ISWI Chapter 496-497

Chapter 496: Outrageous!

Ye Chen exhaled deeply, retrieving the image stone. Releasing her restraints, he said calmly, "This stone recorded everything. You don't want your fiancé seeing this, do you? Hand over the Movement Secret, and it's yours."

Burdened by her idol image, Yi Qingwu swallowed hard before speaking, her tearful eyes defiant. "So what? My fiancé will understand—it's your coercion. He'll kill you to vent his rage."

Ye Chen was stunned. She'd been so cooperative, yet her words were so stubborn? His temper cooled, and he sighed helplessly. "Holy Maiden, tell me how to threaten you then."

Her face filled with worry. "Anything else is fine, but losing my pure yin would shame me before my fiancé, leaving me unable to face him. Threaten that, and I'd be helpless, forced to yield."

Ye Chen caught her hint and played along. "Yi Qingwu, last warning: give me the Movement Secret, or I'll take your purity!"

Her stunning face flashed with defiance. "If you're not afraid of my fiancé's wrath, try it! I won't yield."

Ye Chen's eyes widened.

Something's wrong with you. Had she planned this, setting up such an impregnable "private room"?

Gazing at her kneeling form—flawless from head to toe, reminiscent of his master in front, his senior sister behind, with a willow-slim waist, impossibly beautiful—he couldn't deny the temptation. But compared to feedback, he wasn't so eager. He'd rather wait for a higher multiplier before granting her wish.

Sighing, he said, "You're not ready."

Yi Qingwu, expecting the next step, froze, confused.

Ye Chen crouched to her level, meeting her eyes earnestly. "I, Ye Chen, live freely but never force others. You don't love me; your heart hasn't accepted me. You're just using me to provoke Ying Tiansheng. I don't know why, but I've always played along, unable to refuse. Yet, I hesitate at the final step. I'm not afraid of his wrath or pursuit. I fear you'll regret this choice someday. Unless you truly love me, not just use me, I won't take that step."

Hearing he never forced others, she recalled his earlier interruptions, tempted to retort. But his later words silenced her. He'd known all along she was using him as a tool to spite Ying Tiansheng. For any prodigy, being a tool was a grave insult.

Yet Ye Chen indulged her without complaint, even rushing to deliver the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid for her grandmother's injury. His deep devotion was clear. Compared to that, she'd never considered his feelings, only scheming to use him for revenge.

Realizing this, guilt flickered in her eyes. The formation fell silent.

Yi Qingwu stared at Ye Chen for a long time before speaking. "You humiliated me earlier. It can't end like this."

Ye Chen listened quietly, curious about her next move.

She continued, "The marks are important. Each one is a humiliation, recorded so I can settle the score with you later. So, we need another mark!"

Ye Chen's lips twitched but he nodded cooperatively. "Fine. Offer your primordial spirit." He planned to leave a stroke in her spiritual core, as before.

But Yi Qingwu shook her head firmly. "Different humiliations carry different weights. I'll repay them differently—they can't be mixed. So, leave it here." She tilted her head, her fan-like lashes fluttering.

Ye Chen was stunned. How could he mark her face? Her perfect, flawless features—marking them, even a smudge, felt like sacrilege. But her expression was resolute.

Sighing, he used a special technique to draw a short horizontal line near her lips. The mark wasn't physical, invisible unless activated by Qi.

Yi Qingwu inspected it, satisfied, but then frowned. "I hate incomplete marks. They feel unfinished, nagging at me. The mark in my spiritual core, with one extra stroke toward a '||||\' symbol, keeps me restless, always checking, wondering when it'll be complete. Now this single line—if it's not finished, I'll lose focus on cultivation."

Ye Chen was shocked. OCD?

"Then offer your spirit, and I'll complete the symbol in your core and on your face."

She shook her head, her clear eyes serious. "Marks signify humiliation. One per session, no more, no less, or they lose meaning. This time, you must turn both lines into full '||||\' symbol!"

Ye Chen was floored by the odd request but used to her quirks, and bargained smoothly. "Completing '||||\' is fine, but you must give me the Movement Secret. Otherwise, no more marks—you'll be stuck with two incomplete lines forever."

Her eyes widened, stunned by his shamelessness. Threatening her with her own obsession? Outrageous! But she relented. "Two '||||\' symbols need eight strokes total. After each mark, I'll give you one-eighth of the Movement Secret."

Chapter 497: Eight Sceneries Palace

Ye Chen sighed. Installment payments? Fine.

He stepped forward, letting her continue. But, recalling last time's interruption, he worried about getting only half the Movement Secret. To save time, he urged, "Offer your spirit. Dual-thread the marks for efficiency."

She had no issue with his efficiency but paused, frowning. "Where's the image stone? Why isn't it out?"

Yi Qingwu, with a serious expression, recited part of the Movement Secret's scripture, then leaned in again, striving to complete the "||||\" symbol. Though initially off-putting, she'd grown accustomed to it.

Ye Chen, eyes closed, savored the moment while pondering the 75% of the scripture she'd shared. The Movement Secret, tied to time, differed from the space-oriented Kun Peng Treasure Technique. Combined, they could create the ultimate speed technique, reaching anywhere from the heavens to the underworld.

The final 25% was tough, but Yi Qingwu's competitive spirit held firm despite the strain. She even honed a new technique—locking her stunning eyes on Ye Chen, radiating complex emotions: anger, humiliation, shame, anticipation. Ye Chen marveled at her expressive gaze.

After a moment of eye contact, he glanced outside through the formation, hearing only booming clashes amid endless divine light. The battle out there was as intense as his own. He and his senior brother were both working hard.

His Heavy Pupil pierced the light, revealing the scene. Countless flowers danced, each like a small world brimming with killing intent. Heavenly Intention Holy Son, Ying Tiansheng, stood like a god, commanding the flowers to bombard Hua Yunfei. Hua Yunfei was on the defensive, struggling to break through but holding steady with terrifying dao and laws, his purple qi countering all attacks.

Ying, confident he could grind Hua Yunfei down, kept glancing at the formation, frowning. Two days had passed since Yi Qingwu and Ye Chen entered. Whether she suppressed him or not, a victor should've emerged.

The silence gnawed at him, recalling the time her robe was shattered. She'd claimed divine light blocked Ye Chen's view, but with his Heavy Pupils, stronger than Ying's True Martial Eyes, could he have missed it? Now, with so much time passed, had Ye Chen seen—or done—more? The thought drove Ying mad, pushing him to end the fight quickly.

His divine flowers whirled into a vortex, surging toward Hua Yunfei. Hua Yunfei's eyes narrowed, his godwheel blazing like a sun, holy light deflecting the flowers. He raised a hand, conjuring a terrifying purple sun that melted the void—a strike no ordinary Unity cultivator could withstand.

Ying sneered, unshaken. His unique dao and laws glowed gold, silently dissolving the purple sun. Hua Yunfei's pupils shrank.

As Ying charged, Hua Yunfei summoned a dao palace phantom to block him.

"Eight Sceneries Palace phantom? The Moral Heavenly Venerate's inheritance is strong," Ying mocked. "But before me, it's futile."

Ying Tiansheng sneered, conjuring an ancient treasure bottle. Its mouth opened, instantly sucking in the Eight Sceneries Palace phantom, reducing it to pure energy.

Hua Yunfei raised an eyebrow. "Great Dao Treasure Bottle? So that was the Myriad Transformations Holy Art? Ying Tiansheng, you inherited that legacy?" His vast knowledge let him deduce Ying's inheritance.

Ying smirked. "Figured it out? Too late. Become nourishment for my path!" He activated the Movement Secret, but it didn't trigger time stasis, making him frown. Still, the outcome was set.

Holding the bottle, Ying closed within a meter of Hua Yunfei. The terrifying energy absorbed earlier erupted like a star river. Trapped by countless divine flowers, Hua Yunfei couldn't escape. He stopped resisting, calmly watching the star river engulf him.

It melted his body and the surrounding void, leaving no trace. Dust settled.

Ying's lips curled into a smile as the Great Dao Treasure Bottle faded. As the divine light cleared, onlookers saw only Heavenly Intention Holy Son standing proudly. Shock rippled through them. The battle was over? Hua Yunfei had fallen?

Unbelievable. Years ago, they fought evenly for a year. Recently, Ying had been slightly outmatched by Hua Yunfei's true body. Yet now, in mere moments, Ying melted his true body? Inconceivable.

Some suspected it was an avatar, but others dismissed it—Hua Yunfei's displayed strength was too formidable for a mere avatar. If that was an avatar, how strong was his true body? Impossible.

But Ying's smile vanished. He glared at the spot where Hua Yunfei dissolved. No origin essence remained—another avatar. His fists clenched.

Hua Yunfei was infuriating. Every "kill" was an avatar, making Ying feel like a clown. Worse, they were endless. The first time felt thrilling; this time, less so. Next time, even killing the real body might feel hollow. Such an enemy was maddening.

Scanning the surroundings, he roared, "Hua Yunfei, face me! All you've got is avatars—too scared to show your true self?"

…

Deep in the starry expanse, on a barren star, space rippled violently. An ancient palace emerged, its purple tiles gleaming, shrouded in misty fog, as if shimmering from beyond the thirty-three heavens. Its hundred-man-high gates creaked open.

A sigh echoed. "I planned to perfect One Qi Transforming Three Purities after reaching Mahayana. But now, I must study it sooner. These avatars are too weak, barely a third of my strength, always falling—it's troublesome. Ying Tiansheng's Devouring Heaven True Immortal legacy is dangerous. If he harms Junior Brother, it'd be bad. I'll go myself."

A figure stepped out from the palace.