At this moment, the only remaining sensation Chen Weichen felt was pain, even the suffocation from drowning was overshadowed.

His flesh and blood were finely cut, torn open, and ground up. The spring water seeped in like scalding liquor splashed on wounds, penetrating deep to the bones and bringing a different kind of pain.

He finally passed out.

When he woke up, he was still in pain. It was daytime, the sky a pale purple. On the mountain peak were green grass, white flowers and a spring pool. His nose caught the moist coolness of the water vapor.

He was still soaking in the water, leaning against the edge of the spring pool while a wet head rested on his shoulder.

The Demon Emperor had returned to his original appearance, breathing evenly. Even the arm that was chopped off yesterday had been restored to its original state, only the sleeve was missing. He had his eyes closed, also appearing to be unconscious.

Chen Weichen pulled the Demon Emperor's arm that was clinging to his shoulder and gently patted him, "Xing Qiu."

The Demon Emperor opened his eyes, leaned towards the shore in a daze, and took a while to come to his senses.

He looked Chen Weichen up and down, quite surprised, "Still alive, actually not killed by him, nor drowned by this pool. I really didn't misjudge your realm - but why are you also in the spring pool?"

"He threw me in," Young Master Chen said, stating the fact directly to the culprit.

The Demon Emperor stirred the water with his right hand, "He usually only loves to kill people, never threw anyone into the water before. It seems he couldn't kill you, so he had to try to drown you."

Chen Weichen took one look at the Demon Emperor's half-closed eyes and flat expression, and knew that this person also had the annoying habit of mixing truth and falsehood in his words - he thought for a bit and decided not to embarrass himself by mentioning his helpless state last night.

Chen Weichen looked at him inquisitively, "How did he come?"

The Demon Emperor flicked his fingers, sending out a few streaks of light. Before long, a few maids entered in a line, carrying clothes.

The Demon Emperor sighed, "I cultivated to the peak, felt the restraints of the Heavenly Dao, unable to advance an inch in cultivation. I took the risk of washing my bones with the Heavenly Spring, not expecting to provoke him from then on. Outside the Xingluo Abyss, who knows what kind of world it connects to, giving birth to such a thing. After washing my bones, I can vaguely sense that side, and it's easy to inadvertently turn into another form - especially when injured and bleeding. Sometimes I feel I am him, sometimes I feel I'm not, it's really very troubling. I'm so gentle and kind, yet he's so brutal and sinister, it really scares me."

Chen Weichen looked at the enchanting and bewitching Demon Emperor, and felt that this person might have a bit of kindness, but gentleness was doubtful.

He smiled, "You've cultivated for so many years, going against the Heavenly Dao, isn't it all to find out what's out there?"

"I did finally see a little bit. While feeling I got what I wished for, it also really just added to my troubles." The Demon Emperor signaled with his eyes, and a black-clothed maid came forward to dry Chen Weichen's hair and help him change clothes.

"I've thought for a long time, but still don't understand. Tell me, what should those things be?"

Chen Weichen looked at him.

The Demon Emperor inexplicably saw a hint of helpless gentleness in those eyes.

"Since ancient times, various legends describing the origin of heaven and earth all say it was in chaos. The primordial chaos remained unchanged for eons, unable to give birth to living things on its own. Yet myriad things grow in the world, so it seems when the sky and earth were separated, some things were picked out, and the rest were kneaded by Nüwa and the like to form the myriad things." Chen Weichen's voice was light.

The Demon Emperor was very interested, "You mean to say, those things outside the heavens are the things that were picked out - then why do they also seem like living things?"

"When the sunlight penetrates, all things have shadows. Since there is you in the world, there must be him outside the world."

The Demon Emperor said "interesting" three times in a row, then asked, "Why do you say that?"

But Chen Weichen didn't answer, just shook his head slightly, "Just consider it my nonsense."

The maid's fair hands straightened Young Master Chen's lapels. The style of the Demon Emperor's Palace clothes was slightly different from that of the human world, with wide belts cinching the waist, embroidered with dark red vine-like patterns, exuding a subtle demonic aura.

His hair was carefully combed by the maid. When it fell on his shoulders, even he himself saw the two or three deeply hidden white hairs in the jet black.

The Demon Emperor leaned against a nearby tree trunk, eyebrows slightly raised, a deep red tasseled black flute tucked at his waist, appraising him, "You've learned all about me in one night and soaked in the pool yourself. Who knows, you might end up sharing a shell with some unknown thing like me - do you want to stay here?"

Chen Weichen looked at the sword in his hand, its light already much dimmer.

They had originally thought the Demon Emperor to be a person of deep schemes and extreme cruelty, so they used such a desperate method. Who would have thought Xing Qiu was like this, it wasn't necessary for Ye Jiuya to transform into a sword.

-- But fortunately he did transform into a sword and lost consciousness. Last night's scene could be glossed over and not mentioned to him.

He said to the Demon Emperor, "Since you want company so much, why do you still set up guards and sentry posts?"

The Demon Emperor lazily folded his arms, "I often go into seclusion. At first, they would come up one by one to challenge me. Their realms couldn't match mine, it was really noisy. I had no choice but to set up countless guards and distribute the spring water to the lords, only then did they quiet down. Twenty years passed like this. Thinking about it, it was quite boring. I summoned the two Demon Lords, only to find the gap in our realms was too big. I had walked too far alone, unable to even find a fellow cultivator."

"It's a pity you and I are not on the same path," Chen Weichen turned around and looked at the vast demon realm at the foot of the mountain, "I must go, we'll meet again another day."

The Demon Emperor was a very interesting person. If they could meet again, it wouldn't be bad to become good friends.

It's just that with this parting, meeting again would probably be a long time coming.

"That's really a pity," the Demon Emperor casually pulled over a maid beside him and lazily rested on her shoulder, pondering for a moment - this person was simply as if he had no bones, always needing to find something to lean on, "but within the Nine Continents, besides my Xingluo Abyss, there really isn't anywhere interesting - where are you going to go?"

Chen Weichen didn't answer, but frowned slightly, the corners of his mouth oozing blood again.

The Demon Emperor noticed his pale face and leaned in closer to look.

With one glance, he discovered the chaotic and frenzied state of his internal qi had reached an indescribable level.

He reached out and pressed on Chen Weichen's neck, then felt his bones—and immediately discovered that something was terribly wrong.

"You..." He pondered for a long while before speaking, his tone full of disbelief, as if he had been greatly deceived. "You actually cultivate the way of immortals!"

Chen Weichen lazily glanced at him.

The Demon Emperor clicked his tongue. "Such pure immortal bones, encountering the blood and flesh tempered by the Nine Nether Heavenly Spring of the demon realm, will inevitably be like fire and water. I'm afraid your life will not last long."

He regulated Chen Weichen's internal energy flow, which made it somewhat better.

However, Chen Weichen didn't seem to care. "Either way, I can still drag on for a year or so."

The Demon Emperor said, "A year or so, that's still something. In that case, you're going to the Heavenly River?"

"Mm," Chen Weichen responded. "Brother Xing, I take my leave."

The Demon Emperor suffered a bit of a blow.

There was nothing more saddening than suddenly discovering that the person you thought could be a fellow cultivator to defy the Heavenly Dao together turned out to be an immortal cultivator.

If there was, it would be that not only did this person cultivate the immortal way, but he also had to return to the immortal sects' territory.

Chen Weichen's figure lightly rose and fell, disappearing into the misty mountains within a few breaths.

The Demon Emperor pondered for a moment and muttered to himself, "In any case, the person I'm waiting for is also at the Heavenly River. With such a good opportunity, I might as well follow and take a look."

Another figure rushed out of the Demon Emperor Palace. The maids were dazzled, suddenly realizing that their emperor had vanished. They looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Chen Weichen rode the Qi day and night, finally reaching the shore of the Heavenly River after two days and two nights.

Although being thrown into the spring in the demon realm added the torment of his immortal bones being incompatible with a demon body, he ultimately benefited from the Nine Nether Heavenly Spring.

After his body and flesh were reforged by the spring water bit by bit, the pressure from the Heavenly Dao was almost reduced by eighty percent, even after leaving Xingluo Abyss.

Therefore, Young Master Chen was no longer in the state of being unable to use any immortal techniques. He had quite a bit of cultivation worth mentioning.

The Heavenly River originated from the continuous snowy mountains in the far north.

The water was extremely clear. At this time, it had not yet frozen. The surging waves stirred up a large expanse of icy mist and snowy sand.

The six flying swords of the Sword Pavilion circled in the high sky, their merciless sword intent solemn and cold.

The formation that the sect had painstakingly created rose along the Heavenly River, triggering a layer of magnificent white light on it, separating the clear Qi of the immortal sects from the turbid Qi of the demon realm.

And the barrier that the demon realm feared the most and the immortal sects admired the most was a sword Qi left by someone decades ago.

The sword intent was Ye Jiuya's sword intent, the sword Qi was Emperor Yan's sword Qi, and the formation was the formation that Emperor Yan had personally witnessed how it was completed back then.

If there was still someone in the world who could safely cross the Heavenly River, that person had to be Chen Weichen.

He cut a mysterious figure as he walked on the floating ice; though his method was unknown, he seemed extremely familiar with the formation. He easily passed through it with a light touch.

As for that layer of sword Qi, he completely ignored it and passed through.

The Demon Emperor, hiding behind the rocks, narrowed his eyes.

The Heavenly River barrier was guarded day and night by the disciples of the Sword Pavilion. Naturally, they discovered the anomaly. A white-robed disciple hurriedly went up the mountain peak. "Senior Brother Zheng, Senior Sister Lu, someone has crossed over from the Heavenly River!"

The woman in red with a golden mask asked, "How many people?"

The disciple replied, "One person."

Lu Hongyan took her sword and went down the mountain, followed by a young Daoist priest in gray robes and Ye Jiuya's senior brother, the acting Pavilion Master.

In the vast wind and snow stood a person wearing a gorgeous black robe, holding a completely cold white long sword. Seeing people coming, the corners of his mouth pulled into a faint, gentle smile.

"I rushed for two days on the long road and finally returned." Chen Weichen's eyes held a hint of fatigue that was not easily noticeable. He handed the long sword to Lu Hongyan. "He transformed his body into a sword and said that the Sword Pavilion's secret technique could resolve it."

Lu Hongyan looked at the tall man beside her. "Senior Brother Zheng."

The person addressed as Senior Brother Zheng nodded and gave orders to the Sword Pavilion disciples, "Immediately start the Snow Formation."

Seeing this, Lu Hongyan seemed to relax a little. She turned her head and continued to ask, "Did you get the item?"

"Of course."

Xie Lang asked tentatively from the side, "Then, Young Master Chen, my Qingyuan..."

Chen Weichen's gaze suddenly turned cold.

He looked at Xie Lang, "Where is Qingyuan?"

"Didn't she and Ah Hui fall into Guixu with you?" Xie Lang seemed to realize something, his face turning slightly pale, his voice lacking confidence.