Chapter 957: This Long Qingyue Doesn’t Seem Right

“Oh, please.” Ye Wenxin didn’t fall for it. “You say that every time.”

Changing tactics, Long Qingyue leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Don’t you want that dream from last time to come true? To kiss me all over…?”

Ye Wenxin shook her head hard against the temptation. “Yue’er, stop messing around. You’re not like that, and neither am I.”

“What a shame. I thought it might feel good if it were you.”

Long Qingyue didn’t mind this. If Ye Wenxin were that easy to manipulate, she would have already become her captive long ago. Then, none of these things would have happened, and Long Qingyue wouldn’t have found herself so intrigued by her.

Ye Wenxin felt lingering dread, unaware she had dodged another death flag.

She had honestly never imagined that Long Qingyue could be this seductive. Long Qingyue had always seemed cold and aloof, the type to remain elegant even in bed, showing no passion or flair. But what she showed just now almost evoked a flutter in Ye Wenxin’s heart.

Sadly, Long Qingyue was no harmless grass but a man-eating plant. After reminding herself of this, Ye Wenxin found Long Qingyue looking at her with great interest.

Feeling guilty, she raised her voice. “Yue’er, did you figure out a way?”

Calmly fixing her gaze on the box, Long Qingyue spoke the answer she had prepared. “Yes. In a moment, I will remove the seal. You’ll have ten breaths to destroy the Phoenix Feather Robe.”

Quickly running through possible methods in her mind, Ye Wenxin took out several vials of blood she had previously stored in her bag of holding.

Long Qingyue shook her head. “Those are not enough.”

Ye Wenxin unveiled her blood’s secret. “A drop of my blood could blow up the whole building.”

Long Qingyue’s expression grew sterner as she revealed another bit of information. “You can’t use a lower realm mindset to deal with this Phoenix Feather Robe.”

Ye Wenxin took out a few more vials, coated the umbrella sword with blood, and had Liuli stand by, proving to Long Qingyue how seriously she took this battle.

“According to the Secret Guards’ intel, the robe’s fabric doesn’t belong to this world. It’s likely a product of the upper realm, so be cautious. We still know nothing about that world.”

Long Qingyue shared the information she had obtained. She looked at Ye Wenxin, thinking she would need to explain more. However, Ye Wenxin’s knowing expression indicated she was more informed than Long Qingyue.

Long Qingyue suspiciously asked, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Ye Wenxin considered mentioning a few things about Immortal Lord Taohua when the box suddenly shook violently. It seemed the Phoenix Feather Robe protested against them lingering too long outside.

“Let’s talk after we destroy the robe.” Ye Wenxin took a deep breath, clearing her mind of distractions. Not knowing what might happen next, she needed to stay fully alert.

Long Qingyue nodded. “Then I’ll begin.”

She pointed two fingers at the box. The first layer of seals flew up and vanished into nothing.

Long Qingyue undid the second layer, then the third. With each layer removed, more sweat gathered on her forehead.

As a cultivator, many of Long Qingyue’s human traits had long since faded. Her sweating now indicated how immensely taxing the process was.

Upon reaching the tenth layer, Long Qingyue explained why breaking the seals caused her so much pain. “108 talisman masters worked together to create these seals. My dear brother went to great lengths for me.”

Ye Wenxin suddenly understood. Even if quantity didn’t always equal quality, large numbers still held an advantage, which also told her how terrifying the thing inside this box was.

In the brief time that passed, the sky had already begun to brighten. The Secret Guards had sealed off the entire building and its vicinity. However, they were running short on time.

Long Qingyue quickly got up again, swallowed a few pills, and continued undoing the remaining seals.

……

After the fifteenth and final layer, Long Qingyue could barely stand. “Qingcheng, you’d better get ready.”

On top of the immense energy consumption, there was also the backlash from the tenfold sensitivity curse, making her feel ten times more pain.

Her entire body was sweat-drenched, her graceful curves visible through the thin fabric of her clothes. This disheveled Long Qingyue held a different kind of allure.

Ye Wenxin had no time to appreciate it, though. Upon hearing Long Qingyue’s warning, she tensed up. Long Qingyue recited an incantation, and the final 108 talismans flew up.

A red shape burst out.

Ye Wenxin had already prepared countermeasures. “Liuli, close the door!”

A giant net weaved from silken threads emerged, trapping the escaping Phoenix Feather Robe within its perimeter.

The robe stopped moving and revealed its glorious form, red as flames with deadly allure. One would feel a mysterious force drawing their soul in when their eyes landed on it. Even Ye Wenxin, who never cared much about clothes, suddenly strongly desired to possess the Phoenix Feather Robe.

Seeing Ye Wenxin zoning out, Long Qingyue quickly told her, “Qingcheng, don’t be fooled. It can control people’s emotions.”

Ye Wenxin jolted to attention. The Phoenix Feather Robe immediately realized its attempt had failed. It quivered, and its red feathers ignited, looking like a real phoenix. Wherever it moved, it melted away the silken threads.

So domineering, yet brimming with overwhelming resentment. Ye Wenxin no longer hesitated to hurl the blood vials. But the Phoenix Feather Robe used the wind to deflect the vials right back. Ye Wenxin grabbed Long Qingyue and dodged, but the Treasure Pavilion wasn’t so fortunate. A deafening blast reduced most of the structure to ashes.

“What a beautiful garment.” Long Qingyue looked at the Phoenix Feather Robe, frenzy flickering in her eyes. Unlike when Ye Wenxin had been briefly influenced, Long Qingyue saw the robe’s true value.

It was a heaven-defying divine artifact even more powerful than the Colored Flags. Ye Wenxin knew Long Qingyue wanted to have it immediately after hearing her comment.