Wisps of white smoke curled through the air, hazy and indistinct, while a figure flickered within them.
But Lu Li recognized her at a glance.
This person... was none other than Lady Red Furnace!
At that moment, a glimmer of excitement shone in her eyes, mingled with tears. She floated in midair, leaning forward as she gazed at Lu Li with eager anticipation.
"Are you my contact?"
At her words, a thousand thoughts raced through Lu Li's mind.
Was he?
Wasn't he?
If he answered "no," Lady Red Furnace would kill him on the spot, and he'd die in this cultivation chamber with no one the wiser.
If he answered "yes"...
Then Lady Red Furnace would ask him for a code phrase or something, and he wouldn't know a thing. He'd die all the same.
So, whether sooner or later, he was dead either way!
Lu Li chose to die later.
And so, he nodded.
"Good! Good! Good! Just as I thought! The Dao Alliance hasn't abandoned me! The Dao Alliance hasn't abandoned me! Do you know, I've been in the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect for three hundred years! Three hundred years! If the Dao Alliance didn't send someone soon, I'd end up becoming sect master! Do you know how panicked I was?"
Lady Red Furnace exclaimed, beside herself with excitement.
She looked at Lu Li as if he were family, her gaze utterly warm and affectionate.
This... couldn't possibly be an act!
Lady Red Furnace really was a spy for the Dao Alliance!
And she was on the verge of becoming the boss while undercover!
Lu Li was secretly astonished.
Ding.
Just then, the system notification rang in his mind:
"Your Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords absorbed the Joy of Seven Emotions. Your mood is exceptionally excited, and your cultivation effect has increased by 10,000%."
Hm? Again?
Lu Li's heart lurched.
Where had this Joy of Seven Emotions come from?
He looked up and saw Lady Red Furnace's face alight with joy and excitement. He understood.
Fortunately, though, this system notification didn't include the words "Heavenly Demon Awakening." His cultivation speed had only increased tenfold.
How exactly did this absorption of the Power of Seven Emotions work?
Lu Li furrowed his brows slightly.
But the most important question now was: why did Lady Red Furnace think he was a spy?
"May I ask, True Lord, how did you see through me?"
Lu Li cupped his hands and asked.
"Your body bears traces of having cultivated the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture many times!"
Lady Red Furnace smiled as she explained. "If you weren't a disciple of Flying Heaven Temple, who would keep cultivating the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture over and over? You're clever, using demonic cultivation methods to devour the Sun True Qi of the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture, but traces of it still remain in your body. In short, your physical form has long since been reshaped by the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture!"
"..."
Lu Li's eyes widened slightly.
So that was it!
This was actually a coincidence!
And hearing such suggestive words from the lips of the gentle, dignified beauty before him was truly unexpected.
"Sorry."
Lady Red Furnace's oval face reddened slightly. "I've been in the Demon Sect for a long time, so naturally, I've been influenced a little."
"I see."
Lu Li nodded in understanding, sighing inwardly.
If he'd known cultivating the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture would lead to something like this, he wouldn't have practiced it.
Come to think of it, could the Scripture Protection Elder also be a spy?
A trace of doubt arose in his heart.
In an instant, Lu Li felt that the entire Yin Underworld Ghost Sect was beset by swirling currents, flashing blades, and hidden dangers everywhere.
In that case, he had no choice but to practice the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords!
The first sword of this technique, Instant Sword Technique, was immensely powerful and just the thing for self-defense.
Instant Sword Technique: in a split second, a sword could strike fifty zhang away and take a man's head!
A split second was 0.36 seconds.
To cover 165 meters in 0.36 seconds—that was faster than the speed of sound!
He'd practice it!
Only the first sword!
Lu Li settled on his plan.
"Quick, tell me who sent you! What's your mission? Is my mission complete? Are they telling me to withdraw?"
Lady Red Furnace asked, beaming with delight from within the white smoke.
At the sound of her voice, Lu Li's heart stirred.
He'd use this Nascent Soul True Lord to test how absorbing the Power of Seven Emotions worked.
And so, Lu Li shook his head and uttered three words:
"I don't know."
"Hmm? What do you mean, you don't know?"
Lady Red Furnace's smile froze.
"Someone simply gave me the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture and told me to practice it. I don't know anything else. Please forgive me, True Lord."
Lu Li cupped his hands.
"Huh?"
Lady Red Furnace stared blankly, then hurriedly asked, "Who gave you the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture?"
"An old man with white hair. He was probably in disguise."
Lu Li's answer was nine parts truth, one part lie.
Lady Red Furnace didn't suspect anything. She bit her lip lightly and asked, "Do you really know nothing?"
"I don't."
Lu Li shook his head again.
"Ah..." In an instant, the light in Lady Red Furnace's eyes streaked away like a meteor, then dimmed.
She was bitterly disappointed!
Ding.
Just then, the system notification sounded:
"Your Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords absorbed the Sorrow of Seven Emotions. Your mood is exceptionally excited, and your cultivation effect has increased by 10,000%."
As the system notification rang, Lu Li sensed something intangible being drawn into his body.
The emotion of sorrow!
Because of his answer, Lady Red Furnace had grown sorrowful, dejected, and disappointed.
It really worked!
The cultivation effect of the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords had now stacked to four hundred times, and his progress was soaring!
Lu Li's thoughts flashed, and he said, "But that old man should come looking for me again."
"Exactly!"
At once, Lady Red Furnace's spirits rose, and a smile bloomed across her face.
Lu Li again felt something intangible drawn into his body: the emotion of joy.
The system notification refreshed.
His cultivation effect increased another hundredfold!
Looking at Lady Red Furnace, Lu Li changed tack again. "The trouble is, Ghost Demon True Person wants me to become Chief Disciple. By then, I'll be under everyone's eyes, and even the Void Refinement sect master of the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect will be watching me. That old man will probably go into hiding and stop coming to see me."
Lady Red Furnace: "..."
"But there should be a few other sleeper agents like me in the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect. They ought to make contact with you soon, True Lord."
"Exactly!"
"But lately, I heard the sect was searching for some Reincarnated Buddha Child. Could all those spies be exposed and killed?"
"Dead?!"
"But surely they won't all be wiped out. Anyone capable of being a spy is no ordinary person. Some will survive."
"Thank goodness, thank goodness."
"But what if they go even deeper underground and don't contact you, True Lord? That would be a problem."
"..."
And so, Lu Li went back and forth, changing his story several times and sending Lady Red Furnace's emotions soaring and plunging, filling her with overwhelming joy and sorrow.
On the system panel, the cultivation effect of the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords had stacked to nine hundred times!
Progress +1%!
Progress +1%!
Progress +1%!
It kept climbing at a furious pace.
He had to strike while the iron was hot and stack it to a thousand times! Today, he'd perfect the Instant Sword Technique!
Lu Li was just about to speak again and stir up more joy and sorrow.
Just then, Lady Red Furnace waved a hand. Looking rather uncomfortable, she furrowed her brows and said, "Wait a moment! I feel a bit nauseous. I might throw up!"
Hm?
Could absorbing the Power of Seven Emotions make someone feel nauseous, like they were pregnant?
Lu Li was a little surprised.
But he still didn't say anything, simply waiting in silence.
The next moment, blue light flashed across Lady Red Furnace, and she returned to normal, her eyes clear and bright.
Lu Li saw this and felt a chill in his heart.
This Nascent Soul True Lord's mind must be as clear as a mirror now. He couldn't fool her anymore.
The next moment, Lady Red Furnace flicked a finger, sending a streak of red light into Lu Li's brow.
"True Lord, what are you...?"
Lu Li was startled.
"Don't panic. It's only a protective restriction, formed through a demonic secret art. It'll protect you from having your soul searched and refined by others. Of course, you mustn't reveal the secret that I'm a spy. If you do, your body will explode on the spot."
Lady Red Furnace's voice was soft and gentle.
But a hint of coldness ran through her words.
This Nascent Soul True Lord, who had spent centuries undercover in the Demon Sect, was beginning to show the calm and cunning of a member of the demonic path.
"Thank you, True Lord. Rest assured, I will never reveal your secret!"
Lu Li cupped his hands solemnly.
"Mm."
Lady Red Furnace nodded faintly. "Since you don't know anything, let's pretend nothing happened today. I'll return for now. If anything important happens in the future, call for me."
A hint of distance crept into her voice.
"Yes! If anything comes up, I'll report it to you, True Lord!"
Lu Li cupped his hands solemnly.
"Good."
Lady Red Furnace nodded faintly.
As she spoke, the ethereal white smoke around them drew inward and streamed back into the White Jade Snuff Bottle.
Lady Red Furnace's figure shrank along with it, about to disappear into the bottle.
"True Lord, wait!"
Just then, Lu Li suddenly thought of something and called out.
"Hmm? Is there something else?"
White smoke drifted out, and Lady Red Furnace floated back into view, asking with a furrowed brow.
"Well... I have a favor to ask."
Lu Li hesitated.
"Go on."
"I... would like to ask you, True Lord, to help me cultivate!"
Before you continue