Chapter 285: The Crown Prince’s Sinister Methods

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: The Crown Prince’s Sinister Methods

Yan Ying sat on Chu Fan’s lap, her arms, as smooth as polished jade, wrapping around his neck.

"Yan Ying, what are you doing?" Chu Fan’s breathing had grown heavy.

"You blockhead, do you really not understand my feelings for you?"

"But..."

Yan Ying covered his mouth directly. The pure scent of a maiden drifted into his nostrils, making him even more restless and agitated.

"I know you love Yun Xi deeply, and your bond is stronger than gold. I have no desire to break you two apart. Besides, I am the Princess of Hua Xu, and I will inherit the Emperor’s throne in the future. That’s why I’ve always been disguised as a man. It means I can never marry in this lifetime."

Chu Fan stared at her intently.

"You’re going to inherit the Emperor’s throne? What about Long Yinwen?"

"Do you really think he can bear the weight of this Empire?"

Chu Fan nodded. "But... us?"

"I’m not asking for anything. After we leave the Secret Realm, we may never have another chance. But today, can you just let me indulge myself this once? Let me be a woman, truly and openly, for one day? I don’t need you to take any responsibility, because you have no idea what place you hold in my heart."

"But that’s not fair to you," Chu Fan said.

Without another word, Yan Ying leaned in and kissed him.

All the restraint Chu Fan had struggled to maintain for so long instantly shattered with that kiss.

The floating music of silk and bamboo suddenly turned powerful and resonant.

On a nearby mountain, a waterfall suddenly cascaded down, crashing into a deep pool with a rhythmic roar.

The water in the deep pool overflowed, streaming into a small brook with a pleasant, murmuring sound.

As a breeze swept by, the wind chimes on the pavilion rang out with a crisp, melodious jingle, beautiful and harmonious.

Everything happened so naturally.

Even the fragrance of the nearby flowers seemed especially refreshing and soul-stirring at this moment.

「Three hours later.」

The gentle breeze began to die down. Amidst Yan Ying’s pleas for mercy, Chu Fan also came to a stop.

Yan Ying nestled against Chu Fan, gazing lovingly at his face as if to etch it into her memory forever.

Chu Fan let out a long sigh. ’A beauty’s favor is the hardest to repay. The ancients truly did not lie.’

’The debts I owe are piling up.’

"I’m so envious of Yun Xi," Yan Ying said, her tone lazy yet tinged with helplessness as she gently traced circles on Chu Fan’s chest with her finger.

"I..."

Yan Ying cut him off. "You don’t need to blame yourself. I did this willingly. Besides, for my entire life, I will only be your woman. If I wasn’t born into the Imperial Family, if I didn’t have to inherit the throne, I would gladly share a husband with Yun Xi—as long as that man was you."

"That position... can’t someone else take it? Does it have to be you?"

Yan Ying shook her head. "No one can change what my royal father has decided. It was destined from the moment I was born."

Chu Fan sighed again.

"Don’t sigh. I’m already very content. At least today, I had you."

The two of them talked for a long time, though it was all just idle chatter.

Chu Fan felt a deep sense of guilt and a hint of powerlessness.

Possessiveness is in a man’s nature.

’After all, she’s my woman now. How could I bear to let her live out her days alone?’

But there was nothing he could do.

’How could he selfishly stand in the way of her taking control of the highest authority in an Empire like Hua Xu?’

"Alright, I should be able to take the Integration Pill now, right?"

’The song ends, and the audience must disperse.’

Yan Ying stood up and, right in front of Chu Fan, put her men’s clothes back on and fastened her Jade Crown.

"Go on, break through. Once you do, I’ll help you raise your Realm directly to Integration Realm Tier Nine Peak."

"Okay!"

Yan Ying sat cross-legged on the ground and consumed the Integration Pill.

Just as Yan Ying was breaking through, Chu Fan also felt a flash of enlightenment.

He felt the bottleneck in his own Realm loosening, so he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground as well and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

Within his Dantian, a star lit up on the other side of the Juntian Mirror—a star named Yin Yang.

At that very moment, his Dantian formed its own world and began to operate on its own.

The Juntian Mirror was like a blazing sun, flanked by a star named Cause and Effect and a star named Yin Yang, each brilliantly illuminating the other.

The twelve plump Lotus Seeds on the lotus pod flew off and began to revolve endlessly around the stars and the blazing sun.

BOOM!

A muffled sound echoed in Chu Fan’s mind. He had broken through.

The Void Realm—a completely new Realm. From this moment on, he began to draw infinitely closer to the true Celestial Dao, to perceive the void and glimpse fundamental reality.

Upon reaching the Void Realm, his lifespan doubled again, reaching six hundred years.

He was astonished when he saw the scene within his Dantian.

Especially when his consciousness touched the star to the right of the Juntian Mirror, he gained a whole new understanding of Yin and Yang.

’Why is there an extra star?’ ℯℯ𝑙.

Then, he understood.

’Wasn’t the book Yan Ying obtained on the ninth floor of the Nine-Layered Tower precisely about Yin and Yang?’

’So, after our intimate union, had that book also been replicated inside my body?’

’This leap into the Void Realm, born from our union... was this the fastest I’ve ever advanced a Realm since I began my Cultivation?’

He had to admit, just for this opportunity alone, his trip to the Hua Xu Secret Realm was already a massive gain.

The White Fox was curled up on the roof of the pavilion, having watched the entire process between the two of them.

But its eyes remained indifferent the whole time.

「An hour later,」 Yan Ying also completed her breakthrough.

The two shared a tacit understanding and said no more. They found the Cloud Flowers, picked ten of them, and left the valley.

"What took you so long?" Long Yinwen asked impatiently.

Before Chu Fan could speak, Yan Ying rolled her eyes at him and said coldly, "What? We’re helping you and you’re complaining it’s taking too long? Why didn’t you go yourself?"

"I..." Long Yinwen was left speechless by her retort.

"Here. Do it yourself!"

Yan Ying casually tossed the ten Cloud Flowers to Long Yinwen.

"Alright, you can deal with it yourself. We’ve finished the task the Crown Prince gave us. Now it’s time to look for other opportunities." With that, Yan Ying grabbed Chu Fan’s arm and flew into the air.

"Wait! If you leave, what will I do if I run into danger?" Long Yinwen shouted.

"As long as you don’t go looking for trouble, you won’t be in danger," Yan Ying said.

"He’s your brother, after all. Is it really okay to do this?" Chu Fan asked.

"It’s fine. He’s a grown man now. It’s time he learned to take some responsibility for himself," Yan Ying said dismissively.

In truth, among all her siblings, she felt the most indifferent toward Long Yinwen.

Besides, she was going to inherit the Emperor’s throne, and Long Yinwen would inevitably resent her for it. So why should she care so much about him?

Given Long Yinwen’s petty nature, he could never be magnanimous about it.

What they didn’t know, however, was that after they left, Long Yinwen crushed the Cloud Flowers, drank the juice, and his entire body underwent a world-shattering transformation.

His Cultivation broke through, soaring from Nascent Soul Realm Peak directly to Tier Four of the Divine Separation Realm before stopping.

His original height of roughly five-foot-eight shot up by more than seven inches, reaching a towering six-foot-three, and his build became imposing and robust.

Even his face changed. His once handsome and refined features became coarse and rugged: a square jaw, thick brows, large eyes, and an aquiline nose.

Even someone who knew him intimately wouldn’t have recognized him as Long Yinwen now.

Looking at the changes in his own body, a monstrous hatred surged within Long Yinwen’s heart...