Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 98 - 97: Junior Brother Pei, Hurry and Help Senior Sister Cultivate

Hot... so hot... hot, humid, and sticky...

Qing Yueqiu opened her eyes and wiped at the silver-white strands of hair stuck to her forehead by a maiden's fragrant sweat. Her dry palm was instantly soaked, becoming clammy.

A flicker of vigilance crossed her eyes. She immediately stood up to survey her surroundings.

A boundless desert stretched to the horizon... 'It seems I've arrived at the trial grounds, and I've drawn the short straw.'

As a disciple raised in the Cold Palace Sword Mansion from a young age, she was least suited for this hot, arid environment. With her condition affecting her abilities, she feared she could only bring forth less than seventy percent of her true strength.

Qing Yueqiu strictly followed her master's teachings. She knew she had to leave this Great Desert immediately and hunt for points in an island environment, where she could best utilize her abilities.

'I have to get a huge number of points quickly and get out of here! Master is in danger right now!'

Her crimson pupils turned blood-red. Worry for her master actually sparked a murderous intent in Qing Yueqiu's heart.

HUM—

The Jade Pendant at her waist flickered. Qing Yueqiu knew it was pointing to her junior sister's location, guiding her to a rendezvous.

She made the same judgment as Yu Xiaoyan and immediately soared into the sky with Sword Control, preparing to fly toward her junior sister's position.

But Qing Yueqiu's luck was sometimes truly awful. Her figure, flying on her sword, was spotted by other Cultivators in the Great Desert who were also participating in the grand competition.

"Who is that girl? The sword she's controlling with her feet is extraordinary. Even from a distance, it feels like my eyes are being pierced by intense Moonlight."

"We don't need to know who this troublesome opponent is, or which Elder's or which Grand Cave Mansion's outstanding disciple she is. All we need to know is that we can't let a powerhouse like her smoothly enter tomorrow's combat tournament!"

A bald man's lips curled into a chilling smile.

He raised a longbow made of beast horn, drew it to a full moon, and then let an arrow fly.

Hundreds of meters in the air, Qing Yueqiu sensed the murderous intent tearing through the sky. With a flick of her finger, she shot out a burst of Sword Qi, obliterating the supersonic arrow before it could come within ten meters of her.

But the expected sound of a shattering arrow never came. Instead, a large cloud of grayish-green smoke exploded before the young woman's eyes.

The instant Qing Yueqiu realized it was a trap, she used Sword Qi to wall off the grayish-green smoke. However, this action only made the bald man's laughter grow more brazen.

Because this wasn't some poisonous mist at all, but a specially made lure designed to attract Demon Beasts.

Cultivators like the bald man understood their own limited strength. They were no match for the geniuses from the Grand Cave Mansions. They knew that even if they were lucky enough to get a lot of points, they would still be cannon fodder, easily defeated and eliminated in the next day's combat tournament. Thus, their line of thinking was simple.

'If I can just make sure the geniuses stronger than me are severely injured in the points competition, or use the power of the Demon Race to eliminate them directly, wouldn't that solve everything?!'

'As long as all you geniuses are eliminated or crippled, then I'll be the best one! If you can't make yourself stronger, then weaken your enemies!'

Watching the Luoshen-like celestial maiden get completely surrounded by a swarm of Frenzied Blood Bat Demons attracted by the lure, the bald man's face broke into a triumphant smile.

"You're still too naive. It seems your master is a good-for-nothing, too. They never taught you about the cruelty of the Cultivation Realm."

HUM—

The moment after the bald man's taunt, a silvery beam of Moonlight pierced through the pitch-black swarm of Frenzied Blood Bat Demons. Wherever the silver light passed, all the Demon Fiends were reduced to ash.

Seeing things had gone wrong, the bald man and his companions hastily prepared to flee. But he had only taken half a step when he felt an icy coldness press against his neck. Visible frost spread from the blade onto his throat, causing the bald man to tremble uncontrollably.

"Now, apologize to my master, you scum."

A voice so cold it could freeze the soul came from behind him. It felt as if he uttered one more foul word, the silver-haired girl would defy the rule against killing fellow sect members and strike him down right where he stood.

GULP~

His Adam's apple bobbed.

The bald man dropped to his knees on the spot, his hands raised in surrender. In the face of that biting killing intent, he didn't have the slightest thought of feigning compliance.

...

"Junior Brother Pei, your two disciples are truly outstanding. They've only just entered, and their scores have already broken into the top seventy."

"Mm..."

Pei Yuhang took a sip of the tea Lu Ruoxi offered him, and sighed in relief internally.

The rise in their rankings on the parchment scroll before him meant that both Qing Yueqiu and Yu Xiaoyan had encountered danger right after entering the Celestial Lock Islands.

Thankfully, the two of them had successfully overcome the ordeal.

Lu Ruoxi smiled as she took Pei Yuhang's hand. "Junior Brother Pei, you can completely relax~

One has a Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, and the other is an Innate Sword Body wielding a Treasure Sword from the Divine Sword Pavilion. In this entire Sect competition, aside from the disciples of a certain few, no one can possibly pose a threat to them."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister."

Pei Yuhang smiled politely, trying to withdraw his hand without being obvious.

But then he heard Lu Ruoxi say with a serious expression, "Junior Brother Pei, do you remember the promise you made to me?"

"To use my Yang Fire to help you with your training? You've helped me so much, of course I won't go back on my word."

Lu Ruoxi's smile widened. She got up and sat down beside Pei Yuhang, saying, "There's no time like the present. Why don't we start now?"

"Practice here?"

Pei Yuhang was a little puzzled. 'When a Divinity Transformation Stage Great Cultivator like her practices, shouldn't it cause a huge commotion? Are you sure we don't need to find a secluded, private room?'

Lu Ruoxi answered Pei Yuhang's question.

"Because the Magic Technique I am to cultivate is called Body Furnace. This is the ultimate state of the Alchemy Dao. It requires no external objects like a Pill Furnace; one can refine a Divine Elixir using only one's own body."

As she spoke, her jade-like hand reached down and gently loosened the silk and satin of her robes.

Before Pei Yuhang's astonished eyes, the magnificent and dignified dress slid silkily down her waist and long legs, pooling on the floor.

"This... Senior Sister, you..."

Pei Yuhang quickly shut his eyes, but he couldn't forget the stunning beauty he had just glimpsed. After closing his eyes, the image only became clearer in his mind.

"Junior Brother Pei, what are you letting your mind wander to? How can you approach matters of cultivation with a mortal mindset? Open your eyes!

If you close your eyes, how are you supposed to transfer your Pure Yang True Flame to me and aid my cultivation?!"

Lu Ruoxi's stern voice made Pei Yuhang struggle to open his eyes. He kept chanting in his mind, 'This is cultivation, it can't be called lewd,' but he still kept his head down, not daring to look up at those breathtaking, jade-maiden peaks.

"Come, Junior Brother Pei."

"Place your palm on my Dantian and begin to slowly channel your Yang Fire in."

"This is what you promised. Don't go back on your word and disappoint me, okay~!"

Pei Yuhang took a deep breath. "I certainly won't go back on my word."

Then, he extended his hand. Perhaps he was a bit too slow, because Lu Ruoxi's lips curled up as she grabbed his wrist and pulled it toward herself.