"From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! If you tell me to go west, I'll never go east!"
Pang Bo was moved to tears of gratitude, stopping just short of acknowledging Chen Yu as his adoptive father on the spot.
The old demon, Elder Qing, and the others around them were hardly surprised by Pang Bo's behavior and showed little reaction.
In their eyes, this was precisely how Pang Bo ought to react.
Leaving aside the debt of saving his life, that Human Origin Fruit alone was worth a fortune, enough to pay for killing Pang Bo several hundred times over.
In the Holy City, a single Human Origin Fruit would have been enough to make Mighty Figures spill blood. It would even suffice as a bounty on a Mighty Figure's life.
Strictly speaking, even dying several hundred times would not have been enough for a mortal like Pang Bo to repay the price of that Human Origin Fruit.
"All right, get up."
Watching Pang Bo before him, Chen Yu was somewhat speechless. He simply exerted some strength with his hands and helped him up.
"Don't dwell on it. Now that you've recovered, just stay here and cultivate properly from now on."
"Yes."
Pang Bo nodded without saying anything more.
The old demon's possession had been a tribulation for him, but it had also been an opportunity.
When the old demon had first entered his body, he had greatly advanced Pang Bo's cultivation for the sake of his own cultivation.
Originally, Pang Bo had only just formed his Bitter Sea. Now, he had formed his Life Spring in an instant and was about to enter the Divine Bridge stage.
Such cultivation progress could only be called lightning-fast.
And this was with Chen Yu having driven the old demon out early. Had the old demon remained in his body a while longer, the results would have been even better.
After meeting Pang Bo and spending some time reassuring him, Chen Yu turned to visit Yan Ruyu.
"The Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart needs a sufficiently powerful treasured physique to nurture it, allowing us to extract the Demon Emperor's sacred blood continuously."
Yan Ruyu looked at Chen Yu before her and asked tactfully, "Would you be willing, Daoist Brother?"
Originally, she would have searched elsewhere for a treasured physique, eventually setting her sights on Ye Fan.
But now that Chen Yu was here, there was naturally no need for such trouble.
After all, when it came to physiques, anyone could easily sense how extraordinary the Divine Sacred Body was. It was even more formidable than Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body.
"Having the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart enter my body is a great opportunity. Naturally, I have no objections."
Chen Yu had no objection to this.
After all, had he not approached Yan Ruyu in the first place for the Emperor Weapon and sacred heart left behind by the Azure Emperor?
"Do you understand the deeper implications, Daoist Brother?"
Yan Ruyu gazed steadily at Chen Yu, her beautiful eyes fixed on him as though she wanted to observe his reaction. "Having the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart enter your body means that we must become Dao companions. Only then can we bring out the sacred heart's greatest effect."
"I understand. That gives me even less reason to hesitate."
Chen Yu smiled. "In my eyes, Your Highness is like a celestial maiden from the heavens. To marry a woman like you in this mortal world would be an immense blessing. What reason would I have to hesitate?"
"Of course, if Your Highness finds me unworthy, that is no matter either."
"Once the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart enters my body, even if we don't become Dao companions, it can still be nurtured within me, and its blood essence can then be extracted continuously. That would be quite good too. The effects would merely be somewhat weaker."
In the original story, after Ye Fan escaped, Yan Ruyu had failed to find a suitable treasured physique and had nurtured the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart by herself. The eventual results had not been too poor.
Clearly, the method of using the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart was not fixed. As long as its blood essence could be squeezed out, the outcome would be the same.
"I was worried that you might find me unworthy, Daoist Brother."
Yan Ruyu smiled as well and spoke softly.
"In that case, let us settle it this way."
She spoke as though casually. Whatever emotions she felt within, her outward demeanor remained as calm as ever.
Of course, Chen Yu was the same.
It was not that the two of them did not care about this matter. Their personalities were simply like this.
With their temperaments, they were destined to be unlikely to experience any earth-shaking love or hatred. Meeting quietly and spending time together peacefully like this was enough.
For them, this was already enough to make their positions clear.
After that day, the old demon, Elder Qing, and the others joined forces to seal the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart inside Chen Yu's body.
They prepared many things for the ritual, then had Chen Yu lie within the altar and release his divine power.
Divine light blazed from Elder Qing's entire body as he tried to open Chen Yu's Bitter Sea.
But just then, an astonishing sight unfolded.
Vast divine power surged from Chen Yu's Bitter Sea, forcibly holding Elder Qing's power at bay and preventing him from advancing even an inch.
Sensing the intrusion of external divine power, the Divine Sacred Body seemed to feel itself violated and began to awaken instinctively. It felt like an Innate Divine Being: though it had descended into the mortal world, its essence remained transcendent, exerting an endless sense of pressure.
Even as an old demon of the Dragon Transformation realm, Elder Qing could not help recoiling in alarm, stunned by that sacred presence. "A Bitter Sea as solid as iron, with divine might that brooks no violation-just what sort of physique is this?"
"Even the legendary Chaos Body could hardly be more impressive, could it?"
The old demon stood to one side, watching with a grave look in his eyes.
In the end, Chen Yu had to cooperate actively, suppressing his innate instincts as much as possible before the old demon and the others could barely manage to open his Bitter Sea.
The moment his Bitter Sea opened, everyone present was stunned.
A golden Bitter Sea appeared, with what seemed like a tsunami raging within it. The storm was indescribably magnificent, seeming to brim with vigorous life.
It was utterly unlike an ordinary person's deathly still, lifeless Bitter Sea.
At the center of the Bitter Sea, the Life Spring lay quiet, golden Life Spring Liquid dripping from it, giving off an incomparably sacred impression.
A closer look revealed faint traces of silver within the golden Bitter Sea, like the divinity suffusing it, carrying an unrivaled majesty.
"What a magnificent Bitter Sea."
Elder Qing marveled. "With such a flourishing origin, what physique in this world could possibly compare?"
"It bears the characteristics of a Divine Body, yet it is far more powerful."
The old demon sighed as well. "Could this be an entirely new physique formed by combining a Divine Body with some special physique?"
Yan Ruyu stood to one side, her beautiful eyes likewise fixed on it, as though unwilling to miss even a moment.
For most cultivators, the Bitter Sea was their foundation, offering a glimpse of part of their underlying foundation and origin.
Judging by Chen Yu's Bitter Sea, his physique was terrifying beyond imagination. Even the legendary Eastern Wasteland Divine Body would probably only be fit to carry his shoes.
"An unprecedented physique of divinity. I fear it is no less than the legendary Chaos Body."
Joy appeared on Elder Qing's face as he looked toward Yan Ruyu beside him. "If he joins with Your Highness, the offspring born in the future will surely be unprecedented. They may not fall short even when compared with the Azure Emperor in his youth."
Everyone present knew that Chen Yu would marry Yan Ruyu and become her Dao companion.
Most of them were happy to see this come to pass.