Chapter 314: Chapter 313: Yann Chuxue
Lu Ling had only just left. Just as Wen Qingye and Yann Xiangyang were about to go inside, the gate to the Cave Mansion swung open on its own.
A woman in a white dress stood at the entrance, a light, spiritual charm gracing her features. Her fair, rosy complexion was captivating, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were dazzling.
She looked just as she had when Wen Qingye first saw her, only this time, the corners of her lips were slightly raised, free of their usual iciness.
"Sister!"
Yann Xiangyang’s face lit up with joy upon seeing Yann Chuxue, and she rushed toward her.
"Alright now, you’re a grown woman, yet you still act like a child." Yann Chuxue smiled and shook her head, then said softly to Wen Qingye, who was standing behind with a faint smile of his own, "Please, come in."
With that, the three of them walked into the Cave Mansion.
The moment she stepped into the Cave Mansion, Yann Xiangyang asked, "Sister, I heard that a certain Brother Chu has been pestering you?"
Yann Chuxue nodded, her expression turning serious. "That Brother Chu is none other than Chu Bufan of Chaotian Peak. His cultivation long ago broke through to the Yin-Yang Realm, making him unfathomably powerful. He is one of the most outstanding disciples in the Celestial Profound Sect. He has been appearing before me frequently lately, though I wouldn’t quite call it pestering."
As she spoke, Yann Chuxue’s beautiful eyes kept darting toward Wen Qingye. Seeing no change in his expression, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Chu Bufan?" Yann Xiangyang gasped in surprise.
She had heard the name before. He wasn’t just some top talent among the Registered Disciples; he was a Chosen of Heaven for the entire Celestial Profound Sect. He was even fairly well-known throughout the Eastern Profound Domain, destined to be a future pillar of the sect.
Yann Chuxue nodded. "Yes."
Yann Xiangyang hadn’t expected this Brother Chu to be the renowned Chu Bufan. She gave Yann Chuxue a strange look and said, "Sister, then why did Lan Feng take you as a Core Disciple in the first place? Was it because of this?"
"I don’t know either. Martial Aunt Lan Feng has taken good care of me, and I’m not sure about the specifics, but I have a feeling things aren’t that simple." As she said this, Yann Chuxue’s eyes turned to Wen Qingye. "She gave me a Magic Technique, and I don’t know if I should practice it."
Wen Qingye understood what she meant and said directly, "Let me have a look."
Yann Chuxue nodded, taking out a Bamboo Scroll and handing it to Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye opened the Bamboo Scroll. The characters upon it seemed to transform into streaks of golden light that instantly flooded into his eyes.
After a long moment, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. "I never would have guessed. This Lan Feng’s ambitions are truly grand."
"What is it? Is something wrong with it?" Yann Xiangyang asked anxiously.
Wen Qingye nodded. "This Magic Technique isn’t really the Qinglian Technique. It’s a special type of Possession Secret Skill."
"A Possession Secret Skill?" Yann Chuxue asked, confused.
Wen Qingye looked at Yann Chuxue and asked, "Does she often give you cultivation resources? Does she come to see you frequently? Does she sometimes even praise how incredible this Qinglian Technique is, trying to get you to practice it faster?"
Yann Chuxue’s eyes widened in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. "How did you know?"
"Then there’s no doubt about it." Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed as he spoke slowly. "If you practice this Secret Skill, once your cultivation reaches a certain level, a strange seed will form within you. This seed is a wisp of Lan Feng’s Primordial Spirit. When that seed sprouts, her Primordial Spirit will begin to grow rapidly within your Sea of Consciousness. In the end..."
A cold glint flashed in Yann Chuxue’s eyes. "In the end, it will devour my Primordial Spirit, and I will become her second body," she said calmly. "Am I right?"
After she finished speaking, her eyes met Wen Qingye’s.
"That’s right." Wen Qingye nodded. "But there’s more. She could even merge her Primordial Spirit with yours, allowing her to completely seize control of your body. Lan Feng’s own body is past its prime for cultivation; achieving a breakthrough would be next to impossible for her. She plans to use your body to cultivate all over again."
Not realizing the situation was so dire, Yann Xiangyang couldn’t help but ask anxiously, "Then what do we do?"
Yann Chuxue smiled. "If I don’t practice this Qinglian Technique..."
"You can practice it," Wen Qingye said softly.
Hearing this, Yann Chuxue looked at Wen Qingye and nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Alright. If you say I can practice it, then I will."
Wen Qingye spoke slowly. "I’ll teach you a Secret Skill that will allow you to turn the tables on her. The seed will still appear to have her Primordial Spirit attached to it, and Lan Feng will be none the wiser. When she inevitably moves to possess your body, you can directly devour her Primordial Spirit, seizing all of her Martial Dao experience and even some of her cultivation for yourself."
"Alright."
Yann Chuxue nodded without hesitation. She was never a soft-hearted person to begin with. Besides, Lan Feng had been the one to act treacherously first, so why should she show any mercy?
Wen Qingye then imparted the Swallowing Spirit Secret Technique to Yann Chuxue. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she had committed the entire technique to memory.
Yann Chuxue looked at Wen Qingye and asked quietly, "By the way, I heard Cheng Yu left the Celestial Profound Sect? Did something happen?"
"Yes, something happened." Wen Qingye nodded, sighing heavily to himself.
Yann Chuxue said softly, "Was it because of the engagement between Nie Shuang and the Chaotian Peak Master’s daughter? I found it hard to believe at first, too."
"Yes. Nie Shuang is a real bastard. Cheng Yu was completely devoted to him, yet he did something like that. It’s truly infuriating," Yann Xiangyang said, grinding her teeth.
"They made their choices. Nothing could be done," Wen Qingye said softly.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
After a long moment, Yann Chuxue seemed to recall something. "I heard the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele is about to manifest..."
Yann Chuxue’s cultivation had already reached the Peak of Refining Spirit, and she was just a hair’s breadth away from reaching the Yin-Yang Realm. However, with the appearance of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele so imminent, it was obviously impossible for her to compete for a spot to comprehend it at her current level of strength.
Wen Qingye smiled, seeming to know what she was about to ask. "Yes, I’ll be going. I want to meet these geniuses of the Eastern Profound Domain who are below the Destruction Realm, as well as the people from Taiyi Pavilion."
Yann Chuxue nodded, her brow furrowed. "The Taiyi Pavilion... you must be careful."
She hadn’t known of the Taiyi Pavilion as a Sect before, but after arriving at the Celestial Profound Sect, she came to realize just how vast the Eastern Profound Domain and the Celestial Profound Sect itself were. Within the sect’s Seven Peaks, experts were as numerous as clouds and the powerful as common as rain. So what did that say about the Taiyi Pavilion, the overlord of the entire Eastern Profound Domain, a power that stood even above the Celestial Profound Sect?
"AHAHAHA!" Wen Qingye burst into hearty laughter. He said nothing, but his laugh was filled with overwhelming confidence.
Yann Xiangyang and Yann Chuxue exchanged a look, both remaining silent.