After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

The golden light ahead, like a flickering candle in the wind, dimmed and shone uncertainly in the thick, inky fog.

Zhou Ran quickened his pace.

The Su sisters had to jog to keep up.

The deeper you go, the thicker the air becomes, to the point of being semi-liquid.

The spiritual and deathly energy here is compressed to an astonishing degree, making it a deadly poison for mortals.

But for the "Tidal Holy Body," this place is like a boiling pressure cooker.

Su Qingwu's cheeks flushed red, her breath was hot, and with each exhale and exhale, a tingling heat surged deep within her body, causing her to tremble slightly.

"I can't take it anymore..."

My legs are going weak...

Su Qingling was in even worse condition, feeling weak all over, and collapsed onto Zhou Ran's arm, clinging to him tightly.

That amazing softness seeped through her clothes, rubbing against her repeatedly as her body trembled.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she bit her lower lip hard, trying her best not to make any shameful sounds.

The feeling was extremely bizarre, as if my body had been thrown into warm water and boiled alive, my strength was being drained away inch by inch, leaving only a trembling fear on the verge of losing control.

Zhou Ran's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he reached back to hold Su Qingling's warm nape.

A chilling and domineering demonic aura immediately entered.

That power was like the arrival of a monarch, instantly suppressing the surging tide within her.

"Bear with it."

"Now that you've lost your vitality, those 'snakes' that aren't completely dead can lick every last bone fragment off you just by smelling them."

Zhou Ran's voice was devoid of warmth, yet it had an excellent effect.

Su Qingling shuddered, and with the help of the bone-chilling cold, she managed to stand up straight.

The black mist ahead thinned, torn apart by an invisible force, revealing the scene inside. The edges of the mist resembled tattered, damp cotton.

A circular open space, the ground scorched and cracked, barren of any vegetation.

In the center of the open space stood a broken, black ancient stele.

The inscription has been eroded beyond recognition by the years, with only a few remaining marks revealing the desolation of antiquity.

Beneath the ancient stele, a gaunt old monk sat cross-legged.

His robe was torn into strips, revealing his withered, wrinkled skin beneath, resembling the bark of an old tree.

The once brilliant and immortal golden body now had a dim light, its color resembling dusty brass, and was covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

The old monk's eyes were closed, and dried dark gold bloodstains clung to the corners of his mouth. His hands were forming a mudra.

He was trying his best to maintain the Sanskrit mudra, which was about the size of a palm, above his head.

The seal was covered with cracks and looked like it would collapse at any moment.

Opposite the old monk, there was nothing at all.

At least, in the eyes of the Su sisters, there was only a patch of air that was twisting and turning.

Zhou Ran stopped in his tracks.

The purple light in his eyes became incredibly intense, and his pupils shrank to the size of needles.

In his view, there was no air directly in front of the old monk at all.

It was a chaotic mass that could make even gods and Buddhas tremble!

It is transparent and chaotic, creating visual illusions as if space itself has been crumpled into a ball and torn apart haphazardly.

It has no fixed form, yet its shape resembles a boundless, transparent giant mouth, constantly devouring the crumbling Buddha light.

It cannot be seen, heard, or grasped.

"Yi".

Hearing the old devil's gloating shouts.

Zhou Ran suppressed his carefree and arrogant demeanor, and his expression became solemn.

I can't even handle hope now, let alone Yi.

He stood three zhang away from the old monk.

Then, to the astonishment of the Su sisters, this cynical fellow actually put his hands together in prayer.

He performed a flawless bow to the old monk who was on his last legs.

"Junior Zhou Ran greets the Master."

Su Qingwu's eyes widened.

Throughout this journey, this man has treated human life as worthless and acted with boundless arrogance. Yet now he is so respectful to an old monk.

The old monk beneath the ancient stele trembled slightly, his withered body quivering.

He opened his eyes.

Those eyes were clear and bright, like two deep, dry wells, reflecting Zhou Ran's figure.

Upon seeing Zhou Ran, the old monk forced a bitter smile onto his wrinkled face.

"Amitabha."

"Young benefactor..."

Why did you have to step into this deadly place?

The ancient monk tried to raise his hand to signal Zhou Ran to leave, but the hand seal loosened slightly, and the transparent chaos opposite him suddenly lunged forward!

A piercing shriek, sharp enough to pierce the soul, rang out and slammed into the golden seal.

puff!

Lingxu's body trembled violently, and he spat out another mouthful of dark golden Buddhist blood.

"master!"

Zhou Ran instinctively reached out to step forward.

"Don't come any closer!"

Lingxu shouted sharply, his tone filled with anxiety.

"This thing... this humble monk can hardly hold it in any longer!"

Zhou Ran's feet were rooted to the spot.

He was well aware that the old monk was using his own golden elixir and golden body to forcefully block this "barbarian" here.

If it were to escape, not only would southern Xinjiang become a no-man's land, but the entire southwest of China would be a no-man's land.

But that doesn't make sense.

With its cultivation at the Spirit Void Golden Core stage, even if suppressed by heaven and earth, this still incomplete "Yi" could not be stopped from leaving.

Why is he so determined to fight this to the death?

unless……

What is he protecting?

Zhou Ran's gaze passed over the old monk's withered shoulders and landed on the shadow behind the ancient stele.

Zhou Ran was stunned at first glance.

There were no earth-shattering magical treasures there.

There were also no mythical beasts about to hatch.

There was only one mushroom.

A "white umbrella" mushroom as big as a washbasin.

Pure white, with iridescent colors flowing across its canopy, it looks fresh, juicy, and full of vitality.

But the most outrageous thing is that this fungus actually pulled its roots out of the soil and sat cross-legged like a human.

Two slender mycelia served as arms, tightly embracing a tattered, yellowed thread-bound ancient book.

It hid behind Master Lingxu, its huge umbrella trembling uncontrollably, looking utterly terrified.

Zhou Ran squinted and stared intently.

Good guy.

On the cover of that ancient book were several large, simple characters: "Jin Ping Mei: Collector's Edition".

"this……"

Zhou Ran pointed at the mushroom that looked so timid it seemed about to disappear into the ground, and even his usually eloquent lips were a little stammering.

"Master, you risked your life to guard this place, all for..."

"This thing?"

The master sighed helplessly, his wrinkles deepening.

"Everything has a spirit."

Although this creature is an anomaly, it aspires to the Great Dao and studies classical texts day and night.

This humble monk, moved by a moment of compassion, intended to ferry it across, but little did I expect…

This attracted this wicked creature.

The white parasol seemed to understand the discussion, and actually peeked out half of its canopy from behind the old monk.

Two black dots on the umbrella, like a pair of timid eyes, glanced quickly at Zhou Ran before darting back.

It quickly put away the little yellow book, and its white canopy turned bright red in an instant, trying to make it seem as if nothing had happened.

"Don't look at me, don't look at me. As the sage said: 'Do not look at what is improper.'"

A soft, delicate sound came from the mushroom, sounding like a young boy whose voice hadn't yet changed.

Zhou Ran raised an eyebrow.

Everything has a spirit, but this thing is clearly too spirited.

"It's become sentient?"

Plants becoming sentient is already extremely rare, but for fungi to gain intelligence is unheard of.

This thing not only has intelligence, but it's even reading a book?

"It is the key."

Zhou Ran's expression calmed down, his gaze shifting back and forth between the violently impacting "Yi" and the cowardly mushroom.

"You want to eat it?"

Zhou Ran asked a question.

Master Lingxu nodded with difficulty, his voice growing increasingly weak:

"Exactly."

The "Yi" refers to something ethereal, while this white parasol is a manifestation of the spirit eye of this place, and is a truly real entity.

If evil spirits devour it, the real and the illusory will combine, and it will transform into a true 'heavenly demon'.

At that time...

This realm is now uncontrollable by anyone.

Su Qingwu was completely confused. She couldn't see any "Yi" at all, only the giant, glowing mushroom.

"It...it's really reading a book?"

She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, feeling as if her worldview was collapsing.

Zhou Ran ignored her, staring at the transparent chaos with an indifferent look in his eyes.

"Master, how much longer can you hold on?"

"A quarter of an hour... or even less."

The ancient monk's fingers trembled incessantly, and the golden light emanating from his body flickered uncertainly.

"Young benefactor, take them away."

"Perhaps this humble monk can seal it away along with this wicked creature."