"My king, you're the most beautiful member of the Demon Race I've ever seen."
Zhou Er said softly.
The tigress saw Zhou Er's handsome appearance and his distinctive air, and her guard lowered a little. "I like you too. My name is Wang Juan. What's yours?"
As she spoke, Wang Juan came up to Zhou Er and sniffed him, her face full of bliss.
Feeling the heat radiating from Wang Juan and seeing her ample figure wrapped in a tiger-skin skirt, Zhou Er's hand settled on her waist of its own accord. "My name is Lei Hao."
Wang Juan didn't refuse. Instead, she leaned against Zhou Er of her own accord. "I can't hold back anymore."
Perhaps she was in heat. The two of them soon tumbled into Wang Juan's den and got to know each other intimately.
[Peerless Elegance (Green): Increases temperament and charm, making the wearer more attractive to the opposite sex.]
[Solidification Condition: Win the hearts of ten beauties. (8/10)]
Peerless Elegance's progress increased by one more.
Afterward, Wang Juan lost interest in Zhou Er. Instead, she started drooling, wanting to feast on him.
"Sister Juan, do you want to eat me?"
Zhou Er stroked Wang Juan's smooth belly and asked with a smile.
He wasn't worried at all. He could still escape with his Lightning Release.
"You smell so good."
Wang Juan suddenly wrapped her arms around Zhou Er's head and licked his face.
Zhou Er knew Wang Juan was playing a game with him, so he kept playing along.
After two blissful days, they grew familiar with each other, becoming utterly intimate.
Zhou Er was quite skilled, and even when Wang Juan wasn't in heat, he satisfied her thoroughly.
Now Wang Juan lay in Zhou Er's arms, docile as a little kitten.
"Little Lei, I'd originally wanted to let you into my belly and turn you into a wraith, so you could stay with me forever. But I'm a little reluctant."
Wang Juan lightly traced circles over Zhou Er with her sharp claws.
"I wouldn't mind taking a look inside your belly, Sister Juan."
Zhou Er wasn't afraid in the slightest; he said with a smile.
"There's not much in my belly right now, just a few little ghosts."
Wang Juan said indifferently.
Of course, besides the little ghosts, there were also plenty of human treasures.
"Sister Juan, do you have any Magic Treasures?"
Zhou Er asked.
He had gotten close to Wang Juan over the past few days, so he could ask her such personal questions.
Wang Juan didn't answer.
Only after Zhou Er had satisfied Sister Juan again did she spit two things out from her dantian.
One was a banner-type treasure, three feet long.
[Plain Cloud Flowing Rosy Banner: Mid-grade treasure. It can activate a cloud-and-rosy-light illusion formation to bewilder Spiritual Souls, shoot rosy light to repel enemies, and increase the wielder's speed while held.]
[Equipped Attributes: Cloud Steam Rosy Glow (Blue).]
[Cloud Steam Rosy Glow (Blue): As dawn and dusk alternate and the sun and moon shine together, clouds and rosy light erupt, drawing Spirit Energy into the body like a surging tide. This accelerates cultivation and helps break through bottlenecks.]
[Solidification Condition: Be enveloped by clouds and rosy light for three thousand hours.]
[Equip?]
The other was a hammer-like treasure.
[Mountain Splitting Jade Crushing Hammer: High-grade treasure. A small bronze hammer the size of a fist, yet extraordinarily heavy in the hand, with patterns of mountains and rocks etched into its surface.]
[Equipped Attributes: Mountain Opening (Blue).]
[Mountain Opening (Blue): A path of pure, concentrated power. The cultivator compresses their entire body's vital energy, Spirit Energy, and even Essence, Qi, and Spirit into a single strike. The longer they gather strength, the greater its power.]
[Solidification Condition: Reach one hundred thousand jin of strength.]
[Equip?]
This Mountain Opening strike was probably powerful enough to rival a Golden Core's self-destruction.
Looking at the attributes of the two Magic Treasures, Zhou Er wanted both badly, but he knew he couldn't simply get them for nothing.
So Zhou Er took out all his Spirit Stones and said, "Sister Juan, how about I trade these for your two treasures?"
"Little Lei, I may not use these treasures, but I know what they're worth. What you've offered isn't enough."
Wang Juan rested her claws on Zhou Er and said with a smile.
"Then what if I rent them, Sister Juan?"
Zhou Er asked, rubbing her waist.
"What kind of person rents out Magic Treasures?"
Wang Juan's eyes were hazy.
Zhou Er understood what she meant.
The flower language of a steel-wool scrubber was endurance.
After some back and forth, Zhou Er successfully got the chance to rent the two Magic Treasures.
Wang Juan rented them to him for three years. He had to gather enough Spirit Stones to repay her within that time.
Then Wang Juan left a mark on Zhou Er, so she could find him whenever she wanted.
After getting the two Magic Treasures, Zhou Er didn't refine them. He simply found a place and equipped them in his Equipment Slots.
Cloud Steam Rosy Glow required too much time, so he didn't need to think about it. He could work on that slowly.
The Mountain Opening attribute, however, could be solidified in a short time.
[Mountain Opening (Blue): A path of pure, concentrated power. The cultivator compresses their entire body's vital energy, Spirit Energy, and even Essence, Qi, and Spirit into a single strike. The longer they gather strength, the greater its power.] [Solidification Condition: Reach one hundred thousand jin of strength. (90,000/100,000)]
He was now at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, with a Golden Core in his dantian and Spirit Energy constantly tempering his physique.
Besides that, he had an attribute no one else possessed: Moon Absorption, which let him absorb moonlight into his body.
So his physique far surpassed those of cultivators at the same level.
Still, he had a long way to go before reaching one hundred thousand jin.
It would take some time, but overall, not too long.
Especially with the help of Cloud Steam Rosy Glow, the process would be even faster.
With Wang Juan watching Zhou Er like a tiger ready to pounce from time to time, he eventually left her territory after staying there for a while.
Otherwise, it was entirely possible that one day Wang Juan wouldn't be able to suppress her desires and would swallow him whole.
After leaving Wang Juan's territory, Zhou Er continued wandering through the depths of the Sunset Mountain Range.
After finding an Ink Flood Dragon's lair, he took it over.
With a little rearranging and renovation, Zhou Er turned the area into a suitable place to live and cultivate.
Whenever other Demonic Beasts wandered nearby, Zhou Er killed them without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, a year passed.
His cultivation hadn't advanced that quickly, but his rate of progress had increased considerably.
In a few more years, he would be able to touch the threshold of the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
After a year of Moon Absorption Cultivation, along with eating his fill and training hard, his strength surpassed one hundred thousand jin. He successfully solidified the Mountain Opening attribute.
With his current vital energy and Spirit Energy, he could easily kill a Golden Core realm cultivator with a half-charged strike.
Wang Juan was only a late-stage Golden Core member of the Demon Race. If she came to collect her debt, he could easily deal with her.
Of course, they had once been lovers. At worst, he could just return everything to her; there was no need to make things ugly.
Life in the mountains was peaceful. Zhou Er spent each day cultivating and hunting Demonic Beasts, content with his lot.
The Righteous-Demonic War raged outside, but none of its turmoil affected him.
Every morning, before the sun rose, Zhou Er would soar into the sky and ascend above the clouds to cultivate with unwavering focus.
Though he hadn't found a Nascent Soul cultivation technique yet, he still had room to improve and could continue cultivating.
Once he could go no further, he could seek another path.
One day, as the moon rose and the sun set, Zhou Er was cultivating with Moon Absorption above the clouds when he spotted several figures on the ground.
They weren't all human. Several had features of the Demon Race, so they were probably demons.
Looking closely, Zhou Er guessed they were dog demons or wolf demons. Either way, they were all much the same.
The wolf demons were carrying a green-stone coffin and hurrying along.
"There must be something inside that coffin."
Zhou Er thought. He immediately rushed down from the clouds and blocked the wolf demons' way. "You've trespassed into my territory. What are you doing here?"
The wolf demons saw Zhou Er's imposing presence and didn't lose their nerve. One of them simply said, "We didn't know Senior was here. Please forgive the disturbance. We serve the Silver Moon Wolf King and are transporting an item on his orders. Please let us pass."
"What Silver Moon Wolf King? I've never heard of him."
Zhou Er used Lightning Flash, and in a flash of lightning, he took care of the wolf demons before him.
The green-stone coffin dropped to the ground, piquing Zhou Er's interest.
The green-stone coffin was protected by a restriction, but it wasn't very strong. Zhou Er easily forced it open.
The lid slid off, revealing a quiet young woman lying inside.
Her skin was almost sickly white, smooth as jade yet gleaming with a cold sheen, not a trace of color in it. She seemed as if moonlight had shaped her bones and icy springs had soaked into her flesh.
Her brows and eyes were strikingly clear and cold, her brows lowered as if shrouded in frost and mist. Her eyes were dark as night, with a faint, icy blue glimmer now and then that chilled anyone who looked at her to the bone.
Her nose was slender and straight, her lips a pale, cool pink. Even when she wasn't smiling, she seemed distant and aloof.
Her figure was perfectly proportioned, neither voluptuous nor slender, and yet she didn't look frail. A faint, frigid aura surrounded her. Even her hair was so glossy and jet-black it seemed cold, falling like strands steeped in a freezing pool.
From afar, she looked like a secluded lotus growing in a land of eternal frost, beautiful as something untouched by worldly dust, cold enough to seep into one's bones. It seemed that coming even a step closer would let the innate Yin aura around her freeze the blood in one's veins.
When Zhou Er probed her with his Spiritual Sense, he discovered that the young woman was still alive.
After cleaning up the scene, Zhou Er brought the green-stone coffin and the woman inside it back to his Cave Mansion.
Then Zhou Er sent Spirit Energy into the young woman.
Gradually, she woke up.
"Who are you?"
The moment she saw Zhou Er, the young woman warily backed away.
Even though Zhou Er's handsome face was very attractive.
"I'm the master of this place. You can call me Lei Hao."
Zhou Er introduced himself.
"Lei... Senior Lei, my name is Ning Kuixin. I'm from Jiangnan. Where is this place, and how did I get here?"
Because Zhou Er spoke gently and was handsome and refined, with an approachable air, the young woman slowly relaxed.
"This is the heart of the Sunset Mountain Range, where demons often appear. Jiangnan is an incredibly long way from here. How did you end up here?"
Zhou Er asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. I can't remember clearly."
Ning Kuixin shook her head, looking dazed.
She only remembered a few hazy fragments: she had been out at a temple fair, and then she had appeared here.
"All right. If you can't remember, don't dwell on it. You can stay here for now."
Zhou Er had already used his Spiritual Sense to discover that the young woman had a special physique. Cultivating with her would benefit his cultivation.
That was probably why she had been put in a coffin and brought here.
"Senior, sorry for the trouble, but I still want to go home."
Ning Kuixin said nervously. Although Zhou Er was handsome and refined, with an extraordinary bearing, she was still incredibly nervous in this unfamiliar place.
"Little friend, I'm not trying to stop you. It's just that this place really is deep in demon territory, not the outside world. You can't simply leave whenever you want."
As he spoke, Zhou Er held out his hand to Ning Kuixin.
Ning Kuixin hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she placed her hand in his.
Then Zhou Er took Ning Kuixin up into the sky.
Looking out, they saw one mountain range after another, stretching beyond the horizon.
It was only natural that she wouldn't make it back to Jiangnan if she left recklessly.
Under the circumstances, Ning Kuixin could only stay there for the time being.
Ning Kuixin was still young, at the age when a girl's heart begins to stir. As she spent time with Zhou Er, the two grew closer and closer.
And with no elders around to guide her, she gradually gave herself to Zhou Er.
Of course, she was grateful to him for saving her life.
After obtaining Ning Kuixin's primordial Yin, Zhou Er's cultivation surged. Before long, he would be able to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
So he immediately went into seclusion.
His formations protected the area around them, so there was nothing to worry about.
This breakthrough came quickly. It took only about ten days before Zhou Er emerged from seclusion.
"Xiao Ning, I broke through. I owe it to your help."
After the breakthrough, Zhou Er gratefully kissed Ning Kuixin's face again and again.
He hadn't expected Ning Kuixin to be the legendary Extreme Yin Body.
That meant the tribulation she was going through now was definitely related to her physique.
"I'm glad I could help, Senior."
Held in Zhou Er's arms, Ning Kuixin said shyly,
During the time she'd spent cultivating with Zhou Er, she'd gained a great deal.
Before, whenever night fell, she would suffer from a chill in her body. But under Zhou Er's care, she no longer felt that way at all.
Instead, she even received benefits from Zhou Er.
She had only been at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer before.
In just a few short months, she'd broken through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
This was partly because Zhou Er's cultivation was far higher than Ning Kuixin's, and because he didn't simply draw from her—he also gave back.
The other reason was that Zhou Er had mastered the Yin-Yang Great Joy Manual to an extraordinary degree.
After breaking through, the two of them indulged for a while to celebrate.
"Senior, when can you take me back to Jiangnan?"
Ning Kuixin lay in Zhou Er's arms and asked softly.
She was young, and had been away from home for too long. Naturally, she missed it.
"Xiao Ning, don't worry. After some time, once you successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, I'll send you home."
Zhou Er stroked Ning Kuixin's hair and said calmly.
About a year later, Ning Kuixin's cultivation broke through to the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining.
With a suitable Dao Companion, someone with an Extreme Yin Body could indeed break through very quickly.
To find a Foundation Establishment Pill for Ning Kuixin, Zhou Er first went to Wang Juan's territory.
"Sister Juan, do you have any Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Zhou Er asked.
"Take a guess."
Wang Juan's eyes were hazy. She was in heat again, and promptly threw herself at Zhou Er.
However, even after Zhou Er paid his dues, the answer still disappointed him.
Wang Juan didn't have any Foundation Establishment Pills.
That left Zhou Er no choice but to take a risk and head to the Sunset Sect to find Lin Shiyu.
"Senior Brother!"
Lin Shiyu was overjoyed to see Zhou Er. She hadn't expected him to come back.
"Shiyu, I can't stay long. I wanted to ask—do you have any Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Zhou Er picked Lin Shiyu up and asked as they got to work.
Before you continue