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If only there were some treasure that could hold the attention of all nine heads for a long time, thus keeping them occupied.
Thinking of this, Ye Zhenzhen recalled the Suwen Spirit Mirror she had swiped from the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree. The Plain-Question Spirit Realm could reflect the deepest desires in the hearts of all things, so could it also reflect Xiangliu's desires and thus attract him?
So, she tossed the Spirit Mirror into the air, and a golden light flashed. Xiangliu's nine heads scrambled to look in the mirror. The first head to see its reflection was thoroughly enjoying it, while the other eight nudged and bumped at it, all wanting to be the first to see themselves. The nine heads cursed and fought over the mirror, and before they knew it, Ye Zhenzhen and the others had passed underneath them.
Having broken through Nine-Headed Serpent's defenses, they arrived at a dark room, the door of which was tightly shut.
Jiang Wan tried knocking on the door and asked, "Is anyone inside?"
Someone immediately responded from the doorway, "Senior Sister, it's us! Please save us!" The female disciple from the Immortal-Ending Hall who had previously gone missing was indeed imprisoned inside.
But the door to this secret room was impenetrable; it couldn't be broken open with a sword. There must be some kind of mechanism hidden in the door.
The trio carefully examined the door to the secret room and discovered that it was engraved with symbols representing the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They needed to arrange the five elements in the correct order to decipher the code and open the secret room.
The five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) can form hundreds of combinations, which... is incredibly difficult.
They gritted their teeth and tried them one by one.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingyao had already arrived at Spirit Spring Valley and met with Shen Xingyan that night.
Unlike a few years ago, Shen Xingyan arrived quite early this time. Not only did she wear a thick wig, but she also changed into a light and flowing white robe that better suited Ye Qingyao's taste. Holding a large bouquet of flowers, she stood in the Moonlit Spring waiting for her beloved.
In recent years, he has used too many women as his Furnace and played with many women. In his eyes, women are more like objects or pets. For example, Luo Bingyao, if she is obedient, he will pamper her a little; if she is disobedient, he will lock her up.
But he always harbored a different kind of feeling for Ye Qingyao.
She was like a white moonlight in his heart, sacred, pure, and beautiful, like a fairy. But countless times, when he was having illicit affairs with other women, he would close his eyes and imagine the faces of those other women as Ye Qingyao's, ravaging her wildly, manipulating her at will, conquering her body. That feeling fascinated him, but every time he opened his eyes and saw the faces of the other women beneath him, he felt utterly bored, like a colorful bubble in the sunlight, easily burst.
Spirit Spring Valley was where his dream began, and it also awakened his obsession. He specially built an artificial Spirit Spring Valley that was almost identical to the one in the Kongtong School, just for the day she would arrive.
Finally, she arrived, draped in a light, silvery-white veil.
Her silhouette appeared exceptionally slender in the bright moonlight, like a willow branch that could be blown away by a gentle breeze, instantly arousing one's protective instincts.
The thought of the beautiful woman she had longed for for years standing before her filled her with joy. She had finally made a promise to meet him at Spirit Spring Spiritual Qi Spring, where they would soon savor the fragrance of each other's lips and touch each other's warm skin amidst the misty spiritual energy, their bodies merging into one in a flash. Shen Xingyan was overwhelmed by the happiness of her dream finally coming true; her blood boiled, her heart pounded like a drum, and she was beyond excited.
He rushed towards her excitedly, wanting to pull her delicate body into his burning embrace.
Unexpectedly, she didn't fall into his arms as she wished. Instead, she took a step back warily. "Senior Brother Shen, what are you doing? Men and women shouldn't touch each other."
He smiled.
What a masterful display of feigned indifference and capricious charm! Woman, I never imagined that someone as innocent as you could be so adept at these little romantic entanglements. No wonder you're the one I, Shen Xingyan, have my eye on.
"Ayao, look what this is!" He magically produced a large bouquet of flowers from behind his back and presented it to her. It was a large bunch of Nightshade Epiphyllum.
"Nightshade Epiphyllum!" Ye Qingyao was stunned. This kind of flower would wither quickly once it was picked. How did Shen Xingyan manage to preserve them so perfectly?
Shen Xingyan curled her lips smugly, "You didn't expect this, did you? I bought this preservative with ten thousand Superior Spirit Stone, applied it to the petals, and then picked these flowers. They will bloom for you forever and never wither."
As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist again, saying, "Just like my love for you, it will never fade."
Before she knew it, someone had grabbed her waist, which terrified Ye Qingyao. Her body trembled violently, and she accidentally dropped a large bouquet of flowers into the Spirit Spring.
Shen Xingyan loosened his grip on her arm with heartache and hurried to find the flowers, which had cost ten thousand Superior Spirit Stone.
After finding the flowers, he wasn't angry at all. He handed them back to Ye Qingyao, squinted at her with his puppy-dog eyes, and buried his face in her chest with his wet wig.
He was so knowledgeable about matters between men and women, but Ye Qingyao had never been intimate with a man before. Startled, she dodged to the side, causing him to miss his target and fall into the water again.
"That's enough, Yao. Doing some things once or twice is just for fun, but doing it too often is just being ungrateful." He finally lost his temper, and resentment appeared in the dog's once affectionate eyes.
"What are you playing? Senior Brother Shen, I only came here to make things clear to you. I don't like you, so please don't bother me anymore." Ye Qingyao opened her doe-like eyes wide and finally spoke the truth that she had kept hidden for years.
But Shen Xingyan didn't believe it at all.
Luo Bingyao had often used these little tricks on him before, and would come back to pester him again soon after. Women are good at saying one thing and meaning another, and manipulating men's hearts.
He snorted coldly and laughed, "Ayao, don't take advantage of my sincerity and act so childishly, deliberately playing with me. This won't gain me more love; it will only push me into the arms of other women. You've seen it yourself, our Kongtong School holds a supreme position and immense power in the Cultivation World. My father is Immortal Venerable, and I will become the next Immortal Venerable. So many women are throwing themselves at me; do you really think you have no feelings for me?"