Chapter 136: My Mother-in-Law Told Me That Wedding Etiquette Matters Most!

Under the gaze of Blackie’s despairing eyes, the Abyss Demon Empress gently raised a hand, puckered her crimson lips, and blew a soft breath.

The mysterious, pitch-black aura that had been coiled around the Abyss Demon Empress was thus expelled from her mouth.

At that moment, Cheng Guang suddenly felt a chill run through him.

He raised his gaze to look at the Abyss Demon Empress.

The moment Cheng Guang’s eyes locked with the Empress’s stunning, beautiful eyes, the world around him began to spin violently, and all the surrounding scenery started to warp and distort.

Deep within Cheng Guang’s consciousness, the darker facets of human nature surged forth one after another—grudge, greed, and cruelty, all arriving in a relentless tide!

"What is this?"

Cheng Guang was lost for nearly a second, but just as his mind was about to plunge completely into these various dark impulses, a surge of golden radiance suddenly welled up from deep within his primordial spirit.

"Namo Amitabha."

In a trance, Cheng Guang heard the recitation of a Buddha's name.

Following that, in the span of a mere fraction of a second, a shred of clarity returned to his mind.

"This Abyss Demon Empress is truly no simple entity."

"To suddenly pull off a trick like this... If my primordial spirit hadn't fused with the Dao Fruit of Sagehood, I'm afraid I really would have lost myself within these evil thoughts."

Thoughts flashed rapidly through Cheng Guang’s mind. Channeling the power of his primordial spirit, he summoned forth the strength of the Sagehood Dao Fruit that lay dormant within it.

Instantly, the power of his primordial spirit enveloped his entire body, transforming into the appearance of a holy monk.

Clad in pristine white robes, his face was as flawless as jade.

The holy monk held a Buddhist mudra, the kasaya robe upon his body glowing with light, while a brilliant golden mark between his brows flickered with a dazzlingly resplendent radiance.

Behind the holy monk, a pair of majestic wings unfurled, vast and overwhelmingly powerful, as if capable of blotting out the heavens and obscuring the sun.

At the same time, streams of golden, crystal-clear water flowed forth from the holy monk's body, and in the blink of an eye, they washed away the infinite darkness lingering in the depths of Cheng Guang's mind, allowing him to return to his true self!

Cheng Guang took a deep breath, and the bewilderment in his eyes vanished instantly.

The heavens and earth, whose sensory distortions had been caused by locking eyes with the Abyss Demon Empress, also began to return to normal.

The Abyss Demon Empress stared at Cheng Guang, watching as the daze in his eyes gave way to such a sudden, terrifying manifestation.

The aura radiating from Cheng Guang's body caused a primal wave of fear to stir within her instincts.

Her pupils constricted slightly.

Yet, upon seeing that it took Cheng Guang merely a single breath of time to snap out of her mental assault, the Abyss Demon Empress parted her lips in slight, astonished disbelief.

"This..."

She was momentarily left speechless.

Staring blankly at Cheng Guang, a sliver of wariness began to take root in her heart.

Perhaps influenced by the memories of Imperial Consort Nanming, she had known roughly how capable Cheng Guang, the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, truly was; or perhaps it was simple confidence in her own overwhelming strength.

From the very beginning, the Abyss Demon Empress had never taken Cheng Guang seriously.

But now?

The Abyss Demon Empress felt as though her eyes were about to fail her.

Why on earth could this Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo suddenly erupt with such terrifying might?

What on earth was this bizarre manifestation all about?

Why did she herself feel a sense of profound fear simply from glancing at the illusion that had materialized behind Cheng Guang?

The Abyss Demon Empress could not understand.

She did not understand, and Blackie, standing off to the side, understood even less.

Seeing that Cheng Guang had recovered from the Abyss Demon Empress's attack in just a few short breaths—and had even burst forth with an aura that made its canine instincts shiver with dread—Blackie's dog-like face twisted into a grotesque expression.

"Has this master of mine been hiding his true strength all along?!"

"He hid it for so long, and I never once noticed?!"

Blackie began to question the very fabric of its existence.

Recalling how Cheng Guang had previously erupted with powerful, mysterious auras multiple times within the courtyard, each time triggering heaven-shaking phenomena, it suddenly didn't seem so incomprehensible that Cheng Guang possessed methods far beyond its imagination.

Blackie steadied its breathing, then let out a heavy sigh of relief, dropping the massive stone that had been weighing upon its heart.

Regardless of how Cheng Guang had come to acquire such formidable means, it was ultimately a good thing for Blackie.

If Cheng Guang died, it would die too.

Now that Cheng Guang had the ability to display such overwhelming power, there was actually a very real possibility that he could repel this ugly woman of an Abyss Demon Empress.

There was truly a chance.

Blackie's breath grew slightly hurried as it kept its eyes locked tightly on the spot where Cheng Guang and the Abyss Demon Empress stood.

Under Blackie's watchful gaze, Cheng Guang kept his expression completely unreadable as he smiled at the Abyss Demon Empress and said, "Well? Quite a surprise, isn't it?"

Hearing this, the Abyss Demon Empress snapped out of her astonishment. Raising her exquisite brows slightly, she looked at Cheng Guang and replied, "As expected of the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo; you certainly have far more tricks up your sleeve than ordinary people."

"It seems you were still holding back quite a bit when you dealt with my avatar earlier."

Cheng Guang smiled and offered no explanation.

He had grown at a terrifying speed within a very short span of time.

When he had faced Imperial Consort Nanming previously, he genuinely hadn't possessed nearly as many methods as the Abyss Demon Empress was currently imagining.

If he had possessed this kind of strength back then, he wouldn't have needed to waste any effort or resort to using the consort's stockings; he could have simply eradicated Imperial Consort Nanming on the spot.

The Abyss Demon Empress watched Cheng Guang's calm expression, her eyes flickering.

Slowly, she lowered the hand that had been gripping Cheng Guang's collar.

She simply found Cheng Guang at this moment to be far too bizarre.

The aura radiating from his body was something she had yet to fully comprehend; merely standing close to it caused a faint burning sensation to flare up within her.

And yet, neither her physical shell nor her inner self had suffered any actual damage.

It was as if... this was a pain deeply engraved into her very bloodline.

Raising her gaze toward the illusory holy monk standing behind Cheng Guang, the Abyss Demon Empress could not help but ask, "What kind of technique is this?"

Cheng Guang shook his head. "I don't know."

This time, Cheng Guang was telling the truth, because he genuinely didn't know.

He had yet to fully master the power of the Sagehood Dao Fruit.

This time, it was the Abyss Demon Empress's attack that had triggered a self-defense instinct within his primordial spirit, which had merged with the Dao Fruit.

Cheng Guang himself had merely given it a little push, driving it outward.

As for what specific functions and powers it truly held?

He wasn't entirely clear.

However, concerning his current level of spiritual cultivation and the quality of his primordial spirit, even without utilizing the power of the Sagehood Dao Fruit, merely employing certain divine abilities and secret arts would allow him to completely outclass ordinary Heavenly Human realm experts.

If the old ancestor of the Great Abyss Dynasty were to appear before Cheng Guang right now, he was confident he could slay him within a few breaths.

Even so, Cheng Guang lowered his gaze, his thoughts sinking inward as he observed his own primordial spirit within the sea of consciousness. He realized that while his strength had skyrocketed after his cultivation breakthrough, his primordial spirit power simply could not sustain a prolonged battle against a true Heavenly Human expert.

Right now, that power was draining away at an alarming rate.

Cheng Guang knew that if he couldn't defeat the Abyss Demon Empress in a short amount of time, once she figured out the limits of his bluff, she wouldn't remain nearly as courteous as she was being right now.

Meanwhile, hearing Cheng Guang say he didn't know, the Abyss Demon Empress assumed he was simply unwilling to tell her.

After her beautiful eyes flashed with a few flickers of light, she slowly smoothed out her agitated and angry emotions, folding her hands with stern dignity across her lower abdomen.

Looking calmly at Cheng Guang, she spoke.

"Remove the effects of whatever that consort's stockings thing is from my body, and I will no longer make things difficult for you. The grudges between us can be written off as settled."

The Abyss Demon Empress had assumed that by lowering her posture to such an extent, Cheng Guang would undoubtedly agree to her terms.

She had not expected him to simply shake his head and say, "That cannot be undone."

"Cannot be undone?!" The Abyss Demon Empress widened her eyes. Aside from a deep, underlying darkness, those stunning eyes were flooded with an intense wave of seductiveness, carrying with them an overwhelming aura of worldly vanity.

This demeanor was not something she was deliberately putting on.

Rather, the influence of the consort's stockings had simply proven far too potent for her to shake off.

The Abyss Demon Empress considered herself a dignified Demon Empress; parading around with such a seductive, enchantress-like demeanor day in and day out was entirely lacking in decorum.

Before coming to find Cheng Guang, she had tried countless methods on her own.

It was only because she had exhausted all other options that she had come looking for him.

If not for this absurd predicament, the Abyss Demon Empress would have never willingly set foot in this mortal realm, no matter what.

No one knew better than she just how terrifying this mortal realm appeared on the surface while actually hiding countless unfathomable powerhouses.

At this moment, the Abyss Demon Empress stared at Cheng Guang in utter disbelief. "Why can't it be undone?!"

Cheng Guang spread his hands helplessly. "How would I know? That pair of stockings isn't even in my possession anymore."

The Abyss Demon Empress glared viciously at Cheng Guang, a primal urge to fly into a rage rising within her, but every time she caught sight of the holy monk manifestation behind him, she forcibly swallowed her fury back down.

"That miraculous treasure was brought out by you!"

"No matter what, you must resolve this for me!"

"If you don't, then even if you possess such formidable means today, I will fight you to the bitter end!"

Faced with the Abyss Demon Empress's words, Cheng Guang's calm expression did not change in the slightest. It remained as untroubled as an ancient well, refusing to stir up even the faintest ripple within his heart.

At the same time, a thought suddenly crossed Cheng Guang's mind regarding the Emperor-grade miraculous treasure fragment he had recently acquired—

The universe-shrouding Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon.

It possessed the ability to bind anyone.

Presumably, even if it didn't work completely on the Abyss Demon Empress, it would at least exert a significant restraining effect.

Coupled with his current level of spiritual cultivation, he was by no means entirely incapable of matching the Abyss Demon Empress in battle.

There was a very real possibility of winning.

The corners of Cheng Guang's lips twitched upward into a smile as he casually replied, "You want to fight...? Then by all means, go ahead."

The Abyss Demon Empress was momentarily stunned, completely taken aback by Cheng Guang's words.

She couldn't fathom what his objective could possibly be.

Could it be that he truly had no idea how to lift the effects of the consort's stockings?

Even if he didn't know, how could he show not a single shred of fear when facing her?

Could it be that this Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo still had other trump cards hidden up his sleeve?!

The more the Abyss Demon Empress thought about it, the less she could make sense of it. Eventually, she simply gave up trying, her face turning ugly as the light in her eyes grew dark and murky.

"Fine, since you insist!"

Before her words had even faded, the Abyss Demon Empress abruptly waved a jade hand. The surrounding air instantly turned turbulent, and a powerful aura of the dark abyss—resembling magma capable of devouring all things—surged viciously toward Cheng Guang.

Yet, Cheng Guang still did not show a single trace of panic.

With a flick of his fingertip, he traced a pattern through empty space. His primordial spirit outlined the shapes of countless longswords in the void.

With a single point of his finger, a thousand swords erupted simultaneously, rushing toward the Abyss Demon Empress with the force of an avalanche.

The next instant, the two attacks collided violently.

The air throughout the entire Myriad Elephant Garden shook with a fierce tremor.

A towering pillar of white light surged straight up into the firmament.

The massive shockwave battered the air, rippling outward in every direction like a boulder tossed onto the surface of a placid lake, sending wave after wave of turbulence rolling across the surroundings!

"What is happening...?"

If the commotion previously stirred up by the Abyss Demon Empress had failed to attract the attention of the outside world, this time was different.

The pure kinetic clash between Cheng Guang and the Abyss Demon Empress generated an aftershock so fierce that it managed to shatter the seals the Empress had erected, allowing the disturbance to be witnessed by those nearby.

Over at the Duke of Zhenguo's Manor—

Cheng Zhihai had just returned to the Southeast Courtyard.

Having consumed quite a bit of alcohol during Cheng Guang's wedding banquet, he had already been feeling somewhat intoxicated. Add to that the chaotic ordeal involving Li Tongzhen, and he was thoroughly exhausted.

Now that the matter had finally been put to rest, Cheng Zhihai had intended to get some proper rest and chat with Wu Yuemei.

Yet, no sooner had he parted ways with Ning Liang and the others and stepped into the Southeast Courtyard than the entire Duke of Zhenguo's Manor began to vibrate violently.

"What is going on?!"

Cheng Zhihai's eyes trembled as he hurriedly raised his gaze toward the distance.

He saw that above Cheng Guang's Myriad Elephant Garden, a faint white light was shimmering.

***

In the vicinity of the Myriad Elephant Garden, however, there was no white light at all.

The scattered white light hovered exclusively over the Myriad Elephant Garden, forming a bowl-like barrier of moderate size that encapsulated the entire garden within it.

"What kind of commotion is Guang'er stirring up now...?"

"No, that doesn't feel like Guang'er's aura. Besides... there is another presence..."

"Could it be... the Demon Empress?!"

Gazing toward the Myriad Elephant Garden, Cheng Zhihai was left speechless with shock the moment he sensed that aura.

Even the incident involving Li Tongzhen earlier hadn't given him this level of shock.

"The Demon Empress has actually appeared in Guang'er's courtyard?!"

"Why?!"

"Doesn't an entity like the Demon Empress dwell deep within the Eighth Layer of the Demonic Sea, rarely ever stepping outside?"

Cheng Zhihai could not make sense of it.

Neither could he understand why such bizarre and dangerous occurrences always seemed to orbit around Cheng Guang.

The earlier phenomena and Li Tongzhen could still be loosely categorized as fortuitous encounters.

But the appearance of the Demon Empress could by no means be considered a fortune.

In Cheng Zhihai's eyes, the Demon Empress was nothing short of a living nightmare for Cheng Guang—an entity against whom Cheng Guang possessed zero capacity to resist.

Cheng Zhihai hurriedly pushed off the ground, stepping on elemental Qi as he streaked toward the Myriad Elephant Garden.

Arriving above the garden, he attempted to descend straight into it, only to find that his body refused to drop.

It felt as though an invisible layer of power was stubbornly blocking his path.

"Break for me!"

With a dark expression, Cheng Zhihai stomped downward.

The surrounding air seemed to shudder heavily under the force.

Without hesitation, he stomped down a few more times in rapid succession until the air finally began to emit faint cracking sounds. Only then did Cheng Zhihai halt his actions and look downward.

Before long, he spotted wisps of pitch-black aura inexplicably leaking out into the air.

Walking forward step by step from high in the air toward the Myriad Elephant Garden once more, he no longer felt the slightest bit of resistance.

With minimal effort, he easily crossed the threshold into the garden.

Once inside, Cheng Zhihai swept his gaze across the grounds, quickly spotting the figures of both Cheng Guang and the Abyss Demon Empress.

When his eyes landed on the Abyss Demon Empress, his pupils trembled.

Just as he was preparing to step forward and drag Cheng Guang away to safety, he suddenly noticed the holy monk manifestation lingering behind Cheng Guang.

Observing Cheng Guang closely and sensing the aura radiating from his body, Cheng Zhihai's eyes widened in a daze.

He was momentarily dumbfounded.

He had sensed this exact aura just moments ago.

At first, he hadn't linked it to Cheng Guang, assuming it belonged to someone else, because upon closer inspection, he realized that such an aura was one only a Heavenly Human expert could possess.

Therefore, Cheng Zhihai had not associated the violent tremors and roaring explosions with Cheng Guang at all.

In his mind, the commotion created earlier was either something the Demon Empress had done deliberately or the result of her clashing with someone of equal strength.

"Guang'er, you..."

Cheng Zhihai was just about to speak when he suddenly noticed several figures streaking across the distant firmament.

He recognized two of them: Ning Liang and Granny Qianhua.

The third figure, however, struck him as rather peculiar.

"Elder Yan, why have you come out?"

Stepping forward, Cheng Zhihai cupped his fists in a respectful bow toward one of the figures and asked.

The target of his bow was none other than Yan De, the elder of the Scripture Pavilion.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Yan De did not answer Cheng Zhihai immediately. Instead, he cast his gaze directly onto Cheng Guang.

After observing Cheng Guang for a moment, Yan De turned his gaze to the Abyss Demon Empress.

Only then did he look back at Cheng Zhihai with a smile. "What? Is Pavilion Master Cheng displeased to see me out and about?"

Cheng Zhihai hurriedly shook his head. "Elder Yan can come out whenever he pleases. But regarding this Abyss Demon Empress... in your opinion and Granny Qianhua's, do we have any chance of defeating her?"

The old elder lightly stroked his beard without displaying any arrogance.

His cultivation level was roughly on par with Cheng Zhihai's.

Because he practiced the Dao of Astrology, Yan De was likely inferior to even an ordinary Ninth-Grade Martial Emperor when it came to direct combat.

However, his breadth of knowledge could arguably be ranked among the very best in the current world.

"This Abyss Demon Empress spared no effort to travel all the way from the distant Tenth Layer of the Demonic Sea; her strength is extraordinary and not something we can easily deal with."

"Even if the few of us joined forces right now, there is no guarantee we could rescue the Heir from her hands."

"Besides..."

At this point, Yan De paused briefly in his speech.

Under Cheng Zhihai's watchful gaze, the old man slowly continued.

"Besides, looking at the Heir's current state, he doesn't seem ordinary at all."

"The Heir hasn't asked us for help, his expression remains calm and composed, and there isn't a hint of tension in him."

"Perhaps the Heir possesses some method to deal with the Abyss Demon Empress after all."

Hearing this, Cheng Zhihai nearly went mad with exasperation.

What kind of method could Cheng Guang possibly have?

He acknowledged that the holy monk manifestation behind Cheng Guang looked extraordinary and that Cheng Guang's aura and cultivation at this moment rivaled that of a Heavenly Human.

So what?

Even among those who had reached the Heavenly Human realm, very few could actually defeat the Abyss Demon Empress.

Let alone Cheng Guang—someone who had used God-knows-what kind of method to forcefully inflate his cultivation to the Heavenly Human realm overnight. He was essentially a fraud!

Anxiety gripped Cheng Zhihai's heart, yet he had no idea what to do.

Nodding slightly, he turned his gaze to Granny Qianhua and asked, "Granny Qianhua, what do you think?"

Looking into the distance at Cheng Guang and the Abyss Demon Empress, Granny Qianhua let out a dry, mirthless chuckle without offering much commentary.

Her expression was clearly stiff from having smiled so rarely.

Faced with such a reaction, Cheng Zhihai remained clueless as to what Granny Qianhua actually meant.

Left with no choice, he kept silent.

Just as Cheng Zhihai was preparing to invite everyone to attack together, he suddenly saw a flash of red light erupt from the spot where Cheng Guang and the Abyss Demon Empress stood.

A moment prior, the Abyss Demon Empress had waved her jade hand, throwing out eighty to ninety percent of her strength under the assumption that Cheng Guang would buckle under her assault and cough up blood in defeat.

She had not anticipated that Cheng Guang would block it with such effortless ease.

Just as she was adjusting her breath to launch a follow-up strike against Cheng Guang, she glanced upward toward the sky.

She discovered that the barrier she had previously erected was growing somewhat unstable due to the earlier shockwave.

A few muffled sounds later, her space-isolating divine ability completely shattered.

Noticing that Cheng Zhihai and the others had arrived nearby, the Abyss Demon Empress merely cast a single glance at them and said nothing.

Lifting a hand slightly, she resolved to finish Cheng Guang off as quickly as possible.

It was precisely at this moment that she saw Cheng Guang pull out a strip of red cloth from who-knows-where.

Cheng Guang flicked his wrist, tossing it into the air.

The strip of red cloth expanded rapidly against the wind, instantly blotting out the sky as it descended to envelop the Abyss Demon Empress.

"What is this?"

The Abyss Demon Empress let out a startled, horrified gasp, her body darting backward in an attempt to dodge.

However, she quickly realized—

That strip of red cloth seemed to have locked onto her entirely.

No matter how she evaded, the red ribbon persistently coiled toward her position.

"Damn it!"

Realizing she couldn't outrun it, the Abyss Demon Empress flew into a helpless rage, her anger flaring up all the more as she recalled the humiliating incident involving the consort's stockings.

Halting in mid-air, her delicate body suspended in the void, her pretty face grew ice-cold as dark abyssal energy surged like a tide around her, sweeping outward in all directions.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The dark abyssal energy churned through the elemental Qi, smashing heavily against the Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon.

Yet that terrifyingly destructive force struck the red ribbon like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Aside from causing the ribbon to tremble slightly, it failed to kick up any further waves.

Like a nimble red serpent weaving through the void, the Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon swiftly reached the Abyss Demon Empress's delicate frame, wrapping around her tightly and binding her securely.

The ribbon constricted her body, perfectly outlining every curve of her voluptuous figure in a flawless silhouette.

The Abyss Demon Empress struggled furiously.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not break free.

She could only writhe and flop about on the ground like a helpless salted fish.

Observing this scene from afar, Cheng Zhihai's eyes trembled incessantly, his face painted with sheer disbelief.

"What kind of technique is this?!"

"What kind of miraculous treasure did Guang'er pull out to actually bind the Abyss Demon Empress like this?!"

Cheng Zhihai cried out in shock.

No one answered his bewildered exclamation.

From the side, Ning Liang couldn't help muttering, "Brother Cheng, this is your own son. If even you don't know what kind of methods the Heir is pulling out, how are the rest of us supposed to know?"

Granny Qianhua kept her gaze fixed on the red ribbon binding the Abyss Demon Empress, lightly adjusting the spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose.

"This seems to be some kind of high-grade miraculous treasure."

"Its rank is not low—at least Heavenly grade, though it feels somewhat incomplete."

As Granny Qianhua spoke, Elder Yan De chimed in, his gaze fixed deeply upon both the Abyss Demon Empress and the ribbon wrapped around her.

After studying them for a long while, he slowly shook his head.

"This old man can no longer make sense of this either."

"Since when, I know not, but the fate and stellar astrology surrounding the Heir have become completely imperceptible to me."

"Among the myriad things in this world, there are quite a few I cannot see through. Most of them are either utterly unremarkable objects with no presence in the stars, or..."

"...or they are individuals possessed of immense, great fortune, protected by the Mandate of Heaven, which leaves this old man equally unable to pierce through them."

Hearing Yan De's words, Granny Qianhua glanced sideways at him before slowly remarking, "Thinking about it that way, the Heir must indeed be someone blessed with great fortune."

Yan De nodded slightly. Even with his Ninth-Grade cultivation, he showed no tension or timidity when facing Granny Qianhua, a true Heavenly Human expert. Instead, he appeared entirely at ease.

From his outward demeanor, Yan De seemed utterly indifferent to his own cultivation level, showing none of the customary reverence due to a Heavenly Human.

Granny Qianhua did not display any surprise at Yan De's calmness, merely nodding in agreement.

"Let's go. Let's head over and take a look."

"That Abyss Demon Empress has likely already been subdued by the Heir."

Stepping out ahead of the others, Granny Qianhua walked toward Cheng Guang.

Cheng Zhihai, Ning Liang, and the others snapped out of their stupor and quickly followed behind her, arriving at Cheng Guang's side.

As they drew closer, the aura radiating from Cheng Guang began to recede.

The holy monk manifestation behind him grew increasingly translucent before finally dissolving into a gentle breeze, disappearing without a trace.

Cheng Guang had been aware of Cheng Zhihai and the others' presence the entire time.

As they approached, he shifted his gaze away from the still-writhing Abyss Demon Empress and looked toward the newcomers.

"Father, Uncle Ning, Granny Qianhua... Elder Yan...?"

Cheng Guang greeted them one by one.

When his eyes landed on the last person, a look of astonishment crossed his face. He stood frozen for a moment before letting out a laugh.

"Elder Yan, why have you come out?"

Yan De smiled. "Sensing the aura of the Demonic race, I came over to take a look."

"I originally intended to lend a hand, but I never expected that we wouldn't even be given the chance to help."

"Heir, what was going on with that aura and cultivation level you displayed just a moment ago?" Yan De asked with genuine curiosity.

Cheng Guang smiled, knowing it was difficult to explain, so he simply offered a vague reply.

"I encountered a slight fortuitous encounter, so my cultivation progressed a bit faster."

"A fortuitous encounter..." Hearing those two words from Cheng Guang, Yan De paused slightly before nodding slowly in deep thought.

Within his heart, he had already firmly concluded that this Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo was undoubtedly one of those individuals blessed with grand, soaring fortune.

If someone lacked grand fortune, how could even he be unable to see through them?

If someone lacked grand fortune, how could they keep stumbling into such heaven-defying encounters?

Staring at Cheng Guang, Cheng Zhihai could not suppress his anxiety as he asked, "Guang'er, what is going on with this Abyss Demon Empress?"

"Why did she suddenly appear inside your Myriad Elephant Garden?"

"If you hadn't noticed her in time and she had managed to ambush you, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Cheng Guang felt a helpless sigh escape him internally, knowing that his old man was simply worrying excessively.

Leaving aside the fact that he had known beforehand the Abyss Demon Empress might come to ambush him—

Even if he hadn't known, given his current level of cultivation and strength, the Abyss Demon Empress would never have been able to harm him, even without the Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon.

"Father, stop asking so many questions."

"I know what I'm doing."

Hearing Cheng Guang speak in such a tone, the old father's heart gave a slight jolt, carrying a faint sense of melancholy.

For Cheng Zhihai, perhaps the most disheartening thing was realizing that Cheng Guang no longer needed to rely on him for anything.

His own Ninth-Grade Martial Emperor cultivation was considered quite decent previously.

Yet lately, the troubles Cheng Guang provoked involved either the Emperor of Great Zhou or the Abyss Demon Empress—mostly entities of the Heavenly Human realm.

His Ninth-Grade cultivation was already starting to feel inadequate.

With a wry smile, Cheng Zhihai silently resolved to enter seclusion the moment this matter concluded.

"Fine, fine, fine. Your old man won't ask anymore."

With that, Cheng Zhihai cast a curious glance at the Abyss Demon Empress.

At first glance, nothing seemed particularly amiss.

But as he stared longer, Cheng Zhihai suddenly realized that this Abyss Demon Empress looked remarkably similar to Imperial Consort Nanming.

"Guang'er, this..."

Pointing at the Abyss Demon Empress, who was bound and struggling fiercely on the ground, Cheng Zhihai looked at Cheng Guang in confusion.

Even though Cheng Zhihai hadn't finished his sentence, Cheng Guang could easily guess what he wanted to ask.

"Imperial Consort Nanming is her avatar."

With a deep, meaningful glint in his eyes, Cheng Guang dropped a bombshell.

Cheng Zhihai's expression shifted once more as he involuntarily glanced toward the side room of the Myriad Elephant Garden.

His gaze seemed capable of piercing through the walls to see Imperial Consort Nanming resting upon the bed inside.

"Imperial Consort Nanming is her avatar?!"

"This..."

"How can that be?"

Cheng Zhihai found it hard to believe, yet the reality unfolding before his eyes forced him to accept it.

Besides, Cheng Guang had no reason to lie to him.

A moment later, Cheng Zhihai nodded in dazed realization.

"That actually makes sense."

"Presumably, because of what happened to Imperial Consort Nanming, this main body of the Abyss Demon Empress came looking for trouble with you, right?"

Cheng Guang shook his head. "If it were only that simple..."

"It's because of the stockings."

Dropping this cryptic remark, regardless of whether Cheng Zhihai and the others understood it or not, Cheng Guang scooped up the Abyss Demon Empress's body into his arms.

The Abyss Demon Empress's physique felt vastly different from Imperial Consort Nanming's.

Her skin was far more delicate, and her body felt significantly heavier.

While she appeared slender and willow-waisted, lacking any visual bulk, she weighed countless times more than an ordinary young woman.

Fortunately, Cheng Guang's physical body had undergone a massive enhancement after fusing with the Myriad Sages Dao Fruit.

Otherwise, he might not have even been able to lift her.

"Father, everything is fine now. You all go ahead and busy yourselves; don't worry about me here."

Holding the Abyss Demon Empress, Cheng Guang walked toward the side room where Imperial Consort Nanming resided.

As he walked past Cheng Zhihai, Granny Qianhua, and the others, he tossed out these parting words before stepping directly into the room.

Left outside, Cheng Zhihai and the others exchanged glances.

They had originally intended to interrogate Cheng Guang about several matters.

However, Cheng Guang clearly had no intention of answering any of them at the moment.

Remaining here any longer would serve no purpose.

Soon enough, Granny Qianhua, Ning Liang, and Elder Yan took their leave one after another.

Only Cheng Zhihai remained standing in place.

After staring blankly for a long time, he rubbed his chin, furrowed his brows, and muttered in deep contemplation, "Stockings..."

"What on earth is a stocking?"

"Why would the Abyss Demon Empress travel across mountains and seas over something like that just to make trouble for Guang'er?"

Cheng Zhihai simply could not understand.

After standing there pondering to no avail for quite a while, he finally turned around and departed.

***

Meanwhile, Cheng Guang carried the bound and utterly immobile Abyss Demon Empress into Imperial Consort Nanming's room.

The moment he pushed the door open and stepped inside, Imperial Consort Nanming noticed him, quickly standing up with a nervous, anxious flicker in her eyes.

Before her main body, she possessed virtually no power to resist.

Before Cheng Guang, she was similarly powerless.

Right now, Imperial Consort Nanming had no idea why Cheng Guang had brought the Abyss Demon Empress—her very own original body—right in front of her.

Ignoring Imperial Consort Nanming's gaze, Cheng Guang unceremoniously dumped the Abyss Demon Empress onto the floor.

The Abyss Demon Empress possessed a surprising degree of elasticity.

Landing heavily on the floor, she didn't emit a dull thud; instead, it sounded like an object plunging into water with a soft *thud*, causing her body to bounce back up slightly.

Pointing down at the humiliated Abyss Demon Empress lying by his feet, Cheng Guang instructed, "For the next period of time, you will take care of her."

"Keep a close eye on her and don't let her break free."

"If anything unexpected happens, notify me immediately. Later on, I'll see if I can figure out a way to let you merge back and become the main body."

With that, Cheng Guang turned around and walked out.

Imperial Consort Nanming stood frozen long after Cheng Guang had departed and his figure vanished from sight.

*"Make sure I watch her, and later she might let me become the main body...?"*

Imperial Consort Nanming muttered the words under her breath.

Her gaze drifted down to the face of the Abyss Demon Empress.

Though the two of them were technically the same person, there were still distinct differences between a main body and an avatar.

Even though she was an avatar, she possessed an independent consciousness, and she knew full well that if she fell back into the hands of the Abyss Demon Empress, she would never be reabsorbed; she would simply be treated as a contaminated entity and wiped out on the spot.

No one understood the Abyss Demon Empress better than Imperial Consort Nanming did.

Because, fundamentally, they were one and the same.

The Abyss Demon Empress, bound tightly by the Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon, merely glanced at Imperial Consort Nanming's expression to accurately deduce what she was thinking.

She let out a cold, derisive chuckle.

Though the ribbon stripped her of all cultivation and physical strength, preventing her from breaking free, her confidence remained entirely unshaken.

She spoke slowly, "You actually believe his nonsense?"

"The main body is me, and I am the main body. That is a fact that can never be changed."

"Try untying this piece of trash fabric on my body right now. If you can undo it, I promise you—I will let you re-merge into my body."

"After all, we were originally one."

The Abyss Demon Empress stared intently at Imperial Consort Nanming as she spoke.

Hearing this, Imperial Consort Nanming remained silent, uttering not a single word.

She simply stepped forward, hoisted the Abyss Demon Empress up, propped her against the wall, and then calmly walked back to lie down on the bed.

Turning onto her side, she adopted the posture of someone preparing to sleep.

This reaction of Imperial Consort Nanming's infuriated the Abyss Demon Empress to no end.

She clenched her teeth.

Just as the Abyss Demon Empress was about to snap back with something, Imperial Consort Nanming spoke again without turning around: "Save your breath and stop struggling. This Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is far more formidable than either you or I imagined."

"You saw it yourself; he can already match blows with you head-on."

"And yet, he used to be someone who couldn't even defeat me."

Hearing this, the Abyss Demon Empress retorted coldly, "He merely borrowed some external force."

"His strength may be formidable, but the feeling he gives me is bizarre and terrifying."

"It doesn't feel like something gained through normal cultivation."

"Who knows? Perhaps sooner or later, he will suffer a backlash from his own arrogance, and his cultivation will plummet overnight."

Imperial Consort Nanming gave a noncommittal nod.

She exhaled softly.

"Then you can just wait slowly. The Heir told me to watch over you, so don't even bother trying to get me to untie you."

"Your little tricks are entirely pointless, because the two of us are the same person."

"I know every single thought going through your head."

As those words left Imperial Consort Nanming's lips, the expression on the Abyss Demon Empress's face finally cracked.

She glared at Imperial Consort Nanming with gnashing teeth.

She simply could not comprehend how her own avatar had abruptly turned into her warden.

It was entirely absurd.

The Abyss Demon Empress felt as though she had reached the absolute peak of misery, fury threatening to overwhelm her consciousness.

Yet this wave of anger could not be vented out the way it usually was.

She could only bottle it all up inside.

The mere thought of it made the Abyss Demon Empress even more enraged.

She let out a series of muffled, frustrated groans.

Because her lips and mouth were tightly bound by the Heaven-Sealing Red Ribbon, even speaking had become a challenge.

The angry words she wished to hurl—

At this moment—

Were reduced to meaningless, muffled grunts.

Against the backdrop of the quiet night, they sounded exceptionally abrupt.

While the Abyss Demon Empress continued to fume and thrash around in futility, Cheng Guang turned and re-entered the inner bedchamber.

The flora and fauna within the Myriad Elephant Garden had been thoroughly wrecked during his scuffle with the Abyss Demon Empress.

Cheng Guang had no intention of staying amidst the messy garden to sip tea and rest.

He decided it was time to simply go to sleep.

The moment he stepped into the bedchamber, he spotted a figure draped in crimson red sitting quietly on the edge of the bed: Ning Xue.

Cheng Guang paused, surprised at the sight.

He had naturally known that tonight was supposed to be his wedding night with Ning Xue.

Yet he hadn't expected—

That throughout the entire, lengthy ordeal of the evening, Ning Xue had remained undisturbed by the chaos outside, sitting quietly right here, covered in her bridal veil, waiting for him the entire time.

What kind of obedient, angelic maiden was this?!

Watching the quiet figure of Ning Xue sitting on the bed edge, Cheng Guang felt a sudden pang of guilt.

Too many things had happened tonight.

Coupled with the system quests dropping in, he hadn't managed to come see Ning Xue right away.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to check on her now.

At the very least, he had managed to catch the last train.

Cheng Guang took a deep breath and walked slowly toward Ning Xue.

With a gentle flick of his hand, he lifted the crimson bridal veil.

Four eyes met.

Her clear eyes shimmered like rippling autumn water.

A faint smile touched Cheng Guang's lips as he gently cupped Ning Xue's delicate face. "My little bride, have you been waiting long?"

Ning Xue stared blankly at Cheng Guang, shook her head, paused for a second, and then nodded instead.

"I haven't been waiting very long."

"I knew you were busy with things outside... I heard a lot of lively noises earlier, but I didn't go out to look..."

"Granny told me that wedding etiquette is the most important thing..."

Just as Cheng Guang attempted to say something, Ning Xue picked up the thread and began chatting continuously.

The attributes of a chatterbox maiden were on full display.

Cheng Guang simply leaned forward directly—

Silencing whatever else Ning Xue was about to say with a kiss.

"Mmph!"

***