BTTH: The More Children I Have The Stronger I Become

What else can you possibly threaten me with?"

Ye Chen's voice was low, but the scorn in it struck sharper than any blade. He looked down at Xiao Xun'er, who even now .... even after failing to cripple him .... still tried to play her old game of intimidation.

This woman had just made an attempt to destroy his cultivation foundation.

If her blow had landed, years of effort would have turned to ash.

Naturally, he would never let her walk away unscathed.

"Mittel… Ye Chen, I warn you—"

Her voice was cut off like a candle in the wind.

"So noisy."

The words were soft, almost casual, yet they froze the air between them.

The Nine-Star Dou Zong Trial Card's power was ticking away by the second;

Ye Chen had no intention of wasting even a heartbeat listening to empty threats.

Still holding Ling Ying's unconscious body in his left hand, Ye Chen blurred forward.

Xiao Xun'er's pupils shrank .... even she, a prodigy nurtured by the ancient Xiao Clan, hadn't expected this kind of speed.

The cold wind of his movement reached her before the thought of dodging could form.

"You—!"

BANG!

A dull, decisive impact cracked against her forehead. Pain and darkness swallowed her in the same instant.

Her knees buckled, but Ye Chen caught her before she could fall.

"I told you I'd make you regret it."

He cradled her limp form, his eyes lingering on her delicate features.

Under the pale moonlight, her face was as flawless as carved jade, skin like snow, lashes trembling faintly from the aftershock of the strike.

His lips curled in a smile that held neither warmth nor mercy.

The Nine-Star Dou Zong Experience Card was his most precious trump card, one he had planned to reserve for the moment of true life-and-death crisis.

Yet here he was .... forced to burn it on Xiao Xun'er.

A devastating loss… and one he would make her repay in full.

With a thought, spiritual power surged from Ye Chen into the Qiankun Treasure Box.

Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying's bodies dissolved into motes of light and vanished into the treasure's internal world.

Task done, Ye Chen's gaze shifted toward the Xiao family's backyard. His senses prickled .... someone powerful had noticed.

"So, that old ghost Yao Chen caught my scent." A smirk tugged at his mouth. "He's probably pissing himself right now."

Without another word, his figure flickered and was gone, leaving nothing but the whisper of wind.

Xiao Family .... Xiao Yan's Room

"It's… reacting!"

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on his bed, brow furrowed, soul sense probing every corner of his body.

The pill Ye Chen had given him earlier churned inside, releasing a spreading wave of heat. For the first time in years, a faint glimmer of hope lit his eyes.

He had swallowed the "elixir" without hesitation upon returning.

Though a shadow of doubt had lingered, the promise of restoring his cultivation had outweighed it.

Xiao Yan had once been hailed as a genius blessed with potent soul power and rare talent.

But an unknown problem had shackled him, leaving him stuck at the third stage of Dou Qi year after year.

The humiliation and resentment had been a constant, burning brand in his heart.

Now… finally… there was a chance to break free.

But the warmth inside him soon grew into a blaze.

"Hot… too hot…" he muttered, his breathing turning ragged. Sweat broke across his skin as his face flushed crimson.

"No… if this continues, I'll..." His voice hitched. "I'll explode!"

Gasping, he stumbled to a corner and fumbled with his clothing, desperate to relieve the unbearable heat.

He never noticed the black ring on his finger glimmer faintly .

a brief, strange flash ... before it returned to stillness.

By the time Ye Chen reappeared, he was already in the Mitel Auction House.

"Sister Yafei, I'm fine. Stop worrying," his voice sounded in her mind through spiritual transmission, sensing her anxiety like a taut string in the air.

Without delay, he called forth the Qiankun Treasure Box's power again, drawing Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying into its small world.

The space inside the treasure was unique .... a self-contained realm capable of housing living beings.

It was not a place anyone could enter freely; resistance kept outsiders out unless they were unconscious or willing.

Now, both of his captives lay defenseless.

Light shimmered, and Ye Chen stepped into the small world himself, still holding Ling Ying in one arm and Xiao Xun'er in the other.

The realm stretched a square kilometer, saturated with dense celestial energy drawn in over time.

Even if he secluded himself here for months, it would be more than enough for cultivation.

"We must move quickly," he muttered. An incense stick's worth of time remained before the Trial Card's power expired.

Ling Ying had to be secured before she woke.

He lowered Xiao Xun'er gently onto the grass, then with a flick of his wrist, retrieved an ornate jade bottle from his storage ring.

Inside lay a single pitch-black pill .... the Primary Puppet Pill.

It was a system reward from when Nalan Yanran became pregnant.

Once swallowed by anyone below Dou Zong level, it would bind their will entirely to the pill's owner, while leaving their memories untouched.

A perfect tool for turning enemies into loyal blades.

Ling Ying .... a Nine-Star Dou Huang .... was such a blade. With his Nine-Star Dou Zong card spent, Ye Chen needed lasting protection and force. In the Jia Ma Empire, a loyal Dou Huang would make him nearly untouchable.

"One card for a Nine-Star Dou Huang… I'll take that trade," he murmured.

His fingers pried open Ling Ying's mouth and slipped the pill inside.

To ensure compliance, he delivered a swift chop to the back of the man's neck .... BANG ... sending him deeper into unconsciousness.

"Now… we wait."

Anticipation flickered in Ye Chen's eyes. If the Puppet Pill worked, Ling Ying would become his unquestioning subordinate, a weapon he could wield without restraint.

Finally, his attention drifted back to Xiao Xun'er.

Even in unconsciousness, faint traces of panic lingered on her serene features .... a crack in the aloof, elegant mask she always wore.

Her slender frame seemed almost fragile against the lush grass, her beauty made sharper by that rare vulnerability.

"I wasted my Nine-Star Dou Zong card on you," Ye Chen said quietly, a wicked smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I'll collect that debt… tenfold."

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