After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

“Hmph!” The Realm Stone had a booming voice and an ego to match. “I guard this realm and judge whether the people of the world are qualified to become its master. Naturally, beneath the master of this realm, I rank first!”

“If immortal energy had not withered away in this world until he was the only immortal left, how would he ever have gotten the chance to lord it over everyone?”

Ye Chenyan snorted with laughter.

The Realm Stone immediately snapped at him, “What are you laughing at now?! He came to save you! If you refuse to leave with him, do you have a death wish?”

“Stop now and get out of the Sea of Returning Ruins, and you can still live!”

Ye Chenyan raised his eyes. “And how exactly do you judge whether someone has the potential to become master of this realm?”

Although he could not see the Realm Stone itself, his gaze never wavered.

He gave a low laugh.

“Or do you merely think you’re judging for yourself, when in reality someone else is still pulling your strings?”

“Arrogant!” The Realm Stone nearly choked on its fury. “Of course I know you plotted and schemed to arrange all this! But whether someone has the potential to become master of this realm—I can tell at a glance!”

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow. “And what if I insist on becoming it anyway?”

The Realm Stone choked. “You!”

Ye Chenyan raised his brow again, looking thoughtful.

“You refuse to acknowledge me as master of this realm, so why didn’t you just throw me out of the Sea of Returning Ruins?”

“Why drag me in here instead and try to make me give up on my own?”

The Realm Stone fell silent.

Ye Chenyan chuckled.

“Looks like I guessed right. Tianji Zi really did prepare two different plans.”

“The potential of a Supreme was meant to make you acknowledge me.”

He lifted his eyes, brimming with confidence.

“But if we failed to fool you, then we’d use immortal and demonic energies along with the united will of countless millions to pry you loose by force!”

The Realm Stone went silent for a moment.

Then, thoroughly embarrassed and enraged, it roared, “Do you truly think I’m incapable of killing you?!”

Ye Chenyan grinned at it.

“Come out and try.”

The Realm Stone thundered, “Just you wait!”

“Let me see whether you can bear the weight of the Realm Stone!”

The thick darkness before him rapidly receded.

Ye Chenyan felt as though someone had shoved him hard from behind, and in an instant his consciousness dropped back into his body.

Before he could even confirm that he had returned, the Realm Stone—which had remained stubbornly sunk into the seabed without budging an inch—suddenly shot into the air.

It came straight at his forehead with enough force to punch a hole through his skull.

Ye Chenyan reacted with incredible speed.

In an instant, he was already seated cross-legged.

The Lotus Realm bloomed around him in overlapping layers like translucent glazed petals, wrapping him tightly in its protection.

The Realm Stone crashed toward him.

Ye Chenyan felt a violent gust slam into his face.

The Lotus Realm, which had always been nearly unstoppable and had never shattered even beneath torrents of heavenly lightning, cracked for the first time.

Ye Chenyan’s eyes widened.

A bloody line instantly split open across his forehead.

Li Ji’s expression changed.

“Feiyan!”

Almost the instant she called out, Feiyan shot forward, intending to shield Ye Chenyan with his own body.

But he was still one step too late.

Boom!

The entire Sea of Returning Ruins surged.

The violent shockwave tore straight through the area covered by Li Ji’s dragon form and spread outward into the distant sea.

Ren Jiangliu formed a hand seal and barely managed to steady himself.

He stared nervously into the Sea of Returning Ruins.

“Is-is he dead?”

Li Ji’s long hair streamed through the water.

Her expression was grave.

She said nothing.

...

Yu Qingtang had been left alone in the Dragon Palace.

Despite an entire table of premium seafood spread before him, he had not touched his chopsticks.

Instead, he sat cross-legged in front of the extravagant undersea feast—

and was actually cultivating in earnest.

Anyone familiar with him would probably have dropped their jaw.

Yu Qingtang sat there with perfect seriousness.

Of course, he was currently using Ye Chenyan’s body. He definitely did not know the Guiyi Sect cultivation method Ye normally practiced.

That did not stop him from trying to circulate the Scripture of Awaiting Good Fortune using Ye Chenyan’s body.

Perhaps cultivation methods also had something like compatibility.

Even though Yu Qingtang was already thoroughly familiar with the scripture, using it in this body was still awkward and halting. It took him quite a while just to barely complete one full circulation.

The first step was always the hardest.

Yu Qingtang let out a breath of relief, opened his eyes, and stretched.

It was rare enough for him to cultivate voluntarily in the first place. He intended to run the scripture a few more times before Ye Chenyan came back and build up some good fortune for him.

His gaze drifted toward the cracked-open crab legs on the table.

In the end, temptation won.

He picked up one bite and put it in his mouth.

Only then did he close his eyes again in satisfaction.

“One circulation, one bite.”

Yu Qingtang closed his eyes with a perfectly solemn expression.

Suddenly, something shifted.

His entire body jerked.

A bolt of agony stabbed through his forehead, as though a crack had opened there out of nowhere.

“Hiss—”

Yu Qingtang could no longer maintain his meditative posture. Grimacing, he clutched his forehead.

What the hell? Am I about to open a third eye?!

Just when he thought his skull might actually split apart, the silver line that had once appeared on his forehead for an instant when stirred by demonic energy emerged again.

The pain melted away like snow beneath the sun.

Yu Qingtang blankly touched his forehead.

He felt a raised line.

“Did I really open an eye?”

His eyes widened in shock.

He was just about to find a mirror when mist suddenly clouded his vision.

Through the haze, he seemed to glimpse something.

The next instant, the shockwave sweeping outward from the Sea of Returning Ruins triggered a violent surge in the sea.

The entire Dragon Palace was thrown into chaos, nearly swept away by the rushing water.

Yu Qingtang noticed none of it.

Somewhere in the unseen distance, he seemed to hear a voice.

Almost instinctively, he followed its instructions, sat cross-legged again, and resumed circulating the Scripture of Awaiting Good Fortune.

His eyes were closed.

He did not see the silver line at his forehead drift out from his body.

The thread was so faint that a single blink might have missed it.

It floated unsteadily forward against the roaring current surging toward him.

Yu Qingtang’s thoughts followed that thread as well, drifting along with it.

Everything before his eyes seemed to slow several times over, becoming perfectly clear.

He saw his own body suspended in the sea.

The Lotus Realm had shattered, leaving behind only scattered specks of golden light.

A bloody line marked his forehead, widening as the Realm Stone drew closer.

Not far behind him, a black dragon was desperately trying to catch the Realm Stone.

But judging by the distance—

he probably would not make it.

Ye Chenyan seemed to sense something.

He turned his head toward Yu Qingtang’s direction.

The silver thread strained forward with all its might.

Ye Chenyan lifted one finger slightly—

and actually smiled at him.

Yu Qingtang’s expression shifted.

He tried to urge the silver thread faster.

Then he suddenly saw his own fat Nascent Soul—the one that loved wandering around—shoot out of his dantian with a whoosh.

It grabbed the silver thread in both arms and hauled it toward Ye Chenyan’s forehead.

Ye Chenyan’s eyes widened.

Above his brow, the little Nascent Soul suddenly thrust out a hand, reached directly into his mind sea, and yanked out a dazzling golden sword.

Then it hurled both the golden sword and the silver thread forward.

Immediately afterward, it zipped straight back into the mind sea.

Golden and silver light erupted together.

The Realm Stone was stopped for a single instant.

But one instant was enough.

Ye Chenyan’s hand shot up.

He seized the Realm Stone.

The stone trembled unwillingly, still struggling to break free.

The wound on Ye Chenyan’s forehead throbbed faintly.

He gripped the Realm Stone tightly and wrestled against it, his gaze utterly fearless.

“You were right.”

“I tricked my way into the united will of countless millions. I borrowed this Supreme body. The immortal and demonic energies aren’t mine either.”

His fingers tightened sharply, as though he meant to crush the stone into his palm.

“So this Supreme position, this title of master of this realm—it wasn’t granted to me by anyone.”

“I took it for myself.”

“I insist on wrestling my fate from Heaven!”

The Realm Stone shook violently.

But after leaving the ground, its overwhelming presence rapidly weakened.

At last, it fell silent.

It transformed into a streak of spiritual light and entered Ye Chenyan’s forehead.

Only one distinctly unconvinced snort remained behind.

“Hmph.”

“Your character, at least, is passable.”

A faint smile appeared on Ye Chenyan’s face.

He closed his eyes.

The thick black haze covering the entire Sea of Returning Ruins came howling toward him and was swallowed completely by the Realm Stone within his mind sea.

Behind it, a stone gate was finally revealed.

Ye Chenyan’s aura climbed higher and higher.

The immortal bamboo and demonic weapon returned to his side, their light flickering as though resonating with him.

Feiyan had missed his rescue attempt and nearly plunged headfirst into the seabed.

Ignoring everything else, he frantically looked upward and cried out, “Did he do it?!”

Ye Chenyan slowly opened his eyes.

He looked down at his hands, then turned toward the direction from which the silver thread had come.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He lifted one hand and beckoned.

The waves that had just surged violently outward suddenly reversed as though time itself were running backward.

The seafloor sand, shrimp soldiers, crab guards, and everything else that had been swept away were carried back and restored to their original places.

Li Ji’s expression shifted.

She finally released a long breath.

“...He did it.”

A smile appeared on her face.

As though submitting before him, she lowered her head and bent one knee.

“Congratulations, Master of This Realm.”

Ye Chenyan still seemed to be feeling out the power now resting in his hands.

He glanced toward her.

He did not put on airs and simply returned the greeting with clasped fists.

“No need.”

“I have no intention of throwing my weight around.”

Li Ji chuckled.

“Go back.”

“You no longer need Feiyan to carry you. There is nowhere beneath heaven you cannot go now.”

“All right.”

Ye Chenyan did not linger.

In an instant, he vanished from everyone’s sight.

Ren Jiangliu froze.

“You’re just letting him leave? Aren’t you going to ask him...”

Li Ji shook her head.

“There is no hurry.”

“Let him go see the person he wants to see first.”

Feiyan seemed to only now process what had happened.

He began flailing around excitedly on the seabed, stirring the water into a muddy mess.

“He really did it? He actually became master of this realm? He just pried the Realm Stone loose like that? I saw a bunch of stuff shatter everywhere, and he still managed to withstand it in the end?”

Li Ji looked at him helplessly.

“He did it.”

“He really did!” Feiyan was both shocked and delighted. “Then what are we standing around for? We should welcome the new master of this realm and hold a banquet! I’ll go tell them to prepare one!”

Li Ji laughed helplessly.

“He became master of this realm in order to stop the calamity threatening this realm.”

“The calamity has not yet been resolved. This is only the beginning. How can we hold some grand celebration now?”

“That’s true...” Feiyan muttered.

Then he flicked his tail and rushed off anyway.

“We should still set out one table! If we don’t survive what comes next, at least we’ll have gotten to eat first!”

Li Ji wore an utterly helpless expression.

Ren Jiangliu shook his head with an amused smile.

“With that fellow, I genuinely can’t tell whether he’s optimistic or pessimistic.”

He looked deeply at Li Ji.

“But I agree with him about one thing. Human life is as fleeting as morning dew. Better to enjoy happiness while you can.”

“If there’s someone you want to see, it’s best to make sure they’re the person right in front of you.”

Li Ji glanced sideways at him.

“Will Young Master Ren be joining the banquet?”

“Of course.” Ren Jiangliu’s eyes curved with laughter. “Even if you didn’t invite me, I’d shamelessly show up anyway.”

...

Ye Chenyan did not waste a single instant.

He rushed straight back to the Dragon Palace.

There, he found Yu Qingtang holding onto the doorway, staring anxiously toward the Sea of Returning Ruins.

Ye Chenyan immediately slowed down.

A smile escaped him despite himself.

If only he weren’t wearing Yu Qingtang’s body right now, this would have been even better.

Yu Qingtang’s eyes instantly lit up.

“You’re back?”

“Mm.”

Ye Chenyan walked toward him step by step, deliberately sounding casual.

“Just a little Realm Stone. Of course I could casually—”

His expression suddenly turned strange.

He lightly knocked on his own head.

“Ahem.”

Yu Qingtang looked at him curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Ye Chenyan dug a finger into his ear. “That lousy rock was making a racket in my mind sea. I’m not indulging it anymore, so I told it to shut up and blocked it from watching too.”

He grinned.

“See? I’m back.”

Yu Qingtang still looked worried.

He raised a hand and gently touched Ye Chenyan’s forehead.

“You haven’t even wiped the blood off your forehead!”

He started counting on his fingers while muttering anxiously.

“The Lotus Realm shattered. Martial Aunt Li’s golden sword shattered too! If your immortal spiritual root hadn’t suddenly activated and shown its power, Martial Aunt Li is only at the Integration stage. Her body-protecting golden sword alone probably couldn’t have stopped that rock!”

“Seriously. We emptied out the whole family fortune just to save your little life.”

He worriedly poked Ye Chenyan’s forehead.

“Try to take better care of yourself!”

Ye Chenyan’s eyes widened slightly.

As he listened to Yu Qingtang lecture him, the corners of his mouth somehow began curling upward.

He obediently nodded along.

“Mm.”

“Honestly.” Yu Qingtang shook his head slowly. “You really never stop making people worry.”

Then he turned around—

and immediately revealed his usual foolish grin.

“But as long as you’re back, it’s fine! The crab is still on the table! I waited for you so we could eat together. I didn’t sneak a single bite!”

“Oh?”

Ye Chenyan’s smile deepened.

He followed Yu Qingtang inside and draped an arm over his shoulders.

He was currently a little shorter, so the gesture was somewhat awkward.

He did it anyway.

Tilting his head, Ye Chenyan gave Yu Qingtang a knowing look.

“You didn’t sneak a bite?”

“Then was this crab born with seven legs?”

Yu Qingtang guiltily looked away.

“Probably.”

“Maybe it was too competitive out in the world and got one of its legs broken in a fight.”

He nodded with absolute sincerity.

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