"What? You're Mu Ping'an?"
Upon hearing the handso young man introduce himself, Shen Youling's mind buzzed. Not long ago, she had t the boy only once and given him that very na. Back then, he was as pitiful as could be—tortured by the Sect Leader of the dical Immortal Sect, who stabbed him in the heart to draw blood. Moreover, his body was covered in branches and leaves, and his skin had a greenish tint; he hardly looked human.
Now, not only had he grown to adulthood, but his skin was also fair, with no signs of branches or leaves. He looked completely and utterly human.
But even grass doesn't grow this fast… Is he really not lying to ? Shen Youling was deeply suspicious.
"It's really ," Mu Ping'an said with a sincere look.
In fact, he had arrived quietly in Jiangbei the day before and had even gone to Shen Youling's company, hoping to see her. He just so happened to encounter tens of thousands of won besieging the building. He was initially furious and planned to teach the rabble a lesson, but upon discovering the Lord of Pleasure, he… shafully retreated.
What a joke. How could his frail form dare to contend with an Evil God?
Afterward, he witnessed Long Tianji, a re mortal, defy the heavens and battle a deity. Although it was just an avatar projected by the Evil God, it was still a god!
Thank goodness I didn't rashly go looking for Long Tianji to settle scores. I would've been a goner for sure. Mu Ping'an was both relieved and wary, his resentnt toward Long Tianji only growing. You're already so damn powerful. Why did you have to steal my opportunity? How can I get at least one stick of Sandalwood Dragon Incense from him? he wondered anxiously.
"Youling, didn't I give you a section of my most important trunk? Why aren't you carrying it?" Mu Ping'an asked.
"Uh—" Shen Youling's mouth twitched. What does he an, he gave a section of his trunk? That sounds so creepy... And we're not close! Don't call 'Youling'!
"Alright, then I'll call you Sister. Is that okay? You were in mortal danger, weren't you? Was it that piece of my trunk that saved your life? Strange..." Mu Ping'an looked at her, perplexed.
If that section of his trunk had truly integrated into her mind, she should have beco a descendant of his Demon Spirit Ancestor by now. If she had evolved into one of his kind, shouldn't she be overjoyed to see him again, feeling an urge to be close, perhaps even falling madly in love with him? Why was she still so distant and wary?
Soone must have interfered and destroyed the love she should have developed for ! Damn it, if I ever find you, I'll suck you completely dry of blood!
"Strange how?"
"Oh, it's nothing. You must be on your way to work, right? Let give you a ride." Mu Ping'an took out his car key and pressed a button. Not far away, the butterfly doors of a luxury supercar slowly rose.
Seeing him dressed in designer brands and driving such an extravagant car, Shen Youling's expression grew even more peculiar. "What exactly is your status now?"
"Oh, it's nothing much. I was wandering around and happened to save a wealthy man one day. When he heard I was an orphan, he adopted as his son. The man's na is Huang Chao. You've probably heard of him."
"Huang Chao? The chairman of Dynasty Real Estate, one of the top ten real estate companies in Central Earth?"
"Yes, that's him."
In reality, the Huang Chao that Mu Ping'an ntioned had also beco a believer in the Demon Spirit Ancestor behind him, and a wholehearted one at that. Mu Ping'an had eliminated most of the cancer cells in his body, extending his life. Externally, he was Mu Ping'an's adoptive father. Internally, he willingly served Mu Ping'an as his master.
"I see. Well, I'm genuinely happy for you that you've managed to build a better life. But I'm quite busy with so things lately, so I'm sorry, but you don't need to co looking for , and you certainly don't need to drive to and from work."
"How could I not? I swore I would repay you properly. If you don't want to be my girlfriend, then I'll be your loyal follower, serving you tea and attending to your every need."
"Really, that's not necessary..." Shen Youling began to refuse again, but she saw his facial features begin to subtly distort as eerie, terrifying patterns surfaced on his skin. Even the surrounding pedestrians paused, their faces twisting in pain.
Her heart went cold. She had no choice but to change her tune. "Fine, fine, I'll take your car to work. But you have to promise you won't harm anyone."
"Of course, of course! As long as you let stay by your side, I'll do anything you say," Mu Ping'an replied with another radiant, seemingly harmless smile.
The people around them returned to normal, looking confused. I felt like I was about to die just now... was it just my imagination?
When they arrived at the company, Shen Youling tried again to persuade him to go sowhere else, but he refused to leave. Helpless, she had no choice but to let him follow her into the office building. As the second-in-command, no one would interfere or object, no matter who she brought with her.
When Zhu Yingning arrived, she asked, "Well now, where did this handso young man pop up from?"
"Hello, I'm Sister Youling's younger brother. My na is Huang Ling," Mu Ping'an said, standing with a beaming smile and a bow. He gave a pseudonym, as the na "Mu Ping'an" had been heard by Guo Jufeng and the others. If it got out, it would only cause trouble. At the mont, Mu Ping'an wasn't afraid of them, but he was worried about attracting Long Tianji's attention—his heart's blood was far more potent now than when he was a child.
"Huang Ling? Younger brother?" Zhu Yingning looked from him to Shen Youling, taken aback. Is this girl thinking of cheating on the Master? Otherwise, why would she take in such a handso young man as her brother?
Shen Youling gave a wry smile, unable to admit how dangerous the man was. "He's also the adoptive son of the owner of Dynasty Real Estate," she said vaguely.
"Oh?" Zhu Yingning's eyes lit up. Dynasty Real Estate didn't just sell comrcial housing; they also developed and managed pedestrian streets, business districts, and plazas. They would know exactly which storefronts in those locations were the best. With the Tianxiang Doukou Company launching a new dicine, there were certainly many opportunities for cooperation.
"That's simple. My adoptive father is very good to ; he'll do anything I ask. I'll just talk to him and have him clear out the best storefronts for you," Mu Ping'an said readily. As long as it made Shen Youling happy, such a small matter was nothing to him.
Seeing how cooperative he was, Zhu Yingning was quite pleased. She patted his shoulder and said, "You're a pretty decent younger brother!"
"Hehe—" Mu Ping'an chuckled softly, his smile never wavering, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He glanced at her slender hand. Disgusting woman. How dare you touch so casually? I'd love to chop off your hand! No matter how beautiful Zhu Yingning was or how perfect her figure, he felt nothing. He only wanted to be with Shen Youling; she was the object of his deep affection.
anwhile, Zhu Yingning was sneering inwardly. You dare to have ideas about the Master's wife? I see you have a death wish!
She made an excuse to go to the restroom and imdiately activated a Communication Talisman, quietly reporting the situation to Lin Tang. After a while, there was still no reply.
Strange, why isn't he responding? Does he not care at all? What kind of fetish is this?
「Elsewhere. Heavenly chanism Martial Alliance, Volcano Base.」
Lin Tang sat alone, cross-legged, deep underground in a cavern downstream from flowing magma. In front of and behind him, four sticks of Sandalwood Dragon Incense burned extravagantly. Not far away lay the charred remains of several others that had already burned out. Those were the failures. They hadn't managed to break through to any of the spirit-rich worlds Lin Tang had hoped for.
The ones they did open up were all garbage. So were so foul they were more polluted than the world's largest landfill. So were filled with a deathly aura, ho to indescribable, bizarre creatures whose wails tempted one toward self-destruction. So were filled with intense radiation that destroyed human cells and induced genetic mutations. And so were even worse...
If it were an ordinary person, a hundred lives wouldn't have been enough to survive the ordeal. Even soone as powerful as him had nearly capsized once. He had just taken a deep breath of fresh Spiritual Energy when a vast, abyss-like consciousness discovered him.
"An interesting little bug. Let see what you are."
BOOM!
As that consciousness forcibly squeezed through the spatial rift and projected a sliver of its presence, the surrounding thousands of kiloters nearly collapsed into a single point. At the critical mont, Lin Tang fought for his life to send it away, promptly extinguishing the Sandalwood Dragon Incense to sever the connection.
Lin Tang was exceptionally bold. Even after that scare, he rested for a mont before nonchalantly continuing.
The Yin Yang Mirror could only think, This guy is insane!
In Ancient Tis, other cultivators used Sandalwood Dragon Incense to communicate with their sect's ancestors, following established procedures and channels. No one dared to play such a deadly ga of Russian roulette, randomly trying to connect to unknown planes. Forget Golden Core cultivators; even those at the Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation levels were extrely cautious. They would never connect to an unfamiliar world, lest a world-destroying super-being trace the "connection" and crush their entire planet.
They say only the ignorant are fearless, and that described Lin Tang perfectly.
Eventually, the Yin Yang Mirror couldn't bear to watch any longer. It secretly intervened, guiding the Sandalwood Dragon Incense to connect to a safe world from its mory. As a result, a massive amount of pure Spiritual Energy was greedily devoured by Lin Tang in a state of utter bliss. He had never had it so good since he began his cultivation journey.
So much Spiritual Energy... It's too much! I feel like I'm going to burst!
While Lin Tang was in this state of painful ecstasy, the Yin Yang Mirror certainly wasn't idle. It also began absorbing Spiritual Energy at full throttle, though it was much pickier, only taking the most refined essence. Anything even slightly impure? PTOOEY. Away with it! Let Lin Tang, that mountain boar who can't appreciate fine things, have it.
In a daze, all the Sandalwood Dragon Incense around Lin Tang burned out. He subconsciously reached into his Storage Ring for more, only to find just a few sticks left.
"Sigh, these don't last at all," Lin Tang lanted as he got to his feet. Clenching his fist, he felt his cultivation base, which had reached the peak of the mid-Golden Core stage. "After a bit more consolidation, I can officially break through! Good, good, good!"
He laughed heartily, then stroked his chin. Wait a second. I need Dual Cultivation for my breakthrough. But I'm currently 'in jail,' so how am I supposed to do that? It looks like it's ti for to be released from this prison legitimately!
WHOOSH!
He flew upward, erging on the surface. Just as he was about to contact Yan Qinghe, he felt his Communication Talisman vibrate. He tapped it.
"What? Shen Youling took in a rich kid as a brother? And he's really handso? This is outrageous!" Lin Tang was furious. Is Shen Youling out of her mind? Why on earth would she take in a 'brother'? Doesn't she know how beautiful she is? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what kind of sordid ideas that guy has. Huang Ling, is it? You dare try to steal my woman? See if I don't break all three of your legs!
Without hesitation, Lin Tang flew toward Jiangbei.
「On the other side.」
Shen Xin, Dong Mingfeng, and Shen Jiayue were making their way to the old, run-down neighborhood where Lin Tang lived, their faces etched with worry as they blad one another. They used to have a car for getting around, but now... they were back to walking on their own two feet.
"You spendthrift! Soone says you can win back your losses, and you just believe them? If they told you eating shit would cure your idiocy, would you go do that too?"
"Cut the crap! What's done is done, so what's the point of whining about it now? It's not like Youling doesn't have money. With her to back us up, what's there to be afraid of?"
"But will Youling really give it to us..."
"She wouldn't dare refuse!"
"Whoa, you guys, look!"
VROOOM!
With the distinct roar of a supercar's turbo engine, Mu Ping'an and Shen Youling pulled to a stop just a short distance ahead of them. The eyes of Shen Jiayue and the other two imdiately blazed with a fervent light.
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