Chapter 37: My Ladies, Spare Me!
The Holy Jade Immortal Ye Zi Yin and the Enchanting Fire Witch Su Mei, each holding one of Shi Hao’s wrists, examined his energy flow.
Their faces were filled with astonishment.
These two women, one the leader of the righteous Daoist sects, the other the ruler of the demonic sects, both unparalleled geniuses, shouldn’t be surprised by anything.
But now, they stared at him as if witnessing an incomprehensible miracle.
Shi Hao didn’t know what to do.
Both the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch were breathtakingly beautiful.
The moment he appeared, they had grabbed his hands, making him feel like he had sprouted wings.
But he didn’t dare to show any disrespect. He whispered, “My ladies…”
Su Mei looked up at him, her eyes alluring and flirtatious, “You called us ‘my ladies’ last time, and now it’s just ‘ladies’? Are you one of those heartless men who abandons women after having your way with them?” She pouted, feigning displeasure.
Shi Hao quickly corrected himself, “My ladies…”
The Holy Jade Immortal glanced at him, her expression cold, “Although we’ve been intimate, we’re not married. How can you call us ‘your ladies’?”
Shi Hao quickly shut up… He couldn’t seem to say anything right.
Su Mei teased, “Intimate, but not married… Oh my, doesn’t that make us adulterers?”
As a demonic witch, she didn’t care about her reputation and enjoyed provoking the Holy Jade Immortal.
Ye Zi Yin said impassively, “We haven’t gone through a marriage ceremony, but we have been intimate. He’s not married, and we’re not married. How can we be considered adulterers? At most, we’re just lovers who crossed a line.”
The little witch wasn’t afraid of being called an adulteress, but Ye Zi Yin wasn’t about to accept that label.
She continued, her voice filled with puzzlement, “I thought that with such rapid progress in his cultivation, if he wasn’t afflicted by demonic influence, the two energies must have merged into an unstable, impure force. But his Daoist and demonic foundations are clearly distinct. His Daoist foundation is pure and stable, incredibly solid.”
Su Mei also said, marveling, “Although we established both foundations within him, he didn’t cultivate them himself. It was like building a house on sand, the foundation unstable.
“I thought it would take him at least seven or eight months to fully master the Mysterious Charm Technique and meet the requirements for advancing to the seventh rank. But he achieved it in just one month, his demonic energy so perfectly refined.
“Even I took four months to master the Mysterious Charm Technique and reach the seventh rank, and even then, I was considered a genius within my sect. And he left after the full moon, so it hasn’t even been a full month.”
She looked up at Shi Hao, “Even if you spent every single day cultivating the Mysterious Charm Technique, you wouldn’t have been able to complete it in just twenty days, let alone also finding time to cultivate the Immortal Ice Technique. And you also need time to rest and sleep… How did you do it?”
Shi Hao said, “After leaving here, I tried cultivating, and I discovered that the Immortal Ice Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique…”
Su Mei raised an eyebrow, “The Mysterious Charm Technique and the Immortal Ice Technique?!”
Shi Hao said, “I tried cultivating, and I discovered that the Mysterious Charm Technique and the Immortal Ice Technique…”
Ye Zi Yin said coldly, “The Immortal Ice Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique!”
Shi Hao stammered, “My la… my ladies… spare me!”
Su Mei giggled and floated back, “Just teasing you. Don’t worry. Continue.”
“Wait,” Ye Zi Yin, still holding his wrist, her face cold, her beautiful eyes icy, “As far as I know, the Evil Lotus Sect’s ritual for advancing from the eighth rank to the seventh requires sacrificing over a hundred lives. How did you do it?”
Shi Hao stood tall and said, “Although I did use over a hundred living souls, those people deserved to die. They were child abductors who destroyed countless families, heinous villains who deserved no mercy.”
Ye Zi Yin sensed the calmness in his aura and saw the sincerity in his eyes.
She knew he wasn’t lying. A flicker of guilt crossed her face; she shouldn’t have doubted him.
She took his hand, a faint smile appearing on her face.
For someone who rarely smiled, this small gesture was like the spring thaw, melting ice and warming hearts.
Ye Zi Yin said, “Let’s sit down and talk.” She led him to a long stone bench and sat down beside him.
Su Mei, in the distance, crossed her arms, turned away, and snorted.
Shi Hao said, “After leaving here, I discovered that these two techniques can be cultivated simultaneously. As long as they maintain a delicate balance, they circulate on their own, restraining and reinforcing each other. Since then, I’ve been cultivating almost constantly, day and night. I don’t even need to do anything; they circulate even while I sleep.”
Ye Zi Yin pondered his words, “The Taisu Immortal Pavilion and the Evil Lotus Sect have always represented the opposing forces of Dao and demon in the martial world. The two techniques are indeed mutually restraining.
“That’s why, although we established both foundations within you, we were worried they would clash and severely injure you. But now it seems that because they restrain each other, they also complement each other, like the yin and yang of the taiji symbol.
“Throughout history, Dao and demon have always been incompatible. We never expected such a situation.”
As a Daoist immortal, although usually proud and aloof, she had a strong sense of justice.
She felt guilty for having unjustly accused him of harming innocent lives for his cultivation.
Now, sitting beside him, her voice gentle and soft, like a spring breeze, she exuded a different kind of charm.
Su Mei floated over and giggled, “Even so, obtaining over a hundred living souls and the ingredients for a seventh-rank Immortal Formula isn’t easy. It’s quite remarkable that you managed to acquire them all in just twenty days.”
Shi Hao didn’t hide anything, recounting the events of the past twenty days.
Su Mei, dressed in peach red, her hair styled in a charming double bun, tilted her head thoughtfully, “A God-Sealing Stone that can make divine crystals reappear? I can’t believe they actually created such a thing.”
She stood before Shi Hao, facing him.
Although her peach-colored robe was a traditional style, it was slightly disheveled, the edges of her robe not properly layered, not adhering to the “three-layered clothing” custom, making one wonder if she was wearing anything underneath.
Shi Hao’s gaze lingered on her ample bosom, captivated by its beauty, his eyes filled with her alluring curves.
Suddenly, a chill swept over him, and he shivered, snapping out of his daze. He instinctively turned to Ye Zi Yin.
Her beautiful face seemed to radiate a holy aura, cleansing his mind and body, bringing him back to his senses.
Ye Zi Yin, however, didn’t look at him but glared at Su Mei, “Don’t use your indecent demonic tricks on him.”
Su Mei giggled, “He’s my man. I can seduce him as I please. This is the joy of intimacy. What’s it to you? It’s better than your fake virtuousness.
“What’s the difference between your Taisu Immortal Pavilion’s ‘Sacred Heart Clear Mirror’ and our demonic arts of seduction, besides us being more honest and you pretending to be virtuous?”
Ye Zi Yin said disdainfully, “Our Sacred Heart Clear Mirror is used to keep unwanted people at bay and resist your demonic seductions. Unlike your demonic arts, used to entice men, turning them into slaves, and then discarding them once they’re no longer useful.”
Su Mei smiled at Shi Hao, “Don’t listen to her. They Daoists act like celestial beings, all high and mighty, but they don’t care about the suffering of the common people. In their eyes, everything the demonic sects do is wrong, even showing affection to your own man is wrong. Hee hee!”
She tilted her lovely face, her delicate skin smooth and flawless, her beauty captivating, making Shi Hao’s heart flutter.
Ye Zi Yin said coldly, “You have no other skills, so you resort to such methods to try and claim him for yourself? Don’t let him look down on you!”
Her words, clear and resonant, pierced through his daze, calming his agitated mind.
“My ladies, please stop!” Shi Hao pleaded, realizing they were using him as a pawn in their rivalry again.
Su Mei smiled, spread her hands, and said, “Fine, let’s talk business! Both Daoist and demonic sects have tried to control divine crystals in the past, but no one has ever succeeded. I can’t believe someone actually created these God-Sealing Stones.”
Ye Zi Yin pondered, “It’s foreseeable that the appearance of these stones will reshape the martial world, bringing chaos and unrest.”
Shi Hao nodded, “The most important thing now is to prevent them from reaching the barbarian capital, or at least ensure the Chinese martial world also possesses this knowledge, so the barbarians can’t monopolize it.”
Su Mei said, “You said you were with the group planning to seize the God-Sealing Stones, but you found an opportunity to use the Jade Clarity Stone?”
Shi Hao said, “Yes, after I came here last time, I realized only a moment had passed outside, so…”
Su Mei smiled, “Your judgment was correct, but you don’t fully understand the time distortion in the Primordial Grotto Heaven. You have time, but not as much as you think.
“According to the flow of time outside, you have at most three days here. During this time, if you leave, to others outside, it will seem like only a moment has passed, as if you never left.
“But after this period, every extra moment you stay here could be several days outside, and the time distortion will increase with your stay. If you stay here for a month, a hundred years might pass outside.”
Shi Hao suddenly understood. He had wondered why the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch didn’t look like they were over three hundred years old.
If it truly was a moment outside for many days inside, they would be far older than that.
Now, it seemed they hadn’t actually spent that much time in the Primordial Grotto Heaven.
Ye Zi Yin said softly, “That’s why we asked you to come here during the full moon. You can enter at other times, but due to the time distortion, a brief visit here could be several days or even longer outside.”
Shi Hao pondered, “So, I can only stay here for thirty-six hours at most?”
He had originally planned to continue cultivating here with them, perhaps even reaching the peak of the seventh rank before leaving.
After all, tonight’s operation was not only important but also dangerous. Increasing his strength as much as possible would be beneficial.
Su Mei smiled, “Thirty-six hours, although not much, is enough to establish a new foundation for you. You’ve obtained the Azure Origin Demonic Source and the seventh-rank Immortal Formula, advancing your foundation, but you’ve also mastered both the Mysterious Charm Technique and the Immortal Ice Technique. This is a good opportunity to learn new techniques.”
She looked at Ye Zi Yin, “Who will teach him first?”
Ye Zi Yin said, “I’ll teach him for six hours, then you teach him for six hours. We’ll alternate until twenty-four hours have passed. Then, we’ll spend the last day helping him practice combat.”
Su Mei said, “Fine.” She looked at Shi Hao, pointed towards a distant hall, and smiled, “Come find me there in six hours.”
With a flick of her sleeve, she floated away like a bird, a flash of pink disappearing in the distance.
Ye Zi Yin stood up, “Follow me.” She turned and floated away in another direction.
Shi Hao quickly followed.
From behind, Ye Zi Yin’s tall, slender figure, her feet barely touching the ground as she moved, her demeanor ethereal and otherworldly, was a captivating sight.
They passed through the ruins and arrived at the waterfall. The water cascaded from an unseen source, forming a lake within the ruins.
Reaching the lake, Ye Zi Yin didn’t stop but stepped onto the water, gliding across its surface as if walking on air.
Seeing her continue without looking back, Shi Hao hesitated. She had only said “follow me,” not “wait here.”
He made up his mind, took a step, and walked onto the water…
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