Chapter 182: The Only Pitiful One by His Side is A-Nuo

With Pei Chuyun's current strength, if she were to actively channel the full power of the Chastity Maiden Profound Art, things would become quite serious.

Not to mention first and second grades, at the very least, a third grade upper-stage cultivator would definitely be unable to withstand her.

A top-tier demoness who truly sucks people dry without paying for their lives; at most, she might just lose a pregnancy.

Lu Xingzhou, who has just reached fourth grade lower-stage, is certainly going to suffer.

But if she is not actively driving it, the situation is not so difficult.

Ultimately, the Chastity Maiden Profound Art is merely a type of dual cultivation technique, albeit one oriented toward extraction; adjusting it to a mutual dual cultivation mode is something both have grown very accustomed to. After such long-term dual cultivation involving tongue-to-tongue qi transfer, Lu Xingzhou has been circulating his Yin-Yang Ultimate Intent Art, while Pei Chuyun has always been circulating the Chastity Maiden Profound Art; they have been dual cultivating for so long...

It's just that qi-transfer dual cultivation is not quite so direct, and its effect is not strong enough. At that time, Lu Xingzhou suppressed it relying on the extra yang qi from the ham.

Now the effect is thousands of times stronger, but with the Essence of Flame penetrating Lu Xingzhou's entire skeleton, there is no need to summon extra sources; he is much stronger than before. Can he withstand it directly?

Facts prove that he probably cannot.

Without the existence of "Primordial Yin," perhaps he could have. But the little demoness's virgin Primordial Yin is too ferocious; the yin qi is so vast it nearly froze Lu Xingzhou's meridians.

If it weren't for the water and fire powers just having penetrated his entire skeleton, granting far greater tolerance, this passive surge might have shattered him.

No wonder everyone says that bedding a Hehuan demoness is worse than tying a rope and climbing a tree; this is truly risking one's life!

Sometimes Lu Xingzhou feels he does indeed possess a bit of luck; this happened a few days ago when he couldn't withstand it, but now he precisely can.

And the extra yang qi needed to counterbalance it is also precisely available—the Annihilation Golden Fire he just obtained.

There is no need to introduce such a violent flame; borrowing its yang qi to counterbalance is sufficient.

Pei Chuyun felt Lu Xingzhou trembling as if unable to endure; just as she grew worried, a scorching yang qi rose from his Spirit Platform, like a ferocious fire dragon roaring wildly.

It also resembled the stormy violence of his movements at that moment.

Pei Chuyun swallowed the words she wanted to say, nearly rolled her eyes back, and her thoughts were almost scattered.

The image flashed by; the scorching yang qi and her Primordial Yin swirled together, spiraling and winding through the greatly strengthened meridians and bones, wandering everywhere, feeling somewhat like a reckless car race with vehicles swerving into each other, quite perilous.

Lu Xingzhou's forehead glistened with hidden sweat; he carefully regulated and guided these two spiraling, rampaging energies through countless cycles, finally slowly calming them down.

Pei Chuyun's heart stirred slightly; a sudden fear of losing control rose up.

She had felt this sensation during the first qi-transfer dual cultivation; at that time, she thought if Lu Xingzhou did not return it, she would be drained. But that was merely a small amount of spiritual qi; even if drained, it would not matter much. This time was far more serious; not only was the quantity huge, but more importantly, there was a mental tug-of-war, namely the backlash of the Chastity Maiden Profound Art.

—The Chastity Maiden Profound Art can control the other party, but what if it backfires?

Then she would be controlled in return, becoming a slave or servant.

Pei Chuyun opened her eyes and stared fixedly at Lu Xingzhou above her, sweating profusely.

Up to now, she had not actively circulated her art, passively letting him take the lead. If she became active, she could still contest for control.

At that point, they would likely turn against each other...

Thinking of this, she smiled with some relief; he would not do such a thing.

If he would, this entire scene would never have started; without this trust, on what basis would they go all out?

Indeed, just as she thought this, the spiraling energy returned, accompanied by Lu Xingzhou's somewhat weary whisper: "Returning it to you; you operate it..."

Pei Chuyun smiled mischievously: "So the Young Master really can't handle it, can he?"

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Pei Chuyun rolled over, propping her hand on his chest, her voice gentle: "Then rest for a while; I will..."

The Chastity Maiden Profound Art finally fully circulated, receiving the two intertwined energies and effortlessly molding them into a Taiji.

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

Indeed, the little demoness is still a bit stronger; she had been holding back before...

If he can't handle it, so be it; let the demoness take the initiative automatically; it saves effort anyway.

The little demoness's voice came to his ear: "I need to draw out your Primordial Yang; don't be nervous..."

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Do I even have such a thing?

As if seeing through his confusion, Pei Chuyun giggled: "Of course you do... what we usually do is fake... whether there is true ecstasy is not the same matter in martial arts principles, unless you do it too frequently, which could cause damage. What, besides me, have you secretly eaten with anyone else?"

Lu Xingzhou felt there was also a record somewhere... never mind, he didn't want to think about it.

With the Primordial Yang drawn out and the Annihilation Golden Fire receding, this was now the true union of Yin and Yang. Pei Chuyun's face flushed; she could clearly feel her cultivation beginning to grow. Originally, she was just short of completing fourth grade upper-stage, but now she was directly pressing against the threshold of the third grade upper-stage.

The dual cultivation of Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang was indeed not the same as the previous trivial attempts. Previously, no matter how many times Pei Chuyun dual cultivated, the progress bar moved only a tiny bit; this time, she was almost breaking through.

Pei Chuyun hesitated slightly, but Lu Xingzhou rolled over and pinned her down again: "You take the medicine; I will do it."

Pei Chuyun looked bewildered: "Take, take medicine? Shouldn't it be the man who takes..."

Lu Xingzhou laughed in exasperation: "Do I need to? I am talking about your Break-Through Pill."

Pei Chuyun hesitated: "Is it really possible?"

"I will guard you; break through with peace of mind."

That was not merely guarding; even the dual cultivation circulation was fully entrusted to him, representing unparalleled trust.

Pei Chuyun, however, no longer hesitated; she reached into her ring, took out the pill, and immediately swallowed it.

Entrusting everything to him posed no problem at all, except for striking some strange poses, such as flipping herself over to lie on her stomach...

Pei Chuyun's final thought before entering internal vision was wondering if she was the only one in history to break through to third grade in such a posture.

At roughly the same time, at Danxia Mountain.

Shen Tang opened her eyes within the hall.

Today, the spiritual qi of Danxia Mountain was even more dense; combined with the support of the spirit stone vein, cultivation was as easy as drinking water.

For every small increase in the third grade upper-stage, the required spiritual qi was dozens of times greater than before; countless people, even after breaking through to third grade, needed decades of accumulation just to rise one rank.

But in this place, with the support of Shen Tang's own talent and the Imperial Ultimate Shocking World Scripture, her third grade was broken through to the middle stage in merely three months.

Truly shocking and outrageous. "Why do I feel somewhat unsettled..." Shen Tang, who had clearly broken through, showed no joy; instead, she stood up and paced back and forth: "Where is the problem? Did I miss something..."

After a moment of thought, he suddenly called out: "Someone, come here."

The guard outside rushed in hurriedly: "Master."

"Have you heard any news about Elder Lu lately?"

"The latest report is that Elder Lu just returned from the Demon Subjugation Realm trial. During the trial, he survived multiple assassinations, including one orchestrated by Mr. from the Alchemy Academy. The head of the Alchemy Academy, Qin Zhiyu, publicly denounced Grand Tutor Huo for hiring assassins to kill students."

"That's all?"

"That's… all."

Shen Tang scratched her head: "Could I be overthinking this? Why do I always feel someone else got ahead of me on something good…"

In the capital, the Sheng residence.

Sheng Yuanyao bounced out of the secret chamber, her youthful ponytail flying.

Sheng Qingfeng grabbed her: "Where are you running off to? Did you break through?"

"I broke through. Just a fourth grade—too trivial to even mention." Sheng Yuanyao puffed out her chest: "I'm already nearly mid-fourth grade."

Sheng Qingfeng widened his eyes: "How can you be mid-fourth grade right after breaking through?"

"You said it yourself—following Lu Xingzhou brings fortune." Sheng Yuanyao darted away: "So I went to seek fortune. Goodbye."

Sheng Qingfeng yanked her ponytail: "Whose daughter goes chasing men during Qingming Festival? Even morning sickness is spreading—do you have any shame? Take one more step and I'll break your legs!"

Sheng Yuanyao flew into a rage: "I know exactly who started the rumors—I'll beat them to death!"

"If you kept yourself pure, would anyone even spread rumors? Can you silence gossip? Can you stop people from winking and nudging?"

"You don't understand—I'm not pregnant. It's the Pei family's worthless girl who's going to be truly pregnant! I must ruin it!"

Sheng Qingfeng: "So whether she's pregnant or not—what's it to you? Aren't you friends?"

Sheng Yuanyao: "..."

"Copy the family rules ten times. Don't leave until you're done."

"Old Sheng, you'll regret this!"

The National Master's Pavilion.

"Clang!" Sword qi surged into the heavens, freezing a hundred li in frost.

Nearly half the capital looked up, startled by the biting chill.

"Boom—!" Thunder roared, the Frost Tribulation descended, nearly engulfing the entire National Master's Pavilion.

"What is that?" someone gasped: "Don't tell me it's a third-grade minor heavenly tribulation?"

"It's a minor heavenly tribulation. That's Thunder Tribulation plus Frost Tribulation—there might even be a Fire Tribulation below we can't see."

"Are you kidding? Where does a minor heavenly tribulation get so many layers?"

"If she's Du Gu Qingli, then it's possible. Let's see if she can survive this tribulation…"

"She's only eighteen…"

Sword qi coalesced into a massive, ancient sword shape, thunderous in sound, piercing straight into the clouds.

The heavenly tribulation above struck the sword qi and vanished entirely; the storm clouds shattered, revealing clear blue sky and rain-washed air.

Frost clung to her body, but the warm fire of the pills within her still burned—"Crack!"—the dark ice shattered.

The girl opened her eyes, blue light flickering, icy and sharp.

Ye Tinglan stepped forward, thoroughly satisfied: "The Mist Cloud minor heavenly tribulation meant nothing to you. No wonder you're my disciple."

Du Gu Qingli's expression grew even more distant. After a long silence, she spoke softly: "Just now, the heavenly signs hinted at the scattering of celestial flowers—someone else may be breaking through the Mist Cloud tribulation right now."

Ye Tinglan dismissed it: "The capital is full of capable people. Someone breaking through just before or after you isn't unusual."

Du Gu Qingli spoke slowly: "It feels familiar… like the Lady Demoness Mystic Art."

"Pei Chuyun? She should still be lacking something."

"I just have this feeling… something was taken from me…"

South, Miao Yin Mountain.

"Lord Yama, a secret transmission from the capital."

"Oh? What does it say?"

"It says the Judge entered the Pei household this morning and assisted Pei's daughter in assassinating her own elders. Details are unclear."

"So what?"

"Rumors in the Pei household say the Judge proposed marriage to… to Miss Pei, and was rejected by Chancellor Pei."

"Lu Xingzhou's wit wouldn't let him do something so obviously futile—it's pure humiliation. He wouldn't do it unless it was a ruse. He's likely in secret collusion with the Pei clan, targeting the Huo family."

"... Perhaps."

"Anything else?"

"His leg is healed."

Yuan Muyu fell silent for a long time, then whispered: "When I gave him the demon core, I wanted him to heal his leg… After so long, he entered the Alchemy Academy, found other materials, and healed himself—it's only natural. Why mention it?"

"Yes."

"I should've known long ago—he's a boat untethered. Tying him down is pointless… but… never mind." Yuan Muyu sighed: "He's all focused on the Huo family. He has no energy for anything else. You must have the capital branch assist him more. He's alone with just An Nuo—how pitiful."

As she spoke these words, Yuan Yang poured out, viciously flooding into the little demon girl's body.

The kneeling demon girl's long hair whipped wildly, as if the scattering of celestial flowers descended upon the cave.

Pei Chuyun broke through the third-grade barrier; the Heavenly Demon Heart Tribulation descended above, while the Desire Fire Tribulation ignited below—both tribulations arrived together.

(End of Chapter)