Chapter 1088: Life and Death Crisis

"Jian Yanyou?" Zu'an rubbed his eyes, repeatedly confirming backstage that he hadn't seen wrong—it was indeed Jian Yanyou.

How was this possible?

Wasn't he dead?

At that moment, Yu Yanluo also looked utterly shocked, muttering, "Yanyou?"

She had clearly recognized his voice, but she couldn't believe it.

"Let's go out and see," Zu'an said. Completely bewildered himself, he wanted to find out what was going on.

Yu Yanluo was equally curious and naturally didn't refuse.

Although most of the poison had been purged from her system, moving freely in the water was not as easy for her as it was for Zu'an, who had the Azure Drake's abilities. So, he supported her as they ascended towards the surface.

Soon, they broke through the water's surface and stepped onto the shore, both gasping in surprise at the scene before them.

The enormous block of solid ice that had been on the ground was gone, leaving only scattered fragments.

A figure stood in the center, staring intently in the direction of the pool.

Having used 'Thousand Faces' consistently these past days, Zu'an was intimately familiar with that face—it could only be Jian Yanyou!

Meanwhile, Jian Taiding sat in a corner as if stunned, gazing at his elder brother's figure with his mouth agape, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

Jian Taiding could hardly believe it; his elaborate "mourning" had actually cried his elder brother back to life?

Who am I, and where am I?

Too many unbelievable things had happened today, making him feel as though he was still dreaming.

"Yanyou, you're alive?" Seeing the man's face clearly, Yu Yanluo was filled with both shock and joy. Although he was her husband in name, he was in fact a dear friend of many years. How could she not be emotional upon seeing her friend resurrected?

She started to approach him, but Zu'an stopped her, transmitting a message with his elemental energy: "Be careful, he doesn't look quite right."

Yu Yanluo paused, then noticed the black aura swirling around Jian Yanyou, and the dark patterns on his face. He was utterly different from the gentle and refined man she knew; now, he appeared somewhat sinister and malevolent.

"Heh heh, of course you wished me dead, so you could be with this adulterer and enjoy yourselves," Jian Yanyou sneered.

Yu Yanluo frowned, uncomfortable with the sidelong glance he cast at her. "You've misunderstood. He and I were completely innocent before, nothing happened."

"Haha, 'completely innocent,' you say!" Jian Yanyou threw his head back and laughed uproariously, his laughter rattling the entire mountain wall. Many solid icicles on the rock face were shaken loose and fell directly to the ground.

Zu'an's expression subtly changed. This man's cultivation was incredibly high; he seemed to be infinitely close to the Grandmaster level.

After laughing for a moment, Jian Yanyou's gaze returned to Yu Yanluo. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you take me for a fool? You just took such a strong aphrodisiac, then hid underwater with another man for so long, and you claim nothing happened?"

Jian Taiding also snapped back to reality, finally realizing that his goddess had been defiled by that brute.

His lips trembled slightly, and he almost dared not look at Yu Yanluo again, fearing he would see her as a faded, ruined flower.

Yet, he couldn't resist in the end. His gaze landed on Yu Yanluo, and he felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Her clothes were different!

Yu Yanluo was currently wrapped in a man's robe, and it was obvious whose it was.

The feeling he had at that moment was like a man in his previous life waking up to see a woman wearing his shirt—the intense visual contrast was simply unparalleled.

It had to be admitted that Yu Yanluo was already beautiful, but this attire magnified her feminine softness and allure many times over.

Unfortunately, Jian Taiding was not in the mood to appreciate it; he felt more heartbreak.

Did the situation even need explaining? He could vividly imagine that the two had just been fooling around in the water, getting their clothes wet and dirty, which was why his sister-in-law had changed into a man's clothes.

She hadn't even had time to properly put it on, merely wrapping it loosely around herself.

The robe was so loose that he could faintly glimpse her fair, delicate collarbone and a pale pink undergarment beneath.

Jian Taiding had always dreamed of seeing Yu Yanluo's intimate side, but he never imagined it would be under such circumstances.

Although he had been infatuated with Yu Yanluo for years and hadn't married to pursue her, his high position and power meant he certainly had no shortage of women privately.

He could tell at a glance the flush of passion in Yu Yanluo's brows and the meaning of the blush on her cheeks.

Her satisfied expression was enough for him to conjure up vivid images of the woman he loved most in his life being wantonly defiled by that beast underwater just moments ago.

Especially since Yu Yanluo was still half-leaning against Zu'an, it proved that she was not repulsed by this man afterwards.

Clearly, his sister-in-law had been conquered by that man!

At this thought, he felt as if his world had collapsed.

Yu Yanluo, naturally unaware of the sordid imaginings in his mind, replied to Jian Yanyou, "It's not what you think. He just used a special method to detoxify me. The two of us were... we didn't do anything improper."

Although Jian Yanyou was not her true husband, he had used his status as her husband to ward off many suitors over the years, which had helped her considerably. She felt it necessary to explain clearly to him.

She had initially intended to say that she and Zu'an had been completely innocent down below, but remembering the circumstances—their clothes removed, his hands touching every inch of her skin—claiming complete innocence seemed a bit self-deceptive.

So she rephrased it to "did not do anything improper," which she could say with a clear conscience.

Jian Yanyou snorted, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child to believe such words?"

Yu Yanluo frowned. "I've explained everything I need to. If you insist on imagining things, there's nothing more I can do."

If it were anyone else, she wouldn't even bother explaining.

She had explained to him out of respect for their long-standing friendship, but he responded with such suspicion, making her feel inevitably angry.

Jian Yanyou's face also darkened. "Are you flustered? Is your conscience bothering you?"

The dark patterns on his face became increasingly prominent and striking.

"The innocent are self-evident," Yu Yanluo said indifferently, then suddenly frowned. "What happened to your face? And why are you alive again after dying?"

Now even Jian Taiding became curious. He had clearly set a trap to kill him, so why had he suddenly come back to life?

"So, my being alive ruined your plans, did it?" Jian Yanyou sneered, though he still explained, "It's because the cultivation method I practice is very special. It's called the 'Golden Silkworm Divine Art.' Legend has it that to reach the highest realm, one must die once. If I can be reborn from the cocoon, then I can truly join the ranks of Grandmasters, and even breaking through to Earth Immortal in the future won't be impossible."

"'Golden Silkworm Divine Art'?" Yu Yanluo's expression shifted slightly. Being well-traveled and knowledgeable, she seemed to recall hearing legends of this cultivation method. It was said that after cultivating it to its peak, one would undergo a life-and-death trial, at which point the entire body would form a cocoon like a silkworm. If one could then successfully emerge from the cocoon as a butterfly, a world-altering transformation would occur.

But it is said that the chances are...