Wolf Head Mercenary Group: Want to Take Xiao Yi Xian Away? Have You Asked Our Young Leader?

Outside the boudoir,

In the courtyard, as dusk deepened, Lu Yu sat cross-legged on the Bluestone Slab, scratching his head in bewilderment.

"Isn't it just switching cultivation arts? Was it really necessary to blush so much?" He muttered as he looked toward the tightly shut door. "It's not like I haven't seen it before..."

Shaking his head to clear away his distracting thoughts, he simply began meditating in the courtyard. After all, switching cultivation arts was no trivial matter. Someone had to watch over this silly girl.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, long across the ground.

Several hours later,

Boom!

Lu Yu abruptly opened his eyes, his robes fluttering despite the absence of wind. He opened his mouth and inhaled, and the surrounding natural energy actually transformed into a vortex visible to the naked eye before pouring entirely into his mouth.

"Two-star Dou Shi..."

Feeling the surging Dou Qi within his body, he curled his lips in satisfaction and thought, Without relying on pills, gaining one star a month is passable.

It had to be known that this was while he was only beginning to practice the "Great Pagoda Art." This Ancient Divine Art was divided into three realms: Foundation Establishment, Form Condensation, and Pagoda Transformation. At present, he had only just entered the Foundation Establishment realm. He was still a long way from true perfection.

Only when yin and yang merged and he entered the Pagoda Transformation realm, condensing a Pagoda Tower, would this cultivation art reveal its true terror.

That was also why Lu Yu insisted on finding a dual-cultivation partner. If the two of them each cultivated a volume of the Great Pagoda Art, not only would the difficulty of cultivation be greatly reduced, but the time it took him to enter the Pagoda Transformation realm would also be shortened.

The Great Pagoda Tower was the true essence of the Great Pagoda Art.

"However, I don't possess the bloodline of the Futu Ancient Clan. Although I obtained the orthodox Great Pagoda Art, I'm afraid I won't be able to condense the highest-grade Saint Pagoda Tower. I can only condense an ordinary Pagoda Tower, but that's enough in this Lower Plane."

As Lu Yu pondered, the door of the room before him suddenly opened, and a white-clothed figure stepped out.

Moonlight flowed like water, gently spilling over the White-clothed Young Girl as she pushed open the door. Xiao Yi Xian slowly walked out, her plain white skirt fluttering slightly in the night wind, resembling a blooming night-blooming cereus.

Her originally somewhat pale skin now glowed with a lustrous sheen, appearing like the finest mutton-fat jade beneath the moonlight. Her clear eyes seemed even brighter, their outer corners slightly raised. Every glance and movement carried a lively charm.

Most striking of all was the Dou Qi surging around her body—it had actually risen explosively to the level of a Five-star Dou Zhe!

"You succeeded in switching cultivation arts?"

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian's terrifying cultivation soar from One-star Dou Zhe to Five-star Dou Zhe, Lu Yu's eyes lit up, and he could not help asking.

Xiao Yi Xian smiled and nodded. "It's all thanks to this cultivation art. I can feel the poison energy in my body continuously transforming into Dou Qi. I've never felt this relaxed before."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. We're merely taking what we each need."

"In that case, let's go."

Lu Yu nodded and immediately turned to leave.

"Wait!" Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly called out to him, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. "Go... where?"

"Back to Wutan City, of course. I'm currently living there." Lu Yu turned back in surprise. "How can we cultivate together if we aren't in the same place?"

At his words, Xiao Yi Xian's ears instantly flushed red. She lowered her head and lightly bit her cherry-red lips. "I... I still have a contract with the Myriad Medicine Pavilion..."

"How much is the ransom?" Lu Yu flicked his fingertip, producing a Five-patterned Purple Gold Card given to him by Xun'er. The card gleamed with a luxurious luster beneath the moonlight. "Would one million Gold Coins be enough?"

"It's not a matter of Gold Coins..." Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly shook her head. She was just about to explain when noisy footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.

"Leader! Young Leader! Xiao Yi Xian and that bastard are hiding here!"

Bang—!

With a tremendous boom, the courtyard gate exploded, sending splinters flying. Dozens of Wolf Head mercenaries streamed in, the blades in their hands gleaming coldly and radiating a chilling killing intent beneath the moonlight. In an instant, they surrounded Lu Yu and Xiao Yi Xian.

The crowd parted like a tide, and two figures slowly walked out.

The middle-aged man on the left had a sinister expression. His dark-green robe fluttered despite the absence of wind, and a powerful aura belonging to a Two-star Dou Shi radiated from him. He was none other than Mu She, the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

The young man on the right wore a cold smile, his gaze roaming over Xiao Yi Xian like a venomous snake. The Young Leader, Mu Li, toyed with the dagger in his hand and said ominously, "Miss Xian'er, secretly meeting your lover in the dead of night. What a fine mood you're in."

Beneath the moonlight, Lu Yu swept his gaze over the gleaming weapons around him, slightly raising his brows before turning to whisper to Xiao Yi Xian, "Are the mercenary groups around here... always this brave?"

Xiao Yi Xian covered her lips and giggled. "The Wolf Head Mercenary Group has always proclaimed itself the number-one power in Qingshan Town. They're quite arrogant..."

A ruthless glint flashed through Mu Li's eyes. "Xiao Yi Xian, don't think that you can—"

"Shut up!"

Mu She suddenly shouted to stop him, his expression shifting uncertainly as he stared at Lu Yu. He grabbed the trembling scout beside him. "Didn't you say he was only a One-star Dou Shi yesterday?!"

"L-Leader..." The scout's face had gone ashen. "I saw it with my own eyes..."

Mu She sucked in a cold breath. When he looked at Lu Yu again, his face was covered in an ingratiating smile. "Young Master, what happened today was purely a misunderstanding." He glared fiercely at Mu Li, who was still confused. "It was all because my son and my subordinates were ignorant."

"I'm willing to offer ten thousand Gold Coins as an apology. I hope Young Master can be magnanimous."

A playful smile touched Lu Yu's lips as his gaze moved back and forth over Mu She. "If I kill you, won't those ten thousand Gold Coins still belong to me?"

Mu She's pupils abruptly contracted. Before he could react, black light surged from Lu Yu's palm. In an instant, eight black palm shadows tore through the air, each trailing a brilliant energy tail like a meteor as they slammed into his chest.

Profound-tier High-grade Dou Skill, Guardian Trigram Palm!

"Father!" Mu Li's terrified cry had only just left his mouth, before he could even warn his elderly father.

Mu She had already crashed heavily to the ground, dead.

The surviving mercenaries' faces turned ashen. How could they still dare avenge their leader? In the blink of an eye, they scattered like frightened birds and beasts, leaving behind only the dumbstruck Mu Li.

"Spare, spare my life..." Mu Li's knees went weak, and before he could finish speaking—

Bang!

Another black palm print descended from the air, smashing his head apart.

The night wind swept past, carrying away several strands of lingering bloodshed. Lu Yu slowly withdrew his palm. Xun'er had given him this Profound-tier Dou Skill when he broke through to the Dou Zhe realm. Besides the Guardian Trigram Palm, she had also given him a Five-patterned Purple Gold Card and a fire-attributed cultivation art called the "Flame Manipulation Art."

However, he had now switched to the Great Pagoda Art, so the Flame Manipulation Art was no longer useful to him. The Guardian Trigram Palm, on the other hand, was still quite practical.

Lu Yu dusted off his hands, took two Storage Rings from Mu She and Mu Li, then turned to Xiao Yi Xian. "The troublesome people are dealt with. We should get moving too."

He paused, a sly glint flashing through his eyes. "However, before leaving Qingshan Town, we still have to visit an interesting place."

"What place?" Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up, and she unconsciously leaned forward. Beneath the moonlight, the silver ornaments in her hair chimed softly, making her pretty face appear even more lively.

Lu Yu brushed his fingertip over the Storage Ring, recalling the treasures within—the Purple Cloud Wings, the Roaring Lion's Chant, and that crucial Netherworld Flame Remnant Map.

"The cave dwelling where I found the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture." He lowered his voice. "There are quite a few good things there, but..."

"But what?"

"It's just that the entire cave is filled with rare medicinal herbs, and I really don't know how to harvest them." Lu Yu helplessly spread his hands. "I'll have to rely on an expert like you for that."

At his words, the corners of Xiao Yi Xian's lips unconsciously rose. Her slender fingers lightly twirled a lock of hanging hair, and her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation. "Then lead the way. When it comes to gathering herbs, I'm an expert!"