You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?
Chapter 627 - 627: 122, Ready

"However, this bit of divine power won't last long,"

Lin Yue pondered to himself, "Even if I absorb all of the Taichu Divine Power from the Empress's body, it won't be much, and besides... once used, it's gone for good. It must not be used unless at a critical moment."

The power of the Ancient Gods completely depended on external forces; whether it was initially refined into a droplet or merged into the body, once exhausted, it was irreplaceable.

Even if one condensed the legendary Divine Heart capable of absorbing the essence from the heavens and earth and transforming it into divine power, the conversion efficiency was pitifully low. It would take countless years to condense just one droplet of divine power, and therefore it was still not something to use carelessly.

The Taichu Divine Power within the Empress's body was also slowly drawn from the Human Ancestor over a long period by the Great Yu Imperial Family, but it was limited.

She transferred the divine power to him using the Dual Cultivation Method, and each time it took a great amount of vital energy and essence to bestow upon him just a droplet's worth.

"However, even if I exhaust it all, it doesn't really matter, I still have the Taichu Refining Divine Cauldron, which can be used to create a faux Taichu Divine Power..."

This faux Taichu Divine Power was not only extremely potent, surpassing other divine powers, but it was surely stronger than his weakened Taichu Divine Power, and it could also be used to replenish the genuine Taichu Divine Power.

Unfortunately, the faux Taichu Divine Power could only be formulated with the help of the Taichu Refining Divine Cauldron after achieving Harmonization.

...

As days went by,

every night, when it was quiet, the Empress would quietly enter his residence, and through the Dual Cultivation Method, she would consume a vast amount of essence to inject a thread of Taichu Divine Power into Lin Yue's body.

Each time it was precisely the smallest stable unit of the Ancient Divine Power, just enough to refine into a droplet of Taichu Divine Power.

During the day, Lin Yue studied the Semi-Divine Artifacts he had obtained from Duanmu Yan and the Jiu Xiang Demon King, and at night he focused on refining divine power.

Gradually, the Taichu Divine Power he accumulated within his body grew more and more.

And the Empress's attitude began to change slightly.

After all, they had done the most intimate things, even if she tried to remain aloof, how indifferent could she really be?

"What... what are you doing?"

"The Empress has always been on top herself, I'm afraid you'll tire out, tonight you just lie down."

"How dare you, stop..."

"It is indeed a bit presumptuous to talk back to the Empress, please punish me for my insolence."

"Impudent..."

Before he knew it, eighteen days had passed.

That night,

after the faint gasps fell silent, the Empress did not quickly get up to dress and flee as she had done before; she stayed seated in her original position, propped up by her hands on Lin Yue's chest, looking down at him in the darkness.

After a long silence, she spoke softly, "Tonight is the last time."

"Is there not even a single drop left?" asked Lin Yue, surprised.

"...Not anymore." The Empress was silent for a moment before she continued slowly, "I've repaid my debt to you... Forget about what happened these past days, from now on, we don't have to see each other again."

Having said that, she slightly moved her body, ready to get up.

"Wait."

Lin Yue caught hold of her slender waist, preventing her from rising, and then frowned slightly, saying, "Didn't we agree before that I would take you as my bride in the future, and take you away?"

The Empress did not struggle but just looked at him in the darkness, silent for a long time, before she said, "It was different then from how it is now."

Lin Yue pondered for a moment and said softly, "Different? Because... did you really think I was the reincarnation of Xiahou Shou then?"

At these words, he immediately felt the Empress's change and tension.

The Empress didn't speak but just bit her lip tightly, her head bowed, her hair like a black waterfall scattered around.

"When did you realize I wasn't the reincarnation of Xiahou Shou?" asked Lin Yue.

The Empress was silent for a long time before she finally spoke, "I began to suspect it long ago, but it wasn't until a few days ago when you went to the Imperial Mausoleum that I saw you harbored no hatred for Great Yu, and I was sure then... you definitely weren't him..."

"Suspected long ago?" Lin Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, asking, "Why?"

"If you truly were the reincarnation of Xiahou Shou, why would you always refer to your past life as Xiahou Shou?"

The Empress spoke softly, "And... you bear no hatred towards me. Logically, even though you knew I didn't cause you harm, that was after your Harmonization. Now, you only have memories from before Harmonization. How could you not hate me?"

Lin Yue nodded slightly, saying, "Indeed."

"Why, then, if you meant to impersonate him, did you not continue to play the role?" the Empress looked at him, her eyes complex and indescribable in the darkness.

"I don't like Xiahou Shou; I don't want to become like him." Lin Yue spoke indifferently, "I didn't expect to deceive you initially, I had planned to make a deal with you if you exposed me, but did you actually believe it?"

"...I don't know what I was thinking."

The Empress spoke softly, "The Great Yu Imperial Family was wrong to him; from the beginning, I was using him... But he annihilated the Great Yu Imperial Family, I should seek revenge, yet I knew I owed him, I truly didn't know what to do..."

"Even knowing that mine was a deception, why did you still willingly help me?" Lin Yue asked.

The Empress laughed at herself slightly and said, "Perhaps out of gratitude, or perhaps as an opportunity for repentance and atonement..."

She then slowly leaned forward, lying on Lin Yue's chest, resting her ear against his heartbeat, closed her eyes, and murmured, "He destroyed my entire clan and was the enemy of the Human Clan; I must kill him, but I knew I couldn't do it. Now dying by your hand, he has become part of your memories, perhaps this is already the best outcome..."

Lin Yue began to understand her thoughts.

But still found it irrational, for the heart's love and hate sometimes truly cannot be unraveled.