Chapter 43: Millet Dream

In the Heaven of Excessive Desires, countless shrines and temples vanished amidst the clouds, presenting a breathtaking and ethereal spectacle.

Beneath the clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, illuminating four colossal Heavenly King figures standing shoulder-to-high heaven. Cracks resembling spiderwebs spread across their forms until, abruptly, a gigantic, ferocious Buddha head fractured and plunged into a vast black lake.

"Boom!"

Towering waves surged across the lake, crashing against the island-like lotus platform.

"Is it over?"

Chen Xuan asked, turning his gaze toward the monumental upheaval in the firmament. The woman's voice gradually subsided, laden with languid fatigue.

"...Mmm."

The howling gale and torrential rain always come to an end at last.

Chen Xuan released his grip and stood up, turning to look out over the dark lake where the colossal Buddha head was slowly sinking.

Yan Yushu straightened her garments, her delicate fingers gently rubbing her wrists, which had been squeezed to a purplish-blue. Frowning slightly, she rebuked him with a hint of reproach: "You lack all tenderness and cherish not the delicate; you are quite excessive..."

The malice accumulated over these past days had been somewhat alleviated, leaving no hidden dangers behind. She appeared to be in high spirits, even possessing the mood to make harmless jests.

Chen Xuan's gaze remained detached. Time was pressing, and he had no inclination for flirtatious banter. While circulating the *Millet Dream Scripture*, he went straight to the point and asked:

"Does City Lord Lu Zhuan know of what has transpired between us?"

Yan Yushu cultivated the Black Qi of the Water Virtue, and Lu Zhuan likewise practiced the Dao of the Rain Master.

Should Lu Zhuan probe Yan Yushu's Black Qi to inspect her condition, his greatest secret risked exposure, and the mystery of the Mind Fasting might be brought to light.

The risk was simply too great. The ghosts and monsters of the Southern Wilderness had already set their sights on him because of his innate bone structure and aptitude.

Yet if the Mind Fasting were exposed, top-tier mighty figures would regard him as a Child of Destiny, and the unimaginable consequences that might follow... This was precisely one of the reasons why he had pursued Yan Yushu the moment he discovered her tracks.

"The seven emotions and six desires, the affairs of men and women—even the ancient immortals and sages could not avoid them... Our consciences are clear. Besides, even if something truly happened, let Lu Zhuan know if he must; he cannot control what I choose to do."

Once purged of her inner fire, Yan Yushu appeared exceptionally dignified, resembling an immortal fairy untainted by worldly dust, her voice cool and detached.

Knowing Chen Xuan to be a righteous man, she had originally intended to endure the tribulation alone. But having unexpectedly encountered Chen Xuan today, she could not possibly let slip such a rare and precious opportunity.

She would simply treat him as an object, a mere tool—after all, he was fundamentally no different from a stone. Maintaining this thought in her mind allowed her to barely manage to face the actions she had taken.

"Sigh..."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan felt as though his head were the size of a bushel. Helplessly turning his head to look at Yan Yushu's fair and delicate profile, he said, "Yan Yushu, I beg of you to answer my question directly."

Yan Yushu let out a soft laugh, then, narrowing her fox-like eyes, she replied:

"Rest assured, Lu Zhuan has no way of discovering your secret... For him to extract information from me would be harder than ascending to the heavens."

Her tone was calm, as though she were discussing some commonplace, trivial matter, yet it carried an underlying current of absolute confidence and composure.

"What is the reason?"

Perplexed, Chen Xuan directly sought her guidance. His experiences over the past few days had made him feel that the path ahead was arduous and fraught with danger at every turn.

"First, my innate bone structure and aptitude are so exceptional that my immortal qi is as heavy as Mount Tai; he cannot hook into it. Second, he is a clever man; he has no reason to do such a thing—or rather, he dares not do it. He fears showing disrespect toward me..."

Yan Yushu answered with a serious expression, bidding Chen Xuan not to worry: "You and I share a single glory and a single loss; I will not betray you."

Believing that Chen Xuan was a Child of Destiny of the same ilk as herself, she naturally felt an innate sense of closeness toward him. Furthermore, he could complement her cultivation—it was a match made in heaven. She felt her luck had reached its absolute zenith to have stumbled upon such a fortuitous encounter as meeting Chen Xuan.

"Lu Zhuan is a supreme mighty figure of the third realm, or perhaps even a higher level. Are there things even he dares not do?"

Astonished, Chen Xuan wondered how good Yan Yushu's innate bone structure could possibly be, to the extent that even a top-tier mighty figure could not hook her immortal qi. In other words, individuals of transcendent talent possessed the ability to resist the suppression of superior cultivators.

Yet, as the foremost expert in the territory of the Red Crow City, why did Lu Zhuan not even dare to attempt hooking Yan Yushu's qi?

Looking at Chen Xuan, Yan Yushu smiled and shook her head, saying:

"They all say the great cultivators of this world are like wolves and tigers, fleeing from such things in terror.

"Yet I say that when they see me, they ought to take the initiative to yield and keep a respectful distance!"

Her eyes shone brilliantly like gemstones, and her voice sounded like pearls of varying sizes falling upon a plate of jade, carrying a resolute strength as she continued:

"Chen Xuan, the Mandate of Heaven rests with us, not with those old thieves...

"The ones who ought to be truly afraid are they.

"The Floating Temple wishes to capture me and refine me into a living female Bodhisattva, while Qing Yaizi has reached the end of his Qi-refining path and seeks to use a Child of Destiny as the medicinal primer for an immortal pill.

"This time, I have narrowly escaped disaster.

"From this day onward, they will not sleep in peace. For they have thoroughly offended a Child of Destiny, and sooner or later, this Child of Destiny will return to settle accounts with them..."

Yan Yushu paused, a soft smile still lingering on her dazzling countenance, yet the words issuing from her lips remained overwhelmingly domineering:

"Chen Xuan, we immortal seeds of destiny may perish halfway along our journey, but should we survive and carve out a path, every single one of these great cultivators who plotted against us will be reckoned with. Not one of them shall live.

"Lu Zhuan weighed his options a thousand times over, protecting my safety today and taking me as a disciple—how can one know this might not be his blessing for the future!"

"..."

With his heart surging with emotion, Chen Xuan could not help but give her a thumbs-up. As Yan Yushu's words echoed in his ears, a heroic spirit capable of swallowing the heavens and earth stirred within his own breast.

Indeed!

Even Wang Chen, a man utterly accomplished in his past life, harbored soaring ambitions and the desire to dominate the realm after obtaining the Millet Dream.

What reason did Chen Xuan have to fear those who probed from the shadows and played with crooked conspiracies? In truth, those great cultivators were the ones who ought to be terrified, for the very people they sought to manipulate were the most horrifying monsters in this world.

"Whoosh!"

At that very moment, a cyan-golden immortal qi diffused from within Chen Xuan's body. Golden grain ears exuded fragrance, and the rolling waves of the mortal world surged, all flowing within the immortal qi in a dazzling display of brilliance.

The Millet Qi!

Having cultivated for over ten days and expended one of Yan Yushu's allotted times within the Heaven of Excessive Desires, this true scripture—born specifically to complement the Millet Dream and exceedingly difficult for others to practice—had finally broken through the threshold!

"Eh? This immortal qi of yours?"

An abrupt sense of palpitations welled up in Yan Yushu, causing her to step back in haste as she perceived a profound aura of danger emanating from Chen Xuan: "You have successfully practiced the true scripture, and the immortal qi within your body has undergone a qualitative transformation and sublimation?"

Her eyes widened in realization that, while she had been resisting the Heaven of Excessive Desires, he had managed to divide his focus and forge a strand of true scripture immortal qi. Such terrifying comprehension and cultivation speed astonished even Yan Yushu, who prided herself on having a peerless bone structure and an immortal qi that even top-tier mighty figures could not suppress.

Having successfully forged two ordinary strands of immortal qi last time had already shocked her beyond measure, yet this time, he had actually mastered the special immortal qi recorded within the true scripture itself!

"I had already practiced it for over ten days beforehand, and this is merely the Chapter of Metamorphosis from the true scripture," Chen Xuan explained, indicating that he had devoted a great deal of effort to it.

"Where is the need for modesty? I have never seen anyone as fast as you." Despite her words, Yan Yushu could not conceal the lingering astonishment on her face. Upon second thought, however, she managed to accept it with difficulty.

Just as she could directly consume others' cultivation, Chen Xuan could freely enter the destinies of others to practice trick-scripts and true scriptures at breakneck speed... A Child of Destiny was meant to accomplish feats that ordinary people found utterly unimaginable.

Following this, the two continued to exchange various observations and insights.

The Heaven of Excessive Desires collapsed and vanished from sight.

...

"Boom!"

The earth split apart as an alchemical immortal furnace the size of a house soared into the sky from the depths of the ground. Qing Yaizi stood atop it, his hair disheveled, frantically fleeing for his life while coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

"Hiss, hiss!"

Blood imbued with specks of azure light splattered onto the ground, causing countless plants to instantly shoot up against the wind. In the blink of an eye, precious herbs such as glossy ganoderma, ginseng, and polygonum multiflorum sprouted across the earth.

"Precious blood of a top-tier mighty figure! Hurry, priceless medicinal flesh!" A low-level Qi-refiner, unafraid of death and wishing to gamble on a future, immediately disregarded the danger and rushed toward the periphery of the battlefield.

Yet the moment he drew close, he convulsed and collapsed to the ground. Fresh green plant shoots burst forth from his body, draining him into a desiccated corpse that a passing gust of wind scattered into a handful of dust.

"Fall back, fall back, fall back!" Seeing this, the other Qi-refiners immediately turned and fled, daring not harbor any further evil thoughts: "The precious blood takes root upon hitting the earth and grows upon meeting the wind; its energy has already been exhausted and is of no use..."

"Rustle!"

Emerging from the dense forest, Chen Xuan and Yan Yushu brushed fallen leaves from their garments.

"Take this!"

Yan Yushu retrieved two purplish-blue talismans from her sleeve, gifting one to Chen Xuan as she said, "This item can transmit messages across a thousand miles. If I have need of you, I will summon you. Ah... as for the matter you entrusted to me... I will find a way as soon as possible."

She could not independently open the Heaven of Excessive Desires; each opening meant consuming a Qi-refiner... and her enemies were not ubiquitous.

For Chen Xuan to rely entirely upon her to practice the true scripture was fraught with difficulties, and he still needed to pursue dual paths simultaneously.

"Many thanks."

Nodding, Chen Xuan stowed the communication talisman into his sleeve and said gravely, "Until we meet again!"