Chapter 185: Finally Divine Cultivation!

Chapter 185: At Last, Divine Cultivation!

And that vision flashed by in an instant; Shen Lian then saw the phantom of the ancient battlefield start to fade.

Spiritual energy from all directions was furiously surging into Yan Huaixuan's soul.

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed—was this a sign his physical body was being reforged?

Chen Xue couldn't believe it either, but soon, both realized Yan Huaixuan's soul was absorbing massive amounts of spiritual energy, and his physical body was gradually taking shape.

Yet—that final step was always missing.

Chen Xue frowned. "Brother, his soul is incomplete."

Shen Lian's lips parted slightly, and only then did he notice a piece missing from the middle of Yan Huaixuan's soul.

That was where the heart should be.

Shen Lian quickly caught on. He looked down at his own heart.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he raised his hand.

Chen Xue said urgently, "Brother, what are you going to do?"

Shen Lian said, "I'm giving the heart back to Yan Huaixuan."

"Aren't you afraid something will happen to you?"

Shen Lian shook his head. "This heart was originally Yan Huaixuan's gift to me."

"Besides, I'm already at the Immortal Lord Realm. Losing a heart might just set my cultivation back a few levels. What matters is that Yan Huaixuan needs to reforge his body right now."

The moment he finished speaking, Shen Lian's fingers plunged into his own chest without hesitation.

But to his surprise, the next moment, his hand was caught.

Shen Lian was startled. He looked up and saw that Yan Huaixuan, who had been floating in midair, had somehow already appeared in front of him.

Shen Lian's lashes fluttered. He looked up and met Yan Huaixuan's gaze.

Even though Yan Huaixuan was still just a phantom, Shen Lian felt like he could see the man's gentle, loving eyes.

Yan Huaixuan grabbed his hand, leaned down, and pressed his forehead to Shen Lian's.

They were both cultivators—how could Shen Lian not know what this meant?

His breath hitched slightly. Though Yan Huaixuan said nothing, the meaning in those faint, lingering eyes was crystal clear to Shen Lian.

Yan Huaixuan was asking him.

"Can I?"

Shen Lian pressed his lips together, then parted them. After a long moment, he lowered his head and gave a tiny nod.

After nodding, Shen Lian looked away, and the tips of his ears beneath his black hair flushed a soft red.

Yan Huaixuan's eyes held a smile as his hand slipped into Shen Lian's, interlacing their fingers.

Shen Lian felt his own eyes grow hot too.

He slowly closed his eyes and felt a gentle force that first brushed affectionately against his forehead, then slowly seeped into his sea of consciousness.

Shen Lian instinctively recoiled.

His most private place was being opened up to let another person in.

For someone as unprepared as Shen Lian, this was still too much.

Rejected by Shen Lian, that cold, clear Spiritual Sense didn't dare move either.

It hovered outside, looking somewhat aggrieved.

Shen Lian's heart melted instantly.

Seeing that Shen Lian still hadn't opened his sea of consciousness, the Spiritual Sense could only brush against his forehead pitifully, then slowly retreat.

But the next moment, it was caught.

Yan Huaixuan was caught off guard. He looked up.

He saw a strand of Spiritual Sense extending from the young man's brow, gently wrapping around his tail.

Yan Huaixuan's throat bobbed as he looked at Shen Lian, whose eyes were squeezed shut.

On the surface, he seemed calm, but the crimson tips of his ears beneath his black hair gave away his inner turmoil.

Yan Huaixuan tentatively, slowly entwined his Spiritual Sense with Shen Lian's.

Feeling that scorching gaze, Shen Lian didn't dare open his eyes.

This time, when Yan Huaixuan entered Shen Lian's sea of consciousness again, he found that although the young man was still shy, he had still opened a small crack.

The corners of Yan Huaixuan's eyes reddened from holding back.

He probed, inch by inch, invading Shen Lian's territory.

The sea of consciousness was a cultivator's most secret and fragile territory—once invaded by another, it meant surrendering everything without reserve.

Even many dao companions wouldn't easily engage in divine cultivation.

They didn't dare truly entrust their lives to another.

But now, Shen Lian was opening himself to Yan Huaixuan completely, without holding anything back.

Yan Huaixuan felt his heartbeat quicken, his blood boil, and his hand supporting Shen Lian's waist tremble almost uncontrollably.

When their two Spiritual Senses were completely intertwined, that sensation, piercing through flesh and striking the soul directly, made both Shen Lian and Yan Huaixuan tremble in their very souls.

Shen Lian's body went limp, his feet feeling like they were treading on clouds.

He'd always known cultivators had two methods of dual cultivation.

In his understanding, the physical one should've been more pleasurable.

But in reality, he was wrong—spiritual cultivation was where the real thrill was.

Shen Lian felt his body slipping completely out of his control.

Every inch of him, every single breath, was tangled up with Yan Huaixuan.

There was nothing held back between them, not a single gap.

You were inside me, and I was inside you.

As they became more deeply entwined, beneath Shen Lian and Yan Huaixuan's feet, a Dao Companion Contract formation slowly began to form.

Yan Huaixuan drew back slightly from Shen Lian, his fingertip gently tracing the corner of Shen Lian's eye.

"Shen Lian, are you willing to become my Dao companion?"

"From now on, we'll share one heart."

Shen Lian hesitated, dropping his gaze.

Even Yan Huaixuan was nervous and afraid in that moment.

He kept his eyes locked on Shen Lian.

Until Shen Lian finally answered, "Yes."

A smile sparkled in Yan Huaixuan's eyes. As Shen Lian's words fell, the formation beneath their feet instantly solidified, turning into two marks that sank into their bodies.

At the same time, Yan Huaixuan's physical form became clearer and clearer.

Shen Lian could also feel the person holding him gradually shift from that ethereal, intangible feeling into solid, warm reality.

"Shen Lian."

At the sound of the voice, Shen Lian looked up at Yan Huaixuan, who was strikingly handsome.

He couldn't hold it in anymore—his eyes welled up, and he threw himself into Yan Huaixuan's arms.

"Yan Huaixuan."

Shen Lian held onto Yan Huaixuan for dear life.

It wasn't a soul, nor some Phoenix Tree—it was Yan Huaixuan's real, actual body.

Yan Huaixuan had truly rebuilt his body.

The weight that had been pressing on Shen Lian's chest finally settled.

Yan Huaixuan stroked Shen Lian's head, his expression pained. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

He kissed Shen Lian's forehead. "Don't cry."

"Who's crying?" Shen Lian mumbled, his voice muffled against Yan Huaixuan's chest. "It's clearly you who's crying."

At that, Yan Huaixuan smiled, helpless but fond. "Mm, I'm the one crying."

With that, he lowered his head, gently cupping Shen Lian's face, leaning in close, his cold, clear eyes locking with Shen Lian's.

"So, will you comfort me?"

Shen Lian bit his lip, then lifted his head and kissed Yan Huaixuan.