Shi Ji's Repayment, A Man and Woman Alone in a Cave

Outside the cave dwelling, Qin Feng slowly withdrew his gaze from Kunlun, the playful smile on his lips flashing and disappearing.

The surge in his strength brought about a completely different mindset.

Now, looking at the soon-to-arrive eldest disciple of the Chan Sect, he truly felt no different than looking at a sandbag that had willingly come to test his strength.

A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance, accompanied by light footsteps, drifted over.

Qin Feng turned his head, meeting Shi Ji's beautiful eyes, which were filled with complex emotions and couldn't avoid his gaze.

Gratitude, admiration, curiosity, and a hint of shyness and attachment that she herself hadn't noticed.

After lingering outside the cave dwelling for a long time, this immortal from the Jie Sect, the owner of White Bone Cave, finally mustered her courage and walked up to Qin Feng.

"Senior..."

Shi Ji's red lips parted slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. Her usually cool and beautiful face, clear as jade, was now flushed with a captivating blush, even her fair neck tinged with a faint pink.

She took a deep breath, as if making a significant decision. When she looked up again, her gaze had become firm.

"Senior's great kindness to Shi Ji is something Shi Ji cannot repay."

Shi Ji bowed deeply to Qin Feng, her posture exceedingly devout.

"Shi Ji has cultivated for ten thousand years, with nothing else to offer but a shallow understanding of this path of the Great Dao."

As she spoke, her voice lowered again, and her head drooped, not daring to meet Qin Feng's eyes.

Her hands, clenched tightly in her sleeves, had knuckles that were turning white, revealing her extreme inner turmoil.

"If... if Senior does not mind, could you... stay in the cave dwelling and allow Shi Ji to discuss the Dao with Senior?"

The last four words were almost squeezed through gritted teeth.

The moment the words fell, Shi Ji felt her heart about to leap out of her throat, her entire face burning hot.

In the Primordial Era, a private invitation to discuss the Dao between male and female immortals, especially within one's personal cave dwelling, was itself a highly intimate gesture of favor.

It was almost equivalent to opening up one's most core Dao and methods to the other without reservation, an act based on extreme trust and affection.

Once the discussion of the Dao began, souls would connect, and Dao Charms would intertwine, leading to a profound exchange far beyond physical contact.

After speaking, Shi Ji kept her head bowed, nervously awaiting her sentence.

She had even prepared herself for rejection.

After all, the person before her was a terrifying existence who didn't even spare the Saint's lineage a glance. Her own cultivation and understanding were likely as insignificant as a firefly compared to the bright moon in his presence.

However, the expected silence or rejection did not come.

A gentle voice, tinged with a faint smile, sounded from above her head.

"Yes."

A single word, crisp and decisive.

Shi Ji's head shot up, meeting Qin Feng's eyes, which were as deep as the starry sky. A hint of a playful, knowing smile lingered in them, as if he had seen through all her little thoughts.

Boom!

Shi Ji's mind went blank. A wave of immense joy and shyness instantly overwhelmed her, leaving her momentarily unsure how to react.

He... he agreed?

He actually agreed!

"What are you waiting for? Lead the way."

Qin Feng stood up and said casually.

"Ah... Yes! Yes! Senior, please follow me!"

Shi Ji snapped back to reality and quickly led the way. Due to her excitement, her steps were a bit unsteady, and she almost tripped.

Watching the slightly flustered but beautiful retreating figure, the smile on Qin Feng's lips deepened.

This Shi Ji was quite interesting.

The two entered the depths of the cave dwelling, one after the other.

This was Shi Ji's private meditation chamber, used for closed-door cultivation. Apart from a meditation cushion, there was nothing else. However, the stone walls around them were naturally inscribed with countless profound Dao patterns, gathering the purest Spiritual Energy on Skeleton Mountain.

Qin Feng and Shi Ji sat facing each other.

Without any superfluous words, as they both closed their eyes, a mysterious and profound aura began to permeate the chamber.

Shi Ji was the first to release her soul.

Instantly, the Dao Charm condensed from her ten thousand years of arduous cultivation transformed into streams of azure energy, swirling around her. They exuded an aura of weight, solidity, and eternal constancy.

This was her Dao, originating from her true form, as unyielding as a rock.

After doing this, Shi Ji's heart remained uneasy, and she cautiously awaited Qin Feng's response.

The next moment, a domineering, vast, and terrifying Dao Charm, as if capable of crushing all heavens and ages, erupted from Qin Feng!

This Dao Charm was not directed at anyone in particular; it simply emanated naturally. Yet, it instantly shattered Shi Ji's proud rock-like Dao Charm into pieces!

Shi Ji's mind trembled violently. In the face of Qin Feng's Dao Charm, the fruits of her ten thousand years of cultivation felt as fragile as a sandcastle, collapsing with a single surge!

What terrifying Dao is this!

Just as Shi Ji was horrified, Qin Feng's overbearing and peerless Dao Charm suddenly became gentle, like a trickling stream, actively coiling around her scattered green Dao Charm, gently guiding and tidying it.

At the same time, a gentle voice sounded directly in the depths of her soul.

"Your Dao originates from mountains and rocks, emphasizing the word 'guard,' using stillness to control movement, and responding to all changes with constancy. Your foundation is indeed solid, but unfortunately, it falls short."

Shi Ji's heart tightened, and she quickly focused her attention.

This was the personal guidance of an supreme mighty being; not a single word could be missed!

"What is stone? Stone is the condensation of power. The gravity of heaven and earth, the anchoring force of the earth's veins, the supporting force of all things... countless kinds of 'power' converge to form mountains and rocks. You only know its hardness, but not its weight. You only know its stillness, but not its movement."

Every word of Qin Feng's voice was like a heavy hammer, striking Shi Ji's heart fiercely.

"Guarding is not staying put. True guarding is accumulating strength, containing the power of thunder within stillness. When it erupts, it will be like mountains collapsing and the earth cracking, like stones shattering and the sky booming!"

RUMBLE!

These few sentences, like chaotic divine thunder, exploded in Shi Ji's soul and sea of consciousness!

During her ten thousand years of cultivation, all the obstacles she couldn't understand or see through were, at this moment, swept away like dust by a grander, more fundamental principle of the Great Dao!

So... it was like this!

So, I've been on the wrong path all along!

Shi Ji's soul trembled, not from fear, but from extreme excitement and emotion.

Enlightenment!

No, this was no longer mere enlightenment; it was a complete revelation, a reshaping of her Dao foundation!

The way she looked at Qin Feng had completely changed.

If before it was admiration and affection, now, it was mixed with a fervor and obsession akin to a believer looking up at a god!

With just a few words, he had pierced through the illusion of her ten thousand years of cultivation.

What kind of realm was this? What kind of vision?

The atmosphere in the quiet room became increasingly intimate as their Dao Charms continued to intertwine and their souls drew closer.

Shi Ji had already completely succumbed to this profound feeling of soul fusion and rapid cultivation growth, her heart completely captivated by the man opposite her.

Discussing the Dao, time seemed to fly.

When the two of them opened their eyes again, it was already deep into the night.

Shi Ji felt an unprecedented clarity in her Dao pháp within her body. When she looked at Qin Feng again, her beautiful eyes were rippling with affection, soft as water.

After this discussion of the Dao, she felt that an indescribable closeness had been established between her and Qin Feng.

No longer as reserved as before, she mustered her courage and softly voiced her deepest worries.

"Senior... Taiyi Zhenren suffered such a great loss. The Chan Sect will likely not let this go. I... I'm worried..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was self-evident.

That was a Saint's lineage, the high and mighty Chan Sect, a behemoth she had never even dared to look up to in the past.

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng simply smiled faintly.

He slowly raised his hand.

Shi Ji's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively wanted to dodge, but her body froze in place, unable to move.

A warm, dry hand gently brushed across her cheek, tenderly tucking a slightly messy strand of her green hair behind her ear.

The sensation from his fingertips made Shi Ji's delicate body tremble violently, and a tingling sensation like an electric current instantly spread throughout her body, making her go completely soft.

Then, that gentle voice, which seemed to carry infinite magic, slowly sounded in her ear.

"With me here, within the Three Realms, no one will be able to harm you in the slightest."

BOOM!

This one sentence, like the gentlest yet most overbearing vow, completely shattered the last shred of Shi Ji's defenses.

She gazed foolishly at Qin Feng's flawlessly handsome face, feeling the inherent confidence and dominance in his words. Her Dao Heart, which had held firm for ten thousand years, completely surrendered at this moment.

For this one sentence, she would willingly die if asked.

Just as the atmosphere in the quiet room reached its peak of tender warmth and ambiguous intimacy.

Qin Feng's eyes, imperceptibly, sharpened.

The smile on his lips did not change in the slightest, and the finger brushing Shi Ji's cheek remained gentle.

However, his divine sense, comparable to that of a Saint, had already perceived a sharp and overbearing killing intent, filled with endless murderous aura, tearing through the void at an incredible speed. It was coming from the distant eastern horizon, directly towards Skeleton Mountain!

That killing intent was firmly locked onto the entire Skeleton Mountain.

It seemed the Chan Sect's retribution had arrived.