The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"I don't know why Lianyi was able to eat your master's Ghost Spirit Fruit, a dignified Great Sage of the Spirit Realm. We each have our own principles, and we have no enmity. However, I will not blindly accept your condemnation of Lianyi. Forgive me!!!"

As Ying Li spoke, he drained all the spiritual energy from the phantom beast, then helped Bing Yin up. He placed his right hand, gathering spiritual energy, on Bing Yin's shoulder, and poured powerful spiritual energy into Bing Yin's body. Bing Yin frowned, his expression one of great pain.

"This illusion is just caused by the phantom beast, why hasn't Bingyin woken up yet?!" Ying Li said worriedly, holding Bingyin's arm, only to find that the other's body was getting colder and colder!

In a place like this, surrounded by molten lava and intense heat, how could one's body become increasingly cold?!

"Little girl, don't bother. I didn't expect you to be able to break my third senior brother's illusion, but there's more than one illusion beast. Unless you break the illusion array of the illusion beasts, don't even think about leaving here." Xuan Huo said smugly, his eyes filled with endless indifference as he looked at Ying Li.

"You think Bingyin, being a master of secret arts, wouldn't fall for it?! Illusion, though a type of secret art, is always the most powerful. This young master's inner demons are so deep, do you think you alone can take him away from here?! I never would have guessed that this seemingly cold and aloof young master has such deep inner demons. Having come to the Ghost Realm, having avoided the Demon Ridge, you must experience this illusion at least once. Otherwise, why do you think the Ghost Realm is called the Ghost Realm?! A realm that unearths humanity's most painful memories and most unbearable past, and then uses these to shatter people's hopes one by one!!! Only the most selfless can live here."

"Ice Shadow..." Ying Li thought for a while, and then a plan came to mind. He sat down cross-legged, took Ice Shadow's hand, and the two of them sat together to the side, entering that painful illusion.

The night was drawing to a close, but dawn had not yet broken.

Li Xiyue carefully wrapped the bronze mirror in a silk scarf and placed it in the white cloth bag hanging at her waist. Bingyin stood in front of her, but his eyes seemed to be looking into the distance.

Li Xiyue was a little puzzled, and turned around to ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Bingyin remained silent, holding a sword imbued with spiritual energy in his hand, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "No, nothing at all."

Li Xiyue was somewhat dazed. This was the first time she had seen Bingyin wield a longsword. A man like him didn't need to carry a sword. Longswords were only used to kill, but Bingyin wasn't very good at killing.

Sheathing his longsword, Bingyin's expression returned to normal. Looking at Li Xiyue, he said, "I just checked. The divine sense in that bronze mirror is already automatically recovering. Your efforts to cherish him have not been in vain. I estimate that as long as we find the Bone Ring, he will be saved."

Li Xiyue was suddenly overjoyed. She touched the cloth bag with her right hand, a long-lost smile appearing on her face. Bingyin watched her smile, but a hint of worry lingered on his face. "But, are you really planning to go find the Bone Ring yourself?"

Li Xiyue raised her face and said seriously, "Yes, I must find the Bone Ring. Bingyin, it was my fault that you didn't get the Immortal Slaying Sword. If you want me to do anything, I will do my best to make up for it. I just beg you, take me to Green Stone Mountain. I have to save my sixth brother."

Bingyin frowned slightly, looking at Li Xiyue's straight back and stubborn expression. He shook his head helplessly and was about to speak when a strong gust of wind blew by, and Li Xiyue's body suddenly took two steps back.

With a crisp "crack!", the bamboo in front of Li Xiyue was sliced ​​in two. Of course, a lock of hair from Li Xiyue's forehead was also sliced ​​in half.

Bingyin gripped the long flute with his left hand, flashed behind Li Xiyue, and gently supported her waist with his right hand. Li Xiyue's expression changed slightly, but her body was still falling backward due to inertia.

Bingyin exerted force with his right hand, and Li Xiyue's body trembled, causing her to fall into his arms.

With her hands firmly pushing against Bingyin's shoulders, Li Xiyue finally stopped falling. She looked up at Bingyin, who was also looking at her.

For some reason, Li Xiyue suddenly heard Bingyin's heartbeat, one beat after another.

A very soft heartbeat, very slow, very slow...

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

"What a heroic rescue! Nangong Lin, after all these years, you're still the same."

Hastily pushing Bingyin aside, Li Xiyue took two steps back and looked in the direction from which the sound came. There she saw a handsome young man standing on a bamboo stalk deep in the dense forest.

He was dressed in a tight-fitting light blue outfit, with a pair of jade boots shaped like dragons on his feet. His eyes were wicked, and he was clapping his hands lightly with a strange smile on his face.

Bingyin's expression changed slightly. He walked to Li Xiyue's side, shielding her behind him. Looking at the person standing on the ink bamboo, he sighed deeply and said, "Likewise, Ye Zhen, you're still the same."

With a leap, Ye Zhen landed on the bamboo and stood before Bing Yin. A smile played on his lips, but Li Xiyue clearly saw a hint of coldness beneath it.

Ye Zhen stretched out his right hand and slowly made a grabbing motion in the air, and two jars of wine appeared in his hand.

Li Xiyue took a slow breath, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Catch!" Ye Zhen tossed one of the wine jars over, and Bing Yin caught it without blinking.

Looking down at the wine, Bingyin chuckled and said, "Thanks to Young Master Ye Zhen, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to drink such good wine."

After saying that, he pried open the red cloth covering the wine jar with his index finger, tilted his head back, and drank the strong liquor.

Ye Zhen smiled slightly, uncapped the bottle, and tilted his head back to drink.

They were far apart, even when they drank together, they were this far apart.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Zhen suddenly swung his right hand, and with a loud "crack!" Li Xiyue jumped in fright. Bingyin, however, calmly finished his last sip, and with the same "crack", the wine jar shattered.

Ye Zhen said, "Nangong Lin, you can't beat me in a fight, you can't beat me in status, you can't beat me in drinking, but I never expected that you would beat me in a woman's game!"

His words were harsh, but Bingyin didn't even blink. "Ye Zhen, I said a year ago that I only have brotherly feelings for Lianyi. If you like her, why bother me? You can tell Lianyi yourself and see what her choice is for you."

After saying that, Bingyin took Li Xiyue's arm and was about to leave.

Ye Zhen snorted coldly, then said, "Bastard!"

Bingyin paused, then turned slightly away. The sky suddenly darkened, and sandstorms lashed against Li Xiyue's body, face, and arms.

Looking at the deep bamboo forest, she felt a chill run down her spine. The other party could control spiritual energy so well that even the depths of the bamboo forest could be blown by this wind and sand. Moreover, he had just said that Bingyin was no match for him in a fight, so she must be a burden to Bingyin.

Without a second thought, Li Xiyue forcefully shook off Bing Yin's arm, which was tightly gripping hers, and stood in front of him, saying loudly, "Young Master Ye, I have absolutely no relation to Bing Yin. In fact, he's my savior. If I've caused you to misunderstand him, then..."

Li Xiyue bit her lip and continued, "I'm leaving now."

Bingyin was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Li Xiyue to say that, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

Ye Zhen snorted lightly, and with a few flashes, he arrived in front of Li Xiyue. He stared intently at Li Xiyue's face and said, "Who do you think you are? You think you're so smart. You have no right to speak here."

Li Xiyue's expression changed slightly. Bingyin behind her made a move to step forward. Having gone this far, she definitely couldn't cause Bingyin any trouble.

She almost bit her lip until it bled. She didn't know where she got the courage, but she closed her eyes, stretched out her hands, and pushed hard. Ye Zhen seemed not to have expected that a girl would dare to attack him. He took two steps back. When he stood still, he saw Li Xiyue's firm eyes and Bingyin's worried expression.

After a moment of stunned silence, the sandstorm stopped and the sky returned to normal.

Ye Zhen brushed the sand off his body twice and suddenly realized that his spiritual energy seemed to have weakened considerably. Could it be that Bingyin was using a secret technique to restrain him?! He couldn't figure it out. Could it be that this girl had a problem with her constitution?! Ye Zhen looked at the somewhat bewildered Li Xiyue and said, "You are very different. From childhood to adulthood, no one has ever dared to treat me like this."

Bingyin pulled Li Xiyue behind him and said calmly, "It has nothing to do with her. She just needed my help."

Ye Zhen raised her head, her sharp gaze seemingly capable of killing Li Xiyue. "Since when have you, Nangong Lin, become soft-hearted towards someone like this? You pity her?! What about Lianyi? Lianyi is so pitiful, why won't you even frown for her?!"

Bingyin chuckled softly and said, "Someone like me has no right to sympathize with others."

The voice was very soft, but Li Xiyue felt Bingyin's hand gripping her forearm with great force.

Ye Zhen sniffed, rested his chin on his right hand, and stared at Li Xiyue with a gaze that seemed to see right through her. After a long while, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "Seventh Miss of 'Wine Alley Family' in Jincheng, wife of Shen Lie of the Shen family of 'Purple Gold Hall' in the capital. Nangong Lin, I didn't expect that you would be so uninterested in worldly affairs, but instead you've gone all out? Are you here to play with what others have already played with?"

Li Xiyue froze abruptly, staring at Ye Zhen in disbelief. After a long while, her stiff body finally warmed up. These people—these people possessed extraordinary abilities—just to humiliate her?!

Bingyin glanced at Li Xiyue, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He turned around, released his hand from her arm, and said, "As expected of Ye Zhen, the young master of the Leng family, your judgment of people is still so accurate. I actually knew about this a long time ago. I want to play around with women, is that not allowed?"

Li Xiyue's heart pounded, and the moment Bingyin finished speaking, it plunged into the endless seabed.

Ye Zhen's expression suddenly turned grim, because he saw that Li Xiyue's eyes were gradually losing their luster. Just a moment ago, there was still hope in them, but in an instant, she was filled with despair.

Ye Zhen said, "Nangong Lin, what do you mean by this?"

Bingyin said, "I have been cultivating in seclusion on Illusionary Mountain for thirteen years. Now that I have come down the mountain, I naturally want to find some fun. As you can see, isn't this woman the biggest thrill? Another man's wife, with a strange constitution, who knows what big secret she might have. When I bring her to Palace Master Hongyu, guess what he will do?"

"You're insane." Ye Zhen reached out and grabbed Bing Yin's collar. The latter slowly raised his eyes to look at him, his eyes filled with laughter. "I'm insane? You're the one who's insane. You keep pushing the woman you love into my arms. Do you even have the right to call others insane?!"

"say no more!"

Li Xiyue suddenly shouted, her body trembling slightly.

Ye Zhen froze, and the hand that was grabbing Bing Yin's collar fell down. His eyes were filled with anger, and then he turned around and saw that small figure.

Pulling the cloth bag up and tightly clutching the bronze mirror, Li Xiyue bowed slightly to Bingyin and said absentmindedly, "I am grateful for your care over the past two days, young master. If I have offended you, please forgive me. We shall part ways here."