Heavenly Furnace Body

Ji Xueruo had read in the book that the beginning of life is an embryo, and what was in her younger sister's womb was not Demon Core, but an embryo!

She frowned angrily, her gaze piercing Ji Lingruo.

Granny Liu, standing to the side, was also shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief. In the mortal world, pregnancy at seventeen is not unusual, but for the Second Young Lady, who was still a child in her eyes, it was still hard for her to accept.

Ji Lingruo stared blankly at her sister's beautiful face, which was as cold as the moon and as white as frost. She never expected that her sister would make such a connection. Being a mother was something she had never even thought about!

"What nonsense are you talking about, sister!" Ji Lingruo blushed deeply, her hands clasped over her lower abdomen, and she couldn't help but rub it.

She couldn't help but carefully sense this vibrant cyan Demon Core. It truly radiated energy, as if it were alive. She couldn't help but wonder: Is this really a Demon Core?

From Tai Sui's memories, it is known that this Demon Core and her intact meridians were gifts from Tai Sui. However, the way it was given was through her dual cultivation with her senior brother, which allowed her to transfer some of Tai Sui Power, which should have been entirely given to her senior brother, into her own body.

Hearing her sister say this, she felt that this Demon Core really did seem to be the result of her and You Su's union...

Seeing her sister caressing her lower abdomen, Ji Xueruo was even more enraged, her teeth clenched, wishing she could tear that beastly blind man to pieces.

"I'm talking nonsense? Then what exactly is that in your lower abdomen?!"

"This really is Demon Core, sister!" Ji Lingruo blushed and protested, then tilted her head shyly, adding, "Besides..."

"Besides what?!"

"Besides, I've already refined that thing, Senior Brother. How could it possibly be a child?"

Ji Lingruo was already familiar with the Human Scroll Cultivation Method, so she naturally knew that a man's primordial yang was the most precious thing. Moreover, she had never thought about becoming a mother so early, after all, she had not yet avenged her mother's great hatred. So, after she and You Su reached a state of perfect harmony in the coffin that day, she used her internal energy to refine that essence.

Later, on the day she parted from You Su, he worriedly brought up the matter indirectly. She deliberately teased You Su by telling You Su she had forgotten, which startled him quite a bit. She then solemnly declared that she would definitely take responsibility and even seriously named the boy and girl, which amused her greatly.

It couldn't be because she suddenly fainted afterwards... and didn't finish refining it, could it? But when she woke up, there really wasn't any residue left.

Ji Lingruo shook her head. After all, it was something inside her body, so she had the most say in the matter. She added:

"If it weren't for the Demon Core, how could it have helped me store my Mystic Qi and helped me break through to the Spirit Platform Realm? If you don't believe me, ask Granny Liu. Which demon mother's infant has the power of Demon Core?"

Granny Liu was taken aback by the sudden mention of this, and then said, "In the history of my snake clan, there is indeed no precedent for this."

Ji Xueruo's cold expression remained unchanged as she sighed to Granny Liu, "A thousand years ago, my snake clan was at its peak, but for some inexplicable reason, the number of male infants decreased, leading to its decline and fall from the sacred mountain. Soon, my snake clan was entirely composed of women, relying on the Snake Blood Pool of the snake ancestor to conceive offspring, yet only female infants could be born. My snake clan's infants are inherently different from those of other clans, so what use is the history of the snake clan? What about the history of the entire Demon Race?"

As the head of the clan, Ji Xueruo was naturally more aware of the Curse predicament her clan was in. Her surprise and anger at her sister's unexpected pregnancy was partly due to the fact that her precious daughter had been taken by someone else, and partly because the child was destined to be an unhealthy and prematurely deceased child, destined for misfortune.

Intermarriage between different Demon Race could not produce offspring, or the offspring would be monstrous. Therefore, in order to change the predicament of having only women, the snake race once set its sights on the human race, but none of the offspring born from their mating were healthy. Since then, the snake race has been using snake blood to reproduce, until seventeen years ago when the then clan leader Ji Muyan was deceived by a human cultivator and gave birth to a pair of twins.

Over the past thousand years, Ji Xueruo and Ji Lingruo can be said to be the only two lucky ones who were not born with the blood of the Serpent Ancestor and survived past the age of six. However, they also have their own imperfections.

Granny Liu thought for a moment before replying, "Indeed, there is no precedent. At most, it's the mother who uses Secret Method to nourish the fetus in her womb with Mystic Qi. It's impossible, both logically and emotionally, for the fetus to nourish the mother in return."

The girl in the elegant black dress sighed softly, a slight relief easing her anxiety. She secretly hoped it wasn't a fetus; bringing a child destined for misfortune into the world was, after all, a cruel act.

"Then how exactly was your Demon Core formed?" Ji Xueruo's voice calmed down a bit.

"It's... it was formed by refining that thing from my senior brother..." Ji Lingruo's beautiful eyes fluttered twice. She felt that what she said wasn't exactly a lie. This Demon Core was formed from the Tai Sui Power brother had given her. However, she would have to let her sisters guess what "that thing" was.

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent. Ji Xueruo and Granny Liu exchanged a glance, their shock even greater than when they had thought the Demon Core was a fetus.

"Lingruo, do you know what you're saying?" Ji Xueruo gasped first, then solemnly uttered each word.

"Yes, Second Young Lady, you can't just say things like that," Granny Liu chimed in.

"Of course I know, why would I lie to you?" Ji Lingruo was determined to give all the credit to You Su, so she spoke frankly.

Ji Xueruo a soft sigh and said, "Lingruo, are you really going to lie to your sister and mother-in-law for the sake of an outsider? When have you ever heard of a man's essence being refined into Demon Core?!"

Ji Lingruo anticipated her sister's question and retorted, "Just because other men aren't good enough doesn't mean my senior brother isn't."

Ji Xueruo looked unconvinced, but Granny Liu, who knew this young man was extraordinary, asked first:

"Second Young Lady, your senior brother... does he perhaps have some kind of special constitution?"

"Granny Liu is truly knowledgeable." Ji Lingruo walked to the tea table with a smile, poured herself a cup of water, and took a couple of sips. Her calm and unhurried demeanor made Ji Xueruo feel uneasy.

"Second Young Lady, may I ask what kind of constitution your senior brother has?"

When Granny Liu took Ji Lingruo back, she had asked about You Su, Ji Lingruo remained silent, saying only that they would talk about it after reuniting with her sister. Now, thinking back, it turned out to be such a secret matter that couldn't be easily mentioned. She thought to herself, no wonder; if he didn't have a special physique, why would the Lotus Sword Venerable have taken that young man as his disciple?

Ji Lingruo put down her teacup, her expression turning serious. "I can tell you, but you must promise me you will never tell anyone else!"

Ji Xueruo frowned slightly. "You're really not bluffing?"

"Eldest Young Lady," Granny Liu called softly to the suspicious young clan leader, shook her head, and then waved her hand, instantly creating an invisible barrier that enveloped the small house. She then said to Ji Lingruo:

"Second Young Lady, unless a Venerable of the Upper Void Realm is spying on us here, no one can hear our conversation through this barrier. You can rest assured, I will never leak any secrets."

"And what about your older sister?"

"I won't say anything either." Ji Xueruo hadn't been able to speak with Granny Liu, who knew some of the details, but judging from her solemn expression, her sister probably wasn't lying.

Ji Lingruo nodded, put her hands behind her back, walked up to the two of them, glanced around, and then whispered:

"My senior brother possesses the Heavenly Furnace Body..."

"The Heavenly Furnace Body?" Ji Xueruo and Granny Liu exclaimed in unison, searching through their memories but finding no information related to this physique.

"Look how ignorant you all are!"

Ji Lingruo shook her head seriously, secretly thinking that it was not surprising that they had not heard of it. After all, this physique was something she had just learned from the stories her senior brother had told her. It would be bad if they happened to actually have this physique.

"What kind of constitution is that?" Ji Xueruo's expression also became solemn.

"As the name suggests, it's called the Heavenly Furnace, Heavenly Furnace Body." Ji Lingruo spoke with considerable pride, as if introducing some great treasure of her own. "This physique is extremely rare. People with this physique are most suitable as furnaces or cauldrons for dual cultivation, achieving twice the result with half the effort! Don't be fooled by how evil the human race portrays dual cultivation techniques; don't they secretly practice it themselves? Historically, people with this physique have all quietly become the possessions of powerful figures, so it's normal that you don't know about it."

"How did you know that?" Ji Xueruo narrowed her eyes.

Ji Lingruo glanced helplessly at her sister and said, "I've been studying this for the past three years in the Central Yuan Continent!"

?

"Ji Lingruo, explain yourself clearly, what do you study?"

"Ahem." Ji Lingruo, sensing her sister's icy tone, said sullenly, "Learning swordsmanship."

Ji Xueruo continued to stare, Ji Lingruo avoided her gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

"However, our Sword Sect also teaches some other things... Granny Liu should know that the sect I stayed in for three years is called the Mandarin Sword Sect, but that's not its full name."

"Second Young Lady, what is your full name?"

"Call upon Heaven and Earth... the Yin-Yang Harmony Mandarin Sword Sect!"

Ji Lingruo wanted to say the words "Yin Yang Harmony" as quickly as possible, but Ji Xueruo heard them clearly.

"You stayed in the Central Yuan Continent for three years. I thought you really wanted to go out and learn some skills to embarrass me, but I never expected that you actually spent three years learning the art of dual cultivation?!"

Ji Xueruo was furious and wanted to give this silly girl a good whack.

Seeing that her sister, like those hypocritical human cultivators, looked down on dual cultivation techniques, Ji Lingruo felt as if she herself was being despised. She puffed out her already well-developed chest and retorted:

"What's wrong? What's wrong with dual cultivation? If I don't learn it, where will this Demon Core come from? If I don't learn it, how did I go from a Channel Opening -disordered waste to the Spirit Platform Realm? If I don't cultivate, go find me a new Demon Core!"

Ji Lingruo spoke, she leaned closer to her sister as if she were not Qi Ingestion. By the end of her sentence, the two sisters' full, soft breasts were pressed tightly together, both of them deformed by the pressure.

The two women looked identical and had similar builds since childhood. But when they compared breasts, Ji Xueruo was shocked to find that she was actually half a point weaker than her sister!

Her imposing manner softened, and she quietly took a step back, saying, "I'll settle these scores with you later. First, explain how you obtained this Demon Core!"

Ji Lingruo curled her lip, giving her sister a triumphant look before saying, "A furnace is a tool for refining medicine and pills. A person with the Heavenly Furnace Body carries within them a medicinal herb of the highest essence of heaven and earth."

Granny Liu's eyes gleamed, and she hurriedly asked, "Second Young Lady, are you referring to the male's primordial yang and the female's primordial yin?"

"Granny Liu really knows her stuff," Ji Lingruo praised softly, which made the white-haired, venerable old woman's expression become unnatural.

"My Demon Core grew after I refined my senior brother's primordial yang, which allowed me to break through from the middle Channel Opening Realm to the Spirit Platform Initial Stage overnight."

Granny Liu gasped upon hearing this. She had indeed heard a saying that both primordial yang and primordial yin were highly nourishing. Then it wouldn't be surprising if the primordial yang of this Heavenly Furnace Body could allow a demon to regain its Demon Core. If that were true, her Second Young Lady had truly received an incredible fortuitous opportunity of luck!

"How can you prove it?" Ji Xueruo's voice was cold and stern. She crossed her arms, making her breasts appear even larger.

Ji Lingruo sighed softly, as if she was tired of her sister's unreasonable questioning:

"How else can I prove it? My senior brother doesn't possibly have two primordial yang energies, does he?"

Ji Xueruo speechless, but still said, "Without evidence, it cannot be believed."

Ji Lingruo glanced at her sister, thinking that her sister was too stubborn. She knew that to deal with this self-righteous sister, she had to provoke her, so she steeled herself and said:

"There's probably only one person in the world with the Heavenly Furnace Body, my senior brother. If you want proof, just ask him for it. Although you've lost your primordial yang, the effects of any other yang should be just as good, and it might even allow you to reach a higher level."

"Ji Lingruo!" As expected, Ji Xueruo's eyebrows shot up in anger. "Even if you're angry that I don't believe you, you shouldn't say such nonsense! I am the head of a clan, and there is absolutely no way I could become stronger by relying on men!"

Ji Lingruo, looking indifferent. Judging from her sister's expression, she knew that her sister probably believed most of what she said. All she had to do next was to make the backgrounds of You Su, the Sword Sect, and the Lotus Sword Venerable even more mysterious, and her sister would definitely stop doubting her.

Anyway, a demon like my sister who has absolutely no interest in men wouldn't actually go to my senior brother for proof, right?

But You Su is really good-looking...

Thinking of this, Ji Lingruo looked up again at the noble snake demon with a face full of anger. She still chose to believe that her sister, who was determined to lead the snake clan to glory, could not possibly be attracted by male beauty.

She then apologetically took Ji Xueruo's forearm, snuggled close to her sister, and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed in a coquettish manner, saying softly:

"Sis, I'm sorry. It's just that I really wanted to prove I wasn't lying to you. If you don't believe me, listen to my story of the past three years with my senior brother, and you'll know what kind of person he is."

As she spoke, she rested her head on the shoulder of the girl in the black dress, looking like sisters.

Having not seen her beloved younger sister for three years, Ji Xueruo was clearly charmed by Ji Lingruo. Her body relaxed, and her noble yet resolute demeanor softened considerably. At this moment, she was no longer the busy Serpent Empress, but simply a gentle older sister who wanted to hear her younger sister's story.

"Um."

Ji Lingruo smiled sweetly and began her story.

Two identical, stunningly beautiful faces, yet possessing strikingly different auras, leaned intimately together, their figures bathed in candlelight and the night sky, creating a scene as poetic as a painting.

The sun is rising.

Suddenly, a crimson dawn unfolded on the vast, boundless horizon, illuminating the sea and sky and awakening countless creatures.

Flocks of seagulls flew overhead, their Divine Ark echoing, and occasionally flying fish leaped out of the water and crashed into the magnificent hull.

There are three Divine Ark between the Central Yuan Continent and Eastern Ying Continent. Each Divine Ark will dock in the port for five days to rest and wait for passengers from both continents who have obtained permission from the divine mountain to board. Then, after a long journey of more than ten days, they will reach the other side.

Today marks the fifth day that this Divine Ark has been docked.

On the last day, the vast port was bustling with passengers rushing to arrive, including mortals, cultivators, and demons. Although the human and demon races were at odds, the exchange and trade of goods and resources remained indispensable for the development of the two continents.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the bow of the Divine Ark, as if urging the passengers to board the ship as soon as possible.

Standing silently outside the room reserved for the distinguished guest, the girl in the black dress gazed at the vast Central Continent beyond the harbor.

An old woman broke the silence:

"Eldest Young Lady, are you really not going back?"

Upon Ji Xueruo turned around and glanced at Ji Lingruo, who had been talking all night and was now fast asleep, and smiled indulgently:

"Yes, I applied for a full year's worth of state tokens. You can go ahead, no need to wait for me."

"Is it because of You Su?" Granny Liu asked tentatively.

Ji Xueruo shifted her gaze to the bustling crowd below the boat. Each person had a different face, and each harbored different secrets beneath their features. She replied:

"That's one of my purposes too. I want to see if this blind man is really as good Lingruo says. My brother-in-law Ji Xueruo's brother-in-law, must be personally vetted by me, his older sister."

"Eldest Young Lady, please don't act impulsively!" Granny Liu sensed the chill in the girl in the black dress's words and quickly reminded her.

"Granny Liu is overthinking it. If he truly cares for Lingruo, I won't deliberately hinder their relationship. But if he's being hypocritical, no matter who he is, even if the Lotus Sword Venerable stands behind him, I will make him pay the price!"

Granny Liu sighed inwardly, thinking that the Eldest Young Lady really doted on her younger sister too much.

In the Second Young Lady's narration throughout the night, You Su was a pitiful, orphaned blind child who not only possessed the Heavenly Furnace Body coveted by female cultivators across the land, but also an unparalleled talent in Way of the Sword. He was taken in as the sole True Disciple by the sect leader of the ancient and now impoverished Mandarin Sword Sect. Even more astonishingly, the Lotus Sword Venerable was actually the sect leader's dao companion, that is, his master's Mistress. Such a background would be considered top-tier even among the immortals.

Furthermore, from the details of their interactions that the Second Young Lady recounted with great familiarity, it is evident that although You Su was blind, he was truly a young dragon with no flaws other than being somewhat lecherous and stubborn. He even offered his most precious virginity to the Second Young Lady to demonstrate his love for her.

With a husband like this, what more could a woman ask for?

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Granny Liu's eyes flashed with heartache and reluctance. After hesitating for a moment, she still said:

"Is the Eldest Young Lady's main purpose the trial at Star Zhao Divine Mountain?"

Ji Xueruo and glanced at the old woman who had been with her for seventeen years, her eyes resolute:

"I originally only wanted to find Lingruo and didn't want to get involved in the trial. But I found that Lingruo now has a greater fortuitous opportunity, and her future will go further than mine. Perhaps she is more suitable to be the leader of the Snake Clan than I am. That's good, so that I, the incompetent older sister, can make some more contributions to the Snake Clan with peace of mind."

"Granny Liu, thank you for your hard work. If I am not back for a year, Lingruo will be the new clan leader."

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Granny Liu's cloudy eyes, while the girl in the black dress had already disappeared into the crowd below the boat...