Chapter 10: Loss of Composure

When Gu Qinghuan once again stole Lu Ning’s breath, the sensation was completely different from before.

It was no longer a simple act of plundering and marking, but carried the ceremonial feeling of a contract.

Meanwhile, Lu Ning sensed an energy with a bone-chilling coldness pouring into her body.

So cold!

That was the only thing she could feel.

“Mm…..”

She let out a muffled groan of pain, instinctively wanting to push Gu Qinghuan away.

“Master, don’t move!”

“Steady your mind, guide my primordial energy to impact your dantian and qi sea!”

Enduring that piercing cold, Lu Ning followed Gu Qinghuan’s instructions, trying to direct the rampaging Taiyin force within her body.

However, the power was too immense and frigid.

Her spiritual strength was like an ant trying to shake a mountain of ice, unable to do anything at all.

Her meridians were about to be completely shattered by the cold, and a thin layer of frost was already starting to form on the surface of her body.

At that critical moment, the dormant Heavenly Demon bloodline deep within Lu Ning’s body, as if provoked by an old nemesis, finally awakened!

“Buzz—”

A golden, domineering force erupted violently from within her!

The moment the two forces met, it was as if they had found their missing half, and began frantically entangling and fusing with each other.

Under profound laws, the two energies evolved into an entirely new power.

This power took on a chaotic, grayish-white hue.

Wherever it passed, Lu Ning’s previously ruptured and withered meridians began to be repaired, widened, and strengthened at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Her desolate dantian and qi sea, under the nourishment of this energy, blossomed with life once more.

A strand of gray-white true essence, finer than a hair, slowly took shape in her dantian.

Though it was only a single thread, This was a qualitative transformation from nothing to something!

It meant her cultivation was beginning to recover!

“Ah…..”

Lu Ning couldn’t help but let out a sound of pleasure.

The extreme pain, like being burned and frozen at the same time, had vanished without a trace.

She felt as if she were soaking in the finest hot spring, every cell in her body rejoicing with delight.

As the other half of this power, Gu Qinghuan’s sensations were just as wondrous.

The instant the two forces blended, she felt a surge of domineering, scorching Heavenly Demon energy flow back into her body.

Yet this power didn’t harm her.

On the contrary, it was like a key, unlocking a long-sealed shackle within her.

The Taiyin Codex she cultivated began to operate uncontrollably, circulating several times faster than usual.

The bottleneck that had stymied her progress at the late Integration stage showed signs of loosening at last.

This discovery sent waves of shock surging through Gu Qinghuan’s heart.

Gazing at the “Master” in her arms, whose eyes were now glazed from the merging of their powers, a wilder thought took root in her mind, impossible to restrain.

If she and Master kept cultivating like this, Wouldn’t the two of them both be able to advance at an unimaginably rapid pace?

The Grand Ascension stage?

Maybe even the legendary Tribulation Ascension?

At the mere thought, her gaze upon Lu Ning grew even more intense and possessive.

For a long while, A crystalline thread flashed between the two of them.

Lu Ning finally managed to catch her breath.

She felt utterly exhausted, but that slender, yet real, thread of true essence in her dantian filled her with an unprecedented excitement.

It worked!

It really worked!

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before she returned to the Qi Refining stage, then Foundation Establishment, Golden Core…

Returning to Grand Ascension was just a matter of time!

“How are you feeling?”

Gu Qinghuan’s voice was tinged with a hint of hoarseness, and a charming blush colored her cheeks.

“Sti… still pretty good.”

Lu Ning turned her head away a little awkwardly.

The sensation just now was far too strange.

The resonance of their souls and the blending of their powers had given her the illusion of becoming one with Gu Qinghuan.

“Just pretty good?”

Gu Qinghuan reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to face her.

“Master, your body is far more honest than your mouth.”

She gave Lu Ning’s body a meaningful glance.

Lu Ning looked down, and her face instantly flushed crimson.

She finally realized that her pink gauze dress had become a complete mess during the struggle and the surge of power.

Worse yet, her body had reacted in ways it shouldn’t have under the stimulation of that power.

“Seems like Master really enjoyed that ‘treatment.'”

A teasing curve played at Gu Qinghuan’s lips.

“You… you’re talking nonsense!”

Lu Ning, burning with shame and anger, hurriedly grabbed the quilt nearby and wrapped herself up tightly.

“Hehe.”

Gu Qinghuan didn’t press further, simply stood up and straightened her own somewhat rumpled clothes.

“Master, please rest well.”

“Today’s ‘treatment’ ends here for now.”

“Haste makes waste. Your body is still weak and can’t handle too much power at once.”

“Once you’ve adapted, we’ll… proceed step by step.”

She emphasized those last four words.

Lu Ning could only feel her scalp tingle.

She had a premonition that future “treatment” sessions would definitely not be as “pure” as today’s.

When Gu Qinghuan reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned to say, “Starting tomorrow, I’ll be moving back to my Holy Maiden Hall. The sect has many affairs, and I can’t stay with you all the time.”

Hmm?

Lu Ning was stunned.

That clingy rebel was actually going to move out?

Had she turned over a new leaf?

“Where are you going?” she blurted out instinctively.

No sooner had she spoken than Lu Ning regretted it.

Why did she need to care about that rebel’s whereabouts?

Wouldn’t she be even freer if Gu Qinghuan left?

Hearing this question laced with “concern,” a satisfied glint flashed in Gu Qinghuan’s eyes.

“What’s this? Master can’t bear to see me go?”

“Who… who can’t bear it! Just go already!”

“Hehe, rest assured, Master.”

Gu Qinghuan walked to the bed, leaned down, and lightly pressed a mark on Lu Ning’s forehead.

“Though I won’t be living here anymore, but…”

“Every night, I’ll come by right on time to ‘make my rounds’ and personally administer your ‘treatment.'”

“Not a single session will be missed.”

With that, she straightened up, turned, and walked out of the bedchamber with a spring in her step.

Leaving only Lu Ning lying alone on the bed, her face burning hot.

Every night?

She glanced inwardly at the newborn true essence in her dantian, her emotions in turmoil.

Regaining her strength was certainly wonderful.

But this process of recovery seemed a bit too stimulating.

She buried her face in her hands, rolling back and forth on the bed.

She used to be a bold, upright man—how had she ended up like this?

…

Heavenly Demon Sect, Holy Maiden Hall.

Gu Qinghuan sat at her desk, playing with a communication jade slip in her hand.

“Your Highness, you summoned me?”

A shadow appeared silently behind her, kneeling on one knee.

“Ying Yi,” Gu Qinghuan asked without turning, “how did the investigation I ordered go?”

Ying Yi replied respectfully, “I have already looked into it. The ambush on the Sect Master back then was indeed orchestrated by Xuantiān Holy Land, Wanjian Mountain Manor, and Miaoyin Pavilion.”

“However, it seems there was another mysterious force behind them, pulling the strings.”

“Oh?”

A chill flashed in Gu Qinghuan’s eyes.

“What force?”

“According to reports from our spies embedded in the orthodox sects, that operation appears to be connected to the Great Wilderness Dynasty.”

“Great Wilderness Dynasty?”

Gu Qinghuan frowned slightly.

The Great Wilderness Dynasty was a behemoth that stood side by side with the Heavenly Demon Sect, Xuantiān Holy Land, and others.

They had always remained aloof from worldly struggles—why would they suddenly intervene in the conflict between righteous and demonic paths?

“The details are still under investigation, but it is said that the Eldest Princess of the Great Wilderness Dynasty once had an unpleasant incident with the Sect Master during her travels.”

“Oh?”

Gu Qinghuan’s interest was piqued.

“Tell me about it.”

“Rumor has it that, back in the day, the Sect Master publicly humiliated the Eldest Princess, saying she was nothing but a pretty face with no brains, and even snatched away a treasure she fancied.”

Gu Qinghuan: “……”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghuan rubbed her forehead.

That truly sounded like something her reckless Master would do.

“Understood.”

Gu Qinghuan waved her hand.

“Keep digging. I want to know exactly what role the Great Wilderness Dynasty played in this.”

“Yes!”

The shadow flickered and vanished.

Gu Qinghuan gazed out the window, her eyes glinting with icy coldness.

Xuantiān Holy Land, Wanjian Mountain Manor, Miaoyin Pavilion, and the Great Wilderness Dynasty.

Those who dared harm my people…

Not a single one of you will escape.

She picked up a sect dossier from the table, recording recent friction between the Heavenly Demon Sect and a righteous sect named “Hundred Flowers Valley.”

Hundred Flowers Valley, a sect mainly composed of female cultivators, was not strong but was famous in the righteous path for its expertise in alchemy and poisons.

Its Sect Master was especially renowned for both beauty and cunning.

“Looks like I’ll have to find time to pay this Sect Master a visit.”

“Just as well—Master’s body could use some rare and precious medicines for a proper ‘treatment’.”