While guiding the flow of true qi, Su Tiantian simultaneously injected her own blood into Chu Feng’s body.
Because Chu Feng was human and his bloodline differed from that of the demon clan, Su Tiantian proceeded extremely slowly, feeding her blood in little by little. That way, if any incompatibility arose, she could immediately stop.
For now, everything seemed normal.
However, as Su Tiantian gradually infused her blood into Chu Feng’s body, it slowly began to merge with his own. When it flowed through his brain, something unexpected occurred.
***
As yin and yang energies intertwined, the true qi within Chu Feng’s body surged wildly, and cracks began to form in the bottleneck holding him back.
Almost there!
He focused his mind, preparing to break through in one go.
Crack—crack—
Fractures spread continuously, until finally, with a loud burst—
Boom!
Third rank. He had finally broken through to the third rank!
Chu Feng was overjoyed. A breakthrough in cultivation meant that when he faced Lin Ruo again, he would have a much better chance of killing him.
He refused to believe that the old man could protect Lin Ruo forever.
Just as he was about to withdraw his focus, his mind suddenly exploded with a loud buzz, and everything around him turned blank.
“Hey…”
“Human, what exactly are you plotting?”
In the silence, a voice grew from faint to clear, as if someone were speaking to him.
Chu Feng opened his eyes and saw a snow-white nine-tailed fox girl standing before him. The familiar face…it was the Demon Empress!
However, at this moment, she looked disheveled. Her clothes were tattered, her body stained with blood, and her eyes were filled with vigilance as she stared at him coldly.
Big sister Tiantian…
Chu Feng felt dizzy, his consciousness hazy.
Is this a dream?
Right now, he and the Demon Empress were inside a cave. Looking closely, the large rock she sat on seemed especially familiar. Wasn’t this the very cave where they were currently staying?
“What do you mean, plotting? Miss fox demon, don’t worry. I, Chu Feng, may be lustful, but I still know better than to take advantage of someone… or a demon… in a vulnerable state. I won’t do anything improper to you, so relax.”
Chu Feng said as he gnawed on a chicken wing in his bowl. Seeing that Su Tiantian hadn’t taken a single bite of the drumstick in her bowl, he urged, “Hey, at least eat a little. Your cultivation is sealed right now. You can’t go without food.”
Su Tiantian snorted coldly, her tone firm and unyielding. “This Empress will never eat charity food, especially food made by a human. Even if I starve to death, die out here, I still won’t—”
Grrr—
Before she could finish speaking, Su Tiantian’s stomach betrayed her honesty, letting out a protesting growl.
In an instant, a blush spread across her stunning face.
“Don’t worry, I definitely didn’t put anything weird in it. I, Chu Feng, swear to the heavens!”
Chu Feng said, patting his chest.
In the end, Su Tiantian couldn’t hold out any longer. She picked up the drumstick and took a small bite. Her golden eyes lit up, and driven by hunger, the way she ate now completely lacked the dignity of the Demon Empress.
Seeing this, Chu Feng recalled her earlier stubborn attitude and couldn’t help but think of a certain unyielding Wang.
After finishing the meal, Su Tiantian asked, “Human, why have you come to the depths of the demon territory?”
Chu Feng took out two fur blankets from his storage bag. As he spread them out on the ground, he said, “I’m a sword cultivator. I heard that the sword of a certain great human expert is somewhere within demon territory, so I came to look for it. I’ve been searching for nearly half a month but still haven’t found any leads.”
“Of course you haven’t found anything. This is demon territory. How could there be any sword belonging to one of your human experts?”
Su Tiantian said with certainty.
“You can’t say that for sure. What if there really is one? Ancient records state that a long time ago, this place used to belong to the human race. But with the wars between humans and demons, the frontlines kept shifting, so some lands that once belonged to humans are now occupied by your demon clan.”
After laying out the blankets, Chu Feng said to Su Tiantian, “Alright, it’s ready. Go to sleep. Your cultivation is sealed right now, and you’re injured. Lying on cold stone isn’t good for your body.”
This time, Su Tiantian didn’t remain as stubborn as before. Instead, she sensibly lay down on the fur blanket Chu Feng had prepared.
This entire exchange clearly wasn’t what Chu Feng intended to say, yet the moment he opened his mouth, he couldn’t control himself and those words came out anyway.
When he went to the river to wash the dishes, he saw his reflection in the water. The face staring back at him had shed its youthful immaturity. It was Chu Feng, but as a young adult.
Over the next few days, his interactions with the Demon Empress in the cave were plain and uneventful. He cooked, called her to eat, laid out a blanket for her, and then they slept. Just like that, each day passed.
Occasionally, they would exchange a few words, but only briefly. The way the Demon Empress behaved like this made Chu Feng feel somewhat unfamiliar with her.
Because during these past few days together, although the Demon Empress would still call him her “toy” she was never this cold toward him, nor did she keep such distance. Instead, she would often stick close to him, teasing and playing with him, as if he really were a toy in her hands.
Watching the Demon Empress stare at him with a guarded expression, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly her.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the scene before him changed once again. This time, it was no longer the cave but the grand hall where he had first met the Demon Empress upon entering the demon capital.
Unlike the previous time, when the atmosphere had been relaxed and the demon kings were casually eating and drinking, this time the air was filled with killing intent. Each demon king’s eyes gleamed with ferocity.
Among them, he saw familiar figures. The Tiger Protector, the green-haired woman, and the rabbit-eared girl.
Su Tiantian sat upon the high seat and said in a low voice, “Human, you say you want to help our demon clan defeat this human invasion?”
“That’s right. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come alone deep into demon territory.”
“Your reason?”
“My reason? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The leader of the human side this time… is my enemy.”
“Aren’t you afraid that after this, you’ll have no place left to stand among humans?”
“If I don’t help you this time, I might not even keep my life. What place would I have to stand then? I swear to the Heavenly Dao. I am completely sincere.”
“Good!”
Ignoring the objections of the demon kings, Su Tiantian agreed without hesitation.
Chu Feng watched with his own eyes as he became involved in this earth-shaking war. On the battlefield, he fought one against four, slaying four seventh-rank cultivators, leaving the human side utterly horrified.
Then, the surrounding space suddenly shattered, and two old men stepped out from the void.
“Chu Feng! As a human, you actually help the demon clan….you are the shame of the human race! A traitor to humanity!”
“Hey, hey! Old man, don’t go slapping labels on me. When did I ever say I betrayed the human race? I’m helping the demon clan this time simply because I can’t stand the lot of you.”
“Enough talk. Die, Chu Feng!”
“Haha! Then let me experience just what abilities you two venerables possess!”
Chu Feng stepped forward, only feeling a surge of boundless pride within his heart.
Sword qi filled the skies, and the sound of swords rang endlessly.
In this great battle, Chu Feng felt as though he were fighting it himself. Facing the techniques of two eighth-rank cultivators, he not only neutralized them all but even struck them down with his sword.
With the two venerables fallen, the rest were nothing but rabble, collapsing in an instant.
In this battle, Chu Feng tore open the human front line, and in the end, the human race was forced to negotiate peace with the demon clan.
“Well done, human. What reward do you want? This Empress can grant you anything.”
Su Tiantian pursed her lips as she spoke. The coldness in her golden eyes had softened considerably compared to before.
“A reward?” Chu Feng thought for a moment, then smiled freely. “Then… how about you, Your Majesty…we become friends.”
Su Tiantian was momentarily stunned. “Just friends? That simple?”
“Of course!” Chu Feng nodded. “Friendship isn’t as simple as it looks on the surface. One more friend is a great fortune.”
“I wonder… do I have the qualification to become Your Majesty’s friend?”
“Human, I hope you won’t regret this. This Empress agrees.” Su Tiantian casually brushed her hair behind her ear, blinking lightly as she said, “By the way, human, since you are now this Empress’s friend, what is your name?”
Chu Feng smiled faintly. “I am Chu Feng.”
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