Profound Veins

Earlier, Hong Chen was not too bothered by the fact that Chu Yueli and Xia Qingyue could return and see him murder Yun Che, Xiao Lingxi and a few of the unlucky Xiao family disciples who were too close to his roar like scream as when Xia Qingyue was leaving, he used [Legilimency] on her and found out that Chu Yueli was taking her to the Xia Family compound and would take away her brother and her father away for a day, and return the day after to check the Floating Cloud City.

This confirmation was all he needed to quickly go and steal from Yun Che.

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In the cave of a poor Nascent Profound Realm bear, in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range, Hong Chen was using [Divination].

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Hong Chen saw something incredible in this vision! Making sure to not miss anything, he paid great attention to it, which soon ended with a bang.

'I actually saw my death…'

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Since neither Hong Chen wait for Yun Che to give Xia Qingyue [Heavenly God's Spiritual Veins] under the pretense of "releasing cold", which spans over several days, nor he waited for the arc of Xiao Kuangyun to come to the Xiao clan.

He was way ahead of the schedule and the 5 People of the Spirit Profound Realm have yet to arrive to fight the dragon.

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Jasmine was cold. She was really really cold and knew that she was about to die; but before she perishes completely, a ruthless person like her decided to explode her Divine origin, and incinerate everything and everyone who was chasing her but then she suddenly felt a warm feeling engulf her soul.

She was startled! The [Absolute God Slaying Poison] which she was suppressing suddenly started to very slowly dilute and fade away which shocked her greatly!

Only one treasure in the world could solve the [Absolute God Slaying Poison], and that was [Sky Poison Pearl]! The pearl had appeared 1300 years ago in the God Realm and had started a war which claimed many gods.

She immediately opened her eyes and tried to see where she was, only to find that she was in a nigh-infinite space with green-colored atmosphere all around.

She immediately guessed that she was inside the [Sky Poison Pearl], and soon saw a bed beside her.

She very slowly and weakly got up from the ground and went to the bed, which was very comfortable and sighed in comfort.

"That's a pretty dress." She said out loud as she looked at the red dress laid upon the edge of the bed, and only then it struck her, that this was probably put here for her, and she was naked!

With a jolt, she slipped inside of the dress and covered her body with the thick blanket in embarrassment and tried to send her spiritual sense outside of the [Sky Poison Pearl], but no matter how hard she tried, the Pearl was blocking her from snooping out.

'Maybe I need to rest for a while. I am too drained' She thought before she laid comfortably on the bed and closed her eyes.

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Before going to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range, Hong Chen had first gone to the outskirts of the Floating Cloud City and searched the entire night, exhausting his spiritual senses to find the [Purple Veined Divine Crystal] mine which had 50 Kilograms worth of crystal.

This was one of the requirements Jasmine had asked of Yun Che in the original work, and after an entire night of careful mining with his purple lightning which took the shape of an axe, he collected all the crystals in his system storage and went to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range.

Since he had refined the [Sky Poison Pearl], he had complete control over it, and could instantly see when Jasmine woke up, mused on her situation, and saw her going back to sleep after wearing the dress he had prepared for her.

He wanted to see if she really couldn't send her senses outside of the pearl, and when he saw her fail, he got happy.

'I need to weave a web of some really outrageous lie to get her to help me. I am not Yun Che and I don't look like her brother. On top of that I absolutely hate the greatsword which is used by her brother and Yun Che.

What is with these protagonists and their greatswords anyway? What are they compensating?

Well, Let's not waste any more time'

Hong Chen first took out one blade of [Star Concealing Grass] and directly used the [Sky Poison Pearl] to refine it into a [Star Concealing Pill], which can make someone completely invisible not only on the outside, but vanish their spiritual presence, breadth and smell as well, and that too for 3 whole hours.

If Gu Yuan had seen him refine a herb into such a miraculous pill without any cauldron or fire and that too with one hand only, Hong Chen didn't know what reaction he would get.

Still, after he refined the pill, he put it into his spatial ring and then took out a few gold coins from this world.

He first studied the shape of them carefully, and then he took out a few thousand gold coins from the Battle Through The Heavens world and instantly started changing the shape and inscribing on them.

Being a Young Master meant he had gold coins for days, and after robbing a small mountain pile of gold coins from the cave he got his wings from, he had even more coins.

He needed to rent an inn first and then admit himself into the New Moon Profound Palace for two things.

One was because he wanted to use Cang Yue to get into the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament and use her as her status as a Princess to swindle their treasures but he also needed to go there to salvage Xia Yuanba.

He would be a fool to not salvage veins like [Tyrannical Emperor's Divine Veins].

Seeing that all the gold coins were changed to become a currency here, Hong Chen put them away and started walking outside of the cave.

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It took 3 days for Hong Chen to find the signboard and then the cave of the dragon which was guarding the [Evil God's Fire Seed].

The True Dragon was sleeping peacefully in its cave in the warmth of the fire seed while dreaming of one day transforming into a human and enjoying human beauties.

He was an Emperor Profound Realm beast with wisdom and had unshakable authority in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range.

Hong Chen entered the dragon cave after taking the [Star Concealing Pill] and soon saw a large red-coloured Wyvern and couldn't help but show disdain in his eyes.

This dragon was only a mere Emperor Profound Realm beast and if he were to compare it to the Battle Through the Heavens world, then this dragon was at the Dou Emperor level and could go toe-to-toe with the Rank 6 Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.

Hong Chen had 2 scrolls with attack powers which reached Dou Ancestor and could easily kill this beast.

But he wouldn't waste such a precious scroll on trash like this.

He didn't take the [Fire Spirit Grass], as that was not only useless to him after swallowing the [Evil God's Fire Seed], but it would also alert the sleeping dragon prematurely.

Carefully searching for only a few minutes rewarded Hong Chen as he found the Fire Seed just inches away from the dragon.

Without wasting any time, he immediately sucked the Fire Seed in his system storage and used [Apparition] 3 times consecutively to escape from the True Dragon's cave.

The Crystal dragon immediately opened his eyes when the warmth coming from the fire seed vanished and he frantically started searching for intruders in his cave and roared at the top of his lungs before rushing out of his cave and spreading his spiritual senses to search for the thief.

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Hong Chen was exhausted after such a forceful use of [Apparition] and immediately took a few pills to recharge his Dou Qi reserves, as he kept walking towards the New Moon City.

After arriving at the New Moon City, Hong Chen immediately found an inn and booked a room for the night.

He closed all the windows and used a privacy enchantment on the door before going to the bathroom and taking a long warm bath.

It was not that he was dirty, but his mental fatigue was piling up.

He always had a hundred things on his mind and is constantly trying to gain power in any way he can.

He felt that he was always on his toes and after watching himself die in his divination, he immediately changed all his plans.

In the Divination, He saw a doll which was eerily familiar to himself get snapped in half with an ice pick.

Divinations are many a times symbolic and don't show the exact picture and also have a very low chance of being true, but his Divination was in the realm of peak perfection.

He was also purposely avoiding evolving this art as it could only be evolved into one of the two branches which he didn't like.

Realizing that rushing through the world of Against the Gods could get him killed, he changed his approach and decided to take things slow.

"Well…Now let's have a conversation."

Hong Chen wore a loose bathrobe after taking the shower as his wet hair was all over his face.

He went and sat on the bed and closed his eyes after which a green-coloured fluctuation appeared in front of him and Jasmine's soul body just fell on top of him.

"Wha-...What! You could've given me a warning before ejecting me like that you stupid idiot! Do you know who this highness is!"

Jasmine always wears a cold and indifferent front and is very ruthless. But deep down she hides a deep pain that she doesn't want anyone to know about; as seen when she broke down and cried in front of Yun Che, who happened to resemble her dead brother.

Even though she always looks and says stuff that an elder would say to a junior, she has an innocent side which was seen when Yun Che always goes after beautiful women, or on a couple of occasions when she watches Yun Che make love and she will start to berate him for being a pervert and lecher.

Looking at the wildly handsome face of Hong Chen, Jasmine was stunned! She couldn't believe that there was someone more handsome than her brother, but this guy, who just appeared to be in the Spirit Profound Realm was really the most pleasing to her eyes.

A slight blush crept up on Jasmine's face when she saw that he had just taken a bath and didn't even dry his hair, and she was actually just mere inches away from him on the bed.

"You Pervert! You want to take this princess's virginity? Move on! I will show you what happens to those who mess with me."

Jasmine wanted to test this person in front of her as since the moment he ejected her from the [Sky Poison Pearl], he has kept his mouth shut and just stared at her with a blank face.

His eyes had no emotion in them as if he was completely and utterly dead inside.

She summoned the power of Emperor Profound Realm and pretended to attack him, but what shocked her was that he not only never flinched at her supposed attack, but also never summoned his profound strength to save himself.

When a blade made from Jasmine's profound strength was about to separate Hong Chen's head, she stopped and observed him.

"Are you not afraid of death..?" She asked with a bewildered expression.

Hong Chen before summoning her had studied the memories of how to deal with someone who was "Tsundere" and after reading the Against The Gods Novel, he completely understood her character.

He had acted this scene a lot before finally trying it, and even then he kept his backup options opened.

"Death would be a very welcomed relief" He responded to Jasmine his as eyes seemed to stare into the distance and his breath slowed down.

Jasmine was stunned at his words.

She could feel the sadness in his voice and the way he spoke, it was as if he had suffered too much!

"Why would you say that!?"

Suddenly, he jolted and seemed to be coming out of a trance and started to act tough.

"Who are you!? And why the hell do you have [Absolute God Slaying Poison] in you? Your physical body is completely destroyed! It is such a co-incidence that I was there or you would've died!

How careless can you be?"

Hong Chen clutched Jasmine's shoulders while shouting at her, as if an adult is reprimanding a child. She felt a little happy in her heart at his words and the situation where someone who is only in a Spirit Profound Realm is reprimanding the Crown Princess of the Star God Realm seemed really funny to her.

She started laughing at this and fell on her back as she continued to laugh on the bed.

"You!..Alright, Laugh all you want. I don't know where you have come from.

[Absolute God Slaying Poison] destroyed your body yet you still survived, Can show Emperor Profound realm strength after awakening for the first time. Could it be that you are from the Realm of Gods?"

Hearing the term "Realm of Gods" instantly caused Jasmine to get up and stare at him seriously.

"You have the [Sky Poison Pearl] and yet you are alive, you are only a Spirit Profound Realm person and yet you are not afraid of Emperor Profound Relam strength. You don't seem to fear death and you know about the Realm of Gods. Who are you?"

Jasmine also wanted to add that 'You have a deep sadness looming in your eyes' but she held back.

Hong Chen first took a deep breathe while closing his eyes, and then sighed while shaking his head.

'He slowly opened his eyes and saw Jasmine who was eagerly waiting for his reply while observing his every small movement and emotional fluctuation.

"What a troublesome kid….I am Hong Chen. You can call me Senior Brother Chen or simply Brother Chen. Now for your introductions please?"

"Jasmine" she said.

'She won't tell me her real name, eh?' He thought.

"Well, Jasmine. Do you have anyone I can contact to help you?" Hong Chen asked sincerely which moved her heart.

'He is so Naive…Just like my brother. He was also so innocent and got killed by that bitc#?'

"I have but they will kill you for your [Sky Poison Pearl]" She responded as she again focused on his face to see his reaction.

"Well then tell me. I'll help you out." He said as beckoned her to continue.

"Didn't you hear me? I said they will KILL you for your [Sky Poison Pear]! You still want to meet th-"

"Being a Doctor I know how much the [Absolute God Slaying Poison] hurts. You are but a child of no more than 13-14 years old and are experiencing this excruciating pain!

If I only depend on my power, then it would take me atleast 5 years to collect the necessary 3-4 Profound Beast Cores of at least Tyrant Profound realm beasts, and a [Netherworld Udumbara Flower]. Although I have the necessary amount of [Purple Veined Divine Crystal], but the previous 2 items alone will take me years, and I simply cannot see you suffering that excruciating pain with smile…not again."

Jasmine paid great attention to Hong Chen's words and when he said 'not-again' in the last as his voice hitched, she confirmed that he must have lost someone truly dear to him and has now lost the will to live.

She was also deeply touched by his words, as he took charge of her condition and took it upon himself without even her asking it of him.

There was also a great amount of shock when she heard him say the names of the exact materials she needed to recover and this confirmed her suspicion that this incredibly handsome young man must not be from this backwater country.

There were some doubts in her heart of where such a person could appear but she knew that she would know that in time, and based on her first impression of his, he seemed really capable of helping her after all.

"Just…Just promise to help me recover and there is no need for anything else." Replied Jasmine with a slight smile.

"Stupid Child! Just tell me the way to contact your family. I may not be able to cultivate to higher realm to help you! I have no profound entrances opened and my veins were destroyed as well." Said Hong Chen in visible irritation to which Jasmine immediately scanned his body and found that he really didn't have any profound entrances opened or spiritual veins.

Cultivation in the world of Against the Gods and Battle through the Heavens were extremely different.

While the former required Spiritual veins and profound entrances to cultivate, the latter only required a good Dou Qi mantra.

Hong Chen could have forcefully opened all his profound entrances earlier with the [Sky Poison Pearl], but he didn't as there was no benefit in doing that earlier and he also wanted to do this great act in front of Jasmine.

Jasmine was truly shocked and angry when she scanned Hong Chen's body.

She had a good impression of Hong Chen and she also thought about accepting him as a disciple. Thinking in her head as the person who is calling her 'Child' would have to call her 'Master' really gave her a chuckle and she was looking forward to it.

And Hence, an unknown anger rose in her heart for the people who had destroyed Hong Chen's veins.

'Just what the hell happened in your past!' She thought as her interest in knowing about Hong Chen simply took precedence over everything.

"Hmm, I can see that you really do not have any spiritual veins. Well too bad for you, I have a spare one; So don't think about dying and getting rid of this princess that easily! This princess has decided that you will help me recover."

Jasmine's petite figure stood up on the bed and said it in a tone of an elder talking to a child, but her figure of only 4'9" made the scene too funny.

A bizarre expression appeared on Hong Chen's face as he instantly refused!

"NO! If you have someone who can help you, why would you want to suffer for so long!"

"When i said you will be the only one to help me, then I MEAN that YOU will be the ONLY one who will help me!"

Hong Chen started getting up from the bed as if dismissing her and this made Jasmine instantly lunge at him at his back and started clutching his neck.

"Where are you going. When this princess has decided, no one can refuse. Just accept these spiritual veins!"

"I said no! I will not be accepting anything from you-"

Before Hong Chen could continue, Jasmine used her power and made Hong Chen fall back on the bed, after which she climbed on top of him and instantly summoned the blob of [Immortal Blood of the Evil God] at the tips of her fingers and pushed it into Hong Chen through his chest, which was already disrobed from the earlier struggle.

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[Immortal Blood of the Evil God]

[[Immortal Blood of the Evil God which can grant the Profound Veins of the Evil God]

[Evolve: Locked] [Use] [Salvage]

'Use'

Pain…An immeasurable amount of pain that Hong Chen had never suffered in his entire life was coming from every part of his body.

Jasmine looked at the disrobed chest of Hong Chen and instantly blushed but seeing his face contort in pain brought a strange sadness in her heart.

'This will be your reward for saving me…and your initiation gift from me as your master' She thought as she put a pillow under Hong Chen's head and started waiting at the side.

Acquiring a new spiritual veins is often done at the start of the cultivation as it destroys all the cultivation you have achieved, but Hong Chen didn't have this problem, as he checked with system before accepting it and it confirmed that if he accepts anything through his Divine Artefact 'Salvation', he can ignore most of the side-effects.

Even if there was a risk of losing his cultivation, Hong Chen knew that it was worth it, and hence without any hesitation, he used the [Immortal Blood of the Evil God].

Jasmine was observing Hong Chen's vitals but she was just getting more and more shocked! Not only Hong Chen's cultivation was not disappearing like it should, but it climbed a level instead.

She could accurately detect from his fluctuating Profound Strength that he was in the 3rd-Rank of the Spirit Profound Realm and it dumbfounded her.

All the knowledge of her 40,000 years old teacher Tumi who was in the Divine Master Realm came to her mind and she felt that his teachings might've been useless.

The reason she herself didn't use the [Immortal Blood of the Evil God] was becasue she just can't lose her cultivation and start from scratch but since Hong Chen literally was at the start, she didn't feel guilty about destroying his cultivation. But instead of what she was expecting, it actually rose by one level.

What was going on? Who is this guy?

The curiosity in Jasmine's heart was evident as she looked at Hong Chen with almost crazy obsessive eyes.