After being appointed as the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult, the first problem Gu Ming faced was a lack of manpower.
Although the Sect Leader had allocated many soldiers to him, they were not people Gu Ming had trained himself. Consequently, he was unwilling to station them throughout the various parts of his territory.
To solve this issue, Gu Ming spent a fortune setting up all kinds of traps at the major passes within his domain.
For instance, the Triple Array that had accidentally captured the Divine Maiden was one of the many traps he had installed.
The Aphrodisiac Valley was no different.
However, unlike the Triple Array, the Aphrodisiac Valley was a purely natural trap.
The Aphrodisiac Valley was an extremely peculiar place.
Upon entering, any formations or treasures would lose their effect, and no cultivation techniques could be performed. However, one could still circulate their own Spiritual Energy.
The reason it was called the Aphrodisiac Valley was because of a particularly potent flower that grew there.
Known as the Aphrodisiac Flower, its petals were white and its stamens were a pale yellow. Overall, it looked no different from an ordinary flower.
However, this flower was immune to fire and water, and it could even devour Spiritual Energy. Whether it was the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth or the energy within a human body, it was all food for the flower.
It was just that the amount of Spiritual Energy it consumed was relatively small, so most people tended to overlook this characteristic.
Most were instead drawn to its other attribute — aphrodisia.
The buds of the Aphrodisiac Flower released a pleasant-smelling gas.
This gas was incredibly invasive, capable of entering through the nose and mouth as well as through the skin.
To resist its intrusion, one had to use the Spiritual Energy in their body to construct a Spiritual Energy Barrier on the outside.
Furthermore, the gas possessed a powerful aphrodisiac effect.
Just how powerful was it?
A single Aphrodisiac Flower was enough to restore the vigor of an impotent man, or transform a shy, innocent young girl into a wanton woman.
If a single flower could do that, what about a vast field covering the mountains and plains?
This was why the Aphrodisiac Valley served as a natural barrier to repel enemies.
It was rumored that a Sect Master of a mid-sized sect from the Righteous Path once attempted to cross the Aphrodisiac Valley to sneak into the Demon Cult’s territory. However, he overestimated his own ability and underestimated the horror of the valley.
Before entering the Aphrodisiac Valley, the Sect Master had constructed a Spiritual Energy Barrier around himself to resist the intrusive fragrance of the Aphrodisiac Flowers.
Thus, when he first entered the valley, he felt quite good about himself. He even began to fantasize about the fame and fortune that would follow a successful sneak attack, imagining people crowding the gates of his sect.
However, as he delved deeper into the Aphrodisiac Valley, he was shocked to find his Spiritual Energy depleting faster and faster. He began to panic, and his unstable state of mind caused his Spiritual Energy Barrier to fluctuate.
That instability gave the gas released by the flowers an opening. It tore through a microscopic gap and invaded the barrier, causing the Sect Master to accidentally inhale a large amount of the special gas.
In the end, he died from the exhaustion of his Spiritual Energy combined with an excess of physical energy. With his internal fires raging and nowhere to vent, he bled from all seven orifices.
Looking toward the distance, Gu Ming’s eyes narrowed.
Looking in other directions, there were either rampant demonic beasts, groups of soldiers, or powerful Commanders standing guard. Only the direction of the Aphrodisiac Valley was clear and unobstructed. It seemed safe and was the only path that sat extremely close to the border of the territory.
No one would choose any other direction.
Gu Ming’s body shifted, turning into a beam of light as he sped toward the Aphrodisiac Valley.
Regardless of the situation, he had to check it out first.
If Mu Ningxue hadn’t taken this path, then all would be well.
If she had, he would have to rescue her first, then fabricate a reasonable excuse to let her leave on her own.
For example, should he pretend to lose to her?
‘No, no, no, would that stupid woman take the chance to get rid of me?’
The more Gu Ming thought about it, the more his head felt like it was going to explode.
If he had known, he would have brought the Disguise Mask…
Sigh.
Gu Ming couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Sometimes being too careful wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
He looked up at the sky helplessly and prayed in his heart:
‘Great lady, please don’t be there! I’m the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult now, not the Jade-Faced Young Master. If I have to let you go, I won’t even know how to handle it.’
However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
As he approached the Aphrodisiac Valley, Gu Ming saw a beautiful silhouette from afar, standing amidst the sea of Aphrodisiac Flowers.
He felt as if his entire world had turned upside down, his face clouded over with a thick haze.
‘Maybe that person isn’t Mu Ningxue.’
While Gu Ming deceived himself in his heart, he slowly flew closer.
Then, as he got nearer to the Aphrodisiac Valley, his expression became increasingly grim.
Amidst the sea of white and pale yellow flowers, a woman was surrounded.
The woman had fair skin and a beautiful face, with a graceful figure and soulful eyes. One could tell at a glance that she came from a prestigious family.
However, she was in an extremely wretched state. Not only was her clothing disheveled, but her collar was wide open, exposing her deep, elegant cleavage. Her long, white legs also had nowhere to hide.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her beautiful eyes were dazed yet retained a sliver of reason. Beneath her vivid red lips, she panted heavily.
Huff — huff —
From time to time, she pulled at her clothes, trying to make the burning heat inside her subside.
The entire scene was incredibly seductive and alluring; one might suffer a violent nosebleed if they weren’t careful.
But Gu Ming was in no mood to appreciate it. His face was shrouded in gloom, looking entirely displeased.
“Damn.”
He nearly cursed out loud.
But things had already come to this, and he had no other choice. He had to get Mu Ningxue out first.
With that plan in mind, he landed at the entrance of the Aphrodisiac Valley. Once inside, all techniques would fail, and the Flight Technique was no exception.
The entrance was very close to the field of flowers, about 30 yards away.
Thus, as soon as Gu Ming appeared, Mu Ningxue — who was suffering from the unbearable heat of the flowers — noticed him.
“It — it’s you!”
“Fifth Heavenly King!”
Mu Ningxue nearly crushed her teeth, glaring at Gu Ming with fury.
Thinking back to Gu Ming’s actions in the prison cell, Mu Ningxue wished she could skin him alive.
“Don’t… don’t come over. You can’t come over here!”
She shouted desperately to stop him, her face flushed as she panted.
However, Gu Ming seemed to turn a deaf ear. While using his Spiritual Energy to construct a Spiritual Energy Barrier, he walked toward Mu Ningxue with a dark expression.
Seeing Gu Ming gradually closing in, the terror in Mu Ningxue’s eyes grew. The heat she had been trying her best to suppress also began to break free.
“No, no, no, you can’t come over! Go away! You can’t do this!”
Faced with Mu Ningxue’s near-collapsing resistance, Gu Ming remained unmoved, simply continuing his approach…