Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The wind in Broken Soul Valley had stopped, but the heavy smell of blood lingered.

Chen Xuan's fingers gripped Su Chang'an's wrist tightly, the pulse beneath his fingertips strong and warm.

The bloodshot rage in his eyes, which seemed ready to devour anyone, slowly faded, replaced by an almost morbid tranquility.

That sword strike just now shattered the mark of the Ji family patriarch and drained most of his spiritual power.

At this moment, his face was pale, but his figure remained as upright as a pine tree, standing in front of Su Chang'an and shielding her from all the cold wind blowing from the valley entrance.

Su Chang'an looked at the young man who was a head taller than him and sighed inwardly.

This rebellious son is truly terrified.

"Have you held me enough?" Su Chang'an moved his wrist, which had turned white from being squeezed, and said irritably, "If you don't let go, this hand will be ruined."

Chen Xuan stiffened, subconsciously loosening his grip slightly, but still didn't let go.

He lowered his eyes, like a child who had done something wrong: "I'm afraid that if I let go, you'll disappear again."

"Am I a ghost? Can I just disappear like that?" Su Chang'an rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead without hesitation. "Hurry up and clean up the battlefield. That short-lived bastard from the Ji family must have a lot of good stuff on him, don't waste it."

Upon hearing the words "clean up the battlefield," the confusion in Chen Xuan's eyes instantly vanished, and he regained his usual coldness and competence.

He led Su Chang'an to Ji Wushuang's headless corpse.

The once arrogant and domineering Divine Child of Central Continent is now completely dead.

Chen Xuan squatted down expressionlessly and skillfully rummaged through the corpse.

Storage rings, protective soft armor, and even the dust-repelling beads embedded in the boots were not spared.

The remaining prodigies from various races who had not yet dispersed felt their scalps tingle at the sight.

This is the divine son of the Ji family!

Even in death, he'll be stripped naked; Chen Xuan is simply a devil!

Chen Xuan ignored the stares of those around him.

He pried a piece of jade, about the size of a thumb, from Ji Wushuang's tattered hair ornament.

It was an extremely rare "warm sun jade", with a warm, milky white color throughout and a faint golden light swirling inside.

Even in this cold and gloomy Valley of Broken Souls, a sense of warmth can still be felt.

Chen Xuan took the jade and carefully and repeatedly wiped it with his blood-stained sleeve.

He didn't stop until he had wiped away every trace of blood, revealing the original warm luster.

He stood up and presented the jade to Su Chang'an as if it were a precious treasure.

"This looks good."

Chen Xuan looked at Su Chang'an, and his usually cold eyes now held a hint of cautious expectation, like a puppy that had found a bone by the roadside and was trying to please its owner. "It's warm, here you go."

Su Chang'an looked at the Warm Sun Jade that was handed to him.

This item is a priceless treasure even in Zhongzhou. Wearing it can nourish the soul and ward off inner demons.

Ji Wushuang had set it in her hair ornament to show off, but now it has become a trophy of war.

She looked up at Chen Xuan.

The woman was covered in blood, and blood was still seeping from the gaping wound on her hand, but she didn't care about her injuries at all. Instead, she was pleased to have found a piece of jade that could warm her hands.

"spendthrift."

Su Chang'an cursed under his breath, but his hand honestly accepted the jade.

The warm, smooth texture travels along my fingertips; it's definitely a good product.

She held the jade in her hand for a moment, then stepped forward, pulled on the worn belt around Chen Xuan's waist, and casually tied the priceless Warm Sun Jade onto it.

Chen Xuan froze, looking down at the new pendant hanging from his waist, somewhat at a loss: "It's for you..."

"My body is made of Soul-Nourishing Wood, so I'm not afraid of the cold." Su Chang'an clapped his hands, took a step back, and looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction. "But you, you're full of murderous aura. Hang a piece of warm jade on your head to suppress it, so you won't bite people like a mad dog every day."

Chen Xuan lowered his head, his fingers gently stroking the jade.

The originally cold jade seemed to have absorbed Su Chang'an's body heat after being held in her hands.

His ears turned red at a visible speed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up wildly, but he tried desperately to suppress it, finally managing to produce an extremely awkward expression.

"oh."

He responded with a sound of undisguised joy.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the place.

Chen Fan, accompanied by several disciples from collateral branches of the Chen family, walked over cautiously.

Their gazes toward Chen Xuan had shifted from initial awe to fervent worship, even tinged with fear.

With a single sword strike, he slays the divine son and shatters the emperor's soul.

Such a record is enough to make one a god, even if we look at the entire Northern Region, or even the younger generation of the Central Continent!

"Big...Big Brother."

Chen Fan swallowed hard, suppressing the shock in his heart, and bowed respectfully.

Chen Xuan's smile vanished instantly, and when he turned his head, his eyes had returned to their usual indifference: "What is it?"

This incredible speed of changing his expression sent a shiver down Chen Fan's spine.

He didn't dare waste any words and quickly said, "Brother, before the Wang family left, I heard some rumors. The greatest opportunity in the opening of the Three Emperors' Secret Realm isn't in these outer ruins, but in the 'Dragon Burial Pit' in the core area!"

"The Dragon Burial Pit?" Su Chang'an raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Chen Fan's expression was solemn. "Legend has it that this Three Emperors' Secret Realm is where three ancient emperors joined forces to slay a true dragon. The dragon's remains are buried in the Dragon Burial Pit. After ten thousand years of evolution, terrifying dragon energy has accumulated there, even forming a 'Pool of Emperor's Blood'!"

At this point, Chen Fan's voice trembled with excitement: "It is said that as long as one can enter the Emperor's Blood Pool for baptism, not only can one be reborn and awaken an ancient bloodline, but even... even one can reshape a shattered foundation and forge an unparalleled foundation!"

Rebuild the foundation of the Tao!

Upon hearing these four words, the breathing of the Chen family disciples around them became heavy.

For cultivators, the Dao Foundation is their lifeblood.

Chen Xuan's Dao foundation was shattered. Although he cultivated an unconventional sword path of slaughter with ruthless determination, the crack in his Dao foundation remained a hidden danger, limiting his future potential.

If he can rebuild his Dao foundation, with Chen Xuan's current terrifying combat power, becoming a Dao Emperor in the future is definitely not just empty talk!

"Big Brother!" Chen Fan looked at Chen Xuan excitedly, "The Wang family goddess just retreated, she must have headed for the Dragon Burial Pit! We must get there immediately, or the Wang family will beat us to it!"

Everyone looked at Chen Xuan with anticipation.

In their view, no cultivator could refuse such an opportunity to defy fate.

however.

After listening, Chen Xuan simply yawned lazily.

He raised his hand to straighten Su Chang'an's red clothes, which had been ruffled by the wind, and said casually, "Not interested."

The air fell silent instantly.

Chen Fan's mouth dropped open, wondering if he'd misheard: "B-Big Brother? That's an opportunity to rebuild your Dao foundation! That's the Emperor's Blood Pool!"

"So what?"

Chen Xuan glanced at him, his eyes full of impatience. "Is it far from here?"

"Even traveling at full speed, it would take half a day to reach the deepest part of the secret realm..."

"It's too far, I'm too lazy to go." Chen Xuan interrupted him directly, turned to look at Su Chang'an, and his tone instantly became gentle, "Are you hungry? I remember seeing a few spirit-feathered chickens when we entered the valley earlier. The meat should be pretty good. I'll go catch some and roast them for you."

Chen Fan: "..."

The disciples: "..."

Is this the world of the strong?

Chen Fan felt a tightness in his chest, and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Chen Xuan's cowardly expression, as if "nothing is bigger than roast meat," he stomped his feet in frustration, but dared not try to persuade him any further.

After all, the headless corpse of that Ji family's divine son was still warm.

Su Chang'an remained silent, simply watching Chen Xuan quietly.

She knew this rebellious son all too well.

Excuses like "I'm too lazy to go" or "I want to eat barbecue" are just that—excuses.

Chen Xuan was afraid.

He feared that if he got involved in that level of competition, he would once again encounter uncontrollable dangers.

His foundation is indeed shattered. Although that sword strike was amazing, it also depleted a large amount of his original essence.

He didn't want to take any risks because he now had a weakness. He just wanted to hold onto this "false" tenderness that he had regained and live a few peaceful days.

but……

Su Chang'an's gaze swept over Chen Xuan's slightly trembling left hand.

Those were the hidden injuries left from the clash with the Great Sage Weapon earlier.

If he doesn't rebuild his foundation, Chen Xuan's current style of overdrawing his life force won't be able to withstand the inevitable attack from the Chen family of Zhongzhou.

The system's warning was still echoing in her mind.

[Warning: Host Su Chang'an, please note that the countdown to the "death ordeal" of the important character Chen Xuan has begun.]

Su Chang'an took a deep breath.

It seems I can no longer live off my wife while lying down.

"go."

Su Chang'an suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

Chen Xuan was about to turn around to catch the chicken when he heard this and stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his gentle expression softening slightly, his brow furrowing: "It's dangerous there. That woman from the Wang family is no ordinary person, and there are other hidden old monsters. It's not worth it for a vague legend."

I said, go.

Su Chang'an looked into his eyes and said, word by word.

Chen Xuan pursed his lips, a hint of stubbornness flashing in his eyes: "I'm not going. I want to grill meat for you."

"Grill my ass!"

Su Chang'an laughed in anger and kicked Chen Xuan in the shin.

"Your broken foundation is all shattered to dust, what will you use to protect me now? Your mouth? Or your reckless madness?"

Su Chang'an stepped forward, grabbed Chen Xuan's collar, and forced him to look down at him.

"Chen Xuan, listen to me carefully."

"The son I, Su Chang'an, raised can be a madman, can be a demon, but he must never be a good-for-nothing!"

"I want that Imperial Blood Pool. Go and take it back for me."

"If you can't get it back, don't ever call me 'Dad' again!"

Chen Xuan was forced to bend over, looking at Su Chang'an who was so close to him.

The light in her eyes was bright, carrying an ambition and domineering quality that he couldn't refuse.

That was the most familiar look in his memory, the look she had when she pointed at the gods and Buddhas in the sealed land and cursed them.

Chen Xuan remained silent for a long time.

The hint of resistance and languor in his eyes gradually dissipated under Su Chang'an's gaze.

Instead, there was a helpless indulgence and a rekindled edge.

"it is good."

Chen Xuan sighed, reached out and grasped Su Chang'an's hand that was clutching his collar, gently pried her fingers apart one by one, and then held her hand in his palm.

"Since you want it, then I'll just go and steal it."

He straightened up and turned to look at Chen Fan and the others, who were already petrified.

In that instant, the salted fish youth who only wanted to grill meat disappeared.

Instead, there was the Asura who killed the divine son with a single sword strike, causing the entire Northern Region to tremble.

"lead the way."

Chen Xuan's voice was icy cold: "Go to the Dragon Burial Pit."

Chen Fan shuddered and quickly replied loudly, "Yes, Big Brother!"

The group set off into the depths of the secret realm in a grand procession.

Su Chang'an walked beside Chen Xuan, looking at his tense profile, a subtle smile curving his lips.

This rebellious son, though sometimes as stubborn as a mule.

But as long as she's the one holding the rope.

Even if it were a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, he would dare to jump in with his eyes closed.

but……

Su Chang'an glanced back at the Soul-Severing Valley behind him, which was gradually being swallowed by the mist.

The goddess of the Wang family, and those old fogies hiding in the shadows.

The water in this dragon burial pit is probably deeper than we imagine.