Elio’s notes: I changed Chen Yixin’s Daoist-style title from “True Person Luxin” to “Heart-Slaying Perfected One.” Lemme know in the comments if you like the older one better. Enjoy reading! (o^^o)
Black Feather raised his wine cup and spoke casually.
“If the Demon Lord wants them, then naturally we’ll hand them over.”
He inclined his head slightly, and the other Demon Lords followed suit.
Ten-thousand-year-old Duoduo Fruits were rare indeed, but to cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage like them, giving a few away didn’t even count as bleeding.
Besides, although the fruit tasted quite good, it was only useful to cultivators below the Soul Transformation stage. None of them kept the fruit for their own use anyway. Most of the time it was used to reward subordinates or refined into medicinal pills.
Black Feather’s gaze drifted toward Chen Yixin.
It was obvious enough—these fruits were something Wenren Li had requested for Chen Yixin.
The Duoduo Fruit was also known as the Tremble Fruit, implying that with a single tremble, one’s cultivation would rise.
Unless one possessed a rare mutated spiritual root or cultivated an extraordinary technique, any cultivator below the Golden Core stage needed only one Duoduo Fruit to break through a single level.
However, almost no one would ever use such a treasure during the Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment stages.
That would truly be a waste of heaven-sent treasure.
The fruits currently in their hands could save Chen Yixin hundreds of years of cultivation. If word came a century later that Chen Yixin had already formed a Nascent Soul, no one would find it strange.
Wenren Li nodded slightly, but he did not stop there.
The Demon Lords who had just relaxed immediately tensed again as though facing a great enemy.
Wenren Li’s gaze swept around the hall before settling on Demon Lord Hongni.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
“I want the True White Phoenix Feather in your possession, as well as three segments of Ancient Wutong Wood. I’ll exchange them for a drop of True Phoenix Blood.”
The Duoduo Fruits he had requested were merely meant as snacks for Chen Yixin.
What he asked for next could not simply be obtained with a casual word. Yet after thirty thousand years of accumulation, the treasures he possessed were things these Demon Lords coveted even more.
“True Phoenix Blood?” Hongni cried softly.
Her brows immediately knitted together, and she wore an expression of extreme difficulty.
True Phoenix Blood was an irresistible temptation.
But the True White Phoenix Feather was one of the supreme treasures left behind by her mother to guard her palace. To give it away so easily…
“Come now,” Black Feather chuckled darkly.
“The Demon Lord is already being generous by offering True Phoenix Blood in exchange. As far as I know, the feather in your Red Rainbow Palace originally came from the Demon Lord anyway.”
With a single glance he saw through Hongni’s act.
She must be overjoyed inside.
Across the entire Taixuan Realm, only a handful of people possessed True Phoenix Blood. If it were anyone else, they would never part with it so easily.
For years Hongni had searched countless secret realms and immortal estates for True Phoenix Blood without success.
Today was absolutely an unexpected windfall.
“Hmph. Did I ever say I wouldn’t trade?”
Hongni shot Black Feather a sideways glance before turning to Wenren Li with a bright smile.
Her tone carried a trace of urgency.
“Demon Lord, when shall we make the exchange?”
“Now.”
As Wenren Li finished speaking, a drop of crimson liquid the size of a knuckle flew toward Hongni.
Within the drop shimmered the faint shadow of a phoenix.
This was True Phoenix Blood, still containing a remnant of the phoenix’s soul.
The Demon Lords’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Yet at the same time, a strange feeling arose among them.
For thousands of years the style of the Li Kui Demon Palace had always been the same—
take, never give.
If something could be seized, it would never be traded for.
Yet now Wenren Li was not only willing to trade, he was even clearly allowing them to gain the better end of the bargain…
Could it be that a larger trap was waiting for them somewhere?
While Black Feather and the others puzzled over it, their gazes could not help drifting again toward Chen Yixin.
Could the change in the Demon Palace’s behavior have something to do with this Demon Consort Chen Yixin?
Chen Yixin naturally had no idea how different Wenren Li’s behavior was from before.
But his eyesight and knowledge remained sharp.
He could easily judge the difference in value between True White Phoenix Feather and True Phoenix Blood.
Even so, he did not interrupt Wenren Li’s dealings.
Afterward, Wenren Li continued trading lavishly, exchanging treasures for rare herbs and spiritual materials of varying worth.
Chen Yixin never stopped him.
Meanwhile, almost every Demon Lord present left the hall delighted with their gains.
“A-Rong, are you tired?”
Wenren Li tilted his head toward Chen Yixin and asked softly.
Chen Yixin neither smiled nor spoke. It seemed as though he found the banquet dull.
At least, that was what Wenren Li thought.
Chen Yixin shook his head.
He slowly extended his hand and caught hold of Wenren Li’s sleeve. Wenren Li immediately clasped his hand in return.
Chen Yixin tightened his grip slightly.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
He trusted Wenren Li.
No explanation was necessary.
He simply trusted him.
Wenren Li’s gaze flickered slightly.
He lifted his hand and gently smoothed the hair beside Chen Yixin’s temple, as though soothing him.
“I’ll say one more thing to them. Then we’ll leave.”
Chen Yixin nodded and followed Wenren Li’s gaze toward the others.
“I require Ice Spirit Essence and a Nether Moon Soul.”
“If any of you can obtain them for me, you may each choose three treasures from the Demon Palace treasury.”
“If you only provide reliable information about them, you will receive a reward equal in value to the items traded here today.”
So Wenren Li had not truly been generous earlier.
He had merely displayed the wealth of the Demon Palace.
Otherwise, persuading Soul Transformation-stage demon cultivators to personally search for items on his behalf would never be easy.
After speaking, silence fell over the great hall.
The Demon Lords were still pondering Wenren Li’s words.
But the man who had spoken them had already taken Chen Yixin’s hand and left the hall.
“You did all that… for me?”
Chen Yixin stopped walking.
Although he already knew the answer, he still wanted to hear Wenren Li say it.
Wenren Li nodded.
“Yes.”
“I want to give A-Rong the best.”
Perhaps in this world there were not many things that could truly be called the best.
But Wenren Li was willing to give Chen Yixin the best he could offer.
He firmly believed that A-Rong deserved nothing less.
Chen Yixin’s heart stirred slightly.
He lifted his hand and touched Wenren Li’s cheek.
The smile that overflowed from his eyes was dazzlingly beautiful—yet somehow different from his usual gentle smiles.
“A-Li…”
“That was very pleasant to hear.”
When Wenren Li spoke those words his expression had been completely blank, even his tone somewhat stiff.
Yet to Chen Yixin, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
As though feeling that Chen Yixin was still not moved enough, Wenren Li pulled him closer.
His lips brushed against Chen Yixin’s ear as he spoke again.
“A-Rong deserves the best.”
Chen Yixin nodded.
Then he tilted his head and bit lightly at Wenren Li’s cheek.
Leaving a mark on Wenren Li’s face would not be easy.
But if he bit a few more times, surely he could at least change the color a little.
Wenren Li blinked once.
He allowed Chen Yixin to do as he pleased, nibbling at his cheek and neck.
One arm wrapped around Chen Yixin’s waist.
Within his spiritual power drifted the illusion of flying blossoms and green leaves as they slowly returned to their residence within Chaos Demon City.
Wenren Li’s cheek had turned faintly red.
Meanwhile Chen Yixin’s own face, hidden in the darkness of night, had grown slightly warm.
He suddenly realized—
He was over a hundred years old already.
How could he still lose control and cling to someone, kissing them endlessly whenever he felt happy?
Yet even when he stopped kissing him, he still refused to let go.
Holding Wenren Li like this—even the slightly uncomfortable feeling it brought—had become strangely pleasant.
After all…
Wenren Li was his.
And could only ever be his.
Chen Yixin narrowed his eyes, his mood exceptionally good.
Being held this way, Wenren Li’s mood was equally bright.
When they returned to their residence, Wu Fei and Nan Ke had already restored the wildly overgrown flowers and trees.
They went straight to the bedchamber.
Chen Yixin had not yet begun cultivating and therefore still needed sleep.
Once he fell asleep, still holding Wenren Li around the waist, Wenren Li quietly began examining the treasures they had traded for earlier.
Outside Chaos Demon City, a small group of seven cultivators was approaching.
At first glance they looked no different from ordinary wandering cultivators traveling together.
But a closer look revealed something unusual.
The distance between them was too close.
In a dangerous place like Chaos Demon City, it was common for companions to be used as shields in life-and-death moments.
Cultivators who frequently entered the city or the Chaos Ghost Domain would never place such complete trust in one another.
“Fifth Senior Brother,” one person asked.
“Why did Master insist we come to Chaos Demon City?”
The speaker wore a black cloak, only his eyes visible.
They were bright and lively—very different from the battle-hardened cultivators usually seen near Chaos Demon City.
“Master has his reasons,” another replied calmly.
“We simply obey.”
However, before the addressed man could answer, someone else beside them spoke first.
After that voice sounded, no one else dared to speak again.
After a long while the young man muttered quietly,
“Senior Brother Zhihua is always so fierce… If Ninth Martial Uncle were here—”
“Lin An!”
Jing Zhihua turned his head sharply.
The cold look in his eyes startled Lin An, and he suddenly realized he had misspoken.
Ever since a year ago, everything concerning Chen Yixin had become forbidden to mention within the Jade Cauldron Sect.
“Fine, fine. I won’t say anything more.”
Lin An slowed his steps and deliberately fell to the back of the group.
Jing Zhihua frowned slightly.
Only then did he realize his own loss of composure.
It seemed that for a long time yet, he would not be able to escape the shadow Chen Yixin had left behind.
“The dangers of Chaos Demon City need no further explanation from me.”
“Watch your words and actions. If you cause trouble, even the sect elders may not be able to save you.”
The one speaking was Xiao Zhe, a cultivator at the early Golden Core stage.
His cultivation surpassed Jing Zhihua and Lin An, who were at late and early Foundation Establishment respectively, so he naturally led this expedition.
Yet after finishing his usual warning, he still looked toward Jing Zhihua—as if asking whether he wished to add anything.
From this alone, it was clear that Jing Zhihua’s status within the Jade Cauldron Sect was far from ordinary.
Or perhaps it was better to say—
times had changed.
In his own mind and in the eyes of many others, Jing Zhihua was no longer the same person he once was.
Jing Zhihua ignored Xiao Zhe’s gesture entirely.
Lin An’s careless mention of “Ninth Martial Uncle” had disturbed his composure.
He had no interest in polite pretenses.
He simply walked ahead.
Xiao Zhe’s brows creased briefly, but he soon smiled again and gestured for the others to follow.
Not long after entering Chaos Demon City, before they had even settled in, they heard rumors spreading through the marketplace.
Demon Lords from the Southern Domain had arrived.
Some said one had come.
Others claimed two.
Still others insisted all ten Demon Lords had gathered.
“One of them had long black hair and wore black robes—that must be the Li Kui Demon Lord.”
“But who was the great beauty standing beside him?”
The speaker’s question caused those who had witnessed the scene earlier that day to pause.
There were many beautiful people in the cultivation world.
But truly famous beauties were rare.
“I heard the Chen Clan of Zhenhai married off the former number-one beauty of the Jade Cauldron Sect to the Li Kui Demon Palace…”
“It’s him!”
“Heart-Slaying Perfected One!”
Crack!
Jing Zhihua crushed the teacup in his hand.
The other six—including Xiao Zhe and Lin An—remained silent.
They had all imagined meeting Chen Yixin again someday.
But none of them expected it to happen so soon.
And certainly not here—
In Chaos Demon City, where demons gathered.
Chen Yixin, of course, knew nothing about their arrival.
In fact, he had not thought about anything related to the Jade Cauldron Sect for a long time.
With the corners of his lips slightly raised, he slept soundly while holding Wenren Li around the waist.
“A-Li…”
“Mhm.”
Wenren Li responded softly.
The phoenix feather in his hand disappeared.
He turned sideways and pulled Chen Yixin into his arms.
Then he slowly leaned closer and placed a gentle kiss upon Chen Yixin’s forehead.
“I’m here.”
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