Early the next morning, Luo Qingshan woke up. Remembering what had happened last night, she flushed with bashfulness.
Looking at the sleeping Ye Xingchen, his handsome profile and steady breathing, Luo Qingshan's eyes filled with tenderness as she thought:
This is my husband, the man I will spend my life with.
At that thought, Luo Qingshan smiled faintly. She was just about to get up quietly when Ye Xingchen pulled her into his arms and said gently:
"My wife, you're awake!"
Feeling his breath against her ear and the strong hand wrapped around her, Luo Qingshan was instantly putty in Ye Xingchen's hands. You tormentor, she thought.
She said shyly:
"Husband, stop teasing Shan'er. There are so many things to take care of today. When I come back tonight... come back, Shan'er will... will... keep you company."
Looking at Luo Qingshan's beautiful, bashful face in his arms and remembering how enchanting she had been last night, Ye Xingchen was deeply moved.
For the Demon Race's empress to act this way, Luo Qingshan truly loved him to the utmost. At that thought, Ye Xingchen's heart softened, and he said affectionately:
"My wife, let your husband help you get up!"
Looking at the deep affection in Ye Xingchen's eyes, Luo Qingshan's own eyes brimmed with tenderness.
"Husband, Shan'er will help you dress too!"
Their affection rapidly deepened. Laughing and teasing each other, they finished dressing and came to the sitting room, their faces filled with happiness.
Under Qing'er's smiling gaze, the two ate breakfast. Luo Qingshan needed to handle matters concerning yesterday's pills, so she said goodbye to Ye Xingchen and went to the Empress Palace.
Ye Xingchen was left alone. Today, he did not plan to go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Instead, he told Qing'er not to disturb him, saying that he intended to cultivate properly for a while, and went into a room in the Phoenix Perch Palace, for he had other things to do today as well.
Ye Xingchen planned to put on Steal the Heavens and Replace the Sun and pose as a Demon Race expert, using this approach to give the Heavenly Demon Spirit Transformation Tower to Luo Qingshan.
It was all thanks to Steal the Heavens and Replace the Sun, which the system had rewarded him with. Otherwise, Ye Xingchen really would not have known how to give the Heavenly Demon Spirit Transformation Tower to Luo Qingshan.
Before that, however, Ye Xingchen intended to complete today's check-in, so he said to the system:
"System, today's check-in!"
"Ding, system check-in in progress. Check-in successful. Congratulations, host. You have received the reward-Tasseled Immortal Gauze." Tasseled Immortal Gauze, a defensive secret treasure for women, has no grade classification. It is woven from the silk of the chaos divine beast, the Heaven-Devouring Ancient Silkworm. The Heaven-Devouring Ancient Silkworm produces very little silk. Its silk is impervious to water and fire and possesses astonishing defensive power. When worn by a woman, it can withstand an all-out strike from a Great Emperor Realm cultivator. It is a rare defensive secret treasure.
Hearing the system's voice, Ye Xingchen grew excited. He had just been worrying about what gift to give Luo Qingshan.
And here the system had immediately rewarded him with a defensive secret treasure for women. Anything produced by the system was bound to be top quality. It could actually withstand an all-out strike from a Great Emperor Realm expert-this was equivalent to having an extra life.
Just as Ye Xingchen was filled with excitement, happiness written across his face, the system's voice sounded again:
"Ding, system check-in in progress. Check-in successful. Congratulations, host. You have received the reward-Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps." Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps, a Great Dao-grade movement martial technique. With a single step, the sun, moon, and stars revolve around the user, and the laws of the Great Dao follow at their side. As though time itself flows backward, the distance between heaven and earth is crossed in one step, disregarding all spacetime formations. "Ding, would the host like to cultivate Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps immediately?"
Hearing the system's reward, Ye Xingchen was incredibly excited. These Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps were simply too badass. Disregarding all spacetime formations-did that not mean that, whenever he wished, he could take a single step and reach any place instantly?!
Unable to contain his excitement, Ye Xingchen said to the system:
"System, cultivate Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps!"
"Ding, cultivating Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps. Congratulations, host, you have learned Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps. Because the host possesses the great Dao chaos physique and is born with unparalleled fortune, you have directly cultivated Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps to the highest realm."
The moment the system finished speaking, a majestic figure took a step within Ye Xingchen's mind. Golden divine radiance shone from its entire body, the sun, moon, and stars revolved around it, and terrifying laws of the Great Dao descended as countless experts kowtowed in worship.
A presence that dominated all the heavens, invincible throughout the ages, emanated from that majestic figure.
In an instant, that invincible presence entered Ye Xingchen's mind, letting him experience the feeling of being the focus of every gaze, supreme above all.
Opening his eyes, Ye Xingchen rose with a smile, a sharp gleam flashing through his gaze.
This system really is incredible. These Pangu Heaven-Treading Steps were practically tailor-made for me! With these Heaven-Treading Steps, won't every entrance I make be outrageously impressive, shaking heaven and earth!
Coming to the window, Ye Xingchen gazed at the distant Empress Palace and thought excitedly.
When no further sound came from the system, Ye Xingchen took Steal the Heavens and Replace the Sun out of the system space and put it on his face. He felt no discomfort, and his entire presence underwent an enormous change.
Taking a single step, the masked Ye Xingchen instantly appeared above the Empress Palace. A terrifying presence emanated from him, sweeping across the entire Demon Race in an instant.
Deep within the Demon Race's territory, dozens of Immortal Emperor ancestors flashed into view.
Luo Qingshan, who was inside the Empress Palace, sensed this terrifying presence immediately and appeared above the Empress Palace at the same time.
Everyone in the Demon Race looked at the majestic figure above the Empress Palace and the terrifying presence emanating from him, astonishment filling their hearts.
At first sight, Luo Qingshan actually found that majestic figure somewhat familiar. However, the terrifying presence emanating from his entire body made her dismiss the thought.
"Fellow Daoist, you have entered the Demon Race's core territory without invitation and even evaded detection by our grand formation. What is your purpose? Speak at once. Otherwise, though coming here was easy, I fear leaving so easily will not be!"
The moment Luo Xuannü finished speaking, dozens of Immortal Emperor experts scattered. The positions they took vaguely formed a grand killing formation. Surrounded by dozens of Immortal Emperor experts, even a half-step Great Emperor expert would meet a bitter end here.
Ye Xingchen stood in the void, slowly shaking his head as though he could not sense the terrifying presence emanating from the dozens of Immortal Emperor experts at all.
"The Demon Race truly grows weaker and weaker. To think there is now only one Great Emperor within the entire Demon Race's territory. The supreme glory the Demon Race possessed in ancient times has vanished entirely!"
As Ye Xingchen spoke, the voice that emerged made even him pause slightly. Steal the Heavens and Replace the Sun had actually changed his voice too. Now he had even less reason to fear Luo Qingshan recognizing him.
Hearing this voice, Luo Qingyun's slender brows furrowed slightly, and she spoke with commanding force:
"Senior, surely you have not come to our Demon Race merely to belittle us! Although the Demon Race is no longer as powerful as it was in ancient times, it is not for just anyone to insult at will!"
The moment Luo Qingshan finished speaking, an even more terrifying Immortal Thearch Realm presence erupted from her body, bearing down on Ye Xingchen like towering waves.
Luo Qingshan intended to probe this figure's true cultivation realm.
Hearing Luo Qingshan's words and sensing the terrifying presence she sent bearing down on him, Ye Xingchen inwardly praised her. On the surface, however, he still had to keep up the act.
The next moment, an invincible presence belonging to the Great Emperor Realm emanated from his entire body. The dozens of surrounding Immortal Emperor experts, Luo Qingshan included, were instantly startled, their faces filled with terror.
Although Ye Xingchen had only released a sliver of a Great Emperor's presence, it made the hair of those dozens of Immortal Emperor experts stand on end and their expressions change drastically. They could not help crying out:
"A Great Emperor expert!"
That sliver of a Great Emperor's presence released by Ye Xingchen even gave the many Demon Race members secretly watching nearby the urge to kowtow in worship. Fortunately, that sliver of presence vanished even faster than it had arrived.
The next moment, deep within the Demon Race's territory, an aged figure with a stooped back came walking through the air, one step at a time, as though traversing the river of time. Though moving slowly, the figure appeared before Ye Xingchen in an instant.
Upon seeing that stooped, aged figure, the dozens of Immortal Emperor experts all bowed, calling out excitedly:
"We pay our respects to the Great Emperor!"
Luo Qingshan and Luo Xuannü dropped directly to their knees, their faces filled with delight as they said:
"We pay our respects to the ancestor!"
This Demon Race Great Emperor expert was actually a direct ancestor of Luo Qingshan and Luo Xuannü. No wonder a single sentence back then had made Luo Xuannü stop immediately, not daring to attack Ye Xingchen again.
The surrounding Demon Race members were even more excited. Countless among them had only heard that the Demon Race had a Great Emperor ancestor but had never seen the ancestor. Now that they finally had, everyone bowed and said:
"We pay our respects to the Great Emperor ancestor!"
"We pay our respects to the Great Emperor ancestor!"