Chapter 287: Exiting the Secret Realm with a Secret Pregnancy

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Exiting the Secret Realm with a Secret Pregnancy

At one end of the Hua Xu Secret Realm, a range of snowy mountains stretched for a thousand miles.

Atop the highest peak stood a Treasure Tower a hundred zhangs tall. This tower had a total of ninety-four stories. Its body was built of black stone, but its eaves were tiled in cyan, and its peak occasionally flashed with a golden light.

Not far from the Treasure Tower, a Bodhi Tree stood on the snowy mountain, its branches lush and full of leaves.

Nine ripe Bodhi Seeds hung from its branches.

Wielding a Refined Iron Rod, Hui Ke had fought his way up from the base of the mountain. Countless snowmen, formed from sentient Snow Spirits, had actually managed to leave him covered in blood.

At last, he struck down the final snowman and arrived before the Treasure Tower.

He placed his palms together, faced the Treasure Tower, and reverently chanted, "Amitabha!"

He then walked toward the tower’s entrance. When he reached the door, he reached out to push it open. But the moment his hand touched the handle, a flash of golden light sent him flying.

It threw him directly from the summit to the foot of the mountain. If not for his Integration Realm cultivation, that single blow would have been enough to shatter his bones to dust.

He struggled to his feet, using his Refined Iron Rod for support. He looked up at the Treasure Tower on the peak and shook his head helplessly.

’Looks like I have no choice but to take on this debt! Nine Reincarnations... what’s it all for? Why must I search for them, life after life, without even messing up the order?’

"Amitabha!"

’If I’d known, I would’ve just gone to find Chu Fan first.’

After muttering a few more complaints, he began to hobble away from the snowy mountain, leaning on his Refined Iron Rod. However, with every step he took, his figure instantly reappeared a hundred zhangs away.

If Chu Fan had heard his words, his jaw would have dropped. Was this still the same long-winded yet gentle and refined Little Monk?

Beside the Spring of Life, Chu Fan and Yan Ying had slain more than ten Tuo Beasts, massive crocodile-like creatures the size of small hills. Exhausted, they bathed in the spring and then engaged in two more shameless acts.

Regardless of any feelings of guilt, they were, after all, young and full of passion. And since they had already started, there were far fewer inhibitions between them.

It had to be said, the Spring of Life was truly a wonderful thing. No matter how tired they were or how much True Qi they had expended, a short soak inside would immediately restore them to their Peak condition.

That said, no one knew what they were doing. If anyone found out they were so recklessly wasting a heavenly treasure, they would probably be condemned so harshly their spines would snap from the sheer force of the accusations.

Chu Fan had originally wanted to collect some of the Spring of Life and place it in an earthen pit within his Jun Tianjian World. However, the moment he moved a barrel of it into the Jun Tianjian World, the life-filled spring water turned into a barrel of black water.

He immediately understood that it was because the Death Qi in the Jun Tianjian World was too dense, so he had no choice but to give up.

Still, the two of them filled several large jars and placed them in their Storage Rings. It would be nice to use it for a bath whenever they were tired in the future.

After their second round of intimacy, the affection between them deepened once more.

Yan Ying was already starting to feel inseparable from him.

"Chu Fan, once we leave the Secret Realm, you should leave the Central Domain immediately!"

The two of them walked out of the valley, leaning against one another, while the White Fox hopped and skipped ahead of them.

Hearing Yan Ying’s words, Chu Fan stopped. "What’s wrong?"

"My father’s temperament is unpredictable. Even though you helped my brother and me this time, the fact that you obtained two books from the ninth floor of the Nine-Layered Tower is something you definitely won’t be able to hide from him."

"You’re worried your father will move against me?"

Yan Ying nodded. "You have your pride. Of the three hundred and sixty people who entered, you were the only one who didn’t make a Celestial Dao Oath. If you had only gained some minor opportunities in the Secret Realm, it would naturally be fine, but..."

In truth, Chu Fan had thought about this even more deeply than Yan Ying. Before even entering the Secret Realm, Chu Fan already had a sense of the impending crisis. He had even considered whether he should first entrust the Great Returning Pill to someone he trusted, like Wei Mian or Ye Xiaohan.

Then, after leaving, he could feign death in front of Long Jingyao.

With Yan Ying’s reminder, Chu Fan’s worries naturally deepened.

Long Jingyao was iron-fisted and capricious. Most importantly, he was the Crown Prince of the Empire. He would absolutely not show the slightest mercy to any person or matter that could potentially threaten the Empire.

"So you’re saying that after we leave this place, we’ll be forced to live worlds apart? As long as your father is around, we’ll never have a chance to meet again?"

"No, wait for me. Wait until I have complete control over the Empire and have groomed a successor capable of inheriting the title of Emperor. When that time comes, I’ll abdicate the throne to them, and I’ll come find you."

"But what if there’s a trap waiting for me the moment I step out of the Secret Realm?" Chu Fan asked, probing.

"If that’s truly the case, I’ll get you back to the Eastern Domain even if I have to die trying."

"Have you considered that even if I return to the Eastern Domain, it won’t solve anything? It might even implicate the countless citizens of the entire Eastern Domain."

Hearing Chu Fan’s words, Yan Ying trembled.

She had thought about it before. If her father truly decided to move against Chu Fan, she would protect him even at the cost of her own life. At worst, she would just have Chu Fan never set foot in the Central Domain again.

But now that Chu Fan had put it that way, she became truly afraid.

Chu Fan, however, just smiled and said, "Don’t worry. From the moment I agreed to your father’s request to enter the Secret Realm, I had already thought of all the possible escape routes. You’re my woman now. How could I let my woman be put in a difficult position?"

"Are you saying you intend to swear allegiance? That won’t work. In three years at most, I will ascend to the position of Emperor. Even if you swear allegiance, it’ll be useless. He won’t allow any outsider to get their hands on imperial power."

"Hahaha!"

Chu Fan laughed, gently tapping her on the nose. "That’s not the escape route I was talking about. But no matter what, he is your father, after all. I won’t become his enemy, nor will I give him any opportunity to move against me."

Although Chu Fan now considered Yan Ying his woman, he still wasn’t as completely open with her as he was with Yun Xi.

Moreover, when it came to a matter of his own life and death, how could he possibly lay all his cards on the table?

In fact, Yan Ying also had her own plans. For one, she had no intention of telling Chu Fan that she planned to become pregnant with his child.

She had even less intention of telling him what her father had said to her that night.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Chu Fan, but rather that she didn’t want him to misunderstand her.

Many things become complicated from the simplest of mistakes. But that is a story for another time.

The Tuo Beasts by the Spring of Life were the strongest beasts Chu Fan had encountered in the past few days, and more than ten of them had appeared at once.

After killing them all, Yan Ying’s cultivation had now reached the Integration Realm Tier Nine Peak, and it had only taken her four days and four nights.

This speed could almost be described as fantastical.

The two of them had originally planned to cherish this rare time together. After all, once they left this place, they didn’t know when they would meet again.

But neither of them could have predicted that the unexpected always happens when you least expect it.

In four days and four nights, a seed had undergone eighty-one trials, and a new life finally began to sprout within Yan Ying’s body.

And at the very first moment this new life’s pulse began to beat, a golden light locked onto Yan Ying.

They were nestled together, but the golden light only shrouded her.

"What’s happening?"

While the two were still in shock, Yan Ying’s figure vanished completely.

"What’s going on?" Flustered by the sudden turn of events, Chu Fan immediately flew up and began searching everywhere.

Of course, a search like this would yield no results.

After calming down, Chu Fan realized that Yan Ying had likely been ejected from the Secret Realm by its own mechanisms.

As for the reason, he had no idea.