# Chapter 374: Palace Wedding Candles
"We need to get out of this damned place as soon as possible!"
"As expected of the Demon Forest, we didn't even see how Third and Fourth died... And there's not a single treasure here, not even a decent stone. I'll never come to this place again in my life!"
"Oh? That's... there seems to be a person over there."
Three men stood before a black-clothed man, each of them exuding the aura of the Earth Xuan Realm.
"Covered in wounds, looks like he's about to die. What a pitiful wretch," said the one in the middle.
"Hmph, this aura is at most Spirit Xuan Realm. Daring to come alone to a place like this—he's practically asking for death."
"Given his state, he won't live much longer anyway. Since we've run into him, heh heh... we might as well send him on his way."
The middle-aged man who spoke revealed a bloodthirsty smile... For people like them who lived on the edge of a knife, killing undoubtedly brought great pleasure. He drew his long blade, let out a sinister laugh, and smashed the flat of the blade toward the black-clothed youth's crown.
Clang!!
The black-clothed youth lying on the ground seemed utterly spent, but somehow, from somewhere, he found the strength to barely block the strike with his own broken, battered blade. The middle-aged man's sword veered off and struck the ground, while the black-clothed youth's broken sword was knocked from his hand.
"Oh ho!" The middle-aged man burst into wild laughter: "Hahahaha! In such a pitiful state, and you still have the strength to resist? I'm being kind by sending you off, yet you don't appreciate it. Heh, let's see how you survive my blade."
With that, he channeled three-tenths of his Profound Force into his arm and thrust his blade straight at the black-clothed youth's heart.
The aura of death suddenly closed in. The black-clothed youth's pupils contracted, and his body instinctively shifted. With a "puff," the blade pierced straight through his right chest.
Blood quickly dyed his entire chest red. The black-clothed youth's body went rigid, and his eyes began to glaze over... He could clearly smell the scent of death...
No...
I can't die... I can't die...
I haven't killed Yun Che yet... I haven't taken revenge...
I can't die... I can't die...
"I... CAN'T... DIE!!!!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
The eyes that were losing focus suddenly burst forth with a ferocious gleam like a wild wolf. From somewhere, strength surged into his body. He suddenly stood up, one hand gripping the middle-aged man's sword-wielding right hand, and the other smashing viciously into the man's chest...
"No one... will kill... me!! AHHHHHH!!!"
Puff!!!!
This should have been a fatal strike. The middle-aged man had been leisurely savoring the black-clothed youth's descent into death, never imagining that he would suddenly leap up. Then, he felt as if a wave of abyssal resentment enveloped him, freezing him in place like an ice tomb. He couldn't move. When he came to his senses, he could no longer feel his own body...
The middle-aged man slowly lowered his head. As his gaze traveled downward, he saw that the black-clothed youth, who should have died under his blade... his fist and half his arm had completely vanished into the man's chest...
"You... you..." The man's eyes bulged as if they would burst, uttering the last sound of his life. Then he slowly fell backward. As his body toppled, the bloodied arm withdrew from his chest... On the man's chest, a huge, bloody hole gushed torrents of blood.
A gust of dark wind blew, carrying a heavy stench of blood. The black-clothed youth was drenched in blood, especially his arm, as if it had just been soaked in a pool of gore. His hair flew wildly in the dark wind, half-covering his demonic face. The long blade still embedded in his chest dripped blood...
The middle-aged man's two companions, at that moment, felt as if they were staring at the legendary demon god of the underworld!
They had killed countless people and ventured into countless dangerous places, their courage far greater than most. But the unimaginably intense resentment, hatred, and malevolence that radiated from him made them feel as if they were trapped in an abyssal ice prison. Every muscle and blood vessel in their bodies trembled in terror. At the same moment, they let out a strange shriek, scrambled away frantically, and fled madly into the distance, soon disappearing into the gloomy gray fog.
Clang!
The long blade was pulled out and fell weakly at his feet. The young man's vision spun, and he crashed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.
I can't die...
I must kill Yun Che... kill Yun Che...
I absolutely... cannot... die...
The last sound in his consciousness faded completely. His body was as broken as a tattered sack. For an ordinary person, he would have been long dead, but he stubbornly held on, refusing to die... And in his left hand, he clutched tightly a pitch-black key, wreathed in eerie gray-black mist. At this moment, the mist suddenly began to swirl chaotically, as if sensing something...
Deep within the gray, hazy fog, a sinister, eerie laughter suddenly rang out, terrifying and bizarre...
"Such heavy resentment, such terrifying obsession... And on his body, there's even an aura that can help me escape my cage... Hahaha... Hahaha... This is the perfect vessel I never even dreamed of! The heavens have finally opened their eyes. After waiting so many years, I can finally regain my freedom... Hahaha... Hahahahaha..."
---
The grand wedding ceremony of Yun Che and Cang Yue filled the entire Cangfeng Imperial City with boundless noise and festivity. The ceremony lasted an entire day. Only when night fully fell did the imperial city and palace finally quiet down.
The stars and moon were hazy, and tonight's moonlight was especially bright, gently caressing the entire palace. Cang Yue had been sitting in the bridal chamber for a long time. Red candles flickered within the room. A sliver of moonlight streamed through the gap in the crimson curtains, illuminating the beautiful woman by the bed. She kept glancing out the window, listening to the sounds outside, asking anxiously and expectantly again and again: "Is it not ready yet? When will he come?"
"Wah, my princess sister, you've asked that more than thirty times now," Xiao Lingxi said, sitting before the red candle, propping her chin on her hands and staring out the window with a troubled expression. "It's quiet outside now. He should be here soon..."
Creak...
At that moment, the tightly shut door was gently pushed open. By the candlelight, the two girls saw the figure entering. Cang Yue's delicate body trembled slightly, then tensed quietly in nervousness and joy.
Beneath his feet was a large red carpet embroidered with dragons and phoenixes amid auspicious clouds. Red silk covered every wall. On the ornate golden candle stand, two large red wedding candles shimmered brilliantly, their golden lacquer carved with soaring dragons and phoenixes. The flickering candlelight illuminated the nearly floor-length golden glazed crystal curtains, filling the room with a hazy, dreamlike splendor. But none of these splendors could compare to the beautiful woman who had been waiting for him. He stopped at the doorway, bathed in the warm, intimate light, gazing at the two most important girls in his life.
Xiao Lingxi stood up, puffing her cheeks. "So slow! You've almost worried your princess wife to death... This is your wedding night. I, the superfluous one, should leave now. You two... you two... you two... Anyway, the rest is up to you."
Her words stumbling, Xiao Lingxi finished speaking without waiting for a reply from Yun Che or Cang Yue, and hurriedly turned to leave.
Yun Che gently grabbed her arm. "Little Aunt, you..."
She pushed his hand away and shook her head irritably. "Ahhh! Today is the big day for you and Princess Sister. Talk about anything else tomorrow! Don't hold me back!"
With that, she ignored Yun Che and ran out.
"..." Yun Che stood there, momentarily stunned, watching Xiao Lingxi leave, at a loss. He could always sense Xiao Lingxi's emotions clearly. He could feel that his Little Aunt's mood right now... seemed somewhat unsettled.
Yun Che walked over to Cang Yue's side and gently removed her phoenix coronet. Immediately, her shy, delicate, and beautiful face appeared before his eyes. Her jade-like, crystalline features were bathed in the glow of the red candles, radiant beyond compare.
Feeling his gaze, Cang Yue shyly lowered her head, a faint pink tinge coloring her cheeks. Yun Che sat down beside her, gently embracing her fragrant shoulders, and said softly, "Senior Sister, I've kept you waiting."
Cang Yue's face flushed crimson, her heart thumping wildly. She said softly, "Husband, are you still calling me... Senior Sister?"
Back when they were both at New Moon Mystic Palace, they indeed should have addressed each other as senior sister and junior brother. But Yun Che had spent less than two days total at New Moon Mystic Palace. The "senior sister" and "junior brother" address afterward had become a habit and a memory.
That single "husband" made Yun Che's whole body tingle. He smiled, looking at Cang Yue, and said gently, "Would you prefer I call you Yue'er, or Xueruo?"
Cang Yue replied softly, "Whatever my husband likes is fine. When a woman marries, she takes her husband as her heaven. As long as my husband likes it, I will like it too."
In the night sky, a patch of thin clouds that had been obscuring the bright moon was blown away by the wind, and the moonlight streaming into the bridal chamber grew even brighter and clearer.
"I often wonder, if I had never met my husband, where would I be now? Would Father Emperor have already passed away? Would the entire imperial clan be engulfed in flames of war, or even fallen into another's hands..." Cang Yue leaned against Yun Che's shoulder, her eyes hazy as mist. "Husband, you are the greatest blessing the heavens have given me in this life. To be able to marry you, I, Cang Yue, have nothing more to wish for in this life."
"Same here," Yun Che said, closing his eyes. "If I had never met Xueruo back then, I might have already died in New Moon City. It was you who brought me to the imperial city, to Cangfeng Mystic Palace, allowing me to represent the imperial family in the ranking battles... and thus meet my biological grandfather, learn of my true origins... and become who I am today. Meeting Xueruo is also the heavens' greatest blessing to me."
As they spoke to each other, the girl's fragrance and the man's breath continually stirred each other's senses and heartstrings. Their bodies drew closer and closer... Finally, Yun Che gently kissed Cang Yue's fragrant lips, and pressed her body down onto the bed. Her heart pounded like a startled deer, thumping wildly. Both her cheeks were flushed crimson. She closed her eyes, her heart timidly welcoming his kiss, letting him suckle her sweet tongue, caress her pearly teeth, and taste the sweet fragrance in her mouth...
Before Cang Yue knew it, her clothes had been peeled away layer by layer. Her full, beautiful, snow-white body lay completely exposed before his eyes. Yun Che gazed at and caressed this flawless jade-like form to his heart's content. Under his touch, Cang Yue let out soft, cooing whimpers—tender, languid murmurs that made the soul melt and the body go numb. Her delicate, snow-white skin gradually flushed a bashful crimson, and her breath grew hot and rapid.
"Ooh..."
With a moan that was both pain and pleasure, their bodies finally joined deeply. Cang Yue tightly embraced the man above her, and from her beautiful eyes, crystalline teardrops silently slid down.