When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

(0v0 My darlings, there's another chapter! It was posted during the day!)

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The demon race's mine veins twist and turn, with occasional small pieces of ore falling from above.

During the journey, Yi Chen took the initiative to hold his disciple's hand and bring him closer to his side. After all, time alone is hard to come by, and even though they had just been intimate for a long time, he would instinctively want to be close to the other person.

Compared to Yi Chen's natural and calm demeanor, Chu Xianlan felt as if her body was floating.

Whether it was psychological or not, Chu Xianlan felt that her master's features were even more handsome than before. His spirit was clear and refined, his features radiant and pure, shining brightly everywhere. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunshine in this world. Chu Xianlan had never seen anyone more handsome than her master, and now she certainly had. Looking at him for too long… made her feel stunned.

When their eyes met, Chu Xianlan quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in studying the large hole in the rock wall.

This hole is a huge hole.

It is big and round, long and wide.

His mind was as empty as his brain.

Since the beginning, Chu Xianlan had been cursing himself to death in his heart. He suspected that he might have developed some kind of obsession with being rejected, and that he would not give up until he achieved his goal, and that he might have gone mad!

How dare you forcibly execute Master on the spot in this desolate place!

Not to mention that their manual skills are still quite poor.

Although Yi Chen didn't express any blame afterward, Chu Xianlan was still filled with despair. He knew he hadn't done a good job; he only realized how difficult it was after trying. It was all bark and no bite, a complete disaster... Otherwise, his master wouldn't have taken so long, and wouldn't have been so distressed that he had to take the initiative to hold his hand. So... his master must have already given up!

After all! It's not something Master can say to his face... Sigh, I hope he won't leave Master with psychological trauma.

One instance of extroversion can lead to a lifetime of introversion.

Chu Xianlan felt utterly ashamed and wanted to kneel down, vowing never to try such unrestrained behavior again.

Immortals who are pure of heart and have few desires can only be admired from afar and not touched.

Speaking of which, I've seen fellow disciples of the Taiyi Sect pursue their Daoist partners before. They'd send a small flower one day, a sentimental poem the next, going through countless rounds of sweet talk before finally holding hands—a gradual process, unlike theirs—

Chu Xianlan could only console herself that although the process was completely wrong, the result was still okay.

...a Daoist partner.

Such words, when applied to the relationship between him and his master... still seem somewhat unrealistic.

Chu Xianlan was lost in thought and felt a little embarrassed. His face flushed and his palms became hot. He was inexplicably worried that his sweaty hands would ruin the atmosphere. What if his master thought he was sticky?

Just as he was about to quietly loosen his grip to let some fresh air in, his fingertips were immediately gripped tightly again. With an irresistible force, Yi Chen slowly dragged his hand into the sleeve.

Finally, Chu Xianlan's entire wrist was covered by Yi Chen's snow-white wide sleeve, and she couldn't pull it out.

Chu Xianlan was stunned at first and didn't dare to move again. She had never thought that her master would have so many little tricks up his sleeve.

The next second, cool fingertips lightly touched the side of his neck.

Yi Chen asked, "Does it still hurt here?"

Realizing the implication, Chu Xianlan's body suddenly stiffened, and she shook her head.

Not long ago, a bloody tooth mark was left there. At that time, Yi Chen gently kissed Chu Xianlan's neck, then stopped. Chu Xianlan turned her head in a daze and heard a deep question in her ear, "Can I bite?"

Perhaps it was the half-demon's innate sadistic and destructive desires at play that made it too restrained to simply kiss and lick his prey; he had to leave some kind of mark before he would stop.

Chu Xianlan should have refused such an obvious request, but he had never had any bottom line when facing his master, let alone making a request in such an unrestrained and out-of-control tone. His IQ flew away, and he nodded blankly.

He was incredibly obedient, indulging the half-demon's every whim, completely unaware of the dangerous suggestion he had made. When he was bitten hard, he trembled and shed tears, but his clumsy finger movements did not stop, for fear of making the other party uncomfortable.

As his thoughts returned, Yi Chen's eyes flickered slightly.

His gaze lingered on the boy's fair and flawless neck. Although the marks there had long been smoothed over by the healing technique, he still felt that he had gone too far.

He thought, this can't be done.

Yi Chen never imagined he would be troubled by self-discipline. Nor did he ever imagine he would be troubled by his disciple being too obedient. He didn't know when it started, but Chu Xianlan had become completely submissive to him, agreeing to everything he said and doing, never flinching when in pain or running away when scared... But that's where the problem lies.

He was unwilling to actually hurt Chu Xianlan, yet he also coveted her boundless indulgence.

A person's nature is hard to change; anger and resentment cling to them; once their heart is broken, it's hard to take it back.

Yi Chen found it difficult to guarantee that he could always maintain his composure, and he dared not even think about what would happen if he were alone with his disciple in a state of spiritual seal loosening.

That's why I refused again and again.

...What if, like last time, he becomes completely irrational in his half-demon state and can't even control himself?

Perhaps because she had been stared at for too long, Chu Xianlan said uncomfortably, "It's nothing, it's really not serious." Anyway, she was thick-skinned and wouldn't be seriously injured.

A hug won't cause any harm. A kiss won't cause any harm. A close embrace won't cause any harm. It's just that people's bottom lines are gradually eroded. Besides, does this person even have a bottom line?

Isn't this also a kind of innate talent?

After Chu Xianlan finished speaking, he saw his master look at him for a while and then sigh softly.

Chu Xianlan: ?

To some extent, the master and disciple each had their own troubles and were preoccupied with their own thoughts. They walked for quite a while without realizing it, and when they came to their senses, the surrounding scenery had become even more unfamiliar than before.

"Uh, do you remember the way you came?" Looking at the seventy, eighty, ninety or more forks in the road in front of her, Chu Xianlan was bewildered.

Yi Chen remained silent.

After all, he had promised not to hide anything from his disciple anymore, so he honestly replied, "No."

This is awkward.

Lost? Really?

To be honest, neither of them had a very good sense of direction. They walked back a bit by feeling, but the more they walked, the more they felt something was wrong. Chu Xianlan's lips twitched, and she decisively took out the Spirit Detection Compass and injected spiritual power into it.

The compass can pinpoint the direction of the strongest spiritual energy fluctuations, which is roughly equivalent to pointing towards the large group of wandering people who have gathered together.

Suddenly, Yi Chen's palm inside his sleeve was empty. He expressionlessly put his freed hand behind his back.

Chu Xianlan rushed forward like a puppy exploring the way, then suddenly stopped at a fork in the road, looking left and right, and then slapped the compass in her hand as if it were broken.

"strangeness……"

The compass was vibrating, but it was not damaged.

Chu Xianlan frowned and asked, "Why would you point out two paths at the same time?"

The two passageways were similar in length and both appeared quite spacious from the outside, with wind blowing in. Chu Xianlan squatted down and made a mark on the ground.

He was overcome with decision-making anxiety and looked up to ask, "Perhaps both paths are right. Let's try one first. If we make a mistake, we can always come back. Master, which way should we go?"

"Which way do you want to go?" Yi Chen tossed the choice back to him.

Chu Xianlan offered another option: "I'm fine with either."

"..." Yi Chen, "Left?"

"Okay!" With no choice to be made, Chu Xianlan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately got up and walked towards the dark passage on the left.

"etc."

Yi Chen paused, then suddenly changed his mind: "Let's go to the right. I'll scout ahead."

Chu Xianlan: "...Okay?"

The path continued straight ahead, and after walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, sunlight from the outside world shone through the cracks in the stone wall.

Chu Xianlan quickened her pace, but was soon taken aback by the sight that came into view.

The rain fell slantingly, thunder rumbled, and clouds churned.

The sky was still cracking open when a ghastly white flash of lightning pierced through the clouds.

They stood on the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless abyss below, and on the opposite side of the cliff stood a temple with white walls and red tiles.

"How come there's a temple here?" Chu Xianlan looked around in surprise.

He took out his magical artifact and examined it again; the compass's spiritual energy was indeed pointing in this direction.

The temple was not large, and from a distance it was almost hidden in the clouds.

In such a strange place, with an inexplicably mysterious temple, one should not approach rashly, no matter how curious one is.

Yi Chen said, "Let's go back first."

Just as the two were about to turn back, the temple's tightly closed gates unexpectedly opened a crack on their own, accompanied by a thunderous roar and the sharp sound of blades slicing through the air from behind.

At the same instant, Yi Chen slightly turned his body.

The sword light of Buqizhou was summoned and emerged, its white light as cold as the moon. With a clang, it collided with the steel-framed paper umbrella that fell from the sky!

In a flash, a violent spiritual wave was unleashed.

Sword energy raged, and the dull clang of metal rubbing against each other echoed in the air. In an instant, the sword momentum surged like a tide, and the paper umbrella tumbled several times in the air, splashing water droplets, before diagonally embedding itself in the rock wall beside it.

Upon seeing the origin of the umbrella, Chu Xianlan's pupils shrank. Before she could utter a word, she heard the sound of waves crashing in her ears. At the same time, another azure sword light arrived in quick succession!

Chu Xianlan simply conjured a spirit sword to counterattack, and then conjured another sword in her left hand, which crossed with the sword in her right hand to form a cross. The two swords crossed and managed to block the long sword flying towards her.

Upon closer inspection, it did indeed look familiar.

Heavenly Phoenix, Azure Waters.

There is no need to say who the visitor is.