Molten Star Gas

The Yuyao Palace, serving as Princess Chu Yao's residence, had three floors and was extremely spacious; the third floor was Chu Yao's boudoir.

It was the first time in his life that Long Chen had entered a young girl's boudoir. To his surprise, Chu Yao's room did not have the opulent decorations he had imagined; instead, it appeared quite simple, carrying a hint of rustic charm.

"Is it strange?"

Chu Yao pulled Long Chen into her boudoir and softly said, "Actually, I have always fantasized that if I had been born into humble circumstances, even without fine clothes and rich food, or a noble status, I could be free and unfettered."

Long Chen smiled slightly. "That is merely scenery on the other side of the shore. Being born into poverty has its own hardships. To put it bluntly, in this world, if you want to be free and unfettered, you need to possess the strength to match it."

Chu Yao nodded and led Long Chen toward her bed. Upon looking closer, Long Chen was stunned; the headboard of Chu Yao's bed was plastered with portraits of himself.

Those paintings were not done by masters, but they were more realistic and vivid than the picture books sold on the streets.

"Did you draw these?" Long Chen asked in surprise.

Chu Yao's pretty face flushed slightly, but she bravely nodded, her beautiful eyes fixed on Long Chen. "Ever since that day at the Lantern Festival, drawing your portrait has been the only thing I have wanted to do; otherwise, my days would have been even harder to endure."

Long Chen felt a surge of emotion. Looking at Chu Yao, who had become much thinner, his heart ached. "Chu Yao."

He reached out, wrapped his arm around Chu Yao's slender waist, and kissed her cherry lips heavily.

"Mm-ng."

Chu Yao suddenly felt the world spinning. Her nose was filled with Long Chen's masculine scent. Her entire body felt as if it had been electrocuted, and she clung tightly to Long Chen's broad back, lost in that intoxicating sensation.

"Long Chen, take Yao'er. I want to be your woman." Chu Yao panted softly, her beautiful eyes looking at Long Chen with a dazed expression; the deep affection within them was enough to melt steel.

With the beauty in his arms, Long Chen felt as if his whole body was on fire, and even his breathing began to quicken.

Especially with the beauty's encouragement, Long Chen's most primal desires were thoroughly ignited, and his hands slowly moved up from her slender waist.

"Long Chen, I want to be your woman. Even if I die, Yao'er will be content." Chu Yao's body went limp as she murmured these words.

Chu Yao's voice was very soft, but to Long Chen, it sounded like a thunderclap. The fire of desire that had been ignited within him was extinguished as if doused with cold water.

Chu Yao panted softly, but suddenly felt Long Chen's body stiffen. Opening her beautiful eyes, she saw that Long Chen's expression was somewhat unnatural, and she couldn't help but softly ask, "Long Chen, what's wrong?"

Long Chen took a deep breath to keep his mind calm, then kissed Chu Yao on the forehead and said, "Yao'er, do you have no confidence in me?"

From Chu Yao's murmurs just now, Long Chen had suddenly heard her true intent: she intended to end her own life after giving herself to him.

Furthermore, for some unknown reason, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Long Chen's mind; he felt that if he were to take Chu Yao now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Although this feeling was mysterious and unfathomable, ever since Long Chen had undergone the Fusion with the Soul of the Pill Emperor, he possessed an extremely keen intuition. Up until now, this intuition had never deceived him.

"Long Chen…"

Looking at Long Chen, Chu Yao suddenly threw herself into his arms and sobbed, "Long Chen, I love you. If I am forced to marry someone else, I would rather die."

Long Chen gently stroked Chu Yao's back. Sure enough, his intuition had been correct. He gently patted Chu Yao and said, "Yao'er, have you forgotten the poem we recited at the Lantern Festival?"

"The Dragon roams the four seas for ten thousand miles; the Phoenix leaves the paulownia tree to accompany the nine provinces," Chu Yao recited softly. But after finishing, tears streamed down from her beautiful eyes like broken strings of pearls.

"Life or death, we shall not abandon each other on the path of blood; Dragon and Phoenix shall depend on each other until our hair turns white," Long Chen also recited firmly. This was the promise Long Chen had made to Chu Yao back then.

Chu Yao's jade-like hand slowly brushed across Long Chen's cheek, and she choked out, "But… can we really grow old together?"

"We definitely will. Believe in me," Long Chen said solemnly.

"Alright, I believe in my future husband." Chu Yao wiped the tears from her beautiful eyes, and a smile appeared on her pretty face, like pear blossoms in the rain, stunningly beautiful.

"Yao'er, you are truly beautiful," Long Chen blurted out.

"As long as you like it, I will let you look at me every day." This time, Chu Yao showed no shyness, but instead carried a deep sense of joy.

"Hehe, good. We have a long life ahead of us. My main reason for coming to see you this time is to bring you something."

After speaking, Long Chen took out the Melting Star Pill. As soon as the Melting Star Pill appeared, the light in the entire room instantly became soft; even though it was daytime, it could not conceal the halo emanating from the Medicinal Pill.

"Come, take it. I will act as your Protector," Long Chen said.

Although she did not know what it was, out of her trust in Long Chen, Chu Yao obediently swallowed the Melting Star Pill.

Long Chen had Chu Yao sit cross-legged on the bed. He placed one hand firmly against her back, spread out his Soul power, and watched Chu Yao's state closely.

This Melting Star Pill was something Long Chen had spent a great deal of effort to refine. It was his Peak work thus far and could be considered a top-tier existence among Tier 2 Medicinal Pills.

In less than two breaths of time, the Medicinal Pill dissolved rapidly, surging like a tide toward every part of Chu Yao's body.

"Do not worry about it; let it run wild," Long Chen reminded her.

The Melting Star Pill was like mercury that seeped into every pore; it penetrated every meridian within Chu Yao's body. Her previously blocked meridians were all slowly opened by the energy of the Melting Star Pill.

However, this process of opening them was not pleasant; it felt as if thousands of ants were crawling through her meridians, causing an unbearable itch.

Chu Yao knew this was something Long Chen had refined for her, so she tried her best to endure it, doing her utmost not to let out any pained sounds so as not to worry Long Chen.

Long Chen understood this hardship deeply. Back when he had drawn the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to pour into his own body to forcibly open his meridians, he had experienced a pain he would never forget in his entire life.

Although Chu Yao was much better off than he had been at that time, one was pain and the other was itching; the level of discomfort between the two was not much different.

After a full half-hour, the medicinal power of the Melting Star Pill had completely merged into Chu Yao's meridians, and Long Chen nodded.

"Next, guide all the medicinal power into your Dantian. Remember to start from the very ends of the meridians, just like all rivers flowing into the sea."

Chu Yao nodded and slowly circulated her Spiritual Qi, gradually gathering the medicinal power from her meridians and surging it toward her Dantian.

What surprised Long Chen was that Chu Yao's control over Spiritual Qi was astonishing, nearly reaching the microscopic level.

Chu Yao was definitely a Genius at martial arts. Long Chen couldn't help but sigh in his heart; just relying on her affinity for Spiritual Qi to achieve near-absolute control was truly astonishing.

If her Dantian hadn't been locked by nine strands of foreign Spiritual Qi, causing the output of her Spiritual Qi to be too chaotic, the final result back at Luoxia Mountain might have been reversed.

"Alright, now start accelerating. Like waves rolling in the Yangtze River, with an unstoppable Aura, the faster, the better," Long Chen whispered.

By now, the medicinal power within Chu Yao's body, following her gathering, was like small streams gradually converging into a river, growing stronger and stronger.

Following Long Chen's reminder, Chu Yao increased her power. Each meridian, filled with energy, surged into her Dantian like roaring river water.

"Boom."

Chu Yao's Dantian shook. The nine clusters of foreign True Qi that had been surrounding her Dantian like chains immediately became precarious under that terrifying impact.

"It's not enough; the power is still a little lacking."

Long Chen's expression changed slightly. His Soul power surged out wildly, and while the power of the Melting Star Pill was still present, he attached it directly to the torrent of medicinal power.

If the original medicinal power was like a flood, then with the addition of Long Chen's Soul power, the flood turned into a mudslide.

"Puff, puff, puff…"

With nine successive explosions, those nine strands of foreign Spiritual Qi that had been nourished by Chu Yao for many years were immediately shattered and merged into her Dantian.

"Boom."

Within Chu Yao's Dantian, following the shattering of the nine clusters of foreign Spiritual Qi, they immediately transformed into endless energy, causing Chu Yao, who was only at the Ninth Heaven of Qi Gathering, to instantly achieve a Breakthrough into the Blood Condensation Realm.

"Blood Condensation First Heaven."

"Blood Condensation Second Heaven."

"Blood Condensation Third Heaven."

"…"

Her cultivation base was skyrocketing, at a terrifying speed.

Those nine clusters of foreign True Qi were like nine pigs that had been raised to maturity; today they were all slaughtered at once, and the massive energy released was shocking.

It was evident how terrifying Chu Yao's talent was. Her cultivation had not been particularly diligent, yet she had been able to accumulate so much energy; even Long Chen was startled.

"Fifth Heaven."

"Sixth Heaven."

Long Chen couldn't help but be shocked. He had finally seen what a true Genius was; compared to Chu Yao, that Huang Shang was nothing.

"Seventh Heaven."

"Eighth Heaven."

Long Chen's expression changed instantly. He discovered that Chu Yao's cultivation was still rising rapidly, and judging by the momentum, she was actually about to break through the shackles of Blood Condensation and ascend to a higher Realm.

"Boom."

Just as Long Chen had expected, with another explosive sound, Chu Yao's cultivation ascended to the Ninth Heaven, and there was still a great deal of energy within her body.

"Oh no."

Long Chen cursed inwardly. He activated his Fengfu Star with full power, and a stream of extremely thick Spiritual Qi surged directly into Chu Yao's body, tightly sealing her Dantian.

"Puff."

Long Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. He had channeled Spiritual Qi into Chu Yao's body, but for fear of injuring her, he could only defend and not attack, and he suffered a heavy loss against that Spiritual Qi which was like a wild horse without a bridle.

"Long Chen…" Chu Yao exclaimed. By now, she could no longer control her own cultivation, and she couldn't help but feel extremely anxious.

"It's fine. Focus your mind and keep your spirit centered. Work with me to stabilize the energy inside your Dantian. You absolutely must not have a Breakthrough; otherwise, your Foundation will be greatly affected in the future," Long Chen said while suppressing Chu Yao's Dantian.

Chu Yao hurriedly stabilized her mind, cooperating with Long Chen to control the energy that was rushing ceaselessly within her Dantian.

Fortunately, Chu Yao's control over energy was very good, and knowing that this moment was critical, she used all her mental focus to control her Dantian.

After a full hour, the Aura within the Dantian finally calmed down. Chu Yao collapsed onto the bed; the mental energy she had consumed just now was too great.

Long Chen was not much better off. If it weren't for his exceptionally powerful Soul power, he would have passed out long ago. The feeling of just taking hits without fighting back was really not good at all.

He laid Chu Yao on the bed, tucked her in, and left her a note telling her to rest well and that he would handle everything.

When Chu Feng had waited bitterly for three hours, only to see Long Chen come down with a look of exhaustion, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Long Chen didn't even have the strength to explain; he only said, "Let's go, I'm so tired."

However, after the two of them left the Yuyao Palace and hadn't gone very far, they were blocked by someone.

"The Fourth Prince requests your presence."