Chapter 257: Turns and Twists!

The moment Chen Xuan stepped into the room, the alluring scene he had expected to see didn’t unfold.

What awaited him wasn’t a beautiful, naked woman beckoning him closer with a seductive expression.

Instead, it was a hall filled with broken skeletons.

Countless bones were scattered across the ground, some piled together while others lay isolated beneath the dim light of the torches on the walls.

The atmosphere was completely different from what he had expected.

Ye Ziyue stood on top of the pile of bones, staring at him with an indifferent expression.

There was no trace of the seductive charm she had displayed outside. She now looked dangerous, like a monster that had shed off its disguise in front of its prey.

The instant Chen Xuan’s second foot landed in the hall, the door behind him suddenly closed.

Click!

A locking sound echoed through the room.

At almost the same time, patterns squirmed along the floor. A massive hidden array was activated.

Gray light spread across the walls and ceiling, forming an invisible barrier that completely sealed the room.

Not only did it prevent anyone from leaving, but it also concealed all sounds from within.

Chen Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Clearly, Ye Ziyue had prepared this place long ago.

However, he wasn’t given enough time to think about what that meant.

Ye Ziyue gave him no opportunity to ask questions.

Without the slightest hesitation, she suddenly attacked.

Her beautiful face twisted into a hideous expression. Her mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth.

A long, tentacle-like tongue writhed inside her mouth, making her appearance even more terrifying.

At the same time, dense Death Qi erupted from her body.

It gathered into a giant gray hand that descended toward Chen Xuan with terrifying momentum.

Chen Xuan was slightly surprised.

He had previously seen that Ye Ziyue was only at the peak of the Core Formation realm.

Now, however, her aura had surged to the Nascent Soul realm.

Obviously, she had been hiding her true strength.

As for how she had managed to do this…

Chen Xuan’s gaze swept across the countless bones scattered throughout the hall. He strongly suspected that they were related to her sudden increase in strength.

Of course, he had no time to investigate the matter further.

Faced with the incoming attack, Chen Xuan didn’t unleash his full strength.

Instead, he deliberately suppressed himself and barely revealed a momentum at the Nascent Soul realm as well.

With a thought, azure flames suddenly materialized in front of him.

The flames quickly condensed into a massive fireball before shooting toward the descending Death Qi hand.

Underworld Flames. One of the Heavenly Fires Chen Xuan had obtained in the past was finally revealing itself once again.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion reverberated throughout the hall.

A confrontation between two Nascent Soul cultivators should have been enough to destroy the entire palace, much less a single room.

Yet before the terrifying aftermath could spread, the formation covering the room suddenly lit up.

Gray light flashed across the walls. The destructive force was forcibly restrained and suppressed within the hall.

Even so, Ye Ziyue was stunned.

She stared at the Death Qi that was being rapidly devoured by the azure flames. The Underworld Flames continued burning without the slightest sign of weakening.

A strange expression appeared in her eyes.

Then she spoke.

“I didn’t expect that you were hiding yourself so deeply.”

“It seems that you’re an enemy of my father.”

Her expression became increasingly excited.

“Sure enough, it’s no wonder you caused my Netherworld Sutra to activate on its own.”

“I can feel it…” Ye Ziyue slowly licked her lips.

“As long as I devour you whole, I should be able to break through again!”

The moment her voice fell, Ye Ziyue sprang into action.

She slammed one foot against the ground.

Her body instantly shot forward.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared directly in front of Chen Xuan.

Her slender, elegant hand reached out.

At the same time, her black nails suddenly grew longer, becoming sharp enough to resemble swords.

She brought them down toward Chen Xuan’s face, seemingly intending to tear it apart.

But that wasn’t her only attack.

Her long black hair also began to move violently.

It twisted and writhed behind her like a swarm of living snakes.

Hiss!

A shrill sound echoed throughout the hall.

Hundreds of strands of hair suddenly expanded, transforming into terrifying serpents that pounced toward Chen Xuan from every direction.

Each one possessed power at the peak of Core Formation.

When hundreds of them attacked simultaneously, even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would have to retreat.

Combined with Ye Ziyue’s own attack, it was obvious that her true combat power was far greater than what her aura alone suggested.

An ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator would immediately find themselves at a disadvantage against her.

Yet Chen Xuan showed no trace of panic. If anything, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that his previous guess had been wrong.

Ye Ziyue hadn’t discovered his identity as a human. Instead, her strange technique had reacted to him for some other reason.

Although this still carried certain dangers, it was at least much better than the alternative.

“You dare to distract yourself while facing me?”

“You’re seeking death!” Ye Ziyue’s voice snapped Chen Xuan back to reality.

By now, her attacks were only inches away from his face.

Her terrifying expression, combined with her bloodthirsty gaze and rows of sharp teeth, made the scene look like something straight out of a horror story.

However, Chen Xuan’s eyes remained completely calm. There wasn’t even the slightest ripple in them.

He had already obtained the information he needed.

There was no longer any reason to continue playing around.

He wasn’t planning to hold back anymore.

Chen Xuan didn’t use any spells. He didn’t even rely on his physical strength.

Instead, he simply allowed the Spiritual Energy within his body to surge.

A two-sided pattern slowly appeared on his forehead.

The instant it emerged, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.

It spread throughout the entire hall.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though time itself had stopped.

The incoming claws froze in midair, while the hundreds of bloodthirsty serpents stopped moving as well.

Even Ye Ziyue’s expression froze.

Her face still retained that terrifying appearance, but her eyes were filled with disbelief.

Then—

Bang!

The hundreds of snakes exploded simultaneously.

At almost the exact same moment, Ye Ziyue’s entire arm exploded as well.

“Aggh!” An agonizing scream rang through the hall.

Ye Ziyue’s body was thrown backward before crashing heavily onto the ground.

She managed to catch herself with one knee, barely preventing herself from collapsing completely.

Her remaining hand immediately grabbed her missing shoulder, desperately trying to stop the blood from flowing out.

Her entire body trembled violently.

The terrifying appearance from before gradually disappeared.

Her face returned to its original beautiful form, although it had become deathly pale and was covered in cold sweat.

“You… You…”

Ye Ziyue struggled to raise her head. The taste of blood filled her mouth.

“Who are you?”

Chen Xuan didn’t respond.

He had never possessed the habit of explaining himself to his enemies. Even if that enemy happened to be a beautiful woman.

His expression remained completely indifferent as he raised one hand.

Spiritual Energy gathered around his palm.

The pressure alone was enough to make Ye Ziyue’s expression change.

“Wait…”

“Wait!”

Seeing that Chen Xuan was about to attack again, panic finally appeared in her eyes.

“Don’t—Don’t kill me! I can be useful to you!”

“Aren’t you plotting against my father? I can help you!”

“Please… Please spare my life!”

Hearing those words, Chen Xuan’s expression became slightly strange.

From previous experiences, he had originally thought Ye Ziyue would mention her mysterious Master and try to use that person’s strength to intimidate him.

Instead, she had chosen a much more practical approach.

She clearly understood that Chen Xuan might not care about the strength of her Master. Rather than relying on someone else, she directly tried to demonstrate her own value.

Indeed, seeing that Chen Xuan hadn’t attacked immediately, Ye Ziyue hurriedly continued.

“I… I can become your servant!”

“I’ve never been touched by another man before! I’m pure!”

“As long as you spare my life, everything I have, including me, will be yours!”

As she spoke, Ye Ziyue struggled to straighten herself.

Her purple dress shifted slightly, revealing her deep cleavage and a glimpse of her alluring figure.

She deliberately displayed her greatest advantages, hoping that Chen Xuan would reconsider.

Unfortunately…

“There is no need. You can go die.” Chen Xuan spoke calmly.

He raised his hand and struck out.

A brilliant sword beam flashed through the air.

In an instant, it appeared directly in front of Ye Ziyue’s neck, aiming to decapitate her.

Given Chen Xuan’s current strength, even a casual attack could threaten Soul Formation experts.

Against a weakened Nascent Soul cultivator like Ye Ziyue, the outcome should have been absolute.

Her fate seemed sealed.

But just then—

Chen Xuan’s eyes suddenly shrank. A sharp sense of danger erupted within his heart.

Without consciously thinking about it, his body moved. He took several steps backward, rapidly opening the distance between himself and Ye Ziyue.

Bang!

The sword beam that was about to land suddenly paused, as though it was meeting an invisible wall.

Then, it was directly extinguished, erased from existence.

It was not because Chen Xuan was planning to show mercy.

Rather, it was because something was awakening within Ye Ziyue’s body.wis