Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 185 He only had Ah Nuo by his side, which was quite pitiful.
Given Pei Chuyun's current strength, if she were to actively and fully activate the Charming Maiden Mystic Art, things would become quite serious.

Even if we don't talk about first or second rank cultivators, at least a third-rank cultivator would definitely not be able to withstand her.

A truly top-tier enchantress who can drain men dry without paying for it; at most, she might pay for their pregnancy.

Lu Xingzhou, who has just reached the lower rank of the fourth grade, is definitely going to be in trouble.

But if she hadn't been actively pushing things, the situation wouldn't have been so difficult.

Ultimately, the "Charming Maiden's Profound Art" is just a type of dual cultivation technique, albeit one focused on absorbing stamina. Both of them were already quite used to adjusting it to a dual cultivation approach. For so long, through this mutual exchange of breath and energy, Lu Xingzhou had been using his Yin-Yang Ultimate Intent Technique, while Pei Chuyun had consistently used the "Charming Maiden's Profound Art." They had been practicing dual cultivation for so long…

However, the dual cultivation of qi is not as direct and its effect is not strong enough. At that time, Lu Xingzhou suppressed it with the extra yang energy from the ham.

The effect is now many times stronger, but Lu Xingzhou's Flame Essence permeates his entire body and bones, so he no longer needs to use it. It is much stronger than before. Can he directly resist it?

As it turns out, it's not very likely.

If it weren't for the "primordial yin," perhaps it would have worked. But the little demoness's virgin yin was too ferocious; its overwhelming yin energy almost froze Lu Xingzhou's meridians.

If it weren't for the fact that the power of water and fire had just been integrated into his entire body, making him much more resilient, he might have been overwhelmed by this passive impact.

No wonder people say that climbing a tree with a rope is worse than climbing a Hehuan witch; it's like risking your life!

Sometimes Lu Xingzhou felt that he was indeed lucky. This happened a few days ago, and he couldn't handle it, but now he can.

The additional yang energy drawn in to counteract this also possesses the very essence of the newly acquired destructive metal fire.

There's no need to introduce such a violent flame; just use its yang energy to counteract it.

Pei Chuyun sensed Lu Xingzhou trembling uncontrollably and was starting to worry when a surge of intense yang energy rose from his mind, like a raging fire dragon roaring wildly.

Just like the tempestuousness of his actions at this moment.

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

The image flashed by, the blazing yang energy and her primordial yin energy swept together, spiraling and swirling around the greatly strengthened meridians and bones, like a race car speeding and cutting each other off, quite thrilling.

Sweat beaded on Lu Xingzhou's forehead as he carefully regulated and guided the two swirling, raging energies through countless cycles until they finally calmed down.

Pei Chuyun's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of fear of losing control suddenly arose.

She had felt this way during their first dual cultivation session, when she thought that if Lu Xingzhou didn't return the energy, she would be drained of her spiritual energy. But that was only a small amount of spiritual energy, so even if it was drained, it wouldn't be a big deal. This time, it was much more serious. Not only was the amount much larger, but more seriously, there was a kind of mental strain, which was the backlash from the Charming Maiden Mystic Art.

—The Charming Maiden's Mysterious Ability can control the other party, but what if it backfires?

That means being controlled and enslaved.

Pei Chuyun opened her eyes and stared intently at Lu Xingzhou, who was sweating profusely above her.

So far, she hasn't actively used her internal energy, passively letting him exert his power. If she were to take the initiative, she could still fight for control.

That's probably when they really fell out...

Thinking about this, he smiled with a sense of relief; he wouldn't do that.

If it were possible, this whole thing wouldn't have even started today. Without that trust, why would we take it seriously?

Sure enough, just as he thought of this, the spiraling energy returned, accompanied by Lu Xingzhou's somewhat weary whisper: "It's back to you, you operate it now..."

Pei Chuyun smiled mischievously: "Young Master really isn't good enough, is he?"

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

Pei Chuyun rolled over, placed her hand on his chest, and said gently, "Then you rest for a while, I'll take care of you..."

The Charming Maiden's Mysterious Skill finally came into full operation, receiving the two intertwined energies and easily kneading them into a Tai Chi symbol.

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

As expected, the little vixen is stronger; she was holding back earlier...

If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You witch, just do it automatically; it'll save you effort.

The little demoness's voice came from beside my ear: "I need to draw out your vital energy, don't be nervous..."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

I still have this thing?

As if sensing his confusion, Pei Chuyun chuckled: "Of course... what we usually do is fake... and whether there is real ecstasy or not is not the same thing in martial arts theory, unless you do it too frequently, then it might break down. What, besides me, have you cheated on me with anyone else?"

Lu Xingzhou felt that there was a record of it somewhere... but he decided not to think about it.

As the primordial yang was drawn out and the extinguishing golden fire receded, only then did yin and yang truly unite. Pei Chuyun's face flushed, and she could clearly feel her cultivation beginning to grow. Originally, she was just a little short of perfecting the upper fourth rank, but now she was approaching the upper third rank, right on the threshold.

The effects of dual cultivation of Yin and Yang are indeed completely different from the previous half-hearted attempts. Pei Chuyun had practiced dual cultivation countless times before, and the progress bar would only move a little bit at most, but this time she was almost breaking through.

Pei Chuyun hesitated for a moment, then Lu Xingzhou rolled over and pressed her back down: "You take your medicine, I'll do it."

Pei Chuyun was bewildered: "Take...take medicine? Shouldn't men take it...?"

Lu Xingzhou almost laughed in anger: "Do I need it? I'm talking about your Breakthrough Pill."

Pei Chuyun hesitated and asked, "Really?"

"I will protect you, so you can focus on your breakthrough."

That wasn't just about protecting him; even the dual cultivation process was entirely entrusted to him, representing unparalleled trust.

Pei Chuyun, however, did not hesitate any longer. She took out the pill from her ring and immediately swallowed it.

He can handle everything perfectly, except he might try some random positions, like rolling himself over and lying face down...

Before Pei Chuyun entered into introspection, her last thought was whether she was the only cultivator in history to break through to the third rank in this manner.

…………

Around the same time, Danxia Mountain.

Shen Tang opened her eyes in the hall.

Today, the spiritual energy of Danxia Mountain is even more abundant, and with the blessing of the spiritual stone veins, cultivation is as easy as drinking water.

Each slight improvement in the upper three ranks requires dozens of times more spiritual energy than before. Countless people, even after breaking through the third rank, need decades of accumulation to advance to the next rank.

In this place, with the support of Shen Tang's own talent and the Huangji Jingshi Jing, her third-grade skill had already broken through to the middle stage in just three months.

It was truly astonishing. "Why do I feel a little uneasy..." Despite having broken through, Shen Tang showed no joy. Instead, she stood up and paced back and forth: "Where did things go wrong? Did I forget something..."

After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly called out, "Someone come here."

The guard outside rushed in: "Sect Master."

"Any news about Elder Lu recently?"

"The latest news is that Elder Lu has just emerged from the Demon-Slaying Domain Trial. During the trial, he was attacked by various assassins, including teachers from the Alchemy Academy, but successfully thwarted them. Qin Zhiyu, the Dean of the Alchemy Academy, criticized Grand Tutor Huo in court for hiring assassins to kill his students."

"there is none left?"

"without……"

Shen Tang scratched his head: "Am I overthinking it? Why do I keep feeling like someone else has already gotten to something good..."

The capital city, the Sheng Mansion.

Sheng Yuanyao hopped out of the secret room, her youthful ponytail flying in the wind.

Sheng Qingfeng grabbed him: "Where have you been? Did you break through?"

"I've broken through, but it's only to the fourth rank. I'm almost embarrassed to say I've broken through." Sheng Yuanyao puffed out her chest: "I was actually almost at the middle of the fourth rank."

Sheng Qingfeng's eyes widened: "How can you be at the mid-stage of the fourth rank right after breaking through?"

“You said it, following Lu Xingzhou brings good fortune.” Sheng Yuanyao was about to run away in a flash: “So I’m off to seek my fortune, goodbye.”

Sheng Qingfeng grabbed his daughter's ponytail: "Who goes looking for a man during the Qingming Festival? You're already nauseous from pregnancy, have you no shame? If you take another step, I'll break your legs!"

Sheng Yuanyao flew into a rage: "I know who spread the rumors first, I'll beat them to death!"

"If you can keep yourself clean, what's the use of others spreading rumors? Can you silence the gossip and the smirks?"

"What do you know? My morning sickness is fake. It's the Pei family's money-losing brat who's really having morning sickness! She's bound to ruin everything!"

Sheng Qingfeng: "So what does it matter to you whether she's pregnant or not? Aren't you our friend?"

Sheng Yuanyao: “…”

"Copy the family rules ten times, and then you can leave the house."

"Old Sheng, you'll regret this!"

The concept of the Imperial Preceptor.

"Clang!" The sword energy soared into the sky, and frost covered a hundred miles.

Most of the capital city was looking up at that location, their hearts pounding with fear at the biting frost.

"Boom!" Thunder roared and frost descended, almost covering the entire Guoguan Temple.

"What is that?" someone exclaimed in horror. "Don't tell me it's a third-grade minor heavenly tribulation?"

"It's a minor heavenly tribulation. It's a combination of heavenly thunder tribulation and frost tribulation, and if things go wrong, there might even be a fire tribulation below, we just can't see it."

"Are you kidding me? Where would so many layers of minor heavenly tribulation come from?"

"If she is Dugu Qingli, then it's possible. Let's see if she can withstand this calamity..."

"She's only eighteen..."

The sword energy condensed into a massive, ancient sword shape, its sound like thunder, soaring straight into the sky.

The lightning strike from above slammed into the sword energy, completely dissipating it. The tribulation clouds suddenly broke, and the rain stopped, revealing a clear blue sky.

As the frost chilled her body, the warmth of the elixir within Dugu Qingli's body still lingered. With a "crack," the Xuanbing shattered.

The girl opened her eyes, which flashed with a blue light, as cold as ice.

Ye Tinglan stepped forward with great satisfaction: "The Cloud Tribulation is almost nothing to you. You truly deserve to be my disciple."

Dugu Qingli's expression was slightly calmer than before. After a long silence, she spoke softly, "Just now, the celestial phenomena indicated that there was a celestial maiden scattering flowers. It is possible that someone else is breaking through the Cloud Tribulation."

Ye Tinglan didn't take it to heart: "There are many capable people in the capital. It's not surprising that someone might break through at the same time as you."

Dugu Qingli slowly said, "It feels like someone I know, like... the Charming Maiden Mystic Art."

“Pei Chuyun? Logically speaking, she is still somewhat lacking.”

"I have a feeling... something has been stolen from me..."

South, Miaoyin Mountain.

"Lord Yama, there is a top-secret talisman in the capital."

"Oh? What did you say?"

"It is said that the judge entered the Pei residence this morning to help Miss Pei assassinate an elder of the Pei family, but the specific details are unclear."

"What's going on?"

"There is a rumor in the Pei family that the judge proposed marriage to Miss Pei, but was rejected by Prime Minister Pei."

"Xingzhou Zhi couldn't possibly be unaware that his marriage proposal was doomed to fail, yet he still did it, which was tantamount to humiliating himself. It couldn't possibly be his true intention. He most likely had some secret plan with the Pei family, targeting the Huo family."

"……perhaps."

"What else?"

"His leg is healed."

Yuan Muyu remained silent for a long time before whispering, "When I gave him the demon core, I wanted him to be able to heal his leg... After so long, he even entered the Pill Academy. Isn't it only natural that he found other materials to heal his leg? What's there to say?"

"Yes."

“I should have realized long ago that he is an unmoored boat, and there is no point in forcibly tying him down... But... never mind.” Yuan Muyu sighed: “He is preoccupied with the affairs of the Huo family and has no mood to do anything else. You should ask the capital branch to cooperate with him more. He only has Anuo by his side, how pitiful.”

Just as he said this, his vital energy was completely released, viciously pouring into the little demoness's body.

The kneeling, prostrate little demon girl's long hair danced in the air, her arrival at the cave seemingly a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

Pei Chuyun broke through the third-grade barrier, the Heavenly Demon Heart Tribulation descended from above, and the Tribulation of Lust arose from below, the two tribulations came.

(End of this chapter)