Chương 818: His Love Brings Tears to My Eyes!

"Host has detected a change in multiplier for matched target..."

"Fan Qinghe: 4, 000x!" Ye Chen's eyes lit up at the prompt. Fan Qinghe had reached four thousand times. Compared to the 2, 500x during her Unity stage, it had risen by a full 1, 500. As expected, the later transformations yielded greater gains. There remained transformations at the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Heavens—three more in total. By the end, Fan Qinghe might well reach ten thousand times. Perfect. Feeling Ye Chen's gaze—burning with unmistakable affection—warmth flooded Fan Qinghe's heart.

She clung to him even tighter, their bodies fitting together without a single gap. Ye Chen truly loves me. Amid the gratitude, a trace of guilt stirred. He loved her so deeply, yet she still burdened his cultivation because of her master and grandmaster. She was not a good woman at all.

"My cultivation has reached the peak of the Third Heaven—it's becoming difficult to suppress," Ye Chen said.

"I came this time precisely to help the divine maiden complete her next transformation. No sense in delaying. Let's begin at once." He had already noticed Fan Qinghe's hesitation. His divine sense had swept over the sect, catching the anxious expressions of the sect master and grandmaster within—each more mature than the last, each figure more commanding. He could guess their thoughts. Truth be told, it was exactly what he wanted. His foundation had grown increasingly terrifying.

Last time, even the two of them together had not fully drained him. This time, with only two, they might not absorb even a third. Adding a third would be ideal. This grandmaster of the Heavenly Desire Sect—empty and unfulfilled for fifteen hundred years—would possess astonishing suction and capacity. She would bring him delightful surprises. Of course, Ye Chen would not mention it himself. He wanted Fan Qinghe to raise it—to plead. That way, gratitude would be maximized, triggering critical rewards.

Thus, he acted as though he intended to take her straight to the cave abode for the ritual. Recalling her grandmaster's look of utter despair, Fan Qinghe remained rooted in place. When Ye Chen turned to her with a puzzled glance, she finally spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, do you remember how my master joined us last time for the ritual and completed her transformation?" Joy flickered in Ye Chen's heart. How could he forget? Mature women truly knew how to care for a man—their skill was unparalleled, offering him profound inspiration. Feigning a frown, he asked, "Does your master wish to join again this time?" Fan Qinghe hurriedly opened her mouth, intending to clarify that it was not her master, but her grandmaster.

Before she could, however, Ye Chen gazed at her with indulgent tenderness and nodded helplessly.

"I know you are filial—unlike those other female cultivators. If you ignored your master, your dao heart would suffer, affecting your future path. So let her come. Do not worry about me. My aptitude is exceptional. It will merely take a little more time to recover—nothing serious..." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Hearing him agree so readily out of concern for her dao heart, and then even comfort her in return...

Such profound love brought tears to Fan Qinghe's eyes. But this time, it was not her master. It was her grandmaster. Shame deepened within her. Yet remembering that without this chance, her grandmaster might truly venture into the Land of Fallen Immortals and perish, Fan Qinghe lowered her head. Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

"This time... it is not my master. It is my grandmaster... She has been trapped at the Third Heaven for fifteen hundred years. Her dao heart is crumbling. She plans to enter the Land of Fallen Immortals... With her cultivation, going there means certain death... So I thought..." Her words grew fainter, confidence draining away. After all, Ye Chen was her Protector. He allowed her to draw from him only because he loved her. Yet she repeatedly abused that love with unreasonable demands. She had gone too far.

She was a greedy, ungrateful woman. Fan Qinghe kept her head lowered, afraid to meet Ye Chen's gaze. Silence stretched between them... Before the mountain gate, an awkward hush lingered. As seconds ticked by, her heart sank bit by bit. Worry crept in, then fear. After all, she and Ye Chen were no longer equals—neither in status nor cultivation.

Like many women who feared their successful husbands might stray or abandon them, or like men insecure beside a breathtakingly beautiful partner, dreading a single wrong word might drive her away—Fan Qinghe felt the same. She even carried a trace of inferiority. Terrified of displeasing him and losing his favor. Moreover, far too many women surrounded Ye Chen.

Even her beauty, of which she had once been so proud, paled beside the likes of Lan Nuo, Yao Yuezhi, the little peacock king's mother, and others—no less stunning than herself. Just as she steeled herself to apologize and withdraw the request, Ye Chen finally spoke.

"I am utterly captivated by your beauty and figure... But what draws me most is your heart. Filial piety is a virtue—especially in this cultivation world flowing with greed, dominated by selfishness and arrogance. A filial woman like you shines like a firefly in the dark night, radiant and unmistakable...

"You only ask this to save your grandmaster. How could I ever blame you? Why not include your master as well? If we leave her out this time, she too will one day be trapped at the Third Heaven. You would suffer then—burdened with guilt... And the last thing I ever want is to see you heartbroken. So call them both. We will go to the cave abode together." His words, tender beyond measure, shattered her composure. Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks, evoking profound pity.

It was all because she was too soft-hearted.

"I'm sorry, I—" Ye Chen gently pressed a finger to her lips and smiled.

"You did nothing wrong. You are perfect. Besides, though your master and grandmaster cannot compare to your beauty, they are still extraordinary cultivators... If anyone benefits, it is I. I should be thanking you." Tears flowed even faster. With so many supreme beauties around Ye Chen, and her master and grandmaster so much older—centuries and millennia his senior—how could he truly desire them? He would likely find it awkward, even dull. His words were only to comfort her.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Ye Chen lightly patted her shoulder.

"Hurry and call them. I can hardly wait..." Fan Qinghe pressed her lips together. He was still trying to reassure her. Saying no more, she first escorted Ye Chen into her cave abode, then went to fetch her master and grandmaster. Both women waited in nervous apprehension. Seeing Fan Qinghe's tear-streaked face, alarm surged through them. They longed for advancement, yet they would never jeopardize her future. Had Ye Chen grown angry with her?

"Qinghe, go apologize to the Heavenly Emperor's heir at once! We will forgo it!"

"Qinghe, shall your grandmaster and I go with you to apologize? We will explain clearly—we forced you into this!" Hearing this only brought fresh tears.

"Master, Grandmaster... come with me. He agreed!" The two froze—not with joy, but concern that he had agreed reluctantly. If it strained the bond between him and Qinghe, they would rather abstain. Reading their thoughts, Fan Qinghe spoke through soft sobs.

"I cry only from guilt... Because... he truly loves me far too much..."