Seeing how much Chu Yuan cared about this young dragon, Su Xuanxuan was puzzled. Wasn’t this just a little black dragon that had just broken out of its shell? Its cultivation was low, its temper was huge, and aside from that face being somewhat cute, it was utterly worthless. Forget even taking human form, it wouldn’t even let her use the Binding Demon Rope.
Fine!
Su Xuanxuan sighed softly in her heart. She could confirm one thing: although she didn’t understand the connection between this person and this dragon, she knew the Holy Son treasured this dragon, treasured it deeply. And she wouldn’t touch what the Holy Son treasured—at least, not openly.
Faced with Chu Yuan’s instructions, Su Xuanxuan’s smile was playful. “Rest assured, Your Highness. How could I possibly hurt something you treasure?” She pronounced the word “treasure” with an incredibly light emphasis.
Seeing this, Chu Yuan was silent for a moment before deciding to trust her. After all, in his previous life, the Fox Venerable hadn’t done anything to his Sovereign, and there was at least that last shred of trust between them.
Next, Chu Yuan needed to find a place to practice his swordsmanship. “Alright then! I’ll be going now!”
Su Xuanxuan, holding Gu Su Die, turned and walked toward her own room. The moment she stepped into her private chamber, her jade-like hand raised, and the door closed quickly behind her. After confirming with her divine sense that the Holy Son had left the area, Su Xuanxuan lightly tapped her fingertip on the door. Pale golden spiritual power surged from her fingertip, weaving along the door frame, windows, and walls into an impenetrable Dharma barrier.
A humming sound rang out as the entire room was enveloped layer by layer in a curtain of light, cutting off everything from the outside world.
Gu Su Die was completely oblivious to this change. She flew up from Su Xuanxuan’s embrace, hovering in mid-air, her dragon tail swishing. Her tone was full of impatient anticipation. “Come on, Fox. What cultivation method are you going to teach me?”
Based on her memories from her previous life, Gu Su Die knew this Fox Venerable was quite the hidden master. Backed by the Taixu Sacred Domain, she was bound to possess many glittering cultivation resources. She was waiting to see what good things this Hedao Realm super-strong expert would take out to “nurture” her.
In response, Su Xuanxuan’s gaze towards her grew increasingly hostile. An instinct from her beastly nature made Gu Su Die sense something was wrong. Her delicate voice trembled. “Fox, Fox… what, what do you think you’re doing?!”
The moment the words left her mouth, she saw the other woman’s jade-like hand flip, revealing a soft whip. The next instant, the Fox Venerable swung it at her rapidly. The thick, long whip unfurled in mid-air, emitting an eerie purple light.
Gu Su Die wanted to dodge, but she was no match for the other’s speed. In her slowly widening vertical pupils, she could see the whip’s body densely covered in intricate runes, exuding a heart-stopping aura.
Having lived two lives as a dragon, she knew exactly what kind of Dharma treasure this was! This was the Binding Demon Rope, a magical artifact specifically used to bind demonic beasts. Once a beast was entangled, its spiritual power would be sealed, its movements restrained, and even its soul would be suppressed. What was more terrifying was that this treasure could carve a slave mark into the beast’s body, rendering the bound creature unable to defy its master’s orders from then on.
Relying on instinct, Gu Su Die narrowly dodged the lasso and quickly flew up to a roof beam. Hiding behind the wooden beam, she slapped her little paw hard against it, her voice milky with accusation. “Fox!!! What… what do you think you’re doing?! Didn’t you promise the cook you wouldn’t hurt me?!”
Su Xuanxuan sneered. “Your Majesty, you misunderstand! Everything I do is for the Holy Son’s sake!”
As she spoke, she took a step forward. The Binding Demon Rope in her hand blazed with brilliant purple light, shooting towards Gu Su Die like a venomous snake come to life. Gu Su Die twisted her dragon body, trying to fly away again. But her speed, in front of a Hedao Realm expert, was as slow as a snail’s.
A flash of golden light, and the Binding Demon Rope had already coiled around her dragon tail. The rope seemed to have a life of its own, climbing up from her tail, winding around her limbs. Purple runes rose from the rope. Gu Su Die felt as if countless tiny ants were crawling under her scales, seeping into her flesh, carving into her bones.
The fear of being betrayed by someone she trusted brought tears to Gu Su Die’s vertical pupils. “You stinky fox! Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell the cook to deal with you?!”
Hearing this, Su Xuanxuan’s smile grew even wider. Her tone was as teasing as a lecherous rogue flirting with a young wife. “Then call out! Call louder! I’ve already set up a ninefold barrier in this room. Even if you scream your throat out, no one outside will hear a word! Besides, His Highness the Holy Son has already gone far away!”
As she finished speaking, she yanked the rope, pulling Gu Su Die into her grasp.
Feeling enslaved once again, Gu Su Die’s tears finally fell, drop by drop, splashing onto the back of Su Xuanxuan’s hand. Feeling those nine scalding teardrops, a complex light flickered in the Fox Venerable’s eyes. But she didn’t stop. The purple light of the Binding Demon Rope grew stronger, and the runes carved a slave mark inside Gu Su Die’s body. Strand by strand, densely packed, they connected her soul to the Binding Demon Rope.
From now on, as long as Su Xuanxuan willed it, Gu Su Die would be unable to disobey her orders.
Seeing the slave mark was complete, Gu Su Die’s eyes overflowed with tears. “Why?” Tears streamed down Gu Su Die’s face, but she had stopped struggling. Her voice was hoarse and weak, carrying a heart-wrenching grievance. “Didn’t you promise the cook you wouldn’t hurt me?”
The power of the Binding Demon Rope locked her will away like an invisible chain. A desolation Gu Su Die had never felt before filled her heart: she and the cook had both been deceived! Deceived by this woman! Deceived by her words “wouldn’t hurt”!!! Tears slid from the corner of her eyes, dripping onto Su Xuanxuan’s skirt, spreading into faint, dark wet spots.
Looking at the crying young dragon in her arms, Su Xuanxuan’s conscience also ached. She finally explained softly, “Little one, you misunderstand! This is also a layer of protection I’ve set up for you and the Holy Son!”
“Protection?” Gu Su Die sniffled. “What protection? Are you still trying to trick me at a time like this, you stinky fox?”
Su Xuanxuan shook her head with a smile, her expression gentle and kind. “Little one, if the Holy Son had been willing to contract you yesterday, I would never have done this. But since he didn’t contract you, you are a masterless dragon. Going to the Demon Path Alliance in the future would surely arouse suspicion. If another Demon Path Alliance Elder becomes suspicious and secretly enslaves you, you really would have nowhere to cry. So it’s better for me to be the bad guy.”
Hearing this, Gu Su Die recalled the hardships of her previous life and actually began to believe her a little. “Really? Then why didn’t you tell me in advance? Why act first and explain later?” The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. “Are you holding back some bad intentions, you stinky fox?”
The Fox Venerable’s smile didn’t fade. “Of course not! I can swear by my soul on my absolute loyalty to His Highness the Holy Son. You are the Holy Son’s dragon. Even if I enslave you, I will treat you well. As long as you help me with one thing.”
Gu Su Die was puzzled. “What thing?”
Su Xuanxuan reached out, her fingertip gently wiping away the tears from the corner of Gu Su Die’s eye. “Don’t worry, little one. As long as you keep a good watch on the Holy Son for me, and cooperate with me when necessary, I will not treat you badly! And I promise that if you can one day reach the Hedao Realm, I will naturally set you free.”
“Free?” Gu Su Die sniffled, a glimmer of hope lighting up in her eyes. “Really?”
Su Xuanxuan nodded. “Really!”
Gu Su Die questioned, “In the future, you won’t order me to harm the cook, will you?”
Su Xuanxuan was firm. “Absolutely not! Heaven and Earth are my witnesses. Everything I said today is true!”
Seeing this, Gu Su Die, already roped into this deal, could only pull herself together and compromise. “Fine! Deal!”
Su Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow, carried the little one over to a soft couch, and sat down. She reached out and gently stroked its dragon scales. Having successfully gotten a hold of the dragon, she now had an extra trump card to control the Holy Son. “Come now, Your Majesty! I will teach you the cultivation method of the demonic beast race!”
This way, even if she lost to the Holy Son in the sparring match a few days later, Su Xuanxuan wouldn’t be afraid of Chu Yuan truly leaving her. Not to mention, she had full confidence in the sparring match. Doing this was just adding another layer of security.
While guiding Gu Su Die in her cultivation, Su Xuanxuan felt pleased. ‘Yuan’er, you can’t escape my grasp. Not in this lifetime!’
—
Two flowers bloom, let’s discuss one branch.
East Courtyard.
Inside the room, the light of the magic formation receded like a tide. Ji Xuanyuan sat cross-legged on the soft couch where her junior brother had once lain, her phoenix eyes slightly closed. The fire of jealousy that had surged within her body had gradually subsided, turning into strands of warm spiritual power, flowing through her meridians and gathering in her Dantian.
The Jealousy Dao. It was complete.
Ji Xuanyuan opened her eyes. Her phoenix eyes reflected the deepening twilight outside the window, a sense of loss washing over her. From now on, she could only stay by her junior brother’s side and watch him be with other women. At the thought, the fires of jealousy in her Dao heart ignited again. Savoring this scorching, gloomy emotion, she didn’t resist it. Instead, she absorbed it all as her own power, making it a part of the Path of Emotion. Her cultivation speed increased considerably, but the efficiency still couldn’t compare to sitting on the Divine Treasure Cushion.
Ji Xuanyuan sighed. She could only continue cultivating.
Ding~!
Just then, a clear system notification sounded in her sea of consciousness.
[A new divine artifact, the Ten Thousand Emotions Divine Sword, has been detected!]
[Ten Thousand Emotions Divine Sword: A supreme divine weapon forged using the Ten Thousand Emotions as fuel and Sword Intent as the furnace. It can sense all Paths of Emotion in the world, resonate with the wielder’s emotions, and move with the heart, with emotions reaching the sword’s target.]
Ji Xuanyuan frowned slightly. Ten Thousand Emotions Divine Sword? She had never heard of that name. She was mostly familiar with the top-ranked divine artifacts on the divine artifact list. But this “Ten Thousand Emotions Divine Sword” seemed to have appeared out of thin air, not recorded in any ancient texts, nor mentioned in any rumors.
Of course, recalling her two previous experiences, Ji Xuanyuan muttered inwardly, ‘This time, it’s not some strange creature again, is it?’
Just as she was confused, the system notification sounded again: [Please proceed immediately, Your Majesty, to avoid missing the opportunity.]
“Proceed immediately?” Ji Xuanyuan’s phoenix eyes narrowed. Before, the system had never used such urging words.
Driven by curiosity, she stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The twilight outside was like blood, the distant mountains like dark eyebrows. In the direction of the forest outside the city, a faint spiritual light was vaguely visible, flickering in the dimness.
A sharp glint appeared in Ji Xuanyuan’s eyes. Although this system was wildly erratic, the artifacts it pointed to were indeed effective. For example, her junior brother acting as a cushion had greatly accelerated her cultivation speed; being whipped by that young dragon sovereign had also indeed improved her physique. Now, this “divine sword” that was about to disappear, if it truly was a supreme divine weapon, would surely be of great use later when she flushed out the true Alliance Leader of the Demon Path Alliance.
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