Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 908 Bound Cultivation (Thanks to player [number] for the generous donation)
The situation in Gaoyou has calmed down.

The oppressive gloom overhead was completely burned away by the Southern Ming's fire, leaving not even a trace of resentment or lingering soul.

This battle was truly exhilarating. Since the rise of Baoan Hall, there have been few "low-level" situations where one can act freely without worrying about harming innocent people.

Yu Yingnan stood by the lake, her face still pale, but the flames burning in her eyes had subsided, leaving only a bottomless weariness.

He exhaled a long breath of stale air, which carried a faint blue flame before dissipating into the air.

After venting her anger and pain that had been building up for years, her reason returned, and she immediately remembered the pile of things that had accumulated in Baoan Hall.

"Master, now that things are settled here, I'd like to return to Jiangnan first," she said softly, her voice still slightly hoarse from exhaustion. "There are still many things to do in the hall, and I can't afford to be willful and delay any longer."

She's always like this: restrained, sensible, and taking responsibility upon herself, as if she were still that little girl who was afraid of causing trouble for others.

Even though she had just experienced a revenge that was related to the perfection of her Dao heart, her first thought was still to return to her post and continue to be the most worry-free Yu Yingnan.

She is such a good child, so good that it breaks your heart.

The Holy Father couldn't bear to see his child suffer, so he stopped her.

"We finally found the resources for cultivation, why are you leaving after only eating a couple of bites?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it struck Yu Yingnan's heart like a gentle thunderclap.

You must know that all cultivators in the world, whether they are righteous sects or demonic giants, rack their brains and exert all their efforts to make progress.
Righteous cultivators must sever worldly ties and worldly desires, spending their lives immersed in the vast sea of ​​scriptures. They must also frequently venture out into the mortal world, amidst treacherous mountains and treacherous waters, to seek that elusive glimmer of opportunity.

Those who follow the demonic path will stop at nothing, slaughtering cities and offering blood sacrifices, even sacrificing their own flesh and soul.

Now, the Jia family, being so public-spirited and righteous, has practically delivered an enormous "resource" to her doorstep to help her temper her inner fire and solidify her foundation in the Dao. This is an "opportunity" that many cultivators dream of but cannot obtain.

You only vented your emotions before thinking about going back to deal with mundane affairs?

"Such a waste."

Master Xu shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

He directly criticized the little girl's "wasteful" attitude towards spiritual practice.

Yu Yingnan was slightly taken aback, then became stern and lowered her head in response, "What the hall master says is true."

She had never doubted Xu Xuan's level of expertise in cultivation guidance, and his understanding of the essence of the Great Dao and his ingenious ideas for the use of power had repeatedly proven to be unfathomable.

"Then what should I do?" she asked humbly.

Xu Xuan coughed lightly, a hint of persuasive light flashing in his eyes.

"The Southern Bright Fire is a fire from the outer realms. Its nature is extremely pure and intense, burning everything while nourishing itself. Normally, you nurture it with magic and temper it with qi, so your progress is steady but lacks speed."

He raised his hand and pointed north, the direction where the Jia family's power was concentrated, his tone becoming long and profound, carrying a chilling allure:
"Seeing how hospitable the Jia family is... how can I refuse their kind offer?"

"Of course, we must be courageous and diligent, and devour it all."

"If you don't take what Heaven offers, you will suffer the consequences. You must understand this principle."

This plan is crude, direct, efficient, and full of the pragmatic style that Baoantang has always been known for – taking every last penny and leaving nothing behind.

The Stone King, which had stood silently like a mountain, seemed to tremble slightly from its massive rocky body.

Those stone eyes turned to Xu Xuan, their gaze becoming extremely strange.

Could it be that three years ago in Jiangnan, Master Xu used a similar tone to say something similar to Master Qing?
then……

Then the Lord of the Clouds, who once commanded respect throughout the vast Dongting Lake region, met his demise.

Upon seeing this, Xu Xuan immediately tried to smooth things over, changing his tone to one of righteous indignation: "Of course, this trip north is not entirely for personal matters such as cultivation resources."

My gaze swept across the somewhat messy lakeside, as if piercing through the thick fog and looking towards the more distant Huaiyin and Xuyi.

"In Huaiyin and Xuyi, there are probably still Jia family henchmen running rampant. Their real purpose is to hunt down the corpse demon, but they also want to use this as a pretext to poison the local area and plunder its wealth."

"To eradicate evil completely is the duty of those of us who cultivate ourselves. If we do not kill these maggots cleanly, how can we face the people of Jiangbei who are living in fear and anxiety? Wouldn't that be like letting a tiger return to the mountain, leaving endless disaster?"

After saying that, he turned his head and looked calmly at Yu Yingnan. His voice softened, but every word struck her heart:
"Yingnan, think back to yourself in Xin'an County. Do you really want more children to experience the helplessness, despair, and darkness you felt then?"

This statement is more powerful than any encouragement on the path of spiritual practice.

In an instant, Yu Yingnan's mind flashed back to the image of herself being abandoned in the wilderness, convulsing helplessly, and she seemed to hear her parents' dying cries again.

She absolutely did not want any innocent person to suffer that chilling fear and excruciating pain again!
The anger that had just subsided in the Southern Ming Dynasty reignited in her eyes, but this time, the flames contained not only anger, but also a heavy yet resolute killing intent.

A resolute determination stemming from empathy and protection.

"What the sect leader says is true!" Her voice was cold, yet it contained an unprecedented power.

The Father was very pleased with this look, and solemnly concluded:
"For now, we'll collect a few 'interest' from the Jia family. As for the remaining 'principal'... once I get to Luoyang, I'll settle the score with them properly, including both principal and interest!"

Li Yingqi, who was standing to the side, listened with a look of admiration in her eyes. She automatically ignored the righteous and awe-inspiring speech of the hall master and accurately captured the logic of that familiar word at the end.

Suddenly realizing, he blurted out with a mixture of envy and amazement:

"Interest on interest?"

This line of thinking is so bizarre it's outrageous!
"Snapped!"

A crisp sound of a slap on the back of the head rang out.

Xu Xuan withdrew his hand, looked at Li Yingqi who had been slapped so hard he staggered, clutching his head and grimacing, and chuckled irritably:

"You truly are a fine disciple personally taught by Xiaoqing! Your ability to grasp the key points is exactly like your master's!"

Back when Xiaoqing relayed her learning achievements to Bai Suzhen, she rattled off a string of unorthodox idioms, which was already quite shocking. It's unexpected that her disciple is no less impressive. Of course, before setting off north to collect that "accumulated interest," there's still much to be done.

The Stone King's massive body moved silently, and the earth trembled deeply.

He led the group several miles into the dense forest by the lake, and finally stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary woodland.

The stone palm slammed into the ground, grabbed the roots of a large tree that required two people to hug, and uprooted it as easily as pulling up a weed!

Amidst the flying dirt, a figure could be seen curled up deep within the tangled roots of the tree.

Stone King reached in with his other hand and precisely pulled out the figure; it was yet another "Xia Ji".

Although the corpse demon's magnificent robes were covered in mud, they could not conceal the breathtakingly beautiful face beneath.

Her escape from the heavily guarded forbidden area of ​​the Jia family was not solely due to her alluring and captivating charm; her mastery of the inherent characteristics of the Corpse Demon was also unparalleled.

This method of concealing itself by hiding its form and using the yin energy of the earth's veins is so powerful that ordinary cultivators would probably not be able to discover it even if they dug three feet into the ground, unless they were a natural spirit like the Stone King who is intimately connected with the earth.

The moment she was pulled out, "Xia Ji" let out a series of delicate gasps.

Her voice was like honey wrapped in velvet, each syllable carrying a strange vibrato that could easily shake one's mind and arouse the most primal desires and protective instincts of living beings, making one involuntarily want to embrace her and cherish her.

Unfortunately, the audience present was quite unusual.

The stone man remained the same stone man with a heart as still as water.

The Great Demon King is still the same knowledgeable and extremely high-threshold Great Demon King Xu.

The two new girls are a pair of girls. One of them is a jinx who proves her path by killing, and whose mind is probably only filled with swords and chopping things.

The other is the master of inner fire, who has just burned away his inner demons with the Southern Bright Fire and whose heart is now as clear as an ice mirror.

Xia Ji's various seductive techniques, which were enough to bewitch ordinary people and even cultivators with slightly lower levels of cultivation, were ultimately useless in the eyes of this group of "freaks," as if she were throwing a flirtatious glance at a stone, literally.

Li Yingqi even crossed his arms and looked Xia Ji up and down, sizing up her curvaceous and alluring figure.

He commented very seriously, "When fighting, won't such a heavy burden on your chest affect your sword speed and balance? You might be at a disadvantage."

Xia Ji: "..."

The alluring smile on her beautiful face froze for a moment. This blonde girl... she really doesn't understand romance!
Xu Xuan was too lazy to pay attention to any debate about body shape. What strange things hadn't he seen?
He stepped forward directly, his gaze calm and unwavering, and got straight to the point:
"Madam, could you please tell me where your true form is hidden?"

Seeing that all her methods were ineffective, "Xia Ji" instantly dropped her delicate and pitiful expression, replacing it with the coldness and mockery of a thousand-year-old corpse demon.

She parted her red lips slightly and let out a cold laugh:
"Do……"

However, the word "dream" was not even uttered.

boom!
A very short, muffled popping sound rang out.

Without anyone making a move, that incredibly beautiful body suddenly burst open, like an overinflated water sac!
Thick, black, foul blood, shattered organs, and pale bone fragments scattered everywhere, yet were contained within a certain range by an invisible force, ultimately transforming into a fleeting, nauseating firework of flesh and blood before vanishing completely, leaving not a trace behind.

Xu Xuan flicked his sleeves expressionlessly, as if he were merely brushing off a tiny speck of dust.

"It seems she chose a rather drastic way to refuse cooperation. It's okay, we'll find someone eventually."

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the massive body of the Stone King once again sank silently into Gaoyou Lake, with only a few barely perceptible ripples appearing on the surface.

A moment later, it stood up from the water with a splash, and in its huge stone palm, as if lifting a chick, it pulled out another "Xia Ji" from the depths of the lake bottom silt. She was soaking wet, more curvaceous, and pitiful.

Do you even understand what it means to be an all-around, top-tier, multi-functional bodyguard that is amphibious, has no blind spots, and is multi-functional?

This time, before the woman could utter a single seductive syllable, Stone King's other massive fist, comparable to a battering ram, came crashing down mercilessly, accompanied by a fierce wind!

Click! Click! Click! Click!
The teeth-grinding cracking sounds almost came together in one continuous burst.

Xia Ji's limbs were bent at an extremely twisted angle that could never have formed naturally, and her whole body instantly went limp on the ground, like a delicate doll that had been broken.

The excruciating pain contorted her beautiful face for a moment, but more than that, it was filled with disbelief, shock, and resentment.

Xia Ji was on the verge of a mental breakdown at this moment.

Who exactly are these people? How can they so easily and accurately find their deeply hidden clones time and time again?

Moreover, the methods used were so cruel, showing absolutely no mercy or tenderness, let alone any basic respect for this legendary beauty! It's simply insane!

They couldn't win in a fight, and they couldn't escape; charm was completely ineffective.

A fierce will to survive finally overcame a millennium of accumulated arrogance. Fine, face is less important than life; perhaps… we can talk?
So even with her limbs severed, the excruciating pain piercing her, and her gorgeous dress and pale skin stained with blood, she still forced herself to lift her pitiful face and force out a carefully crafted look that blended vulnerability, submission, and ultimate allure.

That is the charm that has been refined over the years and deeply understands the weaknesses of human nature.

It is a complex signal that can easily awaken possessiveness, protectiveness, and even destructiveness.

She is a "beautiful widow" certified by the long history of humankind, capable of driving kings and ministers mad. Even in dire straits, this charm remains her most powerful weapon.

“Young master…” Her voice trembled slightly with pain, which only added to its allure and magnetism, “What… do you want to do to me? Just say the word, and I… will obey without question…”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan lowered his head and looked at her very seriously, his tone as calm as if they were discussing what to eat that night:
"Because you have directly or indirectly caused many people to be separated from their wives and children, and to suffer the loss of their families."

"And we are partners of justice."

"For the reasons mentioned above, I want to find your true form and then kill you."

"Excuse me, where exactly is your true form currently hidden?"

Xia Ji: "..."

(End of this chapter)