Futile Devices Scans

After looking at each other for a moment, Chen Yixin pulled Wenren Li into his arms, leaned in close to his small face, and planted a series of “chu chu chu” kisses. After finishing, he picked Wenren Li up and even gave the flesh on his backside a squeeze, speaking with a reluctantly satisfied expression.

“Easy to kiss, easy to hold… this will do for now.”

Wenren Li’s face flushed completely red. He clutched Chen Yixin’s clothes, utterly at a loss for how to respond.

But Chen Yixin had absolutely no bottom line or restraint when it came to Wenren Li. He already took great pleasure in teasing the adult Wenren Li—let alone this even cuter, shrunken version.

After going out for a few days to handle matters in several towns within the Li Kui Demon Palace territory, Chen Yixin kept Wenren Li with him at all times, further solidifying his identity as the “Young Master.” Only two days after returning to the Demon Palace, they boarded a red palanquin and set off toward the Northern Domain.

Nan Ke accompanied them, while Ping Cheng and Wu Fei stayed behind in the Demon Palace to manage any potential situations. They had tried to persuade Chen Yixin to wait until Wenren Li came out of seclusion before heading to the Jade Cauldron Sect—but to no avail. No one could change Chen Yixin’s mind, so they could only send off their Demon Consort and Young Master.

This time, however, the entourage was entirely different from before. Just the demon guards under Nan Ke numbered a thousand, not to mention the shadow guards and protectors hidden in the dark, ready to act at any moment. The procession was grand and imposing—impossible not to attract attention along the way.

Inside the palanquin, Chen Yixin lounged lazily against Weaving Cloud cushions without a proper posture, while Wenren Li sat cross-legged in meditation, eyes closed, cultivating—completely unaffected by Chen Yixin occasionally kissing or touching him.

“Reporting to Demon Consort, an envoy from You Ruo Demon Palace seeks an audience.”

Nan Ke’s voice came from outside. Chen Yixin finally sat up, pulled Wenren Li into his arms, and replied, “Let him in.”

Chen Yixin still remembered Demon Lord You Ruo from the banquet in Chaotic Demon City—she had openly tried to seduce Wenren Li in front of him. The city they were currently passing bordered her territory, so it wasn’t strange that she had sent someone.

But she hadn’t sent just an envoy—she had also sent two graceful young women as gifts.

“These two women possess innate cauldron physiques. Demon Consort may keep them at your side for any… future needs.”

The envoy, Xi Jun, spoke from outside the red palanquin. Chen Yixin raised a brow as the curtain was lifted, his gaze falling upon the two girls behind Xi Jun. They cultivated water-element techniques—indeed suitable as cultivation cauldrons for someone with his ice spiritual root.

“Did Demon Lord You Ruo send them as maids—or concubines?” Chen Yixin asked, one arm wrapped around Wenren Li’s waist as he gently patted his head in reassurance.

On the surface, she was offering women to him—but in truth, she was still setting her sights on Wenren Li.

“It is merely a gift. Demon Consort may use them however you wish.”

Not only were the two women graceful, even the envoy Xi Jun himself was quite handsome. When he met Chen Yixin’s gaze, he lowered his head, his cheeks flushing with a bashful expression.

It seemed You Ruo had considered that Chen Yixin might not like women—and might prefer men—so she had sent both, covering all possibilities.

The killing intent in Wenren Li’s eyes nearly burst forth. Not only toward the envoy—even toward You Ruo herself. Xi Jun lifted his gaze and met Wenren Li’s icy, murderous stare, instinctively stepping back.

Before Wenren Li could act, however, a bloom of blue flame ignited beneath Xi Jun’s feet. Without even a scream, he was reduced to ashes. The two young women turned pale with shock, while Chen Yixin lazily shifted his posture, having no intention of harming them.

“Take a message back to You Ruo—he’s too ugly. I’m not interested.”

He hadn’t intended to kill, but Xi Jun’s behavior had disgusted him too much. Still, falling out with You Ruo now was not ideal—they were heading north to deal with others; they couldn’t afford trouble behind them.

The two women fled in fear. Chen Yixin did not immediately lower the curtain or continue the journey. After a moment of thought, he left instructions in a jade slip and had Nan Ke send someone back to Wu Fei.

“She tried to make things difficult for us—so we’ll return the favor.”

Among the Ten Demon Lords, You Ruo’s position was relatively weaker. Her desire to consolidate her status was understandable—but targeting the Li Kui Demon Palace was a grave mistake.

“The Lai Valley Spirit Mine isn’t far from our territory—and not far from Hongni Territory either.”

They had never bothered competing for such resources before, but since she had provoked them, they might as well take a share.

Chen Yixin looked down. Wenren Li’s expression still hadn’t improved. Before he could offer comfort, Wenren Li turned around on his own and clung tightly to him.

“A-Rong is my Demon Consort. No one is allowed to covet you.”

His killing intent surged again, his tone turning sour with jealousy.

“In the future, even if someone good-looking comes to seduce A-Rong, you must burn them too.”

Xi Jun was too ugly—but what if someone attractive came next time?

Chen Yixin waved his hand, letting the curtain fall as the journey resumed. His hand returned to Wenren Li’s back, gently rubbing until his jealousy eased somewhat.

“I’ll listen to A-Li. I’ll burn them all.”

“Mm,” Wenren Li nodded. Though still somewhat sullen, his aura finally steadied. He tried to pull away, but Chen Yixin pulled him down onto the cushions instead.

“How long can A-Li stay in adult form now?” Chen Yixin asked, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at Wenren Li—making him visibly flustered.

“Half an hour.”

“That’s enough.”

Chen Yixin nodded, rolling slightly aside, his eyes wide as he continued staring—taking in every detail of the silver-haired man before him.

Wenren Li did not refuse. After what had just happened, he had become more vigilant—and found Chen Yixin’s earlier words quite reasonable. He needed to recover quickly, to thoroughly satisfy his Demon Consort—so he wouldn’t have the time to think about anything else.

The child’s robes slipped away, and the silver-haired Wenren Li appeared reclining inside the red palanquin. Chen Yixin blinked, once again stunned by his beauty. His heartbeat quickened instantly—he didn’t even need to be pulled, rolling back on his own.

“A-Li…” he called softly, his hand already sliding onto Wenren Li’s chest.

Wenren Li held Chen Yixin’s shoulders and leaned over him, pressing down with a kiss that was cool yet burning. A barrier formed around the red palanquin—no matter what happened inside, even those just outside would neither sense nor interrupt them.

Just under half an hour passed. Everything was somewhat more hurried than usual, yet carried an indescribable sense of stimulation that had not been there before.

Chen Yixin wrapped himself in a blanket, exposing only a bit of the skin at the back of his neck. He lay prone on the Weaving Cloud, the flush on his face not yet faded, yet he had already fallen asleep—evidence of how intense that bout had been. Wenren Li sat upright at the side, his gaze never leaving Chen Yixin.

After two more breaths, he reverted from his adult form back into a child. He looked at Chen Yixin for a while longer before dispersing the barrier and walking to the front of the palanquin to speak with Nan Ke, who was waiting outside on standby.

Chen Yixin slept for a long time. When he woke, before he could even say anything to Wenren Li, he flew out of the palanquin—he had broken through and was about to undergo tribulation. Sleeping once with Wenren Li had an effect comparable to consuming ten Duoduo Fruits.

Chen Yixin’s heavenly tribulation proceeded without external interference and ended in less than half a day. Exhausted, he sat on the scorched ground struck by lightning. Wenren Li walked over from a nearby charred rock, intending to use a spell to carry Chen Yixin back.

But before he could act, he himself was pulled into an embrace. At that moment, from the dispersing thunderclouds, a beam of divine light descended, enveloping them both. Intricate and unfathomable patterns appeared within the blue flame on Chen Yixin’s brow, while Wenren Li’s silver hair became even more extraordinary under the cleansing of the divine light.

As Chen Yixin had predicted, the divine light did not harm Wenren Li—in fact, it even benefited his cultivation.

The cultivation technique called Flying Demon Scripture might not truly be a demonic cultivation method. From the sense of aura, Chen Yixin had never once detected any demonic presence in Wenren Li.

As the divine light gradually receded, Chen Yixin fully recovered. Holding Wenren Li, he returned to the red palanquin. Once the curtain fell, he used spiritual power and divine sense to thoroughly examine Wenren Li inside and out. He placed a kiss on Wenren Li’s silver hair and continued holding him.

“A-Li is not a demon.” This time, Chen Yixin spoke with even greater certainty than before.

“A-Li should be a god who once fell into demonic corruption, but I have already cleansed away that demonic aura. The current A-Li is the same as me.” As soon as Chen Yixin finished speaking, a bolt of warning thunder struck down from the sky—but before it could reach the palanquin, Wenren Li casually dispersed it with a wave of his hand.

“See? I was right,” Chen Yixin said, completely unafraid of the heavenly warning. The more it warned him, the more it proved his guess was correct.

Wenren Li did not respond. He rested his head on Chen Yixin’s shoulder, his expression entirely calm.

Chen Yixin did not know what Wenren Li was thinking at that moment, but he was always clear about his own thoughts. “None of that matters. What matters is—if A-Li is a god, then I am a god too. If A-Li is a demon, then I will fall into demonic corruption with you.”

This was Chen Yixin’s true resolve upon understanding the matter. He would fulfill what he had once promised Wenren Li—he would always stay by his side, even if it meant falling into demonic corruption.

Before meeting Chen Yixin, Wenren Li had never known that words could carry such power—so much so that he was moved beyond expression.

Chen Yixin gently rubbed Wenren Li’s hair. He did not say these things merely to move him—no, not only that. He wanted Wenren Li to believe him. If he was willing to fall into demonic corruption with him, then no temptation in this world could compare to the Wenren Li he loved.

He would choose Wenren Li—under any circumstance.

“What Master said is very likely the truth,” said the palace spirit, emerging from the ring after being startled by the warning thunder. Part of the reason Chen Yixin could make these judgments was due to the Upper Realm knowledge he had gradually learned from it during this time.

Chen Yixin never relaxed his vigilance toward the Upper Realm—some things were better learned sooner rather than later.

“Mm,” Wenren Li nodded. Raising his hand, a cluster of silver-tinged spiritual power appeared. Both the palace spirit and Chen Yixin sensed it in turn.

“Although it differs from the spiritual power of ordinary divine lords, it is absolutely not something aberrant demons could possess.”

Having followed Chen Yixin through many great battles, the palace spirit was quite experienced, and its words carried weight.

“There are also aberrant demons in the Upper Realm?” Chen Yixin immediately caught another key point.

“Yes. I had not told Master yet—this kind of demon is different from the heavenly demons of the Demon Realm. Several forbidden zones in the Upper Realm were formed because of them. When Wenren Li was once accused of being a demon, it did not refer to these aberrant demons.”

“Aberrant demons almost entirely lack intelligence. Even those that possess it are extremely evil. Their only instincts are devouring and destruction. However, since several epochs ago, they have no longer posed a threat to the Heavenly Realm. Those forbidden zones now exist mainly as places for trials.”

Back then, Chen Yixin had been exceptionally effective at dealing with aberrant demons—his protective divine flame was their absolute bane. The forbidden zones that others feared had instead become relatively safe refuges for them when they were being hunted.

So it was not strange that the palace spirit had studied them.

After turning various thoughts over in his mind, Chen Yixin let out a breath. He still knew too little. The appearance of aberrant demons in this Lower Realm—whose scheme it was—was impossible to predict.

But one thing was certain: they were targeting him and Wenren Li.

“What exactly is the Heavenly Dao warning me about?”

Chen Yixin suddenly asked the palace spirit. At first, he had thought it was trying to prevent him from being with Wenren Li, but now that Wenren Li was basically confirmed not to be a demon, why was it still interfering? Was it merely a set of rules governing the operation of heaven and earth, or was there some divine sovereign manipulating it from behind?

The palace spirit fell silent for a moment, then shook its head. “This old servant does not know.”

With that, the topic ended. The palace spirit returned to the ring to continue recuperating. Chen Yixin closed his eyes to cultivate and consolidate his cultivation, while Wenren Li lay in Chen Yixin’s arms, not cultivating, simply resting quietly against him, lost in thought.

Because of the doubts weighing on his mind, Chen Yixin was less clingy with Wenren Li during the journey that followed, spending more time cultivating. Wenren Li, already self-disciplined, also quietly focused on cultivation.

Half a month later, they arrived at an immortal city near the Jade Cauldron Sect in the Northern Domain. Their grand procession attracted many onlookers and naturally alerted the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sect. The news quickly reached Yun Zhenzi and the others.

In truth, Chen Yixin’s movements had been reported back to the Jade Cauldron Sect more than once along the way, but now that he had actually arrived nearby, they still felt a sense of unreality.

“Wenren Li is in seclusion and didn’t come, yet he dares to come alone.”

Yun Zhenzi’s expression turned vicious, the murderous intent in his eyes unmistakable.

“Wenren Li has likely arranged for other Demon Lords to escort him,” one of the sect elders reminded Yun Zhenzi. While they could not tolerate insults to the sect master’s authority, they also could not ignore reality.

If Wenren Li intended to deal with the Jade Cauldron Sect, he might not even need to show himself personally.

Yet the more this was the case, the more it irritated Yun Zhenzi. Ever since he fled from the battle at the Burning Heaven Nether Palace, his state of mind had deteriorated. While it had not yet reached the point of inner demons running rampant, it would not be far off if this continued.

“Where is Zhou Yan? Let him handle it himself.”

As Yun Zhenzi spoke with the elder, he headed toward Jing Zhihua’s residence. Over these three months, he and several elders had jointly assisted Jing Zhihua in cultivation, barely restoring him to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Logically, given the aptitude of a Divine Son, even without assistance over the past ten years, he should have recovered on his own. Yet even with their help, there were still no signs of him breaking through to the Golden Core stage. This “Divine Son” was far too “late-blooming.”

After all, Chen Yixin had established his foundation at sixteen, formed his Golden Core at twenty-six, and despite later delays, still reached the late Golden Core stage at around a hundred years old. If not for Zhou Yan and Jing Zhihua, he would have had a high chance of forming a Nascent Soul, and perhaps within five hundred years could have reached Soul Transformation.

Now, Chen Yixin was even more extraordinary—after being crippled into a mortal plagued by illness, he had rebuilt his cultivation in just ten years and returned to the Golden Core stage. At this terrifying rate of advancement, reaching a Nascent Soul was only a matter of time.

Yun Zhenzi had such doubts, and how could Jing Zhihua not have them as well? He was equally anxious, even suspecting that Wenren Li or Chen Yixin had tampered with his aptitude. Yet both Yun Zhenzi and Yun Yazi had examined him and found nothing.

“I am the Divine Son. The sect master and the Heaven’s Secret Sect confirmed it together. It cannot be wrong—absolutely cannot be wrong.”

Jing Zhihua steadied himself and was about to continue cultivating when a young attendant outside delivered the news that Chen Yixin had arrived near the Jade Cauldron Sect.

“He’s here!”

A bright light instantly flared in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but before he could act, Yun Zhenzi appeared in his cultivation chamber.

“Zhihua, your top priority is to break through as soon as possible. No matter what he stirs up this time, you are not allowed to come out.”

Though Yun Zhenzi still showed Jing Zhihua a trace of respect, both his expression and tone were extremely stern. Jing Zhihua fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, at the Luxin Palace on Ice Snow Peak, separated by several peaks, Yun Yazi and Zhou Yan encountered each other unexpectedly. Zhou Yan remained calm, respectful but not humble. In the past, Yun Yazi would have admired this temperament, but now he could not help but scrutinize him more carefully.

The greatest variable in his plan might not have been Wenren Li awakening too early, but rather this seemingly steady and reliable eldest disciple—whose malicious intent toward Chen Yixin had pushed everything to an irreparable state.

“Yan’er, what brings you here?” Yun Yazi did not enter the Luxin Palace, instead turning to leave. Zhou Yan paused briefly before following.

“The same as Master—walking and arriving here by chance,” Zhou Yan replied respectfully, as if completely unaware that Chen Yixin was about to arrive at the sect gates with over a thousand demon guards to demand him.

“You’re that certain I will protect you?”

Yun Yazi turned around, his divine sense locking onto Zhou Yan, his tone heavy with pressure.

“I am Master’s disciple. Naturally, Master will protect me.”

After speaking, Zhou Yan bowed again and left Ice Snow Peak.

Yun Yazi watched him disappear into the distance, his brows furrowing slightly—Zhou Yan was even more inscrutable than he had imagined.

After arriving near the Jade Cauldron Sect, Chen Yixin and Wenren Li were in no hurry. It was only right to let the people inside experience some anxiety, fear, and inner conflict—that would make things interesting.

He held Wenren Li’s hand as they strolled through the streets, buying various odds and ends, while also telling him stories about his time in the Jade Cauldron Sect.

“Before I reached Foundation Establishment, I wasn’t allowed to go far from the sect. This immortal city was the only place I could wander.”

After walking for a while, Chen Yixin picked Wenren Li up into his arms. With the crowd so dense, he worried they might get separated—even if the chance was extremely small, it was still better to hold him securely.

“Has Xiao Hua been here before?” Chen Yixin gave Wenren Li another nickname—when grown, he was A-Hua, but in this smaller form, he became Xiao Hua.

Wenren Li was clearly not used to the nickname. Leaning against Chen Yixin’s shoulder, he looked around before shaking his head. “I’ve passed by the Jade Cauldron Sect, but not here.”

In thirty thousand years, he had traveled many places, yet there were still places he had never set foot in.

“Then that’s perfect—today I’ll accompany A-Li here.” Chen Yixin bought a candied jade hawthorn skewer and placed it in Wenren Li’s hand. “It’s very sweet. Want to try it?”

Wenren Li cautiously licked it—it was indeed sweet. But before he could take another lick, the piece he had tasted was already taken into Chen Yixin’s mouth. Wenren Li did not find anything wrong with that; instead, he thoughtfully reached out to wipe the corner of Chen Yixin’s lips.

He glanced at the skewer and stopped licking it, instead holding it up to feed Chen Yixin, and together they continued strolling through the bustling marketplace filled with all kinds of goods.

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