Be it Shenwu Qing or Shenwu Youluan, both felt that meeting Yun Wuji was a blessing worth ten lifetimes of good karma. He had not only 'saved' their lives but had also helped them get rid of the curse that had plagued them for most of their years.
"Delicious! The mooncakes you make are unbelievably delicious! I've never eaten anything this good before!" Shenwu Qing spoke with her mouth full, holding a mooncake in each hand. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes sparkled with admiration.
Five days had passed since Yun Wuji saved Shenwu Qing, and their relationship had grown remarkably close. This was mainly due to Shenwu Qing's own initiative, as she seemed to grow more infatuated with him by the day, but also because of Yun Wuji's charm and subtle tricks of seduction.
"You're exaggerating. As a Divine Daughter, I'm sure you've tasted all the finest delicacies this world has to offer." Yun Wuji chuckled at her expression and reached out to wipe the crumbs from her face. "Eat slowly, no one's going to steal them from you."
'At least without He Xiaolian around, no one is going to steal her food.'
His movements were smooth and natural, as if he had done it countless times before. Shenwu Qing, a woman taught since childhood to never let any man so much as touch her fingertip, didn't seem to mind at all. On the contrary, she appeared to enjoy his touch.
Shenwu Qing slowed her eating, a hint of gloom flickering in her eyes as she spoke in a downcast tone. "In the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, no one has the mind to enjoy something like food. The atmosphere there is always dark, cold, and heavy. And with that woman's presence, no matter how delicious the food is, it always tastes bland."
During their time together, Shenwu Qing had told him about her identity and shared some of her life experiences as well.
Shenwu Qing came from a very distant branch of the Shenwu Clan and shared a bloodline with Shenwu Yanye. When she was born, it was discovered that she possessed an eighty percent Divine Essence. Upon hearing the news, Shenwu Yanye immediately brought her to the palace and took her in as a foster daughter, appointing her as the Kingdom's Divine Daughter. However, although Shenwu Yanye was Shenwu Qing's foster mother, she had never shown her even the slightest warmth or kindness.
She granted her endless resources and support, but these came with unreasonable and nearly impossible demands. Each time Shenwu Qing failed to meet even one of them, she was subjected to unimaginable forms of torture and punishment. The lightest and 'kindest' among them was a beating that left all her bones broken.
"Sigh, I really don't want to go back at all, but if I don't, that woman will definitely take out her anger on my family and Yun Che them all," Shenwu Qing said after swallowing her food. She stopped eating, her tone heavy with gloom and sorrow.
This time, Shenwu Yanye had given her a limit of five years to break through to the Divine Extinction Realm, which meant she would not have to return for that duration. That was the only consolation Shenwu Qing had. If she could spend those five years with Yun Wuji, enjoying peace and tranquility by his side, she felt it would not be such a bad thing, even if death awaited her upon her return.
"She wants me to reach the Divine Extinction Realm in five years. How am I supposed to do that?" Shenwu Qing took another bite as she spoke. It was common knowledge that ninety-nine percent of profound practitioners who reached the peak of the Divine Master Realm remained trapped in the Half-step Divine Extinction Realm for thousands of years. Even Divine Children were not exempt from this rule. In this generation, almost all of them had been stuck at that barrier for hundreds, if not a thousand years.
Except Hua Caili, of course.
"But Big Brother Wuji, you are truly amazing. You're only at the 8th level of the Divine Master Realm, yet you can defeat Abyssal Beasts at the 8th level of the Divine Extinction Realm. I've never heard of anything like it before," she said, her gloom and depression vanishing instantly as she spoke to him.
"But of course, I am built differentl!" Yun Wuji puffed his chest and lifted his chin high, speaking with a playful arrogance that made her laugh. He made no effort to hide his strength or abilities because he saw no need to.
Even if Shenwu Yanye herself were to learn of his abilities and, for some strange reason, try to do something to him, with his current strength, he could slap her to death.
Strength grants safety, and safety breeds confidence.
"Break time's over, let's go. It's time for you to train. I'll stay with you until you break through, so that crazy woman won't be able to do anything to you," Yun Wuji said, patting her head with a confident tone.
Shenwu Qing swallowed the last piece of mooncake and stood up. She gazed at him with her deep, black, beautiful eyes, now shining with emotion. "Big Brother Wuji, you've helped me so much and are still trying to help me. Why are you doing so much for me?"
"Why?" Yun Wuji looked genuinely confused for a moment before suddenly leaning closer with a mischievous grin. "Hehehe, it's because I want to trick you into becoming my wife!"
"Regretting getting close to me? Too late now." When his face was just a few centimeters away, he abruptly stopped and pulled back. Patting her head, he spoke in a calm tone. "Don't think too much. Let's go." He then turned and walked ahead.
Shenwu Qing stood still for a moment before murmuring softly, "Tricking me into becoming your wife? If only you were serious about it..."
...
Another day, Yun Wuji once again helped Shenwu Youluan purge an additional five percent of the Eternal Night Death Wishing Mark. When she opened her eyes, she reluctantly stood up, savoring the gentle, soothing sensation of the Light Profound Energy receding. "Thank you once again."
By now, about one third of the Eternal Night Death Wishing Mark had been removed, yet Shenwu Youluan still could not get used to seeing the curse burned away by the white sacred light. It always felt like a dream coming true.
"You don't have to thank me," Yun Wuji said, shaking his head. He reached out and touched her shoulder, adding, "I'm doing this because I want to."
Shenwu Youluan parted her lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, no words came.
"I'm planning to go back to my place soon. Do you want to come with me?" Yun Wuji asked suddenly. He hadn't seen Helian Lingzhu for over ten days and found that he missed her a little.
"Your place?" Shenwu Youluan murmured before nodding in agreement. "Ok."
She wasn't worried about Shenwu Yanye finding out that she was with a man. As a Peak Divine Limit Realm powerhouse, anyone below the True God Realm could not escape her senses.
Yun Wuji's house wasn't far from the Endless Fog. It was small and exquisite, covered by a barrier that isolated over ninety percent of the Abyssal Dust. He could have made it to completely isolate the Abyssal Dust, but that would have just fucked up his plans.
"You're back!" As he approached the house, the door opened and Helian Lingzhu stepped out, speaking before dashing toward him and hugging him tightly.
"Miss me?" Yun Wuji returned the hug, a happy smile spreading across his face.
"Hmm!" Helian Lingzhu nodded. Glancing behind him, she noticed someone else standing there. "Who is this?"
The woman before her was stunningly beautiful and mature, with a voluptuous figure barely concealed beneath her black robe. Even though she tried to suppress it, Helian Lingzhu could still feel an oppressive aura coming from the woman.
"She's a friend I met by coincidence," Yun Wuji introduced, intentionally leaving out Shenwu Youluan's name, knowing it might make her uneasy.
"So you're Wuji's friend. Hello, miss, I'm Helian Lingzhu. Nice to meet you," Helian Lingzhu stepped forward and greeted her with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, I'm You Luan," Shenwu Youluan said with a faint nod. From the woman's eyes and expression, she could tell that Helian Lingzhu loved Yun Wuji deeply, and that he also had feelings for her.
"Come in," Yun Wuji said as he walked inside, leaving the two women at the door.
...
After spending some deep 'bonding' time with Helian Lingzhu, Yun Wuji lay on his back with his eyes closed.
Within the world of his Profound Veins, the scene remained magnificent, like a miniature universe. At this moment, Yun Wuji's attention was focused on an orb glowing with radiant light.
This was one of the memory fragments Ni Xuan had left him before leaving. Each fragment carried a seal, and while the seals themselves were weak, the real problem was that if someone tried to break them recklessly, the memory fragments would vanish along with the seals.
Because of this, Yun Wuji occasionally devoted time to carefully undo the seals without damaging the fragments. Now, he was finally about to succeed.
Before coming to this world, Yun Wuji had only read the novel up to the part where Yun Che reached the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God. He knew the contents of two memory fragments but had no idea what the others contained.
The seal around the orb slowly crumbled, and when it finally broke, the memory fragment flashed. Yun Wuji's vision changed instantly.
...
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