Futile Devices Scans

Chen Yixin stared at those four characters for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s silly.”

Just four words with no beginning or end—and this was supposed to be a prophecy? That so-called Heaven’s Secret elder he had never met was being far too perfunctory.

Chen Yixin’s fingers continued to stroke the brocade. Wenren Li stepped closer and saw the same four characters. Yet he reacted even less than Chen Yixin—after a single glance, his gaze returned to Chen Yixin.

To him, those four words were nowhere near as pleasing to the eye as Chen Yixin in his wedding robes.

“Utter nonsense!” Chen Yixin’s voice grew louder. After another moment, his expression turned cold. “What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Slay the Immortal, Attain the Demon”—did it mean he had to kill Wenren Li, or Wenren Li had to kill him? The very thought was outrageous!

“Good thing A-Li didn’t look. If you’d held even a trace of vigilance or hostility, it probably wouldn’t have been so easy for me to… draw you in.”

Chen Yixin nearly used the word “seduce” for what he had done to Wenren Li. But the truth was, he hadset his sights on him—he had wanted, by any means necessary, to draw him in, until Wenren Li was utterly captivated and devoted.

“It is stupid,” Wenren Li said, lifting a hand to gently rub Chen Yixin’s hair, faintly concerned that the contents of the brocade letter might have upset him.

At that, Chen Yixin glanced at Wenren Li before looking back at the brocade. A faint blue flame flickered at his fingertip and dropped onto it. In an instant, the brocade turned to nothing—no ash left behind.

After burning the letter, he directly hooked his arm around Wenren Li’s and pulled him outward. “Come, let’s go get married.”

No one was allowed to use some so-called prophecy to disturb their state of mind. The future was something they would create together—not something dictated by anyone else.

Besides, there were plenty of immortals and gods in the Upper Realm. If Wenren Li truly needed to slay an immortal to prove his Dao, they could simply pick one of those unlucky immortals who had schemed against them and kill them. Both he and Wenren Li would live long lives—until the end of time, until seas ran dry and stones crumbled.

“Mm, let’s go get married,” Wenren Li followed Chen Yixin’s pace, repeating his words. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face—natural and unforced.

Chen Yixin tilted his head, a slight lift at his brow. Though his steps continued forward, he leaned in just enough to catch the faint dimple at the corner of Wenren Li’s lips, placing a light kiss there before straightening again as if nothing had happened.

The wedding ceremony was not held inside the main hall, but on an open terrace in the center of the gardens of the Li Kui Demon Palance. Before formally bowing to heaven and earth, there were still customary rituals to complete—bathing, offering incense, sacrificial rites… By the time they finished all of this, the appointed auspicious hour had arrived.

During that half-day, guests—both expected and unexpected—had all arrived. Outside the Li Kui Demon Palance, many more gathered who were not qualified to enter. Some vendors even set up stalls in the nearby woods, turning the entire area into a lively scene both inside and out.

“The auspicious hour has arrived! Welcome the Demon Lord and Consort!”

Ping Cheng shouted loudly. At the garden entrance, Wenren Li and Chen Yixin arrived hand in hand. At their feet followed the flattened, round Yinzi. Ping Cheng was nudged sharply by Wu Fei at the elbow and quickly added, “Welcome the Young Master!”

The dangerous glint that had appeared in Yinzi’s round eyes vanished instantly. Its long whiskers swayed happily—it was in an excellent mood. It wasn’t that it cared about the status of Young Master in the Lower Realm; it was happy because that title meant it was acknowledged as the child of Chen Yixin and Wenren Li.

However, once it reached the edge of the terrace, it stopped following. What came next belonged to its father and mother—it only needed to stand with the gathered cultivators and bear witness.

“Bow to heaven and earth!” Seeing that Chen Yixin and Wenren Li were already standing before the incense altar, Ping Cheng wasted no time and called out, “First bow!”

Chen Yixin and Wenren Li knelt together. At the same time, they turned their heads slightly to glance at each other. A smile spread across Chen Yixin’s face, and even Wenren Li’s expression softened. Turning back, they lowered themselves and completed the bow.

“Rise,” Ping Cheng called again. They stood, and he continued, “Second bow!”

They completed the second bow. Joy appeared on Ping Cheng’s face as he called out once more, “Third bow!”

“Boom—!” Before his words had even fully fallen, a thunderclap exploded across the clear sky, sounding as though it struck right beside everyone’s ears. Those with weaker cultivation directly coughed up blood from the shock.

Yet Chen Yixin and Wenren Li showed no change in expression. They knelt again and completed the third bow with utmost sincerity. Helping each other up, their gazes met—and both of them revealed smiles they could not hide.

“Continue,” Wenren Li said, his eyes never leaving Chen Yixin as he instructed Ping Cheng.

No matter whether gods or demons tried to interfere today, nothing would be allowed to interrupt their bonding ceremony.

“Bow to the high hall!” Ping Cheng nodded slightly and continued the ceremonial chant. Chen Yixin and Wenren Li completed the three bows.

None of their elders had come— even Yun Yazi, whom Chen Yixin once regarded as a father, did not appear. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the next bow—this was the one Chen Yixin had owed Wenren Li in their past life, and the one Wenren Li had owed him a hundred years ago.

“Couple’s bow!” Ping Cheng shouted again. At once, another thunderclap exploded. Even Black Feather and the others staggered slightly. Their faces showed shock as they looked at Wenren Li and Chen Yixin—clearly shaken. It was their first time witnessing a bonding ceremony, and for heaven and earth to manifest such phenomena was unheard of.

Chen Yixin and Wenren Li stepped to the sides of the prayer cushions. They exchanged a glance, then knelt together. Their foreheads lightly bumped. Wenren Li instinctively shifted back, but Chen Yixin immediately leaned forward again.

“They have to touch for it to be auspicious. Why are you dodging, A-Li?” Still kneeling upright, Chen Yixin explained softly. His gaze lowered slightly as he reminded him, “There are still two bows left. Don’t dodge.”

“Mm,” Wenren Li responded. Without waiting for Ping Cheng to continue, he bowed again. Chen Yixin followed, and their foreheads met once more.

Thunder roared, and the sky darkened in an instant. Yet nothing could stop them from completing the final bow.

“From this day forward, A-Li and I will live and die together.”

Chen Yixin’s voice was soft, yet it was not drowned out by the thunder. As he spoke, he gave Wenren Li a brilliant smile, then bowed down. No matter what fate awaited them after this marriage, he would have no regrets.

“Live and die together,” Wenren Li echoed, and then completed this long-delayed final bow with him.

“The ceremony is complete!” Ping Cheng shouted the final words. His face pale, he stepped down from the terrace. If not for Wenren Li bearing the pressure, he would have already coughed blood and collapsed from injury—the heavenly thunder was far too terrifying.

“Yay! Mother has finally married Father!” Yinzi felt nothing from the thunder at all. If Chen Yixin hadn’t warned it beforehand, it would have flown up and swallowed that mortal heavenly thunder whole.

Yinzi’s voice finally snapped the stunned guests back to their senses. They began offering their congratulations in broken voices, “Congratulations… congratulations…”

Wenren Li held Chen Yixin’s hand and said to Ping Cheng and Wu Fei, “Begin the banquet.”

After speaking, he turned to Black Feather and the others. “Everyone, please follow us to the Li Palace.”

As before, Chen Yixin and Wenren Li walked in front, while the others followed behind in a daze. Within the main hall of the Li Palace, the fragrance of wine filled the air, carried by gentle scented breezes. Yet it still could not calm their deeply shaken hearts. The heavenly thunder had issued a warning—but what exactly was it warning of?

Among all the guests witnessing the ceremony, only Han Zichuang remained relatively composed. However, his two attendants looked deathly pale. Even after he fed them medicinal pills, they remained the same.

“Demon… a terrifying demon.” The young girl trembled uncontrollably as she followed Han Zichuang, transmitting her voice to him. “I saw so much blood—so, so much blood…”

“And Tian’er?”

Han Zichuang asked the other twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy, whose expression was equally poor. These two attendants possessed rare constitutions, one yin and one yang, complementing each other perfectly. Together, they could calculate many things even he could not. The boy was named Tianyang, and the girl Mingyue.

“I saw the opposite of Ming’er,” Tianyang replied respectfully. “I saw a field of golden light, extremely peaceful and harmonious.”

As he spoke, he held Mingyue’s hand. Their complementary natures steadied one another, and his calm gradually eased her abnormal state.

Yet Han Zichuang fell into thought. Both had glimpsed the future, yet what they saw were completely opposite outcomes—what could this possibly mean?

“Master, could this severe heavenly thunder be related to Tian’er and Ming’er?”

Each time they calculated heaven’s secret, phenomena would arise. Tianyang, being more innocent in temperament, felt somewhat guilty.

Han Zichuang was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “It is unrelated. Continue to close your eyes and recover.”

“Yes.”

After Han Zichuang finished transmitting his voice to them, the two attendants took their seats. Meanwhile, Wenren Li and Chen Yixin also sat at the main seats. The banquet was about to begin, and they truly paid no heed at all to the warning from heaven and earth.

The banquet performances arranged by Ping Cheng and the others proceeded one after another. Drinking wine, chatting—after nearly an hour had passed, the sky above Yan Province, which had been shrouded in dark clouds, finally cleared. Sunlight poured down again, and only then did everyone gradually calm down, recalling the true purpose of their long journey to the demon palace.

“I offer this cup of wine to the Demon Lord and Consort, wishing the two of you success in attaining the Immortal Dao, longevity, and everlasting union.”

The one who spoke was a rogue cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage, a notable powerhouse in his own right. His ancestors had some ties with Wenren Li, and those ties had never been severed. Even in his generation, Wenren Li had still sent him an invitation.

“Everlasting… that’s a good phrase. I like it. True Lord Chenyu, please.”

Chen Yixin raised his wine cup and took the first sip. Wenren Li likewise lifted his cup and drank.

True Lord Chenyu felt deeply honored. He drained his cup in one go, but did not immediately return to his seat—he still had something to say.

“To be frank with the Demon Lord and Consort, a junior of a friend of mine was stranded in the Burning Heaven Nether Palace a month ago. Thanks to your care, they were brought out safely. My friend prepared a small gift for me to deliver as a token of gratitude.”

It had to be said that this True Lord Chenyu, who had lived for over three hundred years, was truly shrewd. His words were elegantly phrased—he both opened the topic and avoided offending Chen Yixin and Wenren Li in the slightest.

As he spoke, he took out a storage pouch and bowed slightly. At Chen Yixin’s signal, Nan Ke stepped forward with a tray. Chenyu placed the storage pouch onto it, and Nan Ke brought it back to Chen Yixin’s side.

Chen Yixin took the storage pouch and swept his divine sense inside. He nodded lightly. “If True Lord is in a hurry, you can tell Wu Fei their names now, and he will take you to retrieve them. If not, you may wait until after the banquet and find him then.”

Chen Yixin made no effort to hide his money-minded and sharp-tongued style. Even though this True Lord had ties with Wenren Li, everything was still handled strictly as business.

“No rush,” True Lord Chenyu said, returning to his seat to continue drinking. With Chen Yixin having accepted the ransom in full view of everyone, there was no way he would go back on his word.

“True Lord, please don’t take offense. It’s not that I covet your spirit stones, but as the Demon Consort, I cannot break the rules of the demon palace. However, A-Li and I have discussed it—when you come to retrieve them, bring along two jars of wine, and we’ll consider it compensation from us on behalf of your friend.”

What exactly were the rules of the demon palace? Everyone understood without needing it said—take in, never give out; fight over every last bit. Chen Yixin’s words were not wrong at all. Ping Cheng, having recovered somewhat, showed approval in his eyes, and the line of guardians behind him nodded repeatedly.

This Chen Yixin truly was meant to be their Demon Consort—a perfect match for their Demon Lord.

“Ah, many thanks, many thanks! Demon Consort, you are too generous.”

True Lord Chenyu was overjoyed. The demon palace never let anything out once it came in. Even if the wine “Thousand-Year Dream” was brewed in abundance, if it wasn’t released, outsiders could never taste it. For Chen Yixin to persuade Wenren Li to allow this—it was no easy feat.

Chen Yixin had personally visited the brewing grounds. It was nothing more than adding some spirit herbs grown within the demon palace into a spirit spring—and those herbs were in endless supply. Given how inseparable he and Wenren Li were, batch after batch would continue to grow—there would never be a shortage for brewing.

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