Chapter 658: Glug

Uh...!

Suddenly, Shangguan Hanyue let out a pained groan, her already pale face now covered in cold sweat.

Quiet your mind!

Ye Chen’s voice reached Shangguan Hanyue.

Shangguan Hanyue let out a soft hum, though she was in great pain. She took a deep breath and gently closed her beautiful eyes, looking inward at the blood curse deep within her brow.

She saw faint flames slowly enveloping the blood curse, moving at a very gradual pace.

Unable to help herself, she opened her eyes again.

What met her gaze was a face hidden behind a Gui Ming mask. Although she couldn't see Ye Chen's true features, she could see his calm, pitch-black eyes, fixed intently on her brow—or, more precisely, on the blood curse deep within it.

“Do you know my sister?”

Shangguan Hanyue finally spoke, thinking that perhaps because of Shangguan Yuer, this young man was going to such lengths to help her break the blood curse.

“I’ve met her a few times, not very familiar.”

Ye Chen smiled slightly, answering casually. He had no idea what kind of reaction Shangguan Hanyue would have if he mentioned the events in Zhao Guo that day.

“You’re a bit different from the rumors about Qin Yu.”

“Oh? How so?”

Ye Chen looked at Shangguan Hanyue with interest.

“People say you’re someone who acts without any principles or morals.”

Shangguan Hanyue spoke, her expression quite peculiar.

Hearing this, Ye Chen’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

Heaven and earth can bear witness—if it weren’t because you’re Shangguan Yuer’s sister, I wouldn’t have returned your storage bag. I might have even kidnapped you and sold you somewhere for a good price.

Next, the two fell into silence.

The night remained as peaceful as ever, occasionally broken by Shangguan Hanyue’s bursts of painful groans.

If you listened carefully, those who knew would understand Ye Chen was helping Shangguan Hanyue break the blood curse, but those who didn’t might think the two were up to something else entirely.

However, Ye Chen proceeded with great caution.

The blood curse in Shangguan Hanyue’s body was extremely strange and stubborn, imprinted with secret techniques. Refining and breaking it required a slow approach; any reckless move could turn Shangguan Hanyue into a cripple.

Time passed slowly.

In the quiet, the sky moved from night to late night, from late night to dawn, and from dawn back to night.

Throughout this time, the two sat cross-legged facing each other without stirring. Not only Shangguan Hanyue, but even Ye Chen’s face had grown pale, with hints of exhaustion flickering in his deep eyes.

Still, his efforts were not in vain. After a day and a night, he had gradually refined the secret techniques imprinted on the blood curse in Shangguan Hanyue’s body. Once that strange secret technique was broken, the rest became much easier.

Take her!

At some point, the voice of Taixu Gudragon echoed in Ye Chen’s mind.

Get lost!

Ye Chen immediately cursed, “You damn old man, you want me to sleep with every woman I see? What’s wrong with you!”

“Look, you just don’t get it!”

Taixu Gudragon stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. “Who says the bloodline of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti is so desirable? Hey, I’m not kidding you—back in the day, the child born from the union of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti and the Dao Ling Zhi Ti became an incredibly powerful emperor.”

“Really? Is that true?”

“I’ve never lied to you about anything related to emperors. I always approach it with reverence. That emperor was the only one among the Xuan Huang 130 Emperors who died in battle—I wouldn’t joke about it.”

“Died in battle?”

Ye Chen was stunned. “An emperor who dominates the heavens—how could he die in battle? That’s nonsense!”

“But that’s exactly what happened.”

Taixu Gudragon spoke with genuine reverence. “He single-handedly fought six foreign realm emperors, holding the gate to the heavens alone for eight hundred years, fighting until his last drop of imperial blood. That’s what led to the glory that followed!”

“Six emperors?”

Ye Chen’s heart trembled.

“Xuan Gu Emperor—remember him! He’s one of the most brilliant emperors of your human race.”

“The strongest was Xuan Yuan Emperor, the shortest-lived was Dou Zhan Sheng Huang, the longest-lived was Yan Emperor, and the only one who died in battle was Xuan Gu Emperor.”

Ye Chen murmured softly to himself, committing each of these legendary heavenly emperors to memory as Taixu Gudragon spoke.

“Hey, back to business, this girl is really something.”

The moment before, Taixu Gudragon had been full of reverent seriousness, but now he was grinning mischievously, rubbing his dragon claws together in a smug manner.

“Yeah, she’s pretty good.”

Ye Chen replied, then directly blocked his communication with Taixu Gudragon.

People learn from their mistakes, after all.

Given the two times Taixu Gudragon had tricked him before, Ye Chen had already decided that whenever he talked to a woman, he’d block this guy out first. If this rascal started spouting nonsense through his mouth, he’d never be able to clear his name.

As it turned out, his decision was wise, because Taixu Gudragon was already gearing up to do just that.

There’s a saying: make a match whenever you can. The process might be shameless, but the result is what matters.

Impressive!

Taixu Gudragon gave a thumbs-up to Ye Chen’s nine clones, then slumped down lazily, his eyes darting around as if plotting something.

Huff!

At some point, Ye Chen finally exhaled a long breath of turbid air, retracting his fingers and his Xian Huo.

Immediately, Shangguan Hanyue’s entire body went limp, her face as pale as paper, drenched in sweat as if she had just bathed. Because of the sweat, her dress clung to her skin, outlining her graceful figure.

Shangguan Hanyue noticed this and hurriedly adjusted her dress, trying to cover herself, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Rest for a bit! The next part will be easier.”

Ye Chen glanced at Shangguan Hanyue and cleared his throat, then thoughtfully took out a cloak to drape over her body.

Wow!

He then stretched lazily and flipped out the Da Luo Shen Ding, suspending it in mid-air with roaring Xian Huo burning below.

Next, Ye Chen began pouring in spiritual liquid continuously, tossing in the meat and bones of a highly nourishing Yao Shou.

This scene made Shangguan Hanyue’s expression quite odd. Such an extraordinary ding being used as a large iron pot to stew meat felt strangely out of place.

Before long, the aroma of stewed meat wafted through the mountains.

Ye Chen kept busy, adding all sorts of rare spiritual herbs to create a premium stew.

“The flavor should be pretty good.”

Far away in the underground world of Zheng Yang Zong, Taixu Gudragon couldn’t help but twitch his nose.

“If this had dragon meat in it, it would taste even better.”

“@#￥&*#@￥!”

“Soup’s ready!”

Ye Chen completely ignored Taixu Gudragon’s darkened face and specially fetched a large bowl, filling it to the brim. He even glanced at Shangguan Hanyue. “Hey, beautiful, want some?”

“No, no thanks.”

Shangguan Hanyue hugged her knees with both hands, but her stomach let out an untimely growl.

Although she was a cultivator and could go ten days or half a month without eating, her Dan Hai and soul were currently sealed, making her no different from an ordinary person. After a day and night of torment, she was utterly exhausted, without even the spiritual power to open her storage bag.

Gulu!

Soon, her stomach growled again, making her face flush bright red.

Who was she? She was the Dao Ling Zhi Ti, the holy maiden of Dong Yue Shangguan family, the fifth-ranked prodigy on the Da Chu Feng Yun Bang—a flawless fairy-like existence. When had she ever been so embarrassed?

Instinctively, she lowered her head, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

“Hey, don’t be shy. Men drink it for vitality, women for beauty.”

Ye Chen simply brought the large bowl over.

Though shy, Shangguan Hanyue still accepted it. Especially after smelling the overflowing aroma, her stomach started growling incessantly again, leaving her quite embarrassed.

“Mmm, it’s really good.”

Ye Chen had already dashed back to the ding, not even using a bowl—he went straight for a large basin.

The scene that followed was warm and peaceful.

Soon, the two were sitting cross-legged facing each other again.

This time, Ye Chen was straightforward. With the secret techniques on the blood curse no longer a hindrance, he had no reservations. His Xian Huo surged forth, enveloping the blood curse.

Crack!

At some point, a sound rang out from within Shangguan Hanyue’s body. The blood curse shattered under the forceful refinement of the Xian Huo and tried to resist, but Ye Chen directly expelled it from her body.

Puff!

In a blood-red abyss shrouded in mist, a vomiting sound echoed from the depths.

The mist was too thick to see the face clearly, only a pair of eyes with an eerie glow visible, deep and lifeless, terrifying in the night.

“Who could break my blood curse?”

The mist obscured the eyes, leaving only a cold, ethereal voice echoing chillingly.

Buzz!

As the blood curse was broken, Shangguan Hanyue’s body trembled, and brilliant divine light instantly wrapped around her. Her entire form radiated with splendor, and a power that even made Ye Chen frown flashed briefly.

“The Dao Ling Zhi Ti is truly extraordinary.”

Ye Chen sighed in admiration.

“With the blood curse refined and the seal lifted, she should be fine now.”

Muttering to himself, Ye Chen took one last look at Shangguan Hanyue before turning and vanishing into the darkness.

An hour later, Shangguan Hanyue awoke.

Now, her face was rosy, and her aura extraordinarily robust. Without the blood curse’s suppression and drain, her beautiful eyes were clear, her figure enveloped in divine light, with various mysterious phenomena intertwining around her, dazzling in the night.

“Has he left?”

Scanning the surroundings and finding no sign of Ye Chen, Shangguan Hanyue’s eyes dimmed slightly, a faint sense of inexplicable loss in her heart.

“Killing God Qin Yu, will we meet again?”

Under the moonlight, Shangguan Hanyue murmured softly, then glanced back at the mountain forest before turning and disappearing into the night.