At Chen Yixin’s words, the corners of Wenren Li’s lips curved slightly upward. His expression was filled entirely with indulgence and affection. He pulled Chen Yixin to a stop, lowered his head, and pressed a kiss to the center of his brow.
“Alright.”
No matter how fierce Chen Yixin became, Wenren Li would still think it good. He would still think it adorable.
Chen Yixin’s eyelashes trembled lightly. Lifting his gaze, he glared at Wenren Li again.
“Didn’t I already tell A-Li that I’m eating vegetarian for the next few days? No seducing me with your looks.”
After saying that, he tugged tightly on Wenren Li’s hand and continued forward. His face remained composed, yet the tips of his ears had already turned red.
Whether Wenren Li intended it or not, Chen Yixin had indeed been seduced.
“Greetings, Demon Lord and Demon Consort. This way, please.”
By the time they reached the mountain gate, Ze Fang—who had remained within Spirit Void Sect—came out to receive them.
In this battle, they had followed Chen Yixin’s instructions and fought without restraint. The Ten Great Demon Generals—ten Soul Transformation cultivators—had attacked together. Spirit Void Sect had never expected Chen Yixin to target them first. They had exhausted every method at their disposal, yet in the end they still lost.
And even now, news of Spirit Void Sect’s destruction had yet to reach the rear headquarters of the Immortal Dao Alliance. Once it spread, the world would likely be shaken.
“You should go heal your injuries. A-Li and I will handle matters here.”
Chen Yixin swept a glance over Ze Fang and immediately knew he had been injured during the previous night’s battle. Fortunately, it was not serious. Some medicine from Qiu Yi and a few days of meditation would be enough for recovery.
Ze Fang bowed slightly again.
“Yes.”
After he left, Chen Yixin continued inward with Wenren Li under the guidance of the remaining demon guards. They were going to see Spirit Void Sect’s sect master and several elders.
Since they had been captured alive, their condition naturally was not good. They were practically lingering on the edge of death.
The appearance of Chen Yixin and Wenren Li startled the Spirit Void Sect sect master and elders somewhat. Chen Yixin did not bother wasting words with them. Taking a single step forward, he gave them a choice.
“Surrender or die.”
The moment the words fell, an almost terrifying pressure enveloped the three surviving great powers of Spirit Void Sect. Already barely clinging to life, they truly felt as though they stood upon the border between life and death.
That kind of terror could only be understood by those who had personally experienced it.
“Divine Son… why would you walk alongside demons?”
The long-bearded Daoist who had once indignantly denounced them during the Spiritmount Assembly forced himself to take a breath and direct the question at Chen Yixin.
Chen Yixin’s gaze shifted onto the Daoist. Later, he had already heard reports from the demon guards regarding the events at the Spiritmount Assembly, and he understood well enough how deeply this old Daoist hated “demons.”
“What is a demon, and what is an immortal? You do not possess the qualifications to define that for A-Li and me.”
As Chen Yixin spoke, he stepped closer again. Raising a hand slightly, he casually brushed it through the air toward the old Daoist.
The old man—who had stubbornly clung to life moments before—instantly lost the light in his eyes and died completely.
“And the two of you? Will you follow him… into death as well?”
Before Chen Yixin could even finish speaking, the Spirit Void Sect sect master and the remaining elder violently shook their heads.
“We are willing to surrender.”
Chen Yixin gave a faint nod at their sensibility before retreating two steps and glancing toward Wenren Li.
Wenren Li lifted a hand. Two silver seal marks flew out and directly entered the pair’s brows. They instantly fainted completely, and from that moment onward, their lives and deaths rested upon a single thought from Wenren Li.
Yet Chen Yixin and Wenren Li did not leave Spirit Void Sect immediately.
Instead, they entered the forbidden grounds behind the mountain.
Chen Yixin wrinkled his nose slightly, and the suspicions within his heart became two parts more certain. The “Void” of Spirit Void Sect truly originated from the same source as the Divine Ruins forbidden ground in the Upper Realm—even the aura was almost identical.
“This humble one is Xin Ming, guardian of the forbidden grounds.”
At the entrance stood a handsome young man who bowed politely. Both Chen Yixin and Wenren Li looked toward him, yet he showed not the slightest change in expression or unease. He was far too calm to resemble an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“My master has awaited the two of you within for quite some time.”
Chen Yixin’s grip around Wenren Li’s hand tightened slightly before he fixed his gaze upon Xin Ming and nodded.
“Lead the way.”
The forbidden grounds of Spirit Void Sect were in truth the entrance to a small secret realm. As Chen Yixin and Wenren Li stepped inside, the aura of the Divine Ruins became even clearer.
Clusters of black mist drifted about, within which faintly appeared jade towers, immortal palaces, divine treasures, and celestial artifacts, all seeming close enough to touch.
But should one truly dare reach out, those illusions would instantly transform into life-reaping scythes.
Coupled with the Divine Ruins’ suppression of divine and immortal power, even an Immortal Emperor entering such a place would not dare recklessly charge ahead.
Chen Yixin was no stranger to it either.
Back then, he had remained within the Divine Ruins forbidden ground for quite some time and had even used its dangers to kill many Immortal Lords and Immortal Emperors.
Even so, Chen Yixin had never once underestimated the danger of the Divine Ruins.
From the information Wu Fei had gathered, he had already speculated that Spirit Void Sect might possess some connection to the Divine Ruins. Yet now that it had been confirmed, his surprise remained considerable.
The entire journey, neither he nor Wenren Li questioned Xin Ming.
Clearly, Xin Ming was far from a simple minor cultivator of Spirit Void Sect. Both Chen Yixin and Wenren Li also wished to meet the so-called “master” he spoke of. There was no need to kill him yet.
“The Divine Ruins first appeared during the Primordial Era. At the time, it was merely the Dao field of a Divine Lord. Through the evolution of countless eras, it managed to endure by borrowing from the Source of Void.”
Wenren Li softly explained things to Chen Yixin as they walked. His expression, however, remained calm rather than solemn.
His eyes could pierce through illusion, rendering such deceptions meaningless before him. The aura of the Source of Void was no exception.
“However, this place is only a fragment severed from the Divine Ruins. It cannot be considered the core.”
But why a fragment of the Divine Ruins had been cut away and placed within Taixuan was something even Wenren Li could not immediately determine.
Perhaps after meeting Xin Ming’s master, they would learn the answer.
They walked like this for nearly an hour before Xin Ming finally turned sideways.
“My master is waiting for the two of you just ahead.”
Chen Yixin and Wenren Li followed his gaze toward a black pavilion draped with flowing white silk. Through the curtains, the silhouette of an adult man could faintly be seen seated within.
That was the “master” Xin Ming had spoken of.
After speaking, Xin Ming retreated two steps and was swallowed by the black mist behind him. He had not died, but had already left the secret realm.
“You wanted to see A-Li and me. We came. What now? You’re afraid to even show your face before we’ve met?”
Still holding Wenren Li’s hand, Chen Yixin continued approaching while already mocking the hidden “master.”
The moment his words fell, all the white silk curtains rolled upward, revealing the figure seated cross-legged within the pavilion.
Chen Yixin’s pupils contracted slightly, and his expression instantly turned grave. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing further.
Wenren Li, however, locked eyes with the “master” who had lifted his gaze.
Their auras collided instantly, neither side yielding an inch.
“An Otherworldly Demon Emperor?”
Wenren Li slowly raised a hand. A mass of silver spiritual power gathered within his palm. If he released it now, there would truly be no holding back.
“Lord Li, you are me, and I am you. If I am an Otherworldly Demon Emperor, then Lord Li, you are one as well.”
The man finally spoke.
Aside from a slightly different tone, the voice sounded exactly like Wenren Li’s.
Not only that—the man before them, save for his white robes, possessed the exact same appearance as Wenren Li. The two looked like reflections in a mirror.
“You’re an Otherworldly Demon consciousness born from A-Li’s original body, aren’t you?”
Chen Yixin narrowed his eyes. The appearance of someone so similar to Wenren Li immediately made him uncomfortable. And the moment he considered the origins of this existence, that discomfort transformed directly into surging killing intent.
“I was born from the divine wood. I am Lord Li. I am the former Emperor Yuxu. The Otherworldly Demons are merely my servants.”
Dressed in white, the man appeared like a true immortal within the murky secret realm.
His hand rested upon the ancient zither before him. A single note rang out, and the silver spiritual power in Wenren Li’s hand vanished instantly.
Only after speaking did he finally turn his gaze toward the murderous Chen Yixin beside Wenren Li. His expression trembled faintly before the corners of his lips curved upward.
“As for Lord Yi… you remain this sovereign’s beloved.”
“You bastard. Coveting A-Li’s identity wasn’t enough—you dare covet me too?”
Chen Yixin stepped forward, blue divine flames erupting beneath his feet. A vast blue wave surged directly toward the counterfeit Wenren Li.
The man had remained calm before, but the moment the divine flames approached, he retreated repeatedly. Clearly, the flames’ power lay far beyond his expectations.
Wenren Li could not harm him.
But Chen Yixin’s divine flames could.
“You’re nothing more than a puppet left behind by Nangong and Dongfang. If you dare call yourself A-Li again, I’ll destroy that shell of yours completely!”
Chen Yixin’s fury blazed sky-high as his divine flames sealed every possible avenue of escape.
Now that the impostor had shown himself, escaping would no longer be so easy.
“You know Nangong… Ah, of course. You were the phoenix egg raised within my Yuxu Palace. Naturally, you met them before.”
Clearly, Chen Yixin’s words affected him greatly.
From the moment his consciousness was born, Nangong and Dongfang had constantly filled his mind with the belief that he was Wenren Li—that he was the former Emperor Yuxu who once ruled the Divine Realm alone.
Yet Chen Yixin called him nothing more than a puppet.
“Hah. Nangong and Dongfang are apparently less bold than you are. They wouldn’t dare use the Divine Ruins to meet A-Li and me.”
As Chen Yixin spoke, he retreated another step and tightened his grip around Wenren Li’s hand once more.
Wenren Li’s silence still worried him somewhat.
“My divine flames would never harm A-Li in the slightest, yet you don’t even dare touch them. Do you know why?”
Chen Yixin’s expression turned cold as the flames surrounding the man stirred restlessly.
“Why?”
The man’s face darkened as he asked quietly.
He too believed Chen Yixin’s flames should not be capable of harming him, yet he lacked the courage to test them.
“Because my divine flames are the natural bane of Otherworldly Demons. You may wear a shell resembling A-Li’s, but your essence is still that of an Otherworldly Demon. If you don’t believe me, then touch them and see whether I can burn you into nothingness!”
At this point, the truth was already perfectly clear.
This person could never be a fragment or incarnation of Wenren Li.
He was merely a contingency left behind by Nangong and Dongfang—a vicious and insidious one aimed specifically at old retainers like Chen Yixin and An Cheng who still remembered the past.
The man’s expression darkened. A seal mark within his hand ignited as he prepared to sever himself from the secret realm and return to the Divine Ruins in the Upper Realm.
At that moment, the silent Wenren Li finally spoke.
“Freeze. Erase.”
As his words fell, Chen Yixin’s divine flames surged forward as well.
A muffled cry rang out before the man was swallowed completely by the flames and vanished without a trace.
Chen Yixin raised a hand and summoned forth a silver fragment of wood roughly the length of an arm.
This had merely been one incarnation of the puppet. The true body still remained within some celestial palace of the Upper Realm.
Chen Yixin did not withdraw his divine flames. Instead, he continued refining the silver wood fragment, burning away every trace of another’s aura before he would feel safe giving it to Wenren Li.
Wenren Li withdrew his gaze from the silver fragment and turned it toward Chen Yixin instead. Pulling him gently into his arms, he spoke in a low yet certain voice.
“A-Rong… thank you.”
Even when he himself had hesitated before that identical aura, Chen Yixin had been even more certain than he was—more decisive than he was.
He was Wenren Li.
He was the former Emperor Yuxu.
No further proof was needed.
As long as Chen Yixin believed he was, then he was.
“What’s there to thank me for? It was only an incarnation. Right now, I want to tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
The length of time that puppet had possessed consciousness absolutely could not have been long. Most likely, it had only emerged after both he and Wenren Li descended into the Lower Realm.
And above him, there were probably even more Otherworldly Demon consciousnesses conspiring alongside Nangong and Dongfang.
“My divine flames still aren’t enough to burn his true body to death. Just you wait!”
As Chen Yixin spoke, he buried his face against Wenren Li’s neck, teeth grinding audibly. He was clearly furious beyond measure.
Wenren Li gently stroked his back, soothing him.
With a wave of his hand, he brought Chen Yixin out of the secret realm. Simultaneously, the realm and its entrance compressed into a tiny sphere that vanished into Wenren Li’s palm.
“A-Li, you have to believe me. I would never mistake someone else for you. You are my A-Li… and also my Emperor.”
Only after his anger subsided did Chen Yixin begin trying to comfort Wenren Li instead. Wenren Li’s earlier silence still worried him.
“Mm. I know.”
Wenren Li responded, but before he could say anything more, Chen Yixin had already dragged him back into the military command tent.
While Wenren Li was still momentarily stunned, Chen Yixin directly pounced him onto the bed and swiftly began stripping away his robes.
Unable to find the proof-mark he wanted to show Wenren Li upon his body, he anxiously kissed Wenren Li’s lips instead.
Next
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment