Master, would you like some?

The Restriction light curtain outside the Cold Jade Palace rippled slightly, as if a pebble had been cast into a deep pool.

The night deepened, and the solitary moon hung high, its clear radiance cut into fragments by the leaves of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Su Ye stood before the palace gates and straightened his clothes.

At this moment, he wore a green robe, his long hair tied up, with his signature gentle smile on his face.

If not for someone who knew the truth, who could have imagined that this elegant Senior Brother of Purple Bamboo Peak was a complete devil to the bone?

He held two things in his hands.

They weren't peerless divine weapons, nor were they torture instruments used to torment people.

Instead, they were two Five-Colored Spirit Chickens with their wings bound, still clucking and squawking.

He had caught them on his way back from the herb garden of the Elder of the neighboring Alchemy Peak.

That old fellow usually treated these chickens like treasures, feeding them Spiritual Plants and letting them drink from spiritual springs; their meat was bound to be extremely delicious.

"Revered Master has suffered. Your disciple has come to bring you some warmth."

Su Ye's lips curled slightly as he raised his hand and gave a gentle push.

Rumble—

The heavy gates of the Cold Jade Palace made a dull sound as they slowly opened to both sides.

A chill cold enough to freeze the Soul instantly surged out from the crack in the door.

Spiritual Qi circulated through Su Ye's body as the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art quietly operated, devouring all of this chill and transforming it into nourishment for himself.

He stepped inside... into the depths of the palace.

Yun Yuzhen abruptly opened her eyes.

Those beautiful eyes, which were originally cold and clear, were now filled with vigilance and ill-concealed panic.

He was here!

That demon, after all, still hadn't let her go!

Listening to those steady and powerful footsteps approaching step by step, every sound felt like it was treading on her heart.

Yun Yuzhen instinctively shrank back, her back pressing tightly against the cold wall.

Although she had just made up her mind to endure humiliation and lie low like a venomous snake.

But when truly facing this Rebellious Disciple who had ruined her purity and shattered her Dao Heart, that physiological fear remained uncontrollable.

Clatter—

The sound of chains dragging was exceptionally piercing in the silent palace.

Yun Yuzhen stared fixedly at the entrance.

A slender figure walked in against the moonlight.

His shadow was stretched very long, like a beast baring its fangs and claws, instantly enveloping her in shadow.

"Su Ye..."

Yun Yuzhen gritted her teeth, forcing herself to be calm, but her voice carried an imperceptible tremble. "What do you want to do now?"

"Was last night's humiliation not enough?"

"If you are here for... that kind of thing, I advise you to give up on that idea right now!"

"I would rather bite off my tongue and commit suicide than let you have your way again!"

Although she had decided to endure, there was a limit to this endurance.

If this Rebellious Disciple truly intended to treat her like a shameless Cauldron to be exploited day and night, she would rather fight to the death!

However.

The expected sinister laughter did not occur.

Su Ye stopped ten paces away from the cold jade bed.

He looked at Yun Yuzhen's appearance of facing a great enemy, like a kitten with its fur standing on end, and a hint of playfulness flashed in his eyes.

"Revered Master, what are you thinking about?"

Su Ye blinked innocently and held up the two Five-Colored Spirit Chickens in his hand, shaking them.

"Your disciple just saw that it's late at night and felt a bit hungry."

"I specifically caught two spirit chickens and thought of coming to this Cold Jade Palace to borrow a fire, and incidentally..."

"Invite Revered Master to have a late-night snack."

"What kind of person do you take your disciple for?"

The air instantly froze.

Yun Yuzhen was stunned.

She looked at the two spirit chickens in Su Ye's hands, which were still flapping desperately and dropping feathers all over the floor, and her brain short-circuited for a moment.

Chickens?

He came to roast chickens?

In this Cold Jade Palace? In the secluded cultivation place of a Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert like her?

In front of this cold jade bed where that filthy business had just occurred?

Absurd!

Simply absurd to the extreme!

"Su Ye!"

Yun Yuzhen was filled with both shame and anger, her pale cheeks flushing crimson. "You are simply... unreasonable!"

"This is my bedchamber! It is a Forbidden Ground of the Taichu Holy Land!"

"You bring in two beasts; what kind of behavior is this?!"

As the dignified Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak, how noble and aloof was she usually?

This Cold Jade Palace was even more spotless, not even a speck of dust was allowed to exist.

Now, this Rebellious Disciple actually wanted to slaughter chickens and roast meat here?

This was like someone setting up a stall to sell sesame cakes in the Golden Throne Room, or roasting sweet potatoes in front of a golden statue of the Buddha!

This was not only a desecration of the environment but also a massive insult to her character!

"Revered Master is mistaken."

Su Ye didn't care about her anger at all, casually tossing the two spirit chickens onto the ground.

As he rolled up his sleeves, he said unhurriedly:

"Now that Revered Master's cultivation has been sealed and you are trapped in this sunless Cold Jade Palace."

"This is no longer some Holy Land Forbidden Ground; it's just a cold prison."

"Since it's a prison, why bother with so many rules?"

While speaking.

A wisp of pale golden flame flickered from Su Ye's fingertips.

It was condensed from his Golden Core True Fire, with an extremely high temperature and controlled at will.

He skillfully handled the spirit chickens on the ground.

Plucking, bleeding, gutting, and cleaning.

His movements were smooth as flowing water; clearly, this wasn't the first time he had done this.

"Besides."

Su Ye looked up and gave Yun Yuzhen a half-smile. "Although your disciple is now at the Golden Core Fifth Heaven, I haven't completely achieved Fasting yet."

"Just now, to help Junior Sister Wan'er 'clear her Meridians,' I spent quite a bit of physical strength."

"As they say, man is made of iron and food is made of steel; if you skip a meal, you'll feel famished."

"Revered Master, you are a high and mighty Fairy who doesn't eat the food of Mortals, but your disciple is still a commoner and will get hungry."

Hearing the words 'clear her Meridians,' Yun Yuzhen's body suddenly stiffened.

How could she not understand the filthy meaning behind those words?

This beast!

He actually laid hands on Wan'er!

How old is Wan'er?

And she has such a simple and ignorant personality!

A strong sense of grief and indignation welled up in her heart, but following it was a deep sense of powerlessness.

She couldn't even protect herself now, so what right did she have to protect her disciple?

Sizzle—

Just as Yun Yuzhen was feeling desolate in her heart.

The sound of fat dripping onto the flames rang out abruptly.

Immediately following.

An extremely rich aroma of meat quickly spread throughout the enclosed Cold Jade Palace.

This was the Five-Colored Spirit Chicken!

It was a rare species possessing a very thin trace of Phoenix Bloodline.

This kind of chicken usually ate Spirit Medicines from the Hundred Herb Garden and drank spiritual spring water from the Heavenly Pool.

Its meat was so delicious and rich in Spiritual Qi that it was by no means comparable to ordinary poultry.

Su Ye was clearly a gourmet.

He pulled out several jars and bottles from somewhere.

These were seasonings he had specially prepared in his spare time.

They were made from a mixture of hundred-year-old Purple Spirit Flower pollen, thousand-year-old Star Grass shavings, and refined salt from the deep sea.

He will sprinkle these seasonings evenly over the golden chicken skin.

Sizzle... The flames licked the chicken meat, the skin beginning to turn brown and crispy, as drops of crystal-clear fat slid down the texture.

That aroma was simply criminal.

It aggressively bored into every corner, permeating everything.

The palace, which had been filled with gloomy coldness, now unexpectedly had a strange touch of worldly life.

Gurgle... A very discordant sound rang out in the deathly silent palace.

Although the sound was small, to the hearing of people like Su Ye and Yun Yuzhen, it was as clear as a thunderclap.

Yun Yuzhen's body instantly stiffened.

She instinctively pressed her hand against her lower abdomen, an unbelievable blush appearing on her face.

That sound... came from her stomach?

How could that be?!

She, Yun Yuzhen, a majestic powerhouse of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, Tenth Heaven and possessor of the Taiyin Sacred Body.

As early as her Foundation Establishment, she had already achieved Fasting, bidding a complete farewell to ordinary food.

Normally, she would at most drink a few cups of spiritual tea or eat a few spirit fruits.

She had always looked down on this kind of meat, which was full of blood and turbidity, treating it like dirt.

But now... why?

Why did her mouth involuntarily salivate when she smelled this aroma?

Why was her stomach twitching violently, sending out that signal of desire?

"Heh heh..."

Su Ye's hand, which was turning the roast chicken, paused slightly, and he let out a low chuckle.

Although he didn't look up, the mockery in that laughter was like needles pricking Yun Yuzhen's heart.

"It seems Revered Master is also hungry."

Su Ye looked up, staring intently at Yun Yuzhen with unabashed playfulness in his eyes.

"Nonsense!"

Yun Yuzhen was embarrassed and furious, shouting sternly, "I have long achieved Fasting for many years and have already cultivated an Immaculate Body. How could I crave such worldly pleasures?!"

"Such filthy things will only ruin my Dao foundation!"

"Take it away! Take it away from me!"

She tried her best to maintain her dignity as a Peak Revered Master.

But those beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance uncontrollably at that golden-brown roasted spirit chicken.

There was no helping it.

It smelled too good.

It really smelled too good.

Moreover, she had forgotten one thing.

At this moment, she was not that all-powerful Tribulation Transcendence Realm powerhouse.

Her Dantian was sealed, her spiritual power was completely gone, and even her proud Taiyin Sacred Body was suppressed to death by the "Dragon Trapping Formation".

From the very essence of life.

The current Yun Yuzhen was a Mortal through and through!

She was even weaker than a Mortal!

Because Mortals did not need to resist the terrifyingly low temperatures of this Cold Jade Palace.

And although Yun Yuzhen's Physical Body was powerful, it also needed to consume a huge amount of energy to maintain body temperature and resist the cold.

Coupled with Su Ye's forced demands last night, she had lost much of her primal yin, and her Essence, Qi, and Spirit were in a state of extreme depletion.

Having starved for a day and a night without a single drop of water.

Her body had already reached its limit long ago.

This feeling of hunger was a cry from the instincts of life, not something that could be easily shifted by willpower.

"Revered Master, why must you suffer so?"

Su Ye tore off a plump chicken leg.

Golden grease flowed down from the break, steaming hot and fragrant.

Holding the chicken leg, he slowly walked to the cold jade bed.

Across that layer of invisible Restriction, he waved it in front of Yun Yuzhen.

"Is it really that hard to admit you're a Mortal?"

"Your cultivation is completely gone now, and your body is weak to the extreme."

"This Cold Jade Palace is so cold; if you don't have food to replenish your heat, how many days can your delicate body hold out?"

Su Ye's voice was full of temptation, like a devil's whisper from the abyss.

"Besides, this is a Five-Colored Spirit Chicken."

"It's the treasure that Elder Zhao of the neighboring Alchemy Peak has raised for three years; usually, he wouldn't even let a single feather fall."

"This meat is smooth, tender, and juicy, melting in the mouth."

"Paired with your disciple's secret seasoning..."

Saying this, Su Ye took a large bite of the chicken leg right in front of Yun Yuzhen.

Crunch!

The sound of the crispy skin shattering was clearly audible.

Followed by the sound of chewing.

"Mmm—"

Su Ye let out a satisfied sigh, "It really is top-grade."

"Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, full of meat juices."

"Especially this bite; that meaty flavor mixed with the fragrance of Spirit Medicine explodes on the tip of the tongue..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, a delicacy of the Mortal world."

He smacked his lips as he ate.

That look of enjoyment was simply the most cruel torture for Yun Yuzhen.

Yun Yuzhen's throat rolled involuntarily.

She bit her lip hard, only managing to suppress the urge to rush over and snatch it once she tasted blood.

"Get out..."

She squeezed a word through her teeth; if eyes could kill, Su Ye would have been hacked into a thousand pieces by now.

"Even if I, this seat, starve to death, freeze to death, or die on this cold jade bed!"

"I will never eat a single bite of anything from you, you Rebellious Disciple!"

This was her bottom line!

If she couldn't even keep this bit of dignity and had to wag her tail for a few bites of meat from this beast.

Then how would she, Yun Yuzhen, be any different from those captive playthings?

"If you say so."

Su Ye shrugged, seemingly not surprised.

He turned back to the fire, plopped down on the ground, and began to feast.

While eating, he muttered to himself.

"Oh, what a pity."

"Such a good chicken; I had specifically saved a whole one for Revered Master."

"Since Revered Master doesn't appreciate it, then your disciple will have to reluctantly eat it all."

"After all, wasting food invites divine retribution."

As he spoke, he tore off another chicken wing.

Inside the Cold Jade Palace, only the sound of Su Ye chewing and the crackling of the fire remained.

Time passed bit by bit.

The fragrance did not dissipate; instead, as time went on, it became increasingly rich and mellow.

Yun Yuzhen curled up on the cold jade bed.

She felt as if a hand was scratching her stomach fiercely, a burning pain.

That hunger hit her rational dam in wave after wave like a tide.

Her vision began to blur.

All those insights about Cultivation and the Dao in her mind were now thrown to the back of her head.

In their place was only that golden-brown roasted chicken.

In a daze, she even seemed to see the chicken waving at her.

"It really... smells so good..."

A thought grew wildly in her heart like weeds.

"I'll just have one bite... just one bite..."

"Anyway, I have no cultivation now, I'm just a Mortal; eating something is just to survive..."

"Only by surviving can I take revenge..."

"Yes, I'm eating for revenge, not because I want to eat!"

Yun Yuzhen's psychological defense was collapsing bit by bit.

This was harder to endure than severe torture.

Because it came from the most primal desires of the body.

Although Su Ye had his back to her, his Divine Sense enveloped the entire hall at all times.

Every subtle expression of Yun Yuzhen, every swallow of saliva, even the frequency of her gastrointestinal peristalsis was under his control.

He was waiting.

Like taming a hawk.

He wanted to break this proud Phoenix bit by bit into an obedient canary.

First, the possession of the body.

Then, the trampling of dignity.

Now, the control of survival instincts.

"Revered Master, do you really not want to try some?"

Su Ye suddenly turned around, holding up the most plump and complete roasted chicken he had specifically set aside.

At this time, the roasted chicken was still steaming, its skin glistening with an inviting oily sheen.

He no longer mocked her; his tone actually became somewhat "sincere".

"Your disciple hasn't touched this chicken yet; it's very clean."

"Your disciple knows you hate me."

"But hating someone also requires strength."

"You are so weak now that you don't even have the strength to scold me; how will you kill me in the future?"

This sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Yun Yuzhen's delicate body jerked.

That's right.

Without strength, how could she kill him?

How could she wash away her shame?

"Give it to me..."

Her voice was very small, as faint as a mosquito's buzz, carrying endless humiliation and unwillingness.

"What?"

Su Ye deliberately pretended not to hear, putting his hand to his ear, "Revered Master's voice is too small, your disciple can't hear."

Yun Yuzhen suddenly looked up.

Those eyes, which were originally as clear as water, were now bloodshot and covered with a layer of mist.

It was grievance, anger, and even more, a compromise with reality.

She stared fixedly at Su Ye, her voice hoarse, almost shouting:

"I said... GIVE IT TO ME!!!"

Su Ye smiled.

He smiled exceptionally brightly.

He knew that another corner of the sacred altar in this high-and-mighty Revered Master's heart had collapsed.

"That's more like it."

"Only when you're full will you have the strength to play games with your disciple."

Su Ye stood up and walked toward the cold jade bed step by step.

The roasted chicken in his hand emitted an inviting aroma, like bait leading to the abyss.

He didn't hand it directly to Yun Yuzhen.

Instead, he stood by the bed, looking down from a height at the beautiful woman with disheveled clothes and bound by chains.

Then, he tore off a piece of the most tender chicken breast and held it to Yun Yuzhen's lips.

"Come, Revered Master."

"Open your mouth."

"Ah—"

Yun Yuzhen looked at the meat by her mouth, then at Su Ye's face with its wicked smile.

Her nails dug deep into her palms, piercing the flesh.

The humiliation at this moment even exceeded that of being forcibly possessed last night.

Because that was forced.

But now, she was bowing her head to her own desires.

She tremblingly opened her pale lips.

Like a beggar who had lost all pride, she took the meat into her mouth.

The moment it entered her mouth.

Delicious meat juices exploded in her oral cavity.

That long-lost warmth and satisfaction belonging to food instantly spread throughout her body.

It was delicious.

It was truly delicious.

It was even more delicious than any delicacies she remembered eating thousands of years ago before she had achieved Fasting.

Two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of Yun Yuzhen's eyes.

They dripped onto the back of Su Ye's hand.

Scalding hot.

"Is it good, Revered Master?"

Su Ye gently wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, his movements as soft as if he were treating a most cherished lover.

But in Yun Yuzhen's eyes, that smile was more hideous than a demon's.

While chewing the chicken in her mouth, she said indistinctly with a sob:

"Damn it... this chicken... is so fragrant..."

"Su Ye... I will definitely kill you..."

The smile on Su Ye's face deepened.

"Alright."

"Your disciple will wait for that day."

"But before that..."

He tore off another piece of meat and handed it over again.

"Revered Master should eat more."

"After all, the night is long."

"Once you're full, we have to continue cultivating that Yin Yang Dragon Phoenix Creation Scripture."

Inside the Cold Jade Palace, the candlelight flickered.

The once-holy Peak Revered Master now, like a Mortal, ate the roasted meat fed to her by her Rebellious Disciple bite by bite, with tears in her eyes.