Leaving aside everyone else for the moment.
Chu Ge was shocked because the other party turned out to be a woman—but Ye Chen, who had been with this remnant soul for several years, was just as stunned!
In fact, his shock far surpassed Chu Ge's!
"Se… Senior, you…?"
Ye Chen's speech became halting, his thoughts surging like raging waves within his mind.
His shock was not only due to the senior's gender, but even more so because of her peerless elegance!
He had never imagined that the existence he had always addressed as "senior" would reveal her true form as such a stunningly beautiful woman, one capable of toppling nations and cities!
And it seemed she was not even human, but a being bearing the bloodline of the Dragon Clan!
After the shock came wild ecstasy!
"Senior! Help me, quickly! With your help, I can definitely defeat Chu Ge! Once I defeat Chu Ge, my status in Taihuang will rise, and then I'll be able to find heavenly treasures to help you rebuild your body!"
Ye Chen roared hoarsely, as if he were clutching at his very last lifeline.
Hope filled his eyes—along with a touch of madness!
Like a gambler who had lost everything, gripping his final chip with bloodshot eyes, desperate for a last, reckless comeback!
Yet, faced with Ye Chen's state, the white-haired woman merely shook her head.
This caused Ye Chen's expression to freeze, and a trace of venom flashed through his eyes.
You bitch! At a time like this, you still won't lift a finger—do you really want me dead?!
What Ye Chen thought in his heart, no one else knew.
Hearing this, Chu Ge merely smiled and spoke calmly:
"Ye Chen, have you ever considered this—why should this senior go to such trouble to help you, exhausting herself for your sake? Wouldn't it be better for her to simply abandon you and turn to me instead?"
"Chu Ge! Shut up! Senior and I have been together day and night—our bond is incredibly deep! How could she possibly abandon me?!"
"Isn't that right, Senior?!"
Hope once again filled Ye Chen's eyes. His face was full of pleading as he looked toward the woman, praying she would nod in affirmation.
But the only response he received was the woman's slightly cold gaze.
"Ye Chen, you… have truly disappointed me…"
Those indifferent words were like a sharp blade, stabbing straight into Ye Chen's heart!
"Senior?! Have you forgotten? It was me! I was the one who awakened you!"
Ye Chen shouted with all his strength.
Suddenly, he stiffened. He reexamined the woman carefully—and his expression instantly turned ferocious!
"You! You lied to me! Didn't you say you were extremely weak? Look at your current state—where is even a shred of weakness?!"
Only now did Ye Chen realize that although the woman was merely a remnant soul projection, without a physical body, she was not dim, blurred, or withered as he had imagined.
On the contrary—she was extraordinarily solid and clear!
"You! You wretched bitch! Did you already collude with Chu Ge, that cur dog thief?! Did you two join hands to deceive me?!"
"Ah! Answer me?!"
Ye Chen roared in fury. His body, already like a guttering candle in the wind, somehow burst forth with a final surge of strength, allowing him to struggle back to his feet!
At this moment, he was covered in blood, and several ghastly white fragments protruded from his back—
They were shattered bones, smashed apart by Chu Ge's blows and now piercing through flesh, exposed to the air!
When the woman's face first revealed a flash of anger, then even a faint trace of unnatural guilt, Ye Chen grew even more frenzied.
Because that expression clearly proved—she truly did feel a sense of guilt!
However, that fleeting trace of discomfort vanished in an instant. The woman returned to her cold, indifferent expression.
"I did indeed come into contact with others of the Taihuang Sacred Land in places you could not see—but not with Chu Ge."
"And I did deceive you in certain matters. But it was for my own sake. No one instructed me to do so."
The woman spoke calmly.