In the dark, damp cave, sinister energy seeped through every corner.
"What? Jieyu is dead?"
Gui Ying, who was in the middle of refining the power within Ta Shan's Nascent Soul, stared down with an iron-dark face at the subordinate kneeling below.
"R-reporting to Gui Ying, my lord…"
The subordinate, who should have been kneeling upright, was already crushed flat against the ground by the baleful aura pouring off Gui Ying. With great effort, he forced the words out. "Y-yes… Jieyu… Jieyu's Life Soul… shattered…"
"Impossible… that can't be…"
Gui Ying mumbled as if delirious. Beneath the thick shadow that concealed his face, his eyes radiated an endless, murderous chill.
This was the greatest problem Demonic Cultivators had to face: Inner Demons.
Immortal cultivation emphasized sensing Heaven and Earth, then merging into them. It relied on one's natural talent, to the point that it could almost be said everything depended on what you were born with.
Demonic Cultivators were different. They were never meant to walk the orthodox path. They fed on humanity's negative emotions as nourishment, clawing their way up to their current realm.
If ordinary cultivators were traveling a road that still needed paving, all they had to do was repair it step by step until it became the great Dao of cultivation...
Then Demonic Cultivators started out in desolate, poisonous lands. They broke through mountains when they met mountains, crossed waters when they met waters, and endured everything on sheer stubbornness. Only then could they catch a glimpse of the Dao's vague outline, yet by that point, they had already stepped onto the wrong path.
Because their cultivation was so "unquestioning," they did nothing but pile up power, never tempering their Dao Heart. Their temperament was unstable to begin with, so even during ordinary practice, they were prone to veering off course.
Like right now. If Gui Ying weren't cultivating, he could have forced himself to analyze things rationally. Unfortunately, he was cultivating at this very moment.
Even though he was only performing the simplest refinement, the negative emotions transmitted from Ta Shan's Nascent Soul were enough to influence his actions.
Without restraint from his own mind, the subordinate beneath him was quickly ground into dust by the baleful aura Gui Ying released.
Ta Shan had been a pure sect-leader type, but Jieyu was Gui Ying's man. That was why he had lost control.
Did that old bastard notice something?
No… if he had discovered my betrayal, he would've made his move already.
So… the Righteous Path Alliance?
"How did he die—"
Gui Ying started to ask, only to realize his subordinate had already been killed by his own aura.
"Tch. Too weak. Couldn't even withstand a wisp of my baleful aura."
Left with no choice, Gui Ying rose and walked deeper into the cave, where an expert in the Dao of divination lived. He wanted to see who had dared touch his people.
He had only just finished setting up Ta Shan, that idiot, to be eliminated, and now he had already lost a powerful lieutenant on his side.
He really wanted to know what kind of existence the Righteous Path Alliance had sent, that Jieyu hadn't even had the chance to run.
...
Tianqiong City, the Garrison Guard headquarters. A painfully real conversation was taking place.
"What? We're forcing the assessment tournament to go ahead? Have the people above gone insane?"
"Why are you shouting at me? As if I get to decide anything."
"But—"
"No 'but.' If those above have spoken, then we do it."
"That's using the talisman seedlings from the thirteen surrounding cities as bait!"
"Exorcising demons and defending the Orthodox Dao is the responsibility of cultivators like us. If they can offer themselves to the Orthodox Dao before they've even gained power, that's their blessing."
"Can you speak like a human being for once?"
"Did I say something wrong? And do you think I want this? That was the exact wording from above. What else can I do?"
"..."
"Go make preparations. This time, Tianqiong City is the main battlefield. The two of us old fogies will risk our lives. If we can save even one, we save one."
"..."
"What are you still standing there for?"
"If the plan fails, will the people above cover for it?"
"Heh, cover for it? When did you become so naive? Dying against Demonic Cultivators is the 'blessing' of cultivators like us."
"..."
After that line, dripping with sarcasm, the Garrison Guard headquarters fell into silence.
...
Mortal Realm Hall, Heavenly Courtyard.
"Alright. I understand."
Ye Ling's handsome face remained calm, but in truth—
He was panicking.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[Detected secret information beyond permissible levels. The system strongly advises the Host not to pursue it further.]
Crimson-black text floated before Ye Ling's eyes. Each "WARNING" was larger than the last.
It was obvious Eve was anything but simple, and not just "a little" not simple.
Ye Ling carried two Nine Heavens Jade Pendants, yet the system still issued a warning. That meant whatever secret Eve carried was far more terrifying than he'd imagined, at the very least something his current level had no business hearing.
Tch. Wasn't this supposed to be an exploration world?
So why were there still level restrictions?
"If Brother can trust me, that's the best thing I could hope for."
Eve smiled sweetly at Ye Ling, but she didn't recklessly move closer. Instead, she sat obediently where she was, waiting for his next instruction.
According to her, she had arrived in the Cultivation World aboard a great ship. Back in her homeland, a world-shaking upheaval was unfolding. That was the "unhearable-level" secret the system had detected.
After disembarking, she used random teleportation magic several times in a row, and in the end, she ended up here. If she hadn't run into Ye Ling, she probably would have starved to death.
From Eve's expressions and mannerisms, Ye Ling could tell she wasn't lying. But he also understood she was definitely hiding something.
Who else was on that ship?
Why did you keep using random teleportation?
With so many people in the Cultivation World, why did you single me out to drain?
No… Leng Qingqiu was her primary target.
Either way, the more Eve said, the more mysteries she seemed to carry. So many that Ye Ling no longer dared to have any further contact with her.
Brother, I really hate trouble.
If it weren't for Ai Yueli's mission, he wouldn't have wanted to come down the mountain at all. At the very least, he would've waited until reaching the Nascent Soul Stage before even thinking about it.
Ideally, he'd rather reach the Great Ascension Stage first, then come down and enjoy himself.
But since it was Ai Yueli's request, and with the system mission rewards dangling right in front of him, he had no choice but to accept.
Still, the moment he descended the mountain, everything went completely off track—
First came Leng Qingqiu. That girl was nothing more than a tool he'd used, a walking source of Emotion Points. He could live with that.
Then Demonic Cultivators showed up. Fine. The Demonic Sect had its own KPIs to hit. He accepted that too.
But the Eve standing in front of him now was clearly something beyond his current ability to handle.
Wait.
[Nine Heavens Jade Pendant (Unknown)]
[Note: An item belonging to the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. May attract boundless calamity.]
Ye Ling suddenly remembered that the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant carried a calamity-attracting effect, and he was wearing two of them at once.
Tsk. So it wasn't my sharp tongue. It was this damn thing.
He let out a breath of relief, but his vigilance immediately shot to its highest level.
The benefits of the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant were simply too great. He'd completely forgotten about its debuff.
"If there's nothing else, you can leave now, right?"
Now that he'd sorted out the cause and effect, Ye Ling had no intention of continuing any contact with Eve.
Lolis might be cute, but his life was far more important.
More importantly, the emotional intelligence Eve displayed was clearly not as low as she looked.
"Wuu~"
Just as Ye Ling expected, Eve instantly put on the look of a wounded little animal, pitiful and fragile.
"If I leave Brother, I'll starve to death."
Ye Ling remained completely unmoved. His expression turned cold as he said, "There are so many people in this world. Fixating on me is already wrong."
To be honest, he didn't even understand what Eve meant by "energy." He didn't feel like he'd lost anything at all.
Logically speaking, after having his energy drained by a Succubus, even if his body was strong enough not to be completely emptied, he should at least feel tired.
But he felt nothing. He was just as energetic as before. Even if his recovery was fast, he should've felt some sense of loss.
So based on Eve's fixation on his scent, he concluded that if she wasn't acting, then what she'd absorbed was likely his male hormones.
"It's different."
Eve shook her small head like a rattle. "Brother's virgin energy is extremely high quality. It doesn't smell bad at all."
"…"
If you keep talking like that, Brother is going to hit someone.
Seeing Ye Ling stay silent, Eve continued, "Just the scent on Brother's body alone is enough to fill Eve up. It's completely different from everyone else."
I suspect you're calling me the Virgin King, but I have no evidence.
Ye Ling felt a wave of helplessness, but that kind of reasoning wasn't enough to sway him. From the beginning, he'd never planned on being persuaded by Eve anyway.
The more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she becomes. Lolis are no exception.
He had no intention of sacrificing himself for beauty.
"Brother, Eve has lost her power now. When daytime comes, I'll turn back into a human. Can you really bear to let me wander around alone?"
Seeing that Ye Ling still showed no reaction, Eve finally used her ultimate move.
Her crimson eyes quickly filled with tears, which streamed down her cheeks in heavy drops.
"Meeting is fate. That we met among countless people is destiny."
Ye Ling's expression turned completely cold. He replied bluntly, "That's exactly why I'm still willing to speak to you calmly."
"But if you try to morally pressure me, then we'll both lose the last bit of dignity we have."
"Honestly, I don't want us to meet again as enemies."
Ye Ling's deep eyes grew distant and cold. What he hated most was people trying to exploit his conscience, and Eve had stepped squarely onto his bottom line.
"…"
Eve froze, completely stunned, even forgetting to cry.
Her tactic, which had never failed before, had completely lost its effect this time.
No—correction.
It had backfired.
Something was wrong with this guy. Very wrong.