I'll Threaten You If I Want To

Her peerless beauty grew ever more enchanting beneath the setting sun.

"So beautiful!" Lu Chen could not help but praise her. "A graceful young maiden, shy and sweet; with you by my side, the years held no sorrow. This felt fantastic!"

Yun Niang blushed furiously and hurriedly changed the subject. "You... tell me about what happened to you in the Blood Fiend Battlefield these past two months. I want to hear it!"

Though she wanted Lu Chen to praise her a little more, she did not dare let things continue.

She was truly afraid she would fall completely.

"What was there to say..." Lu Chen stopped halfway through his sentence. With a flip of his hand, he took out a small medicine bottle and stuffed it into Yun Niang's hand, whispering into her ear:

"Keep it safe. Don't let anyone find out. Use it in secret when the time comes—it's Blood Marrow that can awaken your bloodline!"

Yun Niang's delicate body trembled violently, as though she had been scalded. "Blood... Blood Marrow?"

Shh!

Lu Chen pressed a finger to her crimson lips. "I couldn't even bear to give any to Senior Sister or Senior Brother. I saved this especially for you."

"Whether it awakens your bloodline or not, you must use it. Understand?"

Yun Niang opened her mouth.

"I'm warning you, don't give it to your master. It would be wasted."

"This... is far too precious..."

"If I gave it to you, take it!"

"I never said I wouldn't!"

Lu Chen nearly choked.

"Could you give a little more? Blood Jade would do too. If... if the princess awakened her bloodline as well, then... she has the imperial bloodline. Maybe she'd give you some official post, and I... I could also..."

Lu Chen's eyelid twitched.

"Are you sure she'll give you back your freedom after she awakens?"

"Huh?" Yun Niang swayed dizzily, then nodded frantically. "She absolutely will give me back my freedom!"

"Giving you back your freedom alone won't do. She'll need to betroth you to me!"

Yun Niang was dumbfounded.

"What, unwilling?"

Seeing the blazing look in his eyes, Yun Niang's heart trembled. She stammered:

"I... I'm not mentally prepared yet. If... if that's the case, I'd better return it to you!"

Lu Chen sighed inwardly.

He knew it would not be that easy.

A strong dose would not work. She did not buy that sort of thing.

"I'll give it to her personally when the time comes. If she doesn't agree, she won't get it. Hmph!"

"Not mentally prepared? Have her issue an imperial decree and see what you do then. I refuse to believe it!"

"You really have more?" Yun Niang was startled.

Lu Chen glanced at her, caught between laughter and tears. "Aren't you being a little too greedy?"

Panic flashed across Yun Niang's face, and she hurriedly said, "It's not what you think. In any case, I have..."

She suddenly stopped there. After hesitating, she said, "It's fine if you won't give it, but I can suggest that the Young Marshal give you a unit of men to train. They'll all be imperial clan descendants!"

"Think about it—what if all of them awaken their bloodlines? Would Great Yan still need to look at others' faces then?"

Lu Chen looked at her suspiciously. "Such grand ambitions and broad-mindedness?"

"Great Yan is my home. If Great Yan falls, the princess will surely be buried with it, and I won't be able to survive either!"

"Help me, okay?" As she spoke, she shook Lu Chen's arm.

That nearly bewitched Lu Chen out of his mind.

Even his breathing became unsteady. In the end, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Then I'll have to wait until I meet her before discussing it. I can't agree without even seeing her, can I?"

"Besides, she wouldn't meet me even while I was cooperating with the Imperial Loyalists to eliminate some Heavenly Imperial disciples in the early stages. I keep feeling that this Peerless Princess is terribly scheming. I need to see for myself first!"

Yun Niang anxiously said, "She isn't what you think. She had no choice, and she didn't want to drag you too deeply into the mire because of her."

"Actually... actually, she never wanted this in the first place."

Lu Chen eyed Yun Niang doubtfully.

"It really is like that. I've always been by the princess's side."

Lu Chen smiled. "I believe you!"

"Then you agree? I'll go back and tell the princess to select one hundred people she can absolutely trust. Will that be enough?"

Lu Chen's cheek twitched. Under Yun Niang's delighted gaze, he nodded.

"Wuwu, Lu Chen, if this really works, Great Yan can be saved. I... the princess will be able to lay down such a heavy burden. Thank you. I thank you for her sake!"

Lu Chen gave a strange smile and tapped his own cheek. "Words alone won't do. Give me a kiss!"

"You're blackmailing me!"

"I'll blackmail you if I want to. Come, give me a kiss!"

"You're horrible!" Yun Niang was nearly fainting.

This bastard's skin was practically made of iron.

Yet she still lightly kissed Lu Chen on the cheek. Then she hurriedly got up, wiped her face, and ran away in a flash.

"Hey, hey, hey! I haven't even told my story yet!"

"I'm not listening anymore!"

Her voice, drifting back to him, trembled slightly.

"How am I supposed to find you?"

No answer came back.

Lu Chen's head spun, and he viciously slapped himself across the face.

Damn it, he had forgotten to ask her name again. He had gotten too excited.

Holy shit!

He returned to the main hall in low spirits. Seeing the strange looks from the three of them, Lu Chen simply turned around and went back to the rear mountain.

He went into the will statues to temper himself.

Yun Niang, who had left, ran to the mountain gate. Supporting herself against a tree, she panted violently.

Her heart thudded without stop.

She had actually taken the initiative to kiss someone.

That had been utterly impossible in the past. She had never even entertained such a thought.

Yet today, as though guided by ghosts and gods, she had done it—and done so willingly.

The Blood Marrow and the prospect of a hundred-man awakening squad had stirred her, but they were not enough to make her offer up a kiss.

Clearly, she had wavered.

But... was it truly possible for things to reach that day?

Looking at the Blood Marrow in her hand, Yun Niang took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and slowly walked out through the mountain gate.

At the first level of the True Martial Realm, protective aura condensed into armor.

This protective aura differed from Qi and Blood Protective Aura. It was a further tempering of Qi and Blood Protective Aura, becoming purer and more resilient.

Once one condensed their own True Martial Armor, its toughness rivaled that of a spirit artifact.

Under the immense pressure of the Martial Dao Will emanating from the twenty-seven will statues, Lu Chen relied on the energy support of the four great furnaces to temper the energy within the True Martial Furnace again and again.

The blood-colored energy within gradually shifted toward colorlessness.

The colorless sphere at its core also grew larger bit by bit.

The aura it emitted became increasingly astonishing as well.

Influenced by its changes, the protective aura passively unleashed by Lu Chen distorted the surrounding space into a blur.

A faint, barely visible suit of armor slowly formed over his body.

His aura likewise grew stronger step by step.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At a certain moment, space shook violently, and a shocking storm of will swept through the area.

Even the nearby statues began to sway.

Lu Chen stood where he was, looking at the pale True Martial Armor, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens.

Not only had he condensed True Martial Armor, he had also stepped into the second level of the True Martial Realm.

The key was its appearance—it was truly cool beyond compare.

Mysterious, imposing heads of gods and devils adorned the shoulder guards. The protective armor resembled fine, densely packed scales, exceptionally resilient and wonderfully textured.

It could be worn normally, stored within his body, or spread over his entire body, including his head.

Not only did it multiply his resistance to attacks several times over, it also had a certain counter-damage effect.

It also made him look incomparably majestic. If he walked down the street wearing this, he would absolutely earn a one-hundred-percent head-turning rate!

Most importantly, six crescent-shaped Blade Wings could extend from his back, carrying wind and thunder with them.

They greatly expanded his range of movement.

At last, his dream of flying had come true.

Whoosh!

Lu Chen flapped his Blade Wings and soared into the sky.

He was like a bolt of white lightning.

Fang Jiuding, who was swinging chains before the main hall, was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped.

This was truly leaving no way for cultivators to survive!