I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Why?

"She has a top-grade ice spirit root, and her primordial yin cold energy is too domineering."

Deacon Lu said calmly, "Although I have the cultivation of the peak of Foundation Establishment, I am still recovering from serious injuries and do not have a pure Yang physique. If I rashly engage in cultivation, the Yin and Yang will clash, which may result in damage to my meridians or even demonic possession."

He looked at Li Hanshan with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "But you are different. You have a pure yang body, and the pure yang energy in your body can neutralize her primordial yin cold energy. I'll let you go first, and after your pure yang energy dissolves her cold energy, I will then replenish my essence, and there will be no chance of anything going wrong."

He patted Li Hanshan on the shoulder: "That's what you call making the most of resources. Otherwise, why would I keep a useless Qi-refining device like you?"

Li Hanshan's heart sank to the bottom.

He understood that Deacon Lu needed him to be the one to "test the waters".

He thought Deacon Lu was a good person, but it turned out this guy was even more treacherous than Wu Tianxiong. If Wu Tianxiong wanted to kill him, at least he would do it openly; Deacon Lu, however, had been pretending all along, pretending to be a fair and just senior, pretending to be a trustworthy person, until the most crucial moment when he revealed his true fangs.

"Senior, aren't you afraid I'll tell others afterward?"

Li Hanshan gritted his teeth and said.

Deacon Lu sneered: "Afterwards? Do you think you'll even have afterwards?"

Li Hanshan remained silent.

Deacon Lu is right. After he "steps the trap," how could Deacon Lu possibly keep him alive? He can just find some excuse to say that he died at the hands of the Yinming Sect, and who will investigate?

In the Hehuan Sect, the life of an inner disciple is utterly worthless.

Moreover, he was a hundred-year-old inner disciple.

Seeing his silence, Deacon Lu softened his tone: "Boy, I'm not an unreasonable person. If you do as I say, I'll let you enjoy yourself before you die. This girl may be a bit cold, but her looks and figure are top-notch. You won't lose out."

He took out a pill and forced it into Liu Ruoxue's mouth, then flicked another pill to Li Hanshan, saying, "This is a love potion. After you take it, you will both experience ecstasy. In this way, I can let you die in bliss without pain, which will be enough for me."

How can this be considered fair?

Li Hanshan took the love potion. The pill was pink and emitted a sweet, cloying fragrance that was enough to make one's heart flutter just by smelling it. He cursed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, holding the pill between his fingers without swallowing it immediately.

Deacon Lu stared at him, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's: "Take it."

Li Hanshan gritted his teeth and swallowed the love potion. The love potion melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and its effects spread immediately, causing a primal urge to surge within Li Hanshan's body.

He quietly circulated the Yang Ce technique to prevent himself from being controlled by the desires aroused by the love potion.

"If you don't do *that* after taking the love potion, you'll surely die. Now, go and have your way with her."

Deacon Lu pointed at Liu Ruoxue.

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside the cave.

A dark shadow darted into the cave from the night sky like lightning, aiming straight for Deacon Lu's back!

That was a vengeful spirit in the late Foundation Establishment stage!

Deacon Lu's expression changed drastically. He turned around abruptly and struck out with his palm.

But the ghost was too fast; it grazed the edge of his palm strike, and a dark claw slammed into his back.

"Ah~"

Deacon Lu let out a muffled groan as three deep, bone-revealing wounds were torn open on his back, gushing out black blood. The claws of the vengeful spirit carried a strong aura of yin energy, which seeped into his meridians through the wounds, merging with the yin energy already within his body and frantically destroying his internal organs.

"You beast!"

Enraged, Deacon Lu summoned his bronze mirror, which shone with brilliant golden light as he shone it upon the wandering spirit. The spirit was forced back several steps by the golden light, letting out a piercing shriek, but it did not flee. Instead, it pounced again and engaged Deacon Lu in a fierce battle.

It's now!

Li Hanshan made a decisive move and turned to rush out of the cave.

"You little beast! How dare you!"

Deacon Lu roared, trying to stop it, but he was tightly entangled by the ghost. He was seriously injured and had to deal with the ghost, so he couldn't spare any energy.

Li Hanshan rushed out of the cave, summoned his flying sword, and prepared to escape.

Just then, a weak divine sense transmitted into his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Help...me..."

It was Liu Ruoxue's voice.

Li Hanshan paused, turning back to look at the cave.

Liu Ruoxue was leaning against the cave wall, her usually icy face flushed with an unnatural redness, clearly indicating that the aphrodisiac was taking effect. Her eyes remained cold, but now held a barely perceptible hint of pleading.

Li Hanshan hesitated for a moment.

Reason told him that he should run away without looking back. What did Liu Ruoxue's life or death have to do with him? She and Hua Nongying were mortal enemies, and she wouldn't have any good feelings towards him either.

But then he thought of something else.

After killing the Yin Spirit, Deacon Lu will undoubtedly try to drain Liu Ruoxue's life force to recover from his injuries and perhaps even break through to the Golden Core stage. If he succeeds, given his cunning, his first act will be to hunt him down and silence him. At that point, how can a Qi Refining cultivator possibly withstand a Foundation Establishment Peak expert, or even one who might break through to the Golden Core stage?

However, if Liu Ruoxue is rescued, Deacon Lu will be unable to replenish her essence, and his injuries will be difficult to heal. A severely injured Deacon Lu would pose far less of a threat.

The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, but he can certainly be used as a shield.

Li Hanshan made a decision in a flash.

He turned and rushed back into the cave, picked up Liu Ruoxue, and ran out of the cave again.

"You little beast! You're asking for it!"

Seeing this, Deacon Lu was furious. He tried to shake off the ghost and give chase, but the ghost had its sights set on him and launched wave after wave of attacks, giving him no chance to escape. He could only watch helplessly as Li Hanshan carried Liu Ruoxue out of the cave and disappeared into the night.

"Aaaaaah!"

Behind them came Deacon Lu's furious roar and the mournful shriek of a ghost.

Without turning his head, Li Hanshan stepped onto his flying sword and carried Liu Ruoxue as they fled at full speed.

The night wind howled, and Liu Ruoxue's body in his arms grew increasingly hot. The effects of the love potion were taking hold within her; her breathing became rapid, and her once icy cheeks flushed crimson. She bit her lip tightly, remaining silent, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to stay awake.

Li Hanshan glanced down at her, said nothing, and simply pushed the speed of his flying sword to its limit.

After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he sensed intense energy fluctuations. Looking back, he saw that the battle was becoming increasingly fierce, with a large number of Yin spirits surging towards the cave where Deacon Lu was from all directions.

"Perfect."

Li Hanshan adjusted his direction and flew away from those evil spirits.

This flight lasted for half a day.

"There's a city ahead."

As night fell, Li Hanshan saw a dense array of lights ahead.

Liu Ruoxue's divine sense transmission sounded again, her voice even weaker than before: "Ahead... there's a mortal town... go in..."

Li Hanshan asked, puzzled, "What can you do inside?"

Mortals cannot cure the illnesses of cultivators, much less break the spell of love potions.

"The aura of a mortal can disrupt the senses of a ghost, making it impossible for the ghost to track me," Liu Ruoxue explained haltingly.

Li Hanshan understood, and immediately lowered his flying sword, taking advantage of the night, and landed outside an inn.

Liu Ruoxue could barely stand, her entire weight resting on Li Hanshan. Her body was burning hot, her breathing rapid and erratic, her eyes sometimes clear, sometimes glazed. The effects of the aphrodisiac were relentlessly assaulting her senses.

He carried Liu Ruoxue into the inn.

The innkeeper, a middle-aged woman in her fifties, saw the two men and a knowing glint in her eyes. She smiled and asked, "Sirs, looking for a room? One or two?"

"One room."

Li Hanshan tossed out a piece of broken silver.

The innkeeper took the silver with a beaming smile, led the two upstairs, and pushed open the door to the innermost room: "Sir, this is the quietest room, no one will disturb you. Please rest well, and feel free to ask if you need anything."

After saying that, she tactfully withdrew and thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

Li Hanshan placed Liu Ruoxue on the bed.

She lay on the bed, her long black hair scattered on the pillow, her fair skin flushed an unnatural red. Her once cold eyes were now misty, her red lips slightly parted, and her breathing rapid. She bit her lip, her hands gripping the sheets tightly, clearly still desperately resisting the effects of the aphrodisiac.

"It's really cold."

Even so, Liu Ruoxue's body remained as cold as ice. Li Hanshan felt a chill just being near such a woman.

But as soon as he put her down, she suddenly sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her burning lips against his.

Li Hanshan's mind went blank.

This woman...

Her kiss was clumsy and awkward, lacking any skill whatsoever, purely an instinct driven by the drug's effects. But her body was too hot; the extremely cold energy clashed fiercely with the aphrodisiac's power within her, causing her spiritual energy to become disordered.

"not good."

Even so, this kiss also detonated the aphrodisiac power that Li Hanshan had suppressed with the Yang Ce technique.

To avoid losing control, Li Hanshan instinctively tried to push her away. Liu Ruoxue was faster; she shoved him away abruptly.

A sliver of clarity returned to her eyes, but the flush on her face deepened. She stared intently at Li Hanshan, her voice icy, as if squeezed out from between clenched teeth: "You...you dared to kiss me...I...I will kill you..."

Li Hanshan was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger.

"Senior sister, you took the initiative, how can you blame me?"