Chapter 121: Lewd Rogue

The secret passage twisted and turned, but there was no branch; it led straight down toward the earth's interior. A faint mist of water began to appear around, and the ambient Qi of heaven and earth grew much denser.

Lu Fan was still badly wounded and not yet healed, yet the moment he inhaled the damp celestial Qi, his pores opened and he felt a great relief.

"Could it be that the Qi has liquefied, and by chance a Qi spirit milk has been born?"

With that thought, he couldn't help but rejoice, caring for nothing else, and his whole form turned into a light breeze, drifting downward.

At the end of the passage lay a bright cavern, within which a water pool about ten feet wide stood. The pool was shrouded in rising mist, swirling and shifting, and faintly a delicate jade figure could be seen playing in the water.

The woman faced away from the cave entrance, most of her body immersed in the Qi mist, only a slender shoulder and back exposed. Her black hair flowed, reflecting her snow‑white skin and jade‑like bones, captivating the mind.

"Who?"

She barked coldly, flicked her shoulder, turned her head, and in her bright star‑like eyes shone only frost.

At this moment, Miss Nalan's true face finally revealed itself.

Her lips were thin, her nose straight and lofty, her eyebrows lightly arched, complementing an unblemished oval face. Even to Lu Fan's eyes, one had to admit that Miss Nalan was beautiful.

"Ahem…"

With a gust of wind, a youthful figure slowly floated into view; Lu Fan's face bore no embarrassment, only a composed smile, his complexion unchanged, looking like an old friend, and he said:

"Miss Nalan, what a coincidence—so you're here too!"

The words sounded as if truly coincidental and surprising. Yet Lu Fan's expression showed no surprise at all; he remained unusually calm, having known she was here all along.

"Hmph!" Miss Nalan snorted coldly, her face turning sour, her body slightly crouching, fully sinking into the spirit‑milk pool. At the same time, a hand rose, pointing at Lu Fan and shouting:

"This treasured place already has an owner; leave at once!"

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, blinked, and said cheerfully: "This whole pool of spirit milk, you actually use it to bathe—what a waste."

Speaking of that, he shifted his gaze slightly toward the swirling spirit‑milk pool, his face alight with fervor.

Nalan couldn't help but pull her neck back, and below her nasal cavity she fully sank into the spirit pool.

The sound "splish‑splash!" rang out, light and shadow flickered, and the Qi mist hovering above the pool cracked open, revealing a clear stream within, faintly showing a patch of white, tender flesh.

Lu Fan's eyes widened, his complexion darkened instantly, and he said in disbelief: "It's only been this short a time, and you've already absorbed most of the spirit milk!"

"Damn it! Damn it! With your current cultivation you can't even refine it!" he lamented, then quickly changed tone and shouted: "There's no way unless we gather the fifth‑rank strongmen of the Divine Moon Empire to refine the spirit‑milk energy you've absorbed."

Hearing this, Miss Nalan was slightly stunned, then furrowed her dark brows and angrily said: "Lu Fan, leave this place at once, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

She had long known Lu Fan's strength, but she wasn't afraid; she was simply unable to accommodate him at the moment.

"How do you intend to be impolite?" Lu Fan teased with a smile, then gave a strange grin: "Bathing in this whole pool of spirit milk makes you a treasure of heaven and earth. I have no choice but to hand you over to the Empire! I bet that old man Yang Yitian will reward me handsomely, granting three cities and five counties—that should be no problem."

"Seeking death!" Miss Nalan roared, about to use a divine technique, but Lu Fan leapt first, charging toward the spirit pool.

"Snap!"

Lu Fan's palm shot out mid‑air, a massive force slammed into the spirit pool. Nalan's spirit was shocked; as she prepared to strike back, the pool suddenly surged with force, the clear liquid splashing countless droplets, and an irresistible power lifted her delicate body upward.

The spray rose skyward, forming a hazy water curtain that perfectly separated the two. Miss Nalan seized the chance, flicked her wrist, a black silk robe materialized in her hand, and she hastily draped it over herself to conceal.

Now finally composed, she waited as the water curtain fell; a cold, clear light swept across, but it was empty—Lu Fan's figure was nowhere to be seen.

She furrowed her brows, then recalled something, and looked toward the spirit pool; within the rising mist a vague silhouette was hidden.

"Lewd rogue, you think hiding in the pool makes me unable to see you?" Miss Nalan snorted coldly, her gaze icy, her jade hand lightly tapped, about to utter an incantation.

At that moment a ghostly howl rang out. A sudden cold wind rose in the cavern, black mist coalesced, slowly taking shape into six black‑clad men.

"Hehe, Miss Nalan, you really are here!"

A gaunt young man chuckled and spoke. The other five echoed, but their voices sounded like wailing ghosts, terrifyingly mournful.

"You are from Wan Ling Hall? How dare you enter the Dragon Tower Secret Realm—seeking death!"

Miss Nalan was slightly startled; seeing the skull‑adorned ghost robe on their chests, she recognized them and shouted fiercely.

"Ha ha ha! Miss Nalan, you have sharp eyes, but you're being too aloof. The six of us have come to respectfully invite you to return to Wan Ling Hall and marry our master!"

The gaunt youth's sinister words prompted the surrounding black‑clad men to burst into loud laughter, utterly brazen.

Miss Nalan could not endure; the anger Lu Fan had stirred now erupted fully. She floated upward, shouted clearly, "Star Spike!"

The starlight of the Star‑stone flickered, wavering; though normally formless, it now gathered like liquid, condensing into countless sharp long spikes. The radiant glow shimmered, the killing aura terrifying.

"Bad—this treasured ground is riddled with Star‑stones; her incantation technique is amplified tenfold!"

The gaunt youth's face turned pale, he warned immediately. Yet as soon as his words left his mouth, the countless sharp spikes shot out like a sudden storm, "shhh" sounding as they flew.

"Hundred Ghosts Night March!"

The six, each a Bone‑Tempered Grand Warrior, roared in unison; their black robes moved without wind. The skull on their chests suddenly opened its mouth, spitting a stream of gray‑black death aura.

In an instant, the six death auras converged, forming a fleeting ghostly fog; the six figures vanished. The brilliant long spikes shot through it unhindered, piercing straight through.

"Clang‑clang"

The long spikes collided, striking each other, sparks of starlight burst forth, then faded away.

Miss Nalan showed no surprise, as if she had foreseen this, and disdainfully said: "In the Wan Ling Fourth Realm—heaven, earth, mortals and ghosts—you six are merely the lowest ghost‑spirit realm beings, yet you dare to seek me. Did that fool Wan Li send you here to die?"

The ghostly fog swirled, forming a fleeting phantom that resembled the gaunt youth. His face was sullen, brows tightly knit, clearly the earlier strike had affected him.

He gritted his teeth and said harshly: "Miss Nalan, our master sincerely invites you; do not make things difficult for us!"

"Oh? Is that so? From your words you sound confident! I'd like to see just how sincere that fool Wan Li really is!"

Miss Nalan sneered, and as soon as the words left her mouth, her jade hands flipped and twitched lightly. Streams of true Qi burst forth, blasting toward the Star‑stones embedded in the cavern walls.

"A torrent cascading three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the heavens!"

A melodious, lilting chant rose, which in another setting might cleanse the mind, but here the mysterious light flared, the Star‑stones set in the stone wall flickered, and the entire cavern dimmed, losing its translucence.

"Bad! This is the most domineering Star Spell of incantation techniques; everyone be careful!"

The gaunt youth only now realized the illusion, but it was too late. Starlight around condensed into countless silver needles, like fine rain, dense and already sinking into the ghostly fog.

The ethereal phantom that the gaunt youth had become was the first hit; in an instant it was torn into countless fragments, a wailing "whooo" echoing as it turned to flying ash.

The others didn't even have time to utter a wail. Though the ghostly fog seemed insubstantial, it erupted with countless streams of blood, finally coalescing into a pool of blood, its power gone.

Seeing the scene, Miss Nalan showed no hint of pleasure; she turned her form and peered into the spirit pool.

"You lecherous thief, come out and take it…"

She hadn't even managed to utter the word "die" when she instantly discovered the spirit pool was empty, with no sign of Lu Fan's figure.

"You lecherous thief, you think hiding will keep me from finding you?"

Nalan let out a coquettish shout, and before she could carefully probe the surrounding void, a ripple suddenly appeared beneath her feet.

A flash of golden light flickered, and a figure darted out, leapt from the ground, and in an instant stood before her. It was Lu Fan, with a light smile, though his brows were slightly furrowed, his peripheral glance wary toward the pool of blood.

"Shh—"

Lu Fan raised a finger, gently placed it at his lips, indicating the other not to make a sound.

Nalan was in a fury at the moment, paying him no mind, her mouth slightly open, and the Star Spell Technique was about to be cast again.

Lu Fan shook his head helplessly, then with a single hand tapped, instantly pressing his hand onto Nalan's lower‑abdomen dantian.

"Seal!"

He let out a clear shout, and Nalan only felt all her strength dissipate in an instant, her previously floating form plummeting down.

She panicked instantly, yet the incantation from her mouth already rang out, mysterious power surged, and the gradually brightening Heavenly Star Stone radiance began to gather again.

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, the finger he had pressed on her abdomen immediately lifted, pressed against her warm, soft jade‑like body, then slipped to her throat and gently snapped shut.

The incantation Nalan had just begun to chant was abruptly cut off.

Lu Fan swept his large hand, grabbing her slender waist, and as she fell, he fell together with her. Warm and soft as jade, fragile and boneless.

Nalan's body trembled slightly, her whole complexion turned a cold pallor, her eyes filled with extreme panic.

Lu Fan, however, nodded toward her, gave a faint smile, yet the arm that held her slender waist never let go, instead tightened.

The two bodies were almost pressed together, Nalan instinctively raised a jade‑like hand, pressing against Lu Fan's chest, trying to push him away, but her true Qi was sealed, leaving no strength to do so.

Lu Fan didn't even notice the scene; his other empty hand lightly tapped his waist, and a lustrous jade stone materialized, which he seized abruptly.

Golden light swirled, instantly enveloping their two forms. The moment they touched the ground, they plunged into the rock below and vanished from sight.

Almost at that very moment, the pool of blood water swirled and churned, a black shadow slowly emerged, then immediately twisted out.

A ghost‑faced man slowly materialized, surrounded by black haze, deathly aura swirling. The surrounding starlight had been shining, but the instant he appeared, the void dimmed, as if cloaked in a layer of black cloth.

He scanned the surroundings, then fixed his gaze on the blood water and snorted coldly: "These six trash, they can't even handle this little matter, and they actually want me to come out personally!"

As he spoke, he glanced around again, finally fixing his eyes on the spirit pool. The lingering spiritual milk Qi had not yet dissipated, refreshing to the heart.