“How could I leave you like this?” Elder Yu Yan said reproachfully. “If I hadn’t rushed over just now, Little Yan Zhen would have turned into a little piece of charcoal.”
“Uh.”
Yan Zhen was about to argue back when Elder Great-Aunt cut him off.
“This isn’t the time for chit-chat. We just need to keep it occupied, right?”
“Something like that.”
“Then you keep harassing it, Little Yan Zhen. I’ll block the attacks you can’t dodge.”
Seeing her so insistent, Yan Zhen didn’t argue further. After all, the Purple Crystal Wind Thunder Tree was already gearing up for its next assault.
With Elder Yu Yan’s help, Yan Zhen’s pressure eased considerably.
Finally, the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame he’d injected into the Purple Crystal Wind Thunder Tree had built up enough to seize control of it for a single breath.
—Master, now!
Yan Zhen sent a mental pulse into Fire Refining Starry Sky. It detached from around his neck and shot straight toward the Purple Crystal Wind Thunder Tree, slamming into the trunk before erupting with a suction force tailored to counter Extreme Flames. It drew the crystalline giant tree—crackling with purple lightning—right inside.
Mission accomplished!
Having subdued the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire, Yan Zhen felt a surge of joy in his heart and nearly let out a cheer. But then he noticed Elder Great-Aunt standing there, clutching her chest and swaying unsteadily. Alarm shot through him.
“Great-Aunt! Are you okay?”
Yan Zhen hurried forward to support her arm, but before he could touch her, a sharp crackle of electricity burst forth, numbing his hand.
—Holy crap!
Yan Zhen jumped in fright.
“Great-Aunt!?”
It was clear that after blocking so many attacks from the Purple Crystal Wind Thunder Tree on his behalf, Elder Great-Aunt’s body had been eroded by Wind Thunder Power.
The Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire’s ability transformed all energies into lightning. Weaker Mystic Power striking its body would simply convert into more of its own electricity.
Only power on a higher level—like a superior Extreme Flame, or a strike from a Half-Saint powerhouse—could harm it.
Right now, Elder Yu Yan’s Mystic Power inside her had been converted into uncontrollable Wind Thunder Power. She was in a state of extreme electrification, from the inside out.
“Don’t touch me, Little Yan Zhen,” Elder Yu Yan cautioned weakly, her voice frail as if she were enduring immense pain. “I can’t move right now. I need to fully dispel the Wind Thunder Power from my body first. You go on ahead.”
Yan Zhen refused outright.
“How could I just abandon Great-Aunt and leave you behind!”
“You’ve already subdued the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire. There’s no danger left in the Thunder Pool. Don’t worry about me.”
“That still won’t do. How about this—I try drawing the Wind Thunder Power from Great-Aunt’s body into mine? With the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame protecting me, I should be fine.”
“Don’t be foolish, Little Yan Zhen!” Elder Yu Yan grew anxious. “This is Mystic Venerable-level power. Whether an Extreme Flame can protect you is still up in the air—urgh.”
Her agitation stirred the Wind Thunder Power inside her into a frenzy. Even her legs went gradually numb, losing sensation entirely. She toppled forward, unable to control herself.
“Great-Aunt!”
Yan Zhen no longer cared about getting zapped numb. He reached out with both arms and caught Elder Great-Aunt in an embrace. The instant he made contact, Mystic Venerable-level Wind Thunder Power surged into him.
Zzzzt.
“Aaaah—”
Yan Zhen was instantly electrocuted inside and out, his arms stiffening around the beauty in his embrace as he toppled backward like a board, serving as a fleshy cushion.
Thud.
They hit the ground together. Yan Zhen lay on his back below, Elder Yu Yan sprawled atop him, their faces mere inches apart.
Yan Zhen felt two supremely soft mounds pressing against his chest, enveloping him in fragrance. Strands of her silky hair draped down beside his face. Looking up, he saw Elder Great-Aunt’s delicate features, slick with fragrant sweat.
Her “excessive sweating condition” had only recently healed, but intense exertion still made her sweat profusely, intensifying her natural body scent and teasing his senses.
“Little Yan Zhen, a-are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Yan Zhen didn’t dare meet Elder Great-Aunt’s gaze in that moment. How to put it? She usually had this laid-back, gentle vibe, but now she exuded a dripping-wet, seductive allure.
Elder Yu Yan let out a breath of relief, then adopted a scolding tone.
“I told you not to touch me. Why don’t you ever listen, you silly child? Now look at the mess you’re in.”
Yan Zhen mumbled softly.
“I couldn’t just let Great-Aunt fall to the ground.”
Elder Yu Yan smiled warmly.
“This is the Thunder Pool Secret Realm. We’re standing on clouds. It wouldn’t hurt even if we fell.”
Yan Zhen finally realized, embarrassment flooding him.
“I didn’t think of that earlier…”
Elder Yu Yan smiled knowingly to herself. This child really cares about me.
“Can you move now, Little Yan Zhen?”
“Sorry, Great-Aunt. I… I can’t muster any strength.”
“Me neither. Oh dear, what are we going to do?”
Though their relationship was close, it wasn’t that kind of closeness. Staying pressed together like this wasn’t ideal, and lying there too long was making her chest ache.
Yan Zhen thought for a moment.
“I’ll try using my spiritual power.”
His spiritual power was on the cusp of the Nether Realm, able to materialize into Mental Tentacles capable of easily lifting one or two people.
Yan Zhen summoned what little spiritual power he had left, shaping it into tentacles that wrapped around Elder Great-Aunt’s slender waist and lifted her. He figured Wind Thunder Power probably couldn’t affect spiritual power.
But suddenly, a crackle of electricity erupted across Elder Yu Yan’s skin. Yan Zhen flinched, and the Mental Tentacles snapped.
Elder Yu Yan, just lifted, fell back down, landing squarely on him once more amid another burst of purple lightning.
“Ow~”
“Ah!”
They both cried out in pain.
Once the agony subsided, Yan Zhen apologized.
“Sorry, Great-Aunt. My mistake.”
Elder Yu Yan instinctively wanted to pat his head, but with her hands pinned on his shoulders, she couldn’t move and gave up with a sigh.
“It’s fine. Try again.”
“I can’t. My spiritual power’s nearly depleted. My head’s buzzing.”
“…”
Elder Yu Yan recalled then that Yan Zhen had relied on his spiritual power and the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame to subdue the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.
“I’ll recover a bit, then use the Space Talisman that Lady Mother-in-Law gave me from my storage ring to teleport us out.”
“No!” Elder Yu Yan shot it down immediately. “Not like this—if anyone sees us, it’ll look bad.”
“Then… I’ll try circulating the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame to dispel the Wind Thunder Power in my body. Great-Aunt, you rest and regulate your breathing for a while. Maybe we’ll be able to move soon?”
That was precisely what Elder Yu Yan had in mind.
Though sprawled atop Yan Zhen with her full, rounded breasts flattened into soft patties against his chest in an utterly compromising position, their familiarity made it feel less awkward—just an accident.
Seeing him close his eyes to focus on his breathing, a mischievous thought flickered through Elder Yu Yan’s mind: Little Yan Zhen looks just like a little girl waiting for a kiss~
“So cute.”
As she thought that, Elder Yu Yan realized a serious issue.
In their current position, their mouths were nearly touching. She’d been holding her head up to avoid it, but her body was growing number by the second, her neck losing strength. Soon enough—
Just then, an arc of electricity sparked across the back of her neck. Elder Yu Yan felt her neck go numb. Her slightly raised head drooped powerlessly forward like she’d nodded off, and her moist, rosy lips softly pressed against Yan Zhen’s mouth.
Mmwah~
Yan Zhen, who had been channeling the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame, sensed something off on his lips and snapped his eyes open.
Their gazes locked. They stared at each other as the whole world seemed to fall silent.
