Digging Heart's Blood

Three years later.

Dao Child Bai Yujing fell, leaving Xia Lengyue without her patron. Moreover, her eagerness for quick success in her cultivation had damaged her foundation.

If she did not find a peerless expert to rely on, not only would her cultivation be completely ruined, but her appearance would also wither and age.

For Xia Lengyue, who valued her beauty and cultivation as much as her life, this was a fate worse than death.

Thus, she cast her gaze toward the depths of the Azure Cloud Sect's forbidden grounds, toward the Supreme Elder who had lived for eight hundred years and had one foot in the grave—Patriarch Kurong.

Patriarch Kurong was at the grand completion of the Nascent Soul realm, only half a step away from the Soul Formation realm.

However, his lifespan was nearing its end, and his physical body was decaying. His temperament had become twisted, eccentric, and temperamental. He loved nothing more than torturing young, beautiful female cultivators to harvest their yin to supplement his yang.

Everyone knew that it was a pit of fire, but to survive and for the sake of her so-called Great Dao, Xia Lengyue leaped into it without hesitation.

It was a stormy night.

Ye Xuan was cultivating in the servant quarters. By this time, his Five Elements Chaos Art had reached the realm of perfection.

The door opened.

Xia Lengyue walked in.

This time, she wasn't acting high and mighty, nor was she tearfully complaining. Instead, she was extremely calm—terrifyingly calm.

She wore an incredibly revealing bright red wedding gown, the bridal dress that Patriarch Kurong had specifically demanded she wear.

"Ye Xuan," Xia Lengyue looked at her meditating husband, her eyes flickering with a near-mad gleam.

"Patriarch Kurong has agreed to take me as his Dao companion and help me reforge my foundation."

Ye Xuan opened his eyes. Looking at the red dress, he only felt it was incredibly glaring.

"That old monster... Rumor has it that all one hundred of his previous Dao companions died in his bed. He is already eight hundred years old and reeks of rotting corpses... Yue'er, are you insane?"

"I'm not insane!"

Xia Lengyue shrieked, "As long as I can survive, as long as I can become stronger, what difference does it make who I sleep with? Do you expect me to grow old and die in the servant quarters with a piece of trash like you?"

Ye Xuan fell silent.

He wanted to say, I have a way to save you.

I can use my Five Elements Origin to cleanse your meridians and temper your marrow.

But before he could speak, Xia Lengyue's next words plunged him straight into the abyss.

"The Patriarch said that to break through to the Soul Formation realm, he needs to refine a batch of Nine Revolutions Life Extension Pills. All the medicinal ingredients have been gathered, save for one medicinal primer."

Xia Lengyue walked up to Ye Xuan and slowly knelt down.

She reached out, caressing Ye Xuan's chest, her tone so gentle that it made one's hair stand on end:

"This medicinal primer... is the heart's essence blood of someone possessing all five elements."

Ye Xuan's heart violently contracted.

He looked at her in disbelief. "So... you're here to kill me?"

"No, not to kill you."

Xia Lengyue hurriedly shook her head, squeezing a few tears from her eyes. "I just need to take one bowl every three days, for forty-nine consecutive days... Your body is strong, you won't die. Ye Xuan, husband, just treat it as doing it for me, sacrifice yourself one more time, alright?"

"Once the Patriarch breaks through to Soul Formation, we will be able to walk unhindered in this cultivation world. When that time comes, I will properly compensate you!"

Ye Xuan looked at this face.

He suddenly felt so tired, too tired to even speak.

After a long time, he closed his eyes, extended his wrist, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Alright."

Kurong Peak, Hall of Longevity.

The air here was filled with a heavy scent of medicine and the decaying smell of an old man, a stench that could not be masked no matter how much ambergris was burned.

Ye Xuan was arranged in a dark corner of the side hall.

A hollow silver tube was inserted into his wrist, and crimson blood flowed down the tube, dripping, drip-drop, into a jade bowl.

Due to excessive blood loss, his face was as pale as paper. Half of his originally shiny black hair had turned white, and his skin was beginning to wrinkle—a clear sign of his draining vitality.

Meanwhile, on the main bed separated only by a thin layer of gauze curtain.

Patriarch Kurong, an emaciated, skin-and-bones old man with sparse hair and a face full of age spots, was half-lying on the bed bare-chested.

And Xia Lengyue, the once incredibly proud favored daughter of heaven, was currently kneeling by the bed.

Like the most lowly maid, she held a peeled spirit grape in her mouth and, with eyes as soft as silk, fed it directly into the Patriarch's mouth full of yellow teeth.

Patriarch... is this grape sweet? Xia Lengyue's voice was enchantingly coquettish, carrying a coy tone Ye Xuan had never heard before.

Hehehe... the grape isn't sweet, but the beauty's mouth is.

Patriarch Kurong let out a laugh that sounded like a broken bellows. His withered, claw-like hand wandered wantonly over Xia Lengyue's smooth, jade-like body, pinching out purple bruises along the way.

Although a trace of disgust and nausea flashed in her eyes, Xia Lengyue smiled even more brilliantly, even taking the initiative to press her body against him.

Patriarch, you are so bad...

Outside the gauze curtain.

Ye Xuan listened to all of this, watching the blurry yet piercingly intertwined figures.

His blood was draining, and his heart was bleeding.

Hmm? Is that medicine pot outside still bleeding? Patriarch Kurong suddenly stopped his movements, his cloudy, triangular eyes glancing outside the curtain.

Xia Lengyue looked back, her tone instantly becoming cold and disgusted:

Rest assured, Patriarch. His life is cheap, and he is very tough. It seems his blood is flowing too slowly. I will go hurry him up.

With that, she threw on a gauze robe and walked out barefoot.

When she reached Ye Xuan, the alluring smile on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of utter impatience.

Looking at the bowl that was only half-filled with blood, she furrowed her brows and kicked Ye Xuan directly in the calf:

What is wrong with you? Why is the blood flowing so slowly! The Patriarch is waiting to use it for his medicine. Are you trying to get me killed?

Ye Xuan raised his head.

At this moment, due to massive blood loss, his vision was already blurred.

He looked at the wife he had once loved deeply and weakly moved his lips:

Yue'er... I am cold.

The draining of his vitality made him feel as if he had plunged into an ice cave.

Xia Lengyue froze for a moment, a fleeting look of pity flashing in her eyes.

But the next second, Patriarch Kurong's urging voice came from inside: Baby, are you done yet? I cannot wait to dual cultivate with you...

Xia Lengyue shuddered, the pity in her eyes instantly replaced by fear and greed.

She did not get a blanket for Ye Xuan. Instead, she pulled a dagger from her sleeve, grabbed Ye Xuan's other wrist, and slashed down viciously.

Spurt!

Fresh blood gushed out.

Bleed faster! Stop playing dead!

Xia Lengyue growled viciously, Once the Patriarch finishes refining the pill, I will not have to serve this old geezer anymore! Just endure it!

After filling a large bowl with blood.

Xia Lengyue held the bowl, put the alluring smile back on her face, turned around, and quickly walked back inside the gauze curtain.

Patriarch, the medicine primer is here. This is the freshest heart blood, drink it while it is hot...

Immediately after, the sound of the Patriarch swallowing blood, along with teasing laughter, came from inside.

Good blood! Although this trash's blood has chaotic spiritual energy, it makes up for it with its tenacious vitality... Come, my beauty, let me dote on you properly...

Ye Xuan curled up alone in the cold, dark corner.

Both of his wrists were bleeding, the cuts so deep that bone was visible.

He listened to the nauseating sounds of panting, his body convulsing violently from the cold and agony.

He fished out a piece of long-dried and hardened osmanthus cake from his robes.

It was something he had bought before joining the sect. He had always been too reluctant to eat it, using his spiritual energy to seal and preserve it until now.

He took a bite.

It was like chewing wax, completely tasteless.

Forty-nine days later.

The Nine-Revolution Life-Extending Pill was successfully refined.

Patriarch Kurong swallowed the pill, and with the aid of Ye Xuan's Five Elements essence blood, he actually broke through his bottlenecks, drawing down the Deity Transformation Heavenly Tribulation!

The entire Cangyun Sect was shaken.

On Kurong Peak, ten thousand immortals came to pay their respects.

Xia Lengyue, as the Dao Companion of the Patriarch, wore luxurious robes and stood by his side, basking in the kneeling worship and envy of countless people.

She was radiant, and her cultivation base had also broken through to the Nascent Soul realm thanks to the Patriarch's rewards.

She had finally reached the pinnacle of power.

And what about Ye Xuan?

In the side hall, he had wasted away until he was unrecognizable, looking like a skeleton draped in human skin.

Although the Five Elements Chaos Body had saved his life, his overdrawn vitality made him look like an eighty-year-old man.

When the Heavenly Tribulation ended and the celebration began.

No one remembered that there was still a meritorious contributor here.

Patriarch Kurong was in an excellent mood. Hugging Xia Lengyue, he pointed toward the side hall and joked:

Is that medicine jar dead yet? If not, throw him out. It is bad luck just looking at him.

Xia Lengyue's smile stiffened.

She glanced in that direction, a trace of complexity flashing through her eyes.

But in this highly anticipated moment, how could she defy the Patriarch, who had just advanced to Deity Transformation, for the sake of a mere handyman?

Yes, Patriarch, Xia Lengyue laughed charmingly. He is just a piece of trash, his death is nothing to pity. If the Patriarch dislikes him, Lengyue will have someone throw him into the mass graves immediately.

Several rough law enforcement disciples barged in.

Like dragging a dead dog, they grabbed Ye Xuan by the legs and dragged him all the way down Kurong Peak.

The sharp stone steps tore the skin off his back, leaving a long trail of blood.

But he could no longer feel the pain.

He was thrown into the mass graves in the back mountain, left among the rotting corpses.

The sky began to rain.

The freezing rainwater washed over his broken body.

Just as he was about to close his eyes.

The Five Elements Chaos Art within his body finally underwent a mutation due to this extreme state of destruction before rebirth.

Dead wood meeting spring, finding life in the face of death.

A majestic burst of vitality erupted from his withered dantian. His white hair began to turn black, his wrinkled skin started to peel away, and his newborn skin was as tough as jade.

Ye Xuan climbed up from the pile of corpses.

The rain over the mass graves fell for exactly three days and three nights.

When Ye Xuan dragged his reconstructed yet still disguisedly broken body, limping back to the sect step by step, what he saw was a head hanging above the mountain gate.

It was none other than Patriarch Kurong, who had just advanced to Deity Transformation a few days ago.

In front of the mountain gate, blood dyed the stone steps red.

The Supreme Forgetfulness Sect had undergone a massive upheaval.

Did you hear? That old devil Patriarch Kurong, just a few days after reaching Deity Transformation, was beheaded by the Supreme Grand Elder, One Sword of Cold Light Li Chengfeng, who just returned from his travels!

Well killed! That old devil ruined so many female cultivators; even death is too good for him!

Sigh, but that old devil's Dao Companion, Xia Lengyue, sure is lucky. I heard she endured humiliation and bided her time, stealing the old devil's protective dharma treasure at the critical moment to help Elder Li succeed with one strike. Now, she has already become Elder Li's confidante!

The discussions of the disciples by the roadside were like steel needles piercing Ye Xuan's eardrums.

Dead?

That old monster who had tortured him for forty-nine days and drank forty-nine bowls of his heart's blood, just died like that?

And that woman who, for the sake of wealth and glory, had personally slit his wrists, suddenly transformed into a heroic woman who endured humiliation for a greater cause?

"Hehe... hahaha..."

Ye Xuan stood in the crowd, head bowed, letting out a dry laugh. He laughed until tears flowed from his eyes.

So, all the inhuman torture he suffered in that dark side hall was, in the eyes of the lofty Fairy Xia, nothing more than a stepping stone to cling to a new, higher branch.

He circulated the Five Elements Chaos Incantation, suppressing his terrifying aura to the absolute limit, turning back into a lowly handyman disciple once more.

He wanted to look at her one more time.

Just one look.

He wanted to see if this woman's heart was truly made of flesh.

Asking Sword Peak, where Li Chengfeng resided.

There was no decaying aura of Kurong Peak here, only biting sword intent and elegant bamboo groves.

Relying on his superb concealment techniques, Ye Xuan infiltrated the bamboo cottage in the back mountain.

Through the window lattice, he saw a scene so heartwarming it pierced his eyes.

Li Chengfeng, a middle-aged man with a face as flawless as jade and an air of righteousness, sat upright at the desk wiping his natal flying sword.

As for Xia Lengyue, she had changed out of her alluring red robes and donned a plain and elegant pale green dress. Her long hair was tied up with only a jade hairpin, making her look pure and refined.

She was kneeling by Li Chengfeng's feet, holding a basin of warm spirit spring water. With gentle movements, she took off Li Chengfeng's boots and socks, placed his feet into the water, and carefully massaged them.

"Chengfeng, is this pressure alright?" She looked up, her eyes clear and full of adoration and affection.

"You have worked hard, Lengyue." Li Chengfeng set down his sword and reached out to stroke her hair, his eyes full of pity. "You suffered greatly by that old demon's side. If you had not secretly sent me messages and stolen the array disk, my sword strike might not have been able to kill him."

Xia Lengyue's eyes turned red, and tears fell like broken pearls. She rested her head on Li Chengfeng's knee. "As long as I could wait for your return, no matter how much I suffered, it was worth it. All those years... I thought every moment that if one day I could wash my hands and make soup for you, wash away your dust and bathe your feet, I would be willing to die."

Li Chengfeng was deeply moved and helped her up. "Silly girl, what is this talk of dying? Now that I am at the half-step Void Refinement realm, no one in the Azure Cloud Sect will dare to bully you. By the way, although your foundation has recovered, it was caused by demonic pills. If you want to achieve a perfect Nascent Soul, you still need to reforge your sword heart."

A hint of greed flashed in Xia Lengyue's eyes, but she hid it well. "I leave everything to my husband."

"I have a secret technique called Ten Thousand Swords Body Tempering, which can help you wash away the demonic aura and point directly to the Great Dao of Soul Formation."

Li Chengfeng pondered, "It is just that this secret technique requires an extremely special sword furnace—a person with all five elements complete and extremely strong vitality—to filter the violent sword energy through their body for you."

Hearing this, Xia Lengyue's body stiffened slightly.

All five elements complete? Extremely strong vitality?

"Where... where can we find someone like that?" she asked, feeling a bit guilty.

Li Chengfeng sighed. "Such a person is one in ten thousand. If we cannot find one, your path to Soul Formation will likely be difficult."

Xia Lengyue bit her lip, her expression shifting unpredictably.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, she abruptly turned her head to look deep into the bamboo grove outside the window.

Although Ye Xuan concealed himself exceptionally well, as the person who had once shared his bed and knew him best, she sensed a familiar aura.

Wait a moment, husband. I will go brew some tea for you.

Xia Lengyue stood up and gracefully walked out of the bamboo hut.

She ventured deep into the bamboo forest, stopped behind a bluestone, and spoke coldly into the empty shadows:

Come out. I know you are not dead.

The air distorted slightly.

Ye Xuan slowly walked out.

At this moment, having broken through his limits and rebuilt his foundation, his appearance had been restored to the handsome youthfulness of his past. Moreover, thanks to the Chaos Qi, he now possessed a profound and mysterious aura.

Seeing Ye Xuan's drastic transformation, a flash of amazement crossed Xia Lengyue's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

You really are hard to kill, she said, crossing her arms with an indifferent tone. What? Are you here to seek revenge?

Ye Xuan looked at her, his voice hoarse. I just want to ask one thing... That day at Kurong Peak, did you really want me to die in the mass grave?

Xia Lengyue frowned impatiently. Ye Xuan, how old are you? How can you still be so naive? In that situation, if I had not said that, was I supposed to die right alongside you? Only by staying alive would I have any hope of saving you, right?

Save me? Ye Xuan let out a miserable laugh. Your way of saving me was throwing me into a pile of corpses?

Well, you survived, didn't you? And it seems you found a blessing in disguise. Your cultivation looks much more advanced. Xia Lengyue looked him up and down, a calculating glint suddenly appearing in her eyes. Perfect. Since you are here, help me out one more time.

Ye Xuan's heart skipped a beat as a chill welled up within him. Help you with what?

Xia Lengyue took a step closer, reaching out to gently adjust Ye Xuan's collar.

This long-lost intimate gesture made Ye Xuan stiffen all over, leaving him completely unable to pull away.

Li Chengfeng is a righteous sword cultivator. He is rigid but values loyalty and affection. I need to borrow his influence to break through to the Soul Formation stage. Xia Lengyue breathed softly by his ear. He needs someone possessing all five elements to act as a Sword Furnace. Ye Xuan, the cultivation method you practice is unique. You are the perfect fit.

A Sword Furnace... Ye Xuan said with a trembling voice. That means using my body to filter sword qi, enduring the pain of a thousand cuts...

I know you are afraid of pain.

Xia Lengyue gently caressed his cheek. But Ye Xuan, this is the last time. Li Chengfeng said that as long as I do not die, I will definitely reach the Soul Formation stage. Once I achieve that, I will have true authority. When that time comes, I will abandon him and spend the rest of my life peacefully with you, alright?

Ye Xuan looked into her eyes, which were brimming with anticipation.

And if I refuse?

Xia Lengyue's face turned cold as she withdrew her hand. Then go expose me to Li Chengfeng. Tell him how much of a slut I was in Patriarch Kurong's bed. Tell him how I harmed you. Then watch me get kicked out of the sect, hunted down by enemies, and finally die a miserable death on the streets. Is that what you want? You keep saying you love me, but is this how you ruin me?

Ye Xuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the intense pain in his chest almost suffocating him.

Fine... I will do it.

Hearing this, a victorious smile appeared on Xia Lengyue's face. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on the corner of his lips, as if rewarding an obedient dog.

I knew my husband was the best to me.

Ye Xuan shook his head, his eyes full of bitterness. Game developers, I am your father! Is this plot something a human could even come up with? To hell with the scriptwriter!

"Husband, what did you say?" Xia Lengyue asked in surprise.

"It's nothing." Ye Xuan shook his head, his gentle expression returning. "I said, I will love you forever."