(100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!)
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The words of the Golden Crow immediately rekindled the hopes of the Little Demon Empress! She quickly asked, hurriedly, "…What do you mean by that, Divine God Golden Crow?"
The Soul of the Golden Crow began to explain, "The greatest secret of your Demon Emperor Clan can indeed allow a direct descendant of the Demon Emperor's lineage to take half a step into the Divine Profound Realm in a short period of time! But once you achieve that half-step into the Divine Profound, you will surely die three years later! At that time, even if the Ancient Emperor of the Gods were alive, he would still be unable to save you!"
Every word spoken by the Soul of the Golden Crow shook her soul. The Little Demon Empress slightly raised her head, her pale face showing no sign of surprise but instead calm as the gravity of death. "I know. To take half a step into the Divine Profound as a Monarch is almost an act that defies the heavens. If it can truly be achieved… there must be an extremely tragic punishment and consequence. Otherwise, my Demon Emperor Clan would not have kept this secret from its direct descendants so strictly until their deaths!"
"But now, my entire immediate family is gone, and I am the only one left of the Demon Emperor Clan who can inherit ten thousand years. Even the honor of our clan being emperor for the past ten thousand years is on the verge of being stolen by traitors. I am alone in this world, and there is no turning back. All that remains in my life is an irreconcilable, absolute blood vengeance as deep as an ocean! For revenge… I would do anything and pay any price. If I can gain the power of half a step into the Divine Profound, let alone three years, even if my life perishes and my soul dissipates ten days later, I would do it without regret and absolutely without hesitation!"
"Although you are a woman, your resolve is worthy of praise, and you are truly worthy of being a descendant of the Golden Crow. The hidden secret of your Demon Emperor Clan is, in fact, a promise I made to your ancestors back then! At that time, this noble one told them, 'If your clan were on the brink of despair and sought the power for a turnaround, then I would grant one request and bestow nine drops of the Golden Crow's blood! At the same time, by channeling the vitality of the person's life, it would burn all the power of their Golden Crow lineage and allow them to gain strength equivalent to half a step into the Divine Profound…'
"But three years later, the power of the lineage and the vitality of life would burn out simultaneously! At that time, there would only be death! And there would be no remedy for it in this world!"
"Unfortunately, your clan is still too far behind after all. You are the only one left of the Demon Emperor Clan's lineage; even if you gain this power, though it will eventually help you achieve your revenge… it will extinguish your clan even faster!"
The Little Demon Empress deeply bowed, her pale face showing only determination and desire, with no trace of hesitation or fear. "May the Divine God Golden Crow please fulfill my wish?!"
"Because you are a woman, I refused to awaken your lineage before, as this method can only be used on men, and using it on a woman would cause her to perish instantly… But perhaps the heavens took pity on your Demon Emperor Clan and left a twist of fate for this event and your life for the next three years!"
"A twist of fate?" The Little Demon Empress was confused.
"As I said… you are very fortunate!" The scarlet-golden eyes hovering in the void slowly turned, like two divine torches, toward the figure collapsed on the golden ground. The unconscious young man, still pale, was now the center of all attention for that divine existence.
The Little Demon Empress followed the gaze of the divinity, and her breath faltered the moment she realized where those incandescent eyes were directed. Her body trembled, and a wave of disbelief and fear washed over her.
"This boy…" The entity's voice grew heavier, laced with disdain. "His lineage cannot be hidden from this noble one. He… carries the blood of the Vermilion Bird!"
"!!"
The Little Demon Empress's heart nearly stopped. The words echoed like thunder in her mind.
"You… are saying that Ren Zu… possesses the lineage of the Vermilion Bird?!" Her voice wavered, her wide eyes fixed on the flaming silhouette that filled the entire golden horizon.
"Hmph! You think your mortal eyes could discern such a thing?" The mocking voice of the Golden Crow reverberated like a flame lashing the wind. "He not only possesses the lineage of that red chicken… He is the complete heir! Even this noble one was surprised by the purity of his lineage… Therefore, there is only one path: receive the vital Yang of this boy. Only the flame of the Vermilion Bird can neutralize the Yin in your body and allow my fire to be accepted without destroying you. If you wish to achieve the power needed for your revenge, this is also the only way!"
The golden world seemed to shudder with the declaration.
For a moment, the Little Demon Empress was speechless. Her face flushed, her mind in shock, the words burning in her throat, unable to be articulated.
"…Receive… his vital Yang…" she repeated in an almost inaudible whisper, as if still trying to grasp the scope of the statement.
"Correct." The Golden Crow's voice was merciless, indifferent to the turmoil in the young woman's heart.
Little Demon Empress: "!!!"
She remained kneeling, her body rigid, her eyes fixed on the unconscious figure of Ren Zu. She couldn't quite explain her feelings at the moment, nor could she bring herself to say "no" to the Golden Crow's suggestion. The hatred she harbored for Duke Ming was as vast as the night sky, as deep as the ocean. If she could achieve this revenge by lying with Ren Zu, so be it… She would compensate him somehow afterward.
"For now, wait for this boy to wake up. He should awaken soon! And then this noble one will assist with the process! Hahahahaha," the voice of the Golden Crow's Soul echoed through the golden space one last time as it let out an amused laugh before the scarlet-golden eyes vanished completely.
Little Demon Empress: "…"
After the scarlet-golden eyes disappeared, the silence of the golden world lingered.
The Little Demon Empress's gaze remained fixed on the fallen young man, her body motionless, but her heart a chaos of emotions that the heavens could never comprehend.
…She didn't know how much time had passed. Minutes? Hours? The eternal void of the place made time lose all meaning. The only certainty was the anticipated consequences weighing on her shoulders. Her fingers trembled subtly, clutching the hem of her dress as she silently approached and sat beside Ren Zu. Compared to before, his face now had a healthy rosy tone, and his profound energy was almost fully restored.
Her face, still flushed against her will, had returned to its usual cold and impassive demeanor. Her heart, however, pounded as if trying to break through its own icy barrier.
It was in this silence that Ren Zu's body finally stirred. A faint sigh escaped his lips, followed by a groan of pain. His eyes trembled, slowly opening…
"Ugh…" His voice was hoarse. "Where… am I?"
It was then that he noticed the figure kneeling beside him. The Little Demon Empress. Her eyes, deep as pools of ice, stared at him without emotion. There was no tenderness, no hostility, only an indecipherable turmoil hiding the storm within her soul.
She responded, her voice low and firm, cutting through the silence like a blade:
"You are… in the Ancestral Land of the Golden Crow…"
Hearing her words, Ren Zu blinked in surprise, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"Thank the Heavens…" he murmured, a faint smile appearing on his lips. His voice was still hoarse but carried genuine urgency as he raised it to her. "You… are you okay?"
The Little Demon Empress froze. For a moment, her heart stopped. The first thing he asked, upon waking in a weakened state, wasn't anything else someone in his situation might deem more important—he simply asked about her. A warm, indescribable wave ran down her spine, crushing for a second the icy barriers she had always kept up. Her eyes trembled, but they quickly returned to their emotionless gaze, hiding any sign of weakness.
"…I'm fine," she said, with no emotion showing on her face.
"Good…" Ren Zu let out a faint smile of relief, closing his eyes for a moment, as if the simple confirmation of her well-being was enough to soothe his heart. He retrieved a pill from his spatial ring and quickly swallowed it before the Little Demon Empress's eyes, immediately entering meditation to refine the pill as he sat cross-legged.
…It seemed everything had worked out. Everything was going according to his plans. He just needed to keep following his strategy and acting for everything to succeed—his acting skills were truly terrifying!
As he refined the pill and his body showed signs of full recovery in mere moments, the Little Demon Empress watched him in silence. After a week by his side, she was already certain he was an exceptionally skilled physician, capable of producing pills of extraordinary quality. So, her heart felt relieved…
After absorbing the pill and returning to his peak, Ren Zu let out a sigh and said, "…That was a close one! A Tenth-Level Sovereign Profound Realm enemy is no joke to face!"
The Little Demon Empress averted her eyes, her lips pressed as if she disapproved of his words.
"Hmph… and you still dare to smile after nearly dying? Your recklessness knows no bounds."
Ren Zu gave a half-smile, tilting his head slightly.
"Recklessness? Maybe. But it was worth it."
Her eyes narrowed, piercing him with a sharp gaze.
"Worth it… to risk your own life?"
"If it was to protect you, yes," Ren Zu replied without hesitation, the calm in his voice contrasting with the weight of those words.
The Little Demon Empress's heart faltered for a moment. She huffed and said, "Ridiculous. I didn't ask you to throw yourself into the jaws of death for me. I don't need your… protection."
Ren Zu chuckled softly, as if he had expected that reaction.
"Maybe you don't need it… but I wanted to. That's different."
Little Demon Empress: "!!!"
A certain silence enveloped the two.
…But the brief silence was interrupted by a sudden tremor that reverberated through the entire space. A muffled roar of burning flames echoed on the fiery horizon, followed by the reappearance of the scarlet-golden eyes hovering over them with the same blazing arrogance as before.
"Hmph… even in this miserable state, this boy still dares to worry about you first? Ridiculous. Ridiculous, but… interesting." The Golden Crow's voice shook the space like an ancestral flame, laced with disdain but also a faint note of sarcasm.
The Little Demon Empress's eyes rose slowly, impassive on the surface, but her heart raced with the brutal reminder of the condition imposed upon her.
"Divine God Golden Crow… why have you returned now?"
"Hahahaha!" The divinity's fiery laugh sounded like blazing thunder. "You already know the reason. He has awakened. The heir of the Vermilion Bird has opened his eyes… and that means there's no more time to waste."
"Ren Zu!"
The voice of the Golden Crow's Spirit roared like a fierce fireball, piercing Ren Zu's ears and striking his heart and soul directly, though his expression remained indifferent. He only showed a slight hesitation, unsurprised that the Golden Crow's Soul knew his name, as Caiyi had mentioned it earlier.
The scarlet-golden eyes narrowed, burning with a flame that seemed to pierce through flesh and bone to the soul. The pressure of the entire space turned against Ren Zu, as if a sea of divine flames sought to tear him apart just to extract the truth.
"Boy… tell me. Where did you obtain the Vermilion Bird's legacy? This noble one vaguely senses a faint trace of that filthy Phoenix's scent… coming from the north. But I sensed nothing of that red chicken. Explain yourself!"
Ren Zu raised his eyes slowly, showing no panic, remaining indifferent. He quickly gave the "excuse" he had prepared over the past months for this moment: "That… was just luck. A few months ago, while exploring a remote region, I found a strange cave. Inside it, an ancient Profound Teleportation Formation was accidentally activated and pulled me to an unknown place. There… I met the Vermilion Bird. And in that encounter, I became its complete heir."
Silence.
The Little Demon Empress cast him a discreet sidelong glance.
"Hmph." The entity's muffled laugh reverberated. "Your luck is truly extraordinary. But…"
The flame in the divine eyes intensified, incinerating the void.
"Your physique is even more extraordinary than your lineage! It crossed mortal limits long ago and entered the Divine Profound Realm. This noble one has never encountered anyone born with such a body… Your Profound Veins are also strange, reminiscent of the Heretic God's. It's as if you have something akin to the Evil Fire Spirit Body granted by his legacy. You can control primordial flames and fear none of the myriad flames in the world… That is the most fascinating thing to this noble one! That shouldn't be possible without the Legacy of a True God, but aside from that red chicken, I sense no other legacy in you! Even though your cultivation in the profound path is pathetic and laughable in my eyes… this physique and these Profound Veins alone make you a living miracle!"
The Little Demon Empress's heart trembled at the Golden Crow's words, but she kept her face impassive. She chose not to speak, still digesting what the Golden Crow had said…
Ren Zu, however, merely raised an eyebrow slightly, as if it were only natural.
"It's not *that* impressive…"
"Ridiculous!" The Golden Crow roared with scorn. "A physique that should carry supreme flames, wasted on the inferior fire of that red chicken! Yes, divine fire, but still inferior to my flames! This is simply… an unacceptable waste!"
He already knew the Golden Crow was arrogant and looked down on the other two Fire-Attribute Divine Beasts, but he never imagined it would be to such an extent. After all, this was merely a fragment of its soul, yet its attitude in belittling the Vermilion Bird's flame surpassed all expectations. This wasn't mere discrimination—it was pure, absolute disdain.
"But your Vermilion Bird lineage is useful to me now!"
The scarlet-golden eyes glimmered at that moment.
Ssss…
Ren Zu's white clothes and the Little Demon Empress's gray garments instantly turned into small scraps with a soft tearing sound, leaving their bodies and being swept away by a blazing storm.
"…What are you doing?" Ren Zu feigned surprise as he stood… The soft, delicate body of the Little Demon Empress, even more refined than white snow and smoother than porcelain, appeared before his eyes, their reflection in his black pupils an image that would enchant anyone's heart…
The Little Demon Empress covered her chest with her arms, panic flashing across her face.
"What is this? You have such a strong will for revenge and the resolve to give your all, yet you lack the courage to face this man's beautiful body?! Only by taking his Vermilion Bird's vital Yang can you gain the power of half a step into the Divine Profound for three years. Otherwise, you would perish instantly! And not only does he possess the Vermilion Bird's lineage, but he also has an unparalleled physique! His vital Yang is so strong that even this noble one envies you… What reason do you have to fear?!"
Ren Zu was surprised by the Golden Crow's words. She thought he was beautiful? Truly, the 'Aura of the Banished Immortal' was terrifying! He snapped out of his thoughts when a snowy-white figure suddenly swayed before his eyes, and before he could even react, he was firmly pressed down beneath a small, young, and naked girl, who tightly gripped both his hands against his chest.
"Caiyi…" Ren Zu murmured.
The young girl's soft body in his vision was white as snow. Her body was delicate, frail, and ignited a fire in one's heart. Her snowy shoulders were narrow, her slender waist flexible, and her two snowy breasts with delicate red jade pearls were right before his eyes. Even his nose could sense a scent that could intoxicate his heart and make him lose his soul.
Yet, the young girl's face was astonishingly indifferent. There was no sadness, no tears, no joy, no shame, no panic, or any trace of emotion… the only emotion was a dark desire… for power and the thirst for revenge. It was as if, in that moment, she had sealed all her emotions with ice, becoming a soulless doll.
Clang!
A ball of scarlet-golden flames fell from the sky, forming a massive flame barrier that enveloped the place where Ren Zu and the Little Demon Empress stood.
"Hahahahaha!" The Golden Crow's Soul laughed loudly. "If you want to restore your lifespan and make your body strong enough to receive my power, you must take his vital Yang at least five hundred times! Since this noble one has decided to help you, I will help you to the end! I will give you two months, and when you complete this in two months, this barrier will naturally disappear! If you cannot complete it, this barrier will exist forever, and neither of you should even think about leaving! Hahahaha…"
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