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

"Then you try it!!!" Xuanhuo said viciously, "If Bingyin is still alive!"

Ying Li looked at her, still unmoved, her powerful mental strength controlling the area. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Finally, she found the last one in Bingyin's heart!

"Come out!!!" Ying Li gathered spiritual power in his right hand and grabbed Bing Yin's chest heavily. A puppies of the Illusionary Spirit Beast were in Ying Li's hand. Black blood hung from the corners of the puppies' mouths, and their eyes, full of spiritual energy, were mixed with greed.

"Roar!!!" The Phantom Beast let out a mournful howl!

Ying Li slammed the puppy to the ground, then gathered his spiritual energy into a sword in his right hand and pierced its heart!

"Ripples!" At the same time, Bingyin woke up from the illusion. He was covered in sweat and his brows were tightly furrowed. When he saw Yingli and the corpse of the phantom beast on the ground, his face turned deathly pale. After a long time, Bingyin's expression eased slightly, but his whole body was still trembling. He finally stood up and stared at Yingli with a look of guilt on his face.

"Ying Li, I... I've held you back..."

"What exactly is your inner demon?" Ying Li asked, and after a long while, seeing Bing Yin's dim eyes, he said, "Never mind, let's hurry up and leave. Lian Yi is still waiting up there."

Ying Li took two quick steps, but Bing Yin remained standing at a distance, not following. She turned to look at the somewhat tired Bing Yin and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

“I’m not going, I’m not going up. Ying Li, you go by yourself. I’ll wait for you in Yinling Kingdom City…” Bingyin said, clutching her chest as she walked past Ying Li, her eyes filled with a dim light.

"Hahaha... Young Master, I told you my senior brother is very powerful, but you still wouldn't believe me. Now that you've passed this illusion array, what can you do?! You're still scared out of your wits! In my opinion, you shouldn't bother Master up there, just wait to collect Chu Lianyi's corpse..."

"Snapped!!!"

Ying Li's expression froze. He stared at Bing Yin's utterly cold and resolute face, as if she didn't recognize him. Xuan Huo's face was slapped to the side, his cheek immediately swelling and reddening, thick blood slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth. Bing Yin looked at Xuan Huo's disbelieving yet suddenly timid eyes and said, word by word, "If you dare to say another word about Lian Yi, I'll cut out your tongue!"

After saying that, Bing Yinwu flashed past Xuan Huo, opened the second door, and saw thunder and rain raging outside. He only paused for a moment before resolutely throwing himself into the vast moonlight and torrential rain.

What exactly did you see in that illusion?!

"Pah! Coward!" Xuan Huo spat out the blood in his mouth with disdain, watching Bing Yin's departing figure, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. "I thought he was a devoted lover, but he's just a heartless bastard. A fence-sitter! Coward!"

Ying Li ignored Xuan Huo. After Bing Yin left, the thunder and rain outside suddenly stopped. Ying Li left the second door and arrived at the third door in just one hour. He opened the door and found an old man playing chess inside. The old man looked to be about sixty years old, but his voice was full of energy and sounded very young.

“Go ahead, I won’t make things difficult for you. Besides, a ninth-level Spirit Gathering Master is not someone we can make things difficult for. My junior brothers and sisters were ignorant and neglected the guests, so I, as their senior brother, apologize on their behalf.” As he spoke, he had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes never left the chessboard in front of him.

"Ying Li has never seen anyone as unyielding as you. You used fifty phantom beasts to create a perfect illusion array, luring my friend into it, reopening his deepest wound, leaving him exhausted and his spiritual power depleted. We cannot accept such an apology," Ying Li said coldly.

The man stopped playing chess, and after a long while, he looked up at Ying Li. "Heh, quite the temper. My junior brothers and sisters are ignorant. They didn't reveal a single thing to you about what Master had instructed them to do. You probably don't know why Master deliberately left you, this outcast, instead of giving up the opportunity to kidnap the future emperor of the Ghost Realm, and instead abducted Chu Lianyi?"

"I would like to hear the details." Ying Li sat down opposite the old man, picked up a white piece with his right hand, and placed it on the chessboard. The old man smiled and continued, "My name is Xuan Shu, the third disciple of the Great Sage Jue Ling. I am only twenty-five years old, but due to my years of studying illusion techniques, my appearance has changed drastically, and I look like an old man in his eighties."

“My name is Ying Li, the thirty-first patriarch of the Ying family in Yeling City, Jin'an Kingdom, Lingyu Continent. The alien you speak of, the future emperor of the Ghost Domain.”

Xuan Shu took the black piece and then proceeded to reveal the whole story: "The Great Sage Jue Ling, who is also my master, disliked fighting and hid in the Ghost Realm for peace and quiet. However, he could not find a successor for his secret skills. His heart was not dead, but his body was old. If these secret skills could not be passed on, it would be a regret for this world. Therefore, the emperors of the Ghost Realm throughout the ages have sought out a fruit called Ghost Spirit Fruit to help my master prolong his life for a period of one hundred years."

"During the war between spirits and ghosts more than a decade ago, the Ghost Spirit Fruit was stolen by people from the Spirit Realm while being transported to Yunshan, and its whereabouts have been unknown ever since. After investigation, it was eventually taken by Chu Jue from the Spirit Realm continent and brought home, where Chu Jue's granddaughter, Chu Lianyi, stole it and ate it herself. My master cannot live without Chu Lianyi's blood, otherwise, he will die in a few years. I ask you, Ying Li, if you were in my shoes, what would you do to Chu Lianyi?!"

Ying Li's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected that Chu Lianyi and the Great Sage Jue Ling would have such a connection. The master that Lianyi so wanted to become a disciple of ended up being tricked by her. Lianyi must be feeling quite emotional after learning about this.

"If I were the Great Sage Jue Ling, I would refine the remaining power of the Ghost Spirit Fruit in her body into pills. After all, if you take something from someone else, you have to return it no matter how you took it."

"If that's the case, why did you come up here?!" Xuan Shu said, watching Ying Li slowly put down the white piece, his expression changed slightly, "Such a fierce encirclement attack was neutralized by you with a single move. At such a young age, you are already proficient in the art of persuasion. You are indeed the emperor destined by heaven."

“But I am not the Great Sage Jue Ling!” Ying Li raised his head and said, his eyes shining brightly. “I am Chu Lianyi’s friend, not the Great Sage Jue Ling’s friend. To me, the Great Sage Jue Ling is just a strange name, while Chu Lianyi is a friend I have risked my life for. It is impossible for me to watch her die.”

"Hmph!" Xuan Shu snorted coldly, "We have different stances, so we can't reason with each other in the end."

"Farewell." Ying Li finished speaking and stood up. Xuan Shu behind him blocked his way, saying, "At least finish this game. I, Xuan Shu, have finally met my match. How can I let you leave so soon?!"

"You've already lost," Ying Li said, then disappeared into the night without looking back.

The enigmatic man lowered his head, looking at the chessboard densely covered with black and white pieces. After a long while, he gave a bitter laugh, "This move was both risky and brilliant; only you could have made it."

"Hey, little girl, why are you crying?! You tricked both of us, and you still have the nerve to cry?" The two boys appeared on the top of Yunshan Mountain at some point, each holding an umbrella, and glared at Chu Lianyi, who was shivering in the rain, complaining.

"Stop crying! Senior Brother didn't do anything to you! He was going to make you pay with your life as soon as he caught you, but he was soft-hearted and begged Master to spare you. You ate other people's food, and you still have the nerve to cry?!" the boy said, pouting.

"That's right, if I were the eldest brother, I would really wish I wouldn't let you see Master at all, and would immediately refine you into a pill to offer to Master. How could I tolerate you nagging here!" The eldest boy pointed and gestured at Chu Lianyi.

Chu Lianyi finally raised her head to look at the two boys. Under her dark circles, her nasolabial folds were deep from exhaustion, and her mouth was deathly pale. This appearance startled the two boys.

“Even if you’re afraid of death, you can’t… How about I think of a good way to save your life and ensure your friend is alright?” The eldest boy said, looking at Chu Lianyi’s inquiring expression, and continued, “If you marry your master and consummate your marriage, half of the Ghost Spirit Fruit’s energy in your body will be transferred to your master. That should be enough to last until the Ghost Spirit Fruit ripens again. What do you say?!”

"No!!!" Chu Lianyi cried out in panic, recalling that wrinkled face. If she had to endure this, she'd rather just give her a quick death!