Chapter 40: Without You
Deep in Dragon Head Forest.
At this moment, Mu Zhi’an had already brought Bai Ruoxi to an extremely well-hidden cave entrance.
Entering the cave, he took out a paper crane from his storage ring and threw it out of the cave.
The paper crane, wrapped in rosy clouds, flew out towards the sky.
Mu Zhi’an turned his head to look at Bai Ruoxi and asked, “Can you sense the Heavenly Dao Aura here?”
Just now, there were too many people and eyes over there. If he had directly let Bai Ruoxi take the Heavenly Dao Aura at that time, the crowd might have immediately turned their faces and besieged Bai Ruoxi first.
At that time, Bai Ruoxi would have directly become the target of public criticism.
Even with the help of the two Spirit Transformation stage cultivators from the Mu family, it would only benefit the black-robed man.
But here, there would be no such trouble, after all, no one knew who took away the Heavenly Dao Aura.
“I’ll try.”
After Bai Ruoxi finished speaking, she slightly closed her eyes.
Behind her, a bronze sword quietly appeared, looking ancient and solemn.
Before long, Mu Zhi’an felt that a very warm light seemed to be enveloping the entire cave.
He slightly raised his head to look, and the orb emitting a milky white light was quietly flying into the cave, illuminating this dark cave entrance.
It was the Heavenly Dao Aura!
She was indeed able to attract the Heavenly Dao Aura…
However, the reason should lie with this bronze sword?
Mu Zhi’an saw through the clues.
Rather than saying that Bai Ruoxi attracted the Heavenly Dao Aura, it was better to say that the bronze sword behind her attracted the Heavenly Dao Aura.
Because he could feel that the Heavenly Dao Aura was circling around the bronze sword behind Bai Ruoxi, looking very intimate with it.
At the same time, Bai Ruoxi slowly opened her eyes and stretched out her palm.
The Heavenly Dao Aura quietly landed in her palm, and its warm aura quietly nourished Bai Ruoxi’s meridians. A warm feeling made her comfortably squint her eyes.
No wonder everyone paid so much attention to this Heavenly Dao Aura.
With this thing, let alone a person, even a pig could advance to the Qi Condensation stage on its own after a few years.
This was simply a supreme treasure…
Bai Ruoxi looked at the Heavenly Dao Aura in her palm, her eyes revealing a hint of struggle.
In the end, she still turned around and stretched out her palm towards Mu Zhi’an.
“Young Master Mu, Ruoxi has no way to repay the kindness during this period. If you don’t mind, take this thing.”
Mu Zhi’an shook his head and did not accept it.
Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful brows slightly frowned, and she was about to speak.
At this time, Mu Zhi’an continued, “This thing, there’s no need to rush to distribute it now.”
“No matter who the Heavenly Dao Aura ends up with, at least now it needs you to hold it.”
Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful brows raised slightly, and she stared at Mu Zhi’an, saying, “Why…?”
Mu Zhi’an said, “This place is not suitable for explanation. When you leave the cave later, you will understand.”
Delaying too long in this place would be suspicious, so they had to leave early.
Bai Ruoxi didn’t ask further questions. After interacting with Mu Zhi’an for the past few days, she chose to believe his words.
To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that the timing was not very appropriate now, she even wanted to ask Mu Zhi’an what his purpose was.
If he didn’t want the Heavenly Dao Aura, what else could make him interested?
Thinking about such things, Bai Ruoxi took a step forward.
At this moment, her footsteps suddenly paused slightly, feeling a burst of cold sweat on her back. She abruptly turned her head to look not far beside Mu Zhi’an.
A black poisonous snake was coldly staring at Mu Zhi’an.
A Spirit Transformation stage demon beast?!
Bai Ruoxi’s eyes slowly widened. She hurriedly reached out to grab Mu Zhi’an’s shoulder and pulled him back.
The bronze sword behind her unsheathed and stabbed towards the poisonous snake.
Hiss!
The poisonous snake flicked its tongue, twisted its body to avoid the attack, and spat out a stream of venom from its mouth, just hitting Bai Ruoxi’s shoulder.
Under their gazes, that black poisonous snake gradually transformed into human form.
It was the black-robed man who had just faked his death!
His lips were extremely pale, and the spiritual energy in his body was in disorder, but his pair of cold eyes were firmly fixed on the two.
To be precise, it was fixed on Bai Ruoxi.
“Where’s the Heavenly Dao Aura?” The black-robed man asked coldly.
Mu Zhi’an frowned, staring at the black-robed man standing at the entrance of the cave, and said slowly, “You’re actually not dead yet.”
The black-robed man sneered, “I was almost killed by you, Young Master Mu.”
“Although you are only at the Qi Condensation stage, when you humans play tricks, it’s really hard to guard against.”
“But you have tricks, and we also have ways to escape death.” The black-robed man raised his head, and a pair of cold eyes under his bamboo hat stared at Mu Zhi’an.
“Young Master Mu, do you find it surprising now?”
As he spoke, his body emanated a shocking spiritual energy. Even though he was seriously injured, the power of the Spirit Transformation stage was still fully displayed at this moment.
Bai Ruoxi tightly covered her shoulder. From the beginning, she felt a sense of weakness constantly penetrating her body.
It was the venom just now!
That venom was corroding her spiritual energy, making it difficult for her to even activate the bronze sword now.
“Give up struggling. That bronze sword is indeed troublesome, but in the end, you are just a junior at the Qi Condensation stage. As long as your meridians are temporarily sealed, you are just an ordinary person.” The black-robed man had his hands behind his back, staring at Mu Zhi’an.
“Young Master Mu, do you want to die a quick death, or do you want to experience the feeling of being worse than death?”
Mu Zhi’an was stunned for a moment and said, “There doesn’t seem to be much difference?”
“Obediently hand over the Heavenly Dao Aura, and I can give you a quick end.”
“The Heavenly Dao Aura is not here.” As Mu Zhi’an spoke, he unintentionally glanced at the black-robed man’s back.
The black-robed man laughed disdainfully, “Do you really take me for a fool, Young Master Mu? The Heavenly Dao Aura is in your little girlfriend’s hand, right?”
“Since you are unwilling to actively hand over the Heavenly Dao Aura, then I can only take action myself.”
The black-robed man stretched out his palm to grab at Bai Ruoxi. Mu Zhi’an’s expression remained unchanged, only blocking in front of Bai Ruoxi.
The black-robed man sneered, “It’s really true love in times of trouble. However, what’s the use of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator like you in front of me?”
Mu Zhi’an quietly looked at the black-robed man, his gaze passing over his shoulder to look at the cave entrance behind him, and smiled, “Of course a Qi Condensation stage cultivator like me is of no use, but… do you want to take a look behind you?”
“You mean to say that the people who besieged me just now have already caught up?”
The black-robed man sneered, “In their eyes, I’m already dead now. I’m afraid they are still slowly looking for you everywhere.”
Yes… this was the black-robed man’s true confidence.
As a demon cultivator, he could shed his skin once in a while, and through this “molting”, he could fake his death and deceive everyone.
However, this molting could only be used when seriously injured. If it was not used for a few months, it would automatically become invalid.
Spirit Transformation stage cultivators could already dominate a region, let alone demon cultivators who possessed innately powerful strength, so he rarely needed to use “molting”.
This time, he could be said to have lost to this Qi Condensation stage junior.
But now everything was over, and no one would interfere with his actions anymore.
“Since you are unwilling to hand over the Heavenly Dao Aura, then I’ll take action myself!”
After saying that, the black-robed man no longer hesitated and raised his hand to grab at Mu Zhi’an.
However, Mu Zhi’an still didn’t make any movement and just watched as that hand was about to touch him.
The black-robed man stared at Mu Zhi’an’s eyes, hoping to see fear in his eyes, and even hoped that his calmness would collapse at this moment and he would kneel down to beg for mercy.
But he saw nothing in Mu Zhi’an’s eyes, only indifference.
What are you pretending for at this time?!
The black-robed man’s eyes were filled with killing intent, and he used his qi to guide the spiritual energy in his palm, turning it into an invisible blade slashing towards Mu Zhi’an.
Clang!
At this moment, a young girl’s sword blade unsheathed behind him, blocking that invisible blade.
The black-robed man abruptly turned his head to look. A woman in a moon-white long dress stood quietly at the entrance of the cave. Her face was covered with a thin veil, her figure curvaceous, and a pair of cold and icy beautiful eyes quietly watched him.
“…Two Polarity Sect.”
The black-robed man stared at the woman with a changeable expression and stiffly spat out this name.
The reason why that Demon Empress had never led the demon race to invade the Eastern Realm was because of the existence of the Two Polarity Sect.
Almost every year, many demon cultivators died at the hands of the Two Polarity Sect’s disciples. Although that leader of the demon race was powerful, she was also unwilling to fight against the Empress of the Two Polarity Sect.
Even the Heaven-Devouring Giant Python was not confident in dealing with that Empress.
For demon cultivators, the Two Polarity Sect was the deadliest enemy. If they met, they would fight to the death.
“Senior Sister!” Mu Zhi’an called out.
Lan Mulian glanced at Mu Zhi’an coldly. Even without speaking, it was not hard to see her meaning from her eyes: I’m not your senior sister.
Her gaze quickly fell on the black-robed man, and her voice was crisp and cold, “The remnants of a demon cultivator actually ran to the foot of the Two Polarity Sect. How bold.”
The black-robed man’s eyes flickered, and he stared at Lan Mulian with a changeable expression.
He frowned and subconsciously retreated, his body gradually turning into black mist, as if wanting to escape.
Lan Mulian slightly raised her fingers, and almost at that moment, a moon-white light enveloped from all directions, forming a prison in an instant, trapping the black mist transformed from the black-robed man inside.
That seemingly cold light was extremely scorching in the black-robed man’s eyes. He could only struggle hard in that prison, but to no avail.
Now that he was seriously injured, he was completely no match for Lan Mulian and could only become fish on a chopping board.
Lan Mulian ignored the impotently raging black-robed man. Her gaze unintentionally swept past Bai Ruoxi and directly fell on Mu Zhi’an. Under the thin veil, a pair of gorgeous beautiful eyes revealed a hint of a faint smile, saying,
“It seems I arrived just in time.”
She stretched out her left hand, and when she opened her palm, there was actually a paper crane.
The paper crane Mu Zhi’an had just thrown out from the cave.
It was through this paper crane that she found Mu Zhi’an’s location.
“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Mu Zhi’an cupped his hands.
If he hadn’t specifically written a letter to invite Lan Mulian over, he and Bai Ruoxi might have really died here today.
It seemed that the previous decision to firmly cling to Senior Sister’s thigh was the right one…
Seeing Lan Mulian lightly “hmm”ed, Mu Zhi’an continued, “Senior Sister, how do you plan to deal with him?”
“This demon cultivator is cunning by nature. I can’t control him for too long.” Lan Mulian said softly, “He needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.”
The roaring in that prison had already disappeared. It seemed that the black-robed man had given up or fainted.
“Before that, there’s something I want to chat with him about.” Mu Zhi’an said.
Lan Mulian glanced at Mu Zhi’an and nodded lightly, “I will temporarily control him.”
After saying that, she raised her hand to open a gap in the prison, and when Mu Zhi’an walked into the “prison”, Lan Mulian unintentionally glanced at Bai Ruoxi again.
The girl was also looking at her.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then shifted their gazes away from each other.
The atmosphere seemed a bit awkward and silent.
……
At this moment, in the “prison”, Mu Zhi’an had already slowly walked to the black-robed man who seemed to have given up struggling.
Although he couldn’t see his face clearly, he could roughly feel the calmness after giving up struggling from the black-robed man’s body. It could be described as “being numb”.
He originally thought that in a mere Tianxuan City, for a demon cultivator like him, he should be able to walk through it arrogantly.
He even specially investigated all kinds of intelligence about Tianxuan City, and finally chose Mu Zhi’an, this prodigal son, because this kind of LSP(Pervert) was always easier to use.
However, who would have thought that in such a short time, he would be played so miserably by such a junior?
“Young Master Mu, I did indeed underestimate you.” The black-robed man slowly spoke.
“Although you are only at the Qi Condensation stage, your scheming is exactly what the Demon Empress needs.”
Mu Zhi’an’s brows raised slightly, “Don’t tell me you plan to rope me in?”
The black-robed man raised his head and calmly said, “Join us, and I will introduce you to the Seventh Seat. With your ability, you may become the Demon Empress’s right-hand man in the future.”
Under the black-robed man’s gaze, Mu Zhi’an leisurely walked to the opposite side and sat down.
If someone who didn’t know the truth saw this, they might think they were a pair of old friends who hadn’t met for many years.
“I have no interest in the demon race because I’m human.” Mu Zhi’an said.
The black-robed man sneered, “Human? Are humans really better than demons? Scheming against each other, playing all kinds of power struggles, the court is full of disunity, how many people die from droughts and floods every year, and the court doesn’t take any rescue measures.”
“In the end, this court is already rotten. If it weren’t for the Two Polarity Sect’s support, the Eastern Realm would have long been controlled by the Demon Empress.”
“Humans are no better than demons, and the human heart is even more terrifying than demons.” Mu Zhi’an didn’t deny it and shook his head with a smile,
“But I have no interest in specially running from the Eastern Realm to the Northern Realm. The two places are so far apart that it would be inconvenient if I wanted to return to Tianxuan City sometime.”
“Also, do you think I would still believe what you say in this situation?” Mu Zhi’an asked in return.
The black-robed man fell silent.
The two sides had been scheming against each other and even wanted to kill each other. If one suddenly invited the other at this time, even a fool wouldn’t believe it, let alone Mu Zhi’an.
“Actually, I feel quite relaxed chatting with you.” Mu Zhi’an suddenly said.
The black-robed man was slightly stunned. Before he could speak, Mu Zhi’an continued, “Because you have no brains.”
This demon cultivator, due to his own strength, disdained playing any tricks. His goal was very simple. Whatever he wanted, he said it directly. Communicating with such a very ‘upright’ villain was actually not so tiring.
“The Heavenly Dao Aura is what that beautiful snake woman wants?” Mu Zhi’an changed the topic.
He was naturally referring to the leader of the demon race, that Heaven-Devouring Giant Python Empress.
Hearing Mu Zhi’an’s “insult” to that Empress, the black-robed man abruptly raised his head, his eyes bursting with undisguised killing intent.
But seeing Mu Zhi’an’s indifferent expression, he slowly regained his previous calmness.
“Young Master Mu has dealt with Ye Yu and won the beauty. What’s your next step? Kill Ye Yu or marry Bai Ruoxi first?” The black-robed man also changed the topic.
The meaning of these words was that he did not intend to reveal any information about the demon race.
Mu Zhi’an’s heart was also clear, so he shook his head, “I won’t kill Ye Yu, and of course, I have no plans to get married in the short term.”
“You don’t want Ye Yu’s life, nor do you want Bai Ruoxi. Then what do you want?” The black-robed man stared at Mu Zhi’an.
Mu Zhi’an raised his head, meeting his gaze, and suddenly revealed a gentle smile.
“I want you dead.”
