“My lady, how should we proceed with our marital duties?” the groom asked urgently as if he had never been with a woman before.
The bride was dumbfounded by the question. After a long pause, she replied shyly, “This… how could I know such things, my lord? Why ask me?”
Displeased, the groom said, “But I heard that when women get married, the older women in the family teach them about these matters.”
The bride whispered, “It’s… it’s quite simple.”
“Ah, why are you squeezing my waist, my lady?”
“Don’t… don’t say it out loud… Even if you haven’t taken concubines, surely you’ve had chambermaids? Or visited the red-light district?” the bride mumbled, barely audible.
“I’ve never been to a brothel, nor had any chambermaids. Women would only hinder my martial arts progress…” the groom replied.
What a talent… Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the hanging curtains to see who this groom was.
Tang Yuanwu, the master of the Twin Blades Sect, wore a cold expression, seemingly indifferent, but his gaze kept darting towards the bed curtains.
Yuan Yi laughed, “He’s a martial arts fanatic.”
Li Shaoyun walked away hurriedly, his face stern.
Just then, the bride exclaimed, “My lord, where are you going?”
The curtains rustled as if a young man was getting dressed. He replied to his wife while dressing, “It’s time. I’m going to practice spear techniques for an hour. You should rest early, my lady.”
The bride panicked, “But, but we haven’t…”
The bed curtains parted, and the groom emerged. He had handsome features and a defiant look in his eyes. He hurried out eagerly.
The moment they saw this young man, everyone turned to look at Li Shaoyun.
Li Shaoyun’s dark face instantly turned red. It felt as if flames were rising inside him, and illusory black smoke appeared above his head.
Commander Yuan Yi scrutinized him repeatedly and said, “That’s odd. A few years ago when you came to Leizhou City to report your duties, you were like a fish in water at the official brothel.”
Li Shaoyun’s mouth twitched, “I… I was only seventeen when I got married.”
Tang Yuanwu nodded and said seriously, “So, it was your wife who taught you how to perform in bed?”
Li Shaoyun: “…”
Liu Yun didn’t say a word, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly as if she was trying not to laugh.
This is social death… Xu Qi’an pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh out loud.
He cleared his throat and said, “Enough idle talk. Let’s focus on finding Nalan Tianlu’s consciousness.”
Yuan Yi and Tang Yuanwu composed themselves and nodded slightly.
Li Shaoyun breathed a sigh of relief. The impression of losing his virginity had been so profound that he would occasionally dream about it. He never expected it to be exposed so blatantly in front of everyone today. This was more uncomfortable for him than going to war and killing enemies.
Passing through Li Shaoyun’s dream, they searched in the mist for a while. Suddenly, they heard the clamor of a bustling market. Looking closely, they saw colorful lanterns hanging high and a sea of people – a lively night market scene.
Whose dream is this… Xu Qi’an wondered to himself. Then he saw a man and a woman walking hand in hand.
The woman was tall and beautiful, with slightly thick eyebrows giving her a valiant air. She was holding a man’s arm, pointing at roadside stalls, occasionally bouncing with excitement, appearing lively and cheerful.
The man had handsome features, was tall and straight, and wore… the uniform of a night watchman.
Tang Yuanwu looked deeply at the lively, cheerful woman in the dream, then slowly turned his head to look at his disciple Liu Yun, known for her cold and aloof demeanor.
This female warrior, praised by the Leizhou martial arts world for her boldness rivaling men, finally blushed. She lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet her master’s gaze.
Yuan Yi smiled, “Beautiful women have always loved heroes. Lady Liu has good taste.”
Li Shaoyun’s face was full of schadenfreude.
Another social death… Xu Qi’an felt conflicted. Previously, he had been afraid of dreams that might expose his identity. Now he feared scenes of frolicking with courtesans in brothels might appear.
Or perhaps scenes from his previous life, like fighter jets, cars, skyscrapers, and so on.
“To confirm whether we’re affected by the precepts in the dream, let’s try something,” Commander Yuan Yi suggested.
“A fight?” Li Shaoyun raised an eyebrow.
Yuan Yi nodded.
Li Shaoyun nodded excitedly, dashed forward a few steps, and launched a flying knee toward Yuan Yi, which was easily blocked.
After a brief attempt, the two didn’t continue fighting. Yuan Yi analyzed, “We’re not affected by the precepts in the dream, or perhaps the second level isn’t affected by the precepts. We can’t use our qi, so our combat power now depends on the strength of our primordial spirits.”
Depends on the strength of the primordial spirit… Xu Qi’an’s eyes flashed as he looked at Li Shaoyun and said, “Let me try something with you.”
Li Shaoyun never refused a fight. He licked his lips eagerly and said, “Alright, I’ve been wanting to test your skills.”
Liu Yun, Tang Yuanwu, and Yuan Yi stepped back, looking very interested.
As Li Shaoyun had said, they were very curious about this mysterious figure who called himself Xu Qian. For now, they could consider him an ally.
But when it came to seizing the blood pill, he would be a competitor.
This was the perfect opportunity to gauge his abilities.
Seeing Xu Qi’an nod, Li Shaoyun knew his opponent was ready. Without further hesitation, he took two quick steps, spun his body, and used his waist to drive his right leg into a kick that cracked like a taut whip.
Xu Qi’an raised his hand to block, but his entire body was sent flying backward, looking extremely disheveled.
Is that all?
The three observers were stunned, finding it hard to believe.
His primordial spirit was unexpectedly weak.
This level of skill was common among Leizhou’s martial artists. It was only equivalent to a fifth or sixth-grade martial artist.
Just as feelings of shock and disappointment arose, they saw Li Shaoyun clutching his leg and stumbling backward, his face contorted in pain.
Looking closely, Yuan Yi’s pupils contracted slightly. Li Shaoyun’s right foot had disappeared, leaving nothing below the ankle.
“He… he absorbed part of my soul power…” Li Shaoyun endured the pain as if his soul was being torn apart. Besides that, the loss wasn’t too significant; this small part wouldn’t have a major impact on him.
Absorb soul power? Tang Yuanwu put aside his contempt and looked at Xu Qian in the distance with some trepidation.
Is he from the Dao sect or the Wushen Cult… Yuan Yi frowned deeply. The other’s actions were beyond his expectations. Except for Liu Yun, the three of them were all fourth-grade cultivators.
Their primordial spirits were powerful, but absorbing others’ soul power wasn’t something martial artists could do.
In other words, although Xu Qian’s primordial spirit wasn’t as strong as theirs, he might be able to absorb theirs.
“It’s just a small amount of soul power, it shouldn’t affect you much,” Xu Qi’an returned and said, “I just found out I could absorb soul power.”
After this brief explanation, he didn’t elaborate further and continued walking.
The others exchanged glances without saying anything and followed him, no longer daring to underestimate this mysterious Xu Qian.
So the heartworm can absorb soul power, but it doesn’t feed it back to me. Instead, the Seven Deadly Worms consume it themselves. It might also be due to the God-Sealing Nail preventing the Seven Deadly Worms from feeding it back… This way, I’ve found a method to quickly nourish the heartworm, which is to absorb souls… Xu Qi’an’s thoughts became heated.
The current dream realm was a good opportunity.
The Heaven Worm, being the foundation of the Seven Deadly Worms, didn’t need nourishment as it had already reached its peak. Along the way, he had focused on cultivating the Poison Worm, which had grown considerably strong after consuming the ancient corpse’s venom.
The Dark Worm and Power Worm were being nurtured steadily, neither too strong nor too weak, belonging to the second tier.
The Corpse Worm, Emotion Worm, and Heart Worm had been stagnant without progress. Now he had found a way to rapidly mature the Heart Worm – by absorbing soul power.
As for the Emotion Worm, he planned to cultivate it properly when the Imperial Tutor arrived.
Let’s see whether your Renzong’s juice extraction technique is stronger, or if my Southern Borderland’s emotion worm is superior. It was a pity that he was no longer the martial artist he once was, otherwise, Luo Yuhen would have been no match for him.
All that remained was the Corpse Worm.
Suddenly, Xu Qi’an’s footsteps froze, and he stared blankly ahead.
Before him was a dream scene: a sky as blue as sapphire, rolling grasslands stretching to the horizon, and a tall brown horse lowering its head to graze.
The dream was simple, with nothing but this horse.
Li Shaoyun and the others stopped behind Xu Qi’an, gazing at the dream. The Pacifying Marshal, who had just experienced social death, was puzzled, “What’s this supposed to be? Just a horse?”
He stared at the horse for a moment, then suddenly gasped, “Have you noticed? The more I look at this horse, the more I find its features delicate and attractive. I can’t help but want to ride it.”
Tang Yuanwu analyzed, “Indeed, there is such a feeling. Dreams are a manifestation of one’s inner depths, and judging by the charm this horse exudes, it’s not hard to imagine that the dream’s owner has a special fondness for horses.”
I don’t, you’re making that up, don’t falsely accuse me… Xu Qi’an made the classic denial in his heart, then understood why he would dream of a little mare.
Dreams are determined by the body and consciousness. When a person is hungry, they see delicious food in their dreams.
Similarly, before entering the Pagoda of Six Realms, he used the Heart Worm’s techniques to deal with the middle-aged warrior monk. As a result, he instinctively developed a fondness and affection for animals.
And among animals, the one he was most familiar with was, of course, the little mare.
Yuan Yi pondered, “Is there a horse demon among us?”
“Impossible!” Tang Yuanwu shook his head. “If it were a demon, it would have been forcibly converted by the Buddhist sect long ago and wouldn’t have made it into the pagoda.”
Li Shaoyun drew in a sharp breath, “Is this person a pervert? Horses are pitiful enough to be ridden by people every day. Leave them alone!”
Xu Qi’an’s mouth twitched slightly. He said calmly, “The world is full of strange things. There’s nothing to be surprised about.”
This is too embarrassing!
This is so damn embarrassing!
I’ll never admit this is my dream.
The group quickly moved on, accompanied by Li Shaoyun’s “tsk tsk” sounds.
Soon, they heard the sound of battle cries, deafening shouts that shook the earth.
A vast and magnificent war scene slowly unfolded before their eyes. This was Nalan Tianlu’s dream.
…
On a desolate plain, a man in a green robe looked at Nalan Tianlu with gentle eyes and said, “You will surely die today.”
Dongfang Wanrong, leading disciples from the East Sea Dragon Palace and Buddhist monks, hurried over.
Seeing this scene, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat unburdened, and said, “Wait for me here.”
Dongfang Wanrong approached Nalan Tianlu, who was wearing a wizard’s robe and covered in blood. She muttered some incantations, and after a while, Nalan Tianlu’s body shuddered, his eyes looking somewhat vacant as he gazed at Dongfang Wanrong.
“You…”
“Master, it’s me, Rongr,” Dongfang Wanrong said.
Nalan Tianlu was silent for a moment, then spoke as if in a trance, “You’ve grown… so much…”
Hearing this, Dongfang Wanrong felt a mix of joy and sorrow. During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, she was only thirteen, an age of innocence and naivety.
“Master, after your death, your soul was suppressed in the Buddhist Pagoda of Six Realms. It’s been twenty years now,” Dongfang Wanrong spoke quickly. “Your disciple has come to rescue you…”
She briefly explained the “deal” between the Wushen Cult and the Buddhist sect, then said, “You need to let us leave your dream now. When the Buddhists reach the third level and communicate with the pagoda spirit, briefly controlling the Pagoda of Six Realms, they’ll be able to unlock your seal.”
“Twenty years… How is the outside world now… What about Wei Yuan… How is Wei Yuan…” Nalan Tianlu asked as if in a dream.
At this moment, he was in a state between wakefulness and sleep.
Wei Yuan is dead… Dongfang Wanrong didn’t dare to tell the truth, fearing it might stimulate her master to wake up. If he woke up, the dream would naturally shatter.
Then, the martial artists from Leizhou would be able to escape.
“It’s a long story, Master. I’ll tell you when you’re free…” Before Dongfang Wanrong could finish speaking, a sharp cry suddenly rang out.
Startled, she turned around to see one of the East Sea Dragon Palace disciples inexplicably letting out a long howl.
Dongfang Wanrong swiftly moved to stop the disciple, her brows furrowing, “What are you doing?”
The disciple’s face looked bewildered.
Chan Master Jingxin said gravely, “His mind has been influenced by someone. There was no problem with anyone along the way, but after we saw Nalan Yushi’s consciousness, he immediately let out a long howl as a warning, notifying whoever was controlling him.”
“I… I… don’t know anything,” the disciple said, shocked, angry, and aggrieved.
Dongfang Wanqing frowned, looking into the deep mist. Suddenly, the mist trembled, and a figure dashed out like an arrow, shooting towards Dongfang Wanqing.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest to block.
Bang!
Dongfang Wanqing’s feet slid backward.
Chan Master Jingxin put his palms together and chanted a Buddha’s name: “No killing is allowed.”
The attacking figure instantly froze, unable to launch an attack on Dongfang Wanqing. The man had dark skin and defiant features – it was Pacifying Marshal Li Shaoyun.
At the same time, Warrior Monk Jingyuan stepped forward and punched Li Shaoyun in the chest, sending him flying backward.
Behind the group, the thick mist trembled again, and two more figures rushed out, their target clear – Dongfang Wanqing.
Tang Yuanwu either dodged or collided, scattering the East Sea Dragon Palace disciples who tried to block, clearing a path for Yuan Yi.
Taking Dongfang Wanqing hostage was Xu Qi’an’s plan.
In the dream world, martial artists were too passive. To effectively control the dream witch Dongfang Wanrong and make her take them out of the dream, the most effective method was to take Dongfang Wanqing hostage.
Li Lingsu had said that the Dongfang sisters had relied on each other since childhood and had deep feelings for each other. By threatening the younger sister’s life, Dongfang Wanrong would have no choice but to comply.
Head Monk Hengyin put his palms together, using precepts to restrict Yuan Yi and Tang Yuanwu’s actions. The monks’ precepts relied on the primordial spirit to be implemented, with little relation to the physical body.
Taking advantage of the Buddhist and East Sea Dragon Palace disciples being distracted by Li Shaoyun and the others, Xu Qi’an and Liu Yun emerged from the thick mist to attack Dongfang Wanqing.
“Wanqing, come here!” Dongfang Wanrong shouted.
“You continue communicating with Master Nalan Yushi. I can hold them off,” Dongfang Wanqing said calmly.
“Master, quickly let us leave,” Dongfang Wanrong said urgently.
She hadn’t thought about counterattacking the Leizhou martial artists in the dream. The more commotion they caused here, the easier it would be to attract those wandering martial artists.
A force of nearly two hundred people wasn’t something they could handle.
“But I… haven’t defeated Wei Yuan yet…” Nalan Tianlu muttered.
…
Liu Yun was like a sharp knife, piercing into the ranks of the Buddhist warrior monks, blocking the first wave of reinforcements coming to stop Xu Qi’an.
With her fifth-grade Transformation of Tendons cultivation and resilient primordial spirit, although it was strenuous to deal with a group of equally rough warrior monks, she was holding her own.
Xu Qi’an, because of his special ability, was responsible for dealing with Dongfang Wanqing’s primordial spirit.
Without a word, as he approached Dongfang Wanqing, he let out a sharp cry, using the heart worm’s ability to shake Dongfang Wanqing’s primordial spirit, creating a brief dizzying effect.
He struck a palm towards the cold beauty’s crown.
With this palm strike, he could absorb at least 30% of her soul power.
Soul power was similar to qi power. As long as it wasn’t completely absorbed, the primordial spirit wouldn’t suffer fundamental damage, at most it would be exhausted and need a long time to recover.
“Hmph!”
After shaking off the brief dizziness, Dongfang Wanqing responded in a way typical of martial artists. She clenched her fist and punched Xu Qi’an’s palm.
As fist and palm collided, there was no sound. The next moment, Dongfang Wanrong was overwhelmed by pain as if her soul was being torn apart. She staggered backward, looking at her arm in disbelief.
Her entire forearm had disappeared, leaving nothing below the elbow.
Meanwhile, Xu Qi’an was sent flying back like a kite with its string cut.
His primordial spirit isn’t strong, it’s even weak, but he can absorb soul power… Dongfang Wanqing made her assessment, believing that at most she would lose some soul power, but before that, she could scatter this weak-spirited fellow’s soul.
She transformed into a blur and chased after him.
…
Dongfang Wanrong patiently communicated with Nalan Tianlu’s consciousness, using her dream-witch abilities to guide him to some extent.
“Master, the Battle of Shanhai Pass is over. The Wushen Cult is still here, and Jingshan City is still here. That was just one of the wars you commanded; more wars are waiting for you in the future.”
“The Battle of Shanhai Pass… we lost?”
“Yes, we lost.”
“Great Feng won this war like oil poured on raging flames. The Wushen Cult has no more chances…”
“No, Great Feng is now weak, its dragon veins scattered. It’s at its most vulnerable moment. Master, the Wushen Cult needs you.”
“The Wushen Cult needs me? Yes, the Wushen Cult needs me…”
Nalan Tianlu’s vacant eyes gradually regained focus.
Dongfang Wanrong was delighted and was about to speak when she heard someone shout:
“Dongfang Wanrong, if you don’t want your sister’s soul to scatter, take us out of this dream.”
She turned to look and was instantly filled with shock and anger, unable to believe what she saw.
Her sister Dongfang Wanqing’s primordial spirit was being held in the other’s hand. Her originally solid form now appeared illusory, like a shadow that could be dispersed by a gust of wind.
How could a formidable fourth-grade peak primordial spirit be defeated so quickly?
“You… your primordial spirit…”
Dongfang Wanqing struggled unwillingly, gritting her teeth.
She had thought she could scatter the other’s primordial spirit, not expecting that although his primordial spirit was weak, it was unimaginably resilient and impossible to scatter.
As a martial artist, she had no special abilities in the realm of primordial spirits. Faced with the ability to absorb soul power, she was helpless. After several exchanges, she had become like a fish caught in a net.
“A third-grade primordial spirit isn’t something you can scatter,” Xu Qi’an said with a smile.
It worked… Li Shaoyun and the others were overjoyed, hurriedly retreating towards Xu Qi’an.
Just as Liu Yun was about to disengage, Head Monk Hengyin’s eyes flashed, and he put his palms together, saying, “Turn back to the shore!”
Liu Yun’s body stiffened, and she couldn’t move her feet no matter what.
With a rush, a group of warrior monks and Chan masters surrounded her. Jingxin and Jingyuan also came over to restrain Liu Yun.
Hengyin placed his palm on Liu Yun’s head and said, “Patron, please release Second Palace Master Dongfang.”
Xu Qi’an frowned, “What if I refuse?”
Hengyin said calmly, “Then don’t blame this poor monk for breaking the precept against killing today.”
“If you’re going to kill, then kill. Stop with the nonsense,” Li Shaoyun cursed.
“We can’t kill!” Tang Yuanwu said with a grim face, looking at Xu Qi’an, “Brother Xu, please show mercy.”
This temporarily formed team wasn’t very stable. Liu Yun was the Twin Blades Sect’s most outstanding disciple, but she had no connection with Xu Qian and the others. They might not be willing to give up the hostage for Liu Yun’s sake.
Everyone’s gaze naturally fell on Xu Qi’an.
Liu Yun pressed her lips tightly together.
“Fine!”
Xu Qi’an let go of his hand. Dongfang Wanqing faced him, her back to her people, stepping backward one step at a time.
Seeing this, Chan Master Hengyin withdrew his hand. Liu Yun gave Xu Qian a deep look before quickly returning.
Dongfang Wanrong felt relieved and shouted, “Come over here!”
As the Buddhist monks and East Sea Dragon Palace members rushed over, she said:
“Master, quickly let us out.”
Nalan Tianlu’s gaze was no longer vacant. He nodded while staring at her, chuckling softly, “I never thought we’d meet again, master and disciple.”
The next moment, everyone disappeared from the dream.
“This is bad, what do we do now?”
Li Shaoyun cursed loudly, “How do we break free from a second-grade Rain Master’s dream? Not only did we come for nothing, but our lives are also in their hands now. We don’t even know if there’s a precept against ‘killing’ on the second level. If killing is allowed, we’re finished.”
As he spoke, the dream returned to normal. Nalan Tianlu’s head was cut off by Wei Yuan, and his primordial spirit was captured by the Deliverance Arhat using a golden bowl.
Yuan Yi didn’t speak, but his face was as gloomy as water.
Xu Qi’an said, “If we can’t actively leave the dream, then let others help us.”
What does that mean?
The three fourth-grade martial artists were stunned.
Liu Yun’s eyes were full of expectation.
…
Dongfang Wanrong was the first to open her eyes. Looking around, she found herself in an environment like a dungeon.
The light was dim, and the floor and walls were built with black stones, giving off a gloomy and dark color.
The second level wasn’t large, with statues of fierce-looking Vajra standing around. Some were dancing with swords, some holding staffs, some wielding knives…
Her gaze swept around and saw her master, Nalan Tianlu. He was sitting cross-legged between two Vajra statues. The one on the left held a sword, its tip pointed at Nalan Tianlu in a thrusting position.
The Vajra on the right held a stone hammer, raised high, as if ready to strike down at any moment.
Nalan Tianlu’s primordial spirit wasn’t quite real, appearing in a semi-illusory state.
Dongfang Wanrong looked back at the long corridor behind her, where nearly two hundred Leizhou martial artists stood.
They had their eyes closed, like statues, their expressions constantly changing from sorrow to joy, from anxiety to embarrassment, but none could wake up.
The East Sea Dragon Palace members and Buddhist monks opened their eyes.
Like Dongfang Wanrong, they curiously looked around.
“We’re out, this is the second level…”
An East Sea Dragon Palace disciple said excitedly.
Dongfang Wanqing stepped forward, looking at Nalan Tianlu’s primordial spirit. She tried walking a few steps, then stopped, saying:
“My martial artist’s intuition tells me that taking a few more steps forward would be dangerous.”
Dongfang Wanrong hurriedly said, “Quick, come back. Don’t wake up Master, or the dream will shatter.”
At this moment, she saw Head Monk Hengyin take out a triangular vajra awl from his sleeve and stab it into the chest of one of the Leizhou martial artists.
Blood splattered instantly. The martial artist, still in the dream, had his life taken away.
“Elder Brother Hengyin…” Chan Master Jingxin frowned.
Hengyin’s expression remained unchanged, “This seat is exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits.”
His gaze swept around and locked onto the green-robed figure not far away. He said:
“Especially this person, who has repeatedly offended the Buddhist sect, made enemies with us, and even almost killed Junior Brother Yinshun.”
He gripped the vajra awl and walked towards Xu Qi’an.
Dongfang Wanrong looked at Monk Jingxin and said, “This person can control others’ minds. To prevent anyone from being secretly manipulated by him, Master, it’s best to use the precepts to screen everyone.”
As she spoke, she also used her dream witch techniques to screen the East Sea Dragon Palace disciples.