Chapter 23: Rewarded with a Piece of Scrap Copper

Chapter 23: Rewarded with a Piece of Scrap Metal

"Hong Yun, is what you said... really true?"

Blue Phoenix continued to tug at Chen Ping'an's arm, staring intensely at Hong Yun. She had lost many of her memories. Only a few fragmented remnants still floated within her sea of consciousness, allowing her to recall bits and pieces of her past with Chen Ping'an.

Hong Yun raised her hand, her expression solemn.

"Blue Phoenix, every word I have spoken is true. If there is even half a word of falsehood, may I be obliterated by the Heavenly Dao!"

She had sworn an oath to the Heavenly Dao. Chen Ping'an's expression shifted. Hong Yun would never fake such a thing; otherwise, she would never dare to swear before the Heavenly Dao. In the Profound Heaven Realm, anyone who swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao and dared to lie would be ruthlessly erased by it. An oath to the Heavenly Dao was no laughing matter; Hong Yun was gambling with her life.

"When Chong-ge first entered the Five Poisons Divine Sect, I couldn't recall it. If he hadn't demonstrated the true essence of flute-playing for me, I wouldn't have recognized him..." Blue Phoenix's expression dimmed, and she sighed in a low, heavy voice, "I only remember that Chong-ge belongs to me, but I have lost the most beautiful memory of our time together. What is the point of me living?"

As she spoke, a short sword suddenly appeared in Blue Phoenix's hand, and she thrust it toward her own throat. Hong Yun reached out and swatted the blade away.

"Blue Phoenix, have you lost your mind?" Hong Yun said sternly. If Blue Phoenix died now, she would leave an indelible impression in Chong-ge's heart, which would be extremely disadvantageous for her.

Watching the two women, Chen Ping'an looked displeased. To be honest, he didn't feel he had wronged these two women. There was no need to mention Hong Yun; he had never considered the "yellow-haired girl" as a former girlfriend. But now that Blue Phoenix had lost her memories and couldn't recall their past, how could she forgive him?

Just then, Hong Yun's eyes turned red, and she said with a sorrowful face, "Chong-ge, I am truly sorry! If I had known you were still alive, I should have gone to find you sooner, rather than waiting for you to come to the Five Poisons Divine Sect to find us..."

"Ding! Former girlfriend Hong Yun has taken the initiative to apologize to the host. Obtained 60 points of Innocence. Rewarded with a gift package. Do you wish to open it?"

The system's voice rang out. Chen Ping'an was somewhat dazed. Could he obtain Innocence points by having a former girlfriend apologize to him?

"Host, as the saying goes, it takes two to clap. Conflicts between lovers are usually not caused by just one person. When one apologizes to the other, the host can obtain Innocence points. If you do something wrong and apologize to her, you get points; if she does something wrong and apologizes to you, you also get points..." the system explained.

Chen Ping'an nodded, a look of sudden realization appearing on his face. The system was right. In his ten thousand years of life, he had been in many relationships, and often it wasn't necessarily his fault; women would also make mistakes when they threw tantrums.

"Open it," Chen Ping'an commanded. Sixty points was barely a passing grade; he wondered what kind of reward the system could provide.

"Ding! Task gift package opened!"

"Reward: One Divine Void Realm Experience Card. Note: Once this card is activated, you will possess the strength of the peak of the tenth level of the Divine Void Realm for a duration of twelve hours."

Chen Ping'an waited for a while, but found that the system had gone silent.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Chen Ping'an curled his lip. The reward for a passing grade was truly pathetic. His gaze deepened as he looked at Blue Phoenix.

"Lan'er, Hong Yun has already apologized to me. Shouldn't you say something?"

Blue Phoenix slowly lowered her head and said in a sad tone, "Chong-ge, I am also sorry. I shouldn't have poisoned you."

"Forget it, it's all in the past. Let's not mention it ever again!" Chen Ping'an waved his hand. Having lived for over ten thousand years, his heart was weary, and he didn't care much about the past anymore. Asking for an apology now was purely to obtain the reward.

"Ding! Former girlfriend Blue Phoenix has apologized to the host. Obtained 65 points of Innocence. Additionally, rewarded with a task gift package. Do you wish to open it?"

"Open!"

"Reward 1: One Primary Detoxification Pill."

"Reward 2: Lion's Roar Mantra. Note: A Heaven-grade high-tier cultivation technique, second only to the Saint-grade."

"Reward 3: A piece of scrap metal."

"Reward 4: One 'Good Person' card."

After hearing the system's rewards, Chen Ping'an was left speechless. The first, second, and fourth rewards were fine, but what was the meaning of the third reward—a piece of scrap metal? This piece of metal was perhaps so trashy that the system didn't even provide a description. Chen Ping'an checked his inventory and found that the piece of scrap metal was only the size of a fist, flat, pitted, and covered in incomplete markings. He instantly lost interest.

"Blue Phoenix, I have a detoxification pill here that can temporarily suppress the Seven-Star Soul-Breaking Poison in your body..." Chen Ping'an walked up to Blue Phoenix and handed her a pill.

An antidote? Blue Phoenix was both surprised and delighted. She took the pill and swallowed it.

Hong Yun, standing nearby, was confused. Aside from using the blood of seven poisonous insects mixed with ten-thousand-year spiritual milk, what other pill could suppress the Seven-Star Soul-Breaking Poison? As the Deputy Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect, deeply immersed in the study of poisons, she couldn't imagine what kind of pill in this world could have such an effect.

After a while, the once chaotic aura on Blue Phoenix's body stabilized, and her murky eyes became much clearer than before.

"Do you remember the past?" Hong Yun asked nervously from the side.

"No," Blue Phoenix shook her head.

Chen Ping'an raised an eyebrow, gaining a deeper understanding of the Seven-Star Soul-Breaking Poison. Once memory was lost, even if the poison were cured, it likely wouldn't return. Chen Ping'an sighed. That was fine, too; it would save Blue Phoenix from feeling uneasy whenever she remembered the incident with the poison.

"By the way, I heard the Five Poisons Divine Sect has a Phantom Butterfly?" He looked at Hong Yun, stating the purpose of his visit. Blue Phoenix was mentally unstable and couldn't remember many things, and Chen Ping'an could see that the current controller of the Five Poisons Divine Sect was Hong Yun.

"Chong-ge, the Phantom Butterfly has run away. It is not currently in the Five Poisons Divine Sect!" Hong Yun frowned.

Chen Ping'an's expression darkened. He had traveled thousands of miles to the You Province just to find the Phantom Butterfly, only to find it gone! However, he was fortunate to have encountered two former girlfriends at the Five Poisons Divine Sect and gained some rewards. It wasn't a total loss.

"After Blue Phoenix lost her senses, the Phantom Butterfly broke free of her control and flew away quietly..." Hong Yun sighed and smiled bitterly, "The Phantom Butterfly is also a beast at the peak of the tenth level of the Divine Void Realm. Its strength is immense; we simply couldn't stop it."

Chen Ping'an looked at Blue Phoenix again: "The Phantom Butterfly was raised by you. Do you have any way to deal with it?"

"I've forgotten everything..." Blue Phoenix looked bitter and shook her head.

Chen Ping'an sighed. Once a Phantom Butterfly at the peak of the tenth level of the Divine Void Realm escaped, the world was too vast to find it again.

Just then, a small sword flew in from outside and landed in the hands of a middle-aged beauty.

"Sect Master, the disciples in the sect have sent word that the Phantom Butterfly has recently appeared near Moonfall Mountain," the middle-aged beauty reported.

Moonfall Mountain? Chen Ping'an's gaze shifted, and a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"Watching the moon climb up, liking that you smile like a child, wanting to be stuck to you every day..." Watching the moon at Moonfall Mountain while singing that beautiful love song—that was something he had once considered one of the most romantic things he had ever done.

"Chong-ge, this Phantom Butterfly has been at the peak of the tenth level of the Divine Void Realm for many years. After all this time, it might be close to breaking through to the Void Spirit Realm." Hong Yun looked at Chen Ping'an, hope sparkling in her eyes. "You were the one who caught this Phantom Butterfly in a valley and gave it to Blue Phoenix back then. Perhaps you can tame it."

"That little butterfly?" Chen Ping'an was shocked, his face filled with disbelief. Back then, he had seen a beautiful butterfly in a valley, made a bamboo cage, caught it, and given it to Blue Phoenix. He never expected that this little butterfly was the legendary Phantom Butterfly.

"Yes, Chong-ge. That little butterfly was very spiritual back then. I remember it loved flying around you the most. At the time, we all said that Chong-ge was the most handsome man in the world, so much so that even the butterfly was attracted by your beauty..." Recalling the past, Hong Yun smiled sweetly.

"I understand," Chen Ping'an smiled awkwardly.

...

Thousands of miles away from the Five Poisons Divine Sect, there lay a vast desert. Within the desert was an oasis, which was also quite large, home to various living creatures—and, of course, human cities. This city was called Moonfall City. And the massive Moonfall Mountain was located to the southwest of Moonfall City. This mountain range was like a giant green dragon coiled upon the desert, winding and undulating, stretching for tens of thousands of miles.

Deep within the mountain range, the terrifying sea of lightning tribulation had already vanished. A graceful, sexy figure, wearing a colorful dress, slowly emerged from the void, revealing an exquisite beauty.

Boom!

A terrifying aura of the Void Spirit Realm instantly swept across the surroundings.