Futile Devices Scans

Hong Yu cried out, “Great Emperor, it’s me, Hong Yu, Little Hong!” He thought Wenren Li had only flung him away because he had failed to recognize him, but when he tried to come closer, he still could not approach them by even the slightest amount. The tears rolling from his eyes grew even larger.

“Waaah, the Great Emperor only wants Rongrong, he doesn’t want Little Hong anymore…”

Hong Yu cried sorrowfully, and he truly was sorrowful. Between him and Wenren Li there was the bond of master and servant, while between him and Chen Yixin there was the affection of childhood companions. Yet on Nangong Chuan’s side stood the clan into which he had been born and his elder brother. He wanted to remain close to both sides, but then all those things had happened afterward.

At that moment, the utterly expressionless Wenren Li raised a hand and pointed toward the center of Hong Yu’s forehead. Hong Yu’s endless crying abruptly stopped. It seemed that the memories that had suddenly appeared in his mind had frightened him badly.

Those memories had been erased from his sea of consciousness by Nangong Chuan, and now Wenren Li had restored them.

“I… I… I helped Nangong Chuan… harm the Great Emperor…”

Hong Yu had not done so intentionally, but the information he had provided had unquestionably allowed Nangong Chuan and Dongfang Jin’s plans to proceed more smoothly. After learning the truth, Hong Yu had once attempted to assassinate Nangong. He failed, and part of his memories had been erased. After that, he had been kept in the Demon Abyss Well in this manner all along.

The former Yuxu Palace had once raised a Heavenly Phoenix, a Qilin, a White Crane, and even a young Dragon. Chen Yixin had been sent there by Qing Ruo because he could not hatch from his egg, while the Qilin, the White Crane, and the young Dragon had all been sent there because they each had one problem or another.

Later, they were gradually sent away one after another, but Chen Yixin remained unable to hatch, and so Wenren Li kept him by his side the longest. Hong Yu and the White Crane had grown accustomed to living in Yuxu Palace and were unwilling to leave, so they continued residing in the gardens.

Wenren Li’s kindness toward them was greater than the heavens themselves. They might not repay him, but they absolutely could not betray him. All the young beasts that had grown up in Yuxu Palace shared this understanding. The mistake Hong Yu had committed was unforgivable.

Fury instantly surged into Chen Yixin’s eyes. The slight tremor within his chest directly flattened the courtyard full of demon flowers. Looking at Hong Yu, there was no trace of affection left in his gaze, only a single, exceedingly simple word. “Get out.”

Hong Yu blankly raised his head and looked at the furious Chen Yixin, then at the expressionless Wenren Li. Having lost all face, he could no longer remain. He transformed into a streak of red light and vanished. Yet it was easy enough to guess where he had gone—he had most likely gone to find Nangong Chuan and demand an explanation.

Even long after Hong Yu had left, Chen Yixin remained so angry that his chest felt clogged. Influenced by his mood, the demon flowers throughout the Demon Palace all drooped miserably. An Cheng, who had no idea what had happened, wanted to come over and see what exactly was causing the oppressive atmosphere, only to discover that no matter what he did, he could not get close.

At that moment, Wenren Li turned slightly and pulled Chen Yixin even closer into the arm that had already been wrapped around him. Lowering his head, he placed a kiss on Chen Yixin’s forehead. “Don’t be angry anymore. Be good.”

“I’m furious,” Chen Yixin muttered as he clutched at Wenren Li’s chest. The irritation in his eyes remained intense. He was even beginning to wonder whether simply telling Hong Yu to get out had been letting him off too easily.

“And I even thought he was innocent. He actually… He cannot be forgiven. Him, Nangong Chuan, and Dongfang Jin—none of them can be forgiven.”

Wenren Li continued looking at Chen Yixin with a calm expression. Chen Yixin himself probably had not noticed yet that whenever his anger flared, the blue flame within his chest would also rise accordingly, and yet the Void Origin was actually allowing it to do so.

“Does A-Li think I’m wrong?” Chen Yixin’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Wenren Li. His silence made him both angry and heartbroken. Wenren Li had wronged no one, and yet so many people had wronged Wenren Li’s kindness.

The more Chen Yixin thought about it, the angrier he became. Yet no matter how angry he was, he could never vent that anger on Wenren Li. Reaching outward, he grabbed An Cheng, who was trapped between advancing and retreating, and dragged him before them. “What is it?”

“N-Nothing… No, actually, I came to see what happened to the demon flowers.” An Cheng shrank back. Originally, he had only felt that Wenren Li had returned to being the awe-inspiring figure he used to be, but he had not expected their soft and adorable Young Highness to return this time having become even more formidable.

“What happened? What else could have happened? I’m unhappy, so naturally they shouldn’t be happy either.”

Chen Yixin stared at An Cheng with his round eyes, making An Cheng feel as though he wanted to hide inside the Three Lives Well.

“You’re absolutely right, absolutely right…” An Cheng nodded repeatedly. His gaze flickered, and he seemed to want to seek help from Wenren Li, but under Chen Yixin’s stare, he still did not dare.

“Withdraw,” Wenren Li said.

An Cheng dared not look at either of them again and hurriedly retreated. After running into Ze Fang, who was on his way to retrieve something from the Medicine Pavilion, he explained the matter and then truly fled into the Three Lives Well to “seek enlightenment.”

“All right, stop being angry,” Wenren Li said after observing the situation inside Chen Yixin’s chest long enough. He had no desire to let Chen Yixin truly make himself sick with anger.

Lifting Chen Yixin’s face, he gently kissed his lips. He kissed him seriously, kissing away all the anger, frustration, and gloom.

A faint blush replaced the pallor on Chen Yixin’s cheeks. This was a trait he had not displayed in a very long time. His condition was improving more and more, and he was increasingly beginning to resemble someone truly alive.

Noticing this, Wenren Li smiled.

That smile erased the very last trace of gloom in Chen Yixin’s heart.

“A-Li doesn’t hold grudges, but from now on I’ll remember them for you. I’ll remember every single one,” Chen Yixin said as he wrapped his arms around Wenren Li’s neck and pressed tightly against him. “And A-Li should smile more in the future. I like seeing you smile.”

“Mm,” Wenren Li replied softly.

He continued holding Chen Yixin for a while longer before bringing him to the main hall where he handled affairs, keeping him right under his watchful eye. There were truly quite a few people inside and outside Yuxu Palace who consciously or unconsciously wanted to take advantage of Chen Yixin.

As for Hong Yu, who had left Yuxu Palace, he indeed headed straight for the Heavenly Palace where Nangong resided. Originally, he had been unable to bring himself to attack Nangong Chuan, but now that obstacle no longer existed. Nangong Chuan had treated him well, but a large part of that treatment had stemmed from guilt—the guilt of deceiving him.

Like Dongfang Jin, Nangong Chuan possessed neither affection nor love. In their hearts and eyes there was only the obsession with immortality. Everything else could be discarded, and everything else could be used.

Hong Yu had never been an exception.

The Sacred Beast Qilin, Hong Yu could pass through ordinary barriers without difficulty. Even Yuxu Palace had been unable to stop him, much less the Heavenly Palace where Nangong Chuan resided. A streak of red light flashed through the air like a sharp blade, shooting directly toward Nangong Chuan’s chest.

Nangong Chuan raised his eyes to look at it. Without making any attempt to defend or evade, he accepted the killing blow that had exhausted all of Hong Yu’s strength.

Yet just as before, this was merely a clone.

The ruined corpse transformed into a single drop of divine blood, while another completely unharmed Nangong Chuan stepped out from a side passage of the great hall.

“Hong Yu, do not behave recklessly. Attempting to assassinate your elder brother is a grave act of disobedience.”

“Brother, do you also know that you are my only elder brother?” Nangong Chuan bent slightly as if intending to pick up the exhausted little Qilin beast, but Hong Yu instantly became wary and dodged the gesture. Nangong Chuan was trying to use the same old trick again. Perhaps in his view, if a strategy had worked once, why shouldn’t it be used again? “How could you use me? How could you make me betray the Great Emperor together with you?”

Hong Yu’s eyes were red, but he did not cry and complain the way he had before Chen Yixin and Wenren Li. He had always known who would truly indulge his pouting and whining—it was Chen Yixin and Wenren Li, not the elder brother before him, Nangong Chuan.

“Didn’t you know the Great Emperor saved my life? Didn’t you know I lived in Yuxu Palace all this time? Didn’t you know Rongrong and I are good friends? You knew all of it, yet you still lied to me!”

Qing Ruo treated Chen Yixin as both a younger brother and a son, and that affection was genuine. Hong Yu had once believed Nangong Chuan felt about him the same way Qing Ruo felt about Chen Yixin. Qing Ruo expressed his feelings more openly, while Nangong Chuan was more reserved, but Hong Yu had thought they were both blood brothers who could trust and rely on one another.

But the truth was not so. Qing Ruo was Qing Ruo, Nangong Chuan was Nangong Chuan, and Hong Yu was not as fortunate as Chen Yixin.

“That is because you are foolish and naïve. I am a Great Emperor. How could I be the same as Wenren Li? You are now the Young Master of many Immortal Emperors, but in Wenren Li’s eyes, you were nothing more than an immortal pet raised in the backyard to relieve boredom.”

Cold and merciless light filled Nangong Chuan’s eyes as he spoke and slowly advanced toward Hong Yu, imparting what he believed to be the truth.

“The future Sage Lord of the Qilin Sacred Clan is merely an immortal pet that could become a mount at any time?”

The cruelty and hatred in Nangong Chuan’s eyes were so unfamiliar that they frightened Hong Yu. He retreated several more steps, transformed into human form, and shook his head. “That’s not true. The Great Emperor said we could leave whenever we wished. I was the one who didn’t want to leave.”

His voice trembled as he looked at Nangong Chuan and took a deep breath. “And the reason I didn’t want to go home… was because of you. You didn’t like me. I was afraid, so I didn’t want to go home.”

Hong Yu’s mind had never been particularly mature, but his instincts were extremely keen. Even when he had repeatedly convinced himself that Nangong Chuan would care for his younger brother just as Qing Ruo cared for Chen Yixin, every time they spent more time together, Hong Yu would feel afraid—a deep, inexplicable fear.

Of course, that had been in the past. After Wenren Li was harmed by them, Nangong Chuan no longer gave him that feeling. Yet now, Nangong Chuan’s gaze once again awakened the fear Hong Yu had almost forgotten.

Nangong Chuan fell silent for a moment. Turning around, he returned to the golden throne within the hall and sat down. Looking at Hong Yu with an icy expression, he seemed unwilling to conceal anything any longer. Unexpectedly, he smiled faintly and then nodded.

“Your instincts were correct. I truly… do not like you.”

“There cannot be two tigers on one mountain. How can there be two Sacred Beasts of the same clan in this world? You were destined to replace me, and how could I possibly allow myself to be replaced by you?” The affection Qing Ruo showed Chen Yixin was an emotion Nangong Chuan could never understand. How could two Heavenly Phoenixes exist in the same age? In his eyes, Chen Yixin’s inability to hatch from his egg had been entirely natural.

Yet what had originally been no more than a toy sent to Yuxu Palace had gradually been healed by Wenren Li. How could Nangong Chuan feel comfortable about that?

Hong Yu stared at Nangong Chuan with widened eyes. Taking a deep breath, he finally could not stop the tears from falling. “So that was the real reason you never let me grow up? You wouldn’t even let me call you Elder Brother…”

Nangong Chuan offered no further reply, but the utterly unmoved look in his eyes was answer enough. He acknowledged it. He did not care. His life required only immortality. He had no need for brotherly affection, family bonds, or love.

At that moment, with a tremendous boom, the entire Heavenly Palace exploded into fragments with the great hall at its center. Having fallen completely into despair, Hong Yu chose to detonate his Sacred Beast core. Even though he knew he had probably only destroyed another clone of Nangong Chuan, he no longer wished to live, nor did he feel worthy of continuing to do so.

Unable to kill Nangong Chuan and avenge Wenren Li, he could only atone for his crime through death.

Within Yuxu Palace in the Immortal Realm, Chen Yixin abruptly rose from his seat. A trace of solemnity appeared on his face, and his brows furrowed. Wenren Li stood up with him and took his hand. Together they flew into the sky above Yuxu Palace.

A silver short flute appeared in Chen Yixin’s hand, transformed from the wooden branch Wenren Li had given him. He did not know whether it would still work, but after Wenren Li nodded, he began to play with utmost concentration.

The melodious sound of the flute drifted away on the wind. Wenren Li wrapped an arm around Chen Yixin’s waist and sat atop the roof of Yuxu Palace’s main hall. A zither appeared in his hands, and flute and zither played together for nearly three days before a red soul mass finally condensed before them.

“You lived in Yuxu Palace for so long, yet you failed to learn even a fraction of A-Li’s or my intelligence. Instead, you only learned how to give up on life.”

Setting down the flute, Chen Yixin’s expression darkened as he thoroughly scolded Hong Yu, whose soul had been reduced to a shattered fragment.

As he scolded him, he reached out to gather the soul mass, but Wenren Li acted first. With a wave of his hand, he pushed the soul mass away. Below the roof where they sat, Lin Yu flew up and collected Hong Yu into a porcelain bottle.

The Heavenly Language Pavilion that Lin Yu managed would be the most suitable place for Hong Yu from now on. A Heavenly Vein bearer—there was no Heavenly Vein bearer purer than a Sacred Beast Qilin. Having undergone such an ordeal of life and death, if he could achieve a transformation, his future accomplishments would be unimaginable.

Chen Yixin and Wenren Li watched as Lin Yu carried Hong Yu’s soul back to Heavenly Language Pavilion. After standing there for a long time, they finally returned to the main hall.

“His death has nothing to do with either of us,” Wenren Li said softly as he rubbed Chen Yixin’s hair, worried that Chen Yixin might begin obsessing over the matter. Angry as he had been, if Chen Yixin had truly been asked to act against Hong Yu, he still would not have been able to do it. Wenren Li himself was the same.

“Then it has everything to do with Nangong Chuan. I can’t believe he could actually bring himself to do it.”

Chen Yixin spoke with little improvement in his expression. He had assumed that at worst Hong Yu would be imprisoned again after confronting Nangong Chuan, but he had never imagined Nangong Chuan would simply watch Hong Yu self-destruct without lifting a finger.

He had truly wanted Hong Yu dead.

Such a thing would never have happened with his own brother, Qing Ruo.

“People are different from one another. Nangong Chuan and Dongfang Jin are no longer the people I first knew either…” Wenren Li led Chen Yixin back to his seat and gently smoothed down the feather crest that had risen from anger. “A-Rong may not know this, but I once raised Nangong Chuan, Dongfang Jin, and your brother Qing Ruo for a period of time.”

It was precisely because of that upbringing that Wenren Li had trusted them more than he trusted others. Yet that trust had ultimately become the blade aimed at his own life.

Hearing this, Chen Yixin slowly raised his head. The profound look in his eyes made Wenren Li pause.

“A-Li is not allowed to raise anyone else in the future. Other than me, you’re not allowed to raise anything.”

“All right. From now on, I will only raise A-Rong.”

Wenren Li answered with complete sincerity. After investing his emotions and receiving no proper return, he no longer wished to become involved in such matters. After Qing Ruo entrusted Chen Yixin to him, he never again allowed young beasts to be sent to Yuxu Palace.

Even when he treated them, he usually sent them away once they had recovered. Hong Yu and the White Crane belonged to the earlier group that had been sent there.

As Chen Yixin made this demand of Wenren Li, he conveniently forgot that he himself was raising Yinzi, Jiu Yu, and the others. Wrapping both arms around Wenren Li’s waist, he still looked somewhat conflicted, but focusing on those thoughts temporarily eased his anger toward Nangong Chuan.

Life after their return to Yuxu Palace in the Immortal Realm was not very different from their days on the abandoned star, aside from the increased amount of affairs that required attention. The people handling matters in Yuxu Palace had largely become capable on their own, and there were not many things that truly required Wenren Li and Chen Yixin’s personal involvement.

Wenren Li’s primary focus remained on finding a way to heal Chen Yixin. The Void Origin was still an unstable factor, but at present it could only be restrained through the strengthening of the blue flame. Completely removing it from Chen Yixin’s chest was essentially impossible.

As they walked through the gardens together, Wenren Li suddenly said, “A-Rong, get angry again.”

“Hm?” Chen Yixin was stunned by the request. “What would I be angry about? I have the best temper. I never get angry with A-Li.”

At those words, even Jiu Yu, who happened to be passing by, unconsciously lowered his head. Even during the years when Chen Yixin had been half-dead, he could become angry in an instant whenever he wished, and every time he got angry, the people around him suffered—especially Jiu Yu.

At that moment, Wenren Li’s gaze shifted toward Jiu Yu, who was passing by while carrying Yinzi. He spoke softly, “Yinzi, come here.”

Only then did Jiu Yu release Yinzi. Shaking his hands with a look of relief, he seemed as though he had finally been granted freedom. He had spent nearly two months carrying Yinzi around nonstop. As an Astral Mystic Beast, Yinzi would dive into the void and attempt to find Chen Yixin the moment he was not watched carefully.

Jiu Yu did not know what would happen if he failed the task Wenren Li had assigned him, nor did he dare imagine it. Thus he had no choice but to carry Yinzi personally at all times. At this moment, he almost wanted to kneel and thank Wenren Li for finally releasing him from the duty.

But Yinzi’s trajectory veered slightly. He was clearly not heading toward Wenren Li. He wanted his mother, Chen Yixin, to hold him, not the increasingly cold and hostile Wenren Li. Hmph.

However, Wenren Li merely raised an eyebrow. Before Yinzi could leap onto Chen Yixin’s lap, he was caught and pulled into Wenren Li’s arms. Gently patting Yinzi, he looked at Chen Yixin and asked, “Are you angry?”

Chen Yixin froze again. Reaching out, he poked Wenren Li’s unusually serious cheek. “A-Li is so strange. This is our son. Why would I be angry? Right, Yinzi?”

“Mm! Mother, hug!” Yinzi’s long whiskers swayed back and forth as he tried to wrap them around Chen Yixin’s wrist, but his skills were still lacking. One whisker could swing anywhere it wanted, yet the one reaching toward Chen Yixin simply could not make it across.

“Hahaha…” Chen Yixin burst out laughing at Yinzi’s frustration. Clinging to Wenren Li’s arm, he laughed so hard that tears nearly came out. “Aiya, Yinzi and A-Li are both so adorable…” Especially the secretly jealous Wenren Li.

Looping an arm around Wenren Li’s neck, he kissed him on the cheek. Watching from the side, Jiu Yu instinctively hunched his shoulders again as he considered how best to escape.

Yet at that moment, the glaring Yinzi was once again stuffed back into his arms. The two of them disliked each other on sight, yet neither could avoid holding onto the other. What a miserable fate.

The jealousy that even Wenren Li himself barely understood was soothed by a single kiss on the cheek from Chen Yixin.

Yet a new concern arose in his heart. Chen Yixin truly seemed incapable of getting angry with him. However, Wenren Li felt a strong reluctance toward making Chen Yixin angry at anyone else.

“Get angry…” Chen Yixin murmured thoughtfully. He knew Wenren Li well enough to know that he would never make such a request without reason. There had to be some purpose behind it. Chen Yixin’s bottom line toward Wenren Li was now virtually nonexistent, and he genuinely wanted to satisfy even such a strange request.

His gaze drifted until it landed on Jiu Yu, who was slowly backing away while covering Yinzi’s mouth.

“Come here,” Chen Yixin beckoned.

His gaze locked onto Jiu Yu’s eyes, giving him no opportunity to hesitate or pretend not to understand.

“W-What is it…?” Jiu Yu’s voice trembled, and even his steps shook as he approached.

No one needed An Cheng to tell him that Chen Yixin had become increasingly terrifying—he had experienced it firsthand. And with the absurdly jealous Wenren Li standing beside him, Jiu Yu wanted nothing more than to avoid attracting either of their attention.

Today he had specifically chosen a time when Chen Yixin and Wenren Li usually did not stroll through the gardens. Yet somehow, the two of them had appeared at exactly the same time and run directly into him.

“Turn into A-Li,” Chen Yixin instructed seriously.

Jiu Yu cast a pleading glance toward Wenren Li, only to see him nod in agreement. There was no way out.

Resigned to his fate, Jiu Yu transformed into Wenren Li’s appearance.

Sure enough, the moment Chen Yixin saw him take on Wenren Li’s form, the trace of amusement in his eyes vanished. His gaze turned cold, and the longer he looked, the colder it became. That chill spread outward from his chest.

Jiu Yu’s legs immediately went weak.

The demon flowers and demon grasses around them also drooped miserably. After glancing at Jiu Yu, Wenren Li calmly instructed, “Maintain it.”

“Yes…” Jiu Yu replied shakily, forcing himself to maintain the transformation beneath Chen Yixin’s increasingly icy stare.

After observing Jiu Yu, Wenren Li raised a hand and placed it against Chen Yixin’s chest. At the same time, he used his divine power to lift Chen Yixin’s hand and place it against his own chest as well.

The two auras used the cold intent radiating from Chen Yixin to achieve a connection, and then began circulating with each other. The Divine Crystal in Chen Yixin’s chest had originally belonged to Wenren Li, while the one in Wenren Li’s chest was Chen Yixin’s Divine Crystal.

For their divine power to be exchanged by directly connecting through each other’s chests like this actually produced not the slightest obstruction or rejection between them.

A divine power barrier formed automatically around them, completely pushing Yinzi and Jiu Yu away. The two of them closed their eyes at the same time, using this opportunity to try resolving the problem of Void Origin from its true root.

The disturbance caused by the two of them grew greater and greater. A pillar of silver and black light twined around each other and rose into the sky. Lin Yu and Qing Ruo were both alarmed and personally came to protect them. This strange phenomenon continued for two months before gradually disappearing.

Chen Yixin and Wenren Li were still sitting in their original positions, except everything around them was filled with enormous demon flowers and demon grasses that were almost taller than the enclosing walls. During these two months, the Demon Guards responsible for cutting grass in Yuxu Palace had been worked to exhaustion. The demon flowers and demon grasses in other areas were not quite this tall, but their growth speed was terrifying beyond anything seen before.

And it was not only the demon flowers and demon grasses. Whatever seeds were casually scattered could grow, though of course, when the divine herbs and immortal grasses were harvested, they were somewhat different from those gathered outside, carrying a few strands of an aura whose results were difficult to predict.

Equally difficult to predict were Chen Yixin and Wenren Li. During these two months, they had once again exchanged Divine Crystals through this special method.

The blue Divine Crystal inside Wenren Li’s body had become a silver Divine Crystal, while the blue flame inside Chen Yixin’s chest had also changed from a tiny spark into a flame the size and shape of a Divine Heart. As for the Void Origin, it had been completely wrapped within the blue flame and had become its core.

Wenren Li opened his eyes. Looking at Chen Yixin, his expression inevitably carried some nervousness. He lowered his hand from Chen Yixin’s chest and was about to pull him into his arms when he saw the person before him open his eyes.

Those eyes were no longer gray-black. Instead, they had become the same pure ice-blue as the blue flame. Wenren Li had not even noticed yet that Chen Yixin’s hair color had also changed. It was no longer white, but a pale blue like seawater, somewhere between white and blue, dotted with fluorescent light and very much like the color of the Sea of Ice Extremity.

His hand slowly opened, and his entire body scattered like points of light. Within those lights, an ice-blue phoenix soared into the sky, its long phoenix tail sweeping out countless shards of extreme cold ice. In that instant, even the heavenly sun of the Immortal Realm dimmed because of it.

“A-Rong! Wonderful!” Qing Ruo gripped Lin Yu’s hand, his eyes fixed on the sky and faintly moist. “Wonderful. Our A-Rong has truly grown up…”

Before this, Chen Yixin had always been somewhere between a juvenile form and an adult form, and could not be considered truly fully matured. Now, with the aid of Wenren Li’s Divine Crystal, he had truly grown and transformed.

“Mm,” Lin Yu nodded, his eyes also carrying a trace of gratification. The little Heavenly Phoenix who had once been unable to break out of his shell no matter what they tried had finally, after so many twists, turns, and hardships, grown into a true Heavenly Phoenix.

Each Heavenly Phoenix possessed a Heavenly Phoenix Decree. Qing Ruo’s Heavenly Phoenix Decree commanded the divine bird clans, but no one knew what Chen Yixin’s would be.

Chen Yixin flew for quite a while above Yuxu Palace before the immortal light around him gradually dispersed. He transformed back into human form and descended gracefully from the sky, landing with great accuracy in Wenren Li’s arms.

“A-Li, I’m really better now.”

Chen Yixin knew what Wenren Li cared about most, so this was the first thing he needed to tell him. He stood on tiptoe and brushed his lips against Wenren Li’s. At the same time, he raised his right hand upward, and an ice-blue feather appeared in his palm.

At this moment, Qing Ruo and Lin Yu were no longer guarding outside the courtyard either. They walked over and looked toward Chen Yixin, waiting for his answer.

Still pressed close to Wenren Li’s lips, Chen Yixin narrowed his eyes and smiled before standing properly again.

“The Undying Heavenly Phoenix. This is the Undying Decree,” Chen Yixin said very calmly, handing the Heavenly Phoenix Decree to Qing Ruo to see. Freeing his hand, he then continued hugging Wenren Li’s waist.

Wenren Li slowly raised his hand and placed it against Chen Yixin’s cheek. It was no longer the coldness of something without warmth. Although the temperature could not be considered high, this was the temperature and touch that only a completely living Heavenly Phoenix would possess.

His hand then fell upon Chen Yixin’s chest again. The speed of the heartbeat there had already returned to normal. The Void Origin was still present, but it seemed it could no longer affect Chen Yixin too much. Or perhaps it was also the very thing that had pushed Chen Yixin to grow in this direction.

Meeting Wenren Li’s gaze, Chen Yixin tilted his head slightly, then could not resist leaning forward again and pecking Wenren Li on the cheek. “A-Li, I’m really better.”

“Mm,” Wenren Li answered, but his gaze inexplicably made Chen Yixin sense a slight danger. Could it be that after all this time, Wenren Li was about to settle old accounts with him?

“I’ll be good from now on. Whatever A-Li says, I’ll do. I promise!”

Chen Yixin raised his hand slightly, then continued rubbing against Wenren Li, trying to rub away that strange feeling around Wenren Li.

After Qing Ruo and Lin Yu finished looking at the Heavenly Phoenix Decree, they could hardly keep watching the sticky closeness between Chen Yixin and Wenren Li. Qing Ruo released the Undying Heavenly Phoenix Decree, and the feather automatically returned to Chen Yixin.

They bowed slightly to Wenren Li, then tactfully withdrew from the courtyard.

Wenren Li took Chen Yixin’s hand and brought him back inside the room to conduct a thorough examination once more. Only after confirming that Chen Yixin truly was better did he feel reassured.

By this time, there was only a little more than a month left before Yuxu Palace’s first court assembly. An Cheng had already sent people to deliver invitations everywhere they needed to be delivered in the Immortal Realm. A little more than a month later, the court assembly might be very lively, or it might be very deserted.

After all, Nangong Chuan had chosen the same time to hold a similar banquet in his Heavenly Palace. It would be basically impossible for certain people who wanted to please both sides to do so.

Nangong Chuan did not pay too much attention to the court assembly Wenren Li intended to hold. He was holding his banquet only to make trouble and incidentally declare his stance. Naturally, the phenomenon of Chen Yixin reaching full maturity also could not escape his perception.

For someone carrying Void Origin to actually still grow and transform into a fully matured Heavenly Phoenix seemed simply inconceivable to him. Chen Yixin, whom he had never taken seriously in the past, had truly made him look at him with new eyes this time.

“Interesting. Truly interesting…”

Nangong Chuan smiled. With a point of his finger, a streak of green light flew away, sending this news into Dongfang Jin’s hands. Compared to him, Dongfang Jin had always paid close attention to Chen Yixin’s growth. The heavenly punishment on the day Chen Yixin and Wenren Li married had also been sent by him.

Only, at the time, neither of them had known that the tree demon Chen Yixin was marrying would turn out to be Wenren Li.

Chen Yixin was a Heavenly Phoenix. They had regarded him as Qing Ruo’s successor. To open the Realm Gate, Chen Yixin, who possessed the power of a Heavenly Phoenix, could not be absent. Therefore, he absolutely could not join himself to a demonic cultivator and be tainted by an aura that should not have contaminated him.

But human calculations could not compare to heaven’s will. Even though they were almost equivalent to heaven itself in the Upper and Lower Realms, there were still times when their calculations were wrong. The true variable was not the Void Origin in their hands that was difficult to control, but this reckless little Heavenly Phoenix.

Chen Yixin, who had once again come under Nangong Chuan and Dongfang Jin’s attention, entered seclusion again after Wenren Li thoroughly examined him. He needed to stabilize this advancement, as well as study how to use his Heavenly Phoenix Decree.

He emerged from seclusion only after another month. Everyone inside and outside Yuxu Palace was busy. The Demon Generals who had gone out for training and had not gone too far were all hurrying back. After all, this was the first court assembly, and they did not want to miss it.

After Chen Yixin left the sleeping quarters, he headed directly toward the palace where Wenren Li was. Halfway there, he ran into Qing Ruo, who had returned from handling affairs, so his footsteps slowed slightly. “Elder Brother!”

“A-Rong,” Qing Ruo was also very pleasantly surprised to see Chen Yixin. He carefully examined Chen Yixin’s complexion, and seeing that his face was rosy and his speech lighthearted, a smile also appeared on his usually only gentle face. “The Great Emperor is inside. Go on.”

As if he did not know that while Chen Yixin was looking at him, his body had unconsciously tilted inward. He was clearly thinking of Wenren Li and was in a hurry to see him.

Chen Yixin did not feel embarrassed at being seen through. It was just that he and Qing Ruo had not properly talked for a long time. Although he was in a hurry to see Wenren Li, he was also reluctant to part from Qing Ruo. He tugged on Qing Ruo’s sleeve.

“Where is Elder Brother going?”

Naturally, Qing Ruo did not hide anything from Chen Yixin. “I’m planning to select some children with good aptitude from the Ten Divisions and send them to Lin Yu so he can train them together for a while.”

Chen Yixin considered this briefly, then took Qing Ruo’s hand and shook it. “Then wait for me, Elder Brother. I’ll come out after seeing A-Li. I’ll go with you, and we can also have a proper talk along the way.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and ran inside without waiting for Qing Ruo’s answer.

Qing Ruo had to wait for quite a while, but in the end, he did manage to wait until Chen Yixin returned. If Wenren Li had not truly been too busy, Chen Yixin probably would not have been released so easily. These two watched each other especially closely. Of course, Lin Yu also watched him closely.

At the same time, it was also because the place they were going was near Yuxu Palace. Whatever Chen Yixin did would be under Wenren Li’s eyes, and Wenren Li could arrive at any time. Only because of this was he willing to let Chen Yixin go alone.

The truth was even more difficult than Qing Ruo imagined. Wenren Li merely remained silent, and Chen Yixin promised every benefit he could possibly promise before finally receiving a somewhat reluctant nod from him.

The moment Chen Yixin left Yuxu Palace, he hung himself around Qing Ruo’s neck. After having his hair thoroughly rubbed, he finally stood properly.

“I knew Elder Brother had wanted to hug me for a long time… Hehe,” Chen Yixin was willing to be hugged not only because Qing Ruo wanted it, but also because he himself wanted it. “Today, Elder Brother is mine. No one can try to steal you away, especially Big Brother Lin Yu.”

“Fine,” Qing Ruo nodded, then rubbed Chen Yixin’s now especially beautiful hair again.

“Right, A-Rong might not know this, but the Divine Phoenix Clan is now also among the Ten Divisions, and they sent over quite a few children this time.”

“Oh,” Chen Yixin nodded. He played with the wooden-branch short flute in his hand, his expression neither cold nor warm.

“The old phoenix treated me quite well. As for Feng Yuan, his schemes stayed within limits, so I can choose not to fuss over them. But from now on, they must be absolutely loyal to Elder Brother. If there is anything improper, Elder Brother must not be softhearted.”

Among the people under Qing Ruo’s Ten Divisions, loyalty was absolutely the first requirement, while aptitude was secondary. With past lessons before them, they could not capsize on the same boat twice.

Hearing this, Qing Ruo smiled with great gratification. “Mm, I will remember. A-Rong really has grown up.”

“Yes, I’ve grown up. I can protect Elder Brother and A-Li now.”

As Chen Yixin spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face. He lifted his head and looked at the sky, and the smile at the corners of his lips grew even brighter. That smile was for Wenren Li, who was watching him at every moment.

He followed Qing Ruo to the Ten Divisions not only because he wanted to spend some time with Qing Ruo. After Qing Ruo selected those he needed, Chen Yixin picked out a group from the remaining young birds, intending to assign them to the Undying Legion.

Although there were still restrictions on his Undying Heavenly Phoenix Decree, overall, it was already heaven-defying enough. There was no reason to hide it away and not use it. When it came to eagerness for revenge, Chen Yixin was absolutely among the foremost.

Those who brought the young birds this time were basically clan chief-level figures. The Vermilion Bird Clan was represented by Zhu Yan, while the Divine Phoenix Clan was represented by Emperor Feng Yuan himself. Chen Yixin did not exchange many pleasantries with him. A mutual nod counted as enough. Zhu Yan, however, received a little more of his attention.

“Why haven’t you broken through yet?”

Chen Yixin was referring to Zhu Yan’s Ninth-Rank Immortal Lord cultivation. He could have broken through long ago, yet he had continued suppressing it, and he was probably almost used to doing so by now.

“Reporting to the Sovereign Consort, this little god plans to go into seclusion in Heavenly Phoenix Valley after the court assembly,” Zhu Yan answered. Heavenly Phoenix Valley was naturally the newly built palace complex established by Qing Ruo, mainly used to gather the Ten Divisions and train troops for them.

Chen Yixin nodded, which counted as letting Zhu Yan off. But then he turned and grabbed Qing Ruo’s sleeve. “Is there a room for me there?”

Qing Ruo froze. He had genuinely forgotten to leave a room for Chen Yixin. The two places were close enough that one could teleport directly between them, and more importantly, Chen Yixin had already married out…

“Hmph, it must be Big Brother Lin Yu who didn’t let you leave one for me, right? I knew it,” Chen Yixin huffed, all of his dissatisfaction at Qing Ruo being stolen away returning in full.

“I don’t care. Heavenly Phoenix Valley must have a place for me to stay. I’ll often bring A-Li back to live there.”

Qing Ruo patted Chen Yixin’s hand and did not mind him shifting the blame onto Lin Yu. That fellow already had plenty of things Chen Yixin held against him, so one more would not make much difference. Besides, Lin Yu had not reminded him either, so it was not as though he was completely blameless.

“Fine. Once I return, I’ll have someone add one, right next to my palace residence.”

Lin Yu, who was currently speaking with Wenren Li, shook his head helplessly. Then he looked toward Wenren Li and suggested, “The phoenix flower wine in Heavenly Phoenix Valley is quite good. Would the Divine Sovereign perhaps accompany this general to taste some?”

They could also conveniently go over there and brush up their presence in front of those two brothers. Moreover, he absolutely had to bring Wenren Li with him, or else there would be no place for him in Heavenly Phoenix Valley at all.

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