CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: WHY NOT HER

"You’ve been eavesdropped on; this Secret Treasure has been tampered with using a Secret Skill."

When Chen Guan tried to push Ming Fei away, he felt her fingers writing on his bare chest, and his heart stirred, stopping his hand from pushing her away.

Engulfed in her fragrance, Chen Guan was thinking about how to resolve this issue, having no mood to admire Ming Fei’s beauty.

The Echoing Jade couldn’t be destroyed, and even if he could remove the tampering, Chen Guan couldn’t do it, at least not now.

This thing could ensure that he wouldn’t have to worry about the Xiu Family taking drastic measures against him in the short term, so Chen Guan could only pretend to be unaware.

"Can you break the Secret Skill on it?" Chen Guan wrote on Ming Fei’s palm.

He couldn’t remove this trouble, but he needed a way to deal with it.

"I can, but there’s no need. Since she wants to listen, let her listen." Ming Fei wrote this and then suddenly spoke, startling Chen Guan.

To Chen Guan’s surprise, when Ming Fei spoke, the voice was identical to his own, not her own voice.

"How can there be such a stunningly beautiful woman in this world? Standing with her, even Ji Nanhong pales in comparison, ordinary and dull... like the difference between clouds and mud..." Ming Fei murmured with Chen Guan’s voice, the words filled with indescribable emotion and charm.

Xiu Yingmei, who had been distracted and not focusing on eavesdropping, suddenly heard this sentence from the Echoing Jade, and her heart skipped a beat, her hand pausing.

"If I could spend a night with such a woman, entwined with her till death, it would be worth it," Ming Fei continued to speak in Chen Guan’s voice, ignoring his attempts to stop her.

"Sleazy!" Xiu Yingmei cursed, yet her face showed no disgust, and she unconsciously brought the Echoing Jade closer, wanting to hear what else Chen Guan might say.

She had no interest in Chen Guan but didn’t mind indulging in men’s admiration for her. Moreover, Chen Guan compared her to Ji Nanhong, saying Ji Nanhong was vulgar and dull in comparison, which struck a chord with Xiu Yingmei.

She always felt she was no worse than Ji Nanhong, even better, so although she considered Chen Guan’s behavior despicable, she still couldn’t help but eavesdrop on what he was saying.

"What a pity..." Ming Fei sighed longingly, as if all the regret and sorrow of the rolling Yangtze River couldn’t be fully expressed.

"What’s a pity?" Xiu Yingmei wondered to herself, pressing her ear closer.

"Why is she my enemy? Why must it be her? Ji Nanhong wants me to deceive her with pretense. If I don’t do it, I’d be betraying Ji Nanhong’s act of saving my life. If not for her, I’d have long perished on the Island of July 15th, and wouldn’t be here today. But deceiving such a woman, I’m truly afraid I won’t be able to control myself..." Though it was Ming Fei speaking with Chen Guan’s voice, she vividly portrayed the emotional conflict, as if truly torn to the core.

God knows, while Ming Fei was saying this, she was sitting in Chen Guan’s lap, flirtingly wrapping her arms around his neck, with a smile on her lips, showing not a hint of sadness.

But Xiu Yingmei’s pupils contracted as she murmured, "So that’s it. I was wondering how Ji Nanhong could choose a man casually. It turns out Chen Guan is just a decoy to make us believe she sees marrying Chen Guan as her last gambit, thus lowering our guard while secretly executing other plans. Truly cunning, worthy of being General Ji’s daughter, having such strategies at a young age."

"In the end, she’s just a young girl. How could she understand how lowly men can be, entrusting such important matters entirely to a man? It’s an immature, naive approach," Xiu Yingmei believed she had seen through Ji Nanhong’s scheme.

Ming Fei sighed again after a long while, "Why isn’t she the one acting as my partner?"

This sigh seemed to express an eternal regret and unwillingness, as well as a lament against fate. Hearing it, Xiu Yingmei couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion.

"Hmph, what an audacious ruffian dream," Xiu Yingmei snorted lightly, realizing the ’she’ who was mentioned was herself, but her eyes revealed a trace of delight.

Though she looked down upon Chen Guan, she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of triumph over Ji Nanhong.

Chen Guan did not stop Ming Fei and let her continue acting.

Just as Ming Fei was about to say more, they heard footsteps outside, followed by Duan Shulin’s grumbling voice.

Chen Guan had to withdraw Ming Fei for now. Ming Fei was already at Level 10, reaching the peak of the First Awakening. Just one Nether Lotus had such an effect, proving that it was indeed extraordinary, worthy of being a Secret Divine Treasure.

Ming Fei (Unparalleled): Level 10 Spirit Pet.

Primordial Energy: 19.9.

Growth Rate: 2.1.

Lifebound Talent: Netherworld Sacred Body (Unparalleled).

Secret Technique: Joyful Technique (Unparalleled).

Secret Skill: Prajna Technique (Unparalleled).

Secret Treasure: Void Marvelous Gauze (Unparalleled).

Special: Residual Spirit Reincarnation Body, Incomplete State.

The Nether Lotus increased Ming Fei’s Growth Rate by 0.1, which matched the legends about its effects. Surprisingly, not only had the level and growth rate improved, but Ming Fei’s Lifebound Talent also changed from the original Sacred Body to the Netherworld Sacred Body.

Chen Guan wasn’t sure if this change was good or bad, but it probably wasn’t a bad thing.

"What a freak show, the Secret Divine anomaly is acting up again," Duan Shulin grumbled incessantly as he entered the tent.

"What’s up with the Secret Divine anomaly?" Chen Guan asked.

"A city appeared in the anomaly." Duan Shulin lifted the tent flap, allowing Chen Guan to see for himself.

Chen Guan walked out and indeed saw a patch of brilliant blue light in the dark sky. Within that eerie and enchanting blue light, a ghostly blue ancient city floated silently, like a ghost town from the Netherworld.

"Is this a mirage or a real ancient city?" Chen Guan gazed up at the Ghostly Blue City. Under the ghostly blue light, the city seemed like an illusion, yet he could clearly see every detail of the ancient city.

"Could this city be the legendary Celestial Secret Realm..." Cultivators within the camp came out, staring up at the Ghostly Blue City, murmuring among themselves.

"Impossible... This is totally different from the Celestial Secret Realm..."

"Could it be that this is the Secret God’s abode?"

"Does it mean the Secret God is a highly intelligent being like humans?"

Speculations flew around, as no one could definitively explain what was happening. In recorded Secret God’s manifestation anomalies, architectural phenomena like this had never been seen.

Ji Nanhong, Xiu Yingmei, and the two Third Awakening Cultivators in the team had long been observing the Ghostly Blue City within the anomaly.

"Commander Liu, Commander Zhao, have you ever heard of such an anomaly?" Xiu Yingmei asked the two Third Awakening Cultivators.

"Never heard of it," they both shook their heads.

Other factions were also speculating wildly. Even Shang Qingtian had never encountered such a bizarre situation and was closely monitoring the anomaly’s development.

The Ghostly Blue City within the anomaly became increasingly visible under the shroud of blue light, as if pressing down like a looming storm cloud, seemingly about to fall from the sky at any moment.

Someone then clearly saw the three characters "Ghost Gate" carved above the city gate, and those who saw the words couldn’t help but shudder, feeling a chill down their spine.

In folklore and ghost legends, the Ghost Gate is supposed to be where people go after death. Passing through the Ghost Gate means no longer being among the living, with no chance of reincarnation, separated from the living by Yin and Yang forever.