She moved!

A look of disbelief suddenly appeared in Ling Chen's eyes, followed by a burst of wild joy. It wasn't an illusion; he had seen Xia Yunxin's finger move clearly just now!

"How is this possible?"

Even Hades Supreme saw Xia Yunxin move just now, and he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment before pondering. She had just confirmed her failure, so how could Xia Yunxin suddenly wake up?

This doesn't make sense.

But Ling Chen wasn't paying attention to that at all; his focus was entirely on Xia Yunxin, not caring about the process. Ling Chen only saw the final result, which was Xia Yunxin was about to wake up.

Hades Supreme didn't continue to dwell on this. She came beside Ling Chen and said, "Though the soul is back in place, because it has been separated from the body for a long time, it lacks people's energy within. You need to transfer a breath of human energy to wake her up."

"Transferring human energy? How?"

Ling Chen was a little surprised.

Hades Supreme heard this, and an eerie smile appeared on her flaming red lips. She leaned in close to Ling Chen's face, and with a very close distance, gently blew a breath towards Ling Chen's lips and revealed a seductive smile, "Just like this."

"Understood."

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Ling Chen's face, but it faded in an instant. His gaze fell on Xia Yunxin, then he reached out his hand to pinch Xia Yunxin's chin, slightly parting her cherry lips.

"It's best if it's mouth-to-mouth, with skin contact. That way, she can absorb more of the fleshly essence and wake up faster."

Hades Supreme had a smile that was not quite a smile.

Ling Chen heard this and didn't hesitate anymore. He leaned in, his gaze fixed on Xia Yunxin's beautiful and enticing face, took a deep breath, and pressed his lips against hers.

A clear and refreshing sensation flooded from his lips, soft and sweet. Ling Chen had finished transferring energy, but he didn't expect the kiss to feel so wonderful, making him reluctant to break away.

However, just as he was about to part his lips, suddenly, he felt slick teeth gripping his lower lip, which startled Ling Chen. He opened his eyes, and there he saw Xia Yunxin, who had been asleep, now with her sapphire-like eyes directly fixed on him.

Ling Chen was taken aback and quickly got up, but Xia Yunxin was like a pet cat, stubbornly holding onto his lower lip. As he got up, her body was also pulled up out of the coffin.

After finally breaking free from Xia Yunxin's fierce grip, Ling Chen was both delighted and a little angry—angry because Xia Yunxin made him look so awkward, and delighted that she was truly awake!

"It seems all this is not an illusion; it's really you, Ling... Chen."

Xia Yunxin and Ling Chen locked eyes. She raised her white jade-like hand and gently placed it on Ling Chen's cheek, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of affection, "I never thought I would see you, alive, appearing in my world."

"That statement should come from me."

Ling Chen held Xia Yunxin's jade hand. It turned out she bit him so hard only to confirm he was a living person.

At this moment, Ling Chen felt the whole world quieted and calmed, his heart as serene as still water, all conflicts and hostilities vanished, no longer existing.

Now, he even had the thought of leaving this troubled place with Xia Yunxin, to live in seclusion in the Jianghu, enjoying the landscapes without concern for worldly matters.

"This sleep lasted too long. My lonely soul wandered in the darkness for so long, I almost forgot what you look like."

Xia Yunxin's voice sounded somewhat weak, different from before, perhaps due to being just awakened and her body still frail.

"Don't worry. In the future, I won't let any harm come to you again."

Ling Chen gently stroked Xia Yunxin's glossy black hair. Some things are only known to be precious when they're lost. Ling Chen would not let such a thing happen a second time.

"Okay."

Xia Yunxin softly nodded, then her gaze shifted elsewhere, with a look of surprise on her face, "Where's Miss Xu Ruoyan? Isn't she with you?"

"She... disappeared."

Speaking of Xu Ruoyan, Ling Chen couldn't help but let out a bitter smile, "I failed to protect her."

Since Xu Ruoyan disappeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, it's been two years, and until now, Ling Chen still has no news of Xu Ruoyan, not a single clue.

He truly didn't know where to find Xu Ruoyan or where to start.

Xia Yunxin was one of his unclosed chapters, and Xu Ruoyan was another.

"Miss Xu is blessed; she'll be fine. If fate allows, you'll meet again someday."

Xia Yunxin gently patted Ling Chen's shoulder.

"Ahem..."

Just as Ling Chen was about to ask further, a light cough suddenly came from behind, causing Ling Chen to swallow back the words he was about to say. He suddenly remembered that this was still the territory of the Witch Fiend Sect, and Xia Yunxin's awakening made him excessively emotional, nearly forgetting he was still in a dragon pool and tiger den.

"Congratulations to little friend Ling Chen for reviving your beloved, a broken alliance mended, truly a joyous occasion."

The speaker was unmistakably the Left Guardian of the Witch Fiend Sect, who was now smilingly watching Ling Chen as he walked over.

"According to our agreement, little friend Ling Chen, can you now remove what you did on the Saint's Soul Niche?"

"Certainly."

Ling Chen raised his hand, and a Sword Intent Seed was extracted from the Saint's Soul Niche. When Ling Chen clenched it in his palm, the seed exploded.

Seeing this scene, a hint of joy flashed in the Left Guardian's eyes. Unmoved, he put away the Saint's Soul Niche and then looked at Ling Chen again, smilingly saying, "Little friend Ling Chen truly is a man of his word; I admire you."

"I wonder about what I mentioned before about joining my Witch Fiend Sect; how have you considered it, young friend?"

"Not interested."

Ling Chen shook his head directly, refusing the Left Guardian. Despite betraying the Ling Family, he would never yield to the Witch Fiend Sect.

"Boy, you better consider carefully before deciding."

Before the Left Guardian could speak, the three Elders of the Witch Fiend Sect, Thousand Ghosts Saint, Bone You Insane Saint, and Ghost Spirit Evil Saint, ominously stared at Ling Chen, releasing a sinister aura to intimidate him, evidently intending to use force to coerce him.

As for the Left and Right Guardians of the Witch Fiend Sect, they still wore smiles on their faces, looking harmless, but they did not speak up to stop the others, indicating their tacit consent.

"What's this? Do you all intend to fight until the end?"

Ling Chen placed his right hand on the hilt of the Thunder Sound Sword, having long anticipated this possibility.

"Fight until the end? You're greatly overestimating yourself."

Thousand Ghosts Saint's lips curled into a cold smile, and with three whistling sounds, the three Elders of the Witch Fiend Sect, Thousand Ghosts Saint, Bone You Insane Saint, and Ghost Spirit Evil Saint, charged toward Ling Chen, unleashing a wailing sinister wind that enveloped Ling Chen and Xia Yunxin.

The combined might of the three Saints was astonishingly strong; even if a Saint were here, as long as their cultivation hadn't surpassed the Third Level, they likely couldn't withstand this shocking assault.

"Emperor Master, please lend me your strength!"

With Ling Chen's current cultivation, naturally, he couldn't contend against three genuine Saints. His swordsmanship was strong, but his power insufficient. Even if he could break their Protective True Qi, he likely couldn't penetrate their Saint Bodies.

The strength of a Saint Body is far superior to ordinary Sky Apex Realm strong individuals, even ten or dozens of times that of Half-Saint powerhouses.

"This power again!"

Hades Supreme knew Ling Chen housed a formidable power within, having utilized it last time to fend off the chasing Elder Supreme of the Ling Family during their escape from Yanjing City.

The Heavenly Mansion Ring suddenly burst with dazzling golden radiance, Ling Chen's aura rapidly surged, briefly breaking into the Saint level, reaching a startling height.

This aura, even the combined strength of Thousand Ghosts Saint, Bone You Insane Saint, and Ghost Spirit Evil Saint was far inferior!

The cold and sinister storm was completely repelled ten meters around Ling Chen by the Sword Momentum, unable to harm him in the slightest.

"So there's this kind of trump card, no wonder you're so fearless."

An insightful gleam flashed in the Left Guardian's eyes, followed by a strange curve to his lips. He suddenly injected True Qi into the Saint's Soul Niche, which then flew out under his control and abruptly stopped above Ling Chen's head!

Ling Chen was astounded, and just as he was on guard, a terrifying suction force suddenly released from the Saint's Soul Niche, engulfing Ling Chen's body.

Golden light quickly drained under this intense extraction, absorbed by the Saint's Soul Niche. Ling Chen was shocked that it wasn't absorbing his power, but the Emperor's power!

"Ling Chen, this Saint's Soul Niche has a restraining effect on my transformation. I must retract the power, or we both will be doomed!"

The Emperor's voice suddenly echoed in Ling Chen's mind.

"What?"

Before Ling Chen could react, the Emperor's power had already entirely retracted, and his aura directly fell back to the Fifth Level of Sky Apex Realm.

The offensive of Thousand Ghosts Saint, Bone You Insane Saint, and Ghost Spirit Evil Saint immediately enveloped Ling Chen. They did not directly kill him but used pressure to suppress Ling Chen, making him entirely immobile.