Chapter 2085: Night Talk

In the Canglan Realm, the night was exceptionally clear, occasionally punctuated by the giggles of Xiao Yang Lan. The little one wasn't sleepy at all, finding everything around her delightfully new.

Yang Xuan and his two companions were wide awake too, wandering through the Canglan Realm like tourists, marveling at everything as if it were novel. This gave them a deeper understanding of the world of cultivators.

Qin Meng Yao was still there, her eyes tearful as she gazed at Ji Ning Shuang, listening intently to her stories about Zhao Yun. She wished she could absorb all of Ji Ning Shuang's memories.

Xie Mo appeared, glancing briefly at Xiao Yang Lan before focusing on Huang Fei. With her vast insight, she could see that Huang Fei's bloodline was the legendary Xian Shen Zhi Ti. Xie Mo had visited Zhu Xian Zhen multiple times and even wandered around Lao Fen a few times, but she had never noticed it before. Now, seeing it, even a great being like her couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

"Beautiful senior, can we pick a few of your fruits to eat?" Yang Xuan sidled up, rubbing his hands with a cheeky grin that had a hint of sleaziness.

Xie Mo didn't respond. With a gentle wave of her hand, she sent him flying into the sky.

Wow! Shangguan Jiu looked up, watching for a long time without seeing Yang Xuan come down. When he finally did, he didn't land properly and ended up dangling upside down from a tree branch, his head spinning and foam bubbling from his mouth. He was so disoriented that he couldn't tell north from south anymore.

Yang Xuan was quite the character, even Ye Chen admired his boldness. In the Canglan Realm, with so many people around, why did he have to chat with that crazy woman?

Xie Mo was a primordial-level great being who never did anything ordinary. If you didn't provoke her, she might still want to beat you up, let alone if you approached her. Besides, he wasn't being subtle—smile if you want, but don't make it so sleazy! It could be mistaken for flirting. Flirting with others might be fine, but with a demonic entity like her, you'd get sent skyward for a spin. Count yourself lucky she didn't slap you to death—just light some incense and be grateful.

Considering Yang Xuan's fate, Shangguan Jiu, who had been thinking of approaching Xie Mo to chat about ideals, didn't dare go near her anymore. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he just couldn't. That woman was fiercely intimidating.

It wasn't until the second night that Qin Meng Yao returned to the Ming Realm, as her time limit had expired. She had wanted Ye Chen to open the passage to the underworld again, but he was preoccupied with fusing his true fire and true thunder.

Once Qin Meng Yao left, Ji Ning Shuang finally stood up and glanced toward the bamboo forest. Through the hazy void, she could see Ye Chen quietly fusing his true thunder and true fire. It would take some time for the fusion to complete, as this was a process of integration, not simple absorption.

"Girl, lend me the Wu Zi Tian Shu to look at." Xie Mo sat down.

Ji Ning Shuang didn't refuse—it would have been pointless anyway. With a silent thought, the three volumes of the Wu Zi Tian Shu flew out from her body and hovered in the air, each brimming with profound Dao essence.

"One got the Wu Zi Tian Shu, one got the Hong Meng Zi Qi, and one got the Da Luo Shen Tie. This era is truly fascinating." Xie Mo picked up a volume, flipping through it while speaking casually, her words laced with deeper meaning.

Ji Ning Shuang understood her perfectly. She was referring to herself, Ye Chen, and the Chaos Body. Whether it was the Hong Meng Zi Qi, the Da Luo Shen Tie, or the Wu Zi Tian Shu, all originated from Dao Zu Hong Jun. The three of them were destined to be entwined with him through karma for life.

Xie Mo fell silent, her mind delving into the Wu Zi Tian Shu, wandering through the great Dao.

Ji Ning Shuang quietly withdrew. She wasn't surprised that Xie Mo was so absorbed, for the heavenly book had an irresistible allure that made it impossible to pull away once you started.

That's why, in Xuan Huang, people called her not only the Eastern God but also the Book Fool.

Deep in the bamboo forest, Ye Chen sat in meditation with his eyes closed. Already, over a dozen types of true fire had merged with his Xian Huo, while the Tian Lei were handling themselves, chatting amicably among themselves.

This was a lengthy process.

As the true fire and true thunder continued to merge, the Xian Huo and Tian Lei absorbed more essence, steadily advancing toward Hun Dun Huo and Hun Dun Lei. No one knew how many steps were left, but once achieved, it would shock the myriad realms and heavens.

The fusion also brought Ye Chen significant benefits, stimulating the latent power of his Sheng Ti and nearly summoning a Tian Jie.

Fortunately, Ye Chen was clever enough to have sealed his advancement to Great Saint in advance.

He was joking—how could he waste a Sheng Ti Tian Jie? The place for crossing it had to be chosen carefully. Once he left, he'd head straight for whichever primordial great clan was acting up.

A Tian Jie needed to be lively, after all.

Moreover, he wasn't ready to face thirty-two emperors yet. He remembered that during his Saint King tribulation, sixteen emperor Dao law bodies had nearly wiped him out. Doubling that to thirty-two young emperors was terrifying just to think about. The scene of being ganged up on would be brutally bloody, and any momentary lapse could get him killed.

In the blink of an eye, nine days passed.

During these nine days, Ye Chen focused on fusing his true thunder and true fire, while Xie Mo was captivated by the Wu Zi Tian Shu. Even a primordial-level great being couldn't escape its pull, her mind drawn into its Dao essence.

Ji Ning Shuang wasn't idle. Using her great divine abilities, she opened Dan Hai for Yang Xuan and his three companions, including Qin Xiong, and taught them the foundation-building methods.

The four had decent talent, especially Ling Feng, who reached the peak of Qi Condensation in just nine days. This was thanks to the Canglan Realm's spiritual energy, which was hundreds of times denser than outside, plus the refinement from various spiritual herbs. His physique had undergone several transformations.

Now, the four no longer looked aged; they appeared immortal, having regained their youth. Each was diligently practicing, losing track of time as they pondered the path of cultivation.

On another moonlit night, Ji Ning Shuang held Xiao Yang Lan, sitting under a spiritual fruit tree and gazing at the stars. The little one seemed tired from playing and kept nuzzling Ji Ning Shuang with her head. Soon, she drifted off to sleep, her small hand clutching Ji Ning Shuang's clothes tightly, as if afraid of being abandoned. In her murmurs, the word "mother" kept appearing.

Ji Ning Shuang gently stroked Xiao Yang Lan's head repeatedly, showing the warmth of a loving mother. Though she was her future daughter-in-law, Ji Ning Shuang treated her like her own child.

Half a month slipped by quietly.

Xie Mo awoke, her mind returning, but she stared blankly at the Wu Zi Tian Shu. Hong Jun truly lived up to his title as Dao Ancestor; even she was astounded by this great emperor's enlightenment of the Dao. Her own state of mind had undergone transformative growth from half a month's contemplation, with a few moments even touching the bottleneck of the Great Emperor.

Unfortunately, her opportunity wasn't quite there, so she was fated to have no connection with the emperor's throne.

With a sigh, she returned the three volumes of the Wu Zi Tian Shu to Ji Ning Shuang.

"Great being, I have a question I'm unclear about," Ji Ning Shuang said softly.

"Ask away." Xie Mo yawned.

"What is the grudge between the Zhu Xian Sword and the Huang Gu Sheng Ti?"

"In this world, the only one who can truly destroy the Zhu Xian Sword is the Huang Gu Sheng Ti. Even great emperors can't compare. Precisely because the Sheng Ti has this ability, the Zhu Xian Sword holds a grudge against it. Who would allow someone capable of threatening them to live? Perhaps there are other grievances between them, but I don't know."

"Ye Chen has gone out several times without any Zhun Di protecting him. With so many opportunities, why hasn't the Zhu Xian Sword attacked him directly and instead used others as proxies?"

"First, it can't appear easily; second, I suspect some mysterious force is restraining it; third, it's afraid of Ye Chen—not the Ye Chen of now, but his true self. Acting rashly might not kill him and could provoke something even more terrifying. It knows the dangers better than anyone."

Ji Ning Shuang frowned slightly, finding Xie Mo's words increasingly mysterious. It made her realize there were far too many secrets between the Sheng Ti and the Zhu Xian Sword, and as for Ye Chen's so-called true self, what did that mean? Clearly, this great being had no intention of revealing the secrets.

"Weakened again, even weaker." Xie Mo gently closed her eyes and murmured.

"What... weakened?" Ji Ning Shuang asked in confusion.

"The emperor's Dao suppression from Xian Wu Di Zun has weakened further, and it's accelerating." Xie Mo spoke as she slowly opened her eyes. As a peak Zhun Di, just one step from the Great Emperor, she could sense the strength and weakness of such suppression most acutely. Not just her—any peak Zhun Di in the world could detect the change clearly.

Ji Ning Shuang tried to sense it several times but felt nothing; her cultivation was far too low.

Xie Mo said no more, only gazing quietly at Ji Ning Shuang. Her enchanting eyes held a hint of haze, and even her mind seemed slightly dazed.

For some reason, looking at Ji Ning Shuang before her was like seeing the former Hong Lian Female Emperor. The two were remarkably similar—not in appearance, but in their underlying aura. That aura stemmed from the great Dao and was possessed only by young female emperors.

Now, the emperor's seal suppression was gradually weakening and would eventually reach its lowest point. That meant someone might achieve emperorship in this era. Xie Mo had a feeling that the person in front of her could be the one to claim the throne.

Her intense stare made Ji Ning Shuang feel uncomfortable all over. This demonic entity's gaze was always so odd, sometimes even giving her a chilling sensation.

"I'll go teach them cultivation." Ji Ning Shuang coughed awkwardly and cleverly made an excuse to leave quickly. If she stayed under that gaze any longer, it would get too awkward. That awkwardness always reminded her of the Canglan Realm in Xuan Huang, when she and Ye Chen had been completely exposed, with Xie Mo watching from the side. Now, in front of Xie Mo, it felt like whether she was clothed or not made no difference. She was a woman, after all—who wouldn't feel embarrassed?

Xie Mo continued watching, unaware of the shift in Ji Ning Shuang's thoughts. How could she know that her past misdeed had left such a shadow on Ye Chen and the others?

Only when she finally looked away did she glance toward the bamboo forest.

This glance startled her into standing up, her beautiful eyes igniting with flames.

It was no wonder—at the depths of the bamboo forest, Ye Chen had awakened and was now by the ice jade bed, holding a small knife in one hand and a large bowl in the other, drawing blood from Mu Liu Qing.