Chapter 1: Hehuan Imprisoned for a Century!
In the Great Xia, at the Qinglian Sect.
At the very bottom of the Demon Locking Prison.
Moisture from the walls above condensed into drops of water, dripping down.
In the dim, sealed stone cave, a few everlasting lights embedded in the stone walls emitted faint, eerie glows.
The space was quite spacious, with all kinds of furniture neatly arranged.
The most striking feature was a large bed in the center.
The bed was made from the finest golden silk spirit wood, carved with auspicious patterns like dragons and phoenixes, mandarin ducks playing in the water, symbolizing harmony and joy.
At this moment, this otherwise heavy wooden bed was rocking back and forth, creaking under the strain.
Red curtains hung down, and through the slight gaps, a woman dressed in disheveled palace attire was struggling with hard labor.
Her long, silver hair, as white as snow, cascaded down her back, swaying gently with every movement.
Her porcelain-like skin was like ice and snow, her phoenix eyes and willow brows, her ruby lips and delicate nose—her features were flawless, radiating a noble and cool aura.
Yet, the blush on her cheeks and the flirtatious energy at the corners of her eyes created a sharp contrast to her otherwise serene beauty.
This contradiction only made her more captivating.
Following her downward gaze, a young man of slender build and striking handsomeness was restrained on the bed.
Four iron chains, etched with runes, extended from the bedposts, tightly binding his hands and feet, rendering him immobile.
Liu Ruyan, unable to control herself when her feelings ran deep, was still momentarily thrown off by the cold expression of the young man beneath her.
She paused her actions, leaning down to lift his chin. “Ah Ze, it’s been a hundred years. Haven’t you developed any feelings for your master?”
Upon hearing this, the young man, who had been pretending to be motionless like a corpse, finally reacted.
The corners of his pale lips curled into a slight smirk, and he mockingly retorted, “Ha, what are you thinking? Who would fall for a master who plots to imprison her disciple, forces him to be a furnace for her cultivation, and treats him like trash?”
He was Ning Chen, who had crossed over a hundred years ago and joined Qinglian Sect.
Three years later, he awakened the Supreme Chongyang Sacred Body, only to be schemed against by Liu Ruyan, his master and the sect leader. She imprisoned him, suppressed his cultivation, and locked him in the Demon Locking Prison, forcing him to become a furnace for her cultivation.
This situation had continued for a century.
Despite the young man’s insults, Liu Ruyan was unperturbed. She simply explained in a soft voice, “Master had no choice. Everything I do is for the development of the sect.”
Ning Chen scoffed even more disdainfully. “For the sect’s development? If I were allowed to grow normally, I could ascend to immortality within a hundred years, and at that time, wouldn’t Qinglian Sect also rise to prominence?”
“It’s not the same,” Liu Ruyan shook her head.
“While Qinglian Sect might become famous for a time, what happens after you ascend? What will the sect do then? Without strength, other sacred lands will suspect our sect holds the secret to ascension, and in the end, we’ll be divided and consumed.”
“Hah.” Ning Chen remained unimpressed by this explanation. “That sounds good, but isn’t it just because you’re afraid your own talent is insufficient, and you’ll fall short halfway? So, you plan to use my Yuan Yang and double cultivate to boost your strength.”
Liu Ruyan’s expression stiffened at his words, but as a sect leader, her composure quickly returned.
She smiled brightly, stunningly beautiful.
“You’re right, Master is indeed afraid of dying.”
Her voice, once sultry, now carried an unexpected frankness.
“But how many people in this world are truly unafraid of death? How many are willing to die willingly?”
“Good disciple, if you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too naïve, for trusting others too much and telling your secrets to Master.”
“And by the way, it was by chance that I stumbled upon the special use of the Supreme Chongyang Sacred Body in an ancient text.”
Liu Ruyan’s smile grew even more indulgent and enchanting as she resumed her actions.
“Good disciple, I am now just one step away from reaching the Divine Transformation Realm! Help me a little more, and we’ll get there!”
Note: Time is about to accelerate.
An hour later, Liu Ruyan, her face filled with satisfaction, wobbled to her feet.
She was completely exhausted.
At the same time, she flicked her wrist, and a rounded jade ball appeared at her fingertips.
She sealed the pathways to ensure the marrow-cleansing elixir wouldn’t leak.
Liu Ruyan paid no mind to the now weak young man beneath her.
Even though he had been temporarily sealed in his cultivation by her special method, the fact that he could still resist her with a mortal body made the situation clear enough.
Moreover, thanks to the special properties of the Chongyang Body, every night at the stroke of midnight, it would repair any aging or damage to his body, even restoring his broken Yuan Yang.
This was one of the reasons why she had ultimately decided to take action.
She knew her own limitations. With her natural talent, it was already a miracle that she could reach the Golden Core stage.
But after using Ning Chen as a furnace, in just a hundred years, she had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, becoming a renowned new powerhouse in the cultivation world. Qinglian Sect had transformed from a nameless, minor sect into one of the top sects of the Great Xia, second only to the Twelve Sects of the Great Xia.
Therefore, Liu Ruyan had never regretted her decision.
In the future, she not only planned to become an immortal and an ancestor, but she also aimed to turn Qinglian Sect into the strongest sect in the Great Xia, no, the strongest in the entire Canglan Realm!
She would create the most powerful Sacred Land!