Nimble fingers roamed across her body, garments slipping away silently one by one. The exposed skin felt the coolness of the night breeze, quickly soothed by warm palms. The slight calluses on his hands traced patterns against her delicate skin, causing waves of trembling and eliciting involuntary, alluring sounds. Whether with fingertips or tongue, he explored her contours meticulously, until finally, a voice whispered against her earlobe, "Forty-six petals in total."
"Mmh…" she whimpered tearfully.
"Two petals were planted by me," Xie Xuechen murmured.
The cool voice calmly spoke of embarrassing intimacies, making her breathing increasingly erratic. Her fine, soft hair clung damply to her temples. Her luminous, smooth body resembled fine jade in his hands, carefully caressed until it blushed a beautiful peach pink. She was like an early spring flower bud on the verge of blooming, gently fondled and slowly kneaded by calloused fingers, crushed until sweet-scented nectar wept forth.
Though her heart resisted, she didn't know when she began to succumb. The slightly rough yet steady and powerful fingers, the wet and soft lips, the questing tongue—all gradually melted her resistance. Biting her lip couldn't stop the light pants and low moans escaping her mouth. Her body adored his caresses immensely, even unconsciously arching upward to press closer into his embrace, as if offering herself completely into his hands.
Xie Xuechen had never imagined that one kiss would spiral so utterly beyond his control. Her eyes were unfocused and dazed, black pupils moist and flushed. Her swollen red lips emitted broken moans. Perhaps her demonic nature had taken over, making her instinctively chase the source of pleasure, releasing kitten-like whimpers, unconsciously arching her soft, slender waist, seeking more delight.
Xie Xuechen drew a deep breath, his eyes darkening to profound depths as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Who am I?"
She fluttered her eyelashes slightly, her unfocused gaze unable to find his face. Her mind existed in utter chaos, incapable of answering.
"Mmm…" She frowned delicately, twisting her body with discomfort, accidentally brushing against a burning hardness. A hoarse gasp reached her ears.
"Don't move around," Xie Xuechen sighed huskily. "Otherwise, I won't be able to restrain myself."
Restrain himself…
Her mind remained foggy, and then she felt clothes being draped back over her body. The garments Xie Xuechen had removed, he now replaced with careful deliberation, one piece at a time.
"I shouldn't take advantage of you in this state."
"Hmph…" Mu Xuanling's consciousness gradually cleared, the feverish heat slowly receding from her body, though her face grew progressively redder. She recalled what Xie Xuechen had done to her, and not only had she failed to resist unto death, she had shamelessly begged for more.
She couldn't determine whether to be angry at Xie Xuechen for violating her, or at herself for her insatiable desire.
Now he dared to apologize hypocritically…
She panted mockingly at him, her voice soft and alluring with a hint of hoarseness. "Apologizing now? You acknowledge your wrongdoing?"
"Mm." Xie Xuechen paused. "I should have embraced you when you could see clearly."
He had thought she'd accepted him, but she couldn't see. Did she truly know who was kissing her, embracing her, possessing her?
He didn't want their union to occur when she wasn't mentally and physically prepared, but he harbored no regret for what had just transpired—they had both experienced extreme pleasure from it.
Mu Xuanling didn't know how she eventually fell asleep, perhaps succumbing to the fatigue that followed comfort. She slept lazily for some time, and when consciousness returned, dawn had barely broken. Her vision progressed from blurry to clear. The hazy early morning light enveloped Xie Xuechen's silhouette as he sat at the cave entrance with his back toward her. He had changed into a pristine set of white robes, appearing impeccable and immaculate. As he cultivated, light flowed around him like water, making him appear even more solemn and handsome—as dignified and noble as a deity descended to earth. Mu Xuanling couldn't reconcile this image with how he'd looked the previous night, counting the petals on her body throughout the darkness…
She remembered brushing against his desire. How had he relieved himself afterward?
Did immortals also pleasure themselves?
The thought made her face burn again with mingled embarrassment and annoyance.
Just as these thoughts consumed her, Xie Xuechen had already risen. He approached with his back to the light, extending a slender hand from above.
"You've been awake for some time. Why remain silent? Don't you have the strength to rise?" Xie Xuechen inquired in a low voice.
Mu Xuanling's body trembled. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she pushed herself up from the ground independently, muttering softly, "I can manage on my own."
Xie Xuechen studied her carefully and asked, "Can you see now?"
Mu Xuanling retreated warily, her back pressing against the cave wall in a defensive stance. "What do you intend to do?"
"If you cannot see, I'll carry you," Xie Xuechen replied simply.
After the previous night's events, Mu Xuanling knew she could no longer remain comfortably nestled in Xie Xuechen's arms.
"If you can see…" Xie Xuechen paused deliberately.
Mu Xuanling's heart tightened, fearing Xie Xuechen would continue what they'd done the previous night. She asked nervously, "Then… what?"
"What do you think?" Xie Xuechen's lips curved slightly. "Naturally, we must continue our journey. You'll walk on your own."
Mu Xuanling exhaled with relief and quickly declared, "I can see!" She blinked her clear, lively peach blossom eyes with exaggerated force.
Xie Xuechen appeared to smile faintly. He turned his back and said, "Fix your clothes and appearance properly. I'll wait outside."
With that, he departed.
Seeing him leave, Mu Xuanling finally relaxed. She hastily lifted her sleeves and opened her collar to inspect her condition. Peach blossom petals still adorned her body, though they appeared considerably paler. Mu Xuanling couldn't count all the petals herself, but she could deduce that the two notably redder ones below her collarbone were likely planted by Xie Xuechen.
She took deep breaths to calm the turmoil in her chest, her face flushed as she tidied her clothes, angrily tying her waistband into a punishing dead knot. Seeing the red string bracelet on her wrist intensified her anger further.
"Disgrace to the immortal path, beast in human clothing, shame of humanity…" She cursed through gritted teeth, stomping her feet as she emerged from the cave.
Xie Xuechen stood with hands clasped behind his back, facing away from her on the flat ground before the cave. Not far ahead stretched devastation, as if the area had been leveled by sword energy. The grass and trees lay in disarray, emitting a peculiar fragrance.
Mu Xuanling instinctively covered her nose and mouth, fearing the miasma's return.
Xie Xuechen turned slightly, glancing back at her. He tugged on the red string connecting them and stated seriously, "Within ten zhang, I can still hear everything you say."
Mu Xuanling froze—so he had heard every curse she'd uttered.
"So… so what…" She forced a cold laugh, her voice gradually weakening. "I said nothing incorrect…"
Xie Xuechen smiled faintly. "You're not wrong. I've been corrupted by proximity to demons."
As he spoke, Xie Xuechen tugged the red string, intentionally shortening the distance between them. Mu Xuanling found herself involuntarily pulled to his side, leaving merely two zhang separating them. Only then did Mu Xuanling notice the insect corpse in the distance. From afar, she'd mistaken it for vegetation.
The insect corpse had shriveled considerably, with countless tiny creatures wriggling beneath its green exoskeleton—quite disgusting.
"Is this… the insect from last night?" Mu Xuanling asked, her small face pale.
Xie Xuechen glanced at her and coughed dryly. "Yes. Let's depart quickly. Don't look at it further."
After the strange insect's death, parasites had invaded its body to consume the internal organs. But the creature was so massive that countless small bugs continued feeding inside its carcass.
Mu Xuanling shuddered. "If I were to be devoured by such a thing, I'd rather end my life first."
"We'll travel swiftly today. We should exit the dense forest before noon," Xie Xuechen said, leaning slightly forward to inhale near her neck. "The scent on your body hasn't dissipated. If we don't leave promptly, who knows if it will attract more strange insects tonight."
Mu Xuanling dodged slightly and snorted coldly. "You cannot escape fate."
Xie Xuechen chuckled at her implication. Mu Xuanling glared at him and turned to run eastward.
Ling'er's body is far more honest and adorable than her mouth, Xie Xuechen thought with amusement.
Although they encountered numerous dangers throughout their journey, they resolved everything without major incident. By midday, they finally emerged from the dense forest, much to Mu Xuanling's profound relief.
"The Changshou Lotus grows in the valley south of Luowu Mountain. Let's hope fortune favors us enough to find it today."
Xie Xuechen moved like wind through the purple bamboo forest toward the south. He deliberately controlled his speed to walk alongside Mu Xuanling, maintaining mutual vigilance.
This bamboo forest's coloring differed from ordinary groves. The bamboo stems were pale purple, emitting a pleasant fragrance. It was precious material for crafting magical artifacts—extremely tough, with inherent properties for warding off evil. The purple bamboo forest served as Luowu Mountain's barrier, keeping the strange and malevolent giant insects of the dense forest at bay. But Luowu Mountain reportedly harbored its own dangers, with far fewer people returning safely from Luowu Mountain than from the dense forest.
Xie Xuechen maintained heightened vigilance.
After resting briefly within the purple bamboo forest, they continued their journey.
Luowu Mountain sprawled vast and imposing, but fortune smiled upon them—they took no wrong turns. Flying swiftly on the wind, in slightly over an hour they entered the valley's heart.
The valley lay shrouded in clouds and mist, resembling a celestial realm. Unlike the dense forest, these clouds weren't miasma but rather spiritual energy so concentrated it had condensed into mist-like form. One day of cultivation here equaled ten days outside.
Mu Xuanling joyfully inhaled and exhaled the mist-like spiritual energy, seizing the opportunity to advance her cultivation. Xie Xuechen knew her Heart Enlightenment Water issue remained unresolved—if she broke through to the Fashen realm, her life would be endangered. So he stopped her, saying, "There's no urgency to cultivate now."
"You focus on finding the Changshou Lotus and stop bothering with me…" Mu Xuanling muttered. "I don't even know what the Changshou Lotus looks like anyway."
She had only heard of it.
Xie Xuechen gestured. "Look here."
He pointed to a nearby waist-high grass patch. Mu Xuanling examined it closely, her expression shifting slightly. "These grasses show signs of being trampled."
"The spiritual energy is dense here, making cultivation twice as effective. If strange beasts inhabit this place…" Xie Xuechen trailed off meaningfully.
Mu Xuanling's face grew serious. "They must be overwhelmingly powerful…"
"Precisely why we must find the Changshou Lotus and leave immediately."
"Then release the One Line Connection, and we'll search separate sides," Mu Xuanling suggested.
Xie Xuechen loosened the One Line Connection slightly but maintained a distance of twenty zhang. "It's dangerous here—we shouldn't search separately. Within twenty zhang, I can reach you quickly if you encounter danger."
Mu Xuanling glumly responded with a simple "Oh," making no further requests.
They walked side by side, twenty zhang apart, using their keen vision to scan a fifty-zhang radius. Xie Xuechen was first to notice something unusual. He stopped abruptly, and Mu Xuanling, not noticing, continued until she felt a sharp tug on her wrist. Only then did she turn back toward Xie Xuechen.
"Did you find something?" Mu Xuanling asked.
Xie Xuechen surveyed their surroundings seriously. "It's subtle, but I can feel the spiritual energy here flowing in one direction."
Mu Xuanling was startled by this observation and immediately calmed herself to sense it. Her perception wasn't as keen as a Fashen cultivator's—she couldn't detect such subtle fluctuations.
"Could it simply be wind?" Mu Xuanling asked.
Xie Xuechen shook his head. "Wind wouldn't affect spiritual energy flow. I suspect either a spirit-gathering formation or an extremely powerful entity cultivating and devouring spiritual energy causes this fluctuation."
"Do you want to investigate?" Based on Mu Xuanling's understanding of Xie Xuechen, he would very likely wish to explore.
Xie Xuechen indeed harbored this intention, but he worried that encountering danger would endanger Mu Xuanling. So he extended the One Line Connection to its maximum limit.
"The One Line Connection can extend up to a thousand li," Xie Xuechen explained. "Wait here for me. If you encounter danger, follow the One Line Connection to find me."
Mu Xuanling was taken aback. "What if you encounter danger?"
"The One Line Connection will disappear," Xie Xuechen smiled, removing his Mustard Seed Bag and erasing his spiritual imprint before placing it in Mu Xuanling's hand. "There are sufficient magical artifacts inside to allow you to exit the dense forest."
Mu Xuanling stared at the spatial pouch in her hand, suddenly feeling its immense weight. However, Xie Xuechen seemed utterly unconcerned. He closed his eyes, sensed the spiritual power fluctuation, and flew northward.
"I heard Yongxue City is very poor…" Mu Xuanling weighed the spatial pouch, thinking about how Xie Xuechen never carried money. She couldn't suppress a smile. Unable to contain her curiosity, she used her spiritual sense to explore the pouch's contents and couldn't help but swallow hard, muttering, "Yongxue City isn't poor at all…"
If something were to happen to Xie Xuechen, she would inherit all his considerable wealth…
Mu Xuanling's heart suddenly skipped a beat, feeling both excited and somewhat strange, as if she had become an extraordinarily wealthy widow before even marrying…
Xie Xuechen remained unaware of Mu Xuanling's complex thoughts. He followed the spiritual power fluctuations forward. The further north he traveled, the more pronounced the fluctuations became, as if approaching a vortex's center.
His instinct proved correct.
Xie Xuechen summoned the Juntian Sword, preparing for impending danger.
The spiritual mist around him thickened, making the vortex increasingly apparent, though visibility was limited to roughly ten feet due to the density. Xie Xuechen slowed his pace and suddenly caught a whiff of pure, unique fragrance. It entered his nostrils and penetrated his lungs, seeming to dispel all impurities and rejuvenate him from within.
If merely the fragrance was so remarkable, how extraordinary must its source be?
Xie Xuechen approached cautiously. The fragrance intensified, and finally, he beheld the pure white snow lotus at the spiritual mist's center. The lotus was only slightly larger than a bowl, its petals delicate and translucent white, emitting subtle fragrance and luminescence. At its center, faint red light flickered. The Changshou Lotus possessed long stems, with pale green tendrils hanging downward, suspended in air, constantly absorbing the spiritual mist.
This was the place without water…
The Changshou Lotus transformed spiritual mist into water, yet not water. The lotus's growth power was astonishingly strong, capable of mobilizing the entire valley's spiritual mist into a vortex, requiring a hundred years to bloom.
At this moment, the Changshou Lotus's petals were slightly closed, showing signs of imminent blooming.
Xie Xuechen approached cautiously—all he desired was the lotus seed at the flower's heart.
However, just as he drew near, a sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced the air. The whistle possessed the power to penetrate one's divine aperture and spiritual consciousness. Xie Xuechen frowned slightly and retreated swiftly ten zhang, evading the wind blade that slashed down from the sky. The wind blade penetrated a full zhang into the ground, kicking up countless flying sand and stones—its destructive power was formidable indeed.
Xie Xuechen gripped the Juntian Sword tightly, cautiously observing the woman who had landed before him, and the divine image manifested behind her—a long-necked, proud, and elegant fire phoenix.
The dense forest they had traversed earlier was known as the Phoenix Roost Forest. Some claimed to have glimpsed a phoenix there. Seeing the fire phoenix's divine image before him, Xie Xuechen couldn't help but speculate that what people had witnessed might have been this almost tangible fire phoenix. The fire phoenix was golden-red, its tail feathers burning like flames, with a pair of narrow golden phoenix eyes arrogantly surveying the mortal before it. The divine image's owner was an equally cold and beautiful woman in red feather robes. Her skin was as white as frost and snow, her eyes as sharp and proud as the fire phoenix itself. Between her brows was a red, wing-like flower mark, making her appear majestic and intimidating.
"Who are you, daring to covet the Changshou Lotus?" the woman coldly stared at Xie Xuechen.
"This one is Xie Xuechen. I came here not for the Changshou Lotus itself, but for the lotus seed at its heart. May I inquire your esteemed name, Senior? Are you from Lingsu Island?" Xie Xuechen couldn't immediately discern her cultivation level, but vaguely sensed her aura surpassed his own. However, he'd never heard of such a powerful human cultivator. The ability to condense a fire phoenix's divine image was unique to Lingsu Island's secret techniques. The fire phoenix before him bore some resemblance to He Xianwo's divine image but far exceeded it in magnitude.
The woman snorted lightly, examining Xie Xuechen thoroughly, and sneered, "You do possess some discernment. I am Feng Xiang of Lingsu Island. You call yourself Xie Xuechen? Never heard of you. An unknown nobody dares come to Luowu Mountain seeking death."
Xie Xuechen didn't mind her mockery. He was merely twenty-five years old now, which represented but a fleeting moment in the thousand-year lifespan of a divine image cultivator. He reasoned this senior had been waiting at Luowu Mountain for the Changshou Lotus to bloom for considerable time, so her ignorance of him was unsurprising.
"Venerable One, have you been waiting here for the flower to bloom? The most precious parts of the Changshou Lotus are its petals and roots. I have no intention of competing for those—I only wish to obtain the lotus seed for a specific purpose," Xie Xuechen said sincerely.
"The lotus seed?" Feng Xiang frowned. "The Changshou Lotus itself is the true treasure. The lotus seed is the bitterest thing in existence. What use could you possibly have for it?"
Xie Xuechen replied, "I have a friend who has consumed a poison made from the Heart Enlightenment Grass, which erases emotions and love. I need the lotus seed to break the poison's effects."
Feng Xiang asked, "A friend… is it your beloved?"
Xie Xuechen nodded without hesitation.
Feng Xiang said indifferently, "Worldly love is the most unreliable thing in existence. Severing emotions and love is the righteous path. Those free from love are free from worry and fear. Since she has already awakened, why do you wish to drag her back into the abyss?"
Xie Xuechen said, "If she had truly awakened, there would be no need for external forces to control her mind, forcing her to forget. She… loves me deeply, but was forced to forget her emotions, harming both body and heart. If the poison's effects cannot be removed, I fear her life may be endangered."
Feng Xiang snorted coldly and sneered, "You're quite confident. How deeply does she love you?"
Xie Xuechen frowned, about to respond, when he saw red light emanating from Feng Xiang's body.
"I won't listen to you speak. I'll see for myself."
A beam of red light shot forth, entering Xie Xuechen's divine aperture. He was startled but unable to resist. The image of a woman in red robes appeared in his mind, along with her cold voice.
"I see…" she laughed coldly. "Indeed, she's a devoted woman. Pity her love is so wretchedly misplaced."
Feng Xiang had invaded his spiritual consciousness, viewing the precious memories he held in his heart, then withdrew.
Xie Xuechen now understood that her cultivation level far exceeded his own…
When had Lingsu Island gained such a profoundly cultivated elder? He mentally reviewed a list of names, but none matched the person before him.
"The Changshou Lotus is not a remedy for regret," Feng Xiang slightly raised her chin, looking at Xie Xuechen with proud and cold eyes. "You regret having hurt her previously. How do you know she doesn't regret having loved you and chose to take the Heart Enlightenment Grass herself? Now you wish to make her remember her old feelings, but have you asked if that's what she desires?"
"Perhaps I am disregarding her wishes, but the poison of the Heart Enlightenment Grass threatens her life. I cannot stand idly by. Once the poison is neutralized, if she still loves me, I will accompany her for life. If she hates me and wishes to take my life, I will offer it willingly," Xie Xuechen stated.
His words were calm yet warm and firm, emerging from his heart's core, stirring the oath of the heart, with a faint echo lingering in the air.
Hearing the power in his words, Feng Xiang trembled slightly. After a prolonged silence, she said, "Glib words. The men of this world are all utterly untrustworthy!"
As she spoke, she slowly raised her hands. Her wide sleeves billowed, and a powerful aura dispersed the surrounding spiritual mist. The faint killing intent made Xie Xuechen tense immediately. He summoned the Juntian Sword, and the Jade Que Sky Breaking Formation surrounded him, emanating an equally powerful aura.
Feng Xiang frowned slightly. "Your cultivation is not bad. You might be able to last a few moves against me."
"This junior has no intention of offending you, Senior," Xie Xuechen's expression was solemn. The woman before him was among the strongest he had ever encountered in his life. If he didn't employ his full strength, he would surely perish…
He drew a deep breath, and the spiritual mist frantically poured into his divine aperture. The cinnabar mark between his brows suddenly burst into red light.
Feng Xiang looked at the red light on his brow with surprise, muttering, "This aura…"
While she was distracted, the Jade Que Sky Breaking Formation descended from the sky, catching her off guard. Feng Xiang came to her senses, furious, and countless wind blades slashed toward Xie Xuechen. As he prepared to defend, a golden light suddenly appeared before him, blocking half of the wind blades.
Xie Xuechen was startled and turned to see Mu Xuanling, her face drained of color.
"Why did you come?" He didn't know whether to feel angry or relieved.
Mu Xuanling didn't know why she had come either. Her body always acted independently, making her want to cry.
"Damn it, if I'd known it would be this formidable, I wouldn't have come!"
As she finished speaking and turned to flee, a figure in red suddenly appeared before her. Proud and cold eyes fixed upon her, rendering her motionless.
"So it's you." Feng Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise and reached toward Mu Xuanling, but sharp sword energy forced her hand back. Mu Xuanling's stiff body flew backward, caught by Xie Xuechen who held her waist protectively.
"We mean no offense. Why does Senior insist on pressing us?" Xie Xuechen stood holding his sword, his voice cold.
Feng Xiang narrowed her phoenix eyes, examining the Juntian Sword in Xie Xuechen's hand with its flowing golden light, then the cinnabar mark between his brows. She said in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you, to have gained Juntian's allegiance?"
Juntian was originally a peerless, domineering energy that split the primordial chaos and separated yin and yang when Pangu opened the heavens. It was invincible and all-conquering. It possessed its own consciousness and would only serve those it acknowledged. Xie Xuechen was originally a sword cultivator, and after gaining Juntian's allegiance, this energy transformed into sword energy, with Juntian taking the form of a sword.
Even Xie Xuechen didn't know why he had gained Juntian's allegiance. On the day he advanced to the divine image realm, a golden light had come from the east, falling into his palm, communicating with his spiritual consciousness, and showing submission. From that day forward, the Juntian that countless cultivators throughout the world dreamed of became his natal magic sword.
Xie Xuechen gripped the Juntian Sword tightly and said solemnly, "Xie Xuechen, Sect Master of the Immortal Alliance."
Earlier, he had been unwilling to use his status for intimidation, so he hadn't revealed his identity as the Immortal Alliance's Sect Master. Now that Feng Xiang asked again, he spoke truthfully. Unexpectedly, Feng Xiang's reaction proved surprising. A flash of astonishment passed through her eyes, followed by a cold laugh. "Nonsense. The Sect Master of the Immortal Alliance is Lord Qianguang!"
Xie Xuechen was stunned. Mu Xuanling, clutching Xie Xuechen's sleeve, peeked out from his side, looking uncertainly at the magnificent and majestic woman before them, and asked in confusion, "Lord Qianguang… isn't he the founding Sect Master?"
In both the immortal and demon realms, everyone knew that six thousand years ago, it was Lord Qianguang who united all the immortal sects to form the Immortal Alliance and laid down the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to seal the demon race in the Crimson Moon Realm.
Hearing Mu Xuanling speak, Feng Xiang turned her gaze toward her and said sternly, "What do you mean by 'founding Sect Master'? Have I been away for merely one year, and the Immortal Alliance has changed its Sect Master?"
Mu Xuanling and Xie Xuechen exchanged a meaningful glance, a chill running through their hearts.
Xie Xuechen looked at Feng Xiang seriously and said, "Venerable One… Lord Qianguang was the Sect Master of the Immortal Alliance six thousand years ago."
Next
.jpeg)
Comments
Post a Comment