Su Yan’s heart hammered against her ribs so hard she thought it would burst. She clutched the sheets to her neck with trembling fingers, her cheeks flushed an agonizing crimson in the dark.
Before she could calm her erratic breath, the brass lock clicked, and the wooden door swung open with a quiet creak.
Gu Chen stepped into the room, his tall frame outlined against the dim moonlight filtering through the window shutters. His violet eyes gleamed with dark, predatory amusement as he scanned her disheveled, trembling form beneath the blanket.
"Y-You... why didn't you stay in your own room?" Su Yan stammered, pulling the silk blanket tighter. She tried desperately to summon her usual aristocratic pride, but her breathless voice and glazed ruby eyes betrayed her completely.
"Because your core was making too much noise," Gu Chen replied smoothly, strolling over to the bedside. He casually unclasped his dark outer coat, tossing it over a wooden chair. "Did you really think you could suppress the residual Sun-Phoenix fire on your own?"
"I... I was fine!" she lied weakly, turning her face away to hide her burning blush.
"Is that why you were whimpering in frustration?" Gu Chen chuckled softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress.
Before Su Yan could hurl an embarrassed insult, Gu Chen reached out, wrapping his cool fingers firmly around her wrist. The moment his icy demonic Qi touched her pulse point, a sharp, breathless gasp escaped her lips. The chaotic, burning heat tumbling through her meridians instantly quieted, latching onto his soothing aura like a starving traveler reaching water.
Gu Chen pulled her up into his lap, untangling the blanket as he seated her cross-legged facing him. Without another word, he pressed his palm over her lower dantian, interlocking their fingers to initiate the Abyssal Dual-Refining Method.
As their energetic circuit connected, Gu Chen analyzed the flow of spiritual power inside her body.
Unlike their first encounter in the cave, there was no massive, explosive surge of raw Sun-Phoenix energy waiting to break his cultivation limits. Her initial, decades-long buildup had already been thoroughly purged and absorbed to push him straight to the 9th Stage of Qi Refining Peak.
As expected, Gu Chen thought, his violet eyes narrowing in dark calculation as their energies swirled together in a harmonious current of golden fire and icy purple mist. The initial burst is over. Simple dual refining now will only yield minor Qi improvements for me.
Gu Chen didn't mind. A Sovereign understood long-term investment.
Instead of forcibly draining her, Gu Chen manipulated his dark Qi to weave an invisible spatial seal , a Demonic Cauldron Seed, deep within Su Yan’s central core.
This seed acted as a spiritual valve. It allowed her body to continuously generate and compress Sun-Phoenix fire without causing lethal internal flare-ups, effectively turning Su Yan into a living furnace. Over time, her body would naturally produce highly concentrated, purer Sun-Phoenix essence, growing a rich, celestial fruit that Gu Chen could periodically harvest whenever he needed a breakthrough.
For Gu Chen, this session provided no immediate stage jump, he remained at the 9th Stage of Qi Refining Peak, but it vastly purified his current Qi, deepening his foundation until it was solid as an iron mountain.
For Su Yan, it was pure bliss. The gentle, steady exchange smoothed her meridians, lulling her mind into a deep, peaceful trance.
Golden morning sunlight peeked through the window shutters, bathing the quiet inn room in warm light.
Su Yan stirred from her sleep, feeling an extraordinary warmth and security wrapping around her frame. She blinked her ruby eyes open, realizing her face was buried snugly against Gu Chen’s collarbone, her arm resting over his chest while his dark arm remained securely wrapped around her waist under the heavy blanket.
Her face flared crimson instantly. She tried to pull back, but Gu Chen’s grip tightened casually, keeping her flush against his chest.
Gu Chen looked down at her, his dark eyelashes lifting to reveal his amused violet eyes.
"Slept well, beauty?" Gu Chen teased softly, his deep voice purring right beside her ear. "You didn't struggle half as much as you did last night."
Su Yan bit her lower lip, hiding her face in the blanket to conceal her burning cheeks. "Let go of me, you demon... Someone might see."
"Let them," Gu Chen smirked, though he lazily unclasped his arm, allowing her to sit up and pull her white silk robes around her shoulders.
As she straightened her messy crimson hair, Gu Chen leaned back against the headboard, his gaze cool and probing. "Speaking of your sect... what technique do you actually practice? Your Sun-Phoenix fire lacks proper balance."
Su Yan paused, adjusting her gold phoenix hairpin as a flicker of pride returned to her eyes. "I cultivate the Lotus-Phoenix Flame Sutra—a top-tier Heaven-Grade manual belonging strictly to Lotus-Phoenix Peak. It focuses on refining pure, destructive Fire Qi into celestial Phoenix flames."
Gu Chen let out a soft, dismissive hum. "Heaven-Grade? In this lower realm, perhaps. But its design is flawed. It forces the practitioner to absorb pure Yang fire without a Yin counterweight, which is why your physique almost incinerated you."
Su Yan flinched at his sharp critique, but she couldn't deny his words. "My Master, Supreme Elder Meng Yue, practices an even higher variation, the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. She has been stuck at the peak of the Core Formation Realm for three years because of similar meridian blockages. That is why she sent me out to search for an ancient solution..."
Su Yan looked at Gu Chen, her ruby eyes glowing with a sudden, intense light. "If you can help my Master resolve her bottleneck too... she will grant you whatever you desire in the Sun-Moon Sect!"
Gu Chen’s eyes gleamed with cold amusement. A female Supreme Elder at the peak of Core Formation experiencing meridian fire blockages? Another prime furnace waiting to be claimed.
"We shall see," Gu Chen replied smoothly, rising from the bed to gather his dark robes. "Let's eat first."
An hour later, Gu Chen and Su Yan walked down the wooden staircase into the inn's main dining hall.
The lower floor of the Border-Rest Inn was packed and rowdy. Traveling merchants, scar-faced mercenary squads, and rogue cultivators sat around wooden tables, eating spirit meat and downing cheap wine.
Gu Chen and Su Yan took a quiet table in the corner. As a young, attentive waitress brought over a teapot of steaming jasmine tea and roasted spirit beef, the hall echoed with loud, excited chatter from a nearby table of armored mercenaries.
"Did you hear?! The barrier on the Crimson-Cavern Secret Realm cracked open this morning!" a heavy-set mercenary slammed his mug onto the table.
"Are you serious?!" his companion gasped. "The ancient subterranean abode of the Blood-Flame Sovereign from three hundred years ago?"
"Aye! The gravity arrays in the southern ravine collapsed, exposing the entrance! They say the place is packed with Medium-Grade Qi Stones, ancient spatial rings, Earth-Grade spirit herbs, and lost low-tier spiritual weapons!"
Hearing the commotion, Su Yan’s eyes brightened with sharp curiosity. She turned to the waitress pouring their tea.
"Excuse me," Su Yan asked softly, tossing a silver coin onto the wooden tray. "Is the rumor about the Crimson-Cavern Secret Realm true?"
The waitress caught the silver coin, her eyes lighting up. "Ah, young mistress! It's completely true! Early this morning, a massive red beam of light shot into the sky thirty miles south of town. Mercenaries, rogue cultivators, and even outer disciples from nearby sects are rushing toward the ravine right now to claim a piece of the inheritance!"
The waitress leaned in, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "They say the Blood-Flame Sovereign was a famous Core Formation grandmaster who hoarded thousands of spirit stones and ancient pills before his death. But the inner trials are treacherous!"
Once the waitress walked away, Su Yan turned eagerly toward Gu Chen.
"Gu Chen, this is a perfect opportunity!" Su Yan said, her voice filled with quiet excitement. "The Sun-Moon Sect is still three days away. If we enter the Crimson-Cavern Secret Realm, we can secure medium-grade Qi stones and rare spirit herbs. It will give us a massive boost in resources before we step foot on Lotus-Phoenix Peak!"
Gu Chen took a slow sip of his jasmine tea, a cold, predatory smirk spreading across his handsome face.
An ancient Core Formation secret realm? Packed with Qi stones, spatial treasures, and arrogant local cultivators looking for loot?
To a former Demonic Sovereign, a secret realm wasn't a dangerous trial, it was an unlit vault waiting to be robbed, and a hunting ground filled with easy prey.
Suddenly, translucent blue light flashed across Gu Chen’s vision.
[DING!]
[QUEST DETECTED: Crimson-Cavern Secret Realm Exploration!]
[Objective: Explore the ancient abode, obtain valuable cultivation resources, and assist fellow cultivators in distress!]
[Warning: Host is advised to display sportsmanship, share loot fairly, and maintain a friendly, cooperative attitude with rival disciples!]
Gu Chen closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair as a dark, silent sneer curled inside his mind.
Share loot fairly? Cooperative attitude?
Everything inside that realm belongs to me.