Ye Zimei's Secret

Ye Zimei flew ahead on her sword, clad in black armor that gleamed with a chilling brilliance.

Watching the Puppet Beasts to her left and right, she slashed at them in panic.

But suppressed by the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting, she found it difficult to unleash her full strength.

Her two streaks of Sword Qi missed completely.

Xiao Yu raised his hand and had the two Puppet Beasts attack from a distance.

The two beasts raised their heads in unison and spat out azure-green spiritual light, blasting toward Ye Zimei beneath the painting.

To be safe, Xiao Yu raised his hand and released Wang Mei. "Go see whether those two female cultivators are completely dead. Storage bags, clothes, socks, jewelry—bring back everything valuable! Then burn them for me!"

"I don't like wasting things."

Wang Mei let out a delicate laugh at his words.

After leaping before the two women, she drew out her magic whip and lashed all their belongings back.

Then she flicked two Fireball Talismans at their corpses, igniting a roaring blaze on the spot.

Ye Zimei's brows trembled. "Ahhh!!! Demonic scoundrels! You dared kill my junior sisters—such conduct enrages both man and god!!!"

"I will make you pay the price!"

Xiao Yu tipped back his head with a laugh. While controlling the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting with his right hand, he slowly reached behind himself with his left and took out five Fireball Talismans.

"Can I curse you out on behalf of ordinary people?"

"Why is it an outrage against heaven and earth when others kill you, yet perfectly justified when you kill ordinary people?"

"How many ordinary people have you killed in your life? Have you ever counted? I truly don't understand it. When the demonic path kills people, others accuse them and they admit it. But when you righteous sects kill people, even if others say it, you refuse to admit it..."

"Why do I think you're all so damned cheap?"

Ye Zimei scanned her surroundings, saw that the magical sword in her hand was running low on spiritual power, and hurriedly took out two more defensive artifacts to block.

Right now, she was facing four opponents alone.

The woman behind her wielding the magic whip was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.

Those two Puppet Beasts were merely at the Mid Qi Refining Stage as well.

The only troublesome one was Xiao Yu in front of her, wielding a top-grade artifact.

If she wanted to win, she had to find a way to ambush that man.

After releasing her defensive artifacts, Ye Zimei shouted coldly, "If it weren't for demonic cultivators like you, we would never kill anyone! Many of those who died by my hand had ties to the demonic path! They deserved to die!"

Xiao Yu's gaze was mocking as he considered his own countermeasures.

He had no devastating trump card right now and had to wait for his opponent to reveal a flaw.

Her cultivation was twice his. If he wanted victory, he had to find an opening.

He knew she was surely seeking an opportunity too. It would depend on who lost their nerve first and exposed their hand.

Looking down at Ye Zimei, Xiao Yu's eyes brimmed with contempt. "Righteous sects always have all kinds of excuses for killing people. Do you know why I don't like wasting food?"

"You people probably have never known the smoke and fire of mortal life. If ordinary people had a choice, they would definitely wipe out every cultivator of both the demonic and righteous paths!"

"Do you know why ordinary people take off their clothes before fighting? Because in the eyes of poor folk, clothes are valuable possessions. If they are ruined, they might have nothing left! Then they could freeze to death in winter! To ordinary people, winter is no different from a natural disaster."

"Do you know why, in freezing weather, those commoners risk being killed by you to chop firewood on Jiangliu Mountain? Because they have nothing at home to keep warm!"

"All the trees inside and outside Jiangliu City belong to the landlords! If they cut one down, they get arrested! Heh..."

"If they encounter demonic cultivators, do you think they have a choice? If saying one word to a demonic cultivator means having ties to the demonic path, then you righteous sects have already been stained the same black as them!"

Ye Zimei shouted angrily, "Twisting black into white!!! You sharp-tongued lackey of the demonic path—your kind bewilders ordinary people everywhere and commits every kind of evil, and you still think you're in the right?"

"If they're cold, can't they just wear more clothes? Go up the mountain to chop firewood? Heh, who would believe such a childish excuse?"

"Isn't going up the mountain now just delivering messages to the demonic path? Even if they aren't delivering messages, once you capture them, you can extract their souls and learn intelligence about Jiangliu City!"

"Shouldn't that be killed?! We already said they were forbidden from going up the mountain!!!"

"Stupidity deserves death!"

Xiao Yu exerted a little force with his right palm, and the immortal maiden phantoms of the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting multiplied without end.

The corner of Ye Zimei's eye twitched. Her mid-grade defensive artifact could not hold out much longer.

Cracks immediately appeared across it.

Xiao Yu was speechless. It seemed that not a single woman labeled by the system as evil was innocent.

Judging by her appearance alone, Ye Zimei did resemble a female general or a powerful heroine from television dramas.

Clad in armor and brocade robes, she radiated heroic vigor.

Her features also carried a bold, gallant air.

She had the bearing of a jade-faced female general.

But sects like theirs, which always claimed to be righteous—

Many of them simply could not see the hardships of the mortal world.

Cultivators who had never suffered freezing cold naturally could not understand why ordinary people would travel so far to chop firewood.

"Ye Zimei... may I ask, you said that if ordinary people are cold, they should just wear more clothes? Pray tell, if they have no clothes, what are they supposed to wear?"

"Do you know why there is a profession called woodcutter in the city? Because in the eyes of ordinary people, firewood is the lifeline that lets an entire family survive winter!"

"They are not like you. You can release a flying sword and reach the summit of Jiangliu Mountain in the span of a breath. For them, chopping firewood on Jiangliu Mountain and making the round trip takes a full two days."

"They return home carrying what little firewood they have, barely enough to burn for half a day. They only dare light a fire to keep warm when they are on the verge of freezing to death. Open your dog eyes and see how many people have frozen to death outside Jiangliu City!"

"Bullshit righteous sects! I can't be bothered wasting words on you!"

After saying that, Xiao Yu raised his hand and drove the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting with all his strength.

The Puppet Beasts and Wang Mei attacked from both front and rear.

Ye Zimei's brows trembled. She raised her hand, detonated the artifact before her, then flung out a Smoke-Burst Pearl.

Black smoke instantly billowed around her.

Wang Mei swayed at once. "Master, be careful!!!"

She immediately flew over, and before she even arrived, her magic whip had already lashed toward Xiao Yu.

But a blue beam shot out from the black smoke and blasted her away.

Xiao Yu remained unmoved, angling his right shoulder forward while still holding Fireball Talismans behind his back in his left hand.

As another blue beam shot from the black smoke, the immortal maiden phantoms conjured by the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting actually became somewhat unstable.

Ye Zimei shouted coldly from within the smoke, "It seems I underestimated you! But your good luck ends here! Meeting me, Ye Zimei, is your misfortune!"

The next second, Ye Zimei charged toward Xiao Yu.

Unlike before, Ye Zimei now looked like a tiger in battle, clad in vermilion armor that shone brilliantly.

Golden patterns adorned it, glittering like a phoenix burning amid blazing flames, utterly different from her previous black armor.

With one move, she shattered the nearby Puppet Eagle and Puppet Rat.

Her breastplate, gloves, shoulder guards, cloak, belt, leg guards, and boots were all artifacts!

Even the spear in her hand was a high-grade offensive artifact.

An Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator... what kind of joke was this!

Xiao Yu immediately recalled what Bai Yue had said: this woman usually loved swindling other male cultivators out of their money.

Everything she had was scammed from them!

Watching Ye Zimei charge toward him—

Xiao Yu raised his hand and threw out five Fireball Talismans. After revealing this full set of artifacts, confidence was written all over Ye Zimei's face.

Her cloak flashed, carrying her away from Xiao Yu's Fireball Talisman attack.

Xiao Yu took the chance to withdraw the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting to protect himself. Ye Zimei sneered and threw the spear in her hand.

Lightning flared beneath Xiao Yu's feet.

With the Thunderwalking Art unleashed, his figure streaked like lightning, swift and traceless.

He dodged her spear, reached the unconscious Wang Mei, put her away, and fled at top speed.

The spear still chased after him under Ye Zimei's control.

Xiao Yu used his left hand to control the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting and slow the spear's advance, while his right hand continuously gathered the spiritual power of the Elysian Union Art.

His two greatest trump cards were the Elysian Union Art and the Nine Yang Divine Body.

If he wanted to kill this woman, he had to find an opportunity.

Controlling so many artifacts, she definitely could not keep up her spiritual power for long!

She wanted to fight him to the death.

As long as he held out a little longer, the opportunity would appear.

Watching Ye Zimei catch up again, Xiao Yu drove the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting with all his strength.

This time, instead of women, he conjured a huge crowd of peerlessly handsome men.

Each man was as fair as polished jade and lovely as peach blossoms, every one possessing his own distinctive charm.

One had long brows sweeping into his temples and star-bright eyes like blazing torches. Dressed in white whiter than snow, he looked like an immortal descending into the world.

Another had skin like congealed cream, red lips, and white teeth. Holding a folding fan, he carried himself with the elegant grace of a noble young master.

Yet another was tall and imposing, with heroic spirit between his brows and nine blocks of abdominal muscle.

Upon seeing Ye Zimei, the men all extended olive branches, greeting her with overflowing affection.

"Fair lady~ this humble scholar greets you!"

"May I ask this young lady's name?"

"You're so beautiful... I'm going to be enchanted to death by you, miss!"

Xiao Yu was already starting to grin wickedly up ahead. Using a honey trap of handsome men to stall for time seemed a little lacking in martial virtue.

Women were often even more lustful than men.

He refused to believe this woman would remain unmoved!

These were conjured by a top-grade artifact...

Before he could begin gloating, he suddenly saw blood spraying from the crotches of every man behind him.

Ye Zimei stabbed them one after another with an angry expression. "Ahhh!!! Stay away from me! Isn't this disgusting?!"

"You shameless, indecent dog men! You dared mock me like this—I will definitely take your life!!!"

Xiao Yu froze on the spot, then greased the soles of his feet and hurriedly fled.

Wait... wait, wait!

The Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting had clearly suppressed this woman just now, and it had taken only a group of women to suppress her.

Why did switching them to handsome men...

Xiao Yu activated the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting again. This time, he released even more immortal maidens, consuming nearly half his spiritual power at once.

This was the limit of what he could do. Unless those maiden illusions were eunuchs from the Eastern Depot, almost no one could withstand them.

Sure enough!

When Ye Zimei saw those immortal maidens, she was suppressed once more.

Xiao Yu immediately laughed.

The Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting was formidable because once the opponent developed amorous feelings for the fantasies within the treasure painting, they would be suppressed.

The deeper they fell, the stronger the suppression!

It was like layered illusions!

Watching Ye Zimei across from him raise her defensive artifacts and begin resisting again, Xiao Yu looked at her as if he had discovered treasure. "So you like women... hahaha! Looks like you have a story, huh~? No wonder you dress like a man. So you see yourself as a man, hahaha! I'm getting more and more interested in you!"

"Try this move on for size!!!"

After saying that, Xiao Yu directly swallowed a Bloodburst Pill.

His cultivation instantly rose to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.

As he drove the Thousand Fragrances, Ten Thousand Beauties Painting with all his strength, the immortal maidens had already begun playing music and dancing.

Ye Zimei panicked at once. "You... you're despicable!!!"