Watching Chu Chen walk into the Empress's Imperial Palace, a moving and earth-shattering love story began to unfold.

And it was she, Zhang Ke'er, who had personally set it in motion.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ke'er could not help but feel smug, immensely proud of her own wit and brilliance.

But as time trickled by, Zhang Ke'er began to panic.

Was what she did really right?

An hour later.

Staring at the still tightly closed palace gates, the smile on Zhang Ke'er's face completely vanished.

What exactly were Chu Chen and her Master doing inside? Doing what?!

Two hours later, Zhang Ke'er was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth before the palace entrance with a face full of worry.

What was going on? What was going on?!

Didn't the illustrated books say that the first time was supposed to be short? Then why... why...

Three hours later, Zhang Ke'er was so anxious she drew her sword, rushing to the palace gates several times.

She wanted to kick the doors open, grab Chu Chen by the collar, and drag that lecherous bastard out...

But she feared offending her Master and causing the Empress to lose face.

A whole night had passed.

Inside the Imperial Palace, what... what exactly had happened?

Heavens?!

Could that heartless Chu Chen have truly taken advantage of her Master's Secluded Cultivation to... to...

Because her Master had stripped away the God Phoenix Feather, her realm had dropped and her aura was unstable. During her Secluded Cultivation, she would not even be able to resist.

Although Chu Chen was a mere mortal, he had the lust and the gall to take advantage of her vulnerability. If he forced the issue and cooked the rice until it was done, then...

Sob, it was Zhang Ke'er who had let Chu Chen in, and she had done it willingly.

If her Master blamed her, then...

Who could she possibly reason with?!

Unconsciously, the sky began to show the pale light of dawn.

Then, golden sunlight bathed the entire Divine Flame Imperial Palace, coating the magnificent and majestic Empress's palace in a layer of pale gold, making it shine brilliantly.

Zhang Ke'er, sporting dark circles under her eyes, sighed quietly. She sheathed her long sword, looking as if her soul had been drained.

A whole night had passed. If something was going to happen, it would have already happened by now.

What use would it be to rush into the Empress's palace now?

Creak-

Just as Zhang Ke'er was lost in thought, the palace gates that had been tightly shut all night were suddenly pushed open from the inside. Chu Chen's familiar figure stepped out.

Zhang Ke'er's delicate body trembled. Her dazed eyes instantly snapped back to focus, brimming with energy.

But just as Zhang Ke'er was about to rush over, she suddenly noticed that Chu Chen's walking pos... posture was a bit strange.

He was holding his waist with one hand and supporting himself against the wall with the other, slowly walking toward her step by step.

He would walk for a while, then stop, his face full of exhaustion.

This... wasn't this the legendary...

Emerging while supporting the wall!

Chu Chen's handsome face was now pale without a trace of blood. What was even more exaggerated was that after just a few steps, he was already panting heavily from exhaustion.

This... why did Chu Chen look like the victim here?

Was her Master really that fierce?!

She had originally planned to give Chu Chen a good scolding once he came out.

Who told this man to act weak and innocent in front of her, making her let her guard down and willingly let him into the Empress's Imperial Palace?

But now, seeing Chu Chen's weak, exhausted, and drained body, Zhang Ke'er actually... actually felt a sense of guilt, a deep sense of remorse welling up in her heart.

Hadn't her Master said that men were like terrifying floods and savage beasts?

But now it seemed that her Master was even more terrifying than the floods and beasts themselves...

"Chu Chen, are... are you okay?"

Looking at Chu Chen, who was swaying as he walked up to her, Zhang Ke'er spoke while pulling various Pills to restore strength from her Storage Ring, handing them over.

There were Great Strength Pills, Giant Deer Pills, Snow Ginseng Pills, Deer Antler Tonic Pills...

Chu Chen was slightly stunned. Why was this girl being so polite?

And also, why did a young girl have so many tonic Pills stored in her Storage Ring?!

But whatever, he had lost a lot of blood and needed a good tonic.

To help the Empress restore her cultivation and make up for the damage caused by stripping the God Phoenix Feather, Chu Chen had gone all out last night, feeding nearly half of his Chaos Blood to the Empress.

He had not expected the Undying God Phoenix Physique to be so terrifying, drinking so much of his Chaos Blood.

If he had not eaten the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit from Palace Master Bai Yu earlier, breaking through to the Tenth Layer of Qi Gathering, losing half of his Chaos Blood at once would have left him bedridden for at least a month.

The world was truly wondrous. Who would have thought that Bai Yu, his love rival, would inadvertently help Chu Chen out in such a big way through a Fated Chance?

If Palace Master Bai Yu knew that the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit she had given to the Empress was eaten by Chu Chen, she would probably be so angry that she'd vomit several bowls of blood.

Under Zhang Ke'er's pained gaze, Chu Chen took the tonic Pills, swallowed them in one gulp, and refined them slightly. His complexion quickly became much rosier.

"Chu Chen, my Master, she..."

As she spoke, Zhang Ke'er looked toward the tightly closed palace gates, wanting to go in and check on the Empress's condition.

After all, it was the first time for both of them. If Chu Chen was this exhausted, her Master should probably... be in a similar state, right?

"Wait, your Master hasn't woken up yet."

Seeing Zhang Ke'er about to enter the Imperial Palace, Chu Chen instinctively reached out and stopped her.

"Don't go in for now. Let the Empress... rest a bit more."

The Chaos Blood had helped the Empress restore her cultivation. Logically, she should have been able to come out of Secluded Cultivation long ago.

But at the critical moment, that drop of God Phoenix Essence Blood merged into the Empress's body, giving her another opportunity for a breakthrough.

For the Empress, Lin Shuwang, stripping the God Phoenix Feather had not only caused no loss but had instead become a Fated Chance.

A breakthrough could not be disturbed, so Chu Chen stopped Zhang Ke'er.

"Oh, okay... okay..."

Zhang Ke'er did not think twice and immediately did as Chu Chen said.

After all, in her heart, Chu Chen was her Master's man.

If even her Master listened to Chu Chen, then what about her, the disciple...

He, Chu Chen, could spend the night in the Empress's bedchamber and share a bed with Her Majesty the Empress...

Could he be an ordinary person?!

This left the two female disciples behind them so shocked that their mouths hung open, and they began to speculate about Chu Chen's identity.

Everyone knew that Zhang Ke'er was a willful and capricious person, fearless of heaven and earth, even daring to confront Palace Master Bai Yu, a Saint King realm powerhouse.

In the entire Divine Flame Imperial Palace, aside from her Master, when had anyone ever seen Zhang Ke'er be so obedient to anyone?

Let alone...

Let alone the fact that Chu Chen was a mere mortal with no cultivation...

Wait!!

Not only were the two female disciples shocked, staring wide-eyed at Chu Chen, but even Zhang Ke'er, whose mind was buzzing, exclaimed:

"Chu... Chu Chen, your... your cultivation..."

"Tenth Layer of Qi Gathering? How is that possible?!"

"Before you entered the Imperial Palace last night, you were clearly a mortal with no cultivation. In just one night, how could you have broken through ten realms and reached the peak of Qi Gathering? You're only... only one step away from the Essence Condensation Realm!!"

It was not surprising that Zhang Ke'er exclaimed in shock. Chu Chen's cultivation speed was simply too fast! Too heaven-defying! Too illogical!

Even if Chu Chen possessed a Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root, let alone a top-grade full-attribute spiritual root-which was a once-in-a-million-years occurrence in the entire Desolate Ancient Continent-it still would not allow for such a heaven-defying cultivation speed.

Even the equally monstrous Empress, Lin Shuwang, could not do it.

"Co... could it be that you've been hiding your cultivation all along?"

One of the female disciples spoke up. This was the only possibility she could think of.

"Impossible. I heard that yesterday, after Senior Brother Chu tested his Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root on the Awakening Spirit Jade Pillar, it caused the five sub-palace masters of our Divine Flame Imperial Palace to appear, all vying to take him as their disciple."

"Those five palace masters are all Saint King realm powerhouses. If Senior Brother Chu Chen had been hiding his cultivation, how could he have fooled them?"

"Senior Brother Chu Chen, please tell us. Breaking through ten realms in one night, how exactly did you cultivate?"

Both female disciples were at the Heaven Opening realm, and Zhang Ke'er was at the Spirit Communication Realm. Even if Chu Chen had broken through, he was still at the lowest Qi Gathering realm.

In the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, seniority was determined by strength and the order of becoming a Novice, with strength taking precedence.

Yet, these two female disciples were calling Chu Chen "Senior Brother" with great familiarity.

Chu Chen frowned. He... really could not explain this.

He could not exactly say that he had eaten the Earth Core Fire Spirit Fruit that Palace Master Bai Yu had given to the Empress, and then used the ultimate imperial weapon, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, to devour the excess fire-type spiritual power.

But these two female disciples were blinking their big eyes, looking at Chu Chen with full expectation, acting cute and sending electric glances.

If he did not say something, they would think he was being secretive, and he could not bear to see that.

"You... don't ask anymore!"

Just as Chu Chen did not know what to do, Zhang Ke'er, who was beside him, suddenly blushed and stammered:

"You're still young. You don't know that there is a... a technique in this world. After a man and a woman engage in dual... dual cultivation, it can help both parties' cultivation advance by leaps and bounds..."

Swoosh!

Swoosh!!

As soon as Zhang Ke'er finished speaking, the two female disciples' faces flushed red. Without waiting for Chu Chen to explain, they turned around and ran away shyly.

"You..."

Chu Chen pointed at the instigator, Zhang Ke'er, wanting to say something but stopping.

"What nonsense is this? You little girl, where did you learn all this?"

Zhang Ke'er stuck out her tongue and said guiltily:

"I... I read it in an illustrated book..."

"Where did you get that illustrated book? You're still young. You can't read such unhealthy things!"

Afraid that Zhang Ke'er would be led astray, Chu Chen even threatened:

"Be careful, or I'll tell your Master!"

"The illustrated book was... was lent to me by my Master..."

"..."

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Chu Chen stretched lazily, then walked toward the central palace of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, facing the morning glow.

He was now a Pro-disciple of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace. His status and position were so exalted that, throughout the entire central palace, he was second only to one person and above ten thousand others.

If that cheap Master, Qi Lao'er, died in the Heavenly Demon Gorge, then the phrase "second only to one person" could be removed, and he, Chu Chen, would become the master of the central palace.

Naturally, he walked with a spring in his step, feeling incredibly arrogant.

"According to what Master said yesterday, he would allocate a mountain peak in the central palace for me to establish my dojo, and he would also bestow upon me thousands of servants and maids to take care of my daily needs."

He, Chu Chen, was not a materialistic man. There were some things he could do without, but they still had to be offered.

"Well, the dojo doesn't matter, and the servants don't matter either. The key is the maids..."

Swoosh!

Swoosh!!

Two arrows streaked through the air, heading straight for Chu Chen's heart and throat.

Chu Chen was walking through the forest when he was suddenly ambushed, but with his years of combat experience, he remained calm in the face of danger.

He kicked off a thick tree branch, forcing his body to dodge to the right, avoiding one arrow. At the same time, he drew his long sword and slashed down the other arrow.

The crisis was averted.

Thump!

The moment his body hit the ground, before he could even catch his breath, a five-pointed star rose. A Formation was instantly activated, trapping Chu Chen's body in an instant.

A trap within a trap, one link after another.

As Chu Chen's body was trapped by the Formation, three figures emerged from the dense forest, step by step, pressing forward...

The fierce Killing Intent startled even the birds in the forest, causing them to flee in panic.

That mountain peak with thousands of servants and maids...

How should he put it? In this central palace of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, he, Chu Chen, was second only to one person and above ten thousand others...