The rain in the demon world had been falling for several days straight.
Liu Lixue finished handling the affairs of Xingque Palace for the day, slowly stretching his neck as he walked out. He had been sitting for several hours, and although he was a demon, he still felt the soreness in his shoulders and back.
He stood beneath the corridor, looking up. Thick clouds were rolling in from the distance. It was already the end of November, and this rain was likely to last into December. The demon world always had a lot of rain at this time of year.
In the distance, the Beast Palace was quiet and still. Every year, when Su Xuan entered his heat period, the Beast Palace would clear out all the attendants. Only Su Xuan would remain alone on the back mountain, resting by the Zhenhua Crossing.
When the Nine-Tailed Fox tribe went into heat, they found it hard to control their aura, and the leakage of this aura could easily harm the regular demon cultivators in the palace.
Every time Su Xuan was about to enter his heat period, he would take care of all major matters in advance, but the demon world was vast, and Xingque Palace had its own share of daily affairs. Recently, Liu Lixue had been busy dealing with these matters.
He rubbed his forehead, recalling what Sang Dai had told him, urging him to check on Ying Heng more often.
A demon attendant approached from behind and asked, “Deacon, would you like to go to the Divine Healer Valley?”
Liu Lixue nodded. “Yes, bring the spirit stones and immortal herbs.”
“Understood.”
A quarter of an hour later, Liu Lixue left and boarded the mustard seed boat.
It took only an hour to travel from the Beast Palace to the Divine Healer Valley. The valley was located on the edge of the demon world, and the rain wasn’t too heavy there.
The disciples of the Divine Healer Valley had long recognized this demon world deacon. Upon seeing Liu Lixue, they knew he had come to visit Ying Heng and to deliver spirit stones to the valley.
The Beast King Su Xuan was wealthy, and the head of the valley had boldly demanded three times the usual price. Nevertheless, the money was given promptly.
Liu Lixue swaggered into the Divine Healer Valley.
The surrounding medicinal fields were protected by spiritual force barriers. Liu Lixue, being a medical cultivator himself, understood that some herbs preferred a damp, shady environment, while others couldn’t come into contact with water.
As he walked along, he couldn’t help but admire Nangong Zhu. Indeed, as the number one medical cultivator in the four realms, his cultivation of various herbs surpassed what Liu Lixue had struggled for decades to grow.
Liu Lixue pushed open a fence made of woven bamboo. The small courtyard inside was quiet and clean, filled with a faint scent of grass and wood.
The door was tightly shut, and the soul-binding barrier outside the room subtly rippled.
Liu Lixue knew that Ying Heng was inside healing and did not want to disturb him. Instead, he sat in the courtyard to wait.
He waited leisurely for a long time, and after the disciples of the Divine Healer Valley had served him the third pot of tea, the door finally opened.
The peacock looked up.
Nangong Zhu’s face was pale, his forehead beaded with sweat, and he was wiping his face with his sleeve.
Upon seeing Liu Lixue, he calmly lowered his hand. “Ying Heng is in a deep sleep.”
Liu Lixue approached, peering into the room, and was immediately struck by the heavy scent of blood and medicine.
As a medical cultivator, he certainly recognized the method Nangong Zhu was using.
Liu Lixue furrowed his brows and scolded, “Ying Heng’s body is too weak. Even if you are in a hurry to save him, you cannot use such a violent method!”
Nangong Zhu glanced at him, and a servant stepped forward to offer a pot of tea.
He leisurely sipped his tea. “First, you need to know something. Ying Heng’s soul was shattered. There is only one method for solidifying the soul. Second, Ying Heng’s meridians are severely injured, and he is unable to merge spiritual energy. I must reconnect several of his main meridians that have been seriously torn. If it were you, how would you reconnect them?”
Liu Lixue fell silent for a moment, then looked toward Ying Heng’s pale face in the room.
“…With spiritual energy, forcefully connecting them.”
To open the flesh, find the main meridians, and use spiritual energy to bond them together—it could only be done this way.
Liu Lixue turned and sat across from Nangong Zhu, somewhat self-consciously pouring himself a cup of tea. “The spirit stones have been delivered to you, and I’ve arranged for the immortal herbs you were missing to be purchased. If you need anything else, just let Xingque Palace know. Ying Heng’s injury must be healed.”
Nangong Zhu sneered. “I naturally know that. I will definitely heal Ying Heng. Liu Lixue, I’ve already inserted a segment of his spiritual root.”
Liu Lixue’s hand froze, and he looked up in disbelief. “His body can’t withstand it now!”
Nangong Zhu replied, “It was Ying Heng’s own request. Last night, he seemed to remember something. This morning, when I arrived, he looked very unwell and forcefully demanded that I immediately fuse his spiritual root.”
Liu Lixue suddenly realized something. “So, you mean his memory loss might have been caused by the extraction of his spiritual root?”
“Yes, that’s what he said.”
Both of them, being medical cultivators, had not figured out why Ying Heng’s memory was missing. The main reason was that Ying Heng’s memory loss was quite peculiar.
If his soul had been severely wounded, it would have caused confusion in his memory. However, Ying Heng still remembered many things from before. The only memory that was completely gone was the period when he received the order to suppress Tianyuxue 122 years ago and imprisoned Tianyuxue in the Snow Realm. His memories from the two years he was being hunted down were also absent, as well as the events of the Heroes’ Conference three hundred years ago.
It was too coincidental that the most crucial memories were the ones he had forgotten completely.
Nangong Zhu explained, “His spiritual root was extracted by the mysterious figure in black, and I believe his memory was also erased. The goal was to make Ying Heng unable to remember.”
Liu Lixue was puzzled. “What exactly does he want to do?”
The spiritual root was extracted from Ying Heng, yet his life was spared.
Liu Lixue still couldn’t understand.
Nangong Zhu then asked, “When will Su Xuan and Sang Dai be able to come out?”
Liu Lixue replied, “In another twenty days.”
“In ten days, I will fuse the second part of Ying Heng’s spiritual root. By then, he will be able to see.”
“Thank you.”
Inside the room, Ying Heng was still in a deep sleep, and a faint, shallow contract mark flickered slightly in his sea of consciousness.
—
In another part of the Beast Realm:
Sang Dai didn’t know how much time had passed.
The flames of the Hellfire Orb flickered, and the warm yellow Hellfire illuminated the entire cave. They were deep inside the cave, and the entire back mountain was deserted. This place was the Beast King’s domain.
Sang Dai finally understood why the Nine-Tailed Fox tribe had to leave the Beast Palace during their heat period and go to a cave instead.
She saw the Hellfire ignited beside the main bed, then extinguished by Su Xuan when he regained consciousness. He was confused one moment, clear-headed the next, but whether in confusion or clarity, his restless movements made no attempt to be quiet.
Sang Dai felt incredibly hot and finally understood why the Frostguard Pill was necessary. The sword cultivator’s forehead rested against the soft brocade bedding, her arms weakly supporting her, while the little fox behind her was restless and persistent.
Under the relentless advance of the nine-tailed fox’s actions, the sword cultivator was retreating step by step, barely able to catch her breath, dazed and unsure of her surroundings. Yet the little fox showed no signs of stopping. Sang Dai felt as though she were being burned alive.
“Xu… Su Xuan,” Sang Dai sobbed softly, “I’m so hot, you’re too warm.”
Even with the Frostguard Pill protecting her body and the Purple Yin Pill helping Su Xuan control his Hellfire, the body temperature of a nine-tailed fox during mating season was still overwhelming. Sang Dai felt like she might be on the verge of collapsing from the heat.
She was trembling uncontrollably, her body pushed to its limits after several near-death moments over the past few days. The little fox had no trouble causing the sword cultivator to fall apart. Su Xuan regained some clarity of mind, suppressing the searing heat within him, and saw the sword cultivator, exhausted, resting her head on the brocade pillow.
“Dai Dai, don’t be afraid,” Su Xuan said, knowing he had been too harsh these past few days but unable to stop himself. His self-control was weak.
The little fox lifted the sword cultivator’s body, turning her around, and picked up a nearby book. “How about we try this one? It’s a technique that can be practiced by cultivators at the Grand Ascension stage.”
Sang Dai looked at the new book in confusion, knowing what was about to happen. She instinctively wanted to run. “No, I don’t want to.”
The fox’s tail wrapped around her ankle and secured her in his arms. She was trapped, unable to escape, and with the large bed, her head didn’t even touch the wooden frame.
The little fox didn’t like to turn off the lights at moments like this. He preferred to see every expression on the sword cultivator’s face in the bright light—the furrowed brow, the tilted neck, the slightly parted lips, and the look in her eyes when she lost herself in the moment.
“Dai Dai,” Su Xuan kissed her lips softly, “I really like you.”
Their spiritual energy intertwined, and Sang Dai had no strength to guide it. It was all up to Su Xuan. The techniques of the Hehuan Sect were extremely potent, especially since both of them were at the Grand Ascension stage, their realms powerful and profound.
She saw the little fox’s sweat falling, his eyes filled with a haze of passion. His breath was heavy and indulgent. The little fox was never shy, enjoying hearing his own voice near her ear, saying things that made her face turn red.
Su Xuan had always been quiet, at least in Sang Dai’s mind. She always thought he was there to fight with her, and sometimes he said things that infuriated her, making her want to hit him.
But after they entered the Beast Realm, Su Xuan’s words became more audacious. Sang Dai didn’t understand how someone could be so shameless.
Hearing the fox’s thoughts again, Sang Dai had no strength to cover his eyes. She could only cry as she covered her own, even though they were now a legitimate married couple. She could accept the intimate matters in their room, but not this kind of recklessness.
Since waking up today, she had been overwhelmed for hours, losing count of how many times she had nearly fainted. Her body trembled as the little fox didn’t stop. Finally, the sword cultivator couldn’t hold back anymore and cried out, Su Xuan, I can’t bear it…”
At the peak of comfort, it became unbearable. Su Xuan knew she was enjoying it, and he himself was reaching the height of his own pleasure. The heat of the mating season drove him to be even more relentless, not wanting to let go of the woman he loved until she cried out again, telling him to stop or she would never forgive him.
Su Xuan knew she was just saying that in frustration, but he forced himself to stop. He propped himself up and looked at the woman beneath him, her tears falling. She rarely cried, but this kind of pleasure was something she couldn’t withstand. It seemed that ever since she had come to his side, she had cried often, usually in moments like this, looking at him with tear-filled eyes and her chest heaving heavily.
So pure, so innocent.
Su Xuan leaned down to kiss her. “Just a little longer, Dai Dai. Will you cooperate?”
Sang Dai could only close her mouth, gathering her spiritual energy to summon more strength. She had learned that, when she couldn’t hold on any longer, she would deliberately tighten her muscles, catching Su Xuan off guard. The sensation ran through him, and the little fox gasped sharply.
“You’re so naughty,” he whispered, kissing her ear as he continued, “Was that on purpose?”
Sang Dai turned her face away and bit him. “It… it’s really too much… I really can’t take it anymore…”
She used her trump card, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. “Husband, I can’t bear it.”
The fox’s ears turned pink, the color spreading all the way to the tip of his tail. “Good girl, just bear with me a little longer. I’ll finish soon.”
With a relentless push, Sang Dai’s voice broke, but she didn’t push him away, knowing he was about to reach the end. After a long while, with a muffled groan, the little fox collapsed into her neck, burying his head deep into the crook of her neck, his fluffy ears brushing against the sweat on her face.
She gasped for breath, struggling to catch it. Sang Dai pushed at the person on top of her. “You’re pressing on me…”