Although the Heavenly Wave Ruler could escape, Ning Buwei, who now only had early Golden Core cultivation, not only couldn’t run far but would also be exposed by the other party. He thought quickly and decided to take a risk.
The moment the person struck with their palm, Ning Buwei remembered who he was – Wang Zizhuo, the eldest grandson of the Wang family ancestor Wang Bin. If he were to rank his many enemies, this guy would definitely be in the top ten. However, at the same time, this surnamed Wang was cautious and suspicious, extremely protective of his own life.
Ning Buwei didn’t directly confront the other party’s palm strike. He used the Heavenly Wave Ruler to dodge instantly, and the Soul-Locking Whip lashed out, aiming straight for the other’s chest.
Wang Zizhuo had just broken through to early Fusion stage. He saw at a glance that Ning Buwei only had early Golden Core cultivation and coldly snorted, “You overestimate yourself.”
He turned his hand into a palm, his movements appearing neither hurried nor slow, yet the force was extremely fast. It met the Soul-Locking Whip head-on, keeping that bone whip at bay from everyone with his true qi.
“It’s Miss Yi Rong’s Soul-Locking Whip!” someone exclaimed. “It’s him who killed the young miss!”
Wang Zizhuo’s gaze turned fierce. “You scoundrel, pay with your life!”
The Soul-Locking Whip was restrained by the true qi in his palm, showing signs of breaking. Ning Buwei decisively retracted the whip and activated the Heavenly Wave Ruler, silently reciting the heart mantra. The narrow cave was instantly submerged by the surging seawater from the ruler. The cave walls couldn’t withstand the impact of the huge waves and shattered in an instant. Everyone in the cave was caught off guard by the flood, trying to use their qi to protect themselves and escape the water. However, the waves seemed to have a life of their own, trapping them firmly within, unable to get out for the time being.
Wang Zizhuo summoned an earthen platform from his palm. With a point of his talisman, the platform instantly expanded to several dozen zhang, breaking through the water prison and sending his nearly suffocating disciples out. The giant waves followed closely, and Wang Zizhuo struck down with a palm, only to find that Ning Buwei had disappeared from the surroundings.
Just as the people on the earthen platform breathed a sigh of relief, the glinting bone whip burst out from the ground, unexpectedly wrapping around their necks. As Wang Zizhuo turned back to save them, he heard a splashing sound, and more than a dozen Wang family disciples were beheaded, blood splattering everywhere.
A figure in a black robe with wide sleeves stood on the giant waves in front of the high platform, looking at him with a mocking smile.
Wang Zizhuo’s face was extremely ugly, alert and disgusted. “Ning Buwei, it’s really you.”
Ning Buwei had one hand behind his back, the other playing with the Soul-Locking Whip in his hand. His tone was casual, “Long time no see, Young Master Wang.”
Wang Zizhuo gritted his teeth and said, “My Wang family has no grudge against you. Why did you come to the Yumian Mountain Secret Realm?”
“Just wandering around,” Ning Buwei smiled and said, “And picked up a whip to play with along the way.”
Wang Zizhuo angrily said, “Don’t push your luck too far!”
Ning Buwei’s name wasn’t on the Tianji Ranking, and his true cultivation level had never been exposed to others. Most cultivators who had fought him were cruelly killed. Although Wang Zizhuo had crossed hands with him twice before, he hadn’t gained any advantage. Last time, he was even tricked by Ning Buwei deliberately lowering his cultivation level.
Therefore, even though Ning Buwei’s cultivation appeared to be only at the early Golden Core stage, Wang Zizhuo hesitated to make a move again.
“Who’s really pushing who around?” Ning Buwei feigned shock. “I came here to relax, and your Wang family people tried to snatch my things without reason. I was merely defending myself.”
Wang Zizhuo nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. “This Yumian Mountain Secret Realm belongs to my Wang family, and the Heavenly Wave Ruler is also ours. How dare you twist the facts!”
Ning Buwei took out the Heavenly Wave Ruler and turned it around. “Yours? How come I see the Nine-Leaf Lotus of my Ning family imprinted on it?”
Wang Zizhuo’s face darkened with anger, but he was also quite wary of Ning Buwei. After all, the Wang family had lost quite a few people in the battle at Xingluo Cliff, and even if he went, he might not be able to escape unscathed. Now he was alone in Yumian Mountain…
Just then, more than a dozen streaks of light came flying from afar. They looked like people from the Sang family of Hidden Sea Tower. Wang Zizhuo had a change of heart and coldly sneered, “I’ll let you off the hook for now!”
With that, light flashed in his palm, and he disappeared from the spot, along with the high platform vanishing without a trace.
Ning Buwei snorted derisively, using the Heavenly Wave Ruler to control the huge waves to land on the ground. After making sure Wang Zizhuo had gone far away, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Seeing those streaks of light approaching, he formed a hand seal and fled in the opposite direction.
He was now only at the early Golden Core stage. Although he had a divine weapon like the Heavenly Wave Ruler, it was still quite difficult to control. Wang Zizhuo was now at the early Integration stage, nearly three major realms above him. He didn’t expect to actually fool him.
He walked for a long time before finding a hidden place, set up a barrier, and sat down to meditate. Forcibly making the Heavenly Wave Ruler recognize him as its master had consumed a lot of spiritual power, and Wang Zizhuo’s Bone-Melting Palm was not easy to deal with. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and didn’t stand on ceremony with Chu Jun, otherwise, relying on his own spiritual power alone, he really wouldn’t have lasted until now.
Perhaps he had been nagged too much by Chu Jun – even though they hadn’t spoken much, he had the illusion that this person was constantly nagging in his ear not to overuse his spiritual power. He had held back somewhat during the fight earlier, so his meridians and dantian weren’t injured. He only needed to meditate for a few hours to recover.
But the Heavenly Way seemed to like to go against him. Halfway through his meditation, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted through the air. Ning Buwei opened his eyes to see flowers blooming all around, with a subtle fragrance floating. A soft, boneless hand gently brushed across his chin, with fingertips landing on his collar.
“Husband Ning, we finally meet again.” The newcomer was a woman, wearing a thin camisole dress with a sheer pink outer robe. Her eyes were bewitching, with slightly upturned fox-like eyes. She leaned shyly on Ning Buwei’s shoulder, coquettishly punching his chest. “My sisters and I have been looking for you so desperately.”
(TL: “郎君” is a term that can be translated as “young master,” “gentleman,” or “husband,” depending on the context. A term used by wives or lovers to refer to husbands or lovers.)
As soon as she finished speaking, two more women who looked identical to her appeared from behind. One climbed onto his neck and breathed into his ear, “Buwei, are you hurt?”
The other directly laid her head on his thigh, reaching out to hook his chin. Pouting dissatisfiedly, she complained in a coy voice, “Husband Ning, where have you been this past year?”
Ning Buwei felt a headache coming on, in every sense of the word.
He had many rotten peach blossoms, and the rottenest one was these three sisters from the Hehuan Sect. He once ran across half of the seventeen states just to avoid these three.
The Hehuan Sect had many branches. The Mu sisters were disciples of the vice sect leader Mu Xiang, and their Hehuan Fragrance technique was used to perfection. Even if one inhaled just a tiny bit, even those at the Fusion stage could only let them absorb their essence. Ning Buwei had been focused on meditation earlier and didn’t know how much he had inhaled. He sat frozen in place, only able to forcibly push the Hehuan Fragrance to one area.
Mu Hua pinched his chin and shook it, smiling, “What’s wrong with you, husband? For the first time in so many years, you’ve fallen for our trick?”
Ning Buwei ignored her, trying to control his true qi to forcibly suppress the Hehuan Fragrance.
“Husband Ning seems to have suffered a great drop in cultivation,” Mu Qi’s eyes lit up as she reached out to undo his collar, her breath like orchids. “What should we do? How will the three of us share?”
“Naturally, eldest sister goes first,” Mu Shi said lazily. “Although the primordial yang of the Golden Core stage isn’t as good as Nascent Soul, as long as it’s Buwei, I’m very willing.”
“Sister, how about we take Husband Ning back as a furnace?” Mu Qi clapped her hands. “Day and night, we’ll make love to him. I guarantee he won’t be able to stop.”
Mu Hua poked her forehead, giggling coquettishly, “You shameless girl, saying such lewd things in front of the husband!”
Ning Buwei held his breath and concentrated, but heard Mu Shi say, “It’s useless. Even a Hinayana expert couldn’t withstand the Hehuan Fragrance you’ve inhaled. Oh, don’t resist so hard, it’s better to let it flow than to block it.”
Ning Buwei looked at her coldly. “Don’t think I won’t dare to kill you.”
Mu Hua pouted pitifully, her eyes fluttering. “Sister Jinzhou likes us three the most. If you kill us, she’ll be heartbroken.”
Ning Buwei sneered coldly, “She’s been dead for hundreds of years. Can a skeleton be heartbroken?”
Mu Qi said with a grin, “Husband Ning, trying to stall for time is useless. The more you suppress the fragrance, the more violently it will backlash. Be careful not to explode and die.”
“Yan Jinzhou must have been blind,” Ning Buwei said while secretly activating the Heavenly Wave Ruler, preparing to smash these three peach blossoms into jam.
“How can you speak of your master like that— Step back!” Mu Shi’s expression changed as she quickly pulled her two sisters back.
Missing with the ruler, Ning Buwei drew out the Soul-Locking Whip and said coldly, “Leave now or I’ll kill you.”
“Sister, he was injured in his battle with Wang Zizhuo earlier. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Mu Qi said reluctantly. “We can’t just let him go like this!”
Mu Hua said coyly, “Husband, the more spiritual power and true qi you use, the faster this fragrance will spread through your meridians and sea of consciousness. Why don’t we reluctantly help you resolve this fragrance? With the Hehuan Sect’s dual cultivation secret technique, you could quickly reach the Nascent Soul stage.”
Ning Buwei looked at her irritably and lashed out with his whip. The tail of the whip grazed her cheek. If Mu Shi hadn’t pulled her, she might have been disfigured and poisoned.
Seeing this, Mu Shi said, “If you don’t appreciate our kindness, we’ll have to use force. Today, we three sisters will tie you up and take you back to the Hehuan Sect!”
The true qi in Ning Buwei’s body was in chaos. He gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the intensifying Hehuan Fragrance in his sea of consciousness while fighting with the three Mu sisters.
Ning Buwei’s celestial spirit body was a nourishing tonic for them, otherwise they wouldn’t have been chasing him for so many years. But with Yan Jinzhou’s relationship in play, neither side could go all out.
The Hehuan Sect had many techniques. Ning Buwei felt his consciousness becoming hazy. He inwardly thought “This is bad” and was about to overdraw his spiritual power to control the Heavenly Wave Ruler again when suddenly, a sword intent enveloped his entire body. It then swept towards the three Mu sisters. The surrounding rocks and trees were cut in half, with a murderous aura.
Mu Shi saw that the situation was not favorable. She cast an unwilling glance at Ning Buwei, then took Mu Hua and Mu Qi with her as they transformed into streaks of light and flew away. “Ning, darling, just wait and see!”
Ning Buwei failed to regulate his breath and was affected by the Hehuan Fragrance. He felt waves of heat surging within his body. He forcefully steadied his mind and warily looked around. Unexpectedly, due to his earlier exertion, the fragrance suddenly began to backfire. His legs weakened, and he staggered backward a step, but someone supported him by the shoulder.
His body was already burning hot and extremely sensitive. The Suzaku knife suddenly struck out. He reflexively pressed the blade against the other person’s neck. However, his lower body was unstable, and he fell onto the other person with the knife. Breathing heavily, he was about to slit the other’s throat.
“Ning Chengfeng.” The person pinned beneath him called out his name. That voice was extremely cold, carrying a natural chill that allowed his gaze to focus with difficulty.
Ning Buwei’s eyes were rimmed with red. His sleeves were filled with the cloying fragrance of powder from the three sisters. His front collar was also pulled into disarray, and a mole below his collarbone was as red as if it would drip blood.
“Chu Jun?” He stared down at the person beneath him, but didn’t move the Suzaku knife from the other’s neck, vigilant and guarded. “Weren’t you at the Wushi Sect?”
Hot breath blew onto his face. Chu Jun felt a bit uncomfortable. He moved his gaze away from that red mole and said coolly, “I’m using a divine consciousness avatar.”
Ning Buwei licked his slightly itchy teeth forcefully, impatiently tugging at his collar, trying to cool himself down a bit.
“Let me help you,” Chu Jun said with a frown, smelling the women’s cosmetic scent on him.
“Heh.” Ning Buwei chuckled, leaning down to stare at those beautiful phoenix eyes. The knife tip pressed against his throat as he said maliciously, “You’d have to come in person for that. This shell is so bland to use.”
His whole body was in torment. Reason told him he should quickly leave to find an uninhabited place to regulate his breath and expel the poison. But as he stared at Chu Jun’s familiar and beautiful eyes, his heart itched terribly. He reached out to touch his eyes. “This avatar is sculpted quite like you.”
Chu Jun closed his eyes at his touch. Although it was an avatar, he had put half of his divine consciousness into it, so there wasn’t much difference from his real self being here.
Yet Ning Buwei had no sense of propriety. Despite his own discomfort, he kept teasing. He reached out to press and squeeze Chu Jun’s Adam’s apple, his gaze extremely predatory as he stared at the person beneath him. “Stay away from me. Be careful, or I might defile this avatar of yours too.”
Chu Jun grabbed his collar and pulled him up. Ning Buwei only felt his vision darken, and after a bout of dizziness, they were high up in the sky.
He was half-supported, half-embraced by Chu Jun on the sword. Too lazy to fight the Hehuan Fragrance within him anymore, he unconsciously reached out to wrap his arm around Chu Jun’s waist, gently caressing it. The other immediately tensed up.
Ning Buwei realized what he had done, and his hand froze in place. Even if he was affected by the Hehuan Fragrance, he shouldn’t casually take liberties with others. After all… Ning Buwei’s muddled mind tried to think of reasons to stop himself from taking liberties with the Venerable Jinghe, but couldn’t come up with any.
What was wrong with just touching his waist… It’s not like he hadn’t touched it before!
The Hehuan Fragrance eroded one’s consciousness. Those with insufficient cultivation would eventually act purely on instinct. Ning Buwei prided himself on his strong will, yet he alternated between moments of clarity and confusion. The hand on Chu Jun’s waist touched and released, touched and released, as if wrestling with someone.
Chu Jun: “……”
The Hehuan Fragrance was essentially a love poison. Being a love poison, it inevitably involved those ambiguous and intimate methods of detoxification. But being a poison, it could also be forced out of the body. Ning Buwei’s current cultivation wasn’t enough, but Chu Jun could do it. So he found a secluded place, intending to help expel the Hehuan Fragrance.
As the Hehuan fragrance backfired, Ning Buwei felt so uncomfortable he was about to explode. Although he wanted to grab Chu Jun and directly resolve the effects of the incense, not only would that be very disrespectful, but it also meant surrendering to this wretched thing. The great demon’s stubborn temperament immediately flared up, and he fiercely decided to force out the Hehuan Fragrance.
The two of them, one from inside and one from outside, forced the Hehuan Fragrance into a corner. It gathered around his dantian. Ning Buwei controlled his spiritual consciousness, wielding the Suzaku knife as he entered his own sea of consciousness.
Seeing his abnormal state, Chu Jun closely followed him in.
Ning Buwei glared at him unfriendly. “Why are you entering my sea of consciousness?”
He could barely accept a spiritual consciousness coming to deliver a son, but bringing divine consciousness in was clearly looking for trouble.
Ning Buwei wasn’t thinking clearly now, so Chu Jun didn’t quibble with him. “I’m here to help.”
He feared this fellow might get carried away and split his own dantian in half.
Realizing how much Hehuan Fragrance the Mu sisters had used, as if they wanted to drain him dry, Ning Buwei wielded the Suzaku knife to slash apart the swirling, bewitching love poison. Only then did the resentment in his heart mostly dissipate.
Chu Jun promptly protected his dantian, his palm numbed by the shock from the Suzaku knife. He patiently helped guide the remaining Hehuan Fragrance out of the sea of consciousness. Just as he was about to turn and advise him not to act so recklessly again, he was completely enveloped by an oncoming black mist.
