Out of guilt, Yun Xiu took the initiative to cast aside the modesty befitting a young lady. Enduring her shame and the forbidden thrill, she guided her disciple in serving Yan Zhen together.
Huangfu Wenqing learned with utmost seriousness, just as she always had while cultivating under her master’s tutelage. Bolstered by her practical experience at the Holy Land Academy, she quickly got the hang of it.
With master and disciple taking turns—one tending to the upper regions, the other to the lower—their techniques might not have been masterful, but their coordination was flawless. They left Yan Zhen utterly comfortable, nearly sending his soul flying in ecstasy.
In gratitude, Yan Zhen then returned the favor, sending each of them soaring to the clouds in turn. The difference lay in one climax left unsatisfied and the other filled to overflowing.
In the “bridal chamber” strewn with crimson sheets, the three lay side by side on the bed, covered by a single quilt.
Yan Zhen occupied the center, while Yun Xiu and Huangfu Wenqing, master and disciple, clutched one of his arms each from left and right. They drifted off to sleep in peaceful repose.
…
It was already deep into the night.
At the Cloud Heaven Palace’s Second Peak, in the depths of the mountaintop palace complex, Yun Ling pushed open a stone door and stepped inside.
This was a secret chamber he had specially secluded. Hidden array formations lined the walls, making it nearly impossible for even a high-rank Pill Refiner to detect with spiritual sense.
In the chamber, which had previously stood empty, a man in black robes now sat cross-legged. It was none other than Wolf Poison.
“Sir Wolf Poison, how are your injuries recovering?”
Wolf Poison opened his eerie green eyes and shot Yun Ling a glance.
“To think your Cloud Heaven Palace possesses a Mystic technique of such devastating power!”
Yun Ling chuckled.
“The Thousand Winds Annihilation Sword is our Cloud Heaven Palace’s secret sect Mystic technique. It demands exceptional swordsmanship talent and has traditionally been cultivated only by the sect master and the young sect master.”
Mystic cultivators’ Mystic techniques were generally selected to match their realm—for instance, a Mystic King powerhouse would typically employ general Mystic techniques, king Mystic techniques, or lord arcane skills. Anything weaker than a general Mystic technique lacked sufficient power, while anything beyond a lord arcane skill was usually impossible to master.
For someone like Yan Zhen to begin studying a supreme body technique like the Starry Sky Dance before even reaching the Mystic Master Realm was nothing short of earth-shattering. Of course, it also had everything to do with Chen Xi’s devoted and uniquely effective guidance.
Considering Yun Xiu’s terrifying prowess, Wolf Poison couldn’t fathom how such a remote backwater could produce a young and beautiful Mystic Ancestor powerhouse. Those unaware might mistake her for a saintess of the Holy Land.
“When did the Cloud Heaven Sword Immortal advance to the Mystic Ancestor Realm? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Yun Ling started in surprise.
“The sect master is a Mystic Ancestor powerhouse? Impossible—she was only at the Seven-Star Mystic Lord Realm a year ago!”
Advancing two stars in a year wasn’t all that astonishing, but becoming a Mystic Ancestor was utterly absurd.
Wolf Poison grumbled irritably.
“Do you think I’d lie to you? Though she only unleashed Mystic Lord-level cultivation at the time, her command of the power of heaven and earth was something no Mystic Lord could achieve. Otherwise, how could she have defeated me in just two or three moves?”
Yun Ling’s expression darkened. He had consumed the gu pill from the Heavenly Gu Elder and endured endless torment from the parasitic insects. He was still a step away from the Mystic Ancestor Realm, yet Yun Xiu had already achieved it?
In the past, Yun Ling would have been thrilled for her—after all, the Eight Immortals in the Clouds had long been criticized for lacking a Mystic Ancestor. But his mindset had changed.
The news of Yun Xiu’s quiet advancement to Mystic Ancestor filled him not with joy, but with intense jealousy.
“She hasn’t announced it, so she must have some ulterior motive,” Yun Ling mused. “A year ago, Yun Yaoyue—also known as Jiu Youyue—betrayed the Cloud Heaven Palace and stole our supreme treasure. The sect conducted a thorough investigation with no results. Recently, one of our outer sect elders was found to have ties to the Demon Domain. That must have aroused Yun Xiu’s suspicions.”
“How many in the Cloud Heaven Palace are on our side?”
“Little Three and Little Five are in, Little Eight is still considering. I haven’t approached the rest yet.”
“Less than half? Your efficiency is abysmal.”
“You’re mistaken, Sir Wolf Poison. My junior brothers and sisters are all quite young. They don’t have such a burning desire to advance to Mystic Ancestor yet. It’s hard to hook them.”
“What’s so hard about it? Just find an opportunity to make them swallow a gu pill refined by Master. Once they do, even if they realize what’s happened, won’t they be at your mercy?”
“…”
Yun Ling fell silent. Though his character had gradually degenerated, he hadn’t fully sunk into the abyss. A shred of conscience remained.
Wolf Poison saw through this and scoffed disdainfully before changing the subject.
“By the way, that brat who ruined my plans—seems he’s connected to your Cloud Heaven Palace too?”
Yun Ling gave a brief rundown of Yan Zhen’s background and status.
“So he’s a useless live-in son-in-law who’s now grown wings and wants to fly solo. Heh…”
Wolf Poison seethed with hatred.
That Volcanic Cauldron was forged from a sub-fire of the Rootless Earth Spirit Fire, ranked tenth on the Extreme Flame List. Its potential was immense, ripe for the taking—until Yan Zhen swooped in halfway, snatched it away, exposed his identity, and nearly got him killed.
Stealing a person’s opportunity was an offense as grave as the murder of one’s kin. This grudge demanded vengeance, or he wouldn’t deserve to call himself a demon cultivator!
“No matter what kind of prodigy you are, I want you dead, Yan Zhen!”
“What do you plan to do, Sir Wolf Poison? The entire Royal Capital is hunting you down. In my view, you shouldn’t stir up more trouble. If anything goes wrong, I won’t know how to explain it to the Heavenly Gu Venerable.”
“I have my own plan. Listen closely—”
Yun Ling listened, then frowned.
“Will this actually work?”
“Why not?” Wolf Poison sneered. “You’ll be standing on the moral high ground of the sect. Even if they grow suspicious, they won’t dare say anything. Besides, am I unworthy of your Cloud Heaven Palace’s young sect master? I’m thirty years old, at the Mystic Lord Realm, and a Tier 5 Pill Refiner. Countless stunning beauties have knelt at my feet, begging for a single glance!”
Yun Ling hadn’t yet advanced to the Mystic Ancestor Realm, so he had no desire to take unnecessary risks. He had even planned to use a gu pill to control Yan Zhen and turn him into a puppet to grow under his influence. But Wolf Poison had made up his mind, and there was nothing he could do. Contacting the Heavenly Gu Venerable still required going through this man.
“Since you’ve decided, Sir Wolf Poison, this old man will naturally cooperate.”
…
Yan Zhen had no idea that this villain was scheming to up the ante and clash with him head-on.
He slept soundly.
The master-disciple feast had been far too delicious. Though he had only just begun to partake, the mere aroma had left him utterly content.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, when Yan Zhen awoke, he found Yun Xiu still lost in dreams. His hands immediately grew restless.
After a round of groping and fondling that roused her, he rolled atop her and began their morning exercise right there in front of Huangfu Wenqing.
Huangfu Wenqing had woken earliest but pretended to sleep. Hearing the commotion, she cracked her eyes open and watched her master’s shameful pose—half-resisting, half-welcoming. Her heart pounded wildly.
Once sated, Yan Zhen dressed with a refreshed mind and body. He left the main hall and returned to the right wing.
Long Ying had just awakened and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes in a daze.
“Good morning, Yan Zhen Zhen. Why are you coming in from outside?”
Yan Zhen replied solemnly.
“I was just meditating on the rooftop.”
Long Ying accepted this without question, murmuring an “oh” before scampering off obediently to brush her teeth and wash her face.
She wasn’t dirty, but a wash would make her all the fresher and more fragrant.
Dong!
A resonant bell tolled from the foot of the mountain, signaling to the sect disciples that it was time to rise.
