The Heavenly Dao did not respond. Not far from Su Chen, wisps of Great Dao Qi gathered, finally coalescing into a woman.
The woman had a head of white hair, poetic and picturesque, like snow drifting down on a winter's day, possessing a pure and elegant beauty. Her features were like jade, her bearing transcendent and unworldly. She was graceful as an immortal, untouched by the slightest trace of mortal life. Her every movement could draw upon the Great Dao, making her immensely terrifying.
The woman was none other than Wanqing, the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Realm!
Wanqing looked at Su Chen, deep wariness showing in her eyes.
She knew what Su Chen had done. Even though she was the Heavenly Dao, she could still sense danger from him!
She was certain that if she dared attack Su Chen, he was absolutely capable of killing her! That was her intuition from all her time as the Heavenly Dao.
That was why she had appeared when Su Chen called her. Had anyone else dared call her like that, she would have long since struck him dead with divine punishment.
But faced with Su Chen, she did not dare!
Wanqing opened her jade-like hand, revealing a sphere of light in her palm. Inside it was Ye Lingxi's soul!
Back when Ye Lingxi died, she had sensed that something was wrong. If Ye Lingxi died, she truly did not know what Su Chen might do, so she had protected Ye Lingxi's soul.
Wanqing pointed a finger, and three streams of intensely concentrated life force turned into streaks of light, entering Ye Lingxi, the Demon Venerable, and Su Moran respectively. At that very moment, all three of them instantly recovered from their injuries.
The Demon Venerable looked stunned.
They've recovered just like that?
Impressive!
Wanqing handed Ye Lingxi's soul to Su Chen, then turned to leave.
"Wait."
Just then, Su Chen suddenly called out to stop her.
Qingwan paused and turned to look at Su Chen, a puzzled expression on her face.
Su Chen looked at Wanqing, then flicked two fingers, sending a wisp of purple Qi drifting toward Qingwan. Qingwan stared at the purple Qi, her pupils abruptly contracting as she cried out, "Primordial purple qi!"
Primordial purple qi!
Primordial purple qi was a powerful primordial energy that had existed since the beginning of the universe. It contained terrifying power, and anyone who devoured a wisp of it was sure to undergo a qualitative transformation!
The Immortal Realm could not possibly give birth to Primordial purple qi, and Qingwan, as the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Realm, had never seen it either. She knew what it was only because she had learned of it from secret accounts.
Wanqing glanced at Su Chen and swallowed. She had already suspected that Su Chen was the reincarnation of a big shot, and the appearance of the Primordial purple qi made her even more certain of it!
She let out a breath, then said, "Thank you."
Su Chen glanced at Wanqing without speaking, then looked at the Demon Venerable. "Let's go."
With that, he held Ye Lingxi in his arms and turned to leave.
The Demon Venerable hurried after him, but as if recalling something, he stopped and picked up the still-unconscious Su Moran before following.
Wanqing stood there in silence for a long while. She glanced once more in the direction Su Chen had gone, then vanished from where she stood.
The Su Clan.
Inside the courtyard, Ye Lingxi lay on a bed, still unconscious.
Su Yanche looked at Ye Lingxi, his face full of self-reproach. "This is my fault. If only I'd known to have a Quasi-Emperor protect her."
Su Chen shook his head. "It's not your fault, Father. No one expected a Quasi-Emperor to make a move."
"Sigh..."
Su Yanche heaved a long sigh, still blaming himself. He looked at Su Chen and said, "I still have matters to attend to. Remember to tell me when Lingxi wakes up."
Su Chen nodded. "All right."
Su Yanche looked at Ye Lingxi once more and sighed again in his heart, then turned and left.
As the patriarch of the Su Clan, he still had many matters to handle. He could not stay by Ye Lingxi's side waiting for her to wake up.
Once Ye Lingxi woke up, he could simply come see her then. It would be the same.
Three days passed like this, with Su Chen keeping watch by Ye Lingxi's bed the entire time. On this day, Ye Lingxi's eyelashes fluttered gently, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Su Chen looked at Ye Lingxi and smiled faintly. "You're awake?"
Ye Lingxi blinked. "Brother, I didn't die?"
Su Chen smiled bitterly. "What are you saying, silly girl? How could I possibly let you die?"
Ye Lingxi grinned. "Brother, you're so good to me."
Su Chen rubbed Ye Lingxi's head and said softly, "This was my fault. I shouldn't have left your side."
Ye Lingxi shook her head. "I don't blame you, Brother. You once said you couldn't stay by my side and protect me forever. Besides, after what happened, I've come to understand a lot. Once I'm better, I'm going to cultivate hard. I don't want to keep hiding behind you."
Her gaze was exceptionally firm.
After listening to Ye Lingxi, Su Chen smiled faintly. "You've grown up."
Ye Lingxi smiled, then seemed to remember something and asked anxiously, "Where's Grandpa Mo? Is he all right?"
"He's fine," Su Chen said. "Don't worry."
Ye Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad he's all right."
Then she added, "Brother, I'm hungry."
Su Chen pinched Ye Lingxi's cheek and said softly, "All right, I'll go make you something. Get some rest first."
Ye Lingxi nodded obediently. "Mm-hmm!"
Su Chen went into the courtyard and called out, "Old Devil."
As soon as he spoke, the Demon Venerable appeared and said respectfully, "Young master."
Then he hesitated for a moment before asking, "The young lady..."
"She's fine," Su Chen said.
The Demon Venerable nodded and said nothing more.
Su Chen looked at the Demon Venerable. "You did well this time. This is your reward."
As he spoke, Primordial purple qi floated before the Demon Venerable.
The Demon Venerable gazed at the Primordial purple qi, puzzlement in his eyes. Though he did not know what it was, he could sense that the mass of purple Qi contained a powerful force.
Su Chen said, "Absorb it, and you can break through to the Half-Emperor Realm."
"What?!"
The Demon Venerable's eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath, staring in disbelief at the Primordial purple qi before him.
This purple Qi can raise me to the Half-Emperor Realm?
Holy shit!
Amazing!
Su Chen said, "Don't make such a fuss. Protect Lingxi well, and there'll be plenty more good things for you in the future."
The Demon Venerable was visibly excited. "Thank you, young master!"
He was truly excited at that moment, so much so that his hands were trembling.
A Quasi-Emperor!
That was a realm he could never have reached in his entire life!
And now, the opportunity was right before him!
How could he not be excited?
Su Chen then said, "Go absorb it. Get far away from here, and don't disturb Lingxi."
The Demon Venerable nodded hurriedly. After bidding Su Chen farewell, he left the Su Clan, planning to find a quiet place to break through.
The next day, Ye Lingxi rose early to practice her swordsmanship. Su Chen pushed open the door and raised an eyebrow at the sight of her. "Why aren't you resting? What are you doing?"
Ye Lingxi stopped what she was doing and looked at Su Chen with a sweet smile. "Brother, I'm already fine. If you don't believe me, look."
As she spoke, she seemed afraid that Su Chen would not believe her, so she deliberately hopped up and down a few times.
Su Chen rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you..."