Chapter 93: The Joys of a Man

Hearing Lord Yunshan’s sudden plea for mercy, Old Chi, hovering in mid-air, did not even lift an eyelid. The red aura surrounding him continued to expand, though its pace grew increasingly sluggish, as if reaching its zenith.

"Don't you want to know who the traitor in your Cloud Sea Sect is?" Seeing that Old Chi remained unmoved, Lord Yunshan upped the stakes.

"Oh?" Old Chi’s expression finally flickered. The red spirit sea, which had expanded to its limit, stalled, yet it vibrated incessantly within, revealing the turbulence in his heart.

Old Chi retracted his long saber slightly, shifting the radius of his red spirit sea to give Lord Yunshan a moment to catch his breath, and then spoke: "Tell me, then."

"Hmph!" Lord Yunshan let out a cold snort, his aged voice flat and devoid of emotion. "You must guarantee that I leave safely, and only then will I tell you!"

Upon hearing this, the shock on Old Chi’s face vanished, replaced instantly by a sneer filled with murderous intent. The red spirit sea waiting quietly beside him boiled in an instant.

"Then go to your death!" came his cold, measured voice from within the roiling red aura.

But suddenly, Old Chi’s pupils dilated. He saw a portly old man in a pale yellow python robe appear inexplicably in front of Lord Yunshan. The way he appeared, devoid of any trace of spiritual fluctuation, suggested he had been waiting there for a long time.

"Prince Zhennan, Yang Ye!"

Old Chi spat out the name without a shred of emotion. His tone was ordinary, yet it betrayed a long-standing, deep-seated hatred.

Lord Yunshan, who had just struggled to his feet, looked disgruntled and asked angrily, "You’ve been here all along, haven't you? Why did you only act now?"

Prince Zhennan patted his round belly with a grin and said cordially, "I just wanted to hear if the Marquis would reveal any top-secret information about our Yuyang Kingdom."

With these gentle words, the Prince’s momentum soared step by step. Soon, a golden vortex of spiritual energy appeared above his head.

The vortex expanded in a flash, merging into a majestic golden spirit sea that dyed the dust on the ground a brilliant yellow. As the yellow sea expanded, the red aura on the nearby ground vanished entirely. The yellow spirit energy permeated the soil, rapidly widening its reach and faintly holding its own against the red spirit sea in the sky.

Knowing he could not delay any longer, Old Chi retracted his saber with both hands, adopting a stance for a powerful strike. As he did so, the red spirit sea for miles around began to shrink, gathering gradually onto the tip of his blade.

The concentrated red spirit energy manifested into the shape of a coiling dragon, circling the blade until a resounding roar echoed out and he struck!

"Red Dragon's Roar!"

The blade’s shadow leapt forward, accompanied by the crimson dragon. With a deafening boom, all the weaker beasts in the distance prostrated themselves on the ground. The overflowing spirit energy stirred up a sea of red clouds, and where it struck, red smoke billowed, creating a scene of collapsing mountains and shattering earth.

Faced with this blow, the Prince’s relaxed posture finally vanished. He condensed the golden spirit sea behind him, where the faint, hazy image of a colossal face emerged. At the same time, he urged Lord Yunshan anxiously, "Hide behind me, life and death are in the hands of fate!"

Lord Yunshan did not hesitate, scrambling to hide behind the Prince. No sooner had he reached him than a piercing sonic boom rang out.

The boom rippled far and wide, silencing the entire mountain range. In its wake rose a mushroom cloud nearly a hundred meters high, drawing the gaze of many from afar.

"A pity..." Old Chi murmured to himself after the strike, and without a second glance, he fled toward the direction of the Cloud Sea Sect.

Dozens of breaths later, two figures with profound auras flashed by. A thin, white-haired elder was the first to notice the deep crater in the ground. His pupils constricted, and he said in disbelief, "Has Chi Liantian recovered to the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm?"

Prince Zhennan was covered in blood. He glanced at the deep saber wound on his abdomen before turning his gaze to Lord Yunshan. The latter was on the verge of death, lying on the ground with the left side of his body and his left arm charred to a crisp.

"He can still be saved, and he was loyal enough. Shall we rescue him?"

Prince Zhennan did not answer the Royal Elder's question, speaking instead to himself. He then cast a deep look toward the north, his eyes flashing with a hint of wariness, but even more so, with yearning.

...

On a certain mountain ridge, Chen Qi walked along happily, enjoying the contrasting sensations against his elbows and fingers while constantly asking questions.

"Senior Sister, how old are you?"

Yun Tianxin, on his back, hesitated for a moment before replying in a calm, measured tone, "Eighteen!"

Chen Qi’s face darkened intentionally, putting on a lecturing air. "I am twenty-one this year; you should call me Senior Brother."

Yun Tianxin rolled her eyes at him, choosing not to respond.

"Senior Sister, at what age did you start practicing martial arts?"

Yun Tianxin ignored him.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, what kind of partner do you like?"

"..."

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, you..."

Suddenly, Chen Qi, who was walking through the mountains, stopped abruptly. Too preoccupied to continue chatting with Yun Tianxin, his martial instincts compelled him to look toward the south.

In that direction, far away, a massive mushroom cloud was slowly rising, spreading over an ever-increasing area. Within its radius, countless trees were reduced to ash, countless lives were unfortunately caught in its wake, and even the mountain terrain had been significantly altered.

"Is this the power humans possess? A true man should surely be like this!"

As Chen Qi stared in shock, whispering to himself and longing to wield such power, the woman on his back smiled weakly and teased, "See that? Only by being far stronger than that can one protect the Cloud Sea Sect."

Seeing that Chen Qi didn't respond, Yun Tianxin’s eyes dimmed, and she feigned composure. "What, are you afraid?"

At that moment, Chen Qi was lost in the profound question of what rank one needed to be to possess such power. Hearing Yun Tianxin’s voice, he blurted out, "Huh? What did you say, Senior Sister?"

"Bang!" Yun Tianxin slammed her head against the back of Chen Qi’s head in frustration.

"Hey, Senior Sister? Where was I?"

Unable to stand Chen Qi’s carefree attitude, Yun Tianxin finally broke, bumping her head against his a few more times until Chen Qi begged for mercy in mock compliance. Little did she know, for the current Chen Qi, the force of her bump felt more like a scalp massage.

Seeing Yun Tianxin fall silent, Chen Qi continued to provoke her. "Why aren't you talking? Come, hit me a couple more times, Senior Sister."

"You..." Yun Tianxin was so angry she was speechless. With her hands bound, she couldn't even swat at him. Instead, to keep from falling, she had to press her chest tightly against his back, causing her proud curves to deform.

This unprecedented sensation came in waves, so much so that even the honest-natured Chen Qi couldn't help but play a few tricks, coming to sudden stops to let his back muscles experience the sensation of skin lotion.

Or perhaps, should one call it squeezing cotton or pressing against snow-capped peaks?

Just as Chen Qi was lost in his foolishly grinning daydreams, Yun Tianxin suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Look there, on the left!"

Chen Qi quickly pivoted his body to the left, following the direction she indicated, ignoring the fact that she was pressed against him once more.

On a high ground not far to the west, a cyan signal flare rose, gathering in mid-air to form the pattern of a green leaf.

"That is?" Seeing the confusion on Chen Qi's face, Yun Tianxin smiled and explained, "That is the signal flare of the Third Elder, True Person Yun Ye. As the elder in charge of internal affairs, he loves collecting these strange little things. I’ve seen them in the sect before."

"Oh," Chen Qi replied perfunctorily, his mind elsewhere.

Feeling Chen Qi remain motionless, Yun Tianxin urged him again, "What are you waiting for? Let's hurry over!"

At this, Chen Qi suddenly used his hands to shift Yun Tianxin to his side, pressing his face against her beautiful one, and said, word for word:

"Senior Sister, do you trust me?"