Chapter 119: Vile and Shameless

A demonic cultivator named Busa, his face painted with colorful oil pigments, spoke respectfully: "Young Master, although you didn't reach the mid-stage during this seclusion, your Heavenly Evil Demon Eye has become even more powerful. To think it could see through such a clever concealment formation! If I had walked right past it, I wouldn't have noticed a thing."

"That is nothing," Chi Xuan said with a playful smirk. "If my Demon Eye were to reach its full potential, it could pierce through a thousand miles. Shall I go and humiliate them properly?"

This Young Master possessed a formidable background. The Lich King himself had brought him to the Red Evil Desert, implanted an 'Evil Seed' into his brow, and used profound arts to forge the Heavenly Evil Demon Eye for him. In the Red Evil Desert, his status was second only to the Old Monster of Red Evil.

Today, the sudden tremors of the altar had left the Old Monster of Red Evil startled and restless. He had immediately dispatched all his demonic cultivators to patrol closely, while he sat atop the altar to suppress everything.

Chi Xuan and Busa arrived outside Ge Qian’s formation. Busa grabbed at the air, condensing malevolent energy into a ten-foot-tall battle axe, its edge sharp and its weight as heavy as a mountain.

"Listen up, you juniors inside," Busa shouted. "Dismantle the formation immediately and welcome our great Young Master Chi Xuan, and I might spare your lives! Otherwise, I will let you taste the ten most brutal tortures of the Red Evil Desert!"

Ge Qian’s spiritual sense had long since detected their arrival, but he was at the critical moment of refining the pill. He could not afford the slightest error, or all his previous efforts would be in vain. He accelerated the pill-refining process, even as Busa roared outside.

Ye Yu, barely holding on, mustered her strength and said, "Ge Qian, leave quickly. I cannot drag you down with me anymore. Even with the Heart-Calming Pill, I may not survive. It is not worth it for someone who is about to die; leave now, or I will bite my tongue and end it!"

Clearly, she truly did not want to burden Ge Qian, even threatening death to persuade him.

Ge Qian replied coldly, "Your death would not be saving me; it would only be a cover for your own cowardice. If it were me, I would rather die under an enemy's blade than succumb to my own weak nature. We cultivators are meant to defy the heavens; if we dare to defy the heavens, what is there to fear? From the moment I stepped into the cultivation world, I placed my life in the hands of tomorrow. Only by surviving today can I pursue another tomorrow."

"Why did I, along with Bai Ruyu, Ying Xue, and your brother, travel thousands of miles through countless hardships to this Red Evil Desert? It was so you could recover and fight by our side. I have survived countless life-or-death crises and storms; this will be no exception. Because until the very end, no one knows what the result will be."

Ye Yu felt a surge of strength. *I would rather die under an enemy’s blade than succumb to my own weak nature*—these words held great power.

With tears in her eyes, she said, "Ge Qian, even if it is the gates of hell, I am not afraid today! I, Ye Yu, was once a person who cut down enemies like grass; my life should only be taken by my enemies—that would be exciting enough!"

Ge Qian smiled faintly and continued to channel his techniques into the furnace.

Outside the formation, Chi Xuan swung his arm and delivered a solid, resounding slap to Busa’s face.

Busa saw stars, his head spinning, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He clutched his swollen left cheek and asked with a confused, tearful voice, "My wise and mighty Young Master, why did you strike me? I have always been loyal to you, with no hidden agenda!"

Chi Xuan snorted coldly. "Who gave you the gall to act on your own, shouting and alerting the prey, ruining my plans? I intended to wait until that little Foundation Establishment cultivator gave the pill to his beloved, making him think he had saved her life, only for me to appear suddenly, seize the woman, and enjoy her in front of him. Listening to her painful moans beneath me and watching the absolute agony on his face—there is no greater pleasure than that! Now, it has all been ruined by a piece of trash like you!"

"This one deserves to die, I am a complete fool. How could I ever fathom such a brilliant plan? If I had even half of the Young Master’s wisdom, I would be content," Busa fawned, while cursing him as a pervert in his heart.

In truth, the Red Evil Desert was filled with righteous cultivators captured by the Lich King, who then forced demonic arts upon them. Over time, they lost themselves, becoming irrational and acting purely on instinct, no different from walking corpses.

Chi Xuan had once been an ordinary disciple of the Chi family. Because he fell in love with the clan leader's daughter and dared to confess his feelings, he had poked a hornet's nest. He was subjected to heavy punishment and cast out of the family. The steward had stepped on his face and mocked, "A toad wishing to eat swan meat? Go look at your own reflection and see what you are. Remember, if you ever dare to set foot in this clan again, you will be killed without mercy."

When Chi Xuan was on the verge of death, the Lich King saved him, implanted an Evil Seed in his brow, taught him dark arts, and threw him into the Red Evil Desert. He practiced diligently, eventually attacking the Chi family and wiping them out, but he failed to catch Chi Yue, who had reportedly been taken away by an Infant Transformation cultivator to study the Dao. Since then, his nature had completely twisted, and he specialized in slaughtering lovers.

Chi Xuan’s eyes darted, and he said loudly, "Little cultivator inside, do not panic. Ignore my subordinate’s nonsense. I am truly moved that you would risk your life in the Red Evil Desert to refine medicine for your beloved. As the saying goes, 'may all lovers eventually be united.' If I had possessed half your courage back then, my lover would not have left me. Therefore, not only will I not disturb you, I will order the other demonic cultivators to clear a path and escort you out of the Red Evil Desert."

With Ge Qian’s powerful spiritual sense, he heard every word clearly. Joy rose in his heart, and a plan formed. "Thank you, Senior, for being so compassionate and righteous. Once I refine the pill and give it to my wife, I will immediately invite you into the formation to properly thank you for your great kindness."

Hearing this, Busa gave a fawning thumbs-up and leered, "Young Master, that plan is brilliant!"

Chi Xuan wore a smug smile. "No matter. You should focus on refining the pill; I don't mind waiting a while. I am also quite curious to see what someone so devoted looks like."

Ge Qian agreed readily. He changed his hand seals, and the lid of the furnace opened, releasing a rich medicinal fragrance that refreshed the spirit. Ge Qian did not dare to be negligent; he split his spiritual sense into ten strands to wrap around the ten pills, slowly lifting them from the furnace and placing them into a prepared jade bottle.

He grabbed the bottle and flashed to Ye Yu’s side, gently lifting her up.

Ye Yu felt safe and secure in his warm, strong embrace. Even though a Core Formation cultivator was lurking outside, she was no longer afraid.

Ge Qian skillfully poured the pill into her mouth, one hand supporting her chest while the other rested against her back, channeling a stream of pure vitality into her body. Ye Yu felt a surge of heat flowing through her, her heart beating strongly and steadily. The Seven-Emotion Poison within her immediately quieted, and the seven sword qi strands were expelled.

Ge Qian’s thoughts stirred, and the seven sword lights flew out from Ye Yu’s body, sinking into the human-path vortex in his own dantian.

Ye Yu slowly sat up, feeling much lighter. Her face flushed, and she said, "Thank you, Ge Qian. You pulled me back from the gates of hell. I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"