The yellow-robed daoist was deeply puzzled.
Despite his outward arrogance and audacity, he was, in truth, exceptionally cautious. No one understood better than him just how formidable this so-called "niece" truly was. From a humble disciple of dubious origins, she had risen in re decades to beco the de facto leader of the Myriad Cosmos Sect and even secured a prominent position within the Jade Cleansing Alliance. Such an astounding leap was impossible without unparalleled ans and extraordinary abilities.
In fact, if this were within the Jade Cleansing Alliance’s territory, even if soone lent him ten lives, he wouldn't dare target this female cultivator.
In the Three Great Northern Lakes, he had been relentlessly hunted by forces under her control, reduced to living like a rat scurrying from one hiding place to another. Most of his ti was spent in the southern regions, in exile. This ti, however, he had obtained reliable information: she was traveling alone. Ecstatic at the chance to fulfill his long-standing wish, he had co rushing over.
Initially, everything had gone according to plan. Yet, just as success seed within reach, her bizarre actions threw him off guard.
Perhaps Murong Qingyan’s reputation in the Three Great Northern Lakes wasn’t stellar. Others might accuse her of being ruthless and unscrupulous, but few, if any, would call her shaless.
But now, what was this woman trying to do? Reflecting on earlier events, wasn’t everything going a bit too smoothly?
It wasn’t surprising he suspected a trap. Over the years, her unfathomable tactics had thoroughly unnerved him.
Fixing his gaze on the female cultivator, he abandoned all thoughts of lust for the first ti and began scrutinizing her for any signs of danger. Yet outwardly, he maintained his usual deanor.
“Well, dear niece, are you so impatient that you’d offer yourself to ?”
This was a probe, and the female cultivator across from him, with a faint smile, responded, “Nan Songzi, it seems your brain is filled with nothing but filth!”
Her tone was calm, as if stating a fact. Far from being angry, Nan Songzi, the daoist in yellow, laughed and said, “Ah, my dear niece truly understands ! Upon seeing you, even ice in the veins would lt into fervent passion to honor your fad beauty as the ‘Jade Veiled in Drifting Mist’… Wait, why the second outfit?”
Nan Songzi’s suspicion deepened when he noticed her retrieve a moon-white gauze robe and drape it over herself, concealing the breathtaking sight.
The female cultivator responded nonchalantly, “Bla yourself. You knocked
into the lake earlier, smashing my dicinal vial. The spilled contents mixed with the lake water and soaked my clothes…”
Before she could finish, Nan Songzi recoiled as if bitten by a venomous snake. He flung the half-robe in his hand into the lake.
“You’ve poisoned !”
The female cultivator chuckled but didn’t bother replying. She calmly adjusted her slightly disheveled garnts, smoothing out the gauze robe she had just donned. However, the water droplets clinging to her skin quickly seeped through the fabric, creating an allure that, to Yu Ci watching from a distance, was even more captivating than her bare shoulders.
Nan Songzi, however, was in no mood to appreciate the sight. He checked his hands and began circulating his Qi to examine himself. Before long, his expression changed drastically.
“You wretch! What poison have you used?”
Murong Qingyan, indifferent to his outburst, continued tidying her hair, which had co undone when she fell into the water. She let her ink-black tresses cascade like a waterfall, shaking off the droplets. Her movents carried an innate grace and allure that seed effortless.
Nan Songzi’s eyes turned bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and snarled, “You vile woman!”
Murong Qingyan laughed softly but didn’t pause her actions. Using a simple hairpin, she gathered her hair back into place. Finally, she began to speak, her voice low and lodious, singing a verse:
"The heavens bind my wishes, my b0dy def!ed,
A fleeting dream where the candle and leaves collide."
Her voice was clear and resonant, yet her rendition of this lancholic verse carried a gentle magnetism that was both enchanting and entrancing.
Nan Songzi, however, felt utterly dreadful. Hearing just the opening lines made his face turn ashen. Unconsciously, he lowered his gaze to his hands. Likely due to the poison’s effects, his palms felt scalding hot. In fact, his entire body was burning with unnatural heat, his mouth parched, and his thoughts muddled.
"A fleeting dream, indeed a fleeting dream! The kind that blinds one’s reason, ignites a raging inferno in the heart, and leads the body astray to embrace madness!"
Murong Qingyan’s smile was serene as she said, “My foster mother has always been kind to . How could re things like ‘Bewildering Stem Fragrance’ compare? This dose of ‘Fleeting Dream’ was personally gifted to
by her when I was formally adopted. Now, I bestow it upon you. Did you ever imagine, when you tornted my mother, that this day would co?”
Her voice turned sharp at the last words, the surrounding lake water trembling with her wrath. Lurking within was a palpable killing intent, ready to explode at any mont.
With a scream, Nan Songzi turned and fled. No trace of his magical artifact could be seen; he disappeared soundlessly into the night sky.
As he fled, the lights he had conjured over the lake quickly extinguished.
The abrupt darkness left Yu Ci and Bao Guang montarily blind, while Murong Qingyan on the lake was swallowed by the shadows. Silence fell over the valley and the lake.
“Incredible!”
Bao Guang couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. He had co to understand Murong Qingyan’s identity by now, recognizing her as a friend of Senior Sister ng. Although he still struggled with her words and actions, he didn’t shy away from expressing his praise.
Yu Ci didn’t respond. Grabbing Bao Guang, he swam toward the shore with his head down.
Bao Guang, still stimulated by the earlier events and in an excited state, found the silence awkward when he received no reply. He couldn’t help but call out, “Senior Brother Yu?”
“Do you still rember what I told you?”
By the ti they reached the shore, the darkness obscured Yu Ci’s face, but his voice was grave. “You must imdiately take the Ghost Silk Cloud and return to the temple. Ask the sect master to co!”
The young daoist was baffled. “Senior Brother Yu, that guy has already been chased off!”
Yu Ci sneered. “That was just a bluff!”
“Huh?” Bao Guang was confused. After all, the man called Nan Songzi seed to have been poisoned.
It was difficult for Yu Ci to explain. For soone as experienced as him, discerning the opponent's true strength didn’t just rely on sharp eyes; it often ca down to intuition. It was like the ti he saw through the Ghost Beast’s weakened state in Sky Rift Valley.
As for practical thods, there were countless techniques to create an illusion. However, to deceive a high-ranking Core Refinent cultivator so convincingly required a technique far beyond ordinary ans.
Yu Ci shook his head and was about to urge Bao Guang again when, suddenly, an enraged, piercing scream erupted from the depths of the night sky:
“Murong, you wretched wench! I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
The shrill cry reverberated across the lake, stirring waves on the previously calm Southern Frost Lake.
At that mont, Bao Guang looked at Yu Ci with a gaze that could no longer be described as re admiration.
Little did he know, Yu Ci was just as baffled. ‘How could it happen so quickly?'
Yu Ci felt that Murong Qingyan’s “performance” was flawless, completely manipulating Nan Songzi’s thoughts. Even if he had been in her place, he couldn’t have done better.
Based on his experience, Nan Songzi should have fled at least dozens of miles before fully clearing his mind, correcting his body’s false sensations, and regaining composure. Yet now, how far had the man gone? Just a few miles?
Before Yu Ci could fully process this, Nan Songzi had already returned to hover above Southern Frost Lake. Without a word, he unleashed a pure venting strike of True Qi at the spot where Murong Qingyan had stood earlier. The impact raised a water column over ten feet high, as if the entire lake had been struck down.
“Murong, show yourself!”
“Oh? You’ve co back rather quickly!”
A crisp female voice echoed through the darkness, tinged with a hint of surprise. “I didn’t think there’d still be anything left in that skull of yours. Who might be giving you advice from behind the scenes?”
Having vented his anger once, Nan Songzi’s emotions settled slightly. Though he was cunning and calculative, the repeated setbacks caused by Murong Qingyan had left a shadow in his heart, making him hesitant. However, the sha and anger of being deceived once again dulled his fear sowhat. After a mont of silence, he let out a sinister chuckle:
“You used the Soul Capture Technique to feign ‘Fleeting Dream.’ It’s not even that clever. I was rely montarily fooled by you. Hah! The ‘Fleeting Dream’ technique is one of Flying Soul City’s most potent thods. Without their unique ntal discipline, even if you possessed it, you couldn’t activate it. Otherwise, it would harm you first. Am I right?”
The female cultivator didn’t respond imdiately, and Nan Songzi nearly thought she had escaped in the darkness. He released a blazing orb of light, illuminating Southern Frost Lake and most of the valley. As the light dispelled the darkness, he spotted two young figures on the shore but paid them no attention.
The two had cultivation levels at best in the initial stages of Divine Connectivity. To him, they were insignificant bugs he could crush with a flick of his hand.
What truly mattered to him was that, under the brilliant light, Murong Qingyan’s figure was clearly visible.
The female cultivator hadn’t fled. She stood calmly at the lake’s center, poised gracefully atop the rippling water. The gentle breeze stirred her gauzy robe, making her appear as though she might drift away with the wind.
After this back-and-forth, Nan Songzi’s lecherous thoughts resurfaced. His exaggerated reaction, complete with loud swallowing, was partly to disrupt her composure.
Murong Qingyan ignored him, calmly smoothing her hair. She spoke with a slow, teasing tone, “Although I’ve made countless enemies in my life, only a select few knew I’d traveled west to visit an acquaintance. It was either soone within my sect or soone in Flying Soul City. As for Flying Soul City, I’m just an outsider who doesn’t stand in anyone’s way. That leaves only soone from my sect…”
Nan Songzi didn’t let her continue speculating. He laughed loudly, cutting her off. “Why waste your breath? Once we’re sharing a bed and basking in pleasure, my dear niece, won’t you know the answer?”
He bit out his words with a sinister grin. “Don’t worry, my dear niece. This ti, I’ll be rougher. Even if I have to break one of your dainty arms or legs, it’ll only add to the fun, won’t it?”
As he spoke, he raised both hands, ready to strike. But before he could act, a streak of sword light tore through the night sky, parting the air with a piercing whistle and interrupting his words.
The sword light originated from the mountaintop in the south. Like a rainbow, it streaked across nearly two miles in an instant, heading straight for Nan Songzi’s head.
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