Bai Su’s voice carried a hint of hoarseness, yet it left Gu Qinghuan, Ji Linglong, and Ah Lin frozen in place.
At that moment, Lu Ning was held at sword point, but her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
‘This little maid really has some nerve.’
‘To propose such an absurd condition.’
She inwardly complained.
Of the two choices Bai Su presented, neither was something Gu Qinghuan and the other two could possibly accept.
For a cultivator, crippling one’s own cultivation was a fate worse than death, a complete collapse of one’s Dao heart.
Lu Ning knew all too well how fixated Gu Qinghuan and the others were on her.
Bai Su’s move was undoubtedly pushing them into a corner with no way out.
Gu Qinghuan’s ice-blue eyes churned with the power of the Supreme Yin.
The cold aura around her almost solidified into substance, and frost began to form on the ground of the plaza.
Her originally cold and beautiful face was now twisted with rage.
Gnashing her teeth, she shouted, “Bai Su, don’t you dare!”
Ji Linglong’s phoenix eyes blazed with overwhelming fury, carrying an air of arrogance that looked down upon the world.
“If you dare harm a single hair on Ah Ning’s head, this princess will grind your bones to dust and ensure your soul never finds peace for all eternity!”
Ah Lin was even more ready to erupt at any moment.
Even if it meant mutual destruction, she would tear this vile woman who dared threaten Sister Lu Ning to pieces.
Yet, despite their fury, none of them dared act rashly.
Bai Su’s sword was pressed against Lu Ning’s neck.
That cold, sharp edge reminded them that any sudden move could lead to the worst possible outcome.
They didn’t dare gamble, and they certainly didn’t dare put Lu Ning at risk.
Seeing their reactions, Bai Su’s smile grew even more triumphant.
….
“Oh? It seems you’re all unwilling,” Bai Su chuckled softly.
The tip of her sword pressed slightly harder, and a thin line of crimson blood slowly seeped from the delicate skin of Lu Ning’s neck.
Lu Ning shuddered slightly, not from pain, but from the icy touch.
“Then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
As she spoke, Bai Su’s other hand, seemingly casually, began to slowly stroke upward from Lu Ning’s waist.
Her fingers were slender, carrying a cold sensation through the fabric of the black robe, until they finally, gently, touched the front of Lu Ning’s chest.
In that instant, Bai Su’s movements abruptly froze.
Her eyes, which had been filled with mockery, suddenly contracted.
Deep within her pupils flashed a trace of shock and disbelief.
The tactile sensation transmitted by her fingertips clearly told her an unexpected truth—Lu Ning was a woman!
This discovery made Bai Su’s heart skip a beat.
A blazing light ignited in her eyes.
She quickly withdrew her hand, but the expression on her face became even more playful.
‘So that’s how it is. No wonder these three women are so obsessed with her, even to the point of opposing me.’
‘She is actually female, yet she can drive such powerful beings to madness for her. There must be something peculiar about this.’
Countless thoughts flashed through Bai Su’s mind in an instant.
She felt she might have discovered a treasure even more astonishing than the secret of the Dark Qilin.
The previous threat now seemed less important in her heart, replaced instead by a deeper kind of “interest.”
“Lu Ning… you’ve truly given this venerable one a great surprise,” Bai Su’s voice was low, carrying an unprecedented ambiguity in its tone.
She pressed close against Lu Ning’s back.
The sword in her hand was no longer a threat but seemed more like a lover’s gentle caress as her fingers lightly traced Lu Ning’s cheek.
Her fingers slid slowly from Lu Ning’s cheek down to her chin, then gently hooked it upward.
“Since they are unwilling to make a trade, then this venerable one has no choice but to enjoy you myself.”
As she spoke, the sword resting against Lu Ning’s neck suddenly shifted.
The hilt tapped gently on Lu Ning’s shoulder, while her other hand actually wrapped around Lu Ning’s waist, pulling her even more tightly against herself.
This action was full of disrespect and provocation.
Watching Bai Su brazenly take such liberties with Lu Ning right before their eyes, the fury in the hearts of Gu Qinghuan, Ji Linglong, and Ah Lin reached its peak.
“Bai Su, you’re seeking death!”
Gu Qinghuan let out a fierce shout.
The power of Supreme Yin instantly went berserk.
The cold air across the entire plaza seemed about to solidify into a storm of ice crystals.
Behind Ji Linglong, the phantom of a divine phoenix flickered indistinctly as she released a phoenix cry that shook heaven and earth.
The divine flames around her body suddenly surged, burning so fiercely that space itself began to distort.
The killing intent emanating from her was no longer concealed.
The massive phantom of the Dark Qilin manifested behind Ah Lin.
Purple-black demonic flames enveloped her as she prepared at any moment to assume her true form and devour Bai Su.
Yet, their bodies remained rigidly in place.
Although Bai Su’s sword had left Lu Ning’s neck, that hand wrapped around Lu Ning’s waist and that posture that seemed to declare sovereignty made them hesitate, fearing any action might harm the vessel they cherished.
They didn’t dare risk Lu Ning being harmed in the slightest.
Feeling Bai Su’s liberties and the nearly solidifying killing intent from the three beside her, Lu Ning’s heart was also filled with irritation.
‘This crazy woman, she really knows how to take advantage of a crisis!’
‘However… this might just give me an opportunity.’
A cold glint flashed in Lu Ning’s eyes.
She knew she couldn’t drag this out any longer.
This stalemate would only make things worse.
Taking advantage of the moment Bai Su leaned in to speak, the true essence within Lu Ning’s body quietly stirred.
The fluctuations of the Heavenly Demon Domain subtly spread around her.
“Bai Su, have you had enough fun?”
Lu Ning’s voice suddenly turned icy, and the previous “panic” was gone from her eyes.
Bai Su was taken aback. She keenly sensed that faint domain fluctuation around Lu Ning.
Her expression changed drastically, a flash of suspicion and wariness in her eyes.
‘This Mahayana-stage woman can actually mobilize domain power?’
‘She really is extraordinary!’
Bai Su had no time to think further.
Her original plan was to use Lu Ning to threaten these three Tribulation Transcendence experts and seize the chance to escape the Northern Domain.
Now that she had discovered Lu Ning’s secret, she was even less likely to let go easily.
“Hmph!”
Bai Su snorted coldly.
The tip of her sword instantly pointed at the space between Lu Ning’s eyebrows.
Simultaneously, her other hand quickly pulled a talisman from her robes.
The talisman emitted a faint spatial fluctuation, ancient and profound.
“A Greater Teleportation Talisman!”
Ji Linglong exclaimed in shock, recognizing the origin of that talisman.
It was a life-saving talisman unique to the Central Domain, capable of instantly teleporting the user hundreds of thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye, even across minor spatial rifts.
….
“You dare!”
Gu Qinghuan and Ah Lin also shouted fiercely in unison, preparing to forcibly intervene.
However, everything was too late.
Bai Su’s movements were extremely fast.
She instantly slapped the talisman onto Lu Ning’s forehead while the tip of her sword also touched the space between Lu Ning’s eyebrows.
“Hehe, what wouldn’t this venerable one dare?”
A ferocious smile appeared on Bai Su’s face.
“You all play here slowly. This venerable one doesn’t have time to accompany you any longer.”
“Boom—”
A blinding silver light instantly enveloped Lu Ning and Bai Su.
As the light dissipated, the figures of the two, along with that spatial fluctuation, completely vanished from the Tianmo Sect plaza.
Only Gu Qinghuan and the others were left standing there in a daze.
“BAI SU!!”
Gu Qinghuan roared in fury.
The power of Supreme Yin erupted instantly.
The ground of the entire plaza began to crack, and a storm of ice crystals swept out, tearing apart everything around.
Behind Ji Linglong, the divine phoenix dharma manifestation threw its head back and let out a long cry, its voice filled with endless rage and unwillingness.
Ah Lin’s massive Dark Qilin true form descended with a thunderous crash, blotting out the sky.
Purple-black demonic flames scorched the earth, and a pair of enormous eyes were filled with overwhelming killing intent.
At this moment, they all fell into an unprecedented frenzy.
Under the rampage of these three forces, the entire Tianmo Sect instantly began to shake violently.
….
Elsewhere, Lu Ning only felt her vision blur as her body seemed to be sucked into a massive vortex.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar, vast, and desolate dense forest.
Towering ancient trees reached for the clouds around her, their branches thick with leaves, blotting out the sky.
“Where is this?”
Lu Ning frowned, looking at Bai Su not far away.
Bai Su was currently putting away that tattered talisman, a trace of fatigue on her face, but her eyes were filled with the triumph of a victor.
“Hehe, you woke up quite quickly.”
Bai Su walked slowly over to Lu Ning, a mocking smile on her face.
“The two of us were teleported here together. It will take them at least several days to find this place. And this… is precisely the Divine Martial Mountain Range, the borderland between the Northern Domain and the Central Domain.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s heart stirred sharply.
The Divine Martial Mountain Range! She knew this place.
According to the game’s setting, this was one of the most dangerous and mysterious regions in the Northern Domain.
It was said to be perpetually shrouded in thick fog, teeming with fierce beasts, and rarely visited.
At the same time, it was also the only passage connecting the Northern Domain and the Central Domain, but this passage was unstable, filled with spatial turbulence and danger.
‘The Divine Martial Mountain Range… the border between the Northern and Central Domains?’
An almost uncontrollable wild joy quietly sprouted in Lu Ning’s heart.
‘Excellent! I’ve finally escaped! To hell with that harem mess!’
She originally thought she would be trapped in that harem mess until death.
She never expected this “little maid” Bai Su would unexpectedly rescue her from that hellish situation.
Although she was now in a dangerous place, at least she had temporarily escaped those three obsessive women.
For Lu Ning, this was an unexpected windfall.
Lu Ning’s face remained expressionless, but inwardly, she was overjoyed.
After collecting herself, she tried hard to suppress the happiness in her heart and looked up at Bai Su.
….
“Bai Su, why did you bring me here?”
Lu Ning asked with feigned calm, a hint of wariness in her tone.
Bai Su looked at Lu Ning, her smile deepening.
She extended a slender, jade-like finger and gently hooked Lu Ning’s chin.
“Why?”
Bai Su’s voice was low and magnetic.
“To take you to a better place, of course.”
She paused, her fingertip gently stroking Lu Ning’s chin, her tone carrying a hint of enticement.
“Lu Ning, you’re a smart woman. You should know this barren Northern Domain cannot bear the weight of your future.”
“You hold secrets and possess extraordinary talent. You shouldn’t be trapped here.”
“This venerable one can take you to the Central Domain. That is the true holy land of cultivation, with countless rare treasures you’ve never seen, a vaster world, and more powerful opportunities.”
Bai Su’s gaze grew fervent.
She leaned close to Lu Ning, almost nose to nose, her warm breath brushing against Lu Ning’s face.
“So, what do you say? Lu Ning, become this venerable one’s maid. Accompany me to the Central Domain. I can give you everything you want. I can even make you stronger.”
Listening to Bai Su’s temptations, Lu Ning inwardly sneered.
‘A maid? You think I’d fall for that?’
‘Give me great opportunities? Heh, more like great trouble, I’d say.’
Suddenly, Lu Ning’s eyes turned sharp.
The aura she had been suppressing erupted at this moment!
“Domain, Expand!”
With Lu Ning’s low shout, a strange, alternating black-and-white light instantly spread from her body, enveloping the surrounding dense forest.
The Heavenly Demon Domain had descended once more!
Bai Su’s expression changed drastically.
She instinctively wanted to retreat but found her body already bound by an invisible force.
“Bai Su, do you think this sect master is so easily manipulated by you?”
Lu Ning’s voice was full of arrogance.
“Want me to be your maid? You’re not qualified.”
She looked down at Bai Su with a condescending posture, her eyes filled with mockery.
“Now, who is the maid?”
However, just as Lu Ning prepared to completely turn the tables and suppress Bai Su…
She suddenly felt the true essence within her body receding like a burst dam, draining away madly.
That originally vast and boundless Heavenly Demon Domain also became fragmented at this moment, ultimately collapsing and dissipating completely.
Lu Ning’s body trembled violently.
Her face instantly turned pale.
She even felt her cultivation base plummeting at an unbelievable speed.
Mid Mahayana stage… Unity stage… Void Refinement stage… Nascent Soul stage… Core Formation stage… Foundation Establishment stage… Qi Refining stage…
Finally, her cultivation had completely vanished!
The meridians within her body were empty.
Not a single trace of true essence fluctuation remained in her dantian.
She had become a complete and utter mortal!
Lu Ning’s body went limp, nearly collapsing to the ground.
She stared blankly at her own empty hands, her eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and panic.
‘Wh-what is going on?’
At that moment, a triumphant smile appeared on Bai Su’s face.
She raised her hand and gently stroked Lu Ning’s cheek.
….
Lu Ning instinctively looked down and discovered an ancient, profound runic symbol had somehow appeared on her body.
The symbol was currently emitting a faint silver light.
Then, under her gaze, it rapidly merged into her skin and disappeared.
“Hehe, Lu Ning, did you think this venerable one would be so careless?”
Bai Su’s voice carried a hint of mockery.
“Seeing you fought over so fiercely by those three Tribulation Transcendence geniuses, this venerable one knew you were anything but ordinary.”
“Even though you only displayed Mahayana-stage cultivation, it made this venerable one not dare to lower my guard.”
Bai Su took a slow breath, a trace of relief appearing on her face.
“Fortunately, this venerable one was cautious enough. When using the Greater Teleportation Talisman, I also quietly applied this Spirit-Sealing Talisman on you.”
“This Spirit-Sealing Talisman is a secret treasure of the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the Central Domain. It can instantly seal all of a cultivator’s cultivation. Not even a Tribulation Transcendence expert can escape it.”
She looked at Lu Ning’s pale face, the triumph in her eyes growing even stronger.
“Now, your cultivation is completely sealed. You are no different from a mortal.”
As her words fell, Bai Su once again hooked Lu Ning’s chin, her eyes filled with the playful satisfaction of a victor.
“Then, let this venerable one ask you again.”
“Now… who is the maid?”
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