Chapter 835: Monkey Zhao Makes Great Havoc in the Netherworld

Chapter 835: The Monkey Zhao Wreaks Havoc in the Netherworld

Zhao Changhe had to admit he was a man of worldly tastes... no matter how many times he had experienced that sublime union of souls as described in various Buddhist and Taoist doctrines, it always felt just so-so, utterly incomparable to holding a soft, fragrant body—even if he did nothing at all, the sensation was entirely different.

Seeing her lover take delight in her form, Piaomiao felt a secret joy, as if her arduous efforts had not been in vain. Yet on her face, she could never show it: "What, you want to taste the fresh goods while they're still hot?"

Zhao Changhe replied with righteous indignation: "Not at all! Am I that kind of person? I just wanted to see if there's anything wrong with this newly made body."

"I think you are!" Piaomiao twisted his waist: "Don't you see where your hands are groping? Do you need to grope around to check for flaws? So all that previous behavior was an act—lechery is your true nature, isn't it?"

Zhao Changhe chuckled: "Isn't it a good thing to be lecherous with one's own wife?"

"Who's your wife? Your wife is right here." Piaomiao shoved Cui Yuanyang into Zhao Changhe's arms: "You know how to use the leftover petals for Yuanyang's body forging, so go do what you need to do. I still need a day to recuperate and fully master this body—no groping around..."

Zhao Changhe hadn't actually planned to start groping just yet... Yuanyang had just been injured, and while shaping the body was something everyone had longed for, a moment of excitement was normal—he couldn't just ignore Yuanyang. So he quickly reached out and grabbed Cui Yuanyang's freshly cut wrist to examine it.

The cut wasn't deep, and the bleeding had stopped quickly; under the effect of the Revitalization Art, it was already healed, leaving only a very shallow scar that would soon vanish.

"You..." Zhao Changhe pinched her nose: "I never knew you could be so hard on yourself."

"When something this important is at stake, what's a little thing like this?" Cui Yuanyang happily wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe's neck: "I did a good deed, didn't I? How will you reward me?"

"A great deed! Come, our Yuanyang will become fragrant too."

In fact, not only were there leftover petals, but also the lotus pedestal base.

The base was large and somewhat soft and springy, like a round little bed. It faintly emitted residual life energy, extremely beneficial for cultivation and body forging, still an excellent treasure for aiding cultivation.

This heavenly treasure, which Ye Wuming had carefully nurtured beneath her observation platform, was of such high grade that its uses went far beyond a single category.

Piaomiao had retreated to a corner to cultivate. Zhao Changhe picked up Cui Yuanyang, laid her flat on the center of the lotus pedestal, and while untying her sash, gathered the remaining petals to apply where the sash had loosened.

Cui Yuanyang's pretty face flushed: "W-why do we have to take off clothes?"

"Medicine can't be applied through clothes, of course."

Cui Yuanyang bit her lower lip and endured it, wondering how body forging could be so erotic... but it did prove one thing: Zhao Changhe hadn't grown tired of her old self in favor of Piaomiao's new body—that was a good thing...

With that thought, her shyness lessened, and she opened her heart to feel the petal energy seeping into her skin and flesh. As the intense life energy surged through, Cui Yuanyang couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, twitching slightly.

Almost at the same time, Piaomiao, who was meditating nearby, also let out a soft, quiet moan, her face inadvertently flushing like blood.

Zhao Changhe didn't notice; he was fully focused on transforming Yuanyang's body. Having participated in the entire process of shaping Piaomiao's body and now trying to help Cui Yuanyang transform, his understanding and perception of life force had made a qualitative leap. He felt a pulse in his brow's mud ball, a faint sign of impending breakthrough.

The third level of the Imperial Realm seemed to show a glimmer... at least the barrier was loosening, though he didn't know what was still missing for the actual breakthrough.

Once he passed this level, he would truly stand on the same major tier as the Ye sisters and Piaomiao, with no more crushing disparity in rank. But this level was understandably the hardest; in two epochs, only a handful had reached it—not something easily crossed.

In previous levels, he could draw references from Yue Hongling, Huangfu Qing, and the Third Lady, but this time it was clearly impossible... Unfortunately, Piaomiao's cultivation method was quite different from everyone else's, making it hard to get any guidance from her.

The best reference would have been Ye Wuming, but now she was blacklisted and out of contact, in a state of semi-falling out—probably no longer an option... Could he perhaps get some reference from Ye Jiuyou?

Just as his mind wandered, he heard Cui Yuanyang let out a soft moan, her body writhing: "Brother Zhao, I... I can't take it anymore..."

With those words, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him: "How can you keep touching like this... I want dual cultivation..."

To be fair, who could endure being touched endlessly like that, especially with life energy stirring inside? Zhao Changhe awkwardly glanced at Piaomiao, who seemed to be in deep meditation, serene and dignified—presumably unaware of what was happening... So he quietly lowered his head and kissed her: "Alright, let's dual cultivate."

Soft moans echoed in the silent abyss, and Ye Jiuyou's stronghold had utterly turned into a den of lust.

But the young couple indulging in passion didn't know that Piaomiao, who appeared serene and meditating, was actually gritting her teeth, struggling to suppress the strange sensations in her body.

There was no need to fully master the body... It wasn't like possessing a stranger's form; it was crafted in perfect alignment with her soul—no familiarization required. Claiming she needed to get used to it was just an excuse; in truth, Piaomiao felt this body was odd, as if whenever Cui Yuanyang experienced intense stimulation, she could share it—not just physically, but spiritually too. This inexplicable sensation had never occurred in earlier years, and Piaomiao wanted to understand it.

How could she bring herself to tell Zhao Changhe?

In the end, she found she couldn't figure it out. No matter how she handled it, once Cui Yuanyang's sensations became intense, she would inevitably feel them.

This must be the effect of Cui Yuanyang's flesh and blood... Conversely, could Cui Yuanyang share her own sensations?

Probably so—Cui Yuanyang had given her flesh and blood, and she had given Yuanyang petals... still a state of mutual intermingling.

Earlier, it had been bearable, just applying medicine and forging the body. But now that they had started dual cultivation, it was utterly tormenting—every thrust from Zhao Changhe seemed to pierce through her.

She had thought that having an independent body would spare her such embarrassment, but she couldn't escape this karmic tie... Even after separation, it was the same as before: when he touched one, it was like touching two.

Piaomiao was so mortified she wanted to die, wishing she had never created this body. This period of their dual cultivation was pure torture.

After an unknown time, as Cui Yuanyang's high-pitched cry shattered the dark void, Piaomiao's voice rang out almost simultaneously.

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Startled, he turned to see Cui Yuanyang below with her eyes rolled back, already unconscious. Meanwhile, Piaomiao had slumped over unsteadily, gasping for breath.

"What's going on?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head and first checked on Cui Yuanyang. Her unconsciousness wasn't from the act but from a transformation of her bones and marrow—it seemed that upon waking, she would push the first level of the Imperial Realm to its later stage... Perhaps this was the most inexplicable cultivator in history, one who had crushed many Imperial Realm experts without even understanding what she was imperializing—a unique fortune of hers.

Seeing she was fine, Zhao Changhe relaxed and turned to look at Piaomiao. What was happening with her?

Piaomiao was leaning crookedly against the lotus pedestal, looking as if she were the one who had just been ravished. Drawing closer, he could see faint sweat on her body, and the pedestal was wet in patches.

Her gaze, as she looked up, was filled with a mix of shame, anger, and resentment—fierce and bitter.

"You..." Zhao Changhe stared dumbfounded: "What's wrong?"

Piaomiao forced herself upright and grabbed his collar viciously: "Are you very pleased with yourself?"

"I don't even understand what happened—what's there to be pleased about... Oh, wait." Zhao Changhe suddenly recalled the pain-sharing curse that Sisi had once placed on him; back then, when he was injured and in pain, Sisi could feel it and share a tenth of it. Given the current situation, could it be that Piaomiao was fully sharing Yuanyang's sensations?

Seeing his expression, Piaomiao gritted her teeth: "Understand now? What sin have I committed, to end up like this even after finally becoming independent?"

Zhao Changhe didn't know whether to sympathize or laugh, and what came out of his mouth was: "It seems this body of yours can take more than Yuanyang's—she's passed out, and you're still cursing."

Piaomiao was so furious she wanted to kick him to death: "I told you to forge Yuanyang's body, and this is how you do it? What place is this, what time is it, and you two have the nerve!"

Zhao Changhe said: "Isn't it fine? If Jiuyou wants to imprison us, she can't blame us for raising hell in her core stronghold."

Piaomiao was both exasperated and amused: "Raising hell with us is no great feat—if you've got the guts, go raise hell with Jiuyou instead!"

Even as she said it, her mind stirred slightly. Ye Jiuyou had previously set her and Zhao Changhe up together—she supposed she should thank her, but she knew full well Ye Jiuyou had no good intentions.

It was easy to judge Ye Jiuyou's original intent: once she, Piaomiao, became entangled with Zhao Changhe, Ye Wuming's scheme to use Zhao Changhe to kill the ancient gods and demons would inevitably stall at Piaomiao's step. Anything that could annoy Ye Wuming, Ye Jiuyou was happy to do—as for Piaomiao's purity or willingness, those were never part of Ye Jiuyou's considerations.

That was why Piaomiao had said earlier that she would settle accounts with Ye Jiuyou later.

Of course, Zhao Changhe's idea of raising hell here had little vengeful meaning... Ye Jiuyou's nature was too peculiar. The place she inhabited had no iconic palaces or beds, no need for pleasure or beauty, no sacred temples to defile—only this dead silence and distortion. She wouldn't care if someone misbehaved in her domain; in fact, she might even grin, finding it aligned with her dao.

If they truly wanted to retaliate, it would be to bring light and order to this place—that would genuinely sicken Ye Jiuyou to her core.

"I want to piss off Ye Jiuyou." Piaomiao sat up straight, brimming with enthusiasm: "Will you help me?"

"Of course I'll help. What do you need me to do?"

Piaomiao patted the lotus pedestal base: "This thing can actually be cultivated into a lotus again... or turned into a lively lotus pond, with green leaves, flowers, insects, and cicadas—everything you could want. But it's impossible in this place, which twists the order we know. Yet if we succeed in creating this pond, it would be like when you planted the Han dragon banner on Mount Langjuxu—similar in nature. Since Ye Jiuyou wants to trap us here, we should leave her a little souvenir of our visit."

Zhao Changhe grew interested: "Makes sense! How do we do it?"

"You use the Dao of Time to hasten the blooming, and leave the rest to me. I will use the aura of mountains and rivers to open up a royal domain, to tame and subdue this place, turning it into my own rule—something even Ye Wuming couldn't do."

Without further ado, Piaomiao rose gracefully, floated in the void, and formed a strange hand seal.

Zhao Changhe pressed his hand on the lotus pedestal and began to catalyze it.

Cui Yuanyang woke up groggily and rubbed her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had slept... Before, without Zhao Changhe's help, she couldn't see anything at all. Now, inexplicably, she could make out a faint glimmer of light. Ahead, a pool of water had appeared, with many lotuses growing lushly. A gentle breeze swept over the water, bringing the scent of flowers. She could even hear the faint sound of insects crawling—extremely soft, but truly there.

No longer the maddening darkness and silence—there was now the taste of life.

Is this still the Nine Nether Abyss?

Though this is a very beautiful lotus pond, to put it bluntly, isn't this like shitting on Ye Jiuyou's turf?

Looking around, Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao both seemed somewhat weak—who knew how much strength they had expended on this stunt—yet they were grinning like flowers, high-fiving each other: "Mission accomplished!"

Seeing Cui Yuanyang awake, Zhao Changhe scooped her up and sprinted off: "Run! If Jiuyou finds out, we're dead..."

With a "whoosh," the family of three vanished without a trace.

In truth, Ye Jiuyou hadn't noticed yet; she was busy with her own affairs... Nor did Zhao Changhe realize at that moment how much impact this impulsive act of revenge would have on the future.

After fleeing aimlessly for a while with no one in pursuit, Zhao Changhe stopped, panting with a laugh: "Seems Ye Jiuyou really is occupied with her own business."

Piaomiao was in high spirits: "I had no confidence in leaving here quickly. You said earlier you had an idea—how do we do it?"

She was so cheerful that she no longer cared about being unable to leave in the short term.

"No matter how twisted and chaotic, it's all just changes in time and space. You can't see or perceive it, so you don't know what to do, but I can sense it." Zhao Changhe reached out and pressed against the void before him, speaking softly: "And we have a very clear marker—if we find it, we can find the way out."

"What marker?"

"A piece of the Soul-Capturing Mirror, which Ye Jiuyou had stored here as the Mirror of Truth and Illusion. Once we find it, we can trace it back to its parent stone wall. This is Ying Wu's method for navigating space—apply it flexibly, and getting out is no trouble at all."

Piaomiao's heart stirred.

No wonder Zhao Changhe had said earlier that they might rendezvous with his wives at the White Tiger campaign.

He had previously judged that Xuexiao Boxun was connected to the White Tiger, and had deliberately let Boxun go... And the path out was through the Demon Illusion Realm. From start to finish, he had a very clear plan.

Zhao Changhe closed his eyes and sensed for a while, then soon broke into a smile: "Just as I guessed—the place where Jiuyou placed the Mirror of Truth and Illusion is at the core of the abyss, very close to where we shaped our bodies. Not hard to find at all."

Cui Yuanyang interjected: "That might be Sister Jiuyou's boudoir."

Zhao Changhe nodded: "Right... She has some secrets—maybe we can take a look this time."

The two sisters exchanged glances, both feeling as if Ye Jiuyou had let a monkey into her domain to wreak havoc. She, who thought she was locking people up, could never have anticipated how much trouble this fellow would cause in her territory.