A radiant moon appeared above the dark demon corpse, glowing beneath its skin like a starlit meteor. Spiritual energy flickered like platinum veins, and terrifying power morphed into an eternal sword aura.
Dazzling and ethereal, the Too Yin Mysterious Heaven!
Swish!
A faint sword light unsheathed.
"Pfft!"
A sword's projection pierced Lilith's mind, the peerless sword aura, the stunning sword light…
And atop the nine heavens, bathed in moonlight, a figure radiating immortal light, standing aloof from all creation, flawless and untouchable.
…And those faintly familiar, cold eyes.
Lilith's curvaceous body jolted as if struck by lightning. She spat blood, her face turning deathly pale.
The Longevity Grass at the demon's heart, brimming with vitality, trembled as if struck, wilting slightly.
"Trouble!" the Evil King's expression shifted. "Is the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady so terrifying? A sword's lingering power, after ten thousand years, still holds such might… just its residual aura can suppress this place?"
Lilith wiped the blood from her lips and asked, "What now?"
She suddenly felt an inexplicable change in her body. Since connecting to the demon corpse, she hadn't just felt its lingering resentment, negative emotions, and dying desperation…
An indescribable transformation came through the invisible bond.
The demon saintess opened her hand, staring at the blood staining her soft palm and the purple hue spreading across her slender fingers. She discreetly wiped it clean, hiding it from the Evil King.
"First, we must activate the latent spirituality in this demon corpse. It's like Wujun's immortal corpse now, empty save for its shell. Its soul and true spirit were obliterated by the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady. The 'Wujun' we see is a new life born from the corpse, both him and not him."
"Similarly, this demon corpse is hollow, retaining only its instincts and the fear and despair etched into its blood and bones before death. That's why you could connect to it with only minor backlash… In the history of the cultivation world, those who dared link souls with outer-path demons either went mad, became puppets, or transformed into abyssal creatures."
Lilith's expression shifted at his words.
"Your situation is the opposite. The demon's most malevolent spirit was purified, leaving a husk driven by instinct. By connecting, you can reshape its vitality… You help it revive, and it lends you its power, a symbiotic bond."
The Evil King focused on the Longevity Grass, missing Lilith's actions. After a moment's thought, he continued, "The problem is, our Mysterious Lady is too powerful! The Heavenly Emperor's sword-bearer, the guardian of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Moon, I underestimated her lingering methods, even after accounting for everything."
He sighed.
Ten thousand years ago, one moonlit sword stroke slew both immortal gods and demons.
Ten thousand years later, its residual aura still pinned the demon immobile.
"…There's a way. If someone of the same origin and root activates its ferocity and resentment, the demon could revive. Their clashing powers could break the balance, erasing the Mysterious Lady's influence in the corpse."
"That person would be…"
They spoke in unison, then fell silent, as if saying nothing yet everything.
They meant someone who shared the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady's lineage, none other than a disciple of the Xian Sect, active in this secret realm, with the strength to shake the earth.
Only one fit that description.
No moon rivals her in the heavens, the exiled immortal of the mortal world.
"No, she won't act," Lilith declared firmly.
That face, so beautiful it stung even her, flashed in her mind, those eyes colder than the moon, calmer than time itself…
And a surge of resentment, laced with a jealousy she refused to acknowledge.
"Is that so?" the Evil King asked coolly, picking up a pinch of tainted soil and rubbing it into sand. He glanced at the streaks of light charging toward the reborn 'Wujun immortal corpse.'
Among these prodigies daring to advance, one aura stood out…
That familiar presence made Lilith's breath catch, tinged with worry.
"I hear that boy has a tangled bond with the Xian Sect's next leader, quite deep, it seems."
The Evil King's gaze at Lilith carried a knowing weight.
She remained aloof. "Is that so?"
"Oh?" the ancient monster, youthful in appearance but ageless, smirked playfully, tapping his chin with a seemingly gentle smile. "Tell me… if that boy falls into peril, would that girl intervene?"
Lilith's heart skipped, instinct urging her to deny it. But she glanced at the imprisoned demon, its soul and spirit eroding, and bit her lip, answering vaguely, "Maybe. What's your plan?"
"Don't you sense something… unique about that boy?" the Evil King said softly.
"Unique… aura?"
Lilith paused.
"Yes."
The Evil King recalled his conversation with Prince Tao in that small pavilion, talk of human hearts, the true dragon of the righteous path, and… the fabled chosen one.
"Wherever that boy goes, calamity follows; those he meets suffer, yet blessings and curses intertwine. He faces near-certain death repeatedly, yet always turns danger into fortune. No matter how meticulous the plan, his presence brings chaos and unpredictability, tilting everything toward the unknown. No matter the peril, he emerges stronger, thriving…"
Lilith listened quietly, nodding. Indeed, Feng's journey had been fraught with danger, yet he always seized opportunities, growing stronger each time.
"Tch, tch! And he's never short of romantic entanglements, leaving a trail of broken hearts, truly a master of love's trials!" the Evil King teased, picturing a compassionate girl, clear-eyed as a mountain deer, gentle yet independent…
She saw through his spell with a single glance, her spirit radiant and pure.
And on New Year's Eve, amid fading lanterns, two girls and a boy entangled in unresolved emotions.
"Next time I see you, I'll kill you."
Lilith's face darkened. Clever as she was, she caught the Evil King's barbed insinuations.
"Heh, I look forward to it," he replied lightly.
"So, you're targeting him?"
Her eyes locked onto the Evil King, who seemed powerless, like a husk.
As if, with one wrong word, she'd strike.
But to her surprise, he only chuckled. "I won't act."
"Because I believe someone as radiant as him will draw 'Wujun's' attention without my interference."
As he spoke, the figure shrouded in black flame seemed to sense something. The storm raging across the battlefield paused for a moment, stirred by that presence.
The black flame parted in the howling winds and thunder, revealing its face.
Gaunt and withered, with disheveled hair, skin pale as paper, lips purple. Its pupil-less, white eyes radiated endless evil and eeriness, deathly stillness and malice flowing within, merging into the chaotic sky.
It was both death's devourer and a cocoon poised for rebirth in ashes, a forbidden anomaly, born of a mighty being's resentment and defiance!
It turned toward Feng.
Those lifeless, oppressive white eyes flickered with confusion, then a deeply human greed.
The creature born from the immortal corpse sensed something hidden in this frail being!
Just as Feng felt it.
It felt it too!
Devour that thing, and it would grow whole, stronger!
"ROAR!!!"
It bellowed like a beast, its black-flame-clad arm reaching for Feng.
Instantly!
The heavens quaked! Flames stained the sky!
Black fire blazed! Spiritual energy surged!
Countless strands of dense spiritual energy ignited, forming a sea of fire. The black-flame ocean engulfed half the sky, twisting the void, evaporating moisture, and charring the earth to ash!
Flames soared a hundred feet, roaring like an unstoppable tidal wave, relentless, unbreakable, consuming all.
Feng's pupils contracted.
…
"Achoo!"
The scrawny old eunuch, Elder Mu, squatted naked by the spiritual spring, washing Jiang's undergarments. A sudden heatwave hit, yet he shivered, sneezing.
He sniffed, swinging his massive, iron-hard manhood, dark red, thick, and veined, with a bulbous, purple head like a fist and swollen, heavy testicles still full despite recent release.
He brought the freshly washed undergarment to his nose…
The once-fragrant, silky white fabric, now smeared with his thick, creamy semen, reeked of a potent musk despite scrubbing.
Elder Mu frowned, his wrinkled face creasing. If Princess Jiang discovered this and grew angry…
Though Jiang's recent indifference and subtle indulgence had emboldened him, this blatant overstep…
He wasn't sure she'd tolerate it.
Death he could face; losing Jiang would be worse.
As he fretted, he felt a tug on the undergarment, as if an unseen force tried to yank it away.
Not just the undergarment, Jiang's white dress, bellyband, and fitted robe, discarded by the spring, floated upward, drawn toward the misty, warm depths of the spiritual spring.
Panicked, the lustful old man clutched the undergarment tightly.
Jiang, standing on the central platform, grasped the floating dress. Her moon-clear, icy eyes noted the wrinkles and faint traces of Elder Mu's scent.
Aged, decaying, like an old man nearing death…
And that unmistakable, pungent semen odor, detectable from a distance.
One piece missing?
Jiang's ethereal face, glowing in the steam, flushed faintly. She sensed her bonded garment resisting, held fast by someone…
Elder Mu blinked as the pulling force vanished, leaving him puzzled.
The misty spring, wreathed in spiritual vapor like a celestial paradise, obscured his view, a dreamy haze of flowers in fog, moons in water.
Then, a silhouette emerged, stepping through the mist. Her curvaceous form appeared in Elder Mu's sight.
"Princess… Immortal…"
He waved excitedly, flapping the still-damp undergarment, calling to the figure of his dreams.
Moments later, he shrank back, hiding the garment behind him.
She wore a pure white dress, fitted to her exquisite frame, her full chest, slender waist, and pert hips as familiar as ever. Just looking left Elder Mu dazed, lost in awe.
His recently spent manhood twitched, unflagging, its grotesque, scalding length aimed at the vision he'd dreamed of countless times.
Jiang's beauty defied words, humbling all others.
Was it a trick of the mind? She seemed… lovelier than before, surpassing even the moon's grace. Her arched brows carried a timeless gentleness, her flawless jade-like beauty rooting deep in the soul.
But when her calm, watery eyes met his, Elder Mu panicked, gripping the hidden undergarment tighter.
Jiang's gaze flicked to his brazenly erect, massive manhood, then shifted slightly.
Elder Mu's face, weathered and spotted, twisted into what he thought was a simple grin, though to others, it was lecherous. His darting eyes betrayed his guilt.
Her silent stare unnerved him. Bare-chested, his withered frame and swinging manhood exposed, he grew frantic, his unease plain.
His hunched form bent further, like a toppling tree under her wordless judgment.
This comical, guilty display…
Amused Jiang faintly.
In his averted gaze, Elder Mu missed the subtle curve of her lips, a smile like melting ice, a spring breeze stirring life.
*What's wrong with me?*
After smiling, Jiang's flawless face showed a trace of confusion. Why did Elder Mu's antics spark such genuine amusement?
She tugged her skirt, a flicker of regret surfacing.
*Was I out of my mind just now?*
Looking at his aged, hardship-worn face and humbled demeanor, she felt an inexplicable stir…
She paused, then looked away.
Elder Mu exhaled in relief.
Jiang turned, gazing at the now spiritless spring, lost in thought.