Chapter 52: You're Not Right

Beside the alchemy furnace, Chu Lian leaned against Lu Chen, her complexion flushed and complicated.

She originally intended to use a strand of power left by her master to kill this lecher Lu Chen, but if she did so, she would have no other means to survive against a Cave Heaven realm cultivator.

Then, if any accident occurred, the Heaven Demon Sect would discover her trump card missing, and then they would seize and imprison her here, making everything even more troublesome.

So, with no choice, after weighing her options, she could only let this lecher off easy.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have let him take the Beast Joy Pill..."

At the end of the day, it's still my own provocation.

Chu Lian's expression was complex; she glanced at the somewhat asleep Lu Chen, felt anger rise, and gave him a hard strike.

"Hiss—!"

Feeling a sudden tightness below, Lu Chen jolted awake instantly.

As the medicinal effect wore off, he gradually returned to his normal state.

However, he actually remained conscious of what happened during those few hours just now.

But since the other party was so arrogant and he had a chance to teach them a lesson, he naturally wouldn't let it pass.

So, then......

"Wipe off the...... on the ground, I need to continue alchemy."

The flush on Chu Lian's face faded a little; she got up from Lu Chen and stood before the alchemy furnace.

"Hmm." Lu Chen nodded and silently began cleaning up.

Chu Lian took out the prescription given by the Heaven Demon Sect, glanced briefly at the medicinal ingredients above, and was about to try alchemy.

But what just happened left her somewhat distracted.

"That feeling......"

"Cough cough, Chu Lian, what are you thinking?!"

Chu Lian forced herself to stay calm, trying to bring her thoughts back to alchemy.

On Lu Chen's side, he cleaned up the traces on the ground and also dispelled the lingering aura in the room.

Not long after the two had finished everything, Su Qian and Gu Xiangxiang returned.

Gu Xiangxiang's aura had increased slightly compared to before she left, while Su Qian remained basically unchanged.

"Lord...... Lu Chen, I've found something odd about the Heaven Demon Sect's Demonic Skill Pavilion."

Su Qian stepped up to Lu Chen and voluntarily brought up the strange thing she had encountered when she went out earlier.

"What's wrong?" Lu Chen asked.

"A powerful sixth‑rank cultivation technique, and the sect actually allows all disciples to practice it."

"Oh?" Lu Chen's expression froze, then he showed a hint of interest.

"What's it called?" he asked.

"Heaven Demon Disintegration Grand Method."

Just from the name of the technique, one could sense it would be extraordinary.

But as Su Qian said, such a technique being available for all disciples to cultivate is indeed suspicious.

Such techniques usually have great side effects, and ordinary disciples would find them hard to cultivate.

Could there be some secret hidden within?

"Xiangxiang originally wanted to cultivate it, but out of caution I stopped her." Su Qian frankly recounted what the two had just experienced, then added, "Afterward, I had her first cultivate using her original method."

Neither she nor Gu Xiangxiang noticed that Chu Lian's face still retained a faint flush.

"Hmm, well done. I'll go check it out myself later." Lu Chen nodded.

He had wanted to reward Su Qian with a head pat, but seeing Chu Lian nearby, he suppressed the urge.

"Once I confirm there's no problem, Xiangxiang, you may go cultivate."

Lu Chen replied.

"Hmm." Su Qian and Gu Xiangxiang nodded simultaneously.

Seeing that the sky was gradually darkening, Lu Chen glanced at Chu Lian, who had just picked up the prescription.

"Senior, it's already this late; why not do the alchemy tomorrow?"

His tone was calm.

Before, Chu Lian would definitely not have agreed to him.

But now it's not quite the same.

Chu Lian held the prescription, standing there, not knowing what to think.

"Alright." She felt her heart in turmoil at the moment.

After responding, she quickly returned to the room and lay down, yet for a while she couldn't fall asleep.

By contrast, outside the house, Lu Chen and the three others had already lain down hastily.

Inside the room, the four people each had their own thoughts.

Chu Lian hid under the covers, her expression complex, her mind repeatedly replaying the scenes from just a few hours ago and her master's admonitions.

Gu Xiangxiang, just as the previous night, pulled the blanket over her head, trying to block out any external movement, pretending to sleep while actually unable to.

Su Qian, meanwhile, was much simpler—after all, during dual cultivation she basically didn't need to think about anything.

As for Lu Chen, on the contrary, his mind was quite active.

Because just now, the Empress forcibly dragged him into her sea of consciousness again.

"You little rascal, you're quite blessed with fortune."

The Empress sat on her throne, looking down from above upon Lu Chen below.

Her soul has now recovered somewhat, so her sleeping time naturally decreased as well.

So, all the previous scenes, including what is happening now, she took in everything.

"Nowhere, nowhere." Lu Chen gave a bitter laugh; in front of the Empress, he dared not act recklessly.

After all, they have established a contract.

If he accidentally upset the other party, and in anger the other party wanted to perish together, that would be troublesome.

Although it's not likely...

"I called you here for nothing; I just sensed a faint familiar aura, which should be related to some inheritance of the Heavenly Demon Sect."

"If you have time, wander around more in the Heavenly Demon Sect."

"Familiar aura?" Lu Chen startled.

He didn't expect the Empress's matter to have progressed so quickly.

"The aura is very faint; maybe there won't be any clues." The Empress also felt uncertain.

"When the time comes, I'll definitely go check it out for you." Lu Chen said, preparing to slip away.

"Su Qian is still working hard; he can't just stay in his sea of consciousness all the time, can he?"

"You brat!" Seeing him like that, the Empress suddenly felt some anger.

If Chu Lian's arrogance is the arrogance of looking down from above, then the Empress's arrogance is the arrogance of regarding you as an ant.

This feeling is completely different.

"Empress sister, you said there was nothing, so why now...?"

"Can't I just decide on the spur of the moment?" The Empress's voice carried an aura of authority, not allowing refusal.

"Empress sister, if you miss me, I could first go out and tell Su Qian, or we could both go together; I'm afraid my frail body can't take it."

Lu Chen's attitude was very sincere.

"Your frail body? Looking across all realms, how many at this level can have such a physical form and soul?"

The Empress had long known Lu Chen's background; no matter how he explained, she wouldn't believe it, only trusting her own judgment.

"Cut the nonsense, lie down!"

The Empress's current soul is actually sufficient for her to adopt other recovery methods.

Whether using cultivation techniques, or directly absorbing the soul, etc.

But she seems to be accustomed to this dual cultivation method.

So she has no intention of changing.

"Wuuu..." Lu Chen wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Cry? Crying also counts as time!" The Empress's tone was firm.

Tonight is destined to be another sleepless night.