CHAPTER 911: ASCENSION TO HEAVENLY IMMORTAL

Bing Xue’s rigid posture finally eased, the tension melting from his shoulders as he absorbed her words. A slow, satisfied smile curved his lips, the kind that always made her pulse stutter.

"So Master had planned to save me this way all along?" His arms encircled her waist, pulling her flush against the hard planes of his chest. The teasing lilt in his voice sent heat crawling up her neck.

"Says the man who threatened to wither away if I refused." The moment the words left her mouth, his grip tightened possessively. She jabbed a finger into his sternum.

"Hush now," he murmured, deft fingers already fastening her robes with practiced ease. "Let’s not keep the others waiting." His breath ghosted over the shell of her ear as he added, "Though I’d much rather keep you here... Perhaps demonstrate some alternative cultivation methods?"

Three days. Three relentless days where he’d worshipped every inch of her until even her bones felt liquified. And still, the hunger in his gaze promised more.

"Who said anything about running? I want to go out now!" She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress the traitorous flutter in her stomach when his expression brightened like the first sunrise after a storm.

Seeing his cheerful expression, so transformed, so full of life made her heart lighten as well. But the moment she thought about how she would explain everything to her other husbands, a heavy weight settled in her chest.

Forget it, she thought. I’ll accept whatever punishment comes later.

Guilt gnawed at her, and Bing Xue noticed.

"They’ll understand," he said softly, taking her hands into his own.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, then slowly nodded.

What she didn’t know what they’d carefully kept from her was their silent pact. From the moment Shen Xian emerged as a threat, her men had forged an unbreakable understanding. Petty jealousies meant nothing against the need to shield her, to grow strong enough to crush the Demon Emperor together.

If dual cultivation strengthened her, they’d swallow their pride. If sharing her heart meant keeping it beating, they’d carve out their own pieces gladly. The occasional bickering? Merely theater. None could bear to see that self-blaming shadow darken her eyes again.

"Heavenly Immortal, early stage?" She stared at her palms, where spiritual energy crackled with newfound potency. The realization struck like lightning. Since when did breakthroughs come this easily? A few nights tangled with Bing Xue, and she’d vaulted past thresholds others spent lifetimes struggling to breach.

She could have understood it if she had leapt from one realm to another back when her cultivation was lower. But now that she had reached the level of an Immortal, advancing further was harder than finding a needle in a sea of grass. If it were easy, everyone would have become gods by now.

Did this mean Bing Xue’s strength was already far beyond hers? Just how powerful was he?

"Congratulations, Master." His lips brushed her eyelid, unbearably tender.

"A’Xue, why can’t I sense your cultivation level?" She squinted at him.

"Simple." His chuckle vibrated through her as he drew her closer. "We move as one now."

She didn’t believe him. The protest forming on her lips vanished beneath his mouth, sparking another round of chaos in their private sanctuary.

[Ember Dune Desert]

Across the Ember Dune Desert, claws and hands froze mid-strike, Xiao Li, Xiao Lan, and the contracted beasts of Shenlian Yingyue halted as a violent surge of power erupted through her meridians. The force rippled outward, and their entire faction trembled under the pressure of the overwhelming energy. In an instant, cultivation levels surged skyward in unison.

"What devilry is this?!" their opponent gasped, staggering back. His face drained of color as the very air quivered with the shockwave of ascension.

"The Master has reached another level!", Xie Xie and the others thought in unison, voices echoing within their minds.

Not a single one of them flinched. They had anticipated this moment. Expected it.

Even the bitter envy toward Bing Xue who was with her while they were not with her, was buried deep beneath layers of hardened resolve and loyalty.

Her safety and her ascension mattered more than anything.

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[Some where in the desert, at the strange forest]

The sky remained green, and the strange emerald orbs or moons still hovered above. However, the green rain had finally vanished.

"Yunyun, Master, Bu Si Shu, where have you all been?" she asked, puzzled by their sudden reappearance.

"Master, while we were trapped in the illusion, we left to explore the formation and search for a way to break it," Xiao Yun replied casually. He gave a small nod of satisfaction after noticing her elevated cultivation level.

"How do you break it?" she asked, surprised.

Something felt off. Why was no one reacting to her sudden advancement in cultivation? Before she could question Xiao Yun, Xiong Zi Ying spoke up.

"Xiao Yueyue, your neck?" Xiong Zi Ying leaned in ambiguously, eyeing the faint love bites scattered across her skin.

"Master, can you pretend you didn’t see that?" she muttered, her lips twitching with embarrassment.

Bing Xue’s lips curved into a knowing smile as he watched her shy reaction. He then cast a grateful glance at Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun merely shook his head, as if to say "Thank yourself." If Bing Xue hadn’t worked hard to win her over, no opportunity in the world would have helped him succeed.

"My disciple, tell your master, how did it taste?" Xiong Zi Ying teased shamelessly, clearly enjoying how flustered she was. It was rare to see Shenlian Yingyue act this way.

"Master, are you a virgin?" she shot back, tilting her head in curiosity.

Xiong Zi Ying: "....."

He really shouldn’t have started teasing her.

"Pfft!" Bu Si Shu burst out laughing.

Even Xiao Yun and Bing Xue couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Bu Si Shu, what about you? Are you still a virgin too?" she turned to ask the spirit who had just mocked Xiong Zi Ying.

Bu Si Shu, caught off guard, choked on his own saliva.

Now he was the one being laughed at. Xiong Zi Ying chuckled with glee at the reversal.

Shenlian Yingyue scratched her head in confusion. What’s wrong with these two? She was just asking.

"Human, listen closely," Bu Si Shu finally spoke, regaining composure. Though he didn’t particularly like her, he still explained things patiently. "To unlock the Sacred Land of the Forgotten Immortal, you must trigger the key hidden within this place. Only someone with the power of a Heavenly Immortal can do that."

Shenlian Yingyue put aside her playful attitude and listened intently. The others grew serious as well.

"You must also reach a moment of enlightenment," Xiao Yun added after Bu Si Shu finished speaking, his tone gentle. "The four moons above, the forest, the green rain, every phenomenon here has meaning. Only by understanding them all can you open the gateway to the Sacred Land of the Forgotten Immortal."

"Trying to destroy the formation by force is useless," he explained solemnly.