Li Xiaoyu furrowed his brow and immediately held his breath.
But he knew the Joyous Union Sect's Charm Arts relied on more than just fragrance. They were, above all, an attack on the mind.
Sure enough, the next moment, he felt a seductive spiritual force surge into his sea of consciousness like a rising tide.
Countless illusions appeared before his eyes.
A peerless beauty threw herself into his arms; endless riches piled up before him like mountains; supreme power beckoned him closer.
These were the deepest desires in the human heart.
Once he sank into them, his mind would falter, leaving him at his opponent's mercy.
Li Xiaoyu's mind wavered for an instant.
He felt his body grow hot, and his Daoist heart began to tremble.
"Such powerful Charm Arts!"
He sensed trouble and hurriedly circulated the Taiji Profound Clarity Path, guarding the clarity of his mind.
But Jin Ping'er's Charm Arts were clearly among the finest techniques of their kind.
That seductive force slipped through every crack, making his feeble resistance seem utterly pale and powerless.
His consciousness was on the verge of sinking completely.
At that critical moment!
"Vmmm."
An almost imperceptible vibration came from the Immortal-Slaying Gourd at his waist.
Then a cool, pure aura flowed out of the gourd, coursing through his limbs and rushing straight to the crown of his head.
It was like having a basin of ice water dumped over him on a scorching summer day.
Li Xiaoyu shuddered and instantly came to his senses, emerging from the boundless illusions.
All the illusions before his eyes receded like the tide.
The world grew clear once more.
By now, Jin Ping'er had approached to within three feet of him.
A smug smile played across her face as she extended her slender, jade-white finger toward his brow.
She thought Li Xiaoyu had already fallen under her spell.
But what she saw was a pair of clear, composed eyes, filled with mockery.
Jin Ping'er's smile froze.
"You weren't affected?!"
She cried out in shock.
How was that possible?
Her Charm Heart Technique was a secret art passed down only within the Joyous Union Sect. Among cultivators of the same level, almost no one could resist it.
Even the Orthodox Sect's venerable elders, with their profound cultivation, would lose control of their minds for a moment if caught off guard.
Yet this Green Cloud Sect disciple, only at the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, was completely unharmed?
She hadn't even sensed the slightest sign of resistance from him.
It was as if her Charm Arts were no more than a gentle breeze brushing his face—as if they didn't exist at all.
This upended everything she knew and filled her with a frustration she had never felt before.
Looking at her shocked expression, Li Xiaoyu was secretly relieved.
If the Immortal-Slaying Gourd hadn't automatically protected him at the critical moment, he might really have fallen here today.
Li Xiaoyu took a step back, putting some distance between himself and Jin Ping'er.
"Miss Jin, don't bring out such paltry tricks to make a fool of yourself."
His voice turned a few degrees colder.
"I'll say it again: my affairs have nothing to do with you. If you keep pestering me, don't blame my sword for showing no mercy!"
The Autumn Water Sword on his back rang out with a clear chime, and a fierce sword intent soared into the sky.
Overwhelmed by his sword intent, Jin Ping'er involuntarily retreated two steps.
She stared at the young man whose presence had abruptly changed, her eyes full of uncertainty.
She couldn't understand how he had broken her Charm Arts.
Did he have some rare treasure that countered Charm Arts?
Her gaze fell on the Wine Gourd at Li Xiaoyu's waist.
Was it that thing?
It looked utterly ordinary.
"Hmph. You don't know what's good for you!"
Jin Ping'er's expression shifted several times before she finally snorted.
She knew there was no way to force him.
Li Xiaoyu was far more mysterious and troublesome than she'd imagined.
"Fine. Since Young Master Li insists on going to his death alone, this humble girl won't accompany you."
Her eyes rolled as a plan came to mind.
"But I should warn you: what's in that cave isn't an ordinary monster. There are a great many of them, and it seems someone has been keeping them penned up there."
With that, she didn't linger. Turning into a streak of purple light, she darted into the distance and soon vanished into the night.
But her voice drifted back from afar.
"Young Master Li, we'll meet again soon. Hehe."
Li Xiaoyu stared in the direction she had gone, his brow furrowed.
"Someone's been keeping them penned up?"
Jin Ping'er's final words carried a great deal of information.
If that was true, then a vast conspiracy lay behind this affair.
And Jin Ping'er seemed to know something.
Rather than giving up, she had retreated in order to advance, hoping to make him go in first and scout the way.
"Demonic maiden. A demonic maiden indeed."
Li Xiaoyu let out a cold laugh.
But he wasn't discouraged.
On the contrary, his curiosity only grew.
He wanted to see what kind of demons and monsters were hiding in that little Nameless Cave.
Without another moment's hesitation, he found his bearings, moved in a flash, and raced toward the Nameless Cave outside the city.
The Nameless Cave lay amid a rocky wasteland ten li outside the city.
Its entrance was small and hidden beneath clumps of waist-high weeds, making it extremely difficult to spot.
Before he even got close, Li Xiaoyu could smell the thick stench of blood and decay wafting from inside.
Animal bones littered the ground around the cave entrance, along with a few scraps of torn cloth—clearly human clothing.
With a grave expression, Li Xiaoyu took the Autumn Water Sword from his back and gripped it as he cautiously entered the cave.
Inside, the cave was dark and damp.
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for one person, and twisted like a maze.
The stench of blood grew stronger, nearly making him vomit.
Li Xiaoyu channeled a wisp of pure spiritual energy into his eyes, sharpening his vision at once.
Scratches covered the cave walls, and the floor was coated in a layer of sticky, dark-red sludge.
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
Suddenly, a chorus of shrill cries came from the darkness ahead.
Then a sea of blood-red points lit up in the darkness!
Eyes!
Countless pairs of blood-red eyes!
The next moment, a black tide surged out of the darkness, sweeping toward Li Xiaoyu from every direction.
They were a horde of black-furred giant rats, each larger than a house cat!
Their fangs bared, their eyes blood-red, and their bodies radiated a savage, bloodthirsty aura.
Bloodthirsty Demonic Rats!
The name flashed through Li Xiaoyu's mind.
They were common low-level demonic creatures in the Demon Sect, used for blood sacrifices or as cannon fodder.
They weren't strong individually, but they bred at an astonishing rate, fought without fear of death, and came in overwhelming numbers, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
It seemed Jin Ping'er had been telling the truth about someone keeping them penned up.
Facing the endless tide of rats, Li Xiaoyu remained unmoved.
The Autumn Water Sword in his hand traced a flowerlike arc.
"Clear Wind Dissipates Evil!"
He shouted and unleashed one of the Green Cloud Sect's basic sword techniques.
Clear sword-light formed a tightly woven net before him.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Dozens of Bloodthirsty Demonic Rats at the front were instantly sliced to pieces by the sword-light.
Foul-smelling blood splattered in every direction.
But the demonic rats knew nothing of fear.
The deaths of their companions only stoked their ferocity.
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