"Father has been in such a foul mood these days, unhappy no matter what he does. I hope these news will bring a smile back to his face. I need to tell him right away." Xue Yue's face was bright with excitement.
Yang Kai looked at her with some surprise and asked doubtfully, "If I remember correctly, you used to despise President Ai'Ou. How come you're so concerned about him now?"
Xue Yue smiled. "That was before. I hated him because I had to maintain this image at all times — I couldn't show my true face, couldn't live the way I wanted. But now things are different. There's someone in this world who knows the real me and can look at me with normal eyes. That's more than enough. Besides, everything he did was to protect me. He's my father. I have no reason to hate him."
As she said this, Xue Yue smiled sweetly, as if all the misfortune that had been forced upon her for so many years had completely dissipated with Yang Kai's appearance.
Yang Kai remembered that she had once said in the Land of Loss, as long as there was one person in this world who could treat her like an ordinary woman, she would be content.
Yang Kai was moved. He suddenly realized that the stunning beauty before him, disguised as a man, asked for so very little.
"What exactly happened to President Ai'Ou?" Yang Kai asked.
Xue Yue's expression darkened, and she said quietly, "It's about my stepmother..."
"Stepmother..." Yang Kai was startled, but quickly realized — it must be President Ai'Ou's current wife.
Xue Yue's mother had passed away long ago, so it was only natural for her to address Ai'Ou's current wife that way.
Xue Yue smiled bitterly. "My father may be a tyrant who rules over his domain, but when it comes to matters of the heart, he has always been extremely devoted. Especially toward my stepmother — he cherishes her deeply. She is the woman he loves most. A year ago, while my stepmother was in seclusion attempting to break through to the Void King Realm, something went wrong. She suffered a Qi Deviation. Her meridians shattered, and she nearly died on the spot. Father used his immense power to suppress the crisis at that moment, but he still couldn't bring my stepmother out completely unscathed. After that incident, she fell into a coma and has been on the verge of death ever since. For this whole year, Father has been trying every possible method to awaken her, but none have succeeded."
"A Qi Deviation during a breakthrough to the Void King Realm..." Yang Kai was alarmed, realizing the severity of the situation.
For a Return to Void Stage Three martial artist to suffer a deviation at such a critical juncture — death would have been almost certain. The fact that Xue Yue's stepmother hadn't died on the spot was entirely thanks to Ai'Ou's formidable strength.
The president of the Hengluo Chamber of Commerce was a seasoned two-layer Void King Realm powerhouse.
"At that time, my stepmother's body was already severely damaged — it was by all accounts a hopeless case. But Father used a heaven-defying treasure to forcibly pull her back from the gates of hell, sustaining her life force. Six months ago, he used another divine treasure to repair her body."
As she spoke, Xue Yue kept her eyes on Yang Kai. Though she didn't specify exactly what Ai'Ou had used, Yang Kai knew — there were only a handful of treasures in the world capable of bringing the dead back to life.
Undying Elixir was one of them!
Back in the Land of Loss, the Tree of Undying Life had produced a total of three drops of Undying Elixir. The three Void King Realm experts present had divided them among themselves — one drop went to Ni Guang, one to Zi Long, and the Ghost Ancestor couldn't obtain the last.
In the end, Yang Kai had taken the entire Tree of Undying Life, and that final drop had also been given to the Ghost Ancestor.
The drop that Zi Long had received was the one Yang Kai had kept.
The divine treasure that President Ai'Ou had used half a year ago — it was undoubtedly Undying Elixir.
Undying Elixir could regrow flesh over bone and revive the dead. It was the most precious healing elixir in the world, coveted even by three-layer Void King Realm cultivators. Carrying a drop of Undying Elixir was like carrying an extra life. That Ai'Ou had administered it to Xue Yue's stepmother without a moment's hesitation spoke volumes about the depth of his feelings.
"My stepmother's life was saved, but there were still no signs of her waking up. As time went on, Father brought in many alchemy masters to examine her. He studied her condition thoroughly himself as well, and eventually reached one conclusion — my stepmother's soul had sustained permanent damage. Unless a Void King-level pill capable of mending the soul could be refined, there would be absolutely no chance of her waking. And even... even if such a pill were refined, the chances of her revival would still be slim. These past few days, Father has practically exhausted himself worrying about my stepmother. Watching him... it's been very hard for me too."
Yang Kai listened in silence, slowly piecing together the full picture. Then he asked in a low voice, "Did those alchemy masters say what kind of pill would need to be refined for it to be effective?"
"The Primordial Soul-Refining Pill!" Xue Yue said gravely.
Yang Kai considered briefly, then understood what materials this pill would require and what effects it would produce — the formula for the Primordial Soul-Refining Pill was recorded in the True Compendium of Alchemy. He couldn't help but remark, "That's an ancient pill formula. The Hengluo Chamber of Commerce truly has no shortage of talent — even something like this is within your knowledge."
Had he not stumbled upon the True Compendium of Alchemy in the Emperor's Garden, he himself would never have learned so many ancient pill formulas. Yet the Hengluo Chamber of Commerce had people who knew of them — worthy of being one of the three great powers of the Star Domain. Their reserves were nothing short of extraordinary.
"You know about it too?" Xue Yue stared at Yang Kai in surprise, then her beautiful eyes lit up. "Oh, right — you're an alchemist!"
Years ago, when she had been comatose from the erosion of the Black Yin Water, it was precisely Yang Kai who had refined a pill with a Pill Cloud that saved her. All these years, while she had devoted herself heart and soul to Yang Kai, she had been consumed with the struggle of finding him and figuring out how to confess her feelings — she had completely forgotten his other identity.