Luo Yueheng draped a long fair leg across his stomach, batting her beautiful eyes as she said plaintively:

“How could I bear to hurt dear Xu? It’s just that you’re so unfaithful. Even though you have me, you still insist on entangling yourself with Mu Nanchi, even taking her traveling across the jianghu.”

“When I bear your child, you’ll surely abandon your wife to elope with that little harlot.”

As she spoke, she suddenly beckoned the rust-covered iron sword, pressing its tip against her abdomen, humphing:

“Then I’ll just kill your spawn, taking two lives at once.”

Xu Qi’an found himself missing the original cold and aloof Imperial Preceptor. He rubbed his temples in frustration, “Imperial Preceptor, is something wrong with your head?”

The cold blade pressed against his neck. In the darkness, those eyes were as cold as ice, her lips curled in a sneer:

“What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly.”

“Imperial Preceptor, I think something might be wrong with my head. Perhaps you damaged it when you scattered my primordial spirit. Did you put my soul back together properly?”

Xu Qi’an knew when to yield.

Luo Yueheng’s expression changed instantly. She tossed aside the iron sword and rubbed Xu Qi’an’s head: “Good boy!”

You’re insane. Just need to endure twenty-four hours until you leave… Xu Qi’an forced a smile as he dealt with her.

Luo Yueheng’s behavior made him realize that the Human Path leader had extremely strong possessive tendencies and was particularly wary of Mu Nanchi.

Except for Little Love who was jealous and targeted other fish in the pond, the other personalities only showed vigilance and wariness toward the Flower Goddess.

“It seems in the Imperial Preceptor’s eyes, Nanchi is her strongest love rival. Other women aren’t worth mentioning, and the Flower Goddess is probably the only woman who makes the Imperial Preceptor lose confidence in her beauty…”

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Xu Qi’an glanced sideways at Little Evil beside him.

Little Evil blinked her eyes.

Xu Qi’an looked away, thinking to himself that although she wasn’t as beautiful as the other, she was certainly more… enticing.

Ignoring the fair leg rubbing against his stomach, he closed his eyes and began to review his battle with Asura.

“I’ve never encountered the Arhat Killer status before, so I don’t know if Asura was holding back, but thinking about it now, the power of the Arhat Killer status didn’t seem as strong as imagined. Although it did impact me to some degree, that was all.”

“Looking back now, it seems very suspicious.”

“Regarding the Third Realm Vajra combat power, Asura wasn’t holding back. And indeed, he was overwhelming me… but what if he had released his Asura bloodline from the start?”

“Third Realm Vajra physique combined with Asura bloodline would probably have utterly dominated me. Of course, it could be explained that since he converted to Buddhism and left his past behind, he was unwilling to release his Asura bloodline unless necessary.”

“But it still feels forced…”

Although he and Sun Xuanji were able to defeat Asura through good coordination, using the Demon Sealing Nail to deliver a “fatal strike” that weakened their opponent’s strength, and even after stealing Shen Shu’s legs, they could only flee.

It appeared they had barely won by relying on the Demon Sealing Nail, Pure Land Pagoda, and other methods.

To outsiders, it wasn’t that Asura wasn’t strong enough, but that Xu Qi’an was too cunning.

But this couldn’t convince him, who was there, because the situation on the scene was that Sun Xuanji spent most of the time turtle-ing in the sky providing support, while he alone, at Third Realm, held off Asura for so long.

After crossing hands with his aunt today, he was shocked to realize that a peak Second Realm expert was not something a Third Realm warrior could contend with.

So how had he managed to hold off Asura for so long?

He was acting… Xu Qi’an drew in a sharp breath. Asura hadn’t just been acting – he had acted extremely well.

First, when they fought, Asura did indeed overwhelm Xu Qi’an, and in the end, Xu Qi’an only won by relying on the Demon Sealing Nail. It could be called a narrow victory.

In such circumstances, one would tend to think they had won very dangerously against a powerful enemy.

Who would suspect Asura was acting?

“The question is, why did Asura act… First, he absolutely cannot be an ally, because once entering Buddhism, all worldly attachments are abandoned. There’s no chance of him being a double agent.”

“The Buddhist sect’s Bodhisattvas and Arhats aren’t fools either. If there was something wrong with Asura, how could they arrange for him to guard the Southern Borderlands?”

“In that case, there might be only one answer – internal conflicts within the Buddhist sect. The struggle between Mahayana and Hinayana is more intense than I expected, so they need an external enemy like the beast clan to divert the conflict?”

“This explanation works, but it feels like something’s missing.”

“Tomorrow I’ll go to the Ten Thousand Mountains first. When the Nine-Tailed Fox returns, I’ll tell her about these things and see what she thinks. The details my aunt noticed, the Nine-Tailed Fox must have noticed too, but she didn’t say anything… Well, not exactly nothing – she did express some thoughts about my ability to retrieve Shen Shu’s remnants.”

“Helping restore the Ten Thousand Beasts Nation, capturing Due or Asura to remove the last Demon Sealing Nail, the battle for Ten Thousand Mountains will shake the Nine Provinces…”

As these thoughts flowed, he felt a warm, wet tongue lick his cheek several times.

“What are you doing!”

Xu Qi’an turned his head to look at the devastatingly beautiful face beside him on the pillow.

Little Evil stuck out her little tongue, licking her lips. Her beautiful face bloomed with a bewitching smile as she lifted her snow-white chin challengingly:

“Let’s dual cultivate.”

Xu Qi’an rolled over on top of her: “My Third Realm physique isn’t for show. Are you ready to cry?”

…

The next day, inside the Pure Land Pagoda.

Xu Qi’an sat cross-legged beside the pagoda spirit old monk, hands pressed together, and said softly:

“Master, I’ve had another enlightenment.”

When saying this, Inspector Xu’s face showed no trace of worldly desire.

The pagoda spirit old monk glanced at him and nodded approvingly: “Excellent!”

Mu Nanchi, holding Bai Ji beside them, sneered:

“Master, he’s already had enlightenment twice.”

Xu Qi’an glared at her, pulling the Flower Goddess aside. The Flower Goddess stumbled as she was dragged to a corner, her face stern:

“Who said you could touch me?”

Bai Ji raised its paw, patting at Xu Qi’an’s hand that gripped Mu Nanchi’s arm, calling out:

“Let go, let go!”

It was like a child steadfastly taking its mother’s side.

Xu Qi’an released his hand with a “heh” and nudged her with his shoulder:

“Jealous?”

Mu Nanchi responded with a cold laugh: “Jealous? You think too highly of yourself. Do you think all women in the world are hopelessly in love with you?”

Bai Ji angrily chirped: “That’s right, that’s right!”

No, no, the women who like me don’t even amount to a tenth of those who like Li Lingsu, he’s the true boss with girlfriends all over the world… Xu Qi’an glanced at Bai Ji and said to himself:

“I’m going to the Southern Borderlands tomorrow. During this time, you shouldn’t come out.”

Mu Nanchi’s eyes reddened as she looked at him coldly:

“What, am I getting in the way of your dual cultivation with her? Haven’t even asked Inspector Xu how the dual cultivation with the Imperial Preceptor went. I imagine you were inseparable, not willing to part for even a moment.”

Well, it was all empty anyway… Xu Qi’an said seriously:

“That’s not it. You might not know, but Luo Yueheng’s current personality is ‘Evil’ – evil as in malicious. Last night she tried to force me to release you from the Pure Land Pagoda so she could kill you herself.”

Mu Nanchi’s expression changed.

Xu Qi’an continued:

“Of course, I didn’t agree, so we fought.”

Mu Nanchi was both angry and indignant, gritting her teeth:

“She hit you?”

Xu Qi’an nodded pitifully, taking Mu Nanchi’s hand and saying softly:

“I’m tough-skinned so it doesn’t matter, but you’re different. I absolutely won’t let her harm you.”

Much of Mu Nanchi’s resentment dissipated. She gently withdrew her hand and humphed:

“You and I are pure and innocent, don’t say such frivolous things.”

She pressed her lips together, taking the opportunity to hide her upturned mouth corners.

Xu Qi’an knew when to stop, and continued:

“But Bai Ji needs to come with me. I need it to communicate with the Nine-Tailed Fox.”

Mu Nanchi worried: “But you said Luo Yueheng is very malicious. Won’t she mistreat Bai Ji?”

Xu Qi’an took Bai Ji from her arms, holding it while saying expressionlessly:

“I think this is what it should experience at this age.”

Bai Ji trembled and hurriedly tried to make amends: “I like Inspector Xu the most!”

Too late… Xu Qi’an carried Bai Ji up the stairs to the second level, where stood numerous Golden Guardian statues, some with fierce expressions, some in fighting poses, all stern and frightening.

These statues formed a specific formation, imbued with Buddhist dharma, constituting the third level of the Pure Land Pagoda, specifically designed as a prison for powerful cultivators.

The “prison-suppressing” power emanating from the second level could even briefly affect Second Realm experts.

Chai Xing’er sat cross-legged between two statues. She had originally been an extremely beautiful married woman with a delicate, pitiful air. Long-term imprisonment had made her even more frail and pitiable.

Her face was pale and thin, her black hair loose.

When Miao Youfang was around, he acted as a jailer, regularly bringing food and changing the chamber pot.

After Miao Youfang left, the task of bringing food fell to Mu Nanchi, while changing the chamber pot became the responsibility of the pagoda spirit old monk.

After all, for the pagoda spirit, a mere thought could transfer any object out of the pagoda – except for Shen Shu’s severed arm.

“Unexpectedly, the long imprisonment has made your qi even more profound, greatly increasing your cultivation.”

Xu Qi’an smiled.

Chai Xing’er opened her eyes, looked at him, and said neither humbly nor proudly:

“With nothing to do but practice breathing and qi cultivation, anyone would improve as I have.”

After a pause, her expression softened slightly as she asked:

“How is Young Master Li lately?”

Xu Qi’an nodded:

“He’s organizing refugee troops, preparing to fight in Qing Province. During your time in the Pure Land Pagoda, the cold disaster struck, causing Central Plains civilians to become displaced. Cloud Province rebels marched north to attack Qing Province, and the battle situation is in a stalemate.”

Chai Xing’er was silent for a moment before laughing bitterly:

“Such a small Pure Land Pagoda has become a sanctuary.”

It is indeed a sanctuary, but as for the first half of that statement, you should ask the pagoda spirit if he agrees… Xu Qi’an didn’t waste more words, taking out half a beast skin map from his chest:

“Take a look, is this the half map left by your ancestors?”

Chai Xing’er reached out to take it, and opened it for a look:

“It seems to be. This is the same material as the map the Palace Master took from the Chai family back then.”

“Have you seen the other half of the map?” Xu Qi’an asked.

Chai Xing’er laughed bitterly: “Does Inspector Xu think I would qualify to know?”

Xu Qi’an asked again:

“What else do you know about your Chai family ancestors?”

Chai Xing’er shook her head:

“The earliest ancestor the Chai family can trace back to is the one who returned from the Southern Borderlands. Before that, due to a complete extermination of the family, everything has long since vanished without a trace.”

This is getting frustrating… Xu Qi’an helplessly put away the beast skin map.

Anyone who caught Xu Pingfeng’s eye couldn’t be ordinary. Who was the tomb’s owner, and how did Xu Pingfeng notice the Chai family… Ah well, this matter isn’t urgent for now, let it wait.

…

In the simply furnished bedroom, Luo Yueheng lazily yawned, took clean underwear and an undershirt from her storage pouch, and unhurriedly put them on before covering herself with the feathered robe.

Playing with the lotus crown in her hand, she gazed at the delicate small pagoda on the table with bright eyes, her lips curling:

“A Third Realm warrior, is that all?”

She casually tossed the lotus crown on the table and left the bedroom.

Because the tribe’s young and strong had gone to war, there were fewer people to hunt in the mountains. As clan leader, Long Tu had no choice but to return to working in the mountains himself.

In the Force Poison tribe, the clan leader was both the person who held power and the one who bore the heaviest responsibility.

Faced with labor shortages and food scarcity, Clan Leader Long Tu was forced back into service, heading to the mountains to hunt.

Luo Yueheng came outside the courtyard to see Xu Ling’yin and Li Na squatting in the tree shade, where they had built a campfire with six skinned and cleaned rats skewered beside it.

“After we finish eating the rats, the sweet potatoes under the fire will be ready too.”

Li Na hummed: “Looking forward to it?”

“Yes!” The little bean sprout wiped her drool.

Li Na ordered her disciple:

“Go get a water pouch for your master, I’m thirsty.”

The little bean sprout looked at her vigilantly: “Then… then don’t steal any food.”

After getting her master’s promise, the little bean sprout ran into the courtyard on her short legs.

“Greetings, Imperial Preceptor.”

Li Na spotted Luo Yueheng and respectfully greeted her.

She wasn’t a brainless fool like Xu Ling’yin, deeply aware of this person’s power and transcendent status.

Recently, Luo Yueheng and Xu Qi’an had contributed much to the Extreme Abyss, and the legend of the dual-cultivating couple sweeping through the Extreme Abyss had spread throughout the Poison tribes.

Luo Yueheng examined Li Na:

“You’re that… that Ground Book fragment holder.”

Li Na was startled, not expecting the Imperial Preceptor to know her identity.

Luo Yueheng continued walking without stopping.

Li Na’s gaze followed her, keenly sensing something different about today’s Imperial Preceptor.

She quickly looked back, enthusiastically gazing at the nearly-done rats… only to find the space beside the campfire empty.

The rats were gone?!

Li Na stood up in bewilderment, looking around. Where are the rats? Where are all my roasted rats?

Pitter-patter… At the same time, Xu Ling’yin came running out with the water pouch.

Seeing the space beside the campfire, she suddenly froze.

Master and disciple stared at each other with wide eyes.

Li Na moved her lips, saying with difficulty:

“The rats ran away by themselves, do you believe that?”

…The little bean sprout threw down the water pouch, sat on the ground kicking her legs wildly, and burst into loud wailing.

In the distance.

In the gentle breeze, black hair floating, feathered robes fluttering, Luo Yueheng smiled like a flower, bewitchingly beautiful.

…

At Southern Dharma Temple.

Outside the collapsed Sealing Tower, on the square.

Arhat Due, with a seven-colored halo shining behind his head, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, holding a golden alms bowl in his palm.

“Pass through the Eight Sufferings Formation and face the Question of the Heart Gate. This is Bodhisattva Guangxian’s will. If you pass these two trials, the matter of the destroyed Sealing Tower shall be forgiven.”

The dark-skinned, emaciated old monk gazed calmly at Asura across from him.

“This disciple understands.”

Asura pressed his palms together and stepped forward into the golden alms bowl.

Arhat Due withdrew his hand, and the golden alms bowl slowly floated up, projecting a screen of light from its mouth.

In the light screen, Asura, wearing a kasaya robe and with palms pressed together, stood tall and proud before the Eight Sufferings Formation, yet hesitated to enter.