Skin Painting Dao

After Lin Shiyu had caught her breath, she took out two Foundation Establishment Pills.

"Senior Brother, who are you giving these Foundation Establishment Pills to?"

Lin Shiyu already knew Zhou Er planned to give the pills to another young woman. But she had done something wrong by betraying Zhou Er, so in the end, she still brought them out.

"Shiyu, I don't have time to explain."

Zhou Er stroked Lin Shiyu's face. He didn't blame her for revealing his identity and quickly fled the area.

Before leaving, he left Lin Shiyu all the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures he had collected in the Sunset Mountain Range over the years, as payment for the two Foundation Establishment Pills.

Back at his territory, Zhou Er wrapped his arms around Ning Kuixin from behind.

Then he realized that Ning Kuixin's body was a little cold.

"Xiao Ning, are you all right?"

Zhou Er asked with concern.

"Senior, hurry!"

Ning Kuixin threw herself against Zhou Er, pressing her hands together with his.

She trembled with unease.

At last, Ning Kuixin's body warmed up. Her Extreme Yin Body had plagued her for more than a decade, and only Zhou Er could relieve it.

"Xiao Ning, next time I absolutely won't leave you for so long."

Holding Ning Kuixin, Zhou Er spoke.

"It's all right, Senior. I feel much better now, and I can't keep holding you back."

Ning Kuixin spoke obediently.

After they shared a tender moment, Zhou Er took out the two Foundation Establishment Pills and said,

"These are two Foundation Establishment Pills I got from an old friend. Hurry and break through to Foundation Establishment. Once you do, I'll take you back to Jiangnan."

"Senior, you've been so good to me. You helped me get rid of my Cold Poison, gave me Foundation Establishment Pills, and even plan to take me home. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Ning Kuixin said, deeply moved.

"Silly girl. Why should we keep score between us?"

Zhou Er gently stroked Ning Kuixin's head.

Several days later, Ning Kuixin successfully reached Foundation Establishment. She also gained greater control over her Extreme Yin Body and no longer risked losing control at any moment as she had before.

By then, Zhou Er had grown tired of staying there, too. He packed his things and prepared to take Ning Kuixin back to Jiangnan.

Before leaving, Zhou Er met Wang Juan one last time.

Zhou Er rubbed Wang Juan's navel and said,

"Sister Juan, I'm leaving in the next few days. I still haven't gathered enough Spirit Stones, so I'll return the Mountain Splitting Jade Crushing Hammer first. As for the Plain Cloud Flowing Rosy Banner, I'll give it back if fate brings us together again."

"Do as you please."

After battling Zhou Er for so many years, Wang Juan knew she was no match for him now. She could only let him have his way.

"Mm~ That hurts!"

Wang Juan suddenly cried out. Zhou Er had squeezed too hard just now.

"Sorry, Sister Juan. Let me blow on it."

Zhou Er said with a grin. He knew Wang Juan was tough-skinned and didn't mind pain.

They fought another battle through the night. The mountains shook without pause, and tigers roared incessantly. It wasn't until the following day that the two finally parted.

When Zhou Er returned to his territory, Ning Kuixin had already packed her things.

"Senior, have you finished saying goodbye to your old friend?"

Ning Kuixin asked.

"Yes."

Zhou Er took Ning Kuixin's hand.

Then Zhou Er summoned a cloud, rode it through the skies, and took Ning Kuixin to Jiangnan.

After flying for several months, they finally arrived in the prosperous lands of Jiangnan.

The two first landed on an uninhabited mountain, where Zhou Er asked,

"Xiao Kui, do you still remember where your home is?"

"My home is in the Su Hang Immortal Mansion. I've never left it, so I don't know what this region is called."

The area was so unfamiliar that Ning Kuixin couldn't recall anything about it.

"Then let's find some people and ask!"

Zhou Er nodded, not pressing the young woman.

After asking around, they learned that they were not far from the Su Hang Immortal Mansion.

After traveling some more, they finally reached the Su Hang Immortal Mansion, and the surroundings began to feel familiar to Ning Kuixin.

Her home was in Gusu City, one of the Su Hang Immortal Mansion's three major cities.

However, she had nothing on her that could prove her identity, and her family was only a small lineage in the Su Hang Immortal Mansion.

Fortunately, Zhou Er had already reached Golden Core and still had some Spirit Stones.

After buying their way in, they finally entered Gusu City.

Mortals and cultivators lived together in the Su Hang Immortal Mansion. It was bustling with activity and filled with the vibrancy of the mortal world.

"Senior, once we get home, I'll be sure to introduce you to Father."

After entering Gusu City, Ning Kuixin felt much more at ease.

Following her memories, she soon arrived at the Ning Mansion.

However, the Ning Mansion had changed greatly, and she didn't even recognize the gatekeeper.

"Who are you, and what do you want with the Ning Mansion?"

The gatekeeper eyed them warily.

"Don't you even know who I am? I'm the eldest daughter of the Ning family, Ning Kuixin."

Ning Kuixin introduced herself, somewhat displeased.

"Wait here. I'll go ask."

The gatekeeper glanced at Ning Kuixin and decided to check first.

Watching the gatekeeper's back, Zhou Er sensed something strange, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The gatekeeper went inside. Before long, a middle-aged scholar came out. Seeing Ning Kuixin, he greeted her with great warmth.

"Kuixin!"

Seeing the scholar, Ning Kuixin excitedly rushed forward to fawn on him.

Zhou Er knew the middle-aged scholar before him was Ning Kuixin's father, Ning Yi. He was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, which was quite respectable.

After the father and daughter reunited, Ning Yi took them to the largest restaurant in the Su Hang Immortal Mansion, where they ate the local specialty, Jinghu Vinegar Fish.

Zhou Er couldn't stop praising it.

Ning Yi didn't slight Zhou Er, his future son-in-law, either.

Zhou Er wasn't embarrassed. After all, he had weathered plenty of storms.

Back home, Ning Yi opened a small box. His refined manner from the daytime vanished, replaced by a worried expression as he asked,

"My lord, Ning Kuixin came back on her own. What should we do?"

Inside the small box, a thin shadow puppet writhed and transformed into a human shape.

"Since she's back, sell her again. As for that man, he'll make a fine new vessel for me."

Then the shadow puppet transformed into a voluptuous woman with almond-shaped eyes and a gaze as tender as water.

In the dead of night, Zhou Er opened the window and absorbed the moonlight to cultivate with Moon Absorption Cultivation.

The night wind swept silently across the window lattice, carrying a faint, cool dampness as it gently lifted the edge of the curtain.

A bright full moon hung in the ink-dark sky, its clear radiance flowing into the room like water and falling just right on the woman leaning beside the window.

She wore only a loosely wrapped robe of thin, sheer blue gauze. It was as translucent as mist, faintly outlining her soft, flowing curves. Her boldness bordered on wanton, yet she was not the least bit frivolous.

Her features were exceptionally gentle. Her arched brows seemed to hold spring water, and tenderness overflowed from her eyes as they shifted, as though even the moonlight would melt beneath her gaze.

When her lashes lowered, they cast faint shadows. She lifted her eyes toward the night outside, a faint, soft smile playing on her lips. There was not a trace of sternness about her, only lingering warmth.

The wind brushed past again, lifting her hair and gauzy robe together. Moonlight fell upon her delicate skin, its tenderness making one's heart tremble.

With the fragrant breeze and the beautiful woman before him, Zhou Er said nothing at first. He only remarked,

"You're blocking my moonlight."

The voluptuous woman lightly hopped down from the windowsill, making the fullness of her chest bounce.

With a smile, the woman sat in Zhou Er's lap and breathed sweetly against him as she murmured,

"Young master, am I beautiful?"

"I told you not to disturb my cultivation!"

The third eye on Zhou Er's forehead opened, and a blue beam shone on the voluptuous woman, instantly freezing her in place.

Then Zhou Er forcibly broke into the woman's sea of consciousness.

"Who are you?"

Zhou Er questioned the woman with his Spiritual Sense.

"I can sense traces of Wugu Dao cultivation on you. I'm a Skin Painting Dao cultivator. I didn't know you were here, fellow cultivator. I've offended you, so please be gentle with me."

The woman begged for mercy.

Zhou Er didn't indulge her. He still forcibly pushed his immense Spiritual Sense inside. The woman tried to resist, but Zhou Er's Spiritual Soul was simply too vast, and he crushed her resistance in an instant.

The woman could only let Zhou Er come and go through her memories as he searched them all.

Only then did he learn that the woman before him was a devil cultivator who practiced the Skin Painting Dao.

They didn't cultivate their bodies or their lives; they cultivated only a skin.

Everyone in the Ning family was her disciple, and they had all been replaced by Skin Painting Devil Cultivators.

Skin Painting Devil Cultivators greatly feared Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang, so they couldn't replace Ning Kuixin. Instead, they had sold her away.

After uncovering the whole story, Zhou Er felt a pang of sympathy for Ning Kuixin.

At the same time, he was astonished by the methods of these Skin Painting Dao devil cultivators. They had even managed to deceive him.

After thoroughly searching the woman's Spiritual Soul, Zhou Er no longer had any use for her.

He directly devoured her Spiritual Soul, making his Spiritual Sense a little stronger.

With her Spiritual Soul gone, the skin covering the voluptuous woman's body, which had shimmered with a soft glow, rapidly withered before his eyes.

First, her skin lost its luster. Her full figure slowly caved in, and her once tender features grew gaunt. Her eyes sank into their sockets, and her lips shriveled.

The thin, cicada-wing-like outer skin had lost the vitality that sustained it. As if its soul had been torn away, it quickly lost its elasticity, slowly changing from living flesh into a pale, slack, lifeless human hide.

The flesh clung to an empty outline, faintly wrinkled and tinged with dry yellow. Her hair fell across the shriveled hide, leaving not a trace of its former beauty.

The tender, graceful beauty who had stood by the window beneath the moon had vanished in an instant. All that remained was an empty, lifeless Skin Painting Remnant, spread across the windowsill and stirred by the night wind with a faint, eerie rustle. Moonlight spilled over it, leaving only cold, lifeless folds.

[Skin Painting Remnant: The remains left behind by a third-tier Skin Painting Demon. Can be used to craft advanced human-skin masks.]

[Equipped Attributes: Divine Machine Myriad Forms (Blue).]

[Divine Machine Myriad Forms (Blue): A heart harboring a thousand schemes, a body possessing a hundred forms. Can record and transform into the appearances of up to one hundred people.]

[Solidification Condition: Steal a life. Wear another person's face and live as them for one thousand days.]

[Equip?]

Looking at the dried-up human hide, Zhou Er found it rather interesting, so he equipped it.

It was just right—he could take on the Skin Painting Devil's appearance and deal with the one who had replaced Ning Kuixin's father, Ning Yi.

As soon as he equipped it, Zhou Er immediately transformed into the voluptuous woman from before.

"Voice, bearing, aura—everything has changed."

Zhou Er rubbed the two newly appeared mounds of fullness on his chest, finding it rather interesting.

Following his memories, Zhou Er went to Ning Yi's room.

"Senior!"

Seeing Zhou Er, 'Ning Yi' immediately knelt respectfully.

"It's taken care of."

Zhou Er said blandly.

"Then Ning Kuixin needs to be sent away as soon as possible, too."

'Ning Yi' smiled.

When he raised his head, the third eye on Zhou Er's forehead froze him in place.

Then, just as before, Zhou Er devoured 'Ning Yi's' Spiritual Soul.

From 'Ning Yi's' memories, Zhou Er confirmed what he had learned earlier.

It was true: the real members of the Ning family had all been killed.

The Ning Mansion was now full of Skin Painting Demons.

Zhou Er didn't know how many Skin Painting Demons remained in the Ning family. He simply took on 'Ning Yi's' appearance and began practicing Moon Absorption Cultivation.

The next day, Ning Kuixin searched the whole courtyard for any sign of Zhou Er.

"Senior!"

"Senior!"

Ning Kuixin searched anxiously, desperate to find some trace of Zhou Er.

"Xiao Kui, who are you looking for?"

Zhou Er disguised as Ning Yi and came over to ask.

"Father, I'm looking for the Senior who brought me back. He's my Dao Companion, too. Do you know where he went?"

Ning Kuixin asked, her face full of worry.

Seeing Ning Kuixin's anxious expression, Zhou Er secretly rejoiced, but his face remained stern as he said,

"That Senior left last night. He said that once he brought you home, his task was done."

Zhou Er comforted her.

"Father! Why didn't he tell me?"

Tears slid from the corners of Ning Kuixin's eyes, making her achingly pitiful.

Zhou Er suppressed the urge to pull Ning Kuixin into his arms and said, "Perhaps he didn't want to see you looking so sad when you parted."

After speaking, Zhou Er wiped the tears from Ning Kuixin's face. "You should focus on your cultivation. You'll see him again someday."

Ning Kuixin still couldn't stop crying.

That night, Zhou Er returned to his original form and slipped into Ning Kuixin's room.

"Senior!"

When Ning Kuixin saw Zhou Er arrive, delight spread across her face.

Feeling Ning Kuixin's affection, Zhou Er felt a fire burning in his heart, too.

The two hurried to cultivate in dual harmony, giving form to their longing through their actions.

Gasping for breath, Ning Kuixin clung tightly to Zhou Er and said, "Senior, I never want to be apart from you."

They indulged themselves until just before dawn, when Ning Kuixin finally settled down.

Seeing how deeply she cared for him, Zhou Er at last decided to stop hiding the truth. "Xiao Kui, there's something I've been keeping from you."

"Senior, what is it?"

Ning Kuixin looked puzzled.

"Xiao Kui, haven't you noticed that your father is a little strange?" Zhou Er asked.

Then Zhou Er used his Spiritual Sense to send Ning Kuixin some of the scenes he had witnessed the day before.

As Ning Kuixin watched, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again.

"Senior, I don't have any family left."

Ning Kuixin spoke through her tears.

"It's all right. You still have me!"

Zhou Er held Ning Kuixin tightly in his arms and said, "I'll avenge you, I promise. Don't worry."

"Senior, I believe you."

Ning Kuixin nodded against Zhou Er's chest.

Afterward, the two secretly wiped out all the Skin Painting Demons in the Ning Household and replaced them with new servants.

During the day, Zhou Er pretended to be Ning Kuixin's father, Ning Yi.

At night, the two were a loving couple once more.

After spending several months in Gusu City, Zhou Er also learned a great deal about the Su Hang Immortal Mansion.

Among other things, it seemed that the Su Hang Immortal Mansion had a reclusive Spirit Transformation Old Ancestor.

It was thanks to this divine venerable Old Ancestor that the Su Hang Immortal Mansion had survived the Righteous-Demonic War.

Whether it was true, Zhou Er didn't know. He had only heard the tale.