Although the Evil Consort didn’t believe that Yan Zhen had recovered his memories, if Chen Xi came into contact with him, it would be hard to say what might happen.
The Evil Consort didn’t like Chen Xi, but she had to admit that the other woman was exceptionally skilled. Once Chen Xi discovered Yan Zhen’s amnesia, she would quickly realize it was due to the Yellow Springs Water and then develop a corresponding antidote pill.
That would spell disaster.
“Yan’er, you—”
Before the Evil Consort could finish speaking, Yan Zhen revealed his Tiny Fire Seed.
“—Not the Fire Refining Starry Sky, but this.”
The Evil Consort froze, her gaze falling on the Tiny Fire Seed.
“What is this? An Extreme Flame? No, the aura is so weak. It doesn’t feel like an Extreme Flame at all.”
“I don’t know what it is either. I found it deep in my sea of consciousness.”
Yan Zhen briefly explained how he had used the Yellow Springs Water for soul washing and then advanced to the Divine Soul True Realm. The Evil Consort listened, half-believing and half-doubting.
“Yan’er, are you saying that you were able to fuse the Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame entirely thanks to this fire seed?”
“Yeah, it looks so weak, but somehow it tamed the Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame. If Evil Consort Master doesn’t believe me, just watch.”
Yan Zhen summoned the Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame with his other hand. The silver-gray flames faintly formed a vortex shape, distorting the space at their center into folds. Even from a distance, one could feel a certain suction force.
This was the eighth-ranked flame on the Extreme Flame List. Its mere existence interfered with space itself.
However, when Yan Zhen brought the ferocious Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame close to the Tiny Fire Seed, the proud eighth-ranked Extreme Flame suddenly turned as timid as a turtle. It obediently retracted its swirling flames and floated quietly above Yan Zhen’s palm, as if saying—
Don’t see me, don’t see me.
The Evil Consort was stunned.
Even she couldn’t suppress the Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame like this. How could this feeble Tiny Fire Seed make the eighth-ranked Extreme Flame on the Extreme Flame List so terrified?
“Yan’er, are you sure it’s been hiding in your sea of consciousness all this time?”
“Probably.”
The Evil Consort immediately thought this must be something left behind by the Flame Emperor from his previous life, but she didn’t remember him having any other fire seeds besides Extreme Flames.
The Evil Consort and the Jialan Fairy were the last to awaken their memories, and theirs were also the most complete—almost without gaps right up until the eve of the world’s restart.
That was because they were both in the Saint Realm, capable of bearing more memories.
Chen Xi was an exception.
She had sacrificed her Heavenly Mandate, so she had no memories after becoming Emperor.
The other women had fewer memories the lower their cultivation levels, with Yan Meng’er having the least—her past-life recollections ended abruptly just a few days after Yan Zhen’s grand wedding.
Wait—this fire seed couldn’t be the medium the Flame Emperor used to take that final step, could it?
This possibility flashed through her mind, and the Evil Consort’s heart began to pound.
She knew full well that Yan Zhen had restarted the world to change the outcome of Chen Xi’s sacrifice. To do that, he needed to take that final step and defeat the Nether Evil God King. Otherwise, restarting a hundred times would be pointless.
And naturally, he had found the key to that final step before the restart.
A mysterious fire seed, hidden deep in the sea of consciousness, capable of effortlessly suppressing even the Xuan Huang Dual Qi Flame… The more the Evil Consort thought about it, the more convinced she became that her guess was correct.
Thank goodness it wouldn’t dispel the effects of the Yellow Springs Water.
…
The Evil Consort breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as it didn’t restore his memories, nothing else mattered.
“This might be your innate fire seed, Yan’er,” the Evil Consort said casually. “In any case, it’s not a bad thing.”
“It feels very familiar to me, like something I’ve always known,” Yan Zhen said with a grin. “With this, I won’t need to trouble Evil Consort Master for help refining Extreme Flames anymore.”
The Evil Consort paused. She suddenly remembered that Yan Zhen needed “assistance” from his master through dual cultivation to refine Extreme Flames, and she had been quite resistant to it, even making excuses to dodge it before. But now, hearing him say this, she felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart. Almost without thinking, she said,
“Come to This Palace’s embrace, Yan’er.”
“Eh? Oh.”
Yan Zhen nearly forgot his current persona but quickly recovered. He obediently nestled into the Evil Consort’s arms, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and burying his face in the deep valley of her chest, showing an expression of pure bliss.
“Evil Consort Master!”
Their intimate contact left no gaps—skin pressed against skin, body heat flowing between them, even the pulse of their blood mutually perceptible. It instantly filled the void in her heart.
The Evil Consort gently stroked Yan Zhen’s head. Though she felt a twinge of shame and unease, it was overshadowed by satisfaction, curving her lips into a slight smile.
“You saved me back there, Yan’er. You’re truly This Palace’s good disciple. Have you been staying here all along?”
“Mm! Because Evil Consort Master told me to remain in the Consort God Palace to cultivate.”
Hearing this improved her mood even more.
“Good boy~ How would you like This Palace to reward you?”
Yan Zhen blinked, looking shy.
“I… I want to kiss Evil Consort Master. Is that okay?”
The Evil Consort didn’t answer with words. Instead, she lowered her head and offered her dark-red lips.
Yan Zhen thought it would be just a peck, but she clung on, even taking the initiative to deepen it.
Her technique was a bit clumsy, but her actions were bold. As they kissed, her hands lightly caressed his back—a sensation utterly different from before.
At first, she had been a flustered mentor and mother figure, caught off guard by her disciple’s filial piety turning amorous. Now, however, she was starting to take the lead…
When the kiss ended, both their faces were flushed, their eyes hazy.
“Is that enough, Yan’er?”
“E-Enough.”
Yan Zhen wouldn’t dare say it wasn’t—he was already at his limit.
“Really enough?”
“Rea—Mm!”
The Evil Consort kissed him again. Her arms around Yan Zhen slyly moved from his back to the front, expertly toying with his reason and stoking his impulses.
The Evil Consort was utterly enchanted by this sense of control over the Flame Emperor. Seeing his comfortable, contented expression filled her with pride and smugness. She arched her impressive chest forward invitingly.
“Yan’er~”
At her words, clarity flickered in Yan Zhen’s eyes, the reflection of her crimson peaks dancing in his pupils. After a moment’s hesitation, he dove in as if entranced, becoming an obedient baby in her embrace.
The Evil Consort’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her chest tingled unbearably, like ants crawling over it, but Yan Zhen’s adorable, eager manner stirred an impulse in her to give him more—to fulfill his every desire.
—He’s This Palace’s now, and he’ll always be. No one can take him away!
The Evil Consort leaned down and kissed Yan Zhen’s forehead, a faintly sickly smile on her face.
“Good Yan’er, my obedient disciple. You’re the apple of This Palace’s eye. This Palace will always cherish and love you. So, you’ll stay by This Palace’s side forever and ever, never leaving. Right?”
In the midst of his feast, Yan Zhen suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He looked up into the Evil Consort’s deep, black eyes, feeling as if his very soul might be drawn in. It terrified him more than their first meeting.
“Right, Yan’er?”
Yan Zhen’s scalp tingled.
“Uh… sure.”
The Evil Consort finally smiled seductively, her gaze burning with heat as she stared at Yan Zhen, like a female spider eyeing her prey trapped in her web.
Yan Zhen: \(o □ o l|l)/
In her past life.
Imprisoned on the altar by the Primordial Injunction Flame, the Evil Consort one day sensed changes in the outside world. She projected her awareness outward, only to find she was no longer on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
