Lin Wanyin froze, her earlobes turning so red they almost bled.
Before she could even recover from her bewilderment...
Chu Yunfei had already leaned down on her, domineeringly yet gently pulling her into the brocade quilt.
Sizzle!
The sharp sound of tearing fabric suddenly rang out in the silent room.
The pale purple silk skirt transformed into scattered butterflies that drifted to the ground.
"Oh, Yunfei..."
The next moment.
The Dragon and Phoenix Dao Emperor Scripture within Chu Yunfei's body suddenly began to operate on its own.
The anxiety and fear of the past few days transformed into a raging torrent that swept everything away.
Two hours later.
The moon hung high in the sky, and all was silent.
The spiritual energy surge within the room not only did not cease, but instead became increasingly violent.
Lin Wanyin gritted her teeth, her originally dignified and aloof face flushed slightly, looking as if she had just been pulled out of the water.
" Aunt Lin, it's been a while since we last met, and I'm starting to feel a little lost."
A low, mocking laugh came from behind me.
Lin Wanyin glanced down at him, recalling Shuang'er's curious and inquisitive questions at the edge of the cliff at the Heavenly Sword Sect, and couldn't help but turn around and spit at him.
"It's all your fault, you little rascal! From Qingyang City to the Imperial City, you're always so reckless."
"Isn't this just right? What, Aunt Lin, are you not satisfied?"
Chu Yunfei chuckled softly, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Lin Wanyin looked away, her voice trembling.
"It's satisfactory, but it's a bit too conspicuous on a daily basis. A while ago, Shuang'er even questioned me about whether I had secretly practiced some strange martial arts technique, and I didn't even know how to answer."
"No problem, I think it's excellent, I like it."
Chu Yunfei patted her lightly, casually brushed aside a few strands of wet hair hanging down her back, and gestured for her to turn her body slightly to the side.
Lin Wanyin was obedient and compliant. She glanced at the moon's shadow in the west outside the window, her chest heaving.
" Yunfei, two hours have passed, it's almost dawn, Shuang'er won't be back at this hour, will she?"
Chu Yunfei spoke in a casual tone.
"What a coincidence! She seemed to be in a hurry; she must have something important to attend to. She shouldn't be back anytime soon, and even if she does, it won't affect our business."
Lin Wanyin became a little anxious, turned around and glared at him, her eyes were red with tears, and her breathing was trembling and disordered.
"That won't do. If she finds out, I'll be ruined."
"Then you should tone it down and stop making such a sweet sound."
"Damn it, is this something I can control?!"
Lin Wanyin pinched his forearm in anger, but it was too weak to exert any force.
"Can you... hurry up and finish?"
Chu Yunfei's gaze fell on those two glistening red lips, his eyes growing deeper.
" Aunt Lin, these things can't be forced, and I can't control whether they're done quickly or slowly."
Seeing his composed Lin Wanyin gritted her teeth.
"What will it take for you to give up?"
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow, and with a half-smile, lifted her chin.
"If Aunt Lin is really in a hurry, why don't you try a different way to help me?"
Lin Wanyin followed his gaze downwards and immediately understood his intention.
The heat instantly spread up to my neck.
She was a respected elder in the Azure Mystic Sect, and never imagined that she would resort to such despicable means.
"You... you're always coming up with ridiculous ways to torment people."
Lin Wanyin's voice was so faint it was like a mosquito's buzz.
"If Aunt Lin is unwilling, then she can continue standing by the window; I'm not in a hurry anyway."
Chu Yunfei deliberately pretended to continue circulating his spiritual energy.
Lin Wanyin quickly grabbed his collar.
No... whatever you say.
She lowered her eyes, gently bit her lower lip, and gave a barely perceptible response.
"Only... just for a little while."
at the same time.
Within the dark and forbidden area of Great Qian Imperial Palace.
A strong, pungent smell of blood permeated the cold cave.
In the center, a sinister magic array entirely constructed of blood-red runes was slowly operating.
Ling Zhantian stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the stone formation, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming with a cold, dark light under the illumination of the formation.
At this moment, his complexion was rosy and his blood was full. The fatal injury he had suffered from Chu Yunfei's desperate sword strike in the desolate mountain had completely healed.
Not only that.
The stubborn Dao injuries left in his body due to the cultivation of secret techniques were partially healed after the Third Prince Ling Chenglie's Mysterious Yang Physique origin was stripped away.
Before him, the once weak and ferocious guardian beast, the Crimson Flame Berserk Lion, was now lying prostrate in the spirit pool.
A layer of dazzling, multicolored light enveloped the beast's massive body, and the broken bones emitted a crackling sound as they were reassembled.
"At this rate, how long will it take for it to fully recover?"
Ling Zhantian's gaze was icy as he spoke in a deep voice.
From the shadows, a hunched figure slowly emerged; it was none other than Ling Changkong, an elder of the royal family.
Ling Changkong's face was gaunt, his eyes filled with numb weariness. He replied hoarsely, " The Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill is a seventh-grade divine item with miraculous effects. If we can get it before the Seven Sects Grand Competition, Mad Lion will definitely be able to return to his peak."
Ling Zhantian nodded in satisfaction, a cruel smile curving his lips.
That's good.
"As long as the Crimson Flame Berserk Lion recovers, and with the support of my trump cards and the Imperial City's protective array, even if the Blood Baleful Intent Tower secretly stirs up trouble, I will be able to control the entire situation."
"Once I have completely refined Cheng Lie's Profound Yang Origin and obtained the origins of Chengyuan, Chengxuan, and... I will be able to overcome this Dao Profound Barrier in one step!"
Each word was like a knife, filled with a ruthless and inhuman cruelty.
Ling Changkong behind him clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and his knuckles turned white.
For the sake of the so-called bigger picture, for the sake of breaking through the barriers.
This Great Qian Emperor had long since become a madman driven by power.
Seeing that Ling Changkong remained silent for a long time, Ling Zhantian didn't take it to heart and turned around to ask indifferently, "Elder, what is the reaction of the Seven Sects to the destruction of the Jade Firmament Sect? Has anyone suspected anything and traced it back to me?"
Upon hearing these words, a deep pain and regret flashed in Ling Changkong's eyes.
The tragedy that wiped out the Jade Firmament Sect last night...
Ling Changkong is the biggest accomplice!
If it weren't for his speed at the Dao Mysterious Realm, which allowed him to carry Ling Zhantian across the two regions at an astonishing pace...
If he hadn't personally intervened and held off the sixth-grade alchemy ancestor of the Jade Firmament Sect at the Dao Profound First Layer, it wouldn't have been for him.
How could Ling Zhantian so recklessly unleash his secret technique to slaughter the entire Jade Firmament Sect in a matter of moments and forcibly seize the Grade 7 Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill?
After a long silence, Ling Changkong swallowed a mouthful of bitterness with difficulty, his voice hoarse.
"At that time, you were amplified by a secret technique, unleashing the power of the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer. The entire sect couldn't even send out a single message for help. Who would suspect you, the emperor who was 'in seclusion and on the verge of death'?"
"Currently, most of the high-ranking officials from various factions are pointing their fingers at the Blood Baleful Intent Tower."
Ling Changkong paused, then looked up at Ling Zhantian: "Furthermore... since the Pill Pavilion had previously publicly requested pills in the main hall, some people suspect that the old ancestor behind the Pill Pavilion was behind it, and there are even rumors that Chu Yunfei is involved."
Chu Yunfei!
Upon hearing those three words, Ling Zhantian's majestic imperial face suddenly twisted, and a chilling killing intent swept through the entire cave like a cold tide.
"That little beast..."
Ling Zhantian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a fierce light that was a mixture of shock and anger.
He still feels lingering fear from that battle in the desolate mountains.
He originally thought that the ant, having suffered such a severe injury, would surely be crippled even if it didn't die.
Who would have thought that this young man would not only be rescued by the Pill Pavilion, but also severely injure a powerful elder at the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer in a single blow at the Jade Firmament Sect.
Such a rapid breakthrough and monstrous combat power, if allowed to continue growing, will inevitably become a death knell hanging over my head even if I step into the Dao Mysterious Realm.
"Once I fully enter the Dao Mystic Realm, the first thing I will do is to extract that little beast's soul and marrow, and tear him to pieces."
The cold words echoed and reverberated within the grotto.
Ling Zhantian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest, and turned his gaze back to Ling Changkong.
" With the Seven Sects Grand Competition imminent, the fact that the Blood Baleful Intent Tower has abandoned contact with Chengxuan means they have already sensed something amiss."
"They will definitely make further plans during the competition."
"Elder, you must personally keep a close watch on the imperial city."
Ling Changkong remained silent for a moment, then his withered lips moved slightly. "I know."
He hesitated for a few breaths, but finally couldn't help but speak in a low voice, "However... for this Seven Sects Grand Competition, the representative from our royal family to attend the ceremony... in previous years it was always Xueyao, but this time..."
"No need to mention her."
Ling Zhantian coldly interrupted him, his tone devoid of any fatherly warmth.
"Let her remain confined to my bedchamber, and forbid her from stepping out even a single step."
"It's best to leave the observation of this grand competition to Chengyuan. Xueyao is involved in too many variables, and we absolutely cannot let her show her face in public right now."
Looking at the heartless and ungrateful king before him, the last glimmer of light in Ling Changkong's eyes finally went out completely.
He sighed deeply, said no more, and turned away dejectedly from the cave.
Ling Zhantian stood in the shadows, indifferently watching the elder's departing figure.
The formation was closed in layers.
In the frigid forbidden grounds, only the emperor's chilling murmurs remained:
"In this game of chess in the Eastern Continent, the ultimate winner... can only be me."