Futile Devices Scans

Wenren Li did not reply, but he tightened his embrace around Chen Yixin. If he could tolerate Chen Yixin kissing someone else and holding someone else, then back in the garden he would not have impulsively invaded Jiu Yu’s body.

Yet even though it had been an impulsive act, he did not regret it now. If given another chance, he would still do the same.

A mere Otherworldly Demon had no right to compete with him for his body. Even if it had been nurtured within the severed wood remnant for countless years, even if Nangong and Dong Fang were helping it from behind the scenes, a fake was still a fake. No one could replace the real Wenren Li.

And the predicament Wenren Li had fallen into now was largely caused by that impulsive act. Originally, his and Chen Yixin’s plan had been to subdue the Otherworldly Demon Jiu Yu tonight, separate the demon from the remnant body, and only then allow Wenren Li to absorb the remnant.

But because he had previously invaded Jiu Yu’s body and seized control, the process of having the remnant merge back into his true body became much slower and more difficult to adapt to.

As for the Otherworldly Demon Jiu Yu, under the dual suppression of Wenren Li’s and Chen Yixin’s auras, it did not dare make any moves at all.

Of course, if there were signs that Wenren Li was truly about to erase it completely, it would not remain so obediently dormant. In fact, it was somewhat looking forward to Wenren Li doing exactly that.

Seven days later, Chen Yixin’s Soulreturn Flame slowly withdrew. He could feel that Wenren Li’s aura had stabilized. Though he still did not like it, the previous sense of frenzy and violent turbulence had disappeared.

“A-Li, is everything settled now?”

Chen Yixin asked softly. His nose wrinkled slightly, yet his hand still clutched the fabric at Wenren Li’s waist. He studied him carefully for quite some time. Seeing that Wenren Li still gave no response, he stopped hesitating.

The red feather in his arms flew out and merged into the blue feather at his forehead. He transformed back into the appearance of the red-robed youth. Then, with both arms, he lifted the tall Wenren Li into his embrace. The doors of the bedchamber opened, and Chen Yixin carried Wenren Li outside.

Several Immortal Guards were patrolling outside. Sensing someone approaching, they instinctively raised their eyes, then instinctively lowered them. After standing stunned for a moment, they abruptly looked up again, as though they had witnessed something utterly inconceivable.

“Where is the bathhouse?”

Every residence in this area was protected by powerful barriers. Now that he had found some of Jiu Yu’s guards, there was no need to search room by room.

After a long silence, one of the guards finally pointed the way in a tone filled with shock.

“It’s just behind the bedchamber.”

As they spoke, they moved to follow Chen Yixin, but he turned around while still carrying Wenren Li. His gaze grew slightly cold.

“You don’t need to follow. And no one is allowed to enter. As for your lord… he’s tired. I’m going to wash him.”

Perhaps Wenren Li truly was tired. But that was definitely not the reason Chen Yixin wanted to wash him.

With that, Chen Yixin continued carrying Wenren Li toward the open-air bathhouse behind the main hall. He set Wenren Li down beside the pool, then turned around and personally laid down barriers and formations, ensuring that no one other than himself could see Wenren Li before he finally began.

He undressed him and burned every article of clothing that carried another person’s scent into nothingness. Only then did the puffed-up anger and hidden sharpness in Chen Yixin’s expression soften somewhat.

After that, he continued working, personally washing Wenren Li several times over—from every strand of hair to every toenail.

By the time he finished, he was not truly exhausted, but he looked somewhat bedraggled. After all, it was usually Wenren Li who bathed him. He rarely did this himself, and even more rarely with such seriousness. He had not spared a single thought for himself throughout the process.

He wrapped a clean strip of shark-silk around Wenren Li. At the same time, an arm encircled his waist and pulled him into an embrace.

“Satisfied now?”

Wenren Li had fully regained consciousness not long after Chen Yixin placed him in the bath. But seeing how seriously Chen Yixin was fussing over him, he could not find a reason to interrupt.

For some reason, Chen Yixin’s mixture of disgust and helplessness seemed adorable to him, so he wanted to watch a little longer.

“So-so, I guess,” Chen Yixin answered honestly. There was no way he could be completely satisfied. But things had already reached this point. He was not going to make a real issue of it with Wenren Li over something like this.

“What about Jiu Yu? Is he dead?”

Chen Yixin could not bear to do anything to Wenren Li, but Jiu Yu was another matter entirely. And Jiu Yu had angered him for far more reasons than this alone. They had plenty of scores left to settle.

At those words, Wenren Li tapped the jade clasp connected to Chen Yixin’s storage space. The silver branch that Chen Yixin had severed that day fell into his palm. Then, visible to the naked eye, the silver branch turned completely black.

Chen Yixin glanced over. The Otherworldly Demon Jiu Yu had already been sealed by Wenren Li and forced into slumber. Raising his hand, Chen Yixin wrapped the black branch in blue Soulreturn Flame and added another layer of sealing.

“For now, he cannot die. Nangong and Dong Fang both left marks inside him. The moment he dies, they will definitely be alerted.”

As Wenren Li spoke, streams of light swept across his body. He changed into a brand-new set of white immortal robes. For the time being, he still needed to continue playing the role of Jiu Yu.

“This fellow was fairly clever as well. He knew those marks were being used to monitor and restrain him, so he had already found a way to deceive them. That saves me quite a bit of trouble.”

If Jiu Yu could hear those words, he would probably want to cough up blood. His self-proclaimed clever solution had ultimately allowed Wenren Li to replace him entirely.

Within the sight of both Chen Yixin and Wenren Li, a stream of gray energy slowly flowed about inside the branch. That was the mark Nangong and Dong Fang had left inside the Otherworldly Demon.

But just as they were examining it closely, the stream of energy suddenly shot out from the branch. It pierced straight through the seals Chen Yixin and Wenren Li had set and entered Wenren Li’s forehead.

The root of the mark had never been inside the Otherworldly Demon’s soul. It had been inside Wenren Li’s remnant body all along.

Now that the remnant and Wenren Li’s true body had fully merged into one, the mark had transferred onto Wenren Li as well.

Chen Yixin’s eyes widened, and anxiety and panic appeared on his face.

“Will it cause any harm?”

Wenren Li brushed a hand over the branch and personally stored it away. At the same time, he grasped Chen Yixin’s wrist and led him out of the bathhouse. Only when they were almost at the door did he shake his head.

“It won’t matter. If anything, this makes things seem even more convincing.”

Originally, Wenren Li had been somewhat concerned that after replacing Jiu Yu, the absence of the mark would leave flaws that others could detect. Now, however, it seemed almost perfect. Of course, it was impossible for there to be no drawbacks at all. Nangong and Dong Fang had left that mark specifically to scheme against him. But before that happened, he still had time.

Chen Yixin’s brows remained furrowed. Though he did not continue pressing for details, there was no way he could truly put his mind at ease about the situation.

“Where are those two old bastards hiding?”

Perhaps only Jiu Yu in the entire Upper Realm knew the answer to that question. Now, only Wenren Li could know it as well.

“The Void Heaven Battlefield. The Abyssal Demon Well.”

This time, their paths truly aligned. The Void Heaven Battlefield was a place Chen Yixin and Wenren Li were certain to visit.

The root of everything lay with those two. Chen Yixin believed that once they were dealt with, the mark on Wenren Li would no longer be a problem. Together they walked out of the bathhouse. As they passed through the corridor before the sleeping palace, the few Immortal Guards there were still lost in thought.

But when Chen Yixin and Wenren Li approached, no matter how conflicted they felt, they could only swallow their thoughts and suffer in silence.

Chen Yixin pursed his lips and scratched lightly at Wenren Li’s palm. In a somewhat innocent tone, he said, “A-Li was asleep before, so I could only carry you myself…”

Those guards had definitely misunderstood. But Chen Yixin quite enjoyed the misunderstanding.

“A-Rong doesn’t need to mind it. There was never anything between Jiu Yu and Lan Xin. If there truly had been, A-Rong wouldn’t be seeing her act this recklessly now.”

If Lan Xin and Jiu Yu had truly been intimate, then, like those Immortal Lords and Half-Step Immortal Emperors before her, she would have had her divine source drained and died. One could say her status as an Imperial Daughter had saved her.

That night at the banquet, Wenren Li had indeed harbored killing intent. But his condition at the time was not suited for creating additional complications, so that slap had merely been a warning to Lan Xin. When he told her to bring the envoy over, his true intention had been to reject the marriage in person.

But Chen Yixin had misunderstood and immediately started fighting him, leading to everything that followed.

Now that Chen Yixin was certain the person before him was truly Wenren Li, all of his previous distrust vanished. Holding Wenren Li’s hand, he smiled faintly. For the moment, he pushed all the troublesome matters aside, and the time they spent together became beautiful once more.

“Oh,” he replied, sounding unconcerned. Yet his grip on Wenren Li’s hand tightened.

After Wenren Li had taken Chen Yixin away that day, Lan Xin, having recovered somewhat, overturned the remaining banquet tables that had escaped destruction. Most of the immortals in attendance had already departed. Only Zhu Yan, who had arrived with Chen Yixin, remained at the guest courtyard.

As for Lan Xin, there was even less possibility of her leaving the Nine Sovereigns Hall. Leaving now would be tantamount to admitting defeat. In fact, after calming down, she had even seen the departing immortals off in the manner of a hostess. Though she hated Zhu Yan enough to grind her teeth, she did nothing against him.

She knelt outside the steps of the main courtyard of the Nine Sovereigns Hall. For seven days she endured wind and rain there. Naturally, her Immortal Lord physique would not suffer any real harm, but the image of a pitiful woman was performed flawlessly.

The moment she saw Wenren Li emerge while holding Chen Yixin’s hand, she froze briefly before immediately throwing herself to the ground and tearfully pleading.

“My lord, that day I was too happy and drank a little wine. My judgment was clouded, which led me to commit such actions and earn my lord’s disgust. But Lan Xin’s heart toward my lord has never changed. I beg my lord not to misunderstand Lan Xin because of this.”

Lan Xin lowered herself completely, casting aside all dignity as an Imperial Daughter. Yet the lower she humbled herself, the greater the thing she sought from Jiu Yu. If Lan Xin possessed cultivation matching her scheming mind, she would be an extremely terrifying person. Even now, she was enough to make Chen Yixin wary.

His focused gaze rested on Lan Xin. Wenren Li glanced over and frowned slightly.

“Leave.”

The astonishment in Lan Xin’s expression became even more obvious than before. She had knelt here for seven days, spoken humble words, and taken all blame upon herself, only to receive a single word in return. Jiu Yu was truly heartless.

If he treated everyone with such indifference, she could continue comforting herself. But his obvious special treatment of Chen Yixin made it impossible for her to accept calmly.

Back then, she had deliberately kissed “Jiu Yu” once, only to be coldly ignored for nearly half a year.

Now he had kept Chen Yixin inside his sleeping palace for seven days before emerging. Surely everything that should and should not have happened had already happened. Just like Chen Yixin before him, Jiu Yu clearly did not like women at all. This realization was especially humiliating for Lan Xin, who had always thought herself exceptional.

“Can you not understand this Sovereign’s words?” Wenren Li’s silver eyes rippled faintly.

The shock in Lan Xin’s expression immediately turned to fear. Lowering her head, she retreated while prostrating herself. Then, with a sweep of her hand, she teleported away.

“Gather everyone in the main hall.”

Wenren Li gave the order to a nearby Immortal Guard before leading Chen Yixin into the hall that had already been cleaned up. After they sat down, the Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings of the Nine Sovereigns Hall who were not away on missions gradually arrived.

Wenren Li raised the hand clasped together with Chen Yixin’s and announced loudly, “From this day forward, the Young Master of Myriad Immortals Pavilion, Immortal Lord Red Feather, will be your other master. He is equal to me.”

“Yes. We greet Immortal Lord Red Feather.”

Chen Yixin had long since grown accustomed to scenes like this. His gaze swept across the gathered immortals before he corrected them.

“Not Immortal Lord Red Feather. From now on, I am your Sovereign Consort.”

The Nine Sovereigns Hall could have dozens upon dozens of Immortal Lords, but the Immortal Emperor’s Sovereign Consort could only be one person. And as long as he was present, concubines and celestial maidens were out of the question.

After a brief moment of silence, the crowd bowed again.

“We greet the Sovereign Consort.”

Chen Yixin curled his lips into a smile. That sounded much better. But he was not finished yet.

“The wedding banquet can wait until we’re less busy. You—go find Zhu Yan and have him deliver wedding invitations for me and A… Brother Yu to the Ten Emperors and Nine Clans. Draft a proclamation as well. I want it posted in every immortal city and immortal town.”

Chen Yixin’s possessiveness was as obvious as the sunlight shining outside. He wished he could personally tell every immortal about his relationship with Wenren Li and eliminate any thoughts they might harbor about him.

“Do as your Sovereign Consort says,” Wenren Li said, placing the seal of complete indulgence upon Chen Yixin’s request. The Immortal Lord whom Chen Yixin had pointed at was still stunned one moment, then immediately lowered his head and accepted the order the next.

After that, Wenren Li finally began discussing actual matters with the assembled immortals, namely their journey to the Void Heaven Battlefield next month. At the same time, he started subtly changing certain aspects of the Nine Sovereigns Hall’s conduct.

However, aside from forbidding the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents, most things became even more extreme than before. Wenren Li and Chen Yixin intended to transplant the Taixuan Demon Palace’s policy of “entry but no exit” directly into the Nine Sovereigns Hall.

“The realms are in chaos. Do not neglect your cultivation.”

After saying this, Wenren Li dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He remained seated for a while longer before his brows knitted together once more.

Chen Yixin’s senses were extremely sharp. That restless, unruly aura had returned to Wenren Li. Then, before Chen Yixin’s eyes, Wenren Li’s hair and eyes turned completely silver—a silver so cold it seemed devoid of warmth.

Likewise, the Chen Yixin reflected in Wenren Li’s vision had changed. No longer was he a beautiful and vibrant youth. Instead, he appeared as a warm and pure immortal flame, completely free of impurities—the purest thing in existence.

Yet uncontrollably, a trace of hunger beyond mere restraint surfaced in Wenren Li’s eyes. With great difficulty, he forced himself to release Chen Yixin’s hand and take several steps away from him.

“A-Li, what’s wrong?”

Chen Yixin stood and asked. His gaze never left Wenren Li. Then he asked again.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Why did it feel as though Wenren Li could not hear him? He waved a hand before Wenren Li’s eyes, yet Wenren Li seemed unable to see him either. But he was standing right in front of him.

“A-Li… A-Li…”

It was not that Wenren Li could hear nothing at all. Rather, the voice seemed unimaginably distant. He had become trapped by a sudden hunger rising from within him, and both his body and actions were beginning to slip beyond his control.

Letting go of Chen Yixin and moving away from him was simply his instinctive attempt to protect him.

Wenren Li took another two steps back and turned around as if intending to leave. But after taking only a single step, his path was blocked by Chen Yixin’s Soulreturn Flame. At the same time, Chen Yixin teleported directly in front of him.

“A-Li, don’t tell me you think you can escape from the palm of my hand?”

Chen Yixin spoke fiercely. He looked playful and wicked, yet the worry in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

Wenren Li had only recently finished merging with that remnant shell, and already such an uncontrollable situation had appeared. This was absolutely no small matter. What worried Chen Yixin even more—and what he absolutely would not allow—was Wenren Li’s attempt to avoid him and deal with it alone.

The Soulreturn Flame continued to keep Wenren Li locked in the center, completely sealing off any possibility of teleporting away. Yet in doing so, Chen Yixin was essentially delivering the thing Wenren Li currently craved most desperately right to his lips, ready to be devoured the moment he opened his mouth.

Wenren Li slowly lowered himself, both hands braced against the ground. He endured it until he was on the verge of madness, almost ready to cough up blood from holding back, and yet Chen Yixin still moved closer.

“A-Li, you…”

Suddenly, Wenren Li raised a hand and seized Chen Yixin’s wrist, gripping it tightly. A blood-red shadow flickered within his lifted gaze, like a savage beast that feasted on flesh and blood. He continued moving closer, his eyes fixed firmly on Chen Yixin’s neck.

Under Wenren Li’s stare, Chen Yixin could not help swallowing. He was somewhat frightened, but far more than that, he was worried about Wenren Li. At the same time, he possessed a trust that surpassed reason itself—the certainty that Wenren Li would never hurt him, under any circumstances.

Slowly, he raised a hand and touched Wenren Li’s slightly warm forehead.

“Feeling a little better?”

Wenren Li did not answer. Instead, he continued pressing closer. Chen Yixin, who had barely resisted at all, was soon pinned beneath him, while his hand remained resting against Wenren Li’s forehead.

Inevitably, Chen Yixin felt somewhat nervous. Yet he carefully watched Wenren Li’s every movement, doing his best to soothe him. He wanted to help Wenren Li recover his reason as quickly as possible, to recognize him again as soon as possible.

Then, as though courting disaster, he lifted himself and offered his lips to Wenren Li.

The last remaining string in Wenren Li’s mind—the one called reason—snapped.

“Ah!”

Chen Yixin let out a soft cry.

Wenren Li had bitten his lip hard enough to draw blood.

But that was only the beginning.

More and more places accidentally brushed by Wenren Li’s teeth appeared across his body, and none of those wounds could be healed with divine power. The feeling of being completely suppressed that he had experienced whenever he and Wenren Li had been intimate in the Lower Realm came rushing back.

It was even worse than before.

Far more dangerous.

Far harder to withstand.

Only a few hours later, fragments of red immortal robes were scattered across the jade floor of the great hall that had once been used for discussions and banquets, like splashes of spilled blood. Amid those fragments, Chen Yixin lay sleeping with a slight frown between his brows and his eyes tightly shut. Other than that, he looked even more miserable than the torn red robes.

His body was covered in bruises, blue and purple marks crisscrossing him like the aftermath of torture. There were even obvious bite marks. Though no blood had been drawn, most of those bruises had been caused by those bites.

Wenren Li did not look much better himself. His hair was disheveled, and traces of Chen Yixin’s scratching remained on his body. Yet under the circulation of his own divine power, they gradually faded away. He too had fallen unconscious.

Wenren Li had no sense of how long he had remained in the hall with Chen Yixin. Even his memories of what he had done to Chen Yixin were only vague impressions.

When he suddenly jolted awake, he involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

It was true that he had hurt Chen Yixin.

But what truly filled him with fear from the depths of his heart was that he had nearly merged Chen Yixin into his body just as he had absorbed the severed wood remnant.

Had that happened, how could he have faced the fact that he had personally killed Chen Yixin?

If they could die together, that would be one thing.

But unfortunately, for him to die was exceedingly, exceedingly difficult.

“Bad tree…”

Chen Yixin lay there pitifully, his lips moving slightly. His voice was very soft, yet Wenren Li heard it clearly.

In the past, he probably would have smiled helplessly before pulling Chen Yixin into his arms and comforting him.

But now, he hardly dared reach out and touch him.

What had happened yesterday could not possibly have been a pleasant memory for Chen Yixin.

For Wenren Li, it was no different from a nightmare.

“How did it come to this…”

Wenren Li understood the condition of his body fairly well. Yesterday’s abnormal state had not been caused solely by the Otherworldly Demon puppet. Nor did it have much to do with that one-third of the remnant shell.

What truly shocked him was his own original body.

What exactly was he?

He was indeed the former Yuxu.

But after countless ages had passed, he was no longer only that.

Sitting cross-legged, he neither touched Chen Yixin nor left. He simply watched him while contemplating these questions and waiting for him to wake.

Chen Yixin’s divine power could not heal the injuries Wenren Li had inflicted upon him. Likewise, the essence Wenren Li had left behind within his body could not dissipate so easily. No one dared approach the hall.

And so Wenren Li waited.

Three full days passed before Chen Yixin finally regained a measure of consciousness.

Baring his teeth in discomfort, Chen Yixin pushed himself upright. The moment his eyes opened slightly, he immediately searched for Wenren Li. Seeing him seated nearby, he relaxed a little.

Looking at Wenren Li, he asked gently,

“A-Li, are you feeling better?”

He paid no attention to his own injuries. Nor did he ask why Wenren Li had become like this.

The very first thing he asked was whether Wenren Li was all right.

Wenren Li raised his eyes.

Within them was a complicated emotion that Chen Yixin both understood and did not understand.

His gaze drifted slightly downward from Chen Yixin’s face, and the self-reproach in his voice was impossible to conceal.

“A-Rong… are you all right?”

Whether Chen Yixin was all right could be seen at a glance.

But aside from those words, Wenren Li did not know what else he could say.

Hearing them, Chen Yixin slowly let out a breath of relief.

He shifted closer and nestled himself into Wenren Li’s suddenly stiff embrace.

“A-Li, what happened? The way you were just now… I thought A-Li didn’t want me anymore.”

Chen Yixin had always been extremely perceptive.

Before speaking to him, Wenren Li had seemed to be passing judgment upon himself for something.

That unfamiliar look made Chen Yixin’s heart ache.

“I’m fine. It’s only a few superficial injuries. A-Li just needs to take good care of me for a few days, and I’ll be fine.”

Previous

Main

Next