Hu Hong was horrified. He desperately used his supreme lightness skill, "Stroll Among the Flowers," and managed to dodge at the very last second. The object struck the ground where he had been lying with a "Bang!" It cracked the floor tile and sent debris flying. The power of Ning Xuefei's internal energy was evident. If Hu Hong's flesh and blood had taken that blow, he would likely have been reduced to a pulp.
Only then did Hu Hong see clearly that in her haste, Ning Xuefei had infused her energy into the soft, white sash of her thin gauze skirt. The sash was exquisitely made, light as a cicada's wing, adorned with red and green floral patterns. During the day, wrapped around her slender waist, it would sway with her enchanting, snake-like movements, making her exceptionally seductive.
What he didn't know was that Ning Xuefei's throw just now had utilized the Immortal Palace's superior martial art, Xuanhua Shadow Throw. An ordinary person would have no way to dodge it and would be killed instantly. Practitioners of the Immortal Palace could also use it to kill enemies from a distance, catching them off guard without staining their clothes with blood. The Ning family considered it an elegant killing technique.
Seeing the two of them in conflict, Mo Xingyun, regardless of Hu Hong's intentions, realized this was his great opportunity. While his mother was distracted, he immediately activated his Hidden Dragon Devil Shadow technique and slipped into the inner hall.
He walked along the inner wall of the hall. There was a small corridor on the inside, and he slipped into it. Inside was a small study, which his mother used to use for reading alone. Mo Xingyun had been there a few times as a child and was quite familiar with the place.
In a daze, Mo Xingyun recalled his childhood. His mother had doted on him, to the point of spoiling him. He could remember the warmth and fragrance of being held by his mother as he fell asleep each night, and every little detail of their life together. Every corner of this bedchamber was so familiar, seemingly filled with warm memories of him playing and laughing with his mother.
But all of that was gone after that night eighteen years ago. After that, all he had was the cold, underground devil cave and the company of the stern, strange people of the Demonic Cult.
*****
Ning Xuefei was surprised that her signature martial art, "Xuanhua Shadow Throw," had failed to hit its target. She thought to herself that the lightness skill of Hundred Flowers Island was indeed extraordinary. Just as she was about to strike again, Hu Hong hurriedly called out, "Your Majesty, the Empress, calm your anger! I know I deserve to die ten thousand times over, but I have something to say. Please hear me out before you execute me!"
Ning Xuefei saw that in this moment of crisis, Hu Hong actually had the presence of mind to straighten his clothes and stand gracefully as he begged for his life. Her phoenix eyes were filled with killing intent, and she sneered, "You lecherous scoundrel! You have already brought shame upon the Hu family. What right do you have to speak to me?"
Seeing that she had stopped her pursuit, Hu Hong knew he still had a sliver of a chance. He immediately bowed elegantly and took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the bed curtains, and said in a clear voice, "During my time here in the Immortal Palace, I have been captivated by Your Majesty's heavenly beauty, unable to free myself, leading me to commit all sorts of lewd, shameless acts. I am deeply ashamed in my heart and often blame myself when I am alone. But whenever I see your divine face again, it is as if an addiction has taken hold of me, and I fall deeply, unable to control myself."
Ning Xuefei sneered but did not respond. She had heard such sweet words from countless men before. In her heart, all men were just filthy dogs lusting after her beauty. She had already made up her mind that if this man said a few more words of this nonsense, she would kill him immediately.
Hu Hong was extremely clever and knew his life hung by a thread. Seeing that Ning Xuefei's seductive, indistinct figure within the curtains showed no reaction, he steadied his nerves and continued, "However, from what I have observed during my time here, Your Majesty's marriage with the Divine Emperor is not a happy one. You harbor a deep hatred for him. Yet, for the safety of the Ning family, you have been forced to maintain this marriage, which is nothing but a symbol of your trampled dignity."
Hearing him dare to say such things, Ning Xuefei's beautiful face changed. Her beautiful eyes stared through the curtains at the man not far away. She heard him continue, "The Divine Emperor killed your former husband and forced the son you had with him to flee. His whereabouts are still unknown. He also holds the interests of the Ning family and the Immortal Palace hostage, threatening you and binding the Tianxing Palace to the Immortal Palace. Under his tyrannical power, you have compromised again and again, all to protect your clan. When you think about it, no one in the Immortal Palace's Ning family has ever considered your feelings. You are merely a pitiful sacrifice they offered up to protect their own interests..."
He paused and then added, "And more importantly... according to my observations using my family's secret Night Heart Secret Art, Your Majesty, your body is afflicted with a stagnant yin-cold energy deep within your meridians. The reason you can still maintain your current cultivation is likely because you are forcefully suppressing it with some secret technique. But this is nothing more than drinking poison to quench your thirst. If this continues, I fear even your life will be in danger!"
Before Hu Hong could finish, a sweet, fragrant wind swept past. Ning Xuefei's figure from within the curtains spun out like a phantom. Instantly, the white gauze on the floor seemed to come to life, wrapping around her naked body and completely concealing it. Her tall, full, and stunningly beautiful figure stood before Hu Hong with an imposing aura. From between her pink-white fingers, a blue, invisible sword energy shot out, pointing directly at Hu Hong's neck. This was the ultimate technique of the Immortal Palace's supreme martial art, "Xuan Hua Devine Skill".
Ning Xuefei's beautiful face was frosty, her expression flickering with an unknown emotion as she shouted, "How do you know this? What kind of spy are you! Before you die, do you have anything else to say!"
This was the second time he had been threatened by Ning Xuefei's sword energy, but Hu Hong's face did not change. His neck stung slightly, and his eyes stared fixedly at the peerless beauty before him. A captivating, feminine fragrance filled his nostrils. Ning Xuefei's face was like frost, but it could not hide her tall, graceful, and alluring figure, half-concealed by the thin gauze. Her peerless, exquisite face was as pure as snow, yet possessed an indescribable mature charm. Her jet-black hair was not pinned up as usual but flowed down, messily scattered over her sensual, snow-white shoulders. Her hair was like a waterfall, her eyes like water, staring at Hu Hong with a cold gaze. Her peach-like cheeks and almond-shaped face were flushed with a vibrant, charming blush, making her look even more ravishing and alluring than usual, a clear sign that the flush of passion had not yet faded.
His gaze traveled downward. Her tall, firm breasts pushed against the gauze, creating two peaks that seemed like snow mountains. From the full curves, one could sense the fullness and size of the soft flesh within, as if they might burst through the fabric at any moment. Her waist was slender, a perfect handspan. Her hips and buttocks flowed with a seductive curve, her full, round buttocks lifting the gauze skirt into a high, beautiful arc. Her two long, full, perfectly rounded legs were faintly visible beneath the skirt. Her bare, snow-white, beautiful feet extended from the hem of the skirt, crystal clear and translucent, displaying the unique charm and allure of a peerless beauty and a mature woman. It was enough to drive one mad with desire.
Hu Hong swallowed hard and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Holy Empress, please calm your anger. I did not intend to pry into your secrets, nor am I a spy sent by any faction. The reason I know these things is because... because my Hu Clan is also a descendant of the Seven Great Immortal Heroes of antiquity, and we are the masters of one of the Seven Great Treasures, the 'Night's Heart' Immortal Zither."
"The 'Night's Heart' of my Hundred Flowers Island has, at its core, a rare immortal flower called the 'Night's Heart Grass.' It is born with an extraordinary perception of the Yin and Yang energies of the world and all manner of energy fluctuations. Especially... especially towards an energy as profoundly Yin and frigid as yours, it is exceptionally sensitive. I cultivate my clan's inherited techniques, which allows me to vaguely sense the surging, yet extremely unstable, power of ice within you, as well as... the condition of Yin-Yang imbalance that has accumulated deep within your body."
*****
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