I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 839 Marriage Grant
Having learned their lesson from the experience, the two walked heavily toward the altar after Lady Biyun prepared the elixir.

The Queen Mother of the West remained standing on the high platform, motionless, as if she hadn't moved at all in the past hundred years.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Zhang Chen and Lady Biyun ascended the high platform and knelt before the Queen Mother of the West.

"What level of cultivation have you reached?" the Queen Mother of the West asked expressionlessly.

Zhang Chen, with a helpless expression, said in a muffled voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it has improved by one level compared to last time."

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he looked down at the ground, waiting for the Queen Mother of the West's furious attack. Sure enough, the Queen Mother of the West coldly uttered two words: "Useless!"

Then came the sound of a whip slicing through the air, followed by the scream of Lady Biyun. Zhang Chen knelt down to the side, motionless, like a statue, looking down at the ground.

After a long while, Biyun Niangniang's screams stopped. Xi Wangmu put away her whip and said coldly, "A hundred years from now, I will make you break through the thirtieth level! If you fail to break through the thirtieth level, the punishment will be doubled!"

Zhang Chen's expression changed upon hearing this, but he dared not refute it. He could only respectfully say, "This humble servant will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations and will definitely break through to the thirtieth level."

After speaking, Zhang Chen looked at Lady Biyun and saw that she had turned into a blood gourd, lying on the ground convulsing, her life hanging in the balance.

Zhang Chen stepped forward, picked up Biyun Niangniang, and then flew down from the altar. He went all the way to the medicine hall and applied the ointment he had prepared to Biyun Niangniang's body. Biyun Niangniang's bones and muscles were all broken, and her whole body had turned into a puddle of flesh. If it weren't for her powerful cultivation keeping her alive, she would probably have died long ago.

At this moment, Lady Biyun looked like a lump of minced meat, with bones, blood vessels, flesh, and meridians all mixed together, making it impossible to discern her whole form.

Zhang Chen stared at Bi Yun Niangniang, carefully applying the ointment before taking a deep breath. A look of helplessness and guilt appeared in his eyes, but he didn't know what to say.

"This can't go on, or I'll be beaten to death by the Queen Mother of the West sooner or later." Zhang Chen put away the ointment, carefully placed Biyun Niangniang in place, and then stood silently in front of the alchemy furnace.

He wanted to collect the Creation Fire Spirit and stir up some trouble, but the Queen Mother of the West was always in Kunlun Mountain, so he had no chance.

"What should I do?" Countless thoughts raced through Zhang Chen's mind, but he couldn't come up with a way to break the deadlock. Finally, Zhang Chen's gaze fell on the invisibility technique: "Even if I master the invisibility technique to the point that I can even fool the Queen Mother of the West... it's useless. Once I leave invisibly and disappear into the Kunlun Mountains, the Queen Mother of the West may not be able to see me, but she may still be able to find me through other means."

"I need an opportunity, an opportunity for chaos in the Western Kunlun Mountains." Countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Chen's mind, but he still couldn't come up with a way to break the deadlock.

He needs an opportunity, but he doesn't know when that opportunity will come.

Another century has passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, in the Medicine Hall, Lady Biyun and Zhang Chen sat in silence.

"I've only broken through to the twenty-eighth level. I'm afraid this is another difficult hurdle. Even if my sister doesn't die, she'll be skinned alive." Zhang Chen looked at Biyun Niangniang, his voice full of guilt.

Lady Biyun's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, making her look pitiful: "Is this incantation really that difficult to cultivate?"

Zhang Chen remained silent. Seeing his silence, Lady Biyun assumed he was blaming himself, so she gently comforted him, "Don't blame yourself. I see all your hard work every day, and I will never blame you."

Hearing Biyun say that, Zhang Chen felt even more guilty. He wasn't really working hard to cultivate; he was clearly just trying to slack off every day.

Just as Zhang Chen was filled with countless worries, Lady Biyun spoke up: "Let's go, we have to get through this sooner or later."

Zhang Chen didn't know what to say, because he knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't change the outcome.

"I'm sorry!" Zhang Chen said silently, following behind Lady Biyun.

"There's nothing to apologize for. We're all just pitiful ants." Lady Biyun didn't turn around. She walked slowly ahead, her voice calm and serene. "You haven't wronged me. We're just powerless to fight against fate. It's already good enough that we can survive in these Kunlun Mountains."

Hearing the words of the girl in green, Zhang Chen was filled with emotion and speechless. He simply followed Biyun Niangniang silently as they arrived at the altar.

As soon as she reached the foot of the altar, Biyun Niangniang's body began to tremble, her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground. Those who have not experienced that kind of excruciating pain can never imagine how painful Xi Wangmu's whip is; it is the power to whip the soul.

Zhang Chen quickly stepped forward to support Lady Biyun. Lady Biyun took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, "I can't hold on any longer. I might as well die."

Biyun Niangniang stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with despair and fear. She channeled her divine power and struck her forehead, intending to end her life there.

"Sister!" Zhang Chen grabbed Biyun Niangniang's hand, his voice full of helplessness: "It's better to live a miserable life than to die. Even if I gain three levels of strength every year, I will eventually reach the end. Why do you speak of death so easily, sister? If you die, how am I supposed to live?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Biyun paused, turned to look at Zhang Chen, and, meeting his almost pleading eyes, finally lowered her hand slowly before bowing her head and stepping up the stairs. Zhang Chen followed behind Lady Biyun, whose steps were heavy, as if filled with lead, and whose thin figure seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away at any moment.

The two returned to the altar and knelt before the Queen Mother of the West, saying, "Greetings, Queen Mother."

The Queen Mother of the West remained silent, her eyes fixed on Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen lowered his head and said in a heavy voice, "This humble one is incompetent and can only break through the third level of the Heavenly Realm, cultivating to the twenty-eighth level."

The Queen Mother of the West stared intently at Zhang Chen for a long time before speaking: "I see that you and Biyun are quite intimate. From today onwards, I hereby bestow upon you the title of husband and wife, and you shall be married tonight and enter the bridal chamber."

"what?"

Zhang Chen and Lady Biyun were both stunned, their eyes filled with astonishment, wondering what the Queen Mother of the West was up to this time.

"You and Biyun should take this elixir!" The Queen Mother of the West opened her palm, and two beams of light, one red and one blue, streaked across the void and landed in the hands of Zhang Chen and Lady Biyun.

Faced with the Queen Mother of the West's unquestionable words, Zhang Chen looked at the red pill in his hand. Even with a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, he could only tilt his head back and swallow the precious medicine.

Over there, Lady Biyun tilted her head back, put the blue pill into her mouth, and swallowed the blue light.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, a burning sensation surged through Zhang Chen's heart. His vital energy and spirit became chaotic, and his primordial spirit began to sway. Then, an indescribable desire rose within him.

But then the Queen Mother of the West waved her sleeve, and Zhang Chen and Lady Biyun landed directly in the medicine hall, where they became entangled.

on the altar

The Queen Mother of the West silently watched the two making love in the Medicine Palace, her eyes devoid of any emotion: "This child's aptitude is too poor. I wonder if his offspring can inherit his unique constitution and withstand the power of heavenly punishment. His breakthrough speed is too slow; I can't wait any longer! The Heavenly Dao is constantly changing, and I don't have much time left!"

The Queen Mother of the West's voice carried a hint of urgency; anything that could make such a powerful being at the Primordial Chaos Realm so anxious was definitely no small matter.

"I don't have much time left! This elixir can help the yin and yang energies of a person to combine and form an embryo. I hope my plan will go smoothly."

seven days later

In the main hall

Zhang Chen awoke from his reverie and looked at the naked Biyun Niangniang beside him, feeling his legs go weak.

At this moment, Lady Biyun's face was solemn, showing neither joy nor sorrow, only a sense of heaviness.

“Sister…I…” Zhang Chen wanted to apologize, but was interrupted by Biyun Niangniang raising her hand: “This is the order of the Queen Mother of the West. Neither you nor I have the power to resist, and you do not need to apologize to me.”

Zhang Chen remained silent. Lady Biyun finished dressing herself and then picked up Zhang Chen's clothes to help him put them on. Zhang Chen was taken aback. Before he could speak, Lady Biyun spoke first: "No matter what the reason, we are now husband and wife. You are my husband. From now on, our fates will be intertwined, and we will overcome all obstacles together."

"Okay!" Zhang Chen nodded, uttering the single word with great seriousness.

“But I feel something is amiss. Since the Queen Mother of the West established herself on Kunlun Mountain millions of years ago, she has never bestowed marriage upon anyone.” Biyun Niangniang looked at Zhang Chen, her voice heavy with emotion.

Zhang Chen wasn't stupid; he was now considered to have a clear and insightful primordial spirit. After hearing Bi Yun Niangniang's words, he smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, this matter isn't hard to guess. The other party is after me, or more precisely, after my physique."

“My physique makes me immune to the power of divine punishment, but my cultivation speed is as slow as a snail. I’m afraid the Queen Mother of the West has her sights set on my next generation.” Zhang Chen’s voice was full of helplessness.

Even if he knew the Queen Mother of the West's plan, what could he do? Would he dare to go against her strategy?
"We can't do this!" Lady Biyun's expression changed upon hearing this. "We can't have children. We can't bring them into this world to suffer. If that child isn't born with your constitution, who knows how much pain they'll have to endure."

“This kind of thing is probably not something we, as husband and wife, can decide. The pills that the Queen Mother of the West just gave us are probably not that simple.” Zhang Chen’s voice was somewhat somber.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Lady Biyun was overcome with grief, and two lines of tears streamed down her face. She sat there silently weeping, a sight that broke Zhang Chen's heart.

Before the two could react, the Queen Mother of the West's voice echoed from the void: "Open your mouth!"

The next moment, two beams of light, one red and one blue, landed inside their bellies.

(End of this chapter)