Yan Ruyu had heard a little about Ye Chen. Beyond his own widespread reputation, there were also matters involving the Little Peacock King and Yan Wenwen. Little Peacock King—being her nephew—had provoked Ye Chen. While everyone else who crossed him died, only he had been spared and set free.

As for Yan Wenwen, she seemed to have been drawn to Ye Chen as well. Rumors said something had happened between them. Lately, whenever she occasionally contacted Yan Ruyu, she would always speak well of Ye Chen.

But even knowing all this, Yan Ruyu remained indifferent. In her eyes, Ye Chen was simply another man moved by lust. Such people were countless in the cultivation world. Too many Dao companions swore eternal oaths, vowing to lay down their lives for each other.

Yet when a truly priceless treasure appeared, husbands killing wives and wives killing husbands were far from rare. And when danger struck, far more fled to save only themselves. Men simply could not be relied upon. They were not worth her attention.

For her, nothing mattered more than cultivation and strength. Yet she never expected that after learning the Celestial Prince was coming for her, Ye Chen would rush over immediately to stand in his way.

Recalling the powerful figure that had charged toward the sixth realm just as she was leaving, a faint ripple of surprise stirred in Yan Ruyu's otherwise still heart. He had actually been willing to go this far for her?

But the ripple was only momentary—her composure returned almost at once. Since the Celestial Prince's incarnation had already been counter-killed, there was no longer any need to wait.

Yan Ruyu rose calmly and walked deeper into the seventh realm.

…

Inside the Heavenly Emperor Hall, Yan Qingcheng had finished stabilizing her cultivation and had just emerged from seclusion. She discovered that both her father and Ye Chen were gone. When she asked others in the palace, everyone had clearly been instructed in advance not to tell her that Ye Chen had gone to the Immortal Path to confront the Celestial Prince.

The situation immediately filled her with anxiety. Could her father have refused to share the Origin Pool with Ye Chen during her seclusion and driven him away?

That was too much. Ye Chen was so good—how could her father treat him this way?

Just as Yan Qingcheng stormed off in fury, determined to head to the Great Yan Continent and find Ye Chen herself, the palace doors suddenly swung open. Her father and Ye Chen appeared together.

She spared her father only a glance. But Ye Chen…

Though the blood had been washed from his black hair and his torn Daoist robe replaced with a new one, his aura remained listless, his lips pale. The signs of grave injury were unmistakable.

What exactly had her father done to Ye Chen while she was in seclusion?

Yan Qingcheng felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Disbelief, disappointment, and rage flooded her face.

"Father, how could you treat Ye Chen like this? From beginning to end, Ye Chen has never done anything wrong to our Heavenly Emperor Hall. And you? You targeted him, forced him to become a false Heir, tried to drive him away—and now you've even attacked him!

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"You're a Great Emperor! He's only in the early Saint realm! Ye Chen has shown me kindness, yet you treat him this way. Have you ever considered how I feel? I want to sever—"

Though the golden-robed elder had already changed his opinion of Ye Chen, seeing his daughter so furious and wronged still made his heart ache. He hurriedly spoke up to stop her. Otherwise, he feared she might actually say the words that would break their bond.

"It wasn't me who attacked him. It was the Celestial Prince… But this matter…"

As he spoke, his voice grew weaker, lacking conviction. After all, he was the one who had urged Ye Chen to go.

The Celestial Prince?

Yan Qingcheng's pupils contracted sharply. Hadn't the Celestial Prince still not emerged? How had Ye Chen suddenly clashed with him?

The golden-robed elder had no idea how to explain.

Ye Chen gave a faint smile and spoke up readily.

"It wasn't his true body—only an incarnation, nothing too formidable. I heard he used the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal as his vessel. That's the supreme treasure for breaking through to Saint King. So I couldn't resist. I went straight to fight him. In the end, I killed the incarnation and took the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal!"

The golden-robed elder's gaze toward Ye Chen grew even warmer, filled with closeness.

Yan Qingcheng, however, frowned slightly.

Ye Chen spoke lightly. But the fact that he had returned wounded—his constitution and talent unable to heal quickly—showed just how perilous the battle had been. After all, this was the Celestial Prince. Even a mere wisp of incarnation was no ordinary foe. Still, since he had gone for the opportunity, there was nothing more to say.

Yan Qingcheng offered a congratulatory smile.

"With the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal, you can condense a divine-grade Heavenly Heart Imprint. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Ye! Our Heavenly Emperor Hall has many sacred healing medicines. What do you need?"

Ye Chen shook his head.

"Mutual joy! As for sacred medicines, there's no need. I have the Healing Secret with me—I can recover slowly…"

Mutual joy?

Yan Qingcheng paused, puzzled. Then she saw Ye Chen raise his hand. A crystal appeared in his palm—shimmering with soft fluorescence, radiant and profoundly mysterious, jade-like in texture yet even more translucent.

A thin crack ran through its center. The sight was almost heartbreaking. This was unmistakably the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal. But what did Ye Chen mean by this?

As surprise flickered across her face, Ye Chen spoke with a trace of regret.

"This Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal—I went through all that trouble specifically for you, Fairy Yan. It's a pity there's a crack now. The quality has been affected."

With those words, the crystal floated gently toward Yan Qingcheng. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was illuminated by its glow, making her look even more otherworldly. Yet her eyes were filled with shock.

Ye Chen had risked his life to fight the Celestial Prince and seize the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal. That much she could understand. Many cultivators would brave mortal danger for such an opportunity. It was perfectly normal in the cultivation world.

But she had never imagined that after taking such a tremendous risk, he hadn't done it for himself. He had done it for her.

This…

Gazing at Ye Chen's face—so gentle, so smiling— The usually composed and magnanimous Yan Qingcheng fell completely silent for the first time. She didn't know what to say. Her first instinct was to refuse. The treasure was far too precious.

Moreover, Ye Chen was at the same cultivation level as her. He, too, would need the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal to break through to Saint King. The more she thought about it, the more priceless his gesture became.

"Fairy Yan, please don't refuse me. You know my temperament—once I give a gift, I never take it back. Besides, I fought the Celestial Prince precisely to obtain this Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal for you. If you refuse, I'll be heartbroken…"

Ye Chen had seen through her thoughts and spoke first, gently but firmly sealing her protest. The words she wanted to say caught in her throat. Her beautiful eyes grew increasingly complicated with emotion.

Beside them, the golden-robed elder no longer harbored the slightest wariness. Instead, he watched Ye Chen with open admiration. It was the look one might give a son-in-law—more satisfied with every passing second.

In the end, after a long silence, Yan Qingcheng finally nodded.

"Since this is Fellow Daoist Ye's sincere intention, of course, I won't refuse… I truly like your gift… At the same time, I also have a gift I'd like to give you…"

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