Chapter 11: The Night Was Long. What Else Could You Do but…?

[Ding. Congratulations, Host, on successfully gifting the Fated Maiden an inherited treasure of the Yale family: Soul Suppressing Stone (Imperial Artifact). You have received a ten-thousandfold return reward: Primordial Ancestor Talisman (Immortal Artifact).] [Primordial Ancestor Talisman: Can be used to refine the Nine Imperial Symbols and evolve into the first primordial Chaos relic that split heaven and earth. It ignores all realm suppression and can suppress any divine soul that enters the Host's Soul Sea.] [When the Nine Symbols return as one, it will unveil the karmic fate binding the Host and the Everchanging Demon Body, and open an era of the myriad heavens.] "Hm?" The system prompt rang by his ear, and Kingsley Yale's gaze tightened, depth gathering in his eyes. An Immortal Artifact. Across the Three Thousand Wayrealms, through countless eras, he had never even heard of an Immortal Artifact descending into the world. And this Primordial Ancestor Talisman could actually evolve into a Chaos relic. It was even tied to the karmic fate of the Everchanging Demon Body? An era of the myriad heavens. In that moment, Kingsley Yale realized the truth he had been skirting around. Fusing with the system and awakening the Everchanging Demon Body had not been an accident. It felt more like a mandate, something that concerned the Three Thousand Wayrealms and the future of the Yale family. As if, somewhere in the dark, an invisible black hand had been gripping the threads of his destiny. "Divine Son Kingsley Yale… this Soul Suppressing Stone…" Daniella Greaves frowned. Even then, she still could not understand why he would hand her the trump card that could save his life. If it had only been spiritual treasures and Fortune before, she could have forced herself to believe he had ulterior motives, that he wanted her body. But the value of the Soul Suppressing Stone could not be measured in Fortune at all. It was practically an extra life. "Just refine it in peace," Kingsley said, waving a hand. His expression had already smoothed back into calm. "Didn't I tell you? I'm lending it to you. When your cultivation recovers, you'll return it." "When my cultivation recovers…" Daniella's lashes trembled. A quiet sigh slipped through her chest. Kingsley Yale… if you knew what the first thing I'll do after I recover is, would you regret giving me these godly gifts? "Divine Son Kingsley Yale, it's late. I should go back." "Hm?" Kingsley shook his head. Then, without warning, he reached out and clasped her delicate hand. "Daniella. It's already night. Why not… leave tomorrow?" "Tomorrow?" Daniella's body went rigid. The faint depth in his eyes erased the last wisp of guilt that had just formed in her heart. "Let go of me." Coldness swept over her face. She understood, all at once, what she believed was his vicious intent. Her cultivation was gone. In his eyes, she posed no threat. If he could give her the Soul Suppressing Stone, he could take it back just as easily. "Buzz." The moment the thought landed, Daniella did not hesitate. A faint spiritual radiance flared around her. Sigil patterns condensed, and she slammed a furious seal down at him. "Hm? Daniella, your cultivation recovered?" Kingsley blurted, but his eyes stayed calm, without a ripple. From the first glance he had taken at her, he had sensed the change in the aura of the Immortal Phoenix Empress. More than that, under the might of his Double Pupils, he had seen her heaven-defying talent. Innate Way‑Sovereign Embryo, born alongside a Nine Heavens Mysterious Female Body. The Innate Way‑Sovereign Embryo alone was the strongest talent in the Three Thousand Wayrealms, nurturing innate qi. As for the Nine Heavens Mysterious Female Body… if he remembered correctly, it was one of the top dual-cultivation physiques across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. If he could help Daniella awaken the Innate Way‑Sovereign Embryo, he could also help her awaken the Mysterious Female Body. After that, there would be another… simple, joyful way to cultivate. One, two, three, four. Change the position? "It seems you've hidden a lot from me, Daniella." Kingsley gave her a look that carried more meaning than words. The next instant, spiritual patterns surged around him as well. Light erupted from his Double Pupils. A vaster, more terrifying Divine Wheel pressure descended, locking the surrounding void in place. "Hm? Your realm…" Daniella's eyes widened. Before she could struggle again, Kingsley swept an arm around her waist, lifted her cleanly, and shot toward the depths of the clan lands. "Kingsley!! What are you doing? Put me down!" She truly panicked. She had thought that with her current Divine Wheel First Layer realm, even if she could not beat him, she could at least protect herself. She had never imagined his cultivation would break through this fast. In her previous life, she had often longed for the day she and Kingsley would break that final barrier and truly become one. But the Daniella of this life had already been disappointed beyond repair. Only hatred remained. How could she allow him to defile her body? "What am I doing?" Kingsley's face was cold, as if he had returned to the indifferent distance of his last life. "The night is long. What else could we do?" "Kingsley, you shameless bastard! Put me down…" Daniella clenched her teeth. Yet the more she struggled, the tighter his arm locked around her. "Kingsley… you're hurting me." "This little pain is nothing," he said flatly. "In a bit, I'll make you hurt even more." Their quarrel drifted all the way to the Yale Family Shrine. Malachi Yale and the clan elders wore amused expressions. Young people. Hot blood. By tomorrow morning, the thing splashed across Daniella's face would not be sunlight alone. "Buzz." Until- Kingsley's figure dropped from the sky, landing at a sealed area in the Yale Family Back Mountain. He stepped straight inside. It felt like a pure land cut off from the world, a cultivation cave reserved for the Yale family's Divine Son alone. Spiritual clouds rose. Chaos qi flowed, as if heaven and earth had only just been born, sun and moon forming together. Terrifying dao resonance manifested into auspicious visions, one after another, filling the place with uncanny grace. Great dao spirit herbs and ten-thousand-year ginseng and ganoderma grew everywhere. There were even immortal blossoms rarely seen outside, blooming in nine different colors. At the center of the cave lay an Immortal Pool, filled with ancient precious blood and Nine Heavens mystic fluid. In an instant, Daniella felt her bloodline boil. Even her Nirvana Seal showed signs of loosening. "This is…" "Our Yale family's ancient Immortal Pool," Kingsley said. "A cultivation secret realm reserved for the Yale family's Divine Son." He looked at her deeply, and there was a faint disappointment in his eyes. "Kingsley… you…" Daniella's mind shook. Understanding crashed over her, sudden and sharp. "So when you told me to leave tomorrow… you meant to bring me here to heal…" "Or what else?" Kingsley sighed. "Daniella Greaves, just how vile do you think I am?" "I…" Daniella curled her fingers tight. For the first time, she felt nervous. Especially when she saw the loss in his eyes. It pricked something like guilt in her chest. "Kingsley… I misunderstood you this time." "This time?" Kingsley's gaze sharpened. "Daniella Greaves, it's not like you've misunderstood me once or twice." He leaned in, studying the pale, breathtaking face before him. "So how are you going to compensate me?" "Kingsley, don't push it…" "If I'm so shameless in your eyes," he said, voice low, "then I might as well be shameless once today." With that, he lowered his head as if to kiss her. Daniella jolted, twisting in his arms. Her curves trembled with the movement, and a flush rose across her cheeks. "Fine. Say it. How do I make it up to you, as long as it isn't too much…" "Oh?" Kingsley's lips curved. "Then call me 'husband' and let me hear it." [Ding. The Fated Maiden has compromised with the Host for the first time. Reward: The Host may view a corner of her destined fate.]