Futile Devices Scans

Moreover, some questions were not suitable for others to answer for him—they were things he and Wenren Li needed to explore themselves and discern truth from falsehood on their own. After a brief silence, he asked the most practical and urgent question.

“Regarding the Burning Heaven Six Arts, is there a way to master it quickly?”

His cultivation speed was already fast enough—accumulating spiritual power hardly required time. As long as his state of mind reached the required level, he could break through rapidly. But the Burning Heaven Six Arts was different.

It was a legacy of the divine race. Even in the Upper Realm, achieving success in cultivating it would take tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. Clearly, neither he nor Wenren Li had that kind of time to proceed slowly.

Hearing this, Father Chen smiled first. Although Chen Yixin noticed his attitude had softened somewhat, he still did not fully trust him. Father Chen’s smile was not one of sorrow, but of relief—he had once worried that Chen Yixin, after rebuilding his cultivation, lacked experience and maturity. Now it seemed he had underestimated his own son.

“Let me first tell you about Taixuan,” Father Chen said with a reassuring smile before continuing. “More accurately, it should be called the Taixuan Heavenly Prison Realm, anciently known as the Land Forsaken by the Gods. This realm was originally a piece of divine land, and that was one of the reasons you chose this place back then, Jiu’er.”

“This place allows you to grow quickly, yet it is not under the control of the Upper Realm.”

As Father Chen spoke, his gaze fell upon the scepter still inside the brocade box that Chen Yixin had not yet taken out. “In the Northern Sea Water Palace, there is an ancient phoenix’s remains. With it, you can enter. As for how much you can learn, that depends on your own comprehension.”

Chen Yixin picked up the scepter and indeed sensed a faintly familiar bloodline aura. He gently rubbed it before looking at Father Chen seriously. “Thank you.”

“As for Lord Li, your situation is even more urgent than Jiu’er’s.”

Father Chen looked at Wenren Li, his tone and expression becoming more solemn and serious than before.

“This place does not restrain you much. But once you reach the Upper Realm, your restraints will be a hundred or a thousand times greater—perhaps even more. I cannot say much, but there is one thing you must understand: the strong reign supreme. Your strength determines your future.”

“That doesn’t need to be said, Father. A-Li and I understand,” Chen Yixin replied. The cultivation world followed this rule—there was no ‘deserved to die’ or ‘undeserved to die,’ only strength and weakness. The strong lived, the weak died—that was all.

“We’ll stay home for a few days. Once A-Li arranges matters in the Demon Palace, we’ll head to the Northern Sea Water Palace.”

By saying this, Chen Yixin indicated he would not ask further questions for now. What mattered most at present was strength, and he had not lost sight of that.

After accompanying Father Chen for a while longer over tea, Chen Yixin and Wenren Li returned to the small courtyard where he had lived as a child. There were not many flowers or plants—only a single wutong tree. However, this tree was clearly not well cared for; it was thin, crooked, and unpleasant to look at.

Chen Yixin raised his hand, about to remove the tree, but Wenren Li stopped him. A mass of silver spiritual power drifted from his palm, and the thin, crooked wutong tree instantly transformed—lush, upright, and full of vitality.

But before Chen Yixin could admire it further, the tree disappeared. Wenren Li pulled him along toward the house, saying as they walked, “I moved it to where we were having tea earlier. A-Rong’s tree is me.”

Even for a tree without consciousness, Wenren Li did not want Chen Yixin to look at or touch it too much.

Wenren Li’s jealousy came without his own awareness. Chen Yixin finally realized it and pressed his lips together, amused.

However, their actions startled Father Chen, who was still sitting and pondering over tea. His face darkened again.

The phoenix dwelling in the wutong tree had always been the norm since ancient times. Yet Chen Yixin disliked wutong trees. The one raised for him since birth had been mistreated countless times—his dislike was the reason it had never grown well.

Not long after Chen Yixin and Wenren Li returned to the room, Wenren Li left again. The time they would spend at the Northern Sea Water Palace could be long or short, so making arrangements was absolutely necessary. They couldn’t return from the Northern Sea only to find their home destroyed.

Chen Yixin did not follow him, nor did he go out. Instead, his consciousness sank into the jade pendant, racing against time to study the Burning Heaven Six Arts. Whenever he could not figure something out, he would go to Father Chen for guidance before pondering it further himself.

In his previous life, he had been a pure-blood phoenix. In this life, however, his human bloodline dominated. He had never even experienced what it felt like to have a phoenix form. This made his comprehension more difficult—but no matter how difficult it was, he had to fully grasp the Burning Heaven Six Arts.

With a creak, the door opened—Wenren Li had returned after five days. His gaze fell upon Chen Yixin, who was still sitting in meditation on the bed, and his expression softened unconsciously.

He did not disturb Chen Yixin. Instead, he stepped closer, quietly observing him for a while before leaving again. He went to find Father Chen; before entering, the old steward had already informed him that Father Chen wished to see him.

“Lord Li has arrived,” Father Chen said, only noticing Wenren Li after he had already sat down before him. He was not startled; instead, he smiled. His tone and demeanor were polite, even somewhat reserved.

“Lord Li…” Wenren Li repeated, slightly puzzled by the title. He would not find it strange coming from anyone else, but hearing it from Father Chen—an avatar of an Emperor—felt somewhat odd.

“Do not think too much of it. Your former self rendered great service to the Upper Realm, and this title is deserved.”

As soon as Father Chen finished speaking, the previously clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. He shook his head helplessly, indicating he could not say more. Skipping the topic, he continued, “Be careful of the otherworldly demons. In Taixuan, the only beings that can harm you are the otherworldly demons.”

“Mm,” Wenren Li nodded. He had sensed this as well.

Father Chen was satisfied with Wenren Li’s attitude. His expression relaxed slightly before turning serious again. “Now, I will explain the path of cultivation to you…”

For thirty thousand years, Wenren Li had been unable to cultivate. All his combat methods had come from his own exploration and unconventional techniques. What Father Chen now explained was a cultivation method beyond Taixuan’s understanding—an opportunity of immense value.

“Cultivate spirit, cultivate the body, cultivate the soul. Mastering any one can lead to immortality. Combining all three forms the Ancient Divine Path. There is no hierarchy among them—perfecting any one leads to invincibility…”

Father Chen explained in detail, his gaze fixed on Wenren Li. Unlike other beings, Wenren Li was born with three bodies. He could not cultivate by focusing on just one aspect. In other words, he was naturally suited to the Ancient Divine Path.

However, the Ancient Divine Path had nearly disappeared across all realms. Back then, it was unclear where Chen Yixin had obtained the Flying Demon Scripture for him. Otherwise, even with the best spiritual soil and water provided by Chen Yixin, this “sapling” might never have grown strong.

“…The Flying Demon Scripture focuses mainly on cultivating the body, so human-body cultivation is sufficient. Go to Jiu’er and obtain the complete Flying Immortal Scripture for your soul to cultivate. As for techniques for the spirit body, that depends on opportunity. If there truly is no opportunity… then you two should dual cultivate more.”

Father Chen finished the last sentence expressionlessly. He slowly stood up, still casting a somewhat disdainful glance at Wenren Li before stretching lazily and leaving the small pavilion where they had been talking.

Chen Yixin was naturally in harmony with the Dao. In dual cultivation with him, the one who benefited more would undoubtedly be Wenren Li. A spirit body that could not grow through any method would show obvious improvement after dual cultivation with Chen Yixin. This might also be one of the reasons why the Heavenly Dao had always tried to prevent Wenren Li and Chen Yixin from being together.

Wenren Li did not leave the pavilion immediately. He remained seated, reviewing and comprehending what Father Chen had explained. His face remained expressionless, giving Father Chen little sense of accomplishment, yet in truth, his heart was greatly shaken.

Questions that had troubled him for many years were suddenly resolved.

When Chen Yixin came to the pavilion, he saw only Wenren Li immersed in a profound state. He lightened his steps, quietly walked over, and sat across from him. Resting his face in his hands, he gazed at Wenren Li with fascination, occasionally pressing his lips together in a soft smile.

Father Chen, whose bedroom was just next door, passed by several times and saw Chen Yixin looking so utterly smitten. Each time, his heart felt more stifled. By evening, he truly could not bear it any longer.

“Jiu’er, come over and have a drink with your father.”

They had already ended up in bed together—what was there left to look at? How could he not get tired of staring for so long?

“Shh,” Chen Yixin pressed a finger to his lips, turned around to glance at Father Chen, then tiptoed out of the room. “Drinking? Wait for me.”

Chen Yixin went to find Nan Ke and rummaged through their storage rings, retrieving two jars of Thousand-Year Dream. He diluted them carefully with some water before returning to the courtyard.

“This is wine brewed by me and A-Li. It’s only available in the Demon Palace. You can have a couple of cups—but don’t get drunk.”

“Alright,” Father Chen glanced at Chen Yixin’s precious expression, feeling both speechless and doubtful. Yet after taking a sip, it was indeed as rumored—a hazy, dreamlike sensation that seemed to draw one into sleep. He sighed in admiration, “Good wine.”

“This wine should be shared between your mother and me,” he said. From the wine, he could sense a lingering affection—it was meant for lovers, not for a mutually exasperated father and son.

“There’s plenty in the Demon Palace. When A-Li and I return to the Upper Realm, we’ll bring you a few jars.”

Father Chen glanced at Chen Yixin. He knew that expression well—whenever Chen Yixin was about to make a request, he would first butter him up. Taking another sip, he said, “Go on. What do you want this time?”

“I’m not asking you to do anything. Besides, with your current cultivation, it’s best you just stay put. I just want to know—how did I raise A-Li before? Does Taixuan have any particularly good soil or spiritual water?”

The only methods Chen Yixin could think of for nurturing a tree were soil, water, and immortal energy.

“Heavenly River Water, Illusory Water, Heavenly River Soil, Fallen God Soil… In short, the more extraordinary they are, the better the effect on him.”

Father Chen spoke with a heavy heart, downing another cup of wine before sighing softly. “Jiu’er…”

“Hmm?” Chen Yixin tilted his head, meeting Father Chen’s gaze. He smiled lightly and patted his shoulder. “Why are you jealous? When we return to the Upper Realm, we’ll definitely bring gifts for you and Mother.”

He had always been generous toward those he cared about. While he wanted to nurture Wenren Li well, he would not forget his family.

“When the time comes, just don’t resent me and your mother,” Father Chen muttered softly. He stood up, glanced at Chen Yixin’s slightly puzzled expression, and said nothing further. Still, he did not forget to tuck a jar of wine into his arms before leaving, while Chen Yixin’s voice rang clearly behind him.

“Don’t drink too much, or I won’t give you any next time.”

After reminding him, Chen Yixin did not immediately return to Wenren Li. He simply stood there for a while, then smiled in relief. Standing against the world would inevitably be exhausting—especially when one’s own family was involved. Fortunately, things had not yet reached that point.

Returning to the room, Chen Yixin continued to sit and watch Wenren Li in a daze. With his chin propped on his hands, he stared in complete fascination. Not only Father Chen—most people would find it hard to understand this level of devotion Chen Yixin had toward Wenren Li.

Wenren Li slowly opened his eyes. Chen Yixin’s gaze lifted, and before he even fully stood, he leaned toward him. Wenren Li caught him in his arms, and Chen Yixin instinctively nuzzled closer.

“Did you gain anything?”

“Yes,” Wenren Li nodded. Holding Chen Yixin, he sat back down, with Chen Yixin now seated on his lap. “Everything has been arranged. We leave tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Chen Yixin nodded. He rested his chin on Wenren Li’s shoulder and hugged him tightly, his tone softening further. “As long as A-Li is with me, anytime is fine.”

“I will always be with you,” Wenren Li said, gently rubbing the back of Chen Yixin’s neck. After a pause, he seemed to recall something. He pulled them slightly apart, producing a jade clasp in his palm, which he fastened onto Chen Yixin’s belt.

“This is part of my return gift.”

Chen Yixin had prepared a token of love for them—Wenren Li could not fail to reciprocate. The jade clasp was a storage artifact containing his personal collection over the years, all treasures that ordinary cultivators could never obtain.

Yet in his eyes, it still could not compare to the jade pendant’s value, so it could only count as part of the return gift.

“Of course it’s only part. Don’t forget—you still owe me a sword,” Chen Yixin said. In truth, he wanted to say that Wenren Li himself was more than enough as a return gift—but saying that too often might seem disrespectful, so he settled for requesting a sword instead.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Wenren Li replied softly, pulling Chen Yixin back into his arms. But compared to the Ice Spirit and Nether Moon Soul he had originally planned to use, he was no longer satisfied. No matter what, the sword he gave could not be inferior to the one Chen Yixin had used in the Upper Realm.

They continued talking—Wenren Li explained arrangements within the Demon Palace, and the two exchanged insights on cultivation. By the time they finished, dawn had already arrived.

After spending some time in the courtyard accompanying Father Chen, they boarded a spirit vessel and set off toward the center of the Northern Sea.

The entourage was further reduced—only sixteen demon guards led by Nan Ke accompanied them. The rest remained stationed on Little Bamboo Islet, awaiting their return. Meanwhile, Wu Fei and Ping Cheng, upon receiving Wenren Li’s orders, would activate the grand defensive formation of the Demon Palace.

Until they returned from the Northern Sea, regardless of what happened in Taixuan, the Li Kui Demon Palace would not intervene.

“Reporting to the Demon Lord and Consort, we have arrived at the Abysswind Territory. Our spirit vessel likely cannot pass through this area.”

Nan Ke reported from outside the cabin. By now, a full month had passed since they departed from Zhenhai City. Though the Northern Sea sounded unremarkable, it belonged to the Vast Abyss Sea, whose scale surpassed even two Taixuan continents.

In the past thirty thousand years, Wenren Li had only ventured out to sea twice, the most recent being over ten thousand years ago. His experience was long outdated.

“There used to be a cultivation sect here ten thousand years ago—the Spirit Sea Sect. They controlled routes through the Abysswind Territory. Go investigate whether it still exists.”

After Wenren Li spoke, Chen Yixin—who had been meditating on the Six Arts—could not help but laugh.

Similar awkward situations had occurred several times along the journey. Times had changed, yet Wenren Li still faced only endless seas—everything else had transformed. Some islands they had planned to stop at were long depleted of spiritual energy or destroyed entirely by battles.

“We’ve been sitting for almost a month. Let’s go out and get some air. A-Da, you all stay and guard the vessel—A-Li and I will go look.”

Chen Yixin had never remembered Nan Ke’s name properly and simply called him A-Da. Nan Ke, long accustomed to it, bowed slightly. “Yes.”

Wenren Li looked at Chen Yixin with mild helplessness but accepted the arrangement.

They flew out of the vessel. Chen Yixin glanced back at Wenren Li before his figure vanished into the clouds—he intended to compete in speed.

But he had forgotten—at mid-stage Golden Core, even with exceptional techniques, he could not rival Wenren Li, who had reached Soul Transformation. In less than two breaths, Wenren Li pulled him out of a misty cloud.

“You hid your aura well, but not your emotions,” Wenren Li said. Chen Yixin’s excitement made him easy to find—even without using spiritual sense.

“Again,” Chen Yixin poked Wenren Li’s waist and slipped free from his arms, plunging straight into the sea. As an Ice Spirit Root cultivator, he shared the sea’s amplification abilities just like a Water Spirit Root.

Submerging himself, he carefully reflected on Wenren Li’s words. Pressing a hand to his chest, he closed his eyes, letting all emotions settle. Drifting with the currents, he seemed to become part of the sea itself.

His spiritual awareness seemed to withdraw, yet also spread along with the waves. The sensation was strange—so much so that he nearly forgot he was playing hide-and-seek with Wenren Li.

Wenren Li stood upon the water, brows slightly raised. Chen Yixin’s dispersed spiritual awareness indeed created confusion about his position. But before he could search carefully, the once-calm sea suddenly roared violently.

Without hesitation, Wenren Li dove into the water, sweeping the area with his spiritual sense. In a single breath, he arrived beside Chen Yixin.

Chen Yixin opened his eyes—two blue flames flickered within them beneath the water. He tapped Wenren Li’s lips lightly, then grasped his hand and swam toward the center of the disturbance.

“A-Li, don’t worry. There should be a water-attributed spiritual object down there. I tried to take it directly just now, but I must have alarmed its guardian beast, which caused this disturbance.”

Chen Yixin transmitted his voice to Wenren Li through spiritual sense, then continued pulling him as they swam deeper into the seabed where the resistance was growing stronger.

Wenren Li nodded slightly, but he had no intention of interfering with Chen Yixin’s discovery. He would only ensure Chen Yixin’s safety—whatever Chen Yixin could obtain would depend entirely on his own ability.

“What was that just now? Someone dared to trespass into the forbidden ground of our Spirit Sea Sect?”

Two cultivators in green robes, holding special instruments, wore expressions of shock and vigilance. If they hadn’t activated the formation in time, the sacred object their Spirit Sea Sect had guarded for a thousand years might have disappeared right before their eyes.

“We’ll hold the position. The elders are already on their way.”

Their conversation did not reach Chen Yixin or Wenren Li. The place they were in was quite special—it lay behind the forbidden ground of the Spirit Sea Sect, filled with coral and reef formations, along with natural water vortices. Cultivators with insufficient cultivation would likely be trapped to death within those currents.

Chen Yixin had no such concern. He glanced at Wenren Li and immediately knew his earlier worry had been unnecessary. They continued diving, searching the unusual area several times before finally finding a suspicious shallow pool.

“So shallow… is it this?”

Chen Yixin stared at the pool, then bent down to investigate. But as soon as his hand reached in, a powerful suction force dragged him inward. Without hesitation, he grabbed Wenren Li’s sleeve, pulling him along.

Yet the pool that pulled Chen Yixin in rejected Wenren Li. Chen Yixin found nothing in his hand but a torn piece of sleeve.

“A-Li, A-Li?”

His spiritual sense spread out to search, but all he saw around him was water—water flowing faster and faster. At the same time, he felt his body being compressed by the rapid current.

He fell silent for a moment. He wasn’t worried about Wenren Li’s safety—there were very few things in Taixuan that could harm him. Nor did he plan to wait for rescue. He could sense the affinity of that water-attributed spiritual object; if he found it, he might be able to leave and reunite with A-Li.

With that thought, Chen Yixin focused on resisting the crushing force of the swirling water…

“Oh? Another one has hatched—quite a fine water spirit. Finally, something presentable.”

As Chen Yixin was pulled into a space, spinning so fast that he felt dizzy, hot, and weak, a teasing voice sounded above him before he could recover.

Chen Yixin lifted his gaze and saw two unusually tall figures. Around him were many small heads barely peeking out, along with numerous large eggshells—some broken, some still intact.

He looked at the two figures, then at his surroundings, and finally at himself. His pupils shrank in shock.

It wasn’t that the two figures were unusually tall, nor that the eggs were especially large—it was that he himself had shrunk into a small child with short limbs.

He did like little Wenren Li, yes—but he had never imagined that one day he himself would become like this.

He reached down to check—thankfully, he was still male. Otherwise, he might have wanted to kill someone.

“Oh? The little thing even knows how to glare.”

One of them leaned in, his face enlarging in Chen Yixin’s view, clearly intending to pinch his cheeks. Chen Yixin’s anger flared, but there was not a trace of spiritual power in his body—no, it wasn’t that there was none, but rather a strange and unfamiliar type of energy.

“Alright, stop teasing him. If you kill it, it’ll be hard to explain.”

The other person stopped him. They turned to distribute food elsewhere, but just as they did, Chen Yixin—still in a childlike form—accidentally circulated that strange energy within him.

In an instant, he transformed into a small bird with icy-blue feathers. Unsteady, he flopped face-first back into his own eggshell.

“Ha ha ha…” One of the youths burst into laughter, while the other couldn’t help but smile slightly. They had likely never seen a bird demon that could take human form but couldn’t even stand properly in its original form.

A human form and a bird form were completely different—and the strange, weak energy within him made it even harder. Lacking experience, he failed to maintain his human form and ended up smashing his face into the eggshell.

At this point, Chen Yixin had no thoughts of escaping on his own. He only hoped Wenren Li would come find him quickly and take him away.

He struggled inside the eggshell for a long time before barely managing to control his form.

He spread his tiny wings, trying to cover his face in embarrassment—but they were too short, only enough to cover his chest.

“Chirp…” His dissatisfied grumble had turned into a soft, childish bird cry.

“Chirp chirp chirp…” A-Li, come save me.

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