and temporarily stored it in the System backpack.
Right now, it wasn't the time to waste all his time on the Seven Star Flying Dagger.
Chen Qing still had a big prize to open.
He was very much looking forward to what quality of reward an Old Ancestor, a Sect Master, plus tens of thousands of Heaven Feather Sect Disciples could trigger.
***
Chapter 27 Holy Body
Truth be told, Chen Qing probably had to thank Lu Wuyan, Heaven Feather Ancestor, and the others for wanting to kill Xia Qingyue along with him.
Otherwise, if Chen Qing had just killed those people, there would have been no wife-pampering reward.
Chen Qing clicked to view the next System prompt.
"Wife-pampering successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Ten Thousand Swords Sacred Body +1!"
Sacred Body?!
If Chen Qing remembered correctly, there are three thousand Physiques in this world. Possessing one of them makes one a Prodigy among Prodigies, not only strengthening the body beyond others but also accelerating Cultivation speed and granting powerful talents...
And a Sacred Body is a powerful Physique ranked among the top one hundred of these three thousand Physiques.
Chen Qing couldn't help but ask in his mind, "System, where does the Ten Thousand Swords Sacred Body rank among the three thousand Physiques?"
The System immediately replied: "To the Host, the Ten Thousand Swords Sacred Body ranks seventeenth on the list of three thousand Physiques! It is the number one Sacred Body for Sword Cultivators!"
'Ranked seventeenth! The number one Sacred Body for Sword Cultivators!'
Hearing the System's reply, Chen Qing's throat moved as he swallowed, his heart overflowing with joy.
Now, his leverage against the protagonist had increased by another point.
He couldn't wait to use the Ten Thousand Swords Sacred Body to enhance his Cultivation, believing that with his current terrifying Comprehension Ability, it would surely yield twice the results with half the effort!
With this thought, Chen Qing closed the System panel and rushed back to Chen Manor with even greater speed.
Xia Qingyue felt Chen Qing accelerate, so she held him even tighter, burying her head deep in his embrace.
Chen Qing raised his arm to shield Xia Qingyue's head, preventing it from being buffeted by the strong winds along the way.
"..." Noticing this, Xia Qingyue smiled sweetly.
Meanwhile, Chen Qing got what he wanted, killing two birds with one stone.
"Wife-pampering successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Five-grade Heavenly Yuan Pill +50!"
...
At the same time.
The news of Heaven Feather Sect's destruction by an unknown powerful expert or force spread through various informants to the ears of many important figures.
Among them was Martial Emperor Xia Cheng of the Great Wu Dynasty.
"You, what did you say! Heaven Feather Sect was massacred?" Xia Cheng was shocked upon hearing this, abruptly standing up from his Dragon Throne.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the entire Sect, over ten thousand people, from the lowest servants to the Elders and Sect Master, and even Heaven Feather Ancestor, all met a tragic end without exception! Heads severed from bodies!" The secret agent reported in even more detail.
Xia Cheng hesitated, raising his hand then letting it fall, slowly sitting back onto his Dragon Throne.
After a moment's thought, it wasn't hard for him to figure out whose hand was behind this matter.
"It can only be him!"
Noticing the secret agent's strange gaze, Xia Cheng waved his hand.
"This subordinate takes his leave." The secret agent immediately vanished.
"It seems we all underestimated him," Xia Cheng said, addressing State Preceptor Xiao He beside him.
Xiao He was still in a daze and only reacted after a long while, "Yes, yes... To be able to wipe out an entire Sect overnight, such methods are truly astonishing!"
Xiao He was very glad that Xia Cheng had not adopted his earlier suggestion to hastily attack Chen Qing and nip the problem in the bud.
Otherwise, the Great Wu Dynasty might no longer be surnamed Xia, and his own fate, as the one who planned it, would be easy to predict...
"From now on, we must not be his enemy!" Xia Cheng firmly resolved this.
"As Your Majesty commands," Xiao He bowed.
He couldn't agree more.
Afterwards, Xia Cheng ordered someone to summon the Second Prince Xia Ce to the Royal Study.
At this time, Xia Ce had just learned from his confidant that the entire Heaven Feather Sect had been tragically massacred.
"How could this be? How could this be?" Xia Ce paced back and forth in his room, completely baffled.
"What about Old Ancestor? What about our Heaven Feather Sect's Old Ancestor?" Xia Ce stepped forward, grabbing the man's lapels, asking urgently.
"Reporting to the Second Prince, Heaven Feather Ancestor's body was also among them..."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ce's body went limp in fright, and he slumped onto a chair, looking as if he had aged several years in an instant.
He knew well that without the support of Heaven Feather Sect as his backing, his chances of contending for the throne were greatly diminished.
Then, a voice came from outside, "Second Prince, His Highness commands you to the Royal Study."
Xia Ce acknowledged and numbly followed the eunuch who delivered the message to the Royal Study.
Soon after, with the eunuch guarding the door, Xia Ce pushed open the door to the Royal Study alone and entered.
He saw Xia Cheng, who was still reviewing memorials late into the night.
"Your son pays his respects to Imperial Father," Xia Ce bowed.
"From now on, don't send anyone to trouble Chen Qing again." Xia Cheng didn't even bother to look at Xia Ce.
"Imperial Father, what do you mean? Your son does not understand." Xia Ce was already very annoyed because Heaven Feather Sect had been destroyed. Being called to the Royal Study late at night by Xia Cheng, only to be told not to target the son of a treacherous official, made him even more upset.
"Slam!"
Seeing that Xia Ce not only failed to restrain himself but dared to question him, Xia Cheng slammed the brush in his hand onto the table, "You rebellious son! Are you not satisfied with causing the demise of the entire Heaven Feather Sect? Do you wish to put my Xia Clan to death before you are happy?"
"Heaven Feather Sect?" Xia Ce's mind quickly processed this, then his eyes widened as he tentatively asked, "Imperial Father, you, you mean, the destruction of Heaven Feather Sect is related to the Chen family?"
Before Xia Cheng could answer, Xia Ce quickly denied it, "How, how is this possible? Although the Chen family has some influence in the Great Wu Dynasty, they are not strong enough to contend with an entire Sect, let alone destroy Heaven Feather Sect."
"What if I told you that the one who destroyed the Sect was Chen Qing?"
"..." Xia Cheng's single sentence silenced Xia Ce.
He didn't believe Xia Cheng would joke with him about such a matter.
"Enough. From now on, you are confined to your residence for a year to reflect on your mistakes. You are not to leave the palace. If you dare to act recklessly again, don't blame me for disregarding our kinship and expelling you from the clan!" Xia Cheng rubbed his forehead with one hand and waved the other, telling Xia Ce to leave quickly and not provoke him further.
Xia Ce hesitated, knowing that resisting Xia Cheng at this moment would only lead to being deposed. So he replied, "Yes, your son accepts the command."
He turned and left with a blank stare, muttering to himself, in a voice only he could hear, "How is this possible... How is this possible..."
Seeing Xia Ce leave, Xia Cheng was still uneasy and ordered strict surveillance, threatening to implicate the entire nine generations of their family if anything went wrong!
Back at Chen Manor.
"Wife-pampering successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Comprehension Ability +50!"
"Wife-pampering successful! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Divine Movement Talisman +10!"
...
Chen Qing had already finished washing Xia Qingyue, tucked her into bed, and conveniently reaped a wave of wife-pampering rewards to gather more resources and leverage for his upcoming Cultivation.
"Where are you going?" Xia Qingyue asked, seeing Chen Qing turn to leave.
"I'm going to Cultivate nearby," Chen Qing replied.
Xia Qingyue hummed in acknowledgment.
Then she saw Chen Qing walk a short distance away, sit down cross-legged, and begin Qi Gathering and Cultivation.
Xia Qingyue closed her eyes, preparing to rest.
Her eyelids trembled slightly.
After a while, her thin lips parted slightly, and she whispered, "If you're tired, then... come to bed and sleep."
***
Chapter 28: Coming from behind
"Alright," Chen Qing replied, not getting up. He knew very well that the'sleep in bed' Xia Qingyue mentioned had no hidden meaning.
He continued to sit cross-legged on the ground, focusing on Cultivating.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingyue turned over, her small face flushed. She hadn't expected herself to actively say something so embarrassing.
Chen Qing was indeed not mistaken; Xia Qingyue's'sleep in bed' truly meant simply sleeping in bed, with no other deeper meaning.
There was only one bed in the large bedroom; she couldn't possibly make Chen Qing sleep elsewhere, could she?
If outsiders knew, it would definitely cause a lot of gossip.
However, if Chen Qing truly couldn't restrain himself and wanted to do something, Xia Qingyue wouldn't resist too much.
Though her heart still held Ye Feng, she knew better than anyone that her fate with him in this life was destined to be unfulfilled…
As she thought, Xia Qingyue drifted into sleep. She was no longer like when she first entered the Chen Estate, where she would be constantly on edge, fearing Chen Qing might harm her, and would take a long time to fall asleep.
Chen Qing said no more and also began to refine and increase his Cultivation through Qi Refining, using his Ten Thousand Swords Sacred Body and Comprehension Ability…
Before long, his Cultivation Realm broke through from Soul Emergence Realm seventh layer to Soul Emergence Realm eighth layer.
One must know, this was without the aid of Medicinal Pills, relying solely on his own talent and the not-so-abundant Spiritual Qi around him.
Under such conditions, to still have such a rapid increase in speed, Chen Qing couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
So, with a wave of his hand, he took out all the Medicinal Pills from his System backpack, spreading them around him.
As the Medicinal Pills were consumed bottle after bottle, his Cultivation also rapidly climbed…
At the same time.
Da Mang Mountain, nameless Immortal Cave.
Ye Feng finished Cultivating and suddenly opened his eyes. "Phew, I Cultivated for a whole day and only broke through three minor Realms? That's a bit slow. It would be great if I could sign in for a peerless Cultivation Technique or a Physique that would increase my Cultivation speed."
With this thought, Ye Feng summoned the System panel. Seeing that the sign-in count had updated, he eagerly clicked the [Sign In] option.
[Signing in…]
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a Heaven Rank Low Grade Cultivation Technique: Sunflower Manual!]
"Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique?!"
Seeing these four words and confirming he hadn't misread, Ye Feng stood up from the stone bed with a look of ecstasy.
"Good, good, good! With this Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, my Cultivation speed will definitely improve significantly!"
He immediately switched to the System backpack and took out the Sunflower Manual.
"Hiss, Sunflower Manual…" The name wasn't as imposing as Ye Feng had imagined.
"Bah, why think so much? Since it's a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, how could it be weak?"
Ye Feng opened the first page with immense anticipation, and prominently saw a line of large characters: To Cultivate this technique, one must first castrate oneself.
"…" Frowning tightly, Ye Feng was stunned for a long time.
Suspecting he had misread, he rubbed his eyes, then leaned closer to confirm, "To Cultivate this technique, one must first castrate oneself…"
Ye Feng was not a fool; he knew what 'castrate oneself' meant.
"System, are you messing with me?" After another long moment of daze, Ye Feng slowly uttered that sentence, asking very seriously.
To this, the System, which only possessed the sign-in function, gave no response, remaining very quiet.
It wasn't his first day with the System. Ye Feng had a belly full of curses, which ultimately turned into a single complaint, "I bound you to become stronger, and you actually want to ruin my happiness for the rest of my life!"
He directly threw the Sunflower Manual mercilessly aside. He even found it taking up space in his System backpack.
"Xia Qinyue is still waiting for me, how could I castrate myself?" Ye Feng was unwilling to covet temporary Cultivation speed and let down a peerless beauty.
The future was long; wasting one sign-in opportunity was not unacceptable for Ye Feng.
"Forget it, continue Cultivating!" Ye Feng, full of suppressed anger, resumed his meditation posture, no longer thinking about the Sunflower Manual. He decided to turn his anger into motivation, Cultivate diligently, and increase his Cultivation.
It was also to quickly get through this boring day, leading to the next sign-in…
Chen Qing was naturally unaware of what was happening in the Immortal Cave on Da Mang Mountain.
However, compared to Ye Feng, Chen Qing's progress was incredibly swift. With the blessings of his Sacred Body and talent, after refining the last Medicinal Pill, he had already raised his Cultivation from Soul Emergence Realm eighth layer to Soul Emergence Realm seventh layer.
That's right, as the villain, his Cultivation had already surpassed Ye Feng, the protagonist, coming from behind and leaving him far behind.
Not only that, after the Medicinal Pills were exhausted, Chen Qing also took the opportunity to Cultivate all the Cultivation Techniques he had previously obtained to the Great Perfection Realm.
He didn't know until he Cultivated; only then did he realize the terrifying power of high Comprehension Ability. It required almost no effort; a couple of glances, and he would understand without a teacher, making it as simple as could be.
"Hoo…" Exhaling a mouthful of turbid Qi, calming and stabilizing his surging Qi Sea, Chen Qing stood up from the ground.
He looked out the window; dawn had not yet broken.
Recalling Xia Qingyue's words before she slept, Chen Qing removed his outer clothes and climbed onto the bed.
"…"
Xia Qingyue was not in a deep sleep. Sensing someone climb onto the bed, she slowly opened her eyes, but her body did not move at all, knowing it was Chen Qing who had finished Cultivating and needed to rest.
A lone man and woman in one room, sharing one bed and one blanket—to say Xia Qingyue wasn't nervous would definitely be a lie.
Her heartbeat grew faster and faster, and her jade cheeks became increasingly hot, continuously warming up.
However, as time passed little by little, there was no sound from behind her.
Coupled with Chen Qing's even breathing, Xia Qingyue realized that she… had been overthinking.
Her face not only didn't cool down but turned even redder.
Her sense of guilt towards Ye Feng surged!
She felt that if she continued to overthink like this, not only her body, but even her heart, would eventually…
She decisively stopped her thoughts, closed her eyes tightly, wanting to clear all distracting thoughts.
The more she thought, the more chaotic it would become…
In a flash.
The sky turned a fish-belly white, and a ray of sunlight shone in from the window.
Xia Qingyue gently opened her beautiful autumn-water eyes, still a little sleepy.
Just as she was about to move and get up, she found something pressing on her.
She quickly realized it was a hand.
Whose hand it was, was self-evident.
Xia Qingyue realized she was currently being held in Chen Qing's embrace.
She wanted to break free, but considering Chen Qing had Cultivated all night and must be very tired, she couldn't bear to disturb him.
There was nothing she could do but remain still and sleep a little longer.
Even if she couldn't sleep, she had to, otherwise, being held like this by someone, and a man at that, even if he was her sworn husband, Xia Qingyue would start to overthink again.
However, what Xia Qingyue didn't know was that for a Cultivator, especially a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator, sleep was actually not that important; it was optional.
Nevertheless, in order to complete the main quest as soon as possible and obtain the Great Emperor Cultivation, Chen Qing didn't mind sleeping for a bit and having more physical contact with Xia Qingyue.
If the physical distance was close, would the heart still be far?