Chapter 834: The Most Perfect Body

Chapter 834: The Most Perfect Body

“You’re helping me?” Ye Jiuyou chuckled. “Since you know what I’m doing is evil that must be hidden from you, you still say you’ll help?”

“If what you’re targeting are things like Bixun Xuexiao, then the goal isn’t a problem—it’s just the methods that are bad… If I get involved, maybe you wouldn’t have to choose bad methods and could still achieve what you need.”

“Why would I bother overhauling all my plans to fit your ridiculous sense of justice?”

“Because you still need us to deal together with Ye Wuming… Wouldn’t it be better to strengthen our cooperation?” Zhao Changhe sighed. “Besides, I think you might have miscalculated one thing…”

“What?”

“If I wanted to stop you, you might not have cared much before, but now with Piaomiao helping me… Piaomiao’s strength could cause you enough trouble to give you a real headache. Are you sure you don’t want to work with us?”

Ye Jiuyou slapped the ground and stood up: “I brought you two together just so you could cause me trouble? Zhao Changhe, Piaomiao, you adulterous pair—have you no shame left?”

Piaomiao stood quietly beside Zhao Changhe without answering, leaving all decisions to him.

Zhao Changhe said, “Where did that come from? We’re still very grateful to you—aren’t we the ones offering to help?”

“You’re not helping me; you’re stopping me from doing what you see as evil.”

“You can see it that way…” Zhao Changhe paused, his voice softening slightly: “Or you can think I don’t want you to do things I’d hate to see, which would break our relationship.”

Ye Jiuyou’s expression flickered, then she sneered: “Never mind that what I’ve done in this era was only stopped by you… In the last era, the blood on my hands exceeded anything you could imagine.”

Zhao Changhe replied calmly, “But I didn’t see it.”

Ye Jiuyou fell silent, stroking her chin for a long while. She seemed to think of something and smiled again. But she asked, “You want the Nine Nether Abyss to forge a body for Piaomiao; your so-called help is just to stop me from doing evil. Don’t you think such a deal is shameless?”

Zhao Changhe said, “There will come a time when you find it worth your while. If not, consider it a favor I owe you—you’ll find it useful.”

“I admire your confidence.” Ye Jiuyou grinned. “But you know, my stronghold isn’t open to just anyone.”

“Is it because you’ve hidden many secrets? You can block all my senses—I’ll only go where the aura of life-and-death transformation is strongest and won’t overstep.”

“Not entirely.” Ye Jiuyou stretched lazily. “The environment there is different from the outside. Ordinary people who enter either go mad or get lost in the chaotic Nether Wastes. If you go in and actively block your senses, don’t blame me if you die inside—I’m warning you.”

“Just send me directly to a suitable place for the task… I don’t want to wander either; it wouldn’t be good if I stumbled somewhere I shouldn’t.”

“Fine. After you come out, remember to deliver what you promised.” Ye Jiuyou stood up. “Shall we go now?”

“I’ll send Yangyang back to the capital first—my father-in-law is waiting anxiously… It’s too dangerous for her to be involved in this any longer.” Zhao Changhe turned and cupped Cui Yuanyang’s face. “As we discussed, go find Wanzhuang when you return and have her arrange a post for you in the Demon Suppression Bureau to gain experience.”

Cui Yuanyang’s expression darkened. She said softly, “Listening to your conversation, something feels off… Are you about to do something very dangerous again?”

“When it comes to these demon lords, nothing is safe… We’ll work hard, and one day the world will be at peace. Wait for me in the capital.”

Cui Yuanyang shot a glare at Ye Jiuyou. Everyone knew that whether it was Zhao Changhe’s so-called dangerous task now or the earlier trouble from Piaomiao’s unexpected revival, the instigator was Ye Jiuyou. She wasn’t a friendly ally; she had many schemes hidden, and at heart she was evil. Zhao Changhe was always walking a tightrope, using the tiger’s skin to save the day.

But he had no choice—she was strong and utterly unscrupulous. A single displeasure could send her rampaging through the Divine Land, sowing the chaos and annihilation she craved. You couldn’t openly turn against someone like that; you had to take it step by step.

“I’m not leaving.” Cui Yuanyang said earnestly. “Piaomiao and I share a bond—her body’s forging might need me. No matter what, I’ll stay until this is done. I’m at the Imperial Realm now; I won’t just hold you back.”

Zhao Changhe ruffled her hair. “Alright, then we’ll go together.”

Ye Jiuyou watched their display of affection with a hint of annoyance, dark lightning flickering faintly in her hand. “Go on. Let’s see if your confidence always bears fruit.”

Darkness enveloped the space. After a twist, the stars shifted.

Zhao Changhe held Piaomiao’s and Cui Yuanyang’s hands, stumbling a step as they found themselves in a completely different world.

There was not a glimmer of light—utter, absolute darkness. Even though they held hands, he couldn’t see their faces. There was no need to block their senses, for nothing could penetrate the darkness anyway; it seemed to block all mental perception.

He didn’t know where they were or how vast the space was. A single step forward might lead to a mountain of blades. This total blindness would drive any cultivator with keen senses mad with frustration.

Not only was there no light, but there was also no wind, no sign of life—everything was still.

And it was cold, a deathly, silent chill.

Cui Yuanyang took a deep breath. If she hadn’t broken through to the Imperial Realm, she might have frozen to death here, or gone mad. “Ye Jiuyou… was born in a place like this?”

“She is its master,” Piaomiao said. “Since ancient times, her goal has been to turn the whole world into such stillness. She needs no life, no light. The Ye Jiuyou who laughed and talked with us before is very different from the past—I never understood what she was up to.”

Cui Yuanyang asked, “Then… even if we succeed, how do we get out of here? We don’t even know where the path is.”

Piaomiao said, “Normally… if she doesn’t lead us out, we can’t leave. Her so-called warning was really just saying she intends to imprison us. If she truly wanted to help, she would have guided us instead of throwing us in here.”

Cui Yuanyang fumed, “How can she be so capricious? We’re still allies for now—what good does imprisoning us do her?”

Piaomiao sighed. “You shouldn’t have come… Even Changhe shouldn’t have. If I came alone and couldn’t get out, it wouldn’t matter much to the bigger picture, but you two…”

Zhao Changhe squeezed her hand. “Nonsense. We’ll brave any dragon’s pool or tiger’s den together. Are we afraid of this mere Nether Wastes?”

Piaomiao’s heart softened. She said gently, “Did you guess that Jiuyou meant ill?”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “I guessed as much… It’s not that she’s capricious; I just told the truth and made her unhappy. If I’d said I was sincerely helping her, things might have turned out better, but I didn’t.”

Cui Yuanyang said, “Why not just say a few nice words to placate her? You’re good at making women happy, aren’t you?”

“Deception might win temporary alliance, but it breeds future trouble. Honesty is never wrong… Ye Jiuyou is no ordinary person; she has her limits.” Zhao Changhe paused, then added with a laugh, “Besides, I’m confident we can get out.”

Piaomiao was puzzled. “How? Even I can’t see anything here.”

“I can see.” Zhao Changhe touched the back of his head. “Earlier, I saw her bathing in here, so I guessed I’d be able to see inside too. I gambled, and it worked. Jiuyou is still a step behind her sister—her sister’s things work here.”

Piaomiao: “?”

What does this have to do with Ye Wuming?

“We’ll talk about getting out later… What about the lotus platform?”

Piaomiao extended her hand. As if conjured from nothing, a pool of water appeared before them, with a lotus platform growing and blooming in it. Mist swirled over the water, creating a dreamlike scene.

Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue. “Impressive… How did you hide a physical object in your soul and conjure a lotus pond out of nothing? What kind of wife have I brought home?”

Piaomiao stamped her foot. “Yangyang is right here—stop with the shameless talk… Wait, can you really see?”

“I can see.” Zhao Changhe lifted her up and set her on the lotus platform, then leaned back to admire her. “I have even more shameless things to say. Want to hear them?”

Piaomiao looked confused. “What?”

“Nothing. I just think you look as beautiful as a Guanyin.”

Cui Yuanyang turned her head away.

Before marriage, noble girls were taught about the arts of the bedchamber. She understood. But the ancient demon lord who had lived through two eras was as pure as a little white flower in this regard.

How the lotus platform would become a body—Cui Yuanyang was intensely curious, but she couldn’t see a thing, and it itched at her heart.

“Want to see?” Zhao Changhe took her hand. “Share my sight.”

Cui Yuanyang soon saw Piaomiao’s soul sitting cross-legged on the lotus platform, eyes closed, surrounded by swirling mist. Her appearance was both solemn and ethereal, truly breathtaking. Cui Yuanyang had never imagined that her own face, when matured, could possess such charm—so beautiful that even she felt her heart race.

Zhao Changhe took out the Celestial Book and placed it on Piaomiao’s knees. He gently brushed his hand over it, turning the pages to reveal the Page of Life.

The lotus platform already radiated intense life energy. Stimulated by the Celestial Book of Life, its petals suddenly stretched upward, closing inward to envelop Piaomiao’s soul.

Then, visibly, it began to conform to the shape of her soul, fusing together. Gradually, it took on the form of a body—bones formed, organs took shape, jade-like flesh and ice-clear skin slowly emerged.

Piaomiao was directing this herself; she had the ability to do such things, having done it in ancient times. That was why she had said she could do it alone—she was more experienced than Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe watched and learned, faintly sensing an aura of life-and-death transformation. It was being activated from the deep veins of this place, exchanging the gate of life and death, bridging the bridge of heaven and earth… This meant that, strictly speaking, Piaomiao was a “dead person” undergoing “resurrection.”

Indeed, there was no longer a Piaomiao in this world. The one in this era was originally Cui Yuanyang, not an independent Piaomiao. For an independent Piaomiao to appear, it required resurrection from death.

Without this aura of life and death, even if she succeeded in forging a body, she might become a soulless corpse puppet. Piaomiao seemed to understand this well, actively guiding the aura to complete the final step of her full revival.

This was the purpose of coming to the Nine Nether Abyss… From this perspective, Ye Jiuyou’s domain was not the dead stillness imagined—it harbored the most profound origins of life.

This gloom, perhaps in other words, could be called innate?

Had the origin of Night Nine Nether’s birth always been untraceable, and was this related?

Just as his mind wandered, he heard a faint muffled groan from Piaomiao, as if something had gone wrong. Zhao Changhe looked and saw that the flesh she was evolving seemed hindered, remaining as pale as a corpse, even showing signs of collapse.

Zhao Changhe quickly reached out, pressing a finger on Piaomiao, desperately pouring his life laws into her to stabilize her: “What’s wrong? Is something missing?”

“Missing… the root of existence for life? It feels floating and rootless.” Piaomiao’s own voice was somewhat puzzled: “I was born of heaven and earth, gathered from the veins of human destiny—what root of existence do I need?”

Zhao Changhe exchanged a glance with Cui Yuanyang, also finding it strange.

Piaomiao had always existed—what primer or source did she need?

“Could it be…” Cui Yuanyang hesitated for a moment: “By the logic of reincarnation and rebirth, elder sister is me. So in this life, I was born of parents, existing because of them… That is the root.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

If so, where would they find parents for her? What he’d said earlier was just a joke.

But as Cui Yuanyang spoke, Zhao Changhe traced the threads of causality and found it wasn’t without reason.

Cui Yuanyang said: “Elder sister has combined my flesh and blood—could it be treated as if we were twins from the same womb? Let’s try.”

Before Zhao Changhe could answer, she suddenly drew the Qinghe Sword, slashed it swiftly across her wrist, and blood spurted out.

Cui Yuanyang waved her hand, sprinkling the blood over Piaomiao, where it seeped into her skin.

Zhao Changhe quickly stopped the bleeding and healed Cui Yuanyang, then turned to look at Piaomiao. Her corpse-pale skin gradually began to show the texture of flesh, gaining a rosy, lively hue.

It had actually worked! What was missing was Cui Yuanyang’s blood as the primer.

Good thing Yuanyang had insisted on staying and following along—if she had left, this wouldn’t have succeeded. Perhaps it was also a vague premonition between “the same person.”

Zhao Changhe stared dumbfounded as Piaomiao’s body grew more and more vivid, until she opened her eyes. With a body now, her pupils were like autumn waters, shimmering as they reflected the figures of the two, lively and beautiful.

Just the feeling of her eyes alone was something a pure soul body could never match.

Her body was smooth as jade, tinged with a pinkish luster, flawless from head to toe, perfect without a single blemish.

“Elder sister, you’re so beautiful!” Cui Yuanyang pounced on her, pressing Piaomiao down and kissing her: “Truly a body condensed from heavenly treasures—let me take a bite…”

Piaomiao hugged her with affection and kissed her cheek in return: “Thank you, Yuanyang.”

Cui Yuanyang nuzzled against her: “If you want to thank me, let me nuzzle more—it feels so good… Wait, why does it still smell so fragrant?”

“Since the lotus platform is my body, naturally there is the scent of lotus.”

“You said before that I’d ruined you, but now I feel so jealous… Boohoo, your figure is better than mine, and you’re deliberately taller…”

“You can have it too.” Piaomiao said softly: “There’s leftover lotus; later I’ll help you use it for body forging.”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

What the hell is body forging? Someone forges their body just to smell nice?

But Cui Yuanyang was overjoyed: “Elder sister is the best.”

Piaomiao grabbed her ear and pulled her up: “Stop nuzzling. If you delay me from getting dressed, then you’ll really have ruined me. Look at that lecher over there—his drool is about to drip down…”

Cui Yuanyang turned to look. Zhao Changhe wasn’t drooling at all; he was just watching their play with a smile.

Piaomiao’s eyes also met his. As they gazed at each other, ripples seemed to spread like water, turning this dark, dead abyss into spring.

Forging a body—this was something only the power of true gods and buddhas could achieve, and due to the peculiarities of reincarnation, it had been extremely difficult… But at last, it was accomplished, and everyone’s heart felt as if a great stone had been lifted, light and relieved.

And this would be the most perfect body.

After a long gaze, Piaomiao finally turned her head away: “You… have you seen enough?”

“No.” Zhao Changhe finally stepped forward and gently embraced her: “Get dressed later—I haven’t seen enough.”

The fragrance of flowers seeped into the heart and lungs; just holding her was enough to make one drunk.