Futile Devices Scans

When Wenren Li said that if he missed him, he only needed to shake the bell and activate the imprint he had left behind, he would appear. Chen Yixin had missed him, so he did exactly that—and incidentally summoned a rare tonic for Wenren Li as well.

Hearing this, Wenren Li’s figure shifted slightly. His hand wrapped around Chen Yixin’s waist, bringing him up into the air together with him. At the same time, the thunderclouds overhead descended, and a bolt of black heavenly punishment lightning struck down. The terrifying pressure felt as though it were flaying alive every cultivator and living creature within Everpeace City.

An Cheng believed that with Wenren Li present, nothing would happen to Chen Yixin, yet when the lightning descended, his heart still leapt into his throat. Even his back bent slightly beneath the pressure, unable to endure it completely.

Within the descending heavenly punishment, the only two whose expressions did not change at all were Chen Yixin and Wenren Li.

Chen Yixin leaned close to Wenren Li and pressed a kiss to his cheek. His spiritual wings fluttered, and he separated himself from Wenren Li’s embrace. Closing his eyes, he instantly reverted to his original form, continuing the final steps of the Soul Gathering Dance.

Meanwhile, Wenren Li received every heavenly punishment descending to stop Chen Yixin from continuing. Wenren Li himself did nothing. A half-human-tall sapling flew out from between his brows and vanished into the thunderclouds. After that, the terrifying pressure ceased descending entirely.

At the same time, the pressure weighing upon the souls of all living beings vanished completely, as though the agony they had felt moments before had only been an illusion.

A mass of black, jumping spiritual energy gathered in Wenren Li’s palm. He gazed at it calmly, utterly unconcerned. The heavenly punishment could not stir even the slightest trouble within his hand.

Chen Yixin’s phoenix form vanished into thin air before suddenly reappearing beneath the thunderclouds. He transformed back into human form while his outspread spiritual wings dissolved into clusters of spiritual rain that drifted downward. Amid the spiritual rain floated fully condensed soul bodies.

Those soul bodies entered the corpses lying below. Visible to the naked eye, the deathly aura dissipated, and the fatal wounds on the bodies slowly began to heal beneath the spiritual rain. Though they were not fully restored, the lives of those people had truly been snatched back by Chen Yixin.

“Qiu Yi, An Cheng, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

As Chen Yixin spoke, his figure swayed slightly. The divine power within his body had been completely exhausted. Yet before he could react, Wenren Li had already appeared beside him, scooping him into his arms and vanishing directly from the square.

What Chen Yixin had done tonight was enough to utterly shock every general and soldier within and outside Everpeace City.

If Chen Yixin could bring the dead back to life, then that meant even if they died in battle, they too could return to life. Such a heaven-defying ability was so inconceivable that even those who benefited from it found it difficult to believe, completely surpassing everything they understood about the world.

“Our Demon Consort is a divine child, a true member of the divine race…”

After much thought, this was the only explanation they could come up with for Chen Yixin’s miraculous abilities.

And these were merely the immediate reactions over the next few days. Once the soldiers fully digested the news, it would become an unimaginably terrifying force. If death no longer meant the end, then the fear and dread of dying in battle would disappear as well.

A terrifying immortal army was beginning to take shape tonight—Taixuan’s nightmare, and in the future, the nightmare of the Upper Realm and the Otherworldly Demons.

“The heavenly punishment… the heavenly punishment just… disappeared?”

Those deeply capable of sensing the horror of heavenly punishment were equally shaken tonight. Chen Yixin’s miracles could perhaps be explained by his origins, but the moment Wenren Li appeared, the terrifying heavenly tribulation simply vanished.

Chen Yixin was extraordinary, yet Wenren Li—who had originated from Taixuan—was no less extraordinary.

Ze Fang withdrew his distant gaze and looked toward Han Zichuan beside him, whose face was full of confusion and disbelief. Then a rope-type treasure flew from Ze Fang’s hand and bound Han Zichuan tightly.

Whether Han Zichuan was truly an immortal-path spy was not for him to decide. Ze Fang would determine that after interrogating him.

Bound by Ze Fang, Han Zichuan finally recovered slightly from his daze. He glanced at the ropes binding him. Before Ze Fang could move closer, Han Zichuan vanished directly from within the binding treasure. A treasure capable of restraining great cultivators of the Soul Transformation realm could not hold Han Zichuan.

Hesitation flickered across Ze Fang’s face, but he did not pursue him. He had the feeling he would not catch him anyway. Since it would only waste effort, there was no need to bother. Still, it would be necessary to report the matter to Chen Yixin afterward.

As for Chen Yixin, Wenren Li carried him directly back to his residence in Everpeace City. Wenren Li’s expression remained calm, leaving Chen Yixin unable to decipher what he was thinking.

“A-Li still hasn’t answered me yet.”

He had said that he missed Wenren Li. Shouldn’t Wenren Li say the same in return? As Chen Yixin spoke, his fingertip poked Wenren Li’s cheek lightly.

“Hm?”

Yet when Wenren Li’s gaze swept over him, he still did not answer. He carried Chen Yixin all the way to the bedside before finally pausing and sitting down with him in his arms. But the next moment, Chen Yixin was turned around.

Chen Yixin’s eyes widened instantly as he covered his backside protectively. He could not understand why Wenren Li seemed intent on disciplining him again.

“A-Li, what are you doing? I didn’t cause trouble again…”

Yet before he finished speaking, Wenren Li had already pulled his hands away. Chen Yixin’s divine power was nearly depleted at the moment, leaving him with little ability to resist. His face flushed slightly red as he huffed indignantly, but in the end, he obediently closed his eyes.

However, Wenren Li still could not bear to strike him. Slowly turning him back around, he pressed two fingers beneath Chen Yixin’s chin. His voice was cold and stern.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Chen Yixin first cracked one eye open cautiously. Once he realized Wenren Li could not bear to hit him, he slowly opened the other eye as well. His hands wrapped gently around Wenren Li’s waist.

“A-Li, I know I was wrong.”

Chen Yixin admitted fault remarkably quickly, but this time Wenren Li was not so easily fooled. Stroking Chen Yixin’s cheek, he continued:

“What exactly did you do wrong?”

Chen Yixin blinked. Clearly, he had not truly realized his mistake. Yet he had always been good with words. Turning his head, he pressed a kiss into Wenren Li’s palm before glancing sideways at him.

“Whatever A-Li says I did wrong, then that’s what I did wrong.”

A helpless expression finally surfaced on Wenren Li’s face. Pulling Chen Yixin closer into his arms, his tone softened, though the seriousness on his face remained unchanged.

“If you wish to practice the Soul Gathering Art, I won’t stop you. But today’s situation—gathering hundreds, nearly a thousand souls at once—must never happen again. If your divine power proves insufficient, what will be consumed instead will be your soul essence.”

Soul essence was not like lifespan. Lifespan might still be replenished somehow, but soul essence was the refined essence of Chen Yixin’s soul power. Even Wenren Li had little means to restore it. That was why he had nearly resorted to punishing Chen Yixin again.

This was only the beginning. The amount consumed now might not be much, but if Chen Yixin continued recklessly like this over a long period of time, the consequences would become unimaginable. There were many things Wenren Li was willing to indulge him in willingly, but when it came to Chen Yixin harming himself, there was absolutely no room for compromise.

“A-Rong, I don’t need to tell you what the consequences of damaging your soul essence are, do I?”

After listening to Wenren Li, the obedient expression Chen Yixin had been pretending gradually faded. Slowly sitting upright, he leaned against Wenren Li’s shoulder.

“I know. I promise I’ll control myself better in the future. I want to stay together with A-Li forever and ever.”

By saying this, Chen Yixin was making it clear that he had no intention of abandoning the Soul Gathering Art. What he truly wished to gather were not merely the souls of fallen demon soldiers, but the souls of Qingruo, Linyu, and the others.

It was incredibly difficult—judging by the current situation, almost impossible. Yet Chen Yixin refused to give up. Any technique cultivated to its limit could achieve unimaginable results. The Soul Gathering Dance had originally been something extremely simple, known even by priests and elders of ancient tribes.

But Chen Yixin, as an Ice Phoenix, was born with innate soul-condensing and spirit-gathering abilities. Combined with the Soul Gathering Dance, its effects became entirely different. Somewhere in the unseen workings of fate, perhaps he alone was meant to retrieve the lives of those gods who should never have died.

Wenren Li did not doubt Chen Yixin’s determination to recover Qingruo and Linyu’s souls. Nor did he intend to stop him. But the prerequisite was that Chen Yixin first protect himself. Those people deserved to return, but not at the cost of Chen Yixin’s life.

They remained leaning against each other through the entire night. By the time Chen Yixin opened the door again, Wenren Li had already departed. After checking with Ze Fang regarding the condition of the resurrected soldiers, Chen Yixin returned to his room to continue cultivating, replenishing the divine power that had still not fully recovered since the previous night.

“Ah… if I’d known, we shouldn’t have just sat there last night. If A-Li had dual cultivated with me for the whole night, I wouldn’t have to recover my divine power by meditating so tediously now…”

Yet despite the complaint, he only muttered it to himself before continuing to meditate.

After capturing Spiritmount City, the Southern Domain demon army did not slow its pace of conquest. The Ten Demon Generals entered battle one after another, some victorious, some defeated. But Chen Yixin’s side possessed cheating tools like him and Qiu Yi.

Qiu Yi could not resurrect the dead like Chen Yixin, but the spiritual medicines he refined were practically divine medicines. So long as even a single thread of life remained, he could save them.

Afterward, Chen Yixin personally established an elite guard unit. Anyone who entered it could receive the blessing of Chen Yixin’s divine power, allowing them to revive after death and perhaps even receive his personal guidance.

The demon soldiers had already held Chen Yixin in extreme reverence. Now they fought desperately to catch his attention, all hoping to join this newly established elite guard unit. Even before it officially received a name, the title of “Immortals” had already begun to take shape around it.

Because the unit’s numbers were fixed, even if casualties occurred, they would not exceed Chen Yixin’s limit for soul gathering. Each time he gathered souls, terrifying heavenly punishment would still descend. And each time, Wenren Li would appear to keep Chen Yixin safe.

At the same time, Ze Fang and the others gradually sensed that every few days, whenever Wenren Li appeared, the aura surrounding him became even more terrifying. At times, he seemed even more frightening than the heavenly punishment itself. Chen Yixin sensed this as well, but he knew it was because Wenren Li was in the midst of absorbing the remnant stump relic, and had rushed over before fully suppressing its aura.

Tonight’s Wenren Li had arrived carrying that same terrifying aura. With a mere wave of his hand, the heavenly punishment vanished into his palm, and before long he had completely absorbed it.

After returning the soul bodies to the soldiers, Chen Yixin walked toward Wenren Li.

Lightly taking Wenren Li’s hand, he led him toward the military tent where he resided, glancing at him from time to time.

“I listened to A-Li. I haven’t acted recklessly these past few days.”

At a corner where no one else could see them, Chen Yixin quickly pecked Wenren Li’s cheek.

Wenren Li, who had been concentrating on suppressing his aura, paused slightly, but did not become distracted again.

Naturally, this aura inspired fear and dread in others. Yet Chen Yixin was an exception. Even if he himself could not completely withstand it, his desire to remain close to Wenren Li still outweighed everything else.

Of course, achieving this had not been easy. Only after several attempts at adapting had Chen Yixin finally grown bold enough tonight. Continuing to lead Wenren Li into the great tent, he raised a barrier around them as they entered.

“A-Li, would you be willing to help me recover my divine power?”

Chen Yixin asked softly, his expression unusually serious.

Without overthinking, Wenren Li nodded. Yet just as he raised his hand, Chen Yixin caught hold of it.

“A-Li’s divine power feels uncomfortable when I use it. There’s… another method, isn’t there? Don’t tell me you don’t know.”

Chen Yixin puffed his cheeks slightly. His eyes, tinged with seductive charm, stared directly at Wenren Li without the slightest attempt at concealment. Wenren Li might not have understood before, but by now he certainly should.

“I know. I was only worried that the aura surrounding me would make A-Rong uncomfortable.”

Otherwise, how could he not wish to be closer to Chen Yixin? The aura surrounding him was not only the divine power contained within the remnant stump relic, but also the aura of the heavenly punishment he had just absorbed.

It was called the Godfall Punishment. One could imagine that ordinary gods would dislike it, and Chen Yixin should have been no exception.

“Then A-Li should work harder to make me feel comfortable, and I should work harder to adapt. Don’t tell me that if you absorb for ten thousand years and I cultivate for ten thousand years, we’ll also have to refrain from intimacy for ten thousand years.”

Absolutely impossible!

As a phoenix divine bird, Chen Yixin had never avoided his own desires. Nor would he allow Wenren Li to avoid them. Faced with such passionate and straightforward affection from a phoenix, even a tree as cold-hearted and detached as Wenren Li could only be set ablaze by him.

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