Chapter 35 - 6-12

Chapter 6 - The Bride's Arrival

Qin Yun sat on the branch of a massive tree, overlooking most of the clan's grounds. From his vantage point, he could see the clan's main gate where the bride's family's procession was supposed to enter. There were no signs of them; only the various guests were seen entering one after the other, while the VIPs were greeted by some of the clan's elders.

Qin Yun could see interest and puzzlement on the guests' faces, meaning they, too, probably didn't know the married couple's identity. He wondered how the clan had arranged for all these bigshots to be present with so little information to go on.

Qin Yun shrugged; this wasn't his problem. Whatever secret deal the two families had made had nothing to do with him. He would simply go according to the plan he made on his own. Still, all this would depend on his bride's intentions.

While the sun had yet to reach its zenith, Qin Yun lounged on this branch, slowly sipping the content of the jug in his hands. He knew the ceremony was still a long way off as it was scheduled for late evening.

Yet, Qin Yun found some of the details he had been told interesting. For one, these types of grand weddings would usually last for more than a month, leaving quite a long time for the festivities. Yet, both families opted to have the wedding itself on the day of the Yun Family's arrival as if to get it over with as soon as possible. Qin Yun wondered if this was done on purpose so as not to give them the opportunity to reject the marriage.

He was mostly sure this was the reason, yet he didn't take it to heart. He never had a reason to reject this offer, much less try to derail the ceremony. Qin Yun would play along in this little show of theirs, being the filial son that he is.

On this day, Qin Yun woke to a herd of handmaidens who washed him from head to toe before helping him put on his red wedding garb, which seemed way too gaudy for his taste. His clothes were inlaid with precious metal resembling gold and emitted a slight immortal aura reminiscent of his father's own clothes.

Qin Yun had no delusions that he could keep them afterwards. The family would surely come to collect them. While dressing him, Qin Yun noticed the maids' obvious disgust for him, which he found strange as he had never had any contact with any of them. Still, Qin Yun decided to retaliate, just enough to annoy them.

He used his Innate Qi and shifted his facial features ever so slightly to make himself uglier than usual, which the maids had no choice but to mask with ample makeup. The session, which should have usually only taken one or two hours, now took over five.

Qin Yun didn't mind the wait, as he took the opportunity to cultivate while they did their work. Still, he made sure they wouldn't realize what he was doing, as most cultivators couldn't be touched as they cultivated for fear of entering Qi Deviation.

Qin Yun had no such fears as his body and Qi Channels were much too strong to be affected by something as simple as Qi Deviation. Besides, his mastery over Qi was such that he didn't even need to remain stationary to cultivate, much less remain alone.

After all the preparations had been done, Qin Yun gave them the slip. There was still a long time until the start of the ceremony, and he had no intentions of staying obediently in this prison like a caged bird. This was his big day, and he would enjoy it.

Finally, Qin Yun saw a floating boat slowly approaching in the distance. On top of its deck was something akin to a castle. While Qin Yun hadn't heard of the Yun Family, judging by this boat alone, their status wasn't any lower than his own clan. If anything, they might be much stronger.

The boat landed some distance away from the city's main gate. Despite its massive size, one could barely see it from a distance. Yet, this was no problem for Qin Yun, as his vision had been quenched through years of gruelling practice. Such a distance was nothing to him.

After a moment, a procession of carriages exited the boat through a small opening on its side before making the trip toward the city. In front of the gate, Qin Yun saw the three elders who had first informed him of this marriage over a month ago.

While the two males sported wide grins and bowed to the approaching procession, the female, Qin Lihua, only had a look of cold indifference, as always. Still, once the line grew closer to the gate, Qin Yun noticed a slight change in her expression. It was so imperceptible that no one would have seen the change without looking as closely as Qin Yun did.

She showed puzzlement before she frowned slightly, then quickly returned to indifference. This confirmed Qin Yun's guess; something was afoot in this marriage. Still, this was only affirmation; he still had no idea what the problem truly was.

While Qin Yun could read the elders' lips from his vantage point, he opted not to. Why spoil the surprise? Still, he could infer how most of the conversation went. Their expressions alone gave him most of the information he needed.

It seemed there was some disagreement between the two parties, and his clan was forced to relent. Qin Yun didn't find it strange as the representative of the Yun Family was much stronger than even his Grand-Aunt Lihua. If anything, the man was comparable to their Patriarch, and he seemed no older than a third his age.

The man wore long robes just as most cultivators did, yet his were a mix of purple and white, which not many would wear. Besides, his clothes were much more luxurious than anything Qin Yun had seen since his rebirth, even more than his father's. White lines almost imperceptible to the eyes were inlaid within the fabric, making strange and wild shapes. Qin Yun knew right away that they were from array formations.

The one who created such a vestment was a genius, to say the least. Formations were usually static constructs utilizing the land and the flow of Qi hidden within to empower or produce some sort of effect, ranging from defence to offence. As long as the power source was strong enough and the design intricate enough, nothing a cultivator could do couldn't be done by a formation instead.

As for the mobile formation resting on the man's back, this used a completely separate formation model. It was as if comparing a land animal to a bird; the two operated on two vastly different concepts while still being of the same nature.

Needless to say, such a vestment was priceless—at least in the eyes of Qin Yun's clan—yet no one seemed to realize this fact. Qin Yun could feel the mounting tension between the two parties. Only Qin Lihua seemed to keep her calm, as she always did. She seemed wholly uninterested in their argument.

With the procession at a standstill, the queue outside the city began to grow restless. All the Yun Family servants near the carriages looked around as they whispered to each other secretly. Qin Yun was familiar with this behaviour, as this was exactly how his family acted when talking about him. Qin Yun wondered if he was the object of their dispute; he most probably was, yet he stood on his perch enjoying the debacle.

However, before things could escalate into involving the City Lord, the Qin Clan Patriarch showed up just in time to defuse the situation. He walked out of the city gate, followed by most of the clan's elders. The man was old as the vestiges of time could be fully observed on his senescent skin. His long white beard hovered lightly in the wind, making him look like an old hermit.

Still, Qin Yun was surprised that the old man's entrance was so subdued. He figured this probably had to do with the status of the man in the purple robes, as he knew the men of his clan loved their posturing. It would take more than a family with similar strength to make them see them as equals, as the reputation of being an Immortal Family was like a shield, allowing them to be unbridled in their arrogance.

As soon as the Patriarch showed up, the two men talked briefly before the procession finally entered the city. Qin Yun watched the scene with a slight smile on his face. Still, he had no intentions of prying, yet simply the act of looking at them had attracted the attention of the man in purple.

Just before the man passed through the gate, he shot Qin Yun a look, locking gaze with him. Qin Yun's eyebrow rose slightly as he felt a slight pressure on his body, no doubt due to the man's divine sense observing him.

Unlike Qin Yun's sharp eyesight, most cultivators with a certain amount of strength wouldn't bother to use their physical organs anymore, opting to use their divine sense for almost everything, leading to their senses' deterioration. If, for some reason, they were stripped of their cultivations, most would be practically blind at this point. That man seemed to be no exception.

Still, that pressure soon faded, probably because he realized that Qin Yun offered no threat to them. Yet, Qin Yun hadn't expected to be spotted so easily as he was quite far away and hadn't used any Qi to trace back to him. It seemed the man was quite the expert. Qin Yun assumed the man to be superior to his Patriarch, maybe even the City Lord. He wondered what the man's status was in his bride's family.

Still, as the procession moved along, Qin Yun noticed a red carriage near the centre of the line. All around it were countless guards wearing imposing armours. Yet, the aura those guards emitted seemed to be no more than the Foundation Building Stage. Even within the whole procession, Qin Yun could only identify Void Core Realm cultivators at best, except for the man in purple.

Qin Yun frowned slightly; something was wrong. It seemed there were no elders present for this wedding. It was as if the Yun Family didn't care for it at all. This was like a slap in the Qin Family's face. Yet, his Patriarch said nothing and let them in regardless. Qin Yun wondered what their game was. Why put on this elaborate show if their hearts weren't in it? What did they have to gain?

As he pondered the implications, Qin Yun noticed a slender gloved hand reaching out of the curtains, blocking the view from the interior of the red carriage. Something seemed to have been said, but as he couldn't see their lips, he had no idea what it was. Yet, he saw a guard bow slightly and then left soon after.

Still, after their interaction, all Qin Yun could see on the guard's face was an expression full of mockery and derision.

Qin Yun followed the guard with his gaze a little longer, but nothing came of it. He stopped before another carriage, said a few words, and then returned just as quickly. Qin Yun made a mental note of this guard but thought nothing more of this. The fact that he held contempt for the individual in the red carriage was more than enough for him.

With the procession now out of sight within the confines of the city, Qin Yun took another sip out of his jug, wasting time away until he was required. Still, his rest was cut short as Qin Meihui came to fetch him, stating that the Patriarch requested his presence.

Chapter 7 - The Wedding Feast

As soon as Qin Yun entered the Hall, he knew that this wedding was by no means the main event. No one even bothered to acknowledge his presence despite being the supposed leading actor of this day. Furthermore, he could spy his bride relegated to a corner, with an empty seat beside her, while all the important people were on an elevated platform near the back.

All those at the back were in quite a heated conversation. While Qin Yun couldn't make out their facial features as a hazy film covered the area they were seated in, he noticed their exaggerated movement, clearly displaying their heightened emotional state. Still, no arguments were heard as that film also seemed to filter sounds.

Qin Yun observed for a while longer, yet nothing could be gleaned as their realms were too far apart. Although he was confident this partition was formed by a formation, and he could probably crack it, he couldn't do it without attracting attention to himself.

As for his bride, her whole head was hidden behind a red veil, yet Qin Yun seemed to have felt her gaze linger on him as he entered. Still, she quickly lost interest, and he hasn't felt it again since.

Qin Yun and his cousin stood in the middle of the entrance, waiting to be addressed. He had no idea how the ceremony was supposed to proceed. They had only told him to shut up and follow instructions, which he was glad to do.

Not long after they entered, a group of maids went to fetch them, bringing Qin Meihui toward the area reserved for the clan while escorting Qin Yun to his bride on the other side of the Hall.

As he took his seat, his bride turned her head toward him and then turned the other side just as suddenly. Qin Yun chuckled internally as her actions reminded him of a feisty wild tiger: independent and full of pride.

The whole Hall was deep in conversation, mostly ignoring the supposed married couple. From time to time, Qin Yun could feel the glances of the surrounding guests as they tried to examine the veracity of the rumours spreading within the city. Unbeknownst to him, Qin Yun was quite the celebrity.

Qin Yun spotted some acquaintances belonging to the various different groups holding sway over the city. While most were only from the younger generation and held no real power in this place, Qin Yun was still glad they would be here for his wedding. Unlike the rest, who had next to no contact with him, those people didn't view him as severely as the rumours stated and would remain open-minded.

While they were few in number, they couldn't be underestimated. Despite what his family thought, Qin Yun had made quite the connections outside his clan. So much so that he would have no problems if he fell out with the Qin Family.

While they were on good terms, Qin Yun didn't acknowledge them, and they did the same. Exposing their relationship at this moment would be ill-advised. Trump cards weren't to be used lightly.

Feeling slightly bored, Qin Yun opted to sample the various dishes available at this banquet. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. Most cultivators practised inedia, claiming that ingesting mortal food would only muddle their Qi, filling them with impurity.

While that was true, it would only be the case when the Qi was already impure to begin with. In Qin Yun's case, his Qi was already so pure that nothing could taint it.

Still, as nobody ate anything, the food prepared by the clan was nothing more than a decoration. Except for the food served to the ones on the platform, which emitted an immortal aura, the rest was only plain mortal food, expertly cooked but nonetheless beneath most cultivators. Despite the scornful looks, full of derision, he received, Qin Yun waved to a maid to bring him a plate, which she did with reluctance.

In less than half an hour, the number of plates Qin Yun had finished reached a staggering amount. The maid, unable to cope with the pace at which Qin Yun ate, had no choice but to enlist two more for help. The food would disappear as if it had evaporated into thin air as soon as the plate was brought to him.

Of the massive amount of food prepared for the banquet, almost a third had vanished, eaten by Qin Yun alone. The guests looked at him as if he was a rare animal specimen, while the maid didn't know what to do anymore as Qin Yun's pace only seemed to grow faster. Now, at least five maids went back and forth without stopping, bringing him plate after plate. Even his indifferent bride couldn't help but look at him with skepticism. Despite her veil, Qin Yun seemed to know exactly how she felt, but he paid her no mind.

Despite the gargantuan amount of food Qin Yun ingested, not a single scrap marred his face or garments. He was civilized, after all. It wouldn't do to embarrass himself or his new wife at their own wedding. Still, to waste such good food would be sacrilegious. Seeing Qin Yun enjoy the food, some guests couldn't help but also try it, leading to the maids being further understaffed.

As for where all that food went, the answer was very simple. With Qin Yun's body nearing perfection, an immense amount of energy was required to fuel his muscles and strengthen his bones. He could acquire most from his own pure innate Qi, but as a limited resource, Qin Yun wouldn't tap into it unless absolutely necessary.

Instead, food seemed to offer a more sustainable method, yet the amount required was much more than what the clan was willing to provide. From a young age, Qin Yun would often go into the forest surrounding the city and hunt beasts, subsisting on their flesh. Still, not all beasts were edible, yet such a thing was barely a nuisance to him.

With each step he took on the path of perfecting his body, Qin Yun found that almost no toxins were effective on him. Without repercussions, he could eat as many poisonous and highly deadly creatures as he wanted. His body was like a giant furnace; processing and purifying such an enormous amount of food was child's play.

Still, even that was barely enough for his needs. He had no choice but to reduce his expenditure as much as possible while diverting everything he could toward cultivation. He figured that such requirements would be lifted as long as he achieved perfection. Until then, Qin Yun had no choice but to move the least amount possible, hence all the time he spent asleep.

Qin Yun couldn't let such a heaven's gift of a banquet slip from his grasp. He figured this was enough food to last a few weeks without hunting.

While he hadn't paid attention, Qin Yun had become the focal point of this gathering. All eyes turned to him, wondering how such a slim body could accommodate that amount of food. Still, Qin Yun's pace never slowed down; soon, not much remained of the feast the clan had prepared.

As for how to store all that energy, Qin Yun simply compressed it all within something akin to an artificial Qi centre. Usually, when a cultivator reached the Qi Refining Realm, his Innate Qi would be transformed into a receptacle located just below the navel that would be used to store the Spiritual Qi one could absorb from the atmosphere.

In Qin Yun's case, he simply had to do the same thing or something close to it. By separating a portion of his Innate Qi and making it revolve at high speed, he could create a makeshift vortex that would further crush and compact all that energy. Then, he only had to allow a single opening to draw that energy out and use it, making that vortex something akin to a battery.

The only problem with that process was that it required that vortex to always be in motion as if it were to stop, but for a moment, it would burst outward and probably rip Qin Yun apart. As such, it took him a long time to be able to rotate his Qi even as he slept. By now, it was second nature and it did a wonder for his control over Qi. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Qin Yun had the best Qi mastery of anyone within Jin City.

As Qin Yun's meal drew to a close—not by choice, there was simply no more food to eat— he thanked the servants for their fabulous service before once again becoming silent and waiting for the banquet to end. Seeing Qin Yun's indifferent expression, most guests sported complicated looks as this situation was far removed from what they had expected. Only the few familiar with Qin Yun's eccentricities smiled slightly, expectantly waiting for what was to come next.

Unfortunately, their wait would remain unrewarded as the banquet seemed to come to a close. Qin Yun was disappointed to find that no ceremony would take place on this day. It appeared that his marriage was nothing but an excuse for these bigshots to convene their meeting. Still, Qin Yun wondered if they had reached a consensus.

Probably not, as when the hazy film disappeared, the man in purple, who was part of the bride's retinue, was seen storming out with a grim expression on his face. Qin Yun could see traces of sadness as the man glanced at his bride. Unlike what he expected, the man seemed to care greatly about her.

The man's gaze lingered on Qin Yun for a while, yet, despite the pressure, Qin Yun returned his gaze calmly, which seemed to draw a look of interest from his bride. The man stopped halfway down the Hall and then turned to address Qin Yun.

"Young man, how do you view this marriage?" he asked, his voice deep and clear, yet Qin Yun could feel the pressure on his body rising. He had no doubts about his fate if he failed this test. Qin Yun rose and bowed slightly to the man without seeming too subservient.

"While I may not have arranged this marriage, Jingfei is my wife," Qin Yun replied calmly. "I chose this path and, as such, will be responsible for my own choices. As a husband, I will fulfill my duties as best as I can."

The man in purple's gaze seemed to ease somewhat hearing this, yet it was fleeting at best. His gaze soon became even sterner.

"What if she were to ask something of you?" the man added.

Qin Yun smiled slightly; they were finally getting to the crux of the matter. Qin Yun very much doubted he would get a wife for free; this must be the price.

"After this wedding, everything I own is already hers. She only has to ask," Qin Yun replied confidently, which drew a somewhat evil smile from the people on the platform as if he was now prey within their net. Qin Yun couldn't care less and ignored them.

"Then I will hold you to it," the man said as he started walking out of the Hall. "Take care of my niece."

Qin Yun's eyebrow rose slightly. He hadn't expected this sacrifice of a wife to have an uncle with such strength. He wondered why she was chosen but didn't voice his doubts. Not yet, anyway; he would know soon enough.

"I will," Qin Yun replied as he bowed slightly while clasping his hand in respect. "Uncle can rest assured."

The man stopped and looked at Qin Yun with narrowed eyes but then ignored him and left. A tense silence still hung in the air after the man's departure, but soon, conversations renewed, discussing what had just happened.

Qin Yun sat back down, unconcerned, yet he could feel his bride's gaze on him as if she tried to bore a hole through him. Qin Yun chuckled slightly, then looked at the veiled woman beside him.

"Honey, I didn't know you were this smitten with me," he said. "I can feel your gaze all over me."

The woman harrumph slightly, then turned away, ignoring him. Qin Yun wished to tease her some more, but a horrible headache assaulted him as soon as he opened his mouth. His clear gaze became dull, and he lost all sense of time. Soon, he even lost consciousness.

Chapter 8 - Life as a Starship Captain

A searing pain assaulted Qin Yun's vision cortex as his sight became a sea of white. He could feel the pressure mounting in his brain as his heart pumped ever-increasing amounts of blood through his body. Still, his lungs couldn't keep up with the increased demand for oxygen, and his mind felt slightly dizzy. The world whirled around him, and soon, all that remained was blackness. He had lost consciousness.

Despite all this, a piece of him remained aware as scenes flashed before him. He was in an unfamiliar place. All around him were men and women, all dressed in what seemed like military uniforms, reminiscent of what he knew when he was still just a scientist. Yet, some of those individuals were far from humans.

Some sported alien features, like tentacles for arms, while one seemed like a giant mantis. Many more sported strange and exotic physical traits so far removed from what one would consider humanoid. Yet, all the humans around seemed familiar with these sights as if it were all too common. Qin Yun looked around, trying to get his bearings.

He seemed to be on the bridge of a ship, yet the technology was years ahead of what he remembered of his former life, maybe even centuries. Not many would compare, even if he were to liken it to some of the worlds he had explored.

He looked down at his hands, only to discover that the large hands he remembered were now slender and somewhat feminine. He noticed a strand of long hair resting on his chest. Except his black hair was now green with a shade of orange. Furthermore, a bulging chest rested beneath that hair as if trying to overflow from the same uniform. Indeed, he was now a woman.

"Reporting," a man in front of a console shouted over the cacophony in the room. "Captain, we have many hostile signals on the hulls of deck 13 through 21. They are breaking through. ETA, less than three minutes."

"Those damn bugs," the woman cursed, irrelevant of Qin Yun's own will. "Send the security droids and shut all auxiliary bulkheads. While it can't stop them, it might buy us some time."

A large explosion was heard, which shook the command bridge, prompting some of the officers to hang onto their consoles. Some of the less fortunate were thrown to the ground. One even hit his head on the side of a console. He slumped to the ground, unresponsive. Blood flowed from the wound, and Qin Yun could spy brain matter also leaking out.

"Medic!" the woman shouted in a hoarse voice. "Give me a damage report!"

The man at the helm tapped furiously on the translucent keyboard hovering slightly above his console. Countless windows of light appeared and disappeared in quick succession. His eyes darted back and forth between them, scanning all the information available. A neural link downloaded an unending flow of strange, obscure symbols directly into his brain. He then reported his findings.

"Captain! The enemy's ion beams just grazed our starboard side. While the shield dispersed most of it, they were able to hit the core. Shields are at maximum capacity; we won't be able to endure another hit unless we vent them."

"Vent the shield in the middle of battle? Are you mad, Helmsman?" the woman replied with a slight self-deprecating smile, then took a deep breath to regain her calm. "How's the engines? Can we outrun them?"

"With the core in this state, we'll be lucky if we can even run them at half power," the chief engineer said over comms.

"Can it be fixed?!" she barked with a gloomy expression.

"Not unless we shut it off," the man said after a moment of hesitation. "Their beams severed the main conduit for the coolant while the backups are now at full capacity. If we try to push the engines further, we risk critical system overload or core meltdown."

"Speak plainly, officer!"

"Fireworks, M'am!"

As the woman contemplated the options left to her, a massive ship appeared before them, easily three times their size. Unlike their state-of-the-art ship, comprised of the newest technology available within the Systems Commonwealth, their opponents seemed more like an amalgam of space debris, held together by their own gravity alone. Yet, despite all their efforts, they were outmatched.

"Captain, they are hailing us," the Helmsman said. "Your orders?"

"On screen."

What appeared before her was some sort of crystal life form. She knew them well as they were the greatest enemies the Commonwealth had encountered in the eons since it was founded.

Those creatures weren't made of organic matter but of some sort of silica base. As far as they knew, they didn't require oxygen to function and could overcome the vacuum of space, making them one of the most adept space-faring species. Despite all the research the Commonwealth had poured into understanding these creatures, they still had little idea how they developed sentience.

The most accepted theory was some sort of neural network that utilized background radiation originating from sub-space and linked all creatures in some kind of hive. They were more akin to bugs than any other lifeforms, and their appearance reflected that.

A stringent sound was heard over the comms, which seemed to want to bore right through her brain. She felt an intense pain assault her, and then the chip in her skull interpreted those sounds into something she could understand.

"Surrender and become part of the collective, or face imminent destruction."

She didn't bother to respond as this was nothing more than a prerecorded message playing on repeat. She motioned for the Helmsman to cut communications before mulling over how she could get out of this one.

They were light-years away from Commonwealth Space on a secret mission from High Command. They had no backup, no one to come and save them. They were all but doomed. Still, she couldn't let the artifact they were sent to retrieve fall into those creatures' hands. She steeled herself. She was, first and foremost, a soldier and would do her duty.

"Helmsman! Full speed ahead!" She screamed over comms. "Chief Engineer, give me all she's got!"

"That's madness!" the man replied. "Are you trying to kill us all?"

"I'd rather take them with me than become one of those things," she said in the coldest tone the chief engineer had ever heard. Despite all his years serving aboard military ships, he couldn't overcome the dread overwhelming him.

Seeing his hesitation, the woman wanted to berate him for insubordination, yet she was interrupted by another communication link flashing on the display overhead. She clicked the red button and opened the line.

"This is security! Decks 13 through 17 are lost. We've taken heavy casualties. Most of the droids have gone down. We're holding for now, but not for long. Requesting reinforcements!"

"Denied," she responded. "There's none near your position. Just fall back for now. Prioritize buying time."

"Aye, M'am," the man replied in a grim tone. "It's been an honour."

While the line was still open, the bridge was flooded by the sounds of laser turrets hitting their enemies' crystal carapaces, metal being ripped apart, and men and women's screams of agony. The woman had done it deliberately so that her staff would be aware of what they were facing. While their demise was imminent, they were seasoned soldiers, so morale remained high. They would see this through to the end.

"Are you going to give me what I want, or are you still going to waste time?!" she barked over communications.

The chief engineer gritted his teeth as he heard people dying left and right. He was no soldier, just the guy responsible for keeping this baby in running condition. Yet, even he would have to make his choice eventually. Whether to die in a blaze of glory or at the claws of these pests. There would be no happy ending this day.

"Disabling all limiters... Injecting supercritical mass into the core... Core now operating at 120%... Temperatures are now out of control... Estimating two minutes before Core Meltdown..." the onboard AI stated apathetically.

The woman smiled slightly, yet her smile was laced with insanity, the same madness one would have as they stared death right in the face.

"Helmsman! Forward!" she ordered. "Drive us right into their bellies. They want to assimilate us? They should be careful we don't give them an indigestion."

She rose from her command chair and opened comms to all parts of the ship. She addressed all her crew in a voice so calm and cold that her earlier display of madness seemed non-existent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and others, whatever you may be, this is your captain speaking. This is the end of the line for us. There is no retreat, only the path ahead. Still, for those unprepared to meet their makers, the escape pods are at your disposal for whatever good they might bring. Know that it was my pleasure to have lived and died in service of the Commonwealth alongside all of you. We may perish on this day, but we won't go alone. We'll drag all these bastards to hell with us! To whatever God out there, I'm not going to pray to them. My life has always been my own, and I'm proud to say that my choices led me here, and I don't regret it one bit. My only regret is that I won't be around to see the day these bugs are exterminated to the last. That's all from me. Now, Helmsman, let her rip!"

She sat back down on her chair while still connected to the ship-wide comms. She could hear her crew drop left and right as the bugs flooded the interior of her ship, ripping apart anyone they encountered. Soon enough, she seemed to have heard the peculiar voice of her chief engineer as bugs ripped his limbs from his torso, yet her expression didn't change at all.

With a glacial gaze, she looked forward through the front screen at the ship they intended to ram. Countless error and warning messages flashed on her command screen, but she ignored them, only focusing on the end of her journey. Even as bugs invaded the bridge, dismembering her crew as they pointlessly tried to fight back, the woman didn't move one bit. She only waited for her inevitable end.

She didn't have to wait long.

Her large ship, spanning tens of miles and supporting a crew of tens of thousands, was now nothing more than a dead weight as it drifted at break-neck speed through space. The runaway heat from the core melted off entire decks as if it were a small star.

Still, she didn't even have to wait for the core to melt down or the approaching bugs to cleave her in half as the ship rammed into the bugs' mothership. As the inertial dampeners were now offline due to critical system failure, the woman died at the moment of impact as her brain and organs flattened themselves inside her body, killing her instantly.

Moments later, the core cracked, and an explosion akin to a supernova destroyed the entire star system, reducing all the bugs and their ships to dust. Everything in a radius of a light-year was extinguished and turned into subatomic particles.

This was the last scene Qin Yun witnessed before being brought back to reality. He could feel his brain throb as an excess amount of information was thrust into it. It took him a moment to adjust himself to his new knowledge.

His bride to his side looked at him, and he could spy something akin to concern even despite the veil covering her face. Qin Yun took a deep breath and calmed himself. He could now remember all of that woman captain's memories as if he had lived through her life. He needed some time to reorganize those memories and partition them away from his own so as not to confuse his identity with hers.

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Qin Yun had to do something similar. It had happened so often that he was now highly familiar with the process. He calmly processed the information but was soon interrupted by maids standing before them.

As the banquet ended, his bride was led away toward a secluded pavilion, while Qin Yun was required to meet with the clan's patriarch.

Chapter 9 - Celebrating with Fireworks

Qin Yun didn't pay much attention to the meeting with the upper echelons of the clan. He was too busy trying to make sense of the overflowing information now present in his mind. While his brain was a marvel in terms of information storage, it still couldn't cope with lifetimes of memories.

As such, Qin Yun had no choice but to relegate some of the most irrelevant memories to something akin to cold storage deep within his mind. While he could still access them if he wished to, bringing them back to the surface would take some effort. He had no choice; this was the only way to keep his sanity.

As for the meeting itself, it was as Qin Yun expected. While they continued to beat around the bushes, trying to obfuscate their true motives, Qin Yun could glean the true intentions hidden within this impromptu wedding.

As he was made aware, the Yun Family was a respected family within the Western Domain, but their clan bordered the inner regions. This meant their reach and means were much more potent than those of the Qin Family, which were relegated to the outer wastelands.

The continent they lived on was quite peculiar. It was akin to a disc where the further one travelled toward its centre, the denser the amount of spiritual Qi in the atmosphere, as if a spring spewed it all from its core. As such, most clans and sects wished nothing more than to migrate toward the continent's core, which led to massive conflict over territories.

While the Qin Clan had once been an overlord with an immortal at the helm, they had declined ever since his disappearance. As such, they had lost their territories and were forced out to the outer regions of the Western Domain.

According to the Patriarch, this was their chance to find their way back to the inner regions. Apparently, the Yun Clan was connected to the Immortal Phoenix Sect, a subsidiary sect below one of the overlords of the outer regions, the Immortal Beasts Sect, and could leverage this relationship to give the Qin Family an opportunity to rise in the world.

Of course, they wouldn't do this out of the goodness of their heart. Their condition was Qin Yun's mother's inheritance. Qin Yun had long figured as much, yet he couldn't oblige as he had no such thing.

His mother had always been mysterious, and some even believed her to have come from the core region of the continent. As such, they believed her inheritance to be something miraculous. How they came to the conclusion that Qin Yun even had such a thing, he had no idea. Still, they seemed quite certain that it existed, enough to offer it as a bargaining chip despite failing to prove its existence.

They probably figured she wouldn't leave her son here without insurance as she left. Thus, over the years, they tried countless ways to make Qin Yun spit it out, yet they couldn't use force in case she ever came back to check on her son. They could only make him turn it over willingly.

While Qin Yun didn't know how marrying a girl from the Yun Clan would let them achieve their goal, he still had some guesses. Still, he didn't think much of it as it was bound to end badly for the Qin Family when the Yun clan would eventually realize they had been duped. Still, this was none of Qin Yun's concern. They would probably try to pin this on him, but he had long been prepared for such an eventuality.

As Qin Yun exited the Patriarch's residence, a maid approached him, wishing to lead him where his wife awaited him. Although the wedding was a sham and the ceremony a joke, Qin Yun still had duties to fulfill as a husband. Still, he was in no hurry and dismissed the maid as he could find his way alone. He had much more important things to do.

Once alone, Qin Yun found a secluded place to examine his recent gains. He had finally processed all the memories he had received, and something interested him greatly. Those crystal bugs were quite peculiar as, despite his wealth of knowledge and experience, this was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre race.

Qin Yun extended his hand, lightly touching the hovering black sphere, retrieving an object from within. Once the slight flash of light receded, Qin Yun held one of the Crystal bugs' legs in his hand.

The limb was hard, akin to diamond, yet Qin Yun could feel some sort of energy flow within despite being severed and badly damaged. On the legs were sharp, hardened spikes that protruded from its surface, resembling a saw.

Qin Yun swung it lightly as he would a sword. The leg cut through the air unobstructed, yet he could feel space tremble slightly with each cut. It seemed their ability to affect subspace wasn't only about communication but also used to sever it.

Qin Yun stashed the limb back within the sphere and then brought out one of their heads. The head was a round crystal ball yet possessed mandibles that resembled an ant. Qin Yun couldn't identify any sensory organs or brain within the crystal skull.

Yet, after observing closely for a few minutes, Qin Yun saw a powerful exotic energy swirl within the crystal. He wondered how such an energy could still reside within the crystal despite the creature being long dead.

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Qin Yun injected a small amount of his Innate Qi into the crystalline structure, hoping to probe its mysteries. At first, he was unable to since the crystal seemed to be rejecting this foreign invader. He raised an eyebrow, stupefied that inert tissue could somehow resist his will.

With much time and effort, Qin Yun could finally inject his Qi within the Crystal Skull after using close to a third of his Innate Qi. While such a wasteful spending gave him a heartache, he felt it was worth it if he could somehow quench his curiosity. Maybe he would find something within that would help him further his cultivation. Their ability to affect subspace was already tantalizing; he wondered what other secrets they held.

With some apprehension, Qin Yun carefully prodded the energy within with his Qi, trying to unravel its mysteries. Still, once the two energies collided, Qin Yun felt an intense burst of energy as the two expanded by over twice their amount. They swirled within the crystal as if Yin and Yang, both empowering and restraining each other.

Each time the two energies collided, it would produce a small tear in space through which a small mass of blackened matter emerged, fuelling the process, which strangely resembled something akin to nuclear fission.

The energy and Qi rammed into the black matter, disintegrating it almost instantly, producing even more power while still being held into the confines of the crystal. Fortunately, the process wasn't infinite, as the swirling energies would lose some velocity each time they collided.

Qin Yun let out a sigh of relief since if such a thing didn't happen, he had no doubt that once the energies reached the maximum threshold of what the crystal could contain, an explosion would occur. As for its scope, Qin Yun estimated, after many calculations, that if the skull in his hand were to explode, it could wipe Jin City off the face of any maps.

With this newfound knowledge, Qin Yun saw many valuable applications for this crystal substance. This treasure could expedite his cultivation. The only problem was finding a way to extract the new Innate Qi from within.

Try as he might, Qin Yun couldn't find a way on such short notice to extract that Qi without risking the stability of the swirling energies within. If he were to disturb the balance ever so slightly, he risked the process collapsing entirely, crushing all the remaining power. To be successful, he would need a way to extract it all in one go or to find a way to harness that exotic energy as well.

Still, he could ponder all this later when he found the time. For now, his bride awaited him, but before storing the crystal ant's skull, Qin Yun noticed the space around it behaving strangely. While his cultivation was low, Qin Yun had dabbled in the Dao of Space a few times in his previous lives. He instantly recognized the problem.

A sort of force field enveloping the skull pulsed at regular intervals, making the subspace tremble slightly. While such a thing didn't mean much in and of itself, one had to remember those creatures were adept at communicating through subspace channels similar to this one.

While Qin Yun didn't know if his hypothesis was correct, he wouldn't take any chances. He launched the crystal head high into the sky. Once it reached its apex more than a mile above the ground, Qin Yun dug his feet into the ground, creating deep grooves, before punching with all the strength he could muster.

A wave of air and energy akin to a cannonball was emitted from his fist, travelling close to Mach 30. The impact of breaking the sound barrier created a shockwave that broke the nearby wall while also deafening anyone unfortunate enough to be close to him. The wave travelled upward and hit the crystal object just as it started its descent.

While the crystal was sturdier than most metal, it still couldn't withstand Qin Yun's full-powered strike. The crystal cracked and shattered, spilling all the energy contained within into the surrounding atmosphere, creating a light show reminiscent of fireworks.

The light produced blanketed the city, illuminating the world below. While some were startled by its sudden appearance, they remembered that today was the wedding of someone from the Qin family and thought not much of it, as they figured someone in the clan wished to celebrate it with this light.

Many left their houses to marvel at this colourful display, yet some chose to inquire as to who was responsible. Fortunately, once they reached the area where it was believed to have been launched, Qin Yun was already long gone. He had no wish to be questioned as to its origin.

As for whether or not the bugs would find that subspace communication, Qin Yun wouldn't care either way. While those bugs were strong enough to battle against the Systems Commonwealth, what could they do against cultivators who were akin to gods?

Even if they were to somehow find this place, Qin Yun had no doubts they would simply be exterminated, just as so many other races were before them. Cultivators weren't in a habit of sharing their worlds with others. The only reason Qin Yun chose to destroy that emitter was that he would prefer that his hometown didn't become a battlefield. After all, he was slightly attached to this place.

With this minor incident out of the way, Qin Yun still mulled over how he could best use what he had learned as he took the path toward the pavilion where his bride awaited him.

Their lodging for the night was an old pavilion secluded from the rest of the clan. As he approached, Qin Yun noticed the grounds were in disrepair, and the grass around the stone tiles was overgrown.

Qin Yun couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that his clan couldn't even be bothered to keep up appearances despite wanting something from him. Why would they think he would give in to them if this was how they treated him? It seemed they were much too blinded by their own arrogance that the thought that he would defy them never crossed their minds.

Qin Yun approached the pavilion and saw a tiny flame flicker inside. It seemed his bride was still awake, waiting for him. He made sure not to stifle his steps so as not to startle her with his presence. He opened the building's exterior door, which creaked as it slid along a rail, yet he couldn't see the woman inside.

Thinking nothing of it, Qin Yun took a step inside and scanned the room but was stopped by the feeling of a cold, metallic blade resting on his bare neck while he felt another in the middle of his back.

Chapter 10 - The Devil's Bargain (Revised)

Under the oppressive darkness that only a single candlelight resisted, Qin Yun felt the cold edge of a knife on his neck, threatening to reap his life at any moment. Furthermore, he could also feel the sharpened point of another blade as it dug slightly between his shoulder blades. Despite it all, Qin Yun remained calm and composed, feeling no real threat from the individual at the end of those blades.

Without a word, Qin Yun spun on his heels, swatting the blade pressing on his back with the back of his hand while pinning his assailant to the wall by holding his throat. Unfortunately, Qin Yun couldn't avoid the blade to his neck.

The cold metal tore his skin as he rotated, plunging the deadly blade deep within, severing muscles and arteries. An enormous amount of blood was ejected from his carotid artery, staining the walls and floor of the pavilion in countless red circles. Yet, Qin Yun didn't falter in his assault as he felt no pain.

One of the advantages of remaining in the Body Strengthening Realm for so long was more than just the increased sturdiness of his flesh, but a path towards complete mastery of all systems of his body, even the involuntary ones.

As such, Qin Yun could use his Innate Qi to numb specific nerve pathways as he saw fit; to reduce his sense of pain was child's play at this point.

With his opponent firmly pinned against the wall, Qin Yun proceeded to disarm him. There was no need for any fancy technique; only pure strength would do the trick. While his opponent was distracted by the large volume of blood spewing from Qin Yun's neck, he proceeded to wrap his hand around the only remaining blade. He twisted in a jerking motion, dislodging the handle from his assailant's hand.

With that out of the way, Qin Yun circulated his Innate Qi within his body and slightly opened the reserves he kept in his artificial Qi centre. The energy flooded his system, concentrating around the area of his neck and palm, swiftly healing the wounds.

In a matter of seconds, the giant opened gashes were nowhere to be seen. If not for the large amount of blood around, one could scarcely believe he had been gravely injured. As for the missing blood, Qin Yun did the same as before, injecting a large amount of energy into his bone marrow, stimulating the creation of red blood cells.

With that out of the way, Qin Yun observed the one within his grasp. As he expected, he found the woman in a red dress familiar. It was, without a doubt, his wife, even if he couldn't see her face due to the red veil she always wore. While Qin Yun felt the urge to remove it and gaze upon her visage, he refrained from doing so as he didn't want the beginning of their married life to start on an even worse footing. She seemed to have her secrets, but he wouldn't force her to reveal them.

While Qin Yun could have chosen to prevent that injury altogether, he chose not too. He had many reasons, but the foremost was to gauge her reaction. He wanted to know if she was adamant in her threat or simply bluffing. While there was much still hidden behind that veil, Qin Yun now knew his bride's stance on the matter.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Yun decided to let her go. Yet, her reaction was predictable. As soon as his hand left her throat, the woman struck against his chest, retreating slightly while simultaneously drawing an even bigger knife from beneath her wedding dress. Seeing this, Qin Yun could only sigh.

"I didn't expect you would try to kill your husband on our first night," he said while looking at her.

Her actions reminded him of a feisty cat he had sheltered some lifetimes ago. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, which, he could swear, made his bride scowl even despite the veil covering her face.

"I wonder if the Yun Clan put you up to this?" he asked, slightly amused.

While this possibility existed, he wondered what they had to gain by doing so. It wasn't like they would find what they sought from his corpse. Still, the woman remained still and silent, offering no explanation. Unconcerned, Qin Yun shrugged and sat near a small table across from the large bed within the pavilion.

He pointed forward slightly, and a sizeable exotic tea set emerged from thin air. Then, he busied himself preparing tea to the consternation of the woman standing before him. While pointing again, a small amount of water appeared mid-air before falling into the vessel.

Qin Yun opened a small box containing some dried herbs he had received as a gift so long ago he almost forgot. Still, he was nearly sure the woman hadn't seen anything like it, as he could feel her surprise from her body language.

A strong herbal scent wafted in the air, reminding Qin Yun of long-gone memories buried deep within his psyche. He couldn't help but show a sorrowful smile, which drew even more restlessness from his guest.

Without bothering about her presence, Qin Yun relished the memories as they rose to the surface for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Yet, losing himself in nostalgia would serve no purpose. Once again, he locked those memories deep within his heart and resumed his preparations.

He placed a single fingertip upon the porcelain vessel, urging his Innate Qi to rise beyond his flesh. The Qi revolved within the vessel, stirring the water while imparting its energy and raising its temperature. Once Qin Yun confirmed the water to be of ideal temperature, he retracted his Qi and poured the hot content into the teacup, which contained the premeasured amount of tea leaves.

"How..." his bride stuttered, slightly taken aback. She had seen the whole process of his tea-making endeavour, yet she hadn't felt any Spiritual Qi from him. She couldn't begin to comprehend how he had achieved such a thing as a mere mortal.

One had to know that only those who have reached the Qi Refining Realm could be considered proper cultivators, as one didn't need to possess Spiritual Roots to strengthen their body. It wasn't rare for mortals to even reach the Peak of the Body Strengthening Realm. Unfortunately, that would be the furthest they could go on the path as one needed Spiritual Roots to absorb the Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere and make it their own.

As Innate Qi and Spiritual Qi were two different entities, it wasn't surprising that Yun Jingfei couldn't understand how Qin Yun raised the temperature. Usually, when a cultivator used their Qi, the Spiritual Qi found within the atmosphere would resonate, amplifying the phenomenon akin to overlapping waves forming constructive interference.

Innate Qi offered no such resonance. Furthermore, its usefulness and usability were esoteric, to say the least. Not many had the opportunity or even the will to spend time sharpening their technique in using this nonrenewable energy. Her bewilderment was warranted; however, Qin Yun felt mischievous on his wedding night.

"You're the one acclaimed as some heaven-defying genius, you tell me," he said as he rested his head on his fist.

Qin Yun felt the room grow unusually colder as she stared at him from below her veil. His eyebrow rose slightly as he spied his bride's whole body tremble from what he assumed was extreme anger. He wondered how mere words could trigger such an intense reaction when she had emotionlessly tried to send him to the afterlife.

Suddenly, a bright red lotus appeared above her head, yet Qin Yun couldn't help but frown. Unlike his father's deep red Lotus, hers was many times brighter, denoting the pureness of her Spiritual Roots. Solely judging by its colour, Qin Yun could see why she would be deemed a genius. Her Spiritual Roots were of the highest class.

Yet, her Lotus seemed faint and feeble in contrast. As he expected, the lotus platform possessed ten leaves, which was evidence that she had reached the peak of the Foundation Building Realm. Furthermore, a large bulb hovered over the platform, meaning she had reached the entry threshold into the Void Core Realm. A single lotus leaf threatened to split from the bulb as if her entry into a higher realm was all but guaranteed, yet Qin Yun couldn't help but be doubtful.

The Lotus, which should have been vibrant and full of life, seemed haggard and slightly wilted. The leaves, which should have been plump and full of energy, seemed empty and shrivelled. Qin Yun could even spot charred areas upon the Lotus's surface despite her Spiritual Roots being, without a doubt, of the fire element. Even the heat she radiated into their small pavilion from her heightened emotional state seemed highly lacklustre.

As he expected, something was wrong with his bride. He then remembered she had attempted to reach the Void Core Realm some time ago yet was forced to renounce her breakthrough midway. Unfortunately, it seemed such an act left some unavoidable consequences.

The red Lotus wobbled slightly as it engaged the surrounding Spiritual Qi in manifesting its heat. Despite the support of its surroundings, the heat generated was pitiful, to say the least. It was comparable to a novice in the 4th level of the Qi Refining Realm, someone who had barely any mastery over their own energy.

A small orange flame appeared, hovering a meter above the ground, then flickered and disappeared almost instantly. Qin Yun could see his bride clench her tiny fists as pearls of sweat slid across the exposed skin of one of her arms before it fell to the floor.

Despite all her efforts and the frustration in her heart, this was the best she could achieve. As Qin Yun expected, her journey on the path of cultivation had already ended. She was nothing more than a cripple. Still, Qin Yun didn't feel any pity for her, nor contempt. His face only showed a genuine, gentle smile, which took her aback.

Ever since her advancement failure, she had grown used to seeing the ridicule even her family showed her now. While she was once lauded as a genius and given preferential treatment, she was nothing more than a waste and sold as a bride by her clan. Even worse, her husband was nothing more than a mortal, unable to achieve the barest level of Qi Refinement.

She was frustrated and angry, but more than that, she hated her fate and her family. She wished nothing more than to regain her peak and show them she still had value as something more than a bargaining chip. She would give anything to see these dazzling sights once again as she gazed upon the highest peak where she once stood. Alas, she had no choice but to resign herself to her fate, as nothing could restore her broken Spiritual Roots.

Unlike the rest of her clan, only her uncle hadn't given up on her. He even went as far as trading one of his treasures for Artificial Spiritual Roots, which could only be found within the continent's core region. Yet, even that resulted in failure, as the Spiritual Roots burst into flames, the same way her own had done once she had it transplanted. Despite all her best efforts, there was nothing to be done. She could only live the rest of her life in abject mediocrity.

Qin Yun closely examined his bride, and he liked what he saw. Despite the repeated failure she had endured since that fateful incident and the pit of despair she was now in, Qin Yun could still see a hint of defiance in her. She was a fighter and would do anything to further her own goals.

If anything, trying to kill one's husband in order not to become a bargaining chip for one's family took more courage than most had in her position. Qin Yun held no doubt that most in her situation would have chosen the easy way out.

Most cultivators from prominent families weren't used to hardship and would easily crumble under pressure. Despite her unfortunate fate, she stood above the rest in terms of tenacity, which was a precious quality for any living being.

Qin Yun's smile only grew more prominent. He seemed to have taken an interest in this arranged bride. To celebrate their marriage, Qin Yun offered her a chance at salvation. Unfortunately for her, Qin Yun wasn't in the habit of running a charity.

"How much are you willing to pay to recover to your peak?" he asked with a smile resembling the devil itself.

Chapter 11 - To Revolt Against Fate (Revised)

Hearing those words, Yun Jingfei felt a small flame of hope arise in her heart. Yet, her optimism was fleeting at best. So many times since the incident, cruel reality had crushed her hopes. She had lost all faith that her situation would turn around.

Still, she was once proud and arrogant. It simply wasn't in her nature to bend the knee and accept other's pity and mocking condescension. While Qin Yun was genuine in his offer for redemption, Yun Jingfei was much too deep in her pit of self-loathing to even consider that a man such as him could alleviate her fate.

In her anger, she gritted her teeth so hard that Qin Yun could hear them grind against each other. Her tiny fists were clenched so tightly that they lost all blood flow, turning pale white. Her nails dug into her palm, drawing blood, which fell and echoed as the beads impacted the wooden floor, breaking the uneasy silence.

The unsteady lotus hovering above her head rotated faster as her emotion mounted, producing a slightly stronger heat, yet Qin Yun could only shake his head. If she continued this foolishness, her lotus would be bound to fall apart, and then, not even Qin Yun could help her reshape her Spiritual Roots.

The blazing lotus wobbled slightly as it spun off-axis. Dark blackened lines were strewn upon the leaves' surface as they spewed incandescent flames, threatening to reduce the feeble lotus to ash.

Despite all this, Yun Jingfei felt she had nothing to lose. Her negative emotions were so overwhelming that she discarded everything in a last attempt to reach the peak once again.

She attempted to stimulate her lotus using the last of her Innate Qi in a last-ditch effort to reach the realm that once eluded her, the Void Core Realm. While doing so in her condition was akin to suicide, she felt she had no other choice if she wished to regain her independence.

Unfortunately, her struggles were futile, as the lotus couldn't bear the pressure of her breakthrough. It trembled slightly, as if on the verge of collapse, while the Qi pathways all over her body burned as the unpure Qi, spewed out from her broken Spiritual Roots, flowed through them.

An intense pain assaulted her every nerve, and try as she might, she couldn't muffle the scream of agony which escaped her lips. Her Qi stopped and reversed, flowing backwards through her pathways as if upstream toward its origin. She was on the verge of entering Qi Deviation. If she were to do so in her current condition, Qin Yun had no doubts she couldn't survive the outcome.

Qin Yun simply couldn't watch his newlywed wife self-destruct on their wedding night. He clenched his fist, putting a small amount of Innate Qi in his hand before he flicked his finger. The sudden acceleration of his finger created a wave of compressed air that was propelled forward fast enough to break the sound barrier.

A large bang resonated in the room as the shock wave picked up speed, aiming for the rotating lotus. While the lotus was merely a projection of a cultivator's Qi Centre as they mobilized their energy, any interference with it would resonate with the mobilized Qi in a phenomenon that Qin Yun would liken to Quantum Entanglement.

As the blazing lotus was on the verge of collapse and flames wrapped its surface, attempting to burn it to cinder, the mass of air collided with it, dissipating the projection. Yun Jingfei felt the recoil of this impact deep within her Qi Centre. Fortunately, it came just in time to avoid its collapse. Any further, and her Core Qi would have ignited and burnt her from the inside out.

She collapsed on the floor on her hands and knees, gasping for air as she felt an intense burning sensation in her abdomen. While her foolish attempt had resulted in even further damage to her Spiritual Roots, she was still alive.

Still, Yun Jingfei didn't know if such a thing was good for her as she refused to waste away the rest of her life as a cripple. She would have much preferred to perish in an attempt to further her cultivation than to live in such disgrace. Still, Qin Yun had other plans for her.

The strong blast of wind created by Qin Yun's strike had blown the red veil from Yun Jingfei's head, revealing her features. Qin Yun's expression didn't change much as he gazed upon her, for he had already expected such an outcome.

Over half of her face showed signs of deep, unhealed burns. Large craters filled with pus and dead, charred skin were evidence of the ordeal she faced from the backlash of her failed breakthrough. Most of her hair was gone as only a few strands remained on the few intact areas of her scalp. Qin Yun could even see the white bones of her cheek protruding beyond her damaged skin, while most of the fat on her lips and eyebrows was nonexistent.

She was hideous, to say the least, yet Qin Yun showed no disgust or pity. His gaze remained calm as still water as he examined her condition from afar. Still, he felt pity in his heart, as he could feel her lost beauty solely from the remains of her facial bone structure. He felt it was a shame for such a fine woman to be reduced to this state.

He understood why she had always kept this veil, never revealing her face. Still, Qin Yun knew it probably came from her family since they didn't want to reveal their shame. Even as the woman rose after she had calmed down, she did not attempt to hide herself and looked straight at Qin Yun without shame.

While Qin Yun knew this was an act as he could see her tiny fist trembled as he laid eyes on her, he couldn't help but be attracted to her steadfast character. Indeed, it would be a shame to let her waste away in obscurity.

"Now, do you feel like listening to what I have to say?" Qin Yun said with raised eyebrows, looking deeply into her dark pupils while slowly sipping his warm tea. He motioned for her to sit across from him and even pushed back the chair with the air pressure from the wave of his hand.

Seeing this, Yun Jingfei frowned slightly, and Qin Yun couldn't help but find that it further removed the last traces of beauty left on her ruined visage. Still, he kept those thoughts in his heart and never mentioned it. To antagonize her at this point would be counter-productive.

She observed Qin Yun for quite a while, trying to find the depths of his means. Yet, all she could glean was only superficial and irrelevant things. With no other choice in her current situation, she relented and sat beside him, taking in the slightly bitter aroma of the tea before her.

She felt a sense of peace emit from the cup as if its scent alone could cleanse her heart from all its impurities and flaws. Hesitantly, she raised her cup and brought it to her chapped lips, moistening her dried throat. For the first time in months, she finally felt serene and content, as if all she had endured since her accident were but irrelevant matters of the flesh. She could feel her Dao Heart, which was once on the verge of collapse, grow slightly stronger.

A slight silence lingered between the two as Yun Jingfei relished this new feeling embracing her heart. Qin Yun didn't push her and let her immerse herself in the glow of this serene tranquillity. After a slight moment, Yun Jingfei put the empty teacup back onto the table and let out a long sigh.

"Can you really help me? Why would you?" she asked, unconvinced. Even if he possessed the means, as he claimed. Why would a stranger like himself put so much effort into a broken woman like her when even her family had given up?

As if knowing what was hidden in the depths of her heart, Qin Yun replied softly, "While you may not think so, you are my wife as of this day. It is only natural, as a husband, to help you."

"We are husband and wife in name only," she said, slightly dejected. "Our marriage is nothing more than a ploy to join our two families together. Furthermore, this relationship is shaky at best and could crumble at any time. Besides, we never had a choice in the matter."

Qin Yun took another sip of his tea, not taking her words to heart. His calm expression didn't deviate a millimetre.

"While you may not have a choice in the matter, the same doesn't hold true for me," Qin Yun said with a slight smile, looking her straight in the eyes. "I always had a choice. My family could never force me to do something against my will. While you may think your present appearance will deter me, you obviously have no idea who you are dealing with. Besides, it isn't something irreversible. Giving you back your beauty is quite feasible."

Hearing this, Yun Jingfei couldn't help but let her mouth hang slightly open. While cultivators might delude themselves into thinking that only strength mattered and physical traits such as beauty were irrelevant, not many women could bear to live in such an ugly state. Of course, Yun Jingfei would wish to regain her former beauty if she had a choice. In fact, she would do almost anything for it. She could even give up her cultivation for it to come true. This was how much it meant to her.

That didn't mean she was vain, in the least. Few were those unaffected by the desires of the flesh. After all, they were made of flesh and blood and were bound by their desires. Still, some believed that breaking free from them was the true path to transcendence. Many would choose to discard those feelings as they reached higher on the path of cultivation.

Yun Jingfei was once one of those, standing aloof on the peak with only Dao in her heart. Yet, she still failed in her breakthrough and fell prematurely. Such happenstance rocked her worldview and shook her Dao Heart. She didn't know whether the path she had treaded thus far was the right one.

Since her fall, she had lived as a mortal, feeling the anguish that came with her own impending mortality. She had felt the ridicule of those who were once her peers. She also felt the ugliness of her own heart, which she didn't know existed in the first place.

She had once thought she was unsoiled by the filth of the mortal world, pure of heart and spirit. Yet, she came to the cruel realization that she was no different from those she had once scorned. She was ugly, petty, and filthy, just as everyone she knew was. Even her family wasn't spared.

When she was still the genius high above the clouds, she thought her family to be paragons of righteousness, beacons of morality and goodness. But now, as her perspective shifted, she could see the repulsive oppressiveness her family exuded as they lorded over those they deemed their lesser.

Still, her family wasn't unique in any way. It was simply human nature. Despite all their grandiose ideals, cultivators were still humans to begin with and couldn't escape the flaws of their species so easily.

Yun Jingfei closed her eyes, thinking back to her life up to this point. All the glory she had known and all the despair she had felt since she had lost it all. All that remained, after all, was a stout determination to change her fate. She clenched her fist and steeled her mind as she asked the most fundamental question.

"What do you seek from me in return?"

Chapter 12 - A Marriage Like No Other (Revised)

"I'm sure you have many questions and doubts," Qin Yun said calmly as he sipped his tea. "I intend to shed some light on them in time, but first of all, we should set some ground rules."

Yun Jingfei frowned slightly but chose not to interrupt him. While eager to know if she could recover what she had lost, she knew she possessed no bargaining power. Everything was in this man's hands. Still, as he stated, she possessed many reservations about whether he could hold true to his words and help recover her cultivation.

This wouldn't be the first time her hopes were dashed. While her family may have seemed heartless since her accident, cruel enough to give her away for the slim chance to get their hands on an inheritance they weren't even sure existed, they still tried to help with her situation.

Many scholars and doctors had been invited to her family in the hopes that they might know of a solution, yet they all came to the same verdict; her chances of recovering from such grievous injuries to her Spiritual Roots and core were close to nil. Unless an immortal intervened, she would spend the rest of her life as a cripple.

Yun Jingfei was at the end of her rope. She had thought of giving up more than once, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. Doing so would go against everything she valued. Cultivators were supposed to be the ones to tread new paths. They already defied the natural ways of the world by seeking longevity. What was broken Spiritual Roots against the Heavens themselves?

Still, even the proudest non-conformists would have to face reality at some point. Somehow, she felt this was the world's punishment for her hubris. She was once arrogant enough to think she was special and that her talent meant something, yet, against the Heavens' ruthlessness, it didn't amount to anything.

"While this marriage may have been something our families decided on their own, I intend to honour it," Qin Yun added, looking her in the eyes. "While you may not believe me, I chose to marry you, knowing full well that something was wrong on your end."

"Why would you?" she stammered, shocked by his honesty. "Why me? You know nothing about me, and there are no feelings between us. Why go so far?"

"You seem to confuse marriage with love," Qin Yun replied coldly. "Marriage is nothing more than a contract between two individuals. Why liken it to something as wonderful as love? Truthfully, I wouldn't want to thrust something as wretched as marriage unto someone I truly cared for."

Yun Jingfei was taken aback. She wondered what had happened for him to have such a twisted view of matrimony. Still, this suited her just fine. She had no feelings for the man and only wanted something from him. To keep their relationship purely about business was all she wanted.

"Still, why go through with this marriage at all?" she asked, slightly confused.

Qin Yun let the silence linger briefly as he sipped his tea and observed his new wife. While she seemed nervous at first, probably wondering if he would go back on his word, she soon calmed down and waited for him to continue. Qin Yun couldn't help but appreciate her levelheadedness despite the situation she found herself in.

"I have many secrets and have no wish to share them with someone unrelated to me," he said calmly. "The only reason I am even entertaining the thought of helping you is that you are currently my wife. You are welcome to renege on this marriage, but you would also forgo any assistance I might provide. You must understand that many would kill to get their hands on what I have. You should remember why you were given to me in the first place."

Indeed, her family had deeply impressed upon her what they wished to obtain from this union. From what they knew, this man's mother was from a powerful clan within the core region of the continent, which possessed unimaginable might. Any trinkets of theirs could shake any clan or Immortal Sects within the Outer Regions. If such information came to light, many other clans would move mountains and seas to get their hands on it.

While information on the Core Region was scarce, to say the least, her family had connections across the Western Domain and had access to an information network that most couldn't even dare to fantasize about. Yet, even they didn't possess much information about the Core Region, except for a single piece of news; there were living immortals within the continent's centre.

As for the reason there wasn't any news of them in the Outer Regions, Yun Jingfei could only speculate that it had something to do with the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere. The Outer Regions were probably much too barren to sustain them.

Still, the Yun Family could not relinquish an inheritance from someone who may have been in contact with Immortals. Fortunately, the Qin family didn't seem to realize the scope of what they possessed and were even willing to hand it over for the measly price of connecting them to some of the sects the Yun Family dealt with. This was a bargain too good to be true.

The only problem was that the inheritance was in the hands of one of the members of the Qin Clan, and they couldn't simply ask him to hand it over, as the man himself was looked down upon in their clan. They wouldn't dare risk snatching it from him and offending the clan behind his mother. Thus, they devised a scheme to have him offer it as dowry.

Yet, it wouldn't do for a family as distinguished as the Yun clan to sell one of their daughters even if they could receive an Immortal Inheritance in exchange. They had their reputation to maintain. Fortunately, Yun Jingfei's case overlapped with the timing of this marriage.

Seeing as nothing could be done about her shattered Spiritual Roots, the Yun clan had no interest in continuing to support her. They had already spent too many resources on her cultivation up to this point, only to see it all wasted. While they couldn't get rid of her, they could send her away as a gift.

As for the groom's reaction to her current condition, why would that matter? Just the fact that they were bound by marriage entitled them to demand something from him, and since he didn't possess the support of his clan, he would have no choice but to relent. Strength was the only thing that mattered; no one cared about morality.

While this may have seemed heartless, for most clans and sects, the cultivators they supported were nothing more than investments for the future. If they were found to be more costly than what they could contribute to the collective, they would be discarded without a second thought. Such a thing was all too common on this continent.

There were countless factions vying for supremacy, and resources were limited. To rise up in the world, one had to be ruthless, even in the face of blood relationships. Such a mentality was deeply ingrained into the psyche of most cultivators. Trying to swim against a mighty river's flow was an exercise in futility. One could only relinquish one's principles in the face of survival.

Fortunately, Qin Yun did not lack the means to do so. Even in the face of Heaven's Might, he would remain steadfast in his convictions. As such, he also expected the ones who wished to share a life with him to do the same. Seeing the resolve on his bride's face, Qin Yun finally smiled.

"What do you need from me?" Yun Jingfei asked in a firm tone.

"Secrecy, for one" Qin Yun replied calmly, then added, "and to to take this marriage seriously. I've no interest in being married in name only."

Yun Jingfei's pupil dilated slightly. This wasn't what she had in mind. She never expected him to be so blunt in his demands. While she may look like she does now, she was still pure of heart and body. All her life, Dao was the only thing she ever thought of. While she had expected such an outcome once she was told to marry, her heart wasn't ready.

"What? Did you think this would remain a sham marriage?" Qin Yun said, scoffing slightly. "I was committed from the start, and I expect you to do the same. You should think carefully about this unless you wish to remain a cripple. I have no reason to do this much for someone unrelated to me. Your fate is entirely up to you."

While this may have seemed like blackmail, Qin Yun couldn't care less. He wasn't some sort of hero trying to save the beauty. This was purely a transaction between two individuals. As for why he insisted on marrying her, limiting the spread of his secrets was true enough, but honestly, he just felt like it.

He knew his bride was arrogant and prideful. The idea of offering her body to a stranger would probably revolt her, despite even her current state. Yet, Qin Yun felt something special about her and wished to bind himself to her in any way possible, even if she would forever hate him. Besides, Qin Yun was used to being hated. What was one more added to the list?

For now, Qin Yun had said everything that needed to be said. The choice was hers: to trust him and take the plunge or crawl back to the family that threw her away without what they sought to acquire. While Qin Yun thought it was a no-brainer, emotions sometimes overpowered rationality. He eagerly awaited her choice.

"How can I trust you to keep your word?" she asked sheepishly. How could she believe that this man possessed the means to repair Spiritual Roots when even the best doctors and alchemists couldn't resolve this?

"You can't," Qin Yun replied bluntly. "Honestly, you shouldn't. Still, you don't have a choice. I am the only hope you have left. I realize that this isn't something to be decided lightly. I'll give you some time to consider."

Having finished his cup of tea, Qin Yun rose to leave but was held back by Yun Jingfei's trembling hands, lightly holding the hem of his robes. Seeing her weak appearance, a mischievous thought arose in his mind. Since she couldn't decide, he would give her the push she needed.

He grasped her exposed hand within his and pulled the sleeve of her wedding garb upwards, revealing the skin hidden beneath. As he had expected, her forearm was full of burn scars. He lightly touched the damaged skin with his fingertips, prodding whether she could still feel, but the nerve endings had long been burned away.

As Yun Jingfei had never felt the touch of a man before, she tried to resist at first, but relented slightly once she thought of this man as her husband. Although the thought felt unreal, and she was somewhat disgusted, she tried her best not to show it, hoping he wouldn't recede his offer before she made up her mind.

Although Qin Yun had an inkling of what was going on in her mind, he ignored it completely, focusing his attention on this unhealed injury. He wrapped his palm around her forearm and injected some of his Innate Qi alongside a bundle of the reserve energy from within his artificial Qi Centre. Unlike Qi which had many uses, the energy Qin Yun hoarded was purely meant to sustain him. It was the same energy a mortal would gain from food, mostly in the form of adenosine triphosphate, but it also contained many amino acids and other elements used to sustain life.

Using this energy as nutrients, Qin Yun made his Innate Qi flow within her damaged Qi channels, stimulating her cells to replicate, prompting her flesh to regenerate. He would use his Innate Qi as a knife and purge the damaged cells, leaving only what was necessary behind.

Although such a thing was much more complex than it seemed, for Qin Yun, who had extraordinary insight into the workings of the human body, it was straightforward to promote cellular division and regenerate the wounds. Coupled with his almost infinite energy reserves, her forearm became as good as new in less than a minute.

Stunned by the sight of her renewed arm and the feeling coming back to her skin, Yun Jingfei was lost for words. She felt a lump in her throat as well as tears welling up in her eyes. The feeling of hope she had once given up arose once again within her heart. A smile cracked upon her chapped lips while she giggled slightly as if she were a newborn child. After she took a moment to calm herself, the only words to escape her mouth were, "Please, marry me."