"Don't do anything reckless!"
Flower Demon panicked, especially when she thought of the answer she'd just given. She felt utterly mortified.
But she couldn't help asking curiously, "What kind of Divine Ability is this, exactly?"
She was a dignified Object Manipulation Realm cultivator, while Li Ye was at most in the Qi Gathering Realm, yet with a few words, he could make her obey his every command.
It was terrifying.
Flower Demon felt completely powerless to resist Li Ye's words. Without realizing it, she'd fallen under his spell.
"You don't need to know."
"What was it you said just now? That you wanted me to bark like a dog? But I don't know how."
"Why don't you demonstrate for me, Flower Girl?"
Li Ye leaned close to Flower Demon's ear and asked with a grin.
She knew enough about Li Ye's wicked streak to see this coming, but now that it had actually happened, her face still changed dramatically.
She was the dignified Flower Demon, after all.
The thought of Li Ye using that bizarre Divine Ability to toy with her as he pleased sent a chill through her.
Flower Demon was about to cry. She pleaded, "Young master, I was wrong. Please calm down and let me off."
She'd rather die than bark like a dog, so she had no choice but to swallow her pride and beg Li Ye for mercy.
If anyone from the Devil Sect had witnessed this, their jaws would have hit the floor.
The mighty Lady Flower Demon, feared by countless people across the Righteous and Evil Paths, was actually groveling before some unknown brat?
Even Mad Devil had no choice but to obey Lady Flower Demon.
Flower Demon turned to Li Ye, watching his expression.
Li Ye mulled it over, as though considering something. "Hmm, if I remember right, when we first came in, you wanted me to say something nice to you?"
You bastard! Flower Demon was seething inside, but she still forced a smile. "I was being silly. Young master, you're the most handsome man in the world."
"What else?"
"You... you're the finest man I, Flower Demon, will never have."
"Louder."
"..."
As they chatted, Li Ye spotted a huge, round, black boulder on the ground below.
His gaze sharpened. "How far have we traveled?"
Flower Demon thought for a moment before answering, "Seventy or eighty li, I think."
We're there already? No wonder they called it the Object Manipulation Realm! Li Ye ordered, "Go down. The Golden Ginseng is beneath that black boulder. Dig it out."
What?
Flower Demon was astonished. But when she focused her senses, she found a vast mass of Spiritual Qi swirling beneath the black boulder.
Could it really be Golden Ginseng?
But how did he know?
Flower Demon had no time to think. Under the command of Li Ye's Words Manifest Reality, she involuntarily plunged toward the ground.
Pfft!
She reached out her slender hand and dug beneath the black stone, then pulled out a shimmering, golden ginseng root.
Golden Ginseng!
They both cried out in their hearts. Li Ye swiftly snatched it from Flower Demon's hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just then, Sword Qi raged across the heavens, sweeping through the air. Magical artifacts clashed overhead, and the shockwaves rippled out in a series of massive explosions.
A group of experts raced over from the distance, fighting as they came.
Every last one of them was in the Object Manipulation Realm—some twenty or thirty people in all.
When they saw that Li Ye and Flower Demon had found the Golden Ginseng, the experts' eyes immediately reddened.
They promptly forgot about their fight and charged at Li Ye and Flower Demon as one.
"Brat, hand over the Golden Ginseng!"
"Such a rare treasure isn't yours to claim. You'd better be careful you don't have it but no life to enjoy it!"
"Are you looking to make an enemy of the Cao Family?"
"Do you want to make an enemy of the Zhang Family?"
One old man after another unleashed murderous intent from afar, threatening them in turn.
This is bad!
Li Ye's expression changed dramatically.
"Young master, it seems you're out of options. Want me to help?" Flower Demon asked gleefully.
Li Ye's expression shifted back and forth. There was no way he was handing over the Golden Ginseng now that he had it.
But how was he supposed to face dozens of Object Manipulation Realm cultivators?
Suddenly, several cold, domineering auras burst from among the crowd and swept over the Object Manipulation Realm experts at the front.
"Hahaha, so it's that little Flower Demon!"
"Hmm, the Golden Ginseng is back in the hands of our Devil Sect. You sanctimonious hypocrites can give up now."
"Flower Demon, well done. We'll report your achievement to the Third Elder when we return. You deserve the credit for this!"
Several white-haired old men dressed in Black Robe called out to Flower Demon from afar.
What the hell? Old man, can't you see I'm being threatened by this brat? Flower Demon stared dumbfoundedly, about to say something, but Li Ye clapped a hand over her mouth. He spoke first: "Seniors, Lady Flower Demon and I will take the Golden Ginseng and leave first. Sorry to trouble you with holding them off."
Flower Demon: "Mmmph, mmmph..."
One of the Devil Sect elders, a chubby man, laughed heartily. "Good lad! You go on ahead. I'll put in a good word for you, too. Attack!"
With that, the elder held off two enemies of the same realm by himself, fighting fiercely.
The demonic sword in his hand seemed to thirst for blood. It unleashed blinding Sword Qi, driving his two opponents back step by step.
The elder was fighting for his life.
Li Ye was overcome with gratitude. "Thank you, Elder."
Then he ordered Flower Demon to control her flying sword and leave the scene.
An incense stick's time later, Li Ye and Flower Demon appeared in an uninhabited part of the Great Barren Forest.
"Damn it, I'm furious!"
The sweet-voiced Flower Demon swore. She was seething.
Those old men were blind, weren't they? How could they mistake that brat for one of their own?
And they'd even held off his enemies for him.
It was enough to make the dead rise in fury.
Li Ye stared at the Golden Ginseng in his hand, grinning so widely his mouth nearly split.
He kept muttering that the people of the Devil Sect were so loyal, and that he wanted to be friends with them.
Flower Demon rolled her eyes and nearly exploded with rage.
Then the two of them met each other's gaze.
Flower Demon's expression changed. She said sternly, "Young master, you don't think you can kill me just because those people are keeping our Devil Sect's experts occupied, do you?"
That was exactly what Li Ye had been thinking.
This woman, Flower Demon, was far too dangerous, and she was in the Object Manipulation Realm.
If he burned her, he'd not only eliminate a major threat; his own power would also increase by a great deal.
The Devil Sect's people were all tied up by the Object Manipulation Realm experts from the major families. Even if they found out he'd killed Flower Demon, they'd surely be too busy to deal with him.
This bastard really does want to kill me. Noticing Li Ye's expression, Flower Demon cursed inwardly, then sneered. "The Object Manipulation Realm cultivators our Devil Sect brought this time aren't the only ones. Elder Qianlin, who has an ancient Instant Movement talisman, wasn't among those people earlier."
What?
Li Ye's expression froze, but he never took his hand from Flower Demon's neck. The Profound Ice Sword in his palm remained trained on her throat.
Li Ye wanted the Golden Ginseng and wanted to kill Flower Demon to eliminate a future threat, but he didn't want to lose his life.
"Ugh, what a headache you are."
"Tell me, how can I subdue you?"
Li Ye used Words Manifest Reality.
Flower Demon's face changed dramatically. She was just about to circulate her power and resist when she felt a mysterious, powerful law invade her mind from the depths of the unknown.
She involuntarily blurted out, "My Soul Devouring Great Law hasn't reached mastery yet. If you lightly strike my Baihui Acupoint, I'll temporarily lose my power."
It's that simple?
Li Ye's eyes lit up. Curious, he asked, "What happens when your Soul Devouring Great Law reaches mastery? Will that weakness disappear?"
"It'll disappear once I reach the sixth layer. But..."
"But what?"
"Once I reach the sixth layer, the old men in the Devil Sect will force me to dual cultivate with Mad Devil."
"You two haven't dual cultivated yet?"
"No. Our Cultivation Methods complement each other, but neither of us has mastered them. If we dual cultivate now, we'll devour each other and both end up badly wounded."
Li Ye looked over Flower Demon's devilishly perfect figure and asked, "You don't want to dual cultivate with Mad Devil?"
A complicated look crossed Flower Demon's beautiful face. "If we dual cultivate, our cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds in a short time. But... I don't like him."
Li Ye thought for a moment. "What do you think of me?"
Before you continue