"Creak-"

As soon as the heavy gates of the Imperial Palace closed, two female disciples who had been hiding in the shadows rushed out in a flurry.

They gathered around Saintess Zhang Ke'er, chattering incessantly, their faces filled with absolute disbelief.

"Saintess, you... how could you let him in?"

"Isn't the Empress in Secluded Cultivation? Isn't it forbidden to disturb her?"

"You even turned away Palace Master Bai Yu, so why did you let... let him enter the Imperial Palace?"

"Who exactly is he? Why have I never seen him in the Divine Flame Imperial Palace before?"

...

Earlier, when Bai Yu was present, these two female disciples had been so frightened they hid themselves away.

Zhang Ke'er was the Saintess and the Empress's sole beloved disciple. She had the strength and courage to stand firm against a Saint King realm expert, but they certainly did not.

"That's right, that's right, Ke'er, tell us quickly~"

"That brat has no cultivation at all. There isn't a trace of spiritual energy in his body-he's just an ordinary mortal."

"You let him in. What if the Empress blames us later?"

...

These two female disciples usually shared a good relationship with Zhang Ke'er; otherwise, they would never dare speak to her like this.

Although Zhang Ke'er was rigid, stubborn, single-minded, and often had a poor attitude...

That was only toward those palace masters harboring ill intentions who tried to approach the Empress. Toward ordinary disciples, Zhang Ke'er was extremely kind.

Moreover, she put on no airs as a Saintess and was quite popular among the disciples.

"Hmph~ Don't worry."

"By letting him in, not only will Master not blame me, but on the contrary..."

Zhang Ke'er's pretty face flushed red. Seeing the curious female disciples crowding closer, she quickly changed her tune:

"Oh, why are you asking so many questions?"

"The more you know, the more dangerous it is. Anyway, I won't tell you-I won't say a word~"

Until she received her Master's approval, Zhang Ke'er's lips would remain tightly sealed.

The Imperial Palace was also where the Empress's bedchamber was located. The Empress, Lin Shuwang, spent most of her daily life and Secluded Cultivation within these walls.

For such a private place, Zhang Ke'er had unconditionally let Chu Chen in-naturally, she had the confidence to do so.

Although her Master hadn't said it outright, and had even vehemently denied it...

As her beloved disciple, Zhang Ke'er had immediately sensed that her Master's mortal heart had been moved~

Though she didn't know how Chu Chen had confessed to her Master, her Master had not hesitated to strip away the God Phoenix Feather. She was even willing to let her own cultivation drop, all to help Chu Chen rebuild his path of cultivation and heal his Dao injuries.

She had even risked her very life.

Could such feelings possibly be shallow?

Although her Master had repeatedly instructed her not to tell Chu Chen about these matters, leaving it entirely up to him whether to stay or leave...

Zhang Ke'er wasn't stupid. If she kept such things hidden, then... wouldn't that be a terrible loss!

Clearly risking her life for him, yet refusing to say a word. Her Master, usually so clever and sharp, became utterly muddled when it came to matters of the heart.

If the Master was muddled, the disciple couldn't afford to be muddled as well.

Zhang Ke'er could see the mutual affection between them. Naturally, she had to be a good assistant, creating opportunities for them to meet and properly matchmake them.

This was why, before Chu Chen could even speak, Zhang Ke'er had directly let him in.

Master must also really want to see him, right~

Zhang Ke'er sighed softly, looking at the full moon above with a face full of playful resentment.

"You swore to remain single for ten thousand years, yet Master, you're the first to have your mortal heart moved, hmph~"

"And you told me that men are like floods and savage beasts, entirely useless for cultivation. I think Master, you..."

...

Inside the Imperial Palace, within the grand hall.

The Empress, Lin Shuwang, dressed in a white gown as pure as snow, sat cross-legged in the void. Her eyes were tightly shut, her features fresh and elegant.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, an incomparable existence.

"Chomp~ chomp~"

Chu Chen walked over to the Empress, holding the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit in his hand, taking large bites and chewing loudly.

Truth be told, the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit tasted quite good-sweet and sour, bursting with juice.

With each bite, his taste buds were greatly satisfied. Meanwhile, the rich fire-attribute spiritual energy flowed down his throat directly into his internal organs, then surged through his Meridians, traveling through his limbs and bones, filling his entire body.

"When a Saint King realm expert makes a move, indeed..."

"It's extraordinary!"

Chu Chen's entire body flushed crimson, and steam billowed directly from the top of his head. The medicinal power of this Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit was far too potent; the spiritual energy absorbed into his body simply couldn't be refined in time.

After all, Bai Yu was the Palace Master of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, a Saint King realm expert. Since this gift was meant for the Empress Lin Shuwang, it naturally wouldn't be anything ordinary.

"I reckon this Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit is at least an Earth Grade High Grade spiritual object. Though it can't compare to an Immortal Medicine, the spiritual energy and life force it contains are still extremely vast."

Spiritual objects and Pills on the Desolate Ancient Continent were divided into six major grades:

Mortal Grade, Spirit Grade, Yellow Grade, Profound Grade, Earth Grade, and Heaven Grade!

Each grade was further divided into High, Middle, and Low tiers, and above the Heaven Grade were the legendary Immortal Medicines.

This Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit was an Earth Grade Middle tier treasure. Even for a Saint King realm expert, it wasn't something casually brought out.

Its preciousness was thus evident.

Boom!

As soon as Chu Chen swallowed the entire Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit, the berserk fire-attribute spiritual energy instantly filled his Top Grade Fire Spirit Root. The crimson spiritual energy then surged through his Meridians, flowing into his limbs and bones.

Chu Chen had no intention of cultivating, but such vast spiritual energy directly forced him to break through, instantly reaching the Qi Gathering realm.

From an ordinary mortal, he transformed into a cultivator in the blink of an eye.

He thought that stepping onto the path of cultivation would be the end of it, but the medicinal power within his body had hardly diminished. With every step Chu Chen took, his aura surged.

Step!

With one step, he broke through to the Second Layer of Qi Gathering!

Step!

With another step, he broke through to the Third Layer of Qi Gathering!

Step, step!

...

He was only ten steps away from the Empress Lin Shuwang. By the time Chu Chen reached her, his aura was like a beacon of smoke, soaring straight into the sky.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

With successive breakthroughs, Chu Chen had already reached the Tenth Layer of Qi Gathering.

But even though he had broken through ten minor realms in an instant, the medicinal power of the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit had only been consumed by ten or twenty percent. The remaining medicinal power still filled the Meridians throughout his body, burning Chu Chen's skin completely red, threatening to make his body explode.

"Not good, the medicinal power is too vast. This body of mine simply can't digest it."

"I can't keep breaking through either; the next breakthrough would be the Essence Condensation Realm!"

Chu Chen possessed a Top Grade All-Attribute Spirit Root. Currently, only his Top Grade Fire Spirit Root had absorbed enough fire-attribute spiritual energy. As for the others, like the Top Grade Water Spirit Root, Top Grade Metal Spirit Root...

None had absorbed enough spiritual energy of their corresponding attributes to reach a state of fullness. Breaking through now would be a terrible waste of his talent as the number one cultivation genius of the Desolate Ancient Continent.

But if he didn't digest this berserk fire-attribute spiritual energy, there was a real danger of his body exploding.

So, would Chu Chen choose to recklessly break through, or choose to die from an explosion?

Chu Chen, of course...

Chose neither!!

"Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, swallow for me!"

As soon as he spoke, Chu Chen used his own spiritual energy to awaken the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon within his body.

He had already broken through to the Tenth Layer of Qi Gathering. Although he hadn't fully refined the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, he now possessed spiritual energy, so naturally, he could mobilize it slightly.

Boom!!

Under Chu Chen's control, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar erupted with a terrifying devouring force, instantly swallowing all the excess fire-attribute spiritual energy in Chu Chen's body into its depths.

Then, without any need for Chu Chen's control, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar acted as if it possessed its own intelligence. It automatically refined the swallowed fire-attribute spiritual energy into crimson fire Pills.

Counting them, there were a full ten of these crimson fire Pills.

When breaking through in the future, he would only need to refine these fire Pills, ensuring not a single trace of energy was wasted.

Who would have thought that the berserk, violent fire-attribute spiritual energy rampaging through Chu Chen's body would become so obedient and docile once inside the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar? It didn't even resist when being refined into fire Pills.

"Phew~"

Chu Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After the crisis was resolved, he quickly severed all connection with the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar within his body.

Glancing around the grand, empty hall, Chu Chen felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

Especially when he was manipulating the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, the feeling of being watched was even more pronounced.

It truly felt like...

Thorns on his back, a fishbone in his throat, sitting on pins and needles!

Fortunately, he hadn't fully awakened the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar; otherwise, Chu Chen could sense that something disastrous would happen!!

Scanning the Imperial Palace, he found no one else besides the Empress. But the more this was the case, the more mysterious the Divine Flame Imperial Palace became in Chu Chen's eyes, filling him with deep caution.

He gathered his mind and discarded his distracting thoughts.

Looking at the Empress Lin Shuwang before him-her eyes tightly shut, her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, her peerlessly beautiful face occasionally revealing a trace of pain and struggle-Chu Chen felt a pang of heartache.

Without time to think further, it was time to get down to business!

Chu Chen stepped forward, retrieved a dagger from his Storage Ring, and waved his hand.

Swish!

A cold light flashed.

The sharp dagger instantly sliced across Chu Chen's left wrist, and crimson blood spurted out.

Chu Chen pressed the wound on his wrist against the Empress's bright red lips, then curled his finger. Under the guidance of his spiritual energy, the blood flowed through her vermilion lips and into her mouth...

The world only knew that three years ago, Chu Chen had fought the Empress, resulting in his Chaos God Physique shattering and his cultivation being crippled, reducing him to a useless mortal.

But no one knew that the Chaos God Physique, hailed as the number one divine physique of the Desolate Ancient Continent, retained its value even when shattered and crippled. Its Chaos Qi would dissolve into the blood, transforming it into a peerless divine medicine of the age.

During these three years in the Ye family, Chu Chen knew his time was short. He hadn't hesitated to use his own blood to refine Chaos Blood Pills, giving them to his father Ye Ding, his seven older sisters, and Ye Xuan to help them improve their cultivation.

This was the deepest secret buried in Chu Chen's heart, never revealed to anyone!

But they...

Not only were they ungrateful, but they also constantly mocked him and rolled their eyes at him.

Fortunately, having been reborn, Chu Chen had long since severed those so-called familial bonds and karmic ties.

In this life, he would live only for himself and for the one he loved!

As the Chaos Blood continuously flowed into the Empress Lin Shuwang's body, her originally weak and feeble aura underwent an earth-shattering transformation in an instant.

Her cultivation, which had fallen to the Fourth Layer of the Great Saint realm, surged once again!

Fifth Layer of the Great Saint!

Sixth Layer of the Great Saint!

Seventh Layer of the Great Saint!

...

In an instant, the Empress Lin Shuwang's realm recovered to the Eighth Layer of the Great Saint, returning to her peak state.

The cultivation realm that had fallen was restored in the blink of an eye.

It was as if it were all a dream.

Even more terrifying was that as the Chaos Blood dissolved into the Empress Lin Shuwang's body, the drop of God Phoenix Essence Blood stored in her Storage Ring began to resonate.

"Chirp chirp~"

With the clear, resonant cry of a divine phoenix echoing through the hall, the drop of God Phoenix Essence Blood wrapped in flames directly transformed into a fire-bathed divine phoenix, flapping its wings and flying straight into the Empress Lin Shuwang's brow.

Boom!!

Under the combined effect of the Chaos Blood and the God Phoenix Essence Blood, the Empress Lin Shuwang, who had already recovered to the Eighth Layer of the Great Saint, faintly showed signs of another breakthrough!

Who would have thought that the Empress, despite losing the God Phoenix Feather, would not only avoid a decline in cultivation but would become even more terrifying!!

Bang!!

But just as the Empress Lin Shuwang was breaking through, Chu Chen, due to excessive blood loss, collapsed headfirst into...

The Empress Lin Shuwang's arms, falling completely unconscious.

At the same time, seeing that dawn was about to break and Chu Chen still hadn't come out of the Imperial Palace...

Saintess Zhang Ke'er, guarding the palace gates, stamped her feet in anxiety...