Illusory Land of Great Void

The pitch-black silencing barrier rippled like water and instantly dissipated.

The violent, cold wind from the outside poured in once again.

The moment the barrier was removed, Ye Qingcheng, who had been kneeling on the deck on the verge of extreme panic and a breakdown, lunged forward like a stray dog called by its master.

"Senior Brother!"

Recklessly, she threw her arms around Ye Xuan's waist and buried her face deeply into his chest. Her tears instantly soaked through his green robes.

Trembling all over like a fallen leaf in the wind, her hands frantically groped all over Ye Xuan, checking to see if he was injured. Her voice carried a heavy sob mixed with the wild ecstasy of having survived a disaster:

"Senior Brother... are you alright? Did that old demon hurt you? Did he force you to do anything?"

She looked up, her originally aloof and breathtakingly beautiful face now written with the most humble and lowly worry.

Her gaze was so pure, so fervent, as if Ye Xuan were the sole god in her life.

Ye Xuan lowered his head, looking at the woman in his arms whom he had just sold as a cultivation cauldron for five hundred million supreme-grade spirit stones.

Deep within his dark eyes, there was not a single trace of guilt; instead, a flicker of extreme cruelty flashed past.

Then, the coldness on Ye Xuan's face instantly melted away.

He put on a gentle smile that felt like a refreshing spring breeze.

Reaching out, he exceedingly gently tucked Ye Qingcheng's wind-tousled hair behind her ear, and even used his thumb to softly wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Silly girl."

Ye Xuan's voice was so gentle it could practically drip water: "What could happen to me? Didn't I tell you? He is my friend. We just casually caught up on old times, that's all."

Feeling the warmth radiating from Ye Xuan's fingertips and hearing those long-lost gentle words.

Ye Qingcheng stiffened.

Then, a massive, dizzying sense of happiness overwhelmed her completely, like a tsunami.

Senior Brother... Senior Brother didn't despise her for talking back earlier... Senior Brother even touched her face!

"Really? Just chatting?" Ye Qingcheng stared at Ye Xuan in infatuation, her voice incredibly soft, like a child who had finally gotten a piece of candy, completely unaware that she was already standing at the gates of hell.

"Of course it's true." Ye Xuan smiled, gently patting her back as if soothing a pet. "Otherwise, what did you think we would talk about?"

Ye Qingcheng shook her head desperately, breaking into a smile through her tears.

This smile was poignantly beautiful, morbid, and full of an unreserved, fatal trust in Ye Xuan, like a moth drawn to a flame.

"As long as Senior Brother is fine... as long as Senior Brother still wants Qingcheng... Qingcheng doesn't care about anything else..."

She hugged Ye Xuan back tightly, defenselessly pressing her Nine Yin Charm Body—which was destined to be reduced to a cauldron in the future—against the very demon who had personally pushed her into the abyss.

In the sea of clouds not far away, the bone ship of the Yin-Yang Demon Venerable gradually sailed away.

The old demon stood at the bow, looking at the embracing couple on the Bliss Ship, and let out a spine-chilling, sinister laugh.

Meanwhile, on the Bliss Ship.

Ye Xuan let Ye Qingcheng hold him. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the top of Ye Qingcheng's head to look at the gloomy sky.

In those deep eyes, there was not a single shred of emotion, only an extreme coldness like an endless abyss.

Early the next morning, at the Listening Rain Pavilion.

The faint morning light filtered through the lattice window, spilling onto the clear water in the bronze basin, making it sparkle.

Ye Xuan scooped up a handful of clean water and splashed it on his face. The icy touch completely woke him from a night of cultivation. Water droplets slid down his sharply contoured cheeks, gathering at the tip of his chin, ready to drip.

Ying'er, holding a dry silk handkerchief, was just about to hand it over, but the moment she saw Ye Xuan look up, she froze completely.

Water droplets hung on Ye Xuan's eyelashes. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, and because he had just washed his face, his skin gave off a texture like cold jade.

He casually swept his wet hair back, revealing a smooth, full forehead and a face that could only be called perfect.

Even Ying'er, who served him every day, could not help but stare in a daze at this moment.

"Master..." Ying'er swallowed hard, her small face flushed red, and couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart, "You... you are truly so beautiful."

Ye Xuan paused his movements, took the silk handkerchief to wipe his face, and casually flicked her on the forehead: "Silly girl, who uses the word 'beautiful' to describe a man? That's a word for women."

"But Master is just so beautiful!" Ying'er covered her forehead, yet her tone was very firm. "Ten thousand times better looking than those women from the Joyous Union Sect who call themselves fairies! Not only good-looking, but... but also especially having that kind of..."

She scratched her head, unable to think of the right adjective, and could only blurt out: "It's the kind of feeling that makes people want to give their lives to you with just one look!"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan wasn't angry. He simply turned around and looked at his reflection in the bronze basin.

The man in the reflection had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin, red lips.

This body's physical appearance was indeed the Creator's proudest masterpiece. Even in the cultivation world where handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere, Ye Xuan's face still possessed a lethal charm that transcended gender and struck straight at the soul.

The so-called peerless elegance was nothing more than this.

"Heh."

Ye Xuan looked at himself in the water, smiled self-deprecatingly, and muttered softly, "My character model is indeed flawless."

No wonder Ye Qingcheng was so dead set on him in his previous life, and no wonder so many female demons from the Joyous Union Sect wanted to capture him and make him their forbidden plaything.

In this superficial cultivation world, this face was both a free pass and a source of disaster.

"It's just that..." Ye Xuan's eyes turned slightly cold. His finger gently swept across the water's surface, shattering the perfect reflection. "Without strength, this face is the original sin."

Right at that moment, a set of light footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Ye Xuan didn't need to turn around to know who had arrived.

Ye Qingcheng stood at the doorway, gazing infatuatedly at Ye Xuan's back.

The morning light cast a golden halo around him. The motion of him wiping away water droplets, the glimpse of his collarbone exposed by his slightly open collar—every single detail seemed to dance upon the tip of her heart.

What a perfect man.

He was not just her Senior Brother, but her sole faith in this filthy world, the god she wanted to monopolize.

"Senior Brother."

Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath, suppressing the surging love and possessiveness in her heart. Hanging a gentle and proper smile on her face, she slowly walked in.

Ye Xuan turned around, tossed the silk handkerchief back into the basin, and said indifferently, "So early? Are you here to bring me resources too?"

"Resources are merely worldly possessions. I came today wanting to give Senior Brother a great opportunity."

Ye Qingcheng walked up to Ye Xuan, her gaze burning, her voice carrying an irresistible temptation: "Although Senior Brother's cultivation base is advancing at a rapid pace right now, I observe that your aura is somewhat superficial. It's clear your realm has risen too quickly, and your state of mind and practical combat experience haven't been able to keep up. This is a great taboo for future cultivation."

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You noticed it too? That's why I was just planning to head to the mortal realm to temper myself."

"The mortal realm is too slow, and the mundane impurities are too heavy." Ye Qingcheng shook her head, finally revealing her true intentions. "Senior Brother, did you know that our Joyous Union Sect has a sacred ground called the 'Great Void Illusionary Realm'?"

"The Great Void Illusionary Realm?" Ye Xuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"Exactly." Ye Qingcheng's tone became solemn. "This is a spiritual secret realm left behind by ancient almighty experts. The flow of time inside the illusionary realm is completely different from the outside world. One day inside is equivalent to a thousand years outside. Moreover, everything in the illusionary realm is born from the mind, able to simulate real combat to the maximum extent and temper one's Dao heart."

She looked at Ye Xuan, a fanatical light flashing in her eyes. "As long as it is opened once, Senior Brother can experience a hundred lifetimes of reincarnation inside, taste all the warmth and coldness of the human world, and make up for your shortcoming in combat experience. By the time you come out of seclusion, Senior Brother's Dao heart will be indestructible, allowing you to completely master your Golden Core cultivation base!"

Ye Xuan's interest was immediately piqued.

What did he lack the most right now? Not spiritual energy, not cultivation methods, but time and experience!

Although he had memories of his past life, his actual combat experience was almost zero.

If he could gain a thousand years of combat experience in a single day, it would simply be a cheat tailored just for him!

"One day equals a thousand years?" Ye Xuan stroked his chin. "The price to open this illusionary realm must not be small, right?"

"It indeed requires a massive amount of resources, even needing to burn a supreme-grade spirit vein," Ye Qingcheng said softly, though her eyes grew increasingly profound. "But for Senior Brother, Qingcheng will not hesitate to pay it. As long as Senior Brother can become stronger, what does this little price matter?"

"Alright!"

Ye Xuan made a prompt decision, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes. "Since Junior Sister is so gracious, then I shall take a trip to this Great Void Illusionary Realm! My combat experience is indeed too poor."

Seeing Ye Xuan agree, a trace of extremely excited, even somewhat twisted, smile flashed beneath Ye Qingcheng's lowered eyelids.

He took the bait.

The trap she had painstakingly laid was finally ready to be sprung.

"Senior Brother, please follow me."

The forbidden area in the back mountain of the Joyous Union Sect, the Great Void Ancient Cave.

A massive formation flickered with a faint blue light, and complex runes intertwined in the air to form a gateway leading to the illusionary world.

"Senior Brother, go in."

Ye Qingcheng stood beside the formation, holding the array disk that controlled the core in her hand, and smiled gently at Ye Xuan. "I will stay outside and guard you the whole time, keeping you safe."

Ye Xuan nodded, stepping into the gate of light without the slightest suspicion.

As his figure disappeared, the gentleness on Ye Qingcheng's face instantly collapsed, replaced by a spine-chilling fanaticism and ferocity.

"Haha... hahaha..."

She laughed in a low voice, her fingers gripping the array disk so hard that it crackled from the excessive force.

"The Great Void Illusionary Realm can indeed temper the Dao heart, but its contents are determined by the controller..."

Ye Qingcheng stared madly at the gate of light.

This time, the Great Void Illusionary Realm was a script she had specially tailored for Ye Xuan.

She was going to take all the despair, helplessness, coercion, and filth she had once experienced and replicate them exactly, inflicting them all upon Ye Xuan!

"Ye Xuan, didn't you find me dirty? Didn't you call me cheap?"

"That's because you haven't experienced my situation!"

"In this illusionary realm, you are the protagonist, and you will possess the same 'Nine Yin Mysterious Charm Physique' as me. You will face the same choices as me!"

A cruel curve formed at the corners of Ye Qingcheng's mouth. "Wait until you experience my despair, wait until you have to submit yourself to others in order to survive and protect your lover... then you will understand me."

"When that time comes, you will be dirty too. We will be a match made in heaven, a pair of 'dirty people', and neither of us will have the right to despise the other! Hahahaha!"

When Ye Xuan opened his eyes again, the surrounding scenery had changed.

It was no longer the forbidden area of the Joyous Union Sect, but a dilapidated and simple thatched cottage. Outside the window, a violent storm raged, with lightning flashing and thunder rolling.

This environment, this aura... it was too familiar.

This was clearly the nightmarish rainy night from his past life's memories!

"What's going on? Isn't this supposed to be combat experiential learning?" Ye Xuan frowned slightly. Just as he was about to circulate his spiritual energy, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

His cultivation base... was only at the Qi Condensation stage.

Moreover, his body...

An unbearably hot sensation surged from the depths of his dantian, instantly sweeping through his entire body along his meridians.

This feeling was like having an active volcano hidden in his body; every inch of his skin was craving some kind of comfort, craving the harmony of Yin and Yang.

Ye Xuan looked down and saw his skin flushed with a bizarre redness, emitting a sickly sweet, exotic fragrance.

This was...

"The Nine Yin Mysterious Charm Physique?"

Ye Xuan's pupils abruptly shrank. He was too familiar with this physique; in his past life, Ye Qingcheng had fallen because of it. But now, this physique had actually appeared on his body?

Before he could sort out his thoughts, the door to the thatched cottage was violently kicked open.

"Boom!"

Fierce winds mixed with rain poured in.

An old woman wearing a brocade robe with a sinister face barged in, leading several female cultivators with powerful auras.

Ye Xuan recognized the aura on the old woman; it was exactly the Grand Elder of the Joyous Union Sect!

It was just that in the illusionary realm, her gender had changed.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Ye Xuan, how long are you going to hold out?"

The Grand Elder's old face, resembling withered tree bark, leaned in. Her murky eyes were filled with greed and lust as she stared fixedly at Ye Xuan's flushed face.

"You possess the Nine Yin Mysterious Charm Physique, making you a natural supreme-grade human cauldron. Now that the lust poison has attacked your heart, if you do not have the primal yin of a high-level female cultivator to harmonize it, your meridians will snap inch by inch and your body will explode to death within three hours!"

Ye Xuan gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the scorching heat in his body, and looked at her coldly. "Get lost!"

"Quite fierce, aren't we."

The Grand Elder sneered and suddenly waved her hand.

Two female cultivators dragged in a woman who was tied up tightly and threw her onto the ground.

Ye Xuan focused his eyes, and his heart gave a violent jolt.

That was... Ye Qingcheng.

At this moment, her cultivation was completely gone, and she was unbearably frail, just like his powerless self in his past life. Her face was covered in tear stains, and she was shivering, her eyes filled with despair.

"Husband... save me..." Ye Qingcheng cried out, her voice shrill and mournful.

The Grand Elder stepped on Ye Qingcheng's face, grinding her foot down hard, and looked up at Ye Xuan with a savage grin.

"Ye Xuan, I will give you two choices."

"First, you obediently submit. To take care of your special physique, the sect has specially selected four core female disciples to be your Dao companions. Each of them is a peerless beauty with abundant primal yin. They can make you experience heavenly bliss and allow your cultivation to advance a thousand miles a day."

"As long as you agree, I will let this useless woman go, and I can even give her wealth and glory."

"Second..."

The Grand Elder's eyes turned sharp, and she stomped down hard. Ye Qingcheng let out a miserable scream, blood spilling from the corners of her mouth.

"If you do not agree, I will throw this woman into the Myriad Snake Cave right now and let her suffer the agony of ten thousand snakes biting her heart! Not only that, but I will also cripple you and turn you into a shameless 'medicine man', offering you to the entire sect to be casually harvested until the day you die!"

"Choose!"

Rumble!

A clap of thunder exploded outside the window, illuminating the faces of everyone in the room.

Outside the Great Void Illusionary Realm.

Ye Qingcheng stared intently at the scene on the light screen. Her breathing was rapid, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails pierced her palms.

This is it!

This is it!

Back then, she was forced exactly like this! Ye Xuan was going to die. If she had not agreed, Ye Xuan would have died! She would have died too!

Ye Xuan! What will you choose?

Will you dirty your own body for me?

Will you lower your noble head just to survive?

Agree to it! Agree to it just like I did back then!!

Ye Qingcheng screamed madly in her heart, her eyes filled with both anticipation and fear.

She anticipated Ye Xuan's fall, for then she would no longer be alone.

Yet she feared that Ye Xuan would truly rather die than submit, for that would only highlight her own weakness and degradation from back then.

Within the illusion.

Ye Xuan closed his eyes.

After a long time, he opened them. In his eyes, there was no humiliation, no fear, only a deathly, icy stillness.

I agree. But I have one condition. I can give my body to them, but outside of dual cultivation, they are not allowed to appear before me, nor are they allowed to humiliate my wife in public. Otherwise, I will sever my own meridians right now, and no one gets anything!

Hahaha! A wise man submits to circumstances! the female elder laughed loudly. Deal!

The days that followed were hell for Ye Xuan, but also a form of cultivation.

Night fell.

Four female cultivators took turns entering Ye Xuan's room.

In reality, Ye Qingcheng widened her eyes, expecting to see Ye Xuan moaning in pleasure beneath the strong, just as she had done, perhaps even letting out cries of delight due to his body's instincts.

Back then, after her initial resistance, Ye Qingcheng had quickly indulged in the pleasure of being pampered by the strong and showered with resources.

She would lose herself in passion during dual cultivation, learn charm arts just to please Zhao Tianba and the others, and even flirt with them in public to show off her status.

She believed Ye Xuan would be the same.

However, she was disappointed.

In the illusion, Ye Xuan lay on the bed like a cold corpse.

No matter how the four female cultivators teased him, how they used their charm arts, or even exhausted various drugs and methods.

Ye Xuan remained expressionless throughout.

He did not cry out, did not move, and did not cater to them.

He was like a stone, allowing them to take whatever they wanted. His gaze remained fixed on a single spot on the ceiling, hollow and numb.

When the dual cultivation ended, the female cultivators left cursing, complaining that he was as boring as a dead man.

Ye Xuan immediately stood up and washed his body over and over with cold water, scrubbing until his skin was red and bleeding.

He did not ask for a single spirit stone from the female cultivators.

He did not ask for a single pill from them.

He did not even use the opportunity of dual cultivation to curry favor with them in exchange for status.

He was merely making a trade.

Trading this dirty body for Ye Qingcheng's right to survive in the sect.

The Great Void Illusion, year three.

Even though Ye Xuan deliberately kept a low profile, the fact that he had four powerful Dao companions still reached Ye Qingcheng's ears.

On this day, Ye Xuan dragged his exhausted body back to their dilapidated courtyard.

Ye Qingcheng stood at the door, holding a broom, looking at him with a complex expression.

Ye Xuan walked over, habitually reaching out to pat her head. Did anyone bully you today? I brought you some healing medicine...

Don't touch me!

Ye Qingcheng suddenly took a step back, avoiding Ye Xuan's hand as if he were the plague.

She covered her nose, a look of undisguised disgust appearing on her face. You... smell awful.

Ye Xuan's hand froze in mid-air.

What is that smell? Ye Qingcheng frowned, her gaze sharp as a knife. It is the smell of rouge, the kind... the kind you only find in brothels.

Ye Xuan fell silent.

He looked at the girl before him, the one he had protected with his chastity and dignity.

Brother Xuan, Ye Qingcheng's eyes were red, her voice filled with disappointment and disdain. I heard that you have become the secret lover of those four demonic women from the inner sect? I heard you serve them very comfortably every night?

I originally thought you were the cleanest man in this world. Although we are poor and weak, at least we should have backbone!

But what about you? Just to climb higher, just for those resources, you willingly degraded yourself to become a cauldron, a male pet!

Ye Xuan, I misjudged you!

You are no longer my husband. Looking at you, smelling you, I only feel sick! You are truly so dirty!

Every single word was like the words Ye Xuan had used to scold Ye Qingcheng in their past life.

Now, in this inverted illusion, Ye Qingcheng was returning them to him.

Outside the Great Void Illusion.

In reality, seeing this scene, Ye Qingcheng trembled with excitement and could not help but laugh maniacally:

Hahahaha! Did you hear that, Ye Xuan!

You are dirty too! You are despised too!

How does it feel to sacrifice yourself to save someone, only to be pointed at and called dirty by the person you love most? Are you in agonizing pain? Do you feel so wronged that you want to die?

Now, we are the same! We are finally the same!

She laughed until tears flowed down her face. It was a sick sense of relief from finding a kindred spirit. She felt that after experiencing all of this, Ye Xuan would definitely understand her past hardships and forgive her.

However, Ye Xuan's reaction in the illusion was completely beyond her expectations.

Facing Ye Qingcheng's accusations and insults.

Ye Xuan did not cry, did not explain, and certainly did not scream hysterically that he did it for her, as Ye Qingcheng had done back then.

He merely looked at Ye Qingcheng quietly, remaining silent for a long time.

The light in his eyes slowly extinguished, finally turning into a deathly silent abyss.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his voice terrifyingly calm:

You are right.

I am indeed dirty.

Since you find it disgusting, then do not look.

After saying that, he turned and walked into the house, closing the door and isolating himself in the darkness.

There was no argument, no defense.

He was all alone, licking his wounds in the dark.