Chapter 533: Chapter 405: Conversation in the Stone Chamber, Spiritual Imprint (Part 2)

Chen Ping’an didn’t have to wait long on the ground. Although he heard no sound, his senses told him a figure had appeared before him.

’He’s actually not dead?’

Gu Qingchan stood before Chen Ping’an, her aura contained. The Spiritual Light at her brow flickered as she carefully sensed his condition. She was dressed in a pale blue, floor-length palace gown, and a hint of color had returned to her face, making her look radiantly beautiful.

As a Veteran Grandmaster, Gu Qingchan naturally carried Treasure Pills rich in Spiritual Energy to heal her injuries. While their full effect was uncertain, they could at least be used in an emergency. Coupled with Chen Ping’an having previously purged the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Fiend from her body, her recovery was undoubtedly several times more effective.

In such a short time, she hadn’t recovered her full combat strength, but she had regained twenty to thirty percent of her peak power. With this level of strength, she could hold her own in a fight, even against an ordinary Grandmaster.

From the moment she left the stone chamber until now, the doubts in Gu Qingchan’s heart had not been resolved. She still couldn’t figure out the identity of that stalwart, imposing man.

’Was it a coincidence that he just happened to arrive? Or was he hiding in our group, plotting this all along? Or could he have been here the whole time, and this was just a fated encounter!?’

Gu Qingchan had no solid evidence for any of these theories. Most of it was just her own subjective speculation.

Most importantly, though she had only caught a few fleeting glimpses of his back, she was certain she had never encountered anyone like him. Of course, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was in disguise.

’What a pity,’ Gu Qingchan sighed faintly, her gaze frosty. ’My Spiritual Energy was in disarray, so I couldn’t gather it in time to see his true face.’

Her clearest memories were of the battle with the gray-robed elder. He had used every technique at his disposal, eventually even manifesting the True Body of Ten Thousand Demons. After doing so, his combat power was half a step across the threshold of the Grandmaster realm, making him half a step stronger than her.

And when their battle reached that point, a difference of half a step was the difference between life and death.

’I was on the brink of utter doom...’ Gu Qingchan shuddered, recalling the scene.

Her Profound Lady Realm was shattered, the power of her Protective Divine Ice Lotus Treasure Lamp plummeted, and her Profound Ice Divine Needle was tainted by foul blood, its Spiritual Energy severely damaged...

She had originally thought that with her Profound Lady Heart Method having reached Great Success, and having performed Sacrificial Refinement on her Protective Divine Ice Lotus Treasure Lamp, she would be completely safe no matter how dangerous this siege by the Ten Thousand Demons became.

But she never expected the battle with the gray-robed elder in this underground cavern to be so perilous and intense. In the end, she fell into the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Fiend. Though she turned his plot against him and unleashed another Profound Moon Soul Slash, the Blood Fiend still entered her body, triggering the Ten Thousand Demons’ Desire and causing her to lose her senses.

The only battle comparable in danger was the fight against the Celestial Net Saintess in Beicang Town, where she had joined forces with other Grandmasters. But that battle, while incredibly perilous, involved many people, and strong reinforcements eventually arrived. In the end, it was a close call, but there was no true harm done.

This time, however, was different. She fought alone, barely holding on. If not for that... hmm, that senior’s appearance, she would have been reduced to a Ten Thousand Demon Blood Slave, plunged into endless desire.

Recalling those scenes, a flicker of unease passed through Gu Qingchan’s frosty eyes. Her consciousness had been in turmoil, but it wasn’t a complete blank. Although the scenes were hazy and chaotic, parts of the memory were perfectly preserved in her mind.

She remembered him seeming to heal her, but she...

Gu Qingchan’s starry eyes trembled slightly. Whether it was a psychological effect or something else, a strange sensation seemed to arise on her soft, moist lips.

Furthermore... Gu Qingchan’s fair, jade-like hand caressed her cheek, where a faint sensation lingered. At that time, it seemed...

Gu Qingchan didn’t let herself think any deeper. The image of that steadfast, rock-like figure surfaced in her mind once more.

Whatever his motives or schemes, the result was that he had undoubtedly saved her life. No, it was more than just saving her life. For someone as proud as her, death was preferable to becoming a Ten Thousand Demon Blood Slave, suffering endless torment and humiliation.

Gu Qingchan’s emotions were a tangled mess. No matter how she tried to push those images away, reality refused to bend to her will. And whether she was willing to admit it or not, this was a brand-new experience for her, an unprecedented and peculiar sensation.

That rock-like figure lingered in her mind, refusing to depart.

Neither Chen Ping’an nor she could have known that this situation was the result of multiple factors weaving together, a product of pure, unintentional coincidence.

Gu Qingchan’s Cultivation Technique was unique; she practiced the top-level Supreme Divine Skill, the Profound Lady Heart Method. This Heart Method was derived from the Nine Heavens Profound Lady True Scroll and followed the grand path of Spirit and Body Fusion and Life and Spirit Cultivation.

Spirit and Body Fusion is the way of the Dual Cultivator. The way of the Dual Cultivator is Yin-Yang Balance.

The unique nature of her Cultivation Technique unfortunately coincided with her Profound Lady Realm being shattered. If things had ended there, that would have been that. But then Chen Ping’an, in order to purge the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Fiend from her system, guided his Spiritual Energy into her body. The resulting spiritual entanglement left a deep imprint within her.

This was a side effect of the spiritual entanglement—a natural, spontaneous sense of affinity. It was like dreaming of an old friend and waking with a natural feeling of warmth toward them.

This affinity would have gradually faded over time, eventually returning to normal. But as fate would have it, the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Fiend had stirred her desires. This lust fused with her affinity, and when combined with the memories of the event, they became inextricably linked, carving the imprint even deeper.

The Profound Lady Heart Method, a shattered Mental Realm, spiritual entanglement, the Ten Thousand Demons’ Desire, the memory of the event... only this confluence of coincidences could have produced Gu Qingchan’s current state of mind.

This state of mind had not yet risen to the level of romantic affection, but it was an irresistible and boundless sense of affinity. For Gu Qingchan, the memories of this day were destined to be unforgettable.

A flicker of suspicion crossed Gu Qingchan’s face as she looked at the unconscious Chen Ping’an on the ground.

’Could it be him?’

The appearance of that imposing man had been strange, as if he’d materialized out of thin air. During her fierce battle with the gray-robed elder, she had confirmed there was no one else around besides Chen Ping’an. And now that everything was over, besides herself, only Chen Ping’an remained alive.

’Could it be such a coincidence?’

This naturally gave rise to her suspicions.

However, the suspicion lingered in Gu Qingchan’s mind for only a moment before she mostly dismissed it.

The gray-robed elder cultivated the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique, an incredibly powerful Protective Divine Skill. Even though he had taken her Profound Moon Soul Slash and his spirit was wounded, given his Martial Arts Realm and physical defenses, it would have been impossible to break through his guard without the strength of the Grandmaster Realm, no matter how weakened he was.

And Grandmaster Realm strength... Gu Qingchan looked deeply at Chen Ping’an, scanning him again and again with her senses, and finally dismissed the thought.

’Yes, Profound Light High Realm. No doubt about it.’

With her Martial Arts Realm, even if Chen Ping’an practiced an exceptionally profound Concealing Technique, he could not possibly escape her notice. It would be even more impossible to deceive her with Spiritual Sensing at such close range.

In that case, for him to deceive her, there were only two possibilities. One: his Martial Arts Realm had reached the Late Jade Balance Stage, allowing him to step into the Realm of Grandmaster. Two: his Martial Arts Realm had reached Jade Balance Middle Stage Perfection, and he simultaneously practiced an exceptionally profound Concealing Technique that he had mastered to an incredible degree. Only then could he possibly pull off such a grand deception and completely fool her.

And while actively using a Concealing Technique, it would be impossible to maintain the appearance of unconsciousness. There would be giveaways, at the very least.

As for...

’A Grandmaster?’

Gu Qingchan looked at Chen Ping’an’s strikingly handsome face and couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

’A Grandmaster at only twenty-two?’

’What a joke!’

’In the entire Daqian Dynasty Realm, who has ever heard of such a prodigy!? Perhaps such a person could only emerge from the Royal Bloodline, blessed as they are with the world’s fortune.’

Despite these thoughts, Gu Qingchan finally leaned forward and touched a finger to the center of Chen Ping’an’s brow.

’Hm, Profound Light High Realm. Confirmed.’

With a probe like this, even a Grandmaster wouldn’t be able to deceive her senses.

Chen Ping’an lay on the ground, waiting for a long time without hearing any movement from Gu Qingchan. Suddenly, a slender, jade-like finger, warm to the touch, pressed against the center of his brow.

’Why is she touching me? This girl...’ Chen Ping’an grumbled internally.

...

PS: Brothers, I need your advice.

For that last sentence, is it better to use the word for "touch" (摸) or "tap/point" (点)? I feel like they each create a different feeling, and I can’t decide. Which word do you all think is more fitting? I know it doesn’t change the overall story, but now that it’s on my mind, I’ll feel unsettled if I don’t get it right.

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