Chapter 759: Warmth in the Darkness

Chapter 759: Warmth in the Darkness

In the pitch-black and silent Kongjian Heidong, a bewildered voice echoed: Xuan Nü's voice.

Groping in the impenetrable darkness, she instinctively reached out her hands and grasped a pair of warm ones. The warmth from those hands instantly made her, who was shivering, feel safe.

"How does it feel on your first time in a place like this?" Ye Chen summoned the illumination spirit pearl, lighting up a radius of about three zhang.

"What exactly is this place?" Xuan Nü looked around timidly. She had never been here before, and even Ye Chen had felt some fear on his first entry. For her, the darkness and desolation here made her body tremble again, and she gripped Ye Chen's hand even tighter without realizing it.

"This is the Kongjian Heidong."

"Kongjian Heidong?" Xuan Nü suddenly turned to Ye Chen. As the Xuan Nü of Dan Cheng, she had naturally heard of it—a tomb for living beings, a deadly forbidden zone where entry meant almost certain death.

"You've been to the Kongjian Heidong before?" Xuan Nü asked tentatively as she looked at Ye Chen.

"Otherwise, how could I bring you in?"

"You actually have a way to enter the Kongjian Heidong." Xuan Nü's expression changed dramatically, giving her a whole new perspective on the young man before her. Once again, he had shattered her limits of shock. His many mysterious techniques added another layer of enigma to him.

"This was just something I had to do." Ye Chen smiled.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but cover his slightly aching left eye. This was his first time bringing a living person in, causing a severe drain on his Tongli and making his head feel dizzy. Fortunately, Ye Chen hadn't resisted when they entered, or it wouldn't have been so easy to bring Xuan Nü inside.

As for why he brought Xuan Nü in, it was to sever the connection of the life-and-death chain between her and the black-clothed person.

He had discovered on his first entry into the Kongjian Heidong that once inside, one would be completely isolated from the outside world—even the link between one's true self and clones would be cut off. If that could be severed, then the so-called life-and-death secret technique would naturally be broken as well.

His guess proved correct, and that's how he saved Xuan Nü. Otherwise, if the black-clothed person had gone mad and self-destructed, she would have perished with him on the spot.

However, the matter wasn't over yet.

Although he had used the Kongjian Heidong to cut off the connection between Xuan Nü and the black-clothed person, he still needed to refine the life-and-death chain imprint that the black-clothed person had etched into her body. Otherwise, once they went out, the connection would reestablish, and Xuan Nü would be under his control again.

Moreover, Ye Chen was certain that the black-clothed person had already self-destructed by now. If Xuan Nü went out at this moment, she would die immediately.

After stabilizing his Xianlun Eye, Ye Chen pointed a finger at Xuan Nü's forehead and used a secret technique to infuse a force into her body. He located the life-and-death chain imprint and enveloped it.

"How did you end up with my master and the others? Did Dan Cheng ask for your help?" Knowing that Ye Chen was helping her, Xuan Nü didn't resist. Instead, she bit her lip as she looked at him, and thinking about how he had touched her all over before, her cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly.

"I'm here to seek an alliance with Dan Cheng." Ye Chen didn't hide it.

"An alliance with Dan Cheng?" Xuan Nü was stunned, and after a second or two, she frowned at Ye Chen. "You know that Dan Cheng never gets involved in Da Chu's wars. My master and the others won't agree to it."

"Everything depends on human effort." Ye Chen smiled casually, and as he spoke, he glanced at his hand—Xuan Nü had been holding it tightly ever since they entered, and with considerable force.

"Um, could you let go of my hand first?" Ye Chen cleared his throat. "And not grip so hard, okay?"

Hearing this, Xuan Nü's face turned red, and she quickly released Ye Chen's hand. But soon, she grabbed onto the hem of his clothes instead, holding it very tightly, like a frightened little girl.

"I'm... I'm afraid you'll leave me here," Xuan Nü said awkwardly, her heart pounding.

"Even if I had the heart, I wouldn't have the guts!" Ye Chen was still focused on refining the imprint in Xuan Nü's body and didn't notice the change in her expression.

Next, the two fell into silence, as dead still as the Kongjian Heidong itself.

"Do you have any idea who captured you?" Knowing Xuan Nü was afraid, Ye Chen casually brought up a topic to break the quiet.

"I... I don't know." Xuan Nü shook her head lightly. "I only know that person was extremely powerful, and I'm certain he's a Lian Dan Shi."

"You're that sure?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"I have a special sense for Lian Dan Shi—no matter how well they hide, it doesn't work. It's one of my innate talents, and only my master knows about it." Xuan Nü answered honestly.

"So there's such a talent. Today really is an eye-opener," Ye Chen sighed. "But it's surprising that a Lian Dan Shi from Da Chu would dare to oppose Dan Cheng. No wonder they want the Wan Dan Bao Dian."

The two fell silent again. Ye Chen continued to help Xuan Nü refine the curse imprint, now at a critical stage.

Beside him, Xuan Nü couldn't help but bite her lip and steal glances at Ye Chen several times. His half-profile face looked so captivating under the faint glow of the pearl, making her eyes hazy and lost in thought.

In that moment, a strange feeling arose in her heart—she wished time could slow down. Although this place was silent, such a scene of the two of them alone might never happen again. Her greed brought a self-mocking smile to her lips. Perhaps her pride from the past had doomed this heavenly pride to miss out on a potential romance.

We're out!

As Xuan Nü was lost in her thoughts, Ye Chen had already withdrawn his hand, using the Xianlun Tiandao to turn and lead her out.

Vaguely, as they escaped the Kongjian Heidong, a hint of loss showed on her face. Just as she had thought, such a brief moment alone together might never come again in this lifetime.

"They're not here." Ye Chen scanned the mountain peak but saw no sign of Dan Chen and the others, nor the black-clothed person.

Boom!

No sooner had he spoken than a rumbling sound came from one direction, making him abruptly turn his gaze that way.

"A battle has started?" Ye Chen sent a transmission to his Xianhuo Daoshen and Tianlei Daoshen while rushing toward that direction with Xuan Nü.

"Boss, this old guy is no joke—he's incredibly strong! The eleven of us are getting beaten badly." The Xianhuo Daoshen used divine sense to form words and transmit them to Ye Chen.

"That tough, huh?" Ye Chen furrowed his brow and increased his speed, muttering to himself, "Counting the Xianhuo Daoshen and Tianlei Daoshen, that's almost ten Quasi-Tianjing experts. Da Chu has such a formidable Lian Dan Shi? I've never heard of him before."