Chapter 2669: From Hell to Heaven

"Really?" Zu'an was both surprised and delighted, having never expected Yan Xuehen to say something like this of her own accord.

Yan Xuehen's heart was pounding too. She hadn't expected herself to utter such a bold statement. She always had a vague feeling that something was off, but her current state of mind was peculiar; while what she said might be crossing a line, it wasn't overly outrageous.

Moreover, if Yun Jianyue were to charm him, she would feel she had failed Chu Yan's trust in not looking after her man properly.

Of course, from her own perspective, she didn't want Yun Jianyue to have any involvement with Zu'an either; just thinking about it would make her furious.

"Of course it's true."

Her voice was barely audible, but nothing could escape Zu'an's ears.

He chuckled and pulled her into his arms, feeling the woman who was usually so cold now considerably warmer.

Yan Xuehen was in a daze. Although she had never truly resisted intimacy with Zu'an in her heart, today seemed particularly unusual.

Zu'an couldn't help but lean in to kiss her. She hummed softly and responded naturally.

Zu'an thought to himself that the ice queen had finally melted under his warmth; she was much more proactive today than usual.

The two kissed passionately. Yan Xuehen felt her heart brimming with happiness, realizing that all her previous attempts to keep a distance from him had been self-deception.

The kiss was like the most intoxicating wine in the world; she felt her entire body melting.

This wasn't just a mental sensation, but a genuine physical reaction.

When she realized this, she felt both embarrassed and anxious. "How could I be like this?"

"Never mind," she thought. "We've already shared the most intimate relationship; why resist now?"

"Before Chu Yan returns, I'll fulfill a wife's duties for her..."

Thinking of Chu Yan, she was suddenly startled and immediately realized this would be too unfair to her.

After all, she cultivated the Dao of Supreme Forgetfulness. A sliver of clarity suddenly returned to her mind, and noticing their intimate entanglement, she was stunned. "Ah Zu, did... did you really not use that special primordial energy of the Golden Phoenix?"

"Of course not," Zu'an replied, a little surprised, assuming she was just shy. "Sister Yan, relax. This is just a natural reaction when feelings are strong. I like you, and you like me; it's not because of anything else."

A hint of confusion flashed in Yan Xuehen's eyes. The other party had no reason to lie to her. Although Ah Zu was fond of women, she trusted his character and believed he would never use such means to take advantage of her.

Was it really involuntary...

"It's all his fault," she mused. "When he came back from the Underworld, he really went wild with all sorts of things. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so easily moved just by his touch now."

Thinking of the journey back from the Underworld, her heart pounded even harder.

Her usually cool eyes now truly bloomed like spring peach blossoms, revealing infinite tenderness and expression.

The two naturally fell onto the bed. Perhaps out of shyness, she gently brushed her fingers, pulling down the bed curtains beside them just before they fully reclined.

A moment later, Yun Yuqing's anxious voice suddenly came from the doorway: "Ah Zu, something's wrong! Sister Yun is in trouble."

At that moment, Qiu Honglei's voice chimed in: "Master can barely hold on much longer."

Without waiting for a reply from inside, she directly pushed open the room door.

Although the door was locked from the inside, with a burst of energy from her palm, an ordinary lock like that couldn't possibly stop her.

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, looked worried. She knew about the private relationship between Zu'an and Yan Xuehen, and it would be problematic if they were doing something intimate in the room right now.

However, Yun Jianyue's injuries had suddenly worsened, and she couldn't find a solution, nor could she stop the two women from seeking help.

When the door was suddenly burst open, Yan Xuehen gasped and instinctively sat up in bed, tightly clutching the blanket to cover herself.

But how could it cover everything? Her smooth, fragrant shoulders, delicate collarbone, and skin that was once as white as snow now seemed to be flushed with a peach hue. Anyone who saw it would understand what had just transpired.

Seeing the three women rush in, her face instantly went pale. "It's over!"

Her own reputation might be ruined, but the thousands of years of White Jade Capital's esteemed reputation would be destroyed, and Chu Yan would also be ridiculed by the world.

That demoness Yun Jianyue would surely scheme to humiliate her.

Thinking of all the possible outcomes, her heart turned to ashes. She instinctively grabbed the Flying Snow Sword beside her and moved to slice it across her neck.

She couldn't think of any other way; death was her only option.

She hoped to cleanse everything with her own blood.

However, Zu'an reacted faster than her, directly snatching the sword from her hand. "Sister Yan, what are you doing?"

Yan Xuehen's beautiful eyes were now filled with despair. "Ah Zu, let me die."

Seeing her despair and brokenness at that moment, Zu'an's heart trembled. He had once thought about revealing everything to them, but now he was glad he hadn't.

"Sister Yan, you don't have to worry. They didn't see anything."

"How could they not have seen? They..." Yan Xuehen instinctively pointed at the three women who had burst in, but then her expression suddenly froze.

She noticed that Qiu Honglei and the others, who had just pushed open the door, showed no reaction whatsoever.

They remained in the exact posture of bursting through the door, feet suspended in mid-air, their hand movements and facial expressions completely frozen.

They were like three statues.

Yet, she could clearly feel that they were living people. Even the most skilled sculptors in the world couldn't carve such perfect masterpieces.

Only then did Zu'an explain: "I paused their time for that brief instant. So they are frozen in the moment they pushed the door open and didn't notice what was happening inside."

"Really?" Yan Xuehen was both surprised and overjoyed. In that instant, she finally understood what it felt like to go from hell to heaven.

"Of course it's true," Zu'an said with a smile. "Ever since I ascended to immortality in ancient times and gained control over this world, as long as I'm in this world, I am a god. I can do anything you can imagine and even things you can't. Pausing their time for a moment is nothing."

Yan Xuehen blinked, her eyes regaining their sparkle. "Are there no limitations?"

"Of course there are," Zu'an explained. "I can pause their time because they were already close to us, so the impact isn't that great. But if I were to stop time for the academy or even the entire capital, it would involve too many karmic ties, which could easily lead to chaos or even the collapse of the world."

Yan Xuehen's eyes were filled with admiration. "I can't imagine anyone who could defeat you. Even true gods must be just like this."

As a cultivator, she naturally knew how desirable such a realm was.

Zu'an shook his head slightly. "My abilities are limited to this world. If I leave this world, I won't be able to use these powers. True gods, on the other hand, can presumably wield such omnipotent power across all heavens and myriad realms."

Yan Xuehen's heart was in turmoil. She had originally intended to discuss cultivation realms with him, but the cool breeze from the doorway brushing against her skin reminded her of her current state.

Immediately, she blushed and began putting her clothes back on.

Zu'an's expression was odd. "Actually, you don't need to rush so much. Our time flows differently from theirs. Even if we... stayed a little longer, only an instant would have passed for them."

Yan Xuehen scoffed, "No!"

Although she knew the three women couldn't see them at the moment, being intimate with him in front of them would be no different from a public execution.

"Why did you suddenly go silent? Did you see something?" Yun Jianyue's voice then came from outside the room.