Battle Beneath the Night Curtain, a Tidal Surge of Desire!

Beneath the night curtain.

The Vast Sword Sect's Mountain Protecting Array came under a fierce assault.

One powerful expert after another, emanating formidable demonic might, unleashed their own methods with overwhelming force!

At the forefront stood Nangong Feifei and a hunched, horse-faced old man!

"Where is Ji Wushuang? You despicable, shameless wretch! You used a Voice-Recording Pearl to smear my, Nangong Feifei's, reputation. Tonight, I will surely kill you!!!"

Her voice, cold as snow, echoed between heaven and earth.

Nangong Feifei directly summoned her Top-Grade Treasure, the Ancient Cold Dark Nether Sword, and slashed out with it!

"Boom!..."

Black tides churned around her body as icy killing intent intertwined with Sha Qi, causing the temperature to plummet.

That single strike left the Mountain Protecting Array on the verge of collapse.

Immediately afterward, the hunched, horse-faced old man let out a sinister chuckle and suddenly threw a punch!

He clearly looked frail and thin, yet his punch unleashed an incomparably terrifying black pillar of fist force, smashing the Mountain Protecting Array until it cracked apart in every direction.

"Kill!"

Thus, a fierce battle erupted without the slightest suspense.

Blade flashes, sword qi, talismans, hurricanes...

Magical treasures and spells unleashed their might. Figures tangled together in savage combat, and some screamed as they died!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!..."

The people of the Vast Sword Sect were alerted and rushed out one after another to fend off the demonic experts' assault.

Jade Maiden Peak was the primary target of the Limitless Demon Sect experts' attack!

Ji Yaoyue led the others in resistance, yet she was beaten back step by step, coughing up blood as she was wounded.

At the critical moment, Copper Hammer Elder arrived flying on his sword and struck with overwhelming force.

"Suppress!"

The hunched, horse-faced old man took out a black bead, activated it, and hurled it directly at Copper Hammer.

The bead emitted an evil black radiance, as though it had come from the depths of hell, specifically made to shatter souls and bodies.

Copper Hammer was startled and hurriedly met the attack with caution.

The two immediately clashed, while Nangong Feifei seized the opportunity to rush straight toward Xuan Hall.

The elders and disciples of the Nine Sects Thirteen Schools saw this and moved to intercept her one after another!

Both sides fought until the scene became utter chaos!

At this moment.

A dark green figure suddenly darted toward Chen Xuan's closed-door cultivation chamber.

"Whoosh!..."

Before it could break inside, it encountered a bizarre attack. It let out a scream and died on the spot.

Soon afterward, two more people attempted it, only to die strangely on the spot as well.

At the same time.

Ji Wushuang also suffered a sudden sneak attack from a mysterious black-clothed man. He was severely wounded in a single move and nearly killed!

At the critical moment, the Peach Blossom Sword Maniac, Situ Wuya, drew his sword and blocked the mysterious black-clothed man.

Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

The Vast Sword Sect was in complete disarray, with cries of battle shaking the heavens!

Liu Ruyan, however, shone brilliantly. Riding her flying sword, she slew seven Golden Core Stage demonic experts in succession, earning tremendous merit!

This great melee lasted for more than half an hour.

Only when Li Yinglian arrived in fury did the deadlocked battle finally change.

With a flip of his hand, he drew out his Heavenly Star Sword, directly burned his essence, and unleashed a forbidden sword art.

"Screech!..."

A dazzling starlit sword suddenly swept in all directions, unstoppable in its path, scattering points of light like a fallen Milky Way.

That strike inflicted grievous casualties upon the Limitless Demon Sect elders. Even the protective jade on Nangong Feifei's body shattered, and she nearly perished.

"Retreat!"

Nangong Feifei decisively led the Limitless Demon Sect members away from the Vast Sword Sect, leaving devastation and many corpses strewn across the ground.

Before leaving, she felt deeply regretful and disappointed... because this expedition had been meant to take Chen Xuan away!

Yet the three trusted experts specifically dispatched for the task had all died mysteriously...

After the battle, Elder Qingxu immediately took stock of the casualties, only to discover that the Vast Sword Sect had suffered grievous losses throughout.

What left the Vast Sword Sect even more infuriated was that the fundamental reason the Mountain Protecting Array had been "unable to withstand a single blow" was that there were not enough Spirit Stones to maintain it at peak condition...

This matter would surely spread far and wide, greatly damaging the Vast Sword Sect's reputation.

Especially since the Apprentice Ceremony was already drawing near!

Beneath the night curtain, the Dragon Abyss River lay like a coiling black dragon, winding for a thousand miles—majestic and grand, displaying the flourishing abundance of water's virtue.

A bright moon cast down its pure light, while the night breeze stirred the reeds into rustling whispers, creating a wondrous atmosphere of its own.

At this moment, Bai Bingyan brought Chen Xuan to the banks of the Dragon Abyss River.

"Wife, what place is this?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

Bai Bingyan smiled. "This is within the Great Qian Dynasty, under the jurisdiction of the Star Cluster Sect in Central Province! Few cultivators come here because the spiritual energy is thin, yet few know that all the vast spiritual energy has been swallowed by this Dragon Abyss River!"

Bathed in moonlight, she was as beautiful as a Guanghan Fairy.

"Oh? The Dragon Abyss River has such a marvelous quality?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise.

Bai Bingyan nodded. "Beneath the Dragon Abyss River, an ancestor of my Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox lineage once set up an extraordinary grand formation. It seized the creations of heaven and earth and gathered the essence of dragon veins, all to collect the Essence of Dao Rhythm!"

"By my calculations, it has not been harvested for more than three hundred years. That makes it perfect for Husband's cultivation and breakthrough!"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan could not help crying out, "Essence of Dao Rhythm? At the bottom of the Dragon Abyss River... such a supreme, rare treasure liquid has actually condensed there?"

"Mm!"

Bai Bingyan nodded, then took Chen Xuan's hand and led him into the rolling Dragon Abyss River!

They dove down!

Then deeper still!

In the end, Bai Bingyan formed hand seals to activate a vast underwater formation, arriving at an ancient underground Water Mansion.

The entire underground Water Mansion was enveloped in a holy white glow. At its center stood a stone pool containing half a meter of resplendent treasure liquid. Clouds of vapor and rosy mist rose from it, faintly condensing into lively shapes of lingzhi mushrooms, immortal cranes, dragons, serpents, galloping horses, and more.

Misty currents rose from within the treasure liquid. It was unmistakably the incomparably precious Essence of Dao Rhythm!

With a wave of her hand, Bai Bingyan lavishly placed pile after pile of Spirit Stones around the stone pool.

Then she flashed a radiant smile. "Husband, you may begin cultivating now! I will personally stand guard for you..."

"Thank you, Wife!"

Chen Xuan immediately sat cross-legged and swiftly calmed his heart.

Afterward, following the cultivation method of the "Nine Yang True Dragon Art," he began attempting to cultivate.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Chen Xuan seemed to transform into a True Dragon. His devouring power was incomparably strong, causing many Spirit Stones to shatter one after another and release a vast amount of pure spiritual energy.

Time flowed on...

Within Chen Xuan's dantian, an incomparably profound strand of purple True Essence gradually condensed. As it circulated, phantoms of nine dragons entwining one another appeared within it, displaying its extraordinary nature.

Purple Extreme-quality Nine Dragons True Essence!

First level of the Qi Refining Stage!

Second level!

Third level!

Seventy to eighty percent of the massive stockpile of Spirit Stones in the Water Mansion had already been consumed, yet Bai Bingyan waved her hand without hesitation and took out a great many more.

One hour later, Chen Xuan had cultivated to the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

If his heaven-defying cultivation speed were spoken of, it would absolutely leave even demonic cultivators, famed for rapid advancement, dumbfounded!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The True Dragon Heart pulsed inside Chen Xuan's body, making all the blood in his body boil.

Hot!

Hot!

Hot!

At this moment, a towering surge of pure yang aura erupted within Chen Xuan's body, carrying intense Dragon Might!

He stopped cultivating, feeling as though he were about to explode from the heat.

Even his consciousness was growing muddled!

"Husband, what is wrong? Why is your entire body so burning hot?"

Bai Bingyan cried out in alarm and hurried forward to inspect him.

As a result.

Chen Xuan abruptly pulled Bai Bingyan tightly into his arms, instantly feeling much better, like someone on the verge of heatstroke embracing an ice sculpture!

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

Chen Xuan cried out comfortably as Bai Bingyan's delicate, secluded fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

"Boom!..."

At that moment, the phantom of a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon appeared behind Chen Xuan. A tidal surge of desire flooded through him, and instinctively, he held Bai Bingyan even tighter.

He kissed her!

Wildly passionate!

"Mm..."