Although Liu Ruoxi had run out of the room, she hadn’t gone far. Instead, she sat in a pavilion, staring blankly at the sky with hollow eyes.
After straightening his clothes, Taishu Shen walked up beside her and offered her a stalk of Spirit Medicine.
"You have so many scars on your body. Take this Spirit Medicine."
Liu Ruoxi didn’t speak, nor did she accept the Spirit Medicine Taishu Shen held out to her. She looked as if her soul had been drained.
"Are you really this devastated? I haven’t even truly had my way with you yet," Taishu Shen said.
Liu Ruoxi finally broke her silence. "Tai... Taishu Shen, I told you. You can only have me after you let me kill Ye Xuan."
"Is that so? Liu Ruoxi, you need to understand something. If I had truly wanted to take you just now, you wouldn’t have been able to refuse even if you tried! I could easily take you by force. It’s just that I want to train you step by step. Do you understand?"
Liu Ruoxi remained silent. Ever since she stepped out of that room, she hadn’t looked at Taishu Shen once. On the surface, Taishu Shen seemed gentle, elegant, and had the bearing of an upright gentleman. But in reality, he was a total deviant. Liu Ruoxi used to think Ye Xuan was twisted, but compared to Taishu Shen, Ye Xuan was a saint. Taishu Shen had actually whipped her viciously with a leather belt and ridden her around like a horse.
"Alright, let’s go. We’re heading to the Gongsun family’s home." Taishu Shen summoned a Qingtian Crane and leaped onto it first.
Liu Ruoxi took a deep breath and ultimately sat down beside him.
"Ye Xuan... this is all because of you! You are the reason I’ve suffered such tremendous humiliation. You must die! You must." Liu Ruoxi’s hatred for Ye Xuan was growing stronger by the minute. It was as if being humiliated and broken in by Taishu Shen was somehow Ye Xuan’s fault.
Ten minutes later, about a dozen Level-Six Flying Beasts flew out of Hero City, heading toward the Gongsun family’s home. Although Taishu Shen was confident, he didn’t travel alone. Instead, he brought along a dozen Two-Star City Lords to accompany him. It seemed he was quite cautious in his actions.
Meanwhile, at the Big Mountain.
Man Tian was still casting a divination, and the resulting hexagrams were becoming increasingly complex.
Outside the house, Hua suddenly looked up at the sky. Originally, the sun had been shining brightly in a clear, boundless sky. But suddenly, a sinister wind flared up, and the clear sky rapidly darkened. Above the dark clouds, a mysterious and powerful force was faintly gathering.
This power made Hua’s heart palpitate! In an instant, her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. It felt as if this force could destroy the world itself. Fortunately, the power vanished in a flash, and the dark clouds quickly dissipated. Everything felt like a mere hallucination.
As the clouds scattered, Man Tian finally stopped his calculations inside the room. "Alright, I’ve figured it out. What your sister has might not be an illness."
Ye Xuan, who had been staring fixedly at Man Tian, stayed silent for a long moment before asking, "Senior, are you from the Celestial Secret Pavilion?"
"I can only say that I have a deep connection with a certain patriarch of the Celestial Secret Pavilion," Man Tian replied evenly.
Ye Xuan knew Man Tian simply didn’t want to reveal his true identity. "Senior, if what my sister has isn’t an illness, then what is it?"
"It is a disaster, but it may also be a blessing. Sigh, I couldn’t divine the exact details. With my current ability, I didn’t dare to push the divination any further. However, the final hexagram indicates life through death."
"Senior, how do you interpret this hexagram?"
"This hexagram implies that if your sister’s heat affliction is to be cured, she might need to die once—but not truly die."
Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yanran and the others were dumbfounded. Die once, but not truly die? Was there actually such a concept in this world? Could it be Fake Death Medicine?
There were some incredibly miraculous Spirit Medicines in this world that could force a person into a state of suspended animation. All bodily functions would cease, and the person would turn completely cold, indistinguishable from a corpse. Yet, after a period of time, they would revive. Such Spirit Medicine was known as Fake Death Medicine.
"Senior, is it Fake Death Medicine?" Ye Xuan asked.
"I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be. Fake Death Medicine is used to deceive the living; it cannot fool this mysterious power inside her body."
"Then how can we achieve what you said—dying, but not truly dying?"
"I’m not sure either. I’m just one step short, after all." As Man Tian spoke, he looked out the window at the sky. He was still just one step short. Otherwise, he would have been able to divine the specifics and all the mysteries would have been unraveled.
"Senior, what should I do if my heat affliction acts up again?" Ye Ling’Er piped up.
"How do you usually deal with it?"
"I just use Cold Water or ice to cool myself down. Oh, and now I have the medicine my brother brews for me."
"Directly using Cold Water? Water counters fire, so it does have a cooling effect. In that case, Centennial Ice might be useful to you."
"Senior, do you know where to find Centennial Ice?"
Centennial Ice didn’t just mean ice that had existed for a hundred years. It was the absolute essence of ice. Every piece of ice that reached a hundred years of age had a one-in-a-hundred-million chance of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and transforming into Centennial Ice. Centennial Ice wasn’t white; instead, it emitted a blue glow. Once Centennial Ice formed, if it existed for another nine hundred years, it had a chance to evolve into Thousand-Year Ice. But this probability was only one in ten million. As for Ten-Thousand-Year Ice, it was exceptionally rare in the world.
"I do know, but the location is quite far. It’s in the Land of the Far North."
"Senior, please tell me the exact location. When I have time, I’ll make a trip there." Ye Xuan was worried that one day, the Cold Spring Water might lose its effectiveness. Centennial Ice could then replace the Cold Spring Water. It was always better to be safe than sorry.
"Alright, I can draw a map for you." As Man Tian finished speaking, a blank Scroll appeared in his hand. He picked up a brush and began to draw, taking two hours to complete the map. "When you go to the Land of the Far North, you will naturally find this Ice Mountain Range. But I don’t recommend you go right now; it’s best for you to keep a low profile for the time being. Alright, I’ve delayed long enough. It’s time for me to leave."
"Senior, you look a bit exhausted. Why don’t you rest for a while before leaving?"
"Many things in this world are fraught with variables. The more time passes, the more unforeseen changes occur. It’s best to leave early." Man Tian waved his hand, and his figure vanished. His speed was simply too fast.
"Mother, keep an eye on Ling’Er. Make absolutely sure she doesn’t cultivate. I’m going back into seclusion." After giving his instructions, Ye Xuan returned to his bamboo house.
As soon as he got back, he began consuming a Level-Six, Rank-Two Beast Pill. With one pill swallowed, his body was instantly flooded with Frenzy energy. This energy was converted and absorbed by his body, but he still seemed a bit short of reaching saturation. He took another Level-Six, Rank-One Beast Pill, and the energy inside him felt as if it were about to explode.
"Break through!" Without hesitation, Ye Xuan began to charge at the ninth Mountain Range.
One day later, Ye Xuan’s cultivation successfully advanced to the 9th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm.
"Finally, the 9th Layer!" A burning light radiated from Ye Xuan’s eyes.
Entering the 9th Layer meant he would soon be able to break through to the Earth Spirit Realm! Although Beast Pills were no longer enough to push his cultivation to its peak, he still had the Blue Spirit Fruit. He had been holding onto the Blue Spirit Fruit precisely for this moment.