"Damn...!"
Ren Yan cursed. His body flickered like a phantom and vanished in an instant, replaced by a single Blood-Colored Bead!
The sword light slashed down upon the bead.
BOOM!
A cataclysmic spiritual explosion erupted.
A blinding ball of light appeared in the sky, and the world was suddenly drained of all color.
Within that light, the Nine Nether Flood Dragon and the vast sea of clouds in a hundred-mile radius were instantly blasted into nothingness.
The Nine Nether Flood Dragon’s enormous body first disintegrated inch by inch, then scattered into a bloody mist that filled the sky.
A violent shockwave stirred up a heaven-shaking Spirit Tide that spread outward in a ring.
Within the Spirit Tide, incomparably sharp sword light and blood-red radiance clashed and intertwined. The Celestial Demon Buddha Beads had just begun to transform. Twelve ferocious, terrifying Tier Two Mid Stage Celestial Demons had barely appeared before they were swept into the Spirit Tide and utterly annihilated.
When Fang Cheng saw the sword light collide with the Blood Bead and produce the cataclysmic spiritual explosion, he reacted with incredible speed and fled into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, however, the Spirit Tide caught up to him. Just as he was about to suffer the sa fate as the twelve Celestial Demons, he gritted his teeth and activated another dazzlingly golden Talisman.
In the next instant, a golden light flashed around him, and he transford into a straight golden line that shot toward the far horizon, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The Vertical Earth Golden Light Talisman!
A long ti passed. The Spirit Tide dissipated, leaving the world vast, empty, and serene.
Only a single Blood Bead remained, hovering motionless in the void.
A mont later, the bead flashed, and Ren Yan’s figure reappeared.
He looked around, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Then he saw a crack on the Blood Bead, and his expression turned bitter. "Tsk, tsk. Master is going to chew out again!"
This turn of events in the battle had been completely unexpected for both him and Fang Cheng. Each had tried to catch the other by surprise, but they had nearly lost their lives in the process.
Instead, the Celestial Demon Buddha Beads given to him by his senior sister had ended up being nothing more than a sideshow!
Under normal circumstances, the twelve Mid-Life Talisman Stage Celestial Demons that erged from the beads were so strange and powerful that they could trap and kill even Late-stage Life Talisman Cultivators.
But in the face of the power generated by the clash between Cai Li’s sword light and the Blood Bead, they couldn’t even last the blink of an eye.
Ren Yan sighed again and again. He used a Secret Technique to search for Fang Cheng’s aura, but it was nowhere to be found.
Moreover, when he recalled the terrifying sword light Fang Cheng had unleashed, a wave of residual fear washed over him. He never wanted to face the power of that sword light again.
...
「Divine Pillar Immortal City. Cen Mansion, Qingming Pavilion.」
The Third Young Master and Shopkeeper Tang of Qibao Studio sat facing each other, with Spiritual Qi gently curling up from two cups of tea between them.
Tang ngru wore a light, gauzy dress of snow-white silk, cinched at her ample waist with a White Jade Exquisite Belt. The belt accentuated her lovely curves, giving her the full charm of a beautiful young wife.
The Third Young Master was dressed in their usual scholar’s attire, complete with a feather fan and silk headscarf. Their expression was as calm as still water, betraying no hint of joy or sorrow.
Tang ngru’s beautiful eyes scanned the room, searching for the Fierce Tiger Taoist. She then asked curiously, "Why isn’t Fellow Daoist Li here?"
For so ti, she had been a guest at the Cen Mansion, nominally at the invitation of the Third Young Master. Later, the three of them had beco an item.
Unexpectedly, after entering the mansion today, the man of the hour was nowhere to be seen.
The Third Young Master took a slow, deliberate sip of tea and said, "He’s gone."
A flicker of surprise crossed Tang ngru’s eyes. "Gone?" she asked.
The Third Young Master nodded.
Tang ngru’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "But didn’t he beco a Guest of the Cen Mansion? Why would he..."
The Third Young Master took a letter from their sleeve and handed it to her. "See for yourself."
Tang ngru quickly took the letter and opened it. It read—
"Dearest Third Lady and ng Ru: Love, one knows not whence it cos, but it continues to deepen! I have been lost in carnal bliss for over a month now. My insatiable pursuit of pleasure has delayed my cultivation, for which I am deeply ashad. And yet, whenever I see your snow-white skin and flower-like faces, your beauty as flawless as jade, I lose all self-control. I wish I could stay by your sides day and night and taste all the pleasures of the Mortal World."
"If this continues, my Dao Heart will be clouded by dust, my years of foundational training will be damaged, and my path forward will be severed. The loss is not worth the gain! Therefore, I must bear the pain of this temporary farewell. I will find a quiet place to cut away these distracting thoughts and devote myself to cultivation. When my Cultivation is accomplished, I will joyfully reunite with you both."
"Let this poem be my proof: ’Delicate clouds take clever shapes, / Shooting stars carry silent sorrows, / As across the Milky Way we secretly pass. / A single eting amid the autumn wind and Jade Dew / Surpasses countless unions in the mortal world.
Tender feelings like water, this sweet mont a dream, / How can I bear to look back at the Magpie Bridge howard bound! / If our two hearts are as one for eternity, / Why do we need to be together day and night!’"
"I pray you will not bla ."
After reading the letter, Tang ngru was both amused and annoyed. She said with a pout, "What a flimsy excuse. Knowing his philandering nature, he must have grown tired of us and gone off to find a new fla."
As she spoke, a trace of lancholy resentnt appeared on her delicate, radiant face.
The Third Young Master set down their teacup. Their almond-shaped eyes fixed on Tang ngru as they asked, "Fellow Daoist Tang, tell exactly how you and he first got together. This is extrely important, so please do not hide anything."
Tang ngru was reluctant to go into detail, but seeing the Third Young Master’s serious expression, her mind filled with suspicion. She couldn’t help but blush as she said softly:
"That day, he ca to Qibao Studio to purchase so Magical Artifacts. I saw how dashing and powerfully built he was and imdiately took a liking to him. Later, he invited to dinner, but I refused. Afterward, for so reason, I felt a sense of profound loss. So, that evening, I made a special trip to visit him, intending to apologize... but who would have thought... we ended up..."
The Third Young Master listened intently, asked for a few more details, and then fell silent.
Tang ngru studied their expression, and her heart trembled with a bad premonition. "Don’t tell ... he used so sort of trick on ?" she asked.
The Third Young Master gave a bitter laugh. "My situation was much the sa as yours. Looking back, he must have used sothing that could influence our minds and desires. That’s how he managed to ensnare us both in his trap."
Tang ngru was stunned into silence. She recalled all the sweet mories she had with the Fierce Tiger Taoist, and for a mont, she was unwilling to accept the cold, hard reality.
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