An Miaoli stood by the pool's edge, her slender figure rigid, her ethereal eyes clouded with a rare dullness.

She knew in her heart that Ye Chen's plunge into the Netherwater Pool meant almost certain death. Yet she clung to a sliver of hope, refusing to give up.

Why didn't she go in after him? In the pool, she'd be no match for the Wind-Thunder Jiao—entering would be suicide. And if she died, who would avenge Ye Chen?

She had already resolved to return and spare no expense to hire someone to drain the entire Netherwater Pool…

But at that moment, the still, dark water rippled, as if something was emerging.

An Miaoli's expression shifted instantly, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. If the Wind-Thunder Jiao dared surface, she'd ensure it never left alive.

Soon, a black object broke the water's surface. It looked like the Wind-Thunder Jiao's wings.

An Miaoli's eyes narrowed, a trace of confusion flickering across her face. Why would the wings appear first?

In the next moment, two massive wings, each ten meters long, fully emerged. But at their base wasn't the Wind-Thunder Jiao's body, as she'd expected.

It was a human figure.

A man, drenched in Netherwater, his entire body tinged bluish-black from the toxin. He gripped the Wind-Thunder Wings, his aura faint, his once-handsome face now marred by the same sickly hue, slowly floating to the surface.

Despite his wretched state, the man smiled at her. "Senior An, I didn't let you down…"

An Miaoli's jaw clenched.

Ye Chen was alive?

She didn't even glance at the Wind-Thunder Wings. Her gaze locked onto Ye Chen, her luminous eyes shimmering as if on the verge of tears. He was alive. That was all that mattered. How he got the wings, or what happened in the pool—she didn't care.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Ye Chen, having uttered those words, seemed to reach his limit. Unable to muster any more spiritual energy, he began to sink back into the pool, the wings dragging him down.

An Miaoli moved with blinding speed, appearing beneath him in an instant. She carefully caught him, letting the massive Wind-Thunder Wings crash into the Netherwater Pool, sending up a tremendous splash.

"Ye Chen, you…"

An Miaoli held Ye Chen tightly, immediately checking his condition.

But Ye Chen had no time to savor her embrace. Seeing the Wind-Thunder Wings sinking into the pool, he urgently said, "Senior An, quick, grab the Wind-Thunder Wings…"

An Miaoli shook her head, her flawless face etched with seriousness. "Your meridians and flesh are nearly completely corroded by the Nether Toxin. If we don't act now, it'll be even harder to remove. We don't even know if it's reached your Golden Core yet. If it has, your immortal path could be ruined!"

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At that moment, she didn't care about the Wind-Thunder Wings. She only cared about Ye Chen.

But Ye Chen cared about the wings. He'd gone through all this trouble, even deliberately letting the Nether Toxin invade his body. Why? Surely not just out of kindness.

"Senior An, forget about me—hurry and retrieve the Wind-Thunder Wings…"

As he spoke, Ye Chen began to struggle, trying to break free from her embrace.

His actions deepened the complexity of An Miaoli's emotions. How could she not understand? Ye Chen's urgency was all for her sake. But to risk his life for a technique she needed—was it truly worth it?

Still, the Wind-Thunder Wings did need to be retrieved. Otherwise, wouldn't his efforts be in vain?

An Miaoli's pale lips tightened as she held him firmly. "Stop moving. I'll get them!"

With a wave of her hand, she conjured a giant spiritual hand that fished the sinking Wind-Thunder Wings from the Netherwater Pool and tossed them onto the nearby shore.

Seeing this, Ye Chen let out a relieved sigh. He closed his eyes, comfortably nestling into An Miaoli's embrace. Despite her slender frame, she was surprisingly soft where it mattered. Resting against her felt genuinely pleasant.

An Miaoli, gazing at the weakened Ye Chen in her arms, was filled with worry. They couldn't delay. The Nether Toxin had to be removed quickly, or it would seep into his Golden Core. Even if he survived, he'd be crippled, his immortal path severed.

She knew all too well how devastating that would be for a genius like Ye Chen—a fate worse than death.

Gently, she laid him on the ground. Then, she retrieved an array disc from her storage ring. A silver glow spread out, enveloping them and shielding them from any external prying.

Ye Chen, watching her actions, was momentarily stunned. What was she doing?

His original plan had been to play the part of a pitiful victim, secure a critical reward, return to the sect, seclude himself for a week, and then claim he'd found a way to dispel the Nether Toxin—a flawless strategy.

But what was happening now?

Ye Chen looked up, catching An Miaoli's cool, composed voice: "Open the restrictions on your spiritual robe…"

Ye Chen: "???"

Open his robe's restrictions? What was Senior An planning? Did she think he was on the verge of death and wanted to give him a sweet memory to ensure he'd die without regrets? Senior An was indeed a considerate person.

Truth be told, Ye Chen wouldn't mind indulging a little. But…

The reward for the Wind-Thunder Wings hadn't triggered yet, likely because An Miaoli hadn't formally accepted them. If he gave in to temptation now, she might not produce a critical hit.

Even with the system's partner multiplier, boosting a two-hundred-fold reward to four hundred, it still wasn't enough. That was barely better than Li Feihuang's base multiplier.

With his master absent, An Yuyi proving unreliable, and Li Feihuang acting like she already ruled the world, An Miaoli was his only stable source of high-multiplier critical rewards. How could he let a moment's pleasure derail his immortal path?

When it came to choosing between his immortal path and a woman, Ye Chen knew his priorities.

Absolutely not.

With a serious expression, he gripped his robe's collar and asked solemnly, "Senior, what are you doing?"

An Miaoli froze. "Huh?"

Ye Chen pressed on, his tone grave. "Senior An, you're a good person, but we can't do this."

Realization dawned on An Miaoli. Even her usual calm faltered, her expression cracking slightly.

Helplessly, she explained, "The Nether Toxin has deeply invaded your body. It must be dealt with immediately! I know a technique to purge foreign spiritual energy, but the toxin is stubborn, and you're heavily poisoned, so I need physical contact to remove it… Don't overthink it!"

Ye Chen: "???"

That's it? Why did he feel a bit embarrassed? No matter—embarrassment was for others, not him.

Nodding as if it all made sense, Ye Chen calmly released his robe's restrictions.

An Miaoli, maintaining her composed facade, extended her jade-like hand, pressing it against his bluish-black skin. She began channeling her secret technique to purge the toxin…

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