Chapter 739: Draw Cave Heaven Essence |
The cave mansion doors sealed shut.
Yao Yuezhi's domain unfurled in soft, pink hues—utterly adorable. Being carried into her own space like this carried an undeniable intimacy. Yet right now, Yao Yuezhi truly wished Ye Chen had come for her body. But disappointment followed swiftly.
Ye Chen set her down gently. His eyes sharp, he spoke. "Yuezhi, are you ready?"
Yao Yuezhi still wavered a touch. She truly fretted that drawing from him would hobble his future, leaving him outmatched by Celestial Prince and the rest—doomed to regretful defeat, immortality forever out of reach. So she murmured softly, "Brother, could I see yours first? This is my first time... rebuilding a cave heaven. I'm scared your essence might be too overwhelming! Let me prepare myself mentally."
Yao Yuezhi wanted to peek first to gauge how much to draw. Since refusal was off the table, she'd minimize it—just enough not to hinder Ye Chen much.
But Ye Chen laughed. "No need—it's too terrifying in scale. It might scare you! Just draw straight away."
Ye Chen's refusal came as no surprise to Yao Yuezhi. His earlier claims of surpassing Celestial Prince and the others in domain size? Clearly a white lie. After all, a hundred thousand li marked the limit. Surpassing it wasn't so simple. His reluctance to show it now meant he feared she'd balk again.
Yao Yuezhi's mind raced; she'd control the flow later, sipping only a trickle. Then feign saturation and sever the link. Her rebuilt cave heaven might end up a pitiful few li across. But sparing Ye Chen's immortal path—that was paramount!
With her mind set, Yao Yuezhi lifted her small chin, her willow brows curving in a smile. "If that's how it is, then thank you, Brother, for your tender care of Yuezhi. If I draw too much and it hurts you, you must say so. Because if you're in pain, my heart aches too..."
Before Yao Yuezhi could reply, he pressed on. "How does the Qiankun Cauldron draw cave heaven essence?"
Yao Yuezhi felt a mix of exasperation and deep emotion at his words. She answered softly, "It's simple. We just press palms together, fingers interlaced tightly, and it forms a channel along our arms..."
Ye Chen arched a brow, sensing the single channel might throttle the flow rate. The multi-line transmission from the Heavenly Desire Sect's divine maidens would prove far more efficient. But he held his tongue for now—better to test it first.
The next moment, Ye Chen and Yao Yuezhi sat facing each other, their hands clasped with fingers interlaced, palms pressed together.
Yao Yuezhi carefully sank her mind into her own cave heaven core. Unlike before, a verdant, translucent Qiankun Cauldron now hovered deep within, slowly revolving with a surge of newborn vitality.
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With a stir of her will, the cauldron spun faster, releasing a peculiar force that flowed gradually along her arms and into Ye Chen's body, inching toward his cave heaven.
Ye Chen's domain proved formidable, repelling the energy at first. But he quickly relented, reining it in. At last, the Qiankun Cauldron's power brushed against his cave heaven, forging two tenuous connection channels. In the instant that followed, a suction emerged.
Strands of Ye Chen's cave heaven essence began to unravel, drawn thread by thread into the conduits and toward Yao Yuezhi. It had finally begun—he felt a rush of delight.
Yet even amid the process, he spoke earnestly. "This cave heaven essence is my gift to you. Don't hold back."
He had nearly forgotten to frame it as such—a quick patch to cue the system. Otherwise, no feedback would make this a true loss.
Yao Yuezhi's eyes brimmed with emotion at his words. Who would ever offer their own origin essence as a gift? Only true love could prompt such madness! But she held her tongue. She planned to sever the link once her domain reached a few li across.
The Qiankun Cauldron worked wonders. As Ye Chen's essence reached her core, the cauldron merely whirred gently, transmuting it at once. It birthed a special, crystalline, jade-green liquid essence that coalesced around the vessel, nurturing a fresh cave heaven from its heart. The conversion raced along.
Gestation followed at a steady clip, leaving Yao Yuezhi—who observed it all inwardly—both surprised and awed by the cauldron's might. But regret soon tinged her wonder. Pity that even with this divine tool, her domain could never reclaim its former glory. The world's affairs truly allowed no perfection.
After hundreds of breaths, Yao Yuezhi steadied her heart, eyeing her nascent five-li expanse. She resolved to end it there. Pitifully small, yes—but small could be charming too. It would suffice. Later, she'd ask her parents for spirit plants to fill it, bolstering its foundation. Sainthood within a century still lay within reach.
With a shift of her mind, she moved to command the cauldron and break the bond. Afterward, she'd explain to Ye Chen that the cauldron had faltered, some glitch arising. It could only draw once. With the vessel lodged in her core, Ye Chen could never probe so deep anyway. Her word would stand unchallenged.
With that in mind, Yao Yuezhi prepared to gradually slow the Qiankun Cauldron's absorption rate before easing it to a halt. But in the next instant, astonishment flashed across her face.
Why had her command elicited no response from the cauldron? No—it wasn't mere inaction; it spun even faster instead. Her eyes widened in alarm as she hurriedly willed a severing of the channel. Something must have gone wrong with the Qiankun Cauldron. Yet she absolutely could not ruin Ye Chen's shot at immortality.
At that very moment, however, Ye Chen's voice murmured close to her ear. "Yuezhi, don't be afraid—it's me accelerating it! But it's still not enough. I'm about to ramp it up again."
No sooner had his words faded than the cave heaven essence surging through their interlaced fingers and pressed palms exploded in volume. If it had flowed before like a gentle brook, it now roared forth as a mighty river.
Transmission efficiency had soared over a hundredfold. The ferocious rush of essence caught Yao Yuezhi off guard, draining the color from her cheeks. In that heartbeat, clarity struck her. Ye Chen had seized control of her Qiankun Cauldron—silently, seamlessly—through the Armament Secret! Was the Armament Secret truly this terrifying? She had refined the cauldron into her very core.
Yet amid the shock, Yao Yuezhi harbored no doubts about Ye Chen. On the contrary, she understood him all too well. He had resorted to this only because he feared she wouldn't draw earnestly. Tears brimmed in her eyes once more. After all, this was cave heaven essence! Any other soul would sooner die than yield a drop. But Ye Chen? He worried only that she might take too little.
Ye Chen treated her far too well. Still, she could not doom him—could not let a man of immortal promise have his path severed for her sake. So Yao Yuezhi's small face paled to ashen, her voice a fragile whisper as she faltered under the strain. "Brother, stop... please... you're... too fast..."