Chapter 420: Longing

The three of them entered Echo Valley.

Immediately, dense mental energy enveloped them.

The mountain walls on either side were permeated with endless mental energy. Given time, who knew what kind of monster might be born!

But now, it was no longer a concern—because Lu Ye had arrived.

Lin Chuyue wasted no time sitting cross-legged and began drawing in others' thoughts of her.

"Grand Master, I'll start drawing them in too," said the Drunken Sword Taoist.

He couldn't be as unrestrained as Lin Chuyue—perhaps because she was a woman, or perhaps due to temperamental differences, she didn’t dwell much on concerns about status.

After all, rumors spoke of tyrannical Sect Leaders having twilight romances with elderly cleaners, or deceased old women being revived by passing Immortal Realm experts and becoming their Dao companions. Anything was possible.

To be honest, Lin Chuyue’s personality was actually quite nice—as long as one didn’t offend her outright.

But the Drunken Sword Taoist couldn’t act as freely as Lin Chuyue. Since Lu Ye was now the Grand Master and far stronger than him, he instinctively treated Lu Ye with greater respect.

Lu Ye nodded.

The Drunken Sword Taoist sat cross-legged and began focusing his senses.

Lu Ye then sat down as well, closing his eyes and clearing his thoughts.

Just who was thinking about him? And what kind of thoughts were they?

Lu Ye's thoughts emptied. In that moment, he felt his consciousness stretch endlessly, as if the endless void flashed by in a moment.

"Brother Lu Ye, I miss you so much!"

"Brother Lu Ye, love me once more—Huanling misses you so, so much. You haven't touched me in so long."

"Brother Lu Ye…"

"Brother…"

Lu Ye gave a slight shudder, nearly making him open his eyes.

"What the fuck?!"

"What is that idiot Shangguan doing???"

Lu Ye felt like he'd been hit by a thunderbolt.

She—she—she was actually dreaming! And not just any dream—a dream where they were the romantic leads!

Good news: Someone was indeed thinking of him.

Bad news: That someone was Shangguan Huanling.

Worse news: He had become the star of her fantasies.

"Ding! That moron Shangguan even dragged me into this!"

The system yelped.

Lu Ye

He tuned in again.

"Xitong, pin him down for me. I'll go first, then it's your turn. I've been apart from Brother Lu Ye for so long, while you're with him every day. Let me have this turn, and you can have next turn!"

Lu Ye???

Ah!!!

"Ding! I'm fuming, I'm fuming! What the hell is wrong with her?" The system was freaking out.

Just one occasional peek, and Shangguan Huanling's thoughts were already this chaotic. How often must she think about this normally?

He was probably already subjected to endless "ultimate poundings" by the damn host in Shangguan Huanling's mind.

I swear by Little Providence, I and the damn host are totally platonic—we haven't even locked lips!

"Ding, Shangguan, you idiot!"

The system seethed.

This menace is already a serious liability. If not eliminated, she will surely bring nothing but headaches!

Lu Ye's expression couldn't help but turn extremely odd, his eye twitching like crazy.

Alright, alright, so this is what's inside Shangguan Huanling's mind?

"Ha, caught you! Brother Lu Ye, promise me now—if I overcome the trials you set and successfully cultivate the Supreme Emotion Scripture, will you forgive me?"

"If you don't forgive me, I'll yank it off!"

Lu Ye...

The system...

The hell does she mean by 'yank it off'?!

6! [Chinese internet slang meaning "impressive/speechless"]

Lu Ye couldn't help but shake his head.

"Brother Lu Ye, I really know I was wrong. I’ll definitely master the Supreme Emotion Scripture. It's our sacred text—how could I ever yank..."

Lu Ye decisively extended his mental reach.

What kind of nonsense is this? No more listening!

This is absolutely not something he should be hearing. He was utterly dumbfounded. It wasn’t just Shangguan Huanling who was reborn—yet she was probably the only one whose mind was filled with these lewd fantasies every day.

They're cultivators, for heaven's sake! Shouldn't they have cleaner minds?

You call this healthy?

Probably no one else but Shangguan Huanling would think like this... Well, maybe Bai Qiulan would too.

Lu Ye felt both relieved and regretful—relieved that Bai Qiulan was inside the Human Emperor Banner, and regretful that Bai Qiulan was inside the Human Emperor Banner!

His thoughts continued to drift.

Another flood of yearning entered Lu Ye's mind.

"My husband, Qingcheng misses you so much!"

"My husband, hurry and ascend. Qingcheng wants to be with you forever and ever. I only want to be with you."

"My husband, if only you weren’t so strong. If you weren’t so strong, I could have complete control over you. You would be my most precious treasure—no one else would ever lay eyes on you, only me. Only I could monopolize everything about you, all of you. Wouldn't that be perfect?"

These were Yin Qingcheng's obsessive thoughts.

Lu Ye...

Honestly, Lu Ye thought Yin Qingcheng would be better off getting a cat. That way, she could prevent anyone else from seeing it.

This terrifying possessiveness sent chills down his spine just hearing it.

"My husband, you!"

In the Seventh Heaven, Yin Qingcheng seemed to sense something and abruptly shot to her feet.

She felt Lu Ye’s presence—as if he had noticed her thinking of him.

Yin Qingcheng was giddy with excitement. She even hurriedly fussed with her dress and touched up her makeup, wanting Lu Ye to see her at her most beautiful.

"My husband, did you sense my longing for you? I know you’ve lost interest in those other women now. In this life, let’s be devoted solely to each other, just the two of us, okay?"

"I will love you wholeheartedly, with all my strength, with every fiber of my being."

"My husband, don’t be angry with me. It’s only because I love you too much that I treated you that way in our past life. I truly couldn’t bear sharing your love with anyone else. I love only you, and you should love only me, okay?"

Lu Ye couldn’t answer.

But he knew very well how sweet her words sounded now.

If Lu Ye truly devoted himself to her alone, her love would warp into madness. She would gradually devour every part of you, molding you entirely into the version of himself she desired.

"My husband, can you say just one word to me? I miss you so much. Even a single sentence would satisfy me. I want to hear your voice." Yin Qingcheng’s voice was laced with desperate pleading.

Lu Ye... He tried to speak to her, as if his mere thoughts of her could reach her.

But before he could utter a word, the anticipation on Yin Qingcheng’s face had already begun to contort with growing madness.

"My husband, after rebirth, your heart has indeed hardened. But it doesn’t matter. Sooner or later, I will chain you to my side. Then, I’ll make you keep talking to me forever—until the end of time, until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble!"

"My husband, in this life, you are mine! Mine!! *MINE!!!*"