47: Chapter 47: Did they bring out the life-giving fire?

With a sudden flash of white light before his eyes, the dizzying sensation of weightlessness faded away.

Chen Shanzhi, holding Tang Xiaowu in his arms, felt his feet land firmly on the ground again.

He looked around the surroundings.

This was an empty stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, three ancient stone pillars stood silently.

And above these three pillars, a milky-white ball of light of varying sizes floated respectively.

The exterior of the light balls was wrapped in a faint halo, pulsing rhythmically as if they were breathing.

Seeing this familiar scene, Chen Shanzhi was lost in thought.

He was all too familiar with this scene.

In the game, this was the reward stone chamber to which one would be teleported after completing the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion Secret Realm dungeon.

The three light balls meant that all three stages of the Secret Realm had been cleared.

"It seems that although this Secret Realm has become completely different from the game because of my butterfly effect, the final reward mechanism has been preserved in its original form."

Not only that.

Chen Shanzhi looked up.

Directly above their heads, a ring of emerald light was emitting a soft halo.

A jade bracelet, green throughout, was floating silently in mid-air.

Recorded within this jade bracelet were the first three transformations of the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art of the Witch God!

It was by relying on this jade bracelet that Chen Shanzhi was able to persuade Tang Xiaowu to follow him into this Secret Realm.

And it was also why the two of them could have intimate, zero-distance interaction in that bridal chamber with swaying red candles.

Thinking of the spring scenery on the bed just now, Chen Shanzhi subconsciously lowered his head to look at the beauty in his arms.

At this moment, Tang Xiaowu was like a lazy little cat.

On her stunningly beautiful cheeks, there still remained a flush that hadn't faded after the intense exercise, resembling a ripe peach.

Her arms were limp as she hugged Chen Shanzhi's neck, her beautiful eyes tightly closed.

Those thick, long eyelashes were trembling slightly like a startled butterfly.

It was obvious that she had been awake for a long time and was just pretending to sleep.

Seeing her shy, girlish demeanor, Chen Shanzhi couldn't help but laugh to himself.

Well, it seems that until the two of them appeared at the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, this beauty in his arms, with skin as thin as paper, would likely be too embarrassed to open her eyes and face him, even if beaten to death.

However, there is a certain pleasure in self-deception. Since you want to pretend to sleep, then I won't be polite.

Chen Shanzhi's lips curled into a mischievous smile, and he cleared his throat. He deliberately muttered to himself in a voice just loud enough for Tang Xiaowu to hear:

"Sigh, it seems Xiaowu was truly exhausted in the Secret Realm. It seems she must have exerted too much effort, as she still hasn't woken up yet."

Upon hearing the four words "exerted too much effort," Tang Xiaowu's tightly closed eyelids twitched violently, and her hands hugging Chen Shanzhi's neck subconsciously tightened a little.

Chen Shanzhi pretended not to notice and continued to mutter to himself:

"However, this bridal carry position feels a bit awkward to hold. After all, I have to pick things up later, so I'd better change to a more convenient position."

After speaking, Chen Shanzhi exerted force with both arms, lifting and supporting Tang Xiaowu, who had originally been held horizontally in his arms. The position changed instantly.

Tang Xiaowu had originally been resting her forehead on Chen Shanzhi's chest. Now, she was hanging directly on his front. Her fair, smooth chin was forced to rest on Chen Shanzhi's shoulder.

Not only that. Due to the inertia of gravity, Tang Xiaowu's long, straight, beautiful legs parted involuntarily. Like a sloth hugging a tree, she clung tightly to both sides of Chen Shanzhi's waist.

Subsequently, Chen Shanzhi's hands slid naturally down that breathtaking curve, then gave a gentle lift. Tang Xiaowu's full, perky buttocks pressed seamlessly against the area just below Chen Shanzhi's navel.

Feeling this extremely shameful, and perhaps even suggestive, position, Tang Xiaowu's breathing instantly lost its rhythm.

Her beautiful eyes carefully opened a tiny slit. She discovered that her chin was now resting on Chen Shanzhi's shoulder. Their lines of sight were misaligned, so Chen Shanzhi couldn't see her face at all.

Only then did Tang Xiaowu dare to be bold enough to open her eyes completely and quietly survey the surrounding environment. After confirming it was safe, Tang Xiaowu hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly felt that Chen Shanzhi, who had been steadily supporting her buttocks, had actually removed his right hand!

Immediately after, whether it was because the left hand alone lacked strength, her body uncontrollably slid down a few inches along Chen Shanzhi's clothes.

"Hiss—" It was just those few inches of distance. Tang Xiaowu's whole body stiffened violently as if struck by lightning. She clearly felt that there was something. It was positioned exactly, squarely against her own. The place that had just been baptized by a storm!

If it were the naive Saintess of the Witch Clan from before, she might have naively thought that this was some hard weapon carried on his person. But after having just experienced that blush-inducing, strength-draining Secret Realm bridal chamber ordeal, even if she were foolish, how could she not know what that deadly thing was?

Just as it got close, currents of electricity flowed through her entire body. Tang Xiaowu's body couldn't help but tremble violently. Her beautiful legs instinctively exerted some force! But it seemed that this only made a certain someone even more comfortable.

"This... this shameless lecher!" Tang Xiaowu screamed in her heart, consumed by shame and anger. "How... how is he so familiar with even such lewd positions?"

In her exasperation, Tang Xiaowu couldn't care about pretending to sleep anymore. She suddenly opened her delicate mouth, revealing her fine, pearly teeth that still carried a faint, fishy scent of photinia flowers, and bit down on Chen Shanzhi's shoulder without mercy!

"Hiss~!" Chen Shanzhi gasped. The sharp pain from his shoulder instantly sobered him up. He knew that this little girl's bottom line had been crossed, and he couldn't push his luck any further. Knowing when to stop is the essence of a scumbag... ah, bah, the essence of a player.

Thus, Chen Shanzhi adjusted his standing posture nonchalantly. By slightly hunching his waist, he successfully avoided the situation. Then, he reached his right hand over again, firmly supporting Tang Xiaowu's perky, round moon-like buttocks, and gave it a lift, allowing her to lean against him in a more comfortable position.

However, although the danger was averted, Chen Shanzhi's hands had no intention of behaving themselves. His palms, supporting the heavy weight, rhythmically and delicately kneaded that amazing elasticity. From time to time, his fingertips would follow that rounded curve, sliding all the way down along the stunning curve of the outer thigh to touch her firm calves.

It must be said, Tang Xiaowu's beautiful legs were not only long and straight but also full of power and fleshiness. Even through the fabric, that smooth, firm sensation was enough to make any normal man unable to keep his hands off them.

While enjoying the benefits at his fingertips, Chen Shanzhi raised his head. He reached out his free hand and grabbed at the air. True Qi emanated from his body, directly pulling down the jade bracelet that was emitting a green light. He held it in his hand and toyed with it.

Chen Shanzhi once again entered his self-muttering mode, his tone very serious: "Sigh, Xiaowu still hasn't woken up. I will keep this jade bracelet, which contains the first three transformations of the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art of the Witch God, for her for the time being."

"After all, she promised me personally that she would help me with Dual Cultivation... cough, help me Cultivate this Cultivation Technique."

"Let's just keep it with me for now; it won't be too late to return it to her once I have successfully Cultivated this Cultivation Technique."

As he spoke, Chen Shanzhi naturally put the jade bracelet away. Tang Xiaowu, who was lying on his shoulder, heard this incredibly shameless statement from Chen Shanzhi and was so angry that she gnashed her teeth, making a clattering sound.

"Bah!" "Shameless! Lewd! Lecher!" "Do you really not know whether I'm awake or not, you bastard? You've taken all the advantages, and now you want to embezzle my Cultivation Technique jade bracelet!"

Tang Xiaowu greeted all eighteen generations of Chen Shanzhi's ancestors in her heart. But unfortunately, she was now in a dilemma and could only continue to play dead, swallowing her frustration.

Chen Shanzhi put away the jade bracelet. Carrying the feigning Tang Xiaowu, he strode directly to the three stone pillars in the center of the stone chamber.

The size of the three stone pillars increased from left to right. The light balls on the stone pillars also grew larger in turn. The rewards inside were naturally getting better and better.

Chen Shanzhi walked to the leftmost, smallest stone pillar. He freed up one hand and pressed his palm directly onto the smallest milky-white light ball.

"Hum!" The moment his palm touched it, the light ball trembled violently and then exploded directly!

There was no violent explosion, only specks of starlight like fireflies, drifting down onto him and Tang Xiaowu, whom he was holding.

The starlight entered their bodies. Both of them shuddered violently. A vast amount of energy, extremely gentle yet pure to the extreme, instantly drilled into their Meridians through their pores.

The Xuanguan Apertures in Chen Shanzhi's body were like a dry sponge meeting sweet rain after a long drought. Under the stimulation of this pure energy, they began to circulate crazily on their own.

"Boom!" The apertures roared. Surging waves of True Qi, like wild horses breaking free from their reins, surged crazily within their bodies!

This was the reward for clearing the first stage of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion Secret Realm. It could increase a Martial Artist's cultivation level without any side effects.

In the game, the original protagonist Tang Liu, after clearing this stage and absorbing this starlight, broke through directly from the Xuanguan Seven Apertures to the Xuanguan Eight Apertures without any obstacles!

You must know, the Divine Turtle Art that Tang Liu Cultivated required ten times the True Qi accumulation for every minor Realm Breakthrough in the Profound Gate Realm compared to ordinary Martial Artists of the same level!

This was also why, even though Tang Liu wore the halo of a child of destiny, his own cultivation was still at the Xuanguan Seven Apertures while heroines like Jiang Yingrao and Tang Xiaowu had already reached the Xuanguan Peak.

Even Tang Liu, that big consumer of True Qi, could break through a Realm by relying on the reward from this first stage. Chen Shanzhi couldn't help but feel passionate.

"I wonder how many Realms I can break through in a row after absorbing and refining all this starlight?"

"Even if I can't break through two apertures in a row, surely reaching the Xuanguan Eight Apertures is a sure thing!"

Thinking of this, Chen Shanzhi no longer hesitated. He immediately closed his eyes and mobilized all the True Qi in his body. He prepared to cooperate with his Cultivation Technique to refine all the starlight energy running wild in his Meridians into his own apertures.

However, the moment he was ready! A sudden change occurred!

His Sea of Consciousness suddenly erupted with a terrifying suction force! It forcibly sucked all the starlight energy in Chen Shanzhi's Meridians that hadn't yet been refined into his Sea of Consciousness!

"Holy crap!"

This sudden turn of events almost scared Chen Shanzhi's soul out of his body. Since when did something that could devour True Qi get into his Sea of Consciousness?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Chen Shanzhi's forehead. He didn't care about the living person in his arms anymore. He immediately forcibly focused his mind, closed his eyes, and plunged his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness to check the situation.

Upon seeing this, Chen Shanzhi froze in place.

He saw that in his Sea of Consciousness, which should have originally been a gray, misty, and un-opened Chaos, dazzling, brilliant golden light was erupting at this moment!

The starlight energy that had been sucked in was like firewood. Under the illumination of this golden light, it was instantly burned to nothing.

And that golden light was like the first ray of sharpness when Pangu created the world, forcefully carving out a small, clear space in this chaotic fog!

In the center of this newly opened space, the golden light gradually gathered and converged. Finally, it turned into a ball of golden flame that was burning silently.

Looking at this ball of golden flame, Chen Shanzhi was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.

"Is... is this the Life Fire?"

Chen Shanzhi almost couldn't help but curse. What the hell? Did this starlight energy just forcibly elevate him from the Xuanguan Seven Apertures to the Life Fire Realm in one go?

Chen Shanzhi opened his eyes abruptly and immediately circulated his True Qi, carefully sensing his current true cultivation level. He found that it was still the Xuanguan Seven Apertures.

Then what the hell was this thing that suddenly popped up in his Sea of Consciousness?

You must know, Life Fire can only be condensed in the Sea of Consciousness when one is at the Xuanguan Peak and attempts to knock open the Heavenly Gate within the body. Thereby allowing the Martial Artist's life level to reach its first true qualitative change and sublimation.

Whether it was the game setting or common sense in the real world, Chen Shanzhi had never heard of any Martial Artist who could ignite Life Fire in their Sea of Consciousness while in the Profound Gate Realm!

If this were in the game, did he just hit a bug?

Chen Shanzhi took a deep breath and tried to mobilize his Mental Energy. He wanted to see if he could draw and condense this ball of golden Life Fire, which was floating in his Sea of Consciousness, onto his palm.

However, no matter how hard he tried to command it, this ball of golden flame was like a boss. It stayed firmly in the center of the Sea of Consciousness, burning quietly. Not even a single spark fell off, let alone listening to his commands.

But no matter what, Chen Shanzhi had a premonition. This ball of golden flame was definitely not simple! As long as he could find a way in the future, even if he could only draw out a trace of this golden Life Fire from his Sea of Consciousness and attach it to his attacks, then he would possess the strength to fight across Realms.