Chapter 1084: Life and Death Moment

"Jian Yanyou?" Zu An rubbed his eyes. He had to check multiple times from the background to confirm he hadn't misread it; it was indeed Jian Yanyou.

How was that possible?

Wasn't he dead?

Yu Yanluo was also utterly shocked, mumbling, "Yanyou?"

She had clearly recognized his voice, but she couldn't believe it.

"Let's go out and see," said Zu An. He was completely bewildered and wanted to find out what was happening.

Yu Yanluo was just as curious and naturally didn't refuse.

Although most of the poison had been cleared from her system, moving in the water was not as effortless for her as it was for Zu An, who possessed the Azure Drake. So, he supported her as they ascended to the surface.

Soon, they burst out of the water and onto the shore, where the sight before them startled them both.

The enormous block of solid ice that had been on the ground was gone, leaving only scattered fragments.

A figure stood in the center, staring intently in the direction of the pool.

Having used the Thousand Faces technique constantly these past few days, Zu An was intimately familiar with that face. It was none other than Jian Yanyou!

Meanwhile, Jian Taiding sat in a corner as if stunned, gazing at his elder brother's figure, his jaw dropped almost to the ground.

Jian Taiding could never have imagined that his "mourning" had actually brought his elder brother back to life.

Who am I, and where am I?

Too many unbelievable things had happened today; he still felt as though he were dreaming.

"Yanyou, you're alive?" Seeing the man's face clearly, Yu Yanluo was filled with both shock and joy. Although he was her husband in name, he was her longtime friend in reality. How could she not be emotional upon seeing her friend resurrected?

She started to go over and greet him, but Zu An stopped her, sending a spiritual message: "Be careful, he looks...off."

Yu Yanluo paused, then noticed the black aura swirling around Jian Yanyou, and the dark patterns on his face. He was completely different from his usual gentle and refined self, now appearing somewhat sinister and malevolent.

"Heh, you'd naturally wish me dead so you could live happily ever after with this adulterer," Jian Yanyou sneered.

Yu Yanluo frowned, uncomfortable with his sidelong glance. "You've misunderstood. He and I were completely innocent before, nothing happened."

"Hahaha, 'completely innocent,' you say!" Jian Yanyou threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing through the entire mountain wall, causing many sturdy icicles to shatter and fall.

Zu An's expression flickered. This man's cultivation was incredibly high; he seemed to be infinitely close to becoming a Grandmaster.

Jian Yanyou stopped laughing and his gaze returned to Yu Yanluo. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you take me for a fool? After being poisoned with such an aphrodisiac, and hiding underwater with another man for so long, you expect me to believe nothing happened?"

Jian Taiding also regained his composure, realizing only then that his goddess had been defiled by that beast.

His lips trembled slightly, and he almost didn't dare to look at Yu Yanluo, fearing he would see her as a ruined woman.

But in the end, he couldn't resist, and his gaze fell upon Yu Yanluo. He was instantly thunderstruck.

Her clothes were different!

Yu Yanluo was now draped in a man's robe; whose it was, was self-evident.

His feeling at that moment was akin to a man in a previous life waking up to find a woman wearing a man's shirt—the intense visual conflict was unparalleled.

It had to be admitted that Yu Yanluo was already beautiful, but this attire magnified her feminine grace and allure several times over.

Unfortunately, Jian Taiding was not in the mood to appreciate it; he felt only heartbreak.

Did the situation even need explaining? He could perfectly imagine that they had just been intimate in the water, getting their clothes wet and dirty, which was why his sister-in-law had changed into a man's attire.

She hadn't even had time to properly put it on, merely wrapping it around herself hastily.

The robe was so loose that he could faintly glimpse her fair, delicate collarbone and light pink undergarments beneath.

Jian Taiding had always dreamed of seeing Yu Yanluo's intimate side, but he never expected it to be under these circumstances.

Although he had been infatuated with Yu Yanluo for years and had not married to pursue her, his high position and power meant he certainly had many women privately.

He immediately recognized the flush of passion on Yu Yanluo's cheeks and the look in her eyes, understanding what it implied.

Her satisfied expression was enough for him to vividly imagine his beloved woman being ravaged in various ways by that beast underwater.

Especially since Yu Yanluo was still half-leaning against Zu An, proving she wasn't resistant to the man afterward.

Clearly, his sister-in-law had been conquered by that man!

At this thought, he felt as if his world had collapsed.

Yu Yanluo, naturally unaware of his sordid mental fabrications, replied to Jian Yanyou, "It's not what you think. He just used a special method to detoxify me. We were completely... no impropriety occurred."

Although he wasn't her real husband, he had used his status as her husband to ward off many suitors over the years, which had helped her immensely. She felt it necessary to clarify things with him.

She had initially intended to say that she and Zu An had been completely innocent below, but considering the recent circumstances—her clothes removed, his hands touching every inch of her skin—claiming complete innocence seemed a bit self-deceptive.

So she rephrased it to "no impropriety occurred," and on that point, her conscience was clear.

Jian Yanyou snorted, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child to believe such words?"

Yu Yanluo frowned, "I've explained everything that needed explaining. If you choose to let your imagination run wild, there's nothing I can do."

For anyone else, she wouldn't even bother explaining.

Explaining it to him out of respect for their long-standing friendship, only to be met with such suspicion, naturally made her somewhat angry.

Jian Yanyou's face darkened. "Are you flustered? Feeling guilty?"

The black patterns on his face became increasingly prominent.

"The innocent need no explanation," Yu Yanluo said calmly, then suddenly frowned slightly. "What's wrong with your face? And how did you return from the dead?"

Now even Jian Taiding became curious. He had clearly set a trap to kill him, so why had he suddenly come back to life?

"So, my being alive ruined your plans, didn't it?" Jian Yanyou sneered, but then explained, "It's because the cultivation method I practice is very special. It's called the 'Golden Silkworm Divine Art.' Legend has it that to reach its highest realm, one must die once. If I can break free from the cocoon and be reborn, I can fully enter the ranks of Grandmasters, and even breaking through to the Earth Immortal realm in the future wouldn't be impossible."

"The 'Golden Silkworm Divine Art'?" Yu Yanluo's expression shifted slightly. Being well-informed, she seemed to recall legends of this cultivation method. It was said that upon reaching its peak, one would enter a life-or-death trial, during which the entire body would form a cocoon like a silkworm. If one successfully transformed from a cocoon into a butterfly, a heaven-shaking change would occur.

However, the chances were reportedly very low; no one throughout history was known to have succeeded.

So he was cultivating this extraordinary art. The ice sculpture on him earlier must have been formed by the cold pool water after he had cocoooned.

"Exactly. Because historically, no one who practiced this art ever truly transformed from a cocoon into a butterfly, even though I was on the verge, I hadn't made up my mind to undertake the life-or-death trial," Jian Yanyou said, turning to look at Jian Taiding. "Speaking of which, I should thank my 'good' younger brother. If it weren't for his treacherous ambitions, poisoning me and setting a trap to kill me, I wouldn't have decided to initiate the life-or-death trial."

Jian Taiding's expression changed. "When I examined your body back then, all life force was extinguished. How could I not have detected even a wisp of life if it were there?"

He was, after all, a Grandmaster. If he couldn't even distinguish between true death and feigned death, what kind of Grandmaster would he be?

Jian Yanyou sneered, "Because the life-or-death trial of the 'Golden Silkworm Divine Art' requires actual death once. Whether you can revive depends on fate, which is why no one throughout history has succeeded. You calculated everything but failed to account for this, so naturally, you couldn't detect it."

"So you desperately came here just to use this cold pool to preserve your body and hide the fact that you were cocoooning?" Jian Taiding asked in a deep voice. He was also a formidable figure, and though he had failed now, he still needed to understand where he went wrong.

"That's just one reason," Jian Yanyou said, looking up at the incredibly thick icicle directly above the cold pool. "The life-or-death trial of the 'Golden Silkworm Divine Art' is notoriously difficult. Countless brilliant and talented individuals throughout history have failed. While my aptitude is exceptional, I don't believe I can surpass all my predecessors."

"To break through the life-or-death trial, I needed an extra advantage. Do you remember when the Emperor and the Demon Emperor were both severely wounded in battle, and our family offered the Purple Frost Divine Milk to help them recover?"

Zu An, who had been observing the drama, felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the words "Purple Frost Divine Milk."

His primary purpose for coming to Cloud County this time was to find the Purple Frost Divine Milk to heal Mi Li. He had received information that its last appearance was connected to the Duke of Cloud's Residence. He had been discreetly investigating within the residence, but unfortunately, the Duke of Cloud was dead, and no one knew the secrets of that time.

He had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, a new path had opened up.