The nimble fingers roamed over her body, garments silently slipping off one by one. The exposed skin felt the coolness of the night breeze, quickly soothed by warm palms. The slight calluses on his hands rubbed against her delicate skin, causing waves of trembling and eliciting involuntary, alluring moans. Whether with fingertips or tongue, he traced her contours bit by bit, until finally, a voice whispered against her earlobe, “Forty-six petals in total.”

“Mmh…” she whimpered tearfully.

Xie Xuechen: “Two petals were planted by me.”

The cool voice calmly spoke of embarrassing things, making her breathing more and more erratic. Her fine, soft hair clung damply to her temples. Her luminous, smooth body was like a piece of fine jade in his hands, carefully fondled, blushing a beautiful peach pink. She was like an early spring flower bud about to bloom, gently caressed and slowly kneaded by calloused fingers, crushing out sweet-scented juices.

Though she was resistant at heart, she didn’t know when she began to succumb. The slightly rough yet steady and powerful fingers, the wet and soft lips, and the tongue, gradually softened her resistance. Biting her lip couldn’t stop the light pants and low moans escaping her mouth. Her body loved his caresses immensely, even unconsciously arching up to press closer to his embrace as if offering herself into his hands.

Xie Xuechen had never imagined that one kiss would become so uncontrollable. Her eyes were unfocused and dazed, black eyes moist and flushed. Her swollen red lips emitted broken moans. Perhaps the demonic side had taken over, making her instinctively chase the source of pleasure, letting out kitten-like whimpers, unconsciously arching her soft, slender waist, wanting more delight.

Xie Xuechen took a deep breath, his eyes dark and deep, asking in a hoarse voice, “Who am I?”

She fluttered her eyelashes slightly, her unfocused eyes unable to find his. Her mind was in chaos, unable to answer.

“Mmm…” She frowned delicately, twisting her body uncomfortably, accidentally brushing against a burning hardness, and heard a hoarse gasp.

“Don’t move around,” Xie Xuechen sighed huskily. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to hold back.”

Hold back…

Her mind was foggy, and then she felt clothes being draped over her body. The clothes Xie Xuechen had taken off, he was now putting back on her, one by one.

“I shouldn’t take advantage of you in this state.”

“Hmph…” Mu Xuanling’s consciousness gradually cleared, the heat on her body slowly receding, but her face grew redder and redder. She recalled what Xie Xuechen had done to her earlier, and not only had she not resisted to the death, but she had shamelessly begged for more.

She didn’t know whether to be angry at Xie Xuechen for violating her, or at herself for wanting more insatiably.

Now he was hypocritically apologizing…

She panted mockingly at him, her voice soft and alluring, with a hint of hoarseness: “Apologizing now, you know you were wrong?”

“Mm.” Xie Xuechen said, “I should have embraced you when you could see.”

— He had thought she had accepted him, but she couldn’t see. Did she know who was kissing her, embracing her, possessing her?

He didn’t want to unite with her when she wasn’t mentally and physically prepared, but he didn’t regret what he had just done, because they both had experienced extreme pleasure from it.

Mu Xuanling didn’t know how she had fallen asleep, perhaps it was the fatigue that came after comfort. She slept lazily for a while, and when she woke up, it was just after dawn. Her vision went from blurry to clear. The hazy early morning light enveloped Xie Xuechen’s silhouette as he sat at the cave entrance with his back to her. He had changed into a clean set of white clothes, looking impeccable and immaculate. As he cultivated, light flowed around him, making him appear even more solemn and handsome, as dignified and noble as a deity. Mu Xuanling couldn’t imagine what he had looked like last night, counting the petals on her body all night…

She remembered brushing against his desire, how did he relieve himself afterward?

Do immortals also pleasure themselves?

Thinking of this, her face began to burn again, both embarrassed and annoyed.

Just as she was thinking, Xie Xuechen had already stood up. He walked towards her with his back to the light, reaching out a slender hand from above.

“You’ve been awake for so long, why didn’t you say anything? Don’t you have the strength to get up?” Xie Xuechen asked in a low voice.

Mu Xuanling’s body trembled. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she got up from the ground herself, muttering softly, “I can manage on my own.”

Xie Xuechen looked her over and asked, “Can you see now?”

Mu Xuanling retreated warily, her back against the cave wall, taking a defensive stance, and said, “What do you want to do?”

“If you can’t see, I’ll carry you,” Xie Xuechen said.

After last night’s events, Mu Xuanling knew she couldn’t stay comfortably in Xie Xuechen’s arms anymore.

“If you can see…” Xie Xuechen paused.

Mu Xuanling’s heart tightened, afraid that Xie Xuechen would continue what they had done last night. She nervously asked, “Then… what?”

“What do you think?” Xie Xuechen’s lips curled slightly. “Naturally, we need to get going. You’ll walk on your own.”

Mu Xuanling sighed in relief and quickly said, “I can see!” She blinked her clear, lively peach blossom eyes forcefully.

Xie Xuechen seemed to smile a little. He turned his back and said, “Fix your clothes and appearance. I’ll wait for you outside.”

With that, he walked out.

Seeing him leave, Mu Xuanling finally relaxed. She hurriedly lifted her sleeves and opened her collar to check her condition. There were still peach blossom petals on her body, but they looked much paler. Mu Xuanling couldn’t count all the petals herself, but she could guess that the two 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 a dead knot on her waistband. Seeing the red string circle on her wrist made her even angrier.

“Disgrace to the immortal path, the beast in human clothing, the shame of humanity…” She cursed through gritted teeth, stomping her feet as she walked out of the cave.

Xie Xuechen stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from her on the flat ground in front of the cave. Not far ahead was a mess, as if it had been leveled by sword energy. The grass and trees were in disarray, emitting a strange fragrance.

Mu Xuanling instinctively covered her nose and mouth, afraid of smelling the miasma again.

Xie Xuechen turned slightly, looking back at her. He tugged on the red string between them and said seriously, “Within ten zhang, I can still hear what you say.”

Mu Xuanling froze — so he had heard everything she had just cursed.

“So… so what…” She forced a cold laugh, her voice gradually weakening, “I didn’t say anything wrong…”

Xie Xuechen smiled faintly: “You’re not wrong. I’ve been corrupted by being close to demons.”

As he spoke, Xie Xuechen tugged on the red string, intentionally shortening its distance. Mu Xuanling was involuntarily pulled to his side, leaving only two zhang between them. Only then did Mu Xuanling see the insect corpse not far ahead. From a distance, she had thought it was grass.

The insect corpse had shriveled considerably, with countless tiny things wriggling under its green skin, looking 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 go quickly. Don’t look at it anymore.”

After the strange insect was killed, parasites entered its body and ate its internal organs. But this insect was too large, and countless small bugs were still eating inside its body.

Mu Xuanling shuddered and said, “If I were to be eaten by this thing, I’d rather end my life first.”

“We’ll travel quickly today. We should be able to leave the dense forest before noon,” Xie Xuechen said, leaning slightly forward to sniff at her neck. “The scent on your body hasn’t dissipated. If we don’t leave quickly, who knows if it will attract strange insects again tonight.”

Mu Xuanling dodged a little and snorted coldly: “You can’t escape fate.”

Xie Xuechen chuckled at her implication. Mu Xuanling glared at him and turned to run towards the east.

Ling’er’s body is much more honest and adorable than her mouth — Xie Xuechen thought.

Although they encountered many dangers along the way, they resolved them all without major incidents. By midday, they finally left the dense forest, much to Mu Xuanling’s relief.

“The Changshou Lotus is in the valley south of Luowu Mountain. Let’s hope we’re lucky enough to find it today.”

Xie Xuechen moved like the wind through the purple bamboo forest towards the south. He intentionally controlled his speed to walk alongside Mu Xuanling, looking out for each other.

The color of this bamboo forest was different from other places. The bamboo stems were light purple, emitting a pleasant fragrance. It was a precious material for making magical artifacts, extremely tough, and with the ability to ward off evil. The purple bamboo forest should be the barrier of Luowu Mountain, keeping the strange and evil giant insects of the dense forest at bay. But Luowu Mountain was said to have its dangers, with far fewer people returning safely from Luowu Mountain than from the dense forest.

Xie Xuechen had to remain highly vigilant.

After resting briefly in the purple bamboo forest, the two continued on their journey.

Luowu Mountain was vast, but the two were fortunate not to have taken any wrong turns. They flew swiftly on the wind, and in just over an hour, they entered the heart of the valley.

The valley was shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland. Unlike the dense forest, these clouds were not miasma, but rather spiritual energy so concentrated that it had condensed into a mist-like state. One day of cultivation here was equivalent to ten days of cultivation in the outside world.

Mu Xuanling joyfully inhaled and exhaled the mist-like spiritual energy, taking the opportunity to improve her cultivation. Xie Xuechen knew that her Heart Enlightenment Water issue was unresolved, and if she broke through to the Fashen realm, her life would be in danger. So he stopped her, saying, “There’s no rush to cultivate now.”

“You just focus on finding the Changshou Lotus, why bother with me…” Mu Xuanling muttered, “I don’t even know what the Changshou Lotus looks like.”

She had only heard of it.

Xie Xuechen said, “Look here.”

He pointed to a nearby waist-high grass patch. Mu Xuanling looked closely, her expression changing slightly as she said, “These grasses show signs of being trampled.”

“The spiritual energy is dense here, making cultivation twice as effective. If there are strange beasts here…” Xie Xuechen said.

Mu Xuanling’s face grew serious: “They must be overwhelmingly powerful…”

“That’s why we need to find the Changshou Lotus and leave as quickly as possible.”

“Then release the One Line Connection, and we’ll each take a side,” Mu Xuanling said.

Xie Xuechen loosened the One Line Connection slightly, but only left 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 an “Oh,” not making any further requests.

The two walked side by side, twenty zhang apart, using their keen vision to scan a radius of fifty zhang. Xie Xuechen was the first to notice something unusual. He suddenly stopped, and Mu Xuanling, not noticing, continued until she felt a tug on her wrist. Only then did she turn back to Xie Xuechen’s side.

“Did you find something?” Mu Xuanling asked.

Xie Xuechen looked around seriously and said, “It’s not very obvious, but I can feel that the spiritual energy here is all flowing in one direction.”

Mu Xuanling was startled by this and immediately calmed herself to sense it. Her perception was not as keen as a Fashen’s, and she couldn’t detect this subtle fluctuation.

“Could it be the wind?” Mu Xuanling asked.

Xie Xuechen shook his head: “Wind wouldn’t affect the flow of spiritual energy. I think there might be a spirit-gathering formation, or an extremely powerful person cultivating and devouring spiritual energy, to cause such a fluctuation.”

“Do you want to go take a look?” Based on Mu Xuanling’s understanding of Xie Xuechen, he was very likely to want to investigate.

Xie Xuechen did indeed have this intention, but he was worried that if they encountered danger, it would endanger Mu Xuanling. So he extended the One Line Connection to its limit.

“The One Line Connection can extend up to a thousand li,” Xie Xuechen said. “Wait for me here. If you encounter danger, you can 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, taking off his Mustard Seed Bag and erasing his spiritual imprint before placing it in Mu Xuanling’s hand. “There are enough magical artifacts inside to allow you to leave the dense forest.”

Mu Xuanling stared at the spatial pouch in her hand, suddenly feeling its immense weight. However, Xie Xuechen seemed unconcerned. He closed his eyes, sensed the fluctuation of spiritual power, and flew towards the north.

“I heard Yongxue City is very poor…” Mu Xuanling weighed the spatial pouch, thinking about how Xie Xuechen never carried money. She couldn’t help but smile. Unable to contain her curiosity, she used her spiritual sense to explore the contents of the pouch 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 wealth…

Mu Xuanling’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, feeling both excited and a bit strange, as if she had become a very wealthy widow before even getting married…

Xie Xuechen was unaware of Mu Xuanling’s complex thoughts. He followed the spiritual power fluctuations forward. The further north he went, the more obvious the fluctuations became as if approaching the center of a vortex.

His feeling was not wrong.

Xie Xuechen summoned the Juntian Sword, preparing for the impending danger.

The spiritual mist around them grew thicker, making the vortex more apparent, but visibility was limited to only about ten feet due to the mist. Xie Xuechen slowed his pace and suddenly caught a whiff of a pure, unique fragrance. It entered his nostrils and penetrated his lungs, seeming to dispel all impurities and rejuvenate him from within.

If just the fragrance was so remarkable, how extraordinary must its source be?

Xie Xuechen slowly approached. The fragrance grew stronger, and finally, he saw the pure white snow lotus in the center of the spiritual mist. The lotus was only slightly larger than a bowl, its petals delicate and translucent white, emitting a subtle fragrance and glow. At its center, a faint red light flickered. The Changshou Lotus had long stems, with pale green tendrils hanging down, suspended in the air, constantly absorbing the spiritual mist.

This was the place without water…

The Changshou Lotus transformed the spiritual mist into water, yet not water. The lotus’s growth power was astonishingly strong, able to mobilize the spiritual mist of the entire valley into a vortex, taking a hundred years to bloom.

At this moment, the Changshou Lotus’s petals were slightly closed, showing signs of imminent blooming.

Xie Xuechen cautiously approached—all he wanted was the lotus seed at the heart of the flower.

However, just as he drew near, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the air. The whistle had the effect of piercing through one’s divine aperture and spiritual consciousness. Xie Xuechen frowned slightly and swiftly retreated ten zhang, avoiding the wind blade that slashed down from the sky. The wind blade penetrated a zhang into the ground, kicking up countless flying sand and stones, its destructive power extremely formidable.

Xie Xuechen gripped the Juntian Sword tightly, cautiously observing the woman who had landed before him, and the divine image behind her—a long-necked, proud, and elegant fire phoenix.

The dense forest they had passed through earlier was known as the Phoenix Roost Forest. Some said they had seen a phoenix there. Seeing the fire phoenix’s divine image before him, Xie Xuechen couldn’t help but guess that what people had glimpsed before 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 mortals before it. The owner of the divine image 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. Between her brows was a red, wing-like flower mark, making her look 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, but for the lotus seed at its heart. May I ask your esteemed name, Senior? Are you from Lingsu Island?” Xie Xuechen couldn’t immediately discern the other’s cultivation level, but vaguely felt that her aura was above his own. However, he had 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 surpassed it.

The woman snorted lightly, looking Xie Xuechen up and down, and sneered, “You do have some discernment. I am Feng Xiang of Lingsu Island. You call yourself Xie Xuechen? Never heard of you. An unknown nobody dares to come to Luowu Mountain seeking death.”

Xie Xuechen didn’t mind her mockery. He was only twenty-five years old now, which was but a fleeting moment in the thousand-year lifespan of a divine image cultivator. He figured this senior had been waiting at Luowu Mountain for the Changshou Lotus to bloom for a long time, so it wasn’t surprising that she hadn’t heard of him.

“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 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 the world. What use could you have for it?”

Xie Xuechen replied, “I have a friend who has taken 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.

Feng Xiang said indifferently, “Worldly love is the most unreliable thing. Cutting off emotions and love is the right path. Those who are free from love are free from worry and fear. Since she has already awakened, why do you want 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 her body and heart. If the poison’s effects cannot be removed, I fear her life may be in danger.”

Feng Xiang snorted coldly and sneered, “You’re quite confident. How deeply does she love you?”

Xie Xuechen frowned, about to speak, when he saw a 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 out, 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 misplaced.”

Feng Xiang had invaded his spiritual consciousness, seeing through the precious memories he held in his heart, then withdrew.

Xie Xuechen now understood that her cultivation level far exceeded his own…

When did Lingsu Island gain such a profoundly cultivated elder? He ran through a list of names in his mind, 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 before. How do you know she doesn’t regret having loved you and chose to take the Heart Enlightenment Grass herself? Now you want to make her remember her old feelings, but have you asked if that’s what she wants?”

“Perhaps I am disregarding her wishes, but the poison of the Heart Enlightenment Grass threatens her life. I cannot stand by and do nothing. Once the poison is neutralized, if she still loves me, I will accompany her for life. If she hates me and wants to take my life, I will offer it willingly,” Xie Xuechen said.

His words were calm yet warm and firm, coming from the heart, stirring the oath of the heart, with a faint echo lingering.

Hearing the power in his words, Feng Xiang trembled slightly and after a long while said, “Glib words. The men of this world are all 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 up. 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 one of the strongest he had ever encountered in his life. If he didn’t use his full strength, he would surely die…

He took 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 in 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 was about 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 pale.

“Why did you come?” He didn’t know whether to be angry or happy.

Mu Xuanling didn’t know why she had come either. Her body always acted on its own, making her want to cry.

“Damn it, if I had known it would be this strong, I wouldn’t have come!”

As she finished speaking and turned to run, a figure in red suddenly appeared before her. Proud and cold eyes fixed on her, rendering her motionless.

“So it’s you.” Feng Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise and reached out towards Mu Xuanling, but a 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, looking at the Juntian Sword in Xie Xuechen’s hand with its flowing golden light, then at 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 had its 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, and Juntian took on 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 came from the east, falling into his palm, communicating with his spiritual consciousness, and showing submission to him. From that day on, the Juntian that countless cultivators in 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 to intimidate others, so he hadn’t revealed his identity as the Sect Master of the Immortal Alliance. Now that Feng Xiang asked again, he told the truth. Unexpectedly, Feng Xiang’s reaction was 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 towards her and said sternly, “What do you mean by founding Sect Master? Have I been away for just a year, and the Immortal Alliance has changed its Sect Master?”

Mu Xuanling and Xie Xuechen exchanged a 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.”