Futile Devices Scans

Chen Yixin pouted slightly and kissed the doll on its forehead before shrinking it and tucking it back into his robes. One hand covered his chest while the other propped up his chin, and the light in his eyes was exceedingly dangerous.

As the sky darkened further, Chen Yixin opened the door. Zhu Yan was already waiting outside. Together they headed toward the banquet hall, while the Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings who had received invitations were also arriving one after another.

Some of them were immortals already incorporated under the banner of Nine Sovereigns Hall, while others, like Myriad Immortals Pavilion, had been targeted by Nine Sovereigns Hall but were still unwilling to submit. To them, this banquet was no different from a Hongmen Banquet.

“Quite the appetite. Do the other Immortal Emperors have no objections?” Chen Yixin could roughly guess part of the reason, but he still wanted to hear Zhu Yan’s explanation—or rather, the clues he possessed.

“How could they not have objections? Most likely, they simply don’t dare…” But their fear was definitely not because of Jiu Yu himself. It was because of the person backing him. As for who that person was, Zhu Yan dared not say.

After answering Chen Yixin, Zhu Yan immediately turned away to exchange greetings with the other arriving Immortal Lords, introducing Chen Yixin to them along the way. Looking every bit like a child, Chen Yixin paid little attention to any of them. After walking only a short distance, he waved Zhu Yan away and told him to deal with them himself.

He found a seat and sat down. A while later, he simply wandered outside.

Within Nine Sovereigns Hall, aside from Jiu Yu himself, there truly was no one capable of stopping Chen Yixin. His steps were as swift as the wind, and before long he had explored half of the hall grounds. The remaining half consisted of areas where his presence would definitely alert Jiu Yu.

His steps paused, and he was just about to turn back when a figure suddenly appeared in the flower garden ahead.

Dressed in white, Jiu Yu stood there holding a flute, watching him with eyes whose emotions could not be discerned.

Chen Yixin’s gaze swept over him. He narrowed his eyes and continued turning around as though he intended to leave immediately.

Yet in the next instant, his wrist was seized.

“What are you looking for?”

Before Chen Yixin could shake him off, Jiu Yu released him of his own accord. His fingers rubbed lightly against one another. He felt a deeply unsettling sense of familiarity and closeness toward Chen Yixin, something that left him thoroughly perplexed.

Yet before that confusion could fully surface, it was replaced by a trace of darkness. His voice became slightly stiff.

“You were looking for me?”

Blinking, Chen Yixin folded his arms and turned around. He smiled at Jiu Yu. Then a thin streak of red light flashed through the air.

He took two steps backward.

Jiu Yu’s arm fell off.

“You touched someone else and still dared touch me!”

Chen Yixin ground his teeth and glared.

Jiu Yu looked at the severed arm lying on the ground. Before anger could arise, helplessness appeared first.

Shaking his head lightly, he brushed a hand over the severed limb. It transformed into a silver wooden branch. He picked it up with his other hand, while a brand-new arm regrew from the shoulder where the old one had been cut off.

Chen Yixin stared intently at the branch in his hand. A strand of crimson thread shot from his fingertips and wrapped around the latter half of the branch.

“I cut it off, so it’s mine.”

His tone was overbearingly domineering.

Following the crimson thread with his gaze, Jiu Yu looked at Chen Yixin. After a brief hesitation, he nodded.

“Very well.”

He stepped closer once more and reached out to grasp Chen Yixin’s wrist again.

“Come. The banquet is about to begin.”

The familiar tone and mannerism left Chen Yixin momentarily stunned. Jiu Yu took his silence as consent and continued leading him away.

Before long, they returned to the banquet hall.

The sight of Jiu Yu entering while holding Chen Yixin’s hand naturally fell into the eyes of everyone present.

Lan Xin, who had arrived earlier and had already assumed the bearing of a hostess, saw the scene clearly. The expression on her face twisted uncontrollably.

Chen Yixin had originally intended to pull free. But after noticing the look Lan Xin was giving him, he endured it and did not break away.

In fact, he did not even return to his own seat. Instead, he sat directly beside Jiu Yu as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Everyone present was shocked.

That included Zhu Yan, who had come together with Chen Yixin.

“Your Excellency, this is…?”

The fury in Lan Xin’s voice was almost impossible to conceal. Yet with so many people watching, she still wished to maintain the dignity of an Imperial Daughter and did not want to descend into the image of an unreasonable shrew.

Chen Yixin’s voice came from Jiu Yu’s other side. “I want that one.” He sat there with his arms folded, looking as though he were waiting to be fed, causing the anger burning inside Lan Xin to intensify even further.

She said nothing more and simply stared stubbornly at Jiu Yu, waiting for his reaction. She was destined to be disappointed.

Turning toward Chen Yixin, Jiu Yu naturally selected food for him. He also ordered someone to bring over a milder peach blossom wine and took away the cup in Chen Yixin’s hand. “Drink this instead.”

“Always controlling this and that… Since when is what I drink any of your business?”

Chen Yixin took a small sip of the peach blossom wine and then began grumbling under his breath. It looked as though he was giving Jiu Yu no face whatsoever, yet a trace of confusion flickered deep within his lowered eyes.

“Your Excellency!” Lan Xin’s voice suddenly rose several pitches, and her face reddened. The way these two were interacting made her seriously wonder whether this was still the Immortal Emperor Jiu Yu who slaughtered immortals without blinking.

Yet the look Jiu Yu cast toward her was cold, ruthless, and utterly merciless. All of Lan Xin’s doubts instantly vanished. Her lips trembled, and she forcibly softened her expression, maintaining a dignified bearing.

“Your Excellency, the envoy sent by my Imperial Father is here. Would Your Excellency be willing to meet him with this concubine?”

This banquet had largely been arranged for her sake. The envoy from her Imperial Father had come to deliver her marriage document. Once Nine Sovereigns Hall accepted it, her becoming the mistress of Nine Sovereigns Hall would only be a matter of time.

The moment she mentioned it, the Immortal Lords present began discussing it in hushed voices. Even those who had not known before now understood.

Jiu Yu frowned but did not respond. The instant Chen Yixin understood what was being discussed, the wine cup in his hand shattered.

Bang!

The sound was not particularly loud, but the atmosphere in the hall had never been especially lively to begin with. The entire hall instantly fell silent.

This red-robed youth clearly had an unusual relationship with Jiu Yu. Including Lan Xin, everyone present came to the same conclusion.

Lan Xin’s hands clenched into fists.

She had already reached the limit of her endurance.

Other than the time Chen Yixin had openly cursed her to her face, she had never suffered such blatant provocation and humiliation.

Yet no matter how much she wanted to kill Chen Yixin, if Jiu Yu refused to stand on her side, any reckless action now would destroy all of the achievements she had accumulated thus far.

Just one step.

Only one final step remained.

Lan Xin thought highly of herself. She believed herself to be the most outstanding female sovereign among the Ten Emperors and Nine Clans and therefore worthy of standing beside the most outstanding future Imperial Sovereign.

Once, she had believed that person to be Chen Yixin of the Phoenix Divine Clan. But Chen Yixin had willingly debased himself by joining his life with a tree demon. When she gave up on him, she had also wanted to destroy him.

After much scheming, the process had not gone entirely according to plan, but she had been reasonably satisfied with the result. Chen Yixin had been trapped in the Sea of Ice Extremity, while the tree demon who had stolen her man had been imprisoned within the Prison Realm, doomed to a miserable end.

That was the fate of anyone who offended her.

A thousand years ago, Jiu Yu had risen suddenly in the Upper Realm. From being beneath notice to becoming impossible to ignore, and then single-handedly standing against all Half-Step Immortal Emperors, creating a legend even greater than Chen Yixin’s, he had become the man she resolved to firmly grasp within her hand.

Up until today, she had encountered very few obstacles.

Starting as a maidservant within Nine Sovereigns Hall, gradually revealing her identity to Jiu Yu, and finally reaching the point where today’s banquet could be held—the process had taken a very long time and demanded immense effort on her part.

Yet today she had truly experienced what it meant to feel suffocated.

Jealousy and fury burned together, consuming her reason.

She was already standing at the very edge of her endurance.

Jiu Yu’s brows furrowed slightly. His body, already turned partly toward Chen Yixin, shifted even further in his direction. He grabbed the hand Chen Yixin was trying to pull away and slowly pried open his fingers, removing the shattered fragments of the wine cup from his palm.

Only then did he turn toward Lan Xin, whose expression had completely darkened.

“Bring him over.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Lan Xin was still too consumed by anger to react.

Meanwhile, Chen Yixin—whose hand had just been caught by Jiu Yu—threw a punch directly at him.

Jiu Yu raised a hand and blocked it.

But Chen Yixin had no intention of stopping after a single strike.

“You almost fooled me! Disgusting!”

Filled with rage, Chen Yixin closed the distance and began attacking Jiu Yu directly.

The banquet table in front of them suffered greatly.

Food and wine flew everywhere as chaos erupted.

Each of Chen Yixin’s attacks grew fiercer than the last. He even infused them with spiritual power, his fury reaching an uncontrollable level.

Jiu Yu’s brows remained slightly furrowed, but he continued to focus primarily on defense. He repeatedly attempted to seize Chen Yixin’s wrists or arms, yet Chen Yixin was as slippery as a loach, impossible to catch. As long as Jiu Yu continued suppressing his divine power, all he could manage was occasionally brushing the edge of Chen Yixin’s sleeves.

Suddenly, Jiu Yu’s expression turned cold.

His aura exploded outward, overturning every banquet table in the hall.

With one arm, he pinned both of Chen Yixin’s hands behind his back and pulled him firmly into his embrace. With the other, he struck toward Lan Xin.

As an Imperial Daughter, Lan Xin naturally possessed no shortage of immortal treasures. The forbidden artifact bestowed upon her by her Immortal Emperor father contained the equivalent of one of his full-powered attacks.

Even with his cultivation suppressed to the Half-Step Immortal Emperor Realm, Chen Yixin would not have been able to withstand such a completely unexpected strike. Even if he stopped suppressing himself and fought seriously, he still could not have endured it without preparation.

Had Jiu Yu not intervened, he would certainly have been injured.

Jiu Yu swept away the power of the forbidden artifact. Then he waved his hand again toward Lan Xin.

Slap!

The blow landed directly across her face and sent her flying.

“If you want to die, this Sovereign can fulfill that wish right now.”

His icy words echoed throughout the hall.

The pressure of an Immortal Emperor erupted without restraint.

Many Immortal Lords coughed up blood from the force alone.

Even Chen Yixin, who moments earlier had looked ready to perish together with Jiu Yu, gradually quieted down within his arms.

Jiu Yu lowered his gaze.

The anger and fierce hostility that had filled Chen Yixin’s face had vanished.

He no longer struggled.

Instead, he allowed Jiu Yu to lift him into his arms.

Then Jiu Yu carried him out of the banquet hall and toward the palace where he resided—a place even Lan Xin herself was forbidden to enter.

“Ahhh—!”

Lan Xin’s furious scream rang out from far behind them, but once Jiu Yu entered his sleeping palace, all those sounds and commotion were left behind.

Chen Yixin curled up slightly, his round eyes wide as he stared at the Jiu Yu before him. He asked softly, puzzled, “A-Li?”

“Mhm,” Jiu Yu responded. He closed his eyes and opened them again. The frenzied, chaotic aura could no longer be concealed, and his eyes changed from pure black into mismatched pupils—one black, one silver.

The Jiu Yu before him was Wenren Li. No—more accurately, the soul controlling this body was Wenren Li.

Back in the garden, when the reckless Jiu Yu had tried to touch Chen Yixin, the moment he grabbed Chen Yixin’s wrist, Wenren Li—hidden inside the doll tucked against Chen Yixin’s chest—had followed that point of contact and infiltrated Jiu Yu’s body.

That severed wood remnant had originally been part of Wenren Li’s true body. The process of invasion had been completely silent and unnoticed; even Chen Yixin had not sensed it. But after spending so long together with Wenren Li, doubts had begun to arise in his heart afterward.

In fact, many of his deliberately excessive and unrestrained actions had been attempts to test and confirm his suspicions. Yet Lan Xin’s arrival repeatedly reminded Chen Yixin of everything he loathed about the Otherworldly Demon puppet. Combined with the fact that the puppet occupied Wenren Li’s remnant body and still intended to marry Lan Xin, it became something Chen Yixin simply could not tolerate. That was why he had ended up fighting him.

“Not fighting anymore?” Wenren Li asked as he carried Chen Yixin deeper into the sleeping palace and set him down on the bed. Even after doing so, his hand remained wrapped around Chen Yixin’s wrist, as though afraid Chen Yixin might continue being angry and run away from him.

“Not fighting anymore,” Chen Yixin replied obediently, shaking his head. Yet his brows remained furrowed. A moment later, even his nose wrinkled slightly. Evidently, this version of Wenren Li inexplicably made him want to dislike him.

He poked Wenren Li’s somewhat stiff cheek.

“You stink…”

A moment later, he shifted to kneel upright and slowly reached out, taking the initiative to hug the man before him.

“No matter how bad you smell, A-Li is still mine.”

From the aura Wenren Li was releasing, it was easy to tell that he was still fighting the puppet Jiu Yu for control of the body, and this was something Chen Yixin could not assist with through outside force.

The scent of bloodshed and slaughter clinging to Wenren Li, as well as the decayed aura belonging to the Otherworldly Demon’s Void Origin, disgusted him immensely.

But just like before, when he had disliked the aura of divine death yet still wanted to stay close to Wenren Li, it was the same now. Though he disliked these scents and felt miserable because of them, he still refused to move away. Instead, he insisted on holding Wenren Li tightly in his arms.

Wenren Li slowly raised his hands with great care and tenderness, wrapping them around Chen Yixin’s waist and gradually tightening his embrace.

His eyes remained one black and one silver, his aura still violent and unstable. Even the entire sleeping palace trembled faintly because of it. If it continued, it would likely alarm the people outside.

At that moment, the Chen Yixin in his arms slowly closed his eyes. A crimson feather flew from his forehead. Apart from his red robes remaining unchanged, he returned to his original appearance. Azure-blue Soulreturn Flames surged beneath him, and a phoenix formed from those flames lifted both him and Wenren Li. Its enormous wings slowly unfurled, covering the entire sleeping palace.

The violent, turbulent aura was replaced by serenity and warmth.

Chen Yixin tilted his head and pressed a kiss to the side of Wenren Li’s neck before continuing to hold him like this. While trying to adapt himself to this version of Wenren Li, he also did not forget to spur the Wenren Li within this body to work harder.

“I’ve already kissed you and hugged you. A-Li doesn’t want me to end up kissing someone else and hugging someone else instead, does he…?”

Originally, Chen Yixin had only intended it as provocation. Yet after saying it, he inexplicably felt wronged. The moment he thought about how that remnant body had been kissed and embraced by someone else, and how it would eventually become part of Wenren Li again, he felt both angry and aggrieved.

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