Futile Devices Scans

For a moment, there was silence; in the next, an uproar. The crowd exploded into commotion, and the way they looked at Jing Zhihua completely changed.

Some of them were hearing about the “Son of Heaven” for the first time, but others had long known of the seven-character divine message. Most of those belonged to well-established, old-line sects. Originally, they had been somewhat dissatisfied with the ransom Chen Yixin demanded and were unwilling to write letters.

But now, with such a significant piece of news to deliver, they could no longer afford to fuss over such matters.

Compared to the value of the Son of Heaven, what were a few spirit stones and materials?

After finishing with a smiling expression, Chen Yixin stood up and waved his hand, instructing the demonic guards to take these people away to the prisons of the Li Kui Demon Palace. Jing Zhihua, who possessed such “value,” was naturally imprisoned separately.

His face flushed red, his eyes fixed fiercely on Chen Yixin. In the past, when he hated Chen Yixin, there had still been a trace of guilt. But after this incident, he felt that his hatred had become entirely justified.

“Chen Yixin, you will regret this.”

Chen Yixin, who had already turned away, turned back again upon hearing this.

“This Son of Heaven, you’ve forgotten something.”

Without waiting for Jing Zhihua to ask, he continued, “You are now my prisoner—and with a single finger, I could poke you to death…”

The moment these words came out, everyone present felt their hearts tremble. To speak of killing a Son of Heaven from the Upper Realm with a single finger—only Chen Yixin would dare say such a thing.

As he spoke, he actually raised his hand and struck. Jing Zhihua’s pupils shrank to the extreme, disbelief filling his eyes. Chen Yixin’s expression did not soften in the slightest. Jing Zhihua’s face turned deathly pale—yet what landed on him was not death, but a slap formed of condensed spiritual power.

Smack! The sound rang out sharply.

After striking him, Chen Yixin smiled lightly and sighed, “It’s more interesting to hit a Son of Heaven.”

At these words, everyone present—except for Jing Zhihua, who had been struck—twitched at the corners of their eyes. This Demon Consort truly feared neither heaven nor earth—when slapping someone, he even chose a Son of Heaven for the thrill.

Jing Zhihua was both shocked and enraged, humiliation surging in his chest until he nearly spat blood. But he also understood Chen Yixin—if he continued provoking him, Chen Yixin might very well grow addicted to slapping him.

Chen Yixin stared at Jing Zhihua’s flushed and bruised face for a moment longer, then frowned slightly, finding it somewhat dull, and turned away, leaving the hall first.

He searched through the palace but did not find Wenren Li. After a brief thought, he vanished from the sleeping quarters and instead appeared at the underground altar where Wenren Li had once brought him.

As expected, Wenren Li was there.

“A-Li, how could you come to pay respects to Mother without bringing me along?”

Chen Yixin stepped forward as he spoke, bowed gently, and then took Wenren Li’s hand.

Wenren Li returned the grip, a faint smile appearing on his face. “A-Rong was busy, so I came down first.”

After their dual cultivation, the effects of the soul oath they had once made were gradually strengthening, and their mutual perception of each other was deepening. As long as Wenren Li did not leave Yan Province, Chen Yixin could quickly find him.

But his coming here first was not merely for worship—it was also to reexamine the remnant body of the broken wood from another perspective.

After speaking, Wenren Li sat down cross-legged. With the hand not holding Chen Yixin’s, he gently placed it upon the broken wood, then slowly closed his eyes.

Chen Yixin glanced at him, then also sat down and placed his hand on the broken wood as well.

He did not sense any trace of a soul within it—it was still merely a piece of dead wood. Yet strangely, the vitality contained within this severed wood was almost limitless. In this regard, it felt very similar to Wenren Li’s sapling-like spiritual body.

Chen Yixin studied it for nearly half an hour before opening his eyes. Wenren Li, however, was still searching for something within the wood, deep in thought.

Chen Yixin did not disturb him, nor did he leave. Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and began cultivating, turning his focus toward studying the Burning Heaven restraints, a divine art.

The sooner he could unlock the seal within the jade pendant, the sooner he and Wenren Li could seize the initiative. What had once not been an urgent matter had now been pushed to the forefront of his priorities.

This meditation lasted twenty days.

Chen Yixin opened his eyes. Seeing that Wenren Li had yet to awaken, he turned slightly, leaned in, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before leaving the altar and returning to the main hall of the Li Kui Demon Palace.

Wu Fei and Nan Ke reported to Chen Yixin matters that had originally been meant for Wenren Li. After issuing his orders, they withdrew. Chen Yixin met with several members of the demon palace in succession before returning once more to the altar to keep watch over Wenren Li.

He did not feel neglected. Cultivation was inherently like this—the time spent cultivating occupied the vast majority of their lives. It was simply part of the natural course of existence for beings like them, nothing to resist or make a fuss over.

Thus Chen Yixin watched over him for half a day, then resumed cultivation. After a few more days, he returned to the hall to handle matters, then came back again. Throughout this time, Wenren Li showed no sign of waking.

On this day, dressed in red robes, Chen Yixin descended before Wenren Li. He crouched down and studied him carefully. Without hesitation, he reached out and began removing Wenren Li’s clothing.

Tomorrow was their Dao-bonding ceremony. Starting today, they should already be dressed in festive red wedding attire.

Since Wenren Li had yet to awaken, the task of changing his clothes naturally fell to him, the Demon Consort.

After removing Wenren Li’s upper garments, Chen Yixin spread Weaving Cloud fabric beneath him and laid him down. He then moved on to remove his trousers.

His cheeks flushed slightly—but his movements showed no hesitation or pause.

He and Wenren Li had dual cultivated quite a number of times already—what should or shouldn’t be seen had been seen, what should or shouldn’t be touched had long been touched. This time should not have been anything special. Yet because Wenren Li had his eyes closed and was completely unaware of the outside world, Chen Yixin inexplicably felt a surge of excitement.

Perhaps he had once wanted to strip Wenren Li like this many times before. Feeling so excited and pleased now—could it be because a long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled? Chen Yixin found himself a justification, and his movements became even more deft.

With a light tug, he completely stripped Wenren Li bare. Crouching at the side, he intended to admire this bewitching scene of beauty for a while longer before dressing him again. But as his gaze slowly traveled upward, it suddenly drifted—and he met Wenren Li’s opened eyes.

Caught off guard, Chen Yixin froze for a moment. Wenren Li’s face had already flushed red—he had likely never imagined that one day he would awaken from cultivation only to find himself completely stripped and lying there.

He did not move, because he truly did not know how to react. Both annoyed and amused, when his gaze met Chen Yixin’s clearly excited eyes, he found himself unable even to voice a question.

“A-Li, I wasn’t trying to do anything—I was just changing you into your wedding robes.”

Chen Yixin blinked. The excitement vanished, replaced by pure innocence in his eyes, as though Wenren Li were the one thinking too much.

“Tomorrow is the day of our Dao-bonding ceremony, and A-Li hasn’t woken up, so I had no choice but to help you myself.”

The more he spoke, the more justified he sounded. Still, he did not want to truly anger Wenren Li. He slowly leaned closer, and seeing no rejection, placed a kiss upon his lips.

At the same time, his tone softened further. “A-Li, don’t hold it against me.”

Wenren Li sat up. The daze gradually faded from his expression, and his gaze fell upon Chen Yixin, dressed in red. His heartbeat quickened slightly. He still did not know what to say, but he reached out, pulled Chen Yixin into his arms, and held him there.

A faint smile curved at Chen Yixin’s lips. The obedient expression on his face disappeared, replaced by the satisfied look of a cat that had tasted something delicious.

But before his smile could fully form, Wenren Li pulled him down, and the two of them fell onto the Weaving Cloud.

“A-Rong, when you undressed me… were you thinking of it?”

Chen Yixin blinked, yet did not deny it. Hooking his arms around Wenren Li’s neck, his tone turned languid, tinged with a hint of allure. “I wasn’t at first—but after taking off A-Li’s clothes, I started to.”

This was the absolute truth. As he spoke, his hands began to wander across Wenren Li’s body. Within a few breaths, he could already sense his reaction.

“So A-Li was thinking about it too…”

Wenren Li neither could nor needed to deny it. He sealed Chen Yixin’s teasing lips with a kiss, loosening garments and undoing sashes, and then began to indulge in the pleasure their bodies brought each other.

“A-Li… A-Li…” Chen Yixin was passionate and direct, making no attempt to suppress his voice. He called out again and again, filled with emotion. Even though Wenren Li still remembered that they should be dual cultivating, he could no longer tolerate even a moment’s delay.

Collision after collision, soft calls one after another—it was as though they sought to entwine themselves into each other’s very flesh and blood.

The altar was sealed with special restrictions. Wenren Li’s aura did not affect the plants of the demonic palace, yet around the altar, small flowers formed from gathered spiritual energy bloomed one after another. Even the descending spiritual light carried patterns of leaves and petals.

“A-Li… what kind of tree are you… You must be the most beautiful tree in heaven and earth.”

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Chen Yixin’s forehead. As his words fell, his kisses trailed downward from Wenren Li’s neck.

“Blooming the most beautiful flowers…”

With a light kiss, he lifted his gaze slightly and saw the faint redness rapidly gathering in Wenren Li’s eyes. He smiled softly, parted his lips, and—

Chen Yixin’s words of affection came suddenly, and so did his actions. The reminder Wenren Li had meant to give—to have him circulate his cultivation method—was completely forgotten, along with his own.

He lightly grasped Chen Yixin’s hair, unable to suppress himself as he murmured, “A-Rong…”

Chen Yixin wrapped his arms around his waist, yet did not stop. Until it was over, Wenren Li never saw Chen Yixin’s full expression, but Chen Yixin had been using his spiritual sense the entire time to observe the reactions of the surrounding spirit flowers—which were also Wenren Li’s reactions.

“Cough… the nectar of flowers is sweet, but A-Li’s isn’t…”

Chen Yixin gave a light cough as he said this, as though everything he had just done was simply to confirm this curiosity.

“But… it’s not unpleasant either.”

Chen Yixin pulled over the red robes to lightly cover his body, and at the same time covered half his face. He studied Wenren Li’s flushed expression, his eyes curving slightly, before leaning back into Wenren Li’s embrace.

“Let this count as me making it up to A-Li, alright?”

What Chen Yixin referred to was him having stripped Wenren Li earlier without permission.

“Alright,” Wenren Li replied. Even if he had originally been upset, he would not have been able to refuse at this moment—let alone when he had not blamed him to begin with.

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