The alluring female cultivator relinquished control of her ruler-shaped magical artifact, letting it fall to the ground to show that she had given up resisting.
At the same time, she spoke in an exceedingly seductive voice, looking pitiful and helpless:
"Fellow Daoist, this was all a misunderstanding!"
"It was all this scoundrel's idea. I was merely deceived, which led me to offend you."
"If you spare my life, I will let you savor every sensual pleasure. From now on, I will serve you like an ox or a horse."
Husband and wife were birds of the same forest, yet when calamity struck, each flew their own way!
Faced with the threat of death, the alluring female cultivator decisively cast aside decades of marriage and pushed all the blame onto the scholar-robed cultivator.
As though afraid Liu Yu would not believe her, she licked her red lips and hastily continued:
"If you do not believe me, I am willing to open my primordial spirit and let you plant a restriction within it!"
Her clothes now only half covered her, offering tantalizing glimpses of the beauty beneath.
Her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes brimming with springtime desire.
The alluring female cultivator stared intently at Liu Yu, twisting her body to display her finest assets.
She looked ready for him to pluck and savor at will!
Liu Yu stared coldly at her, his face utterly expressionless.
Yet ripples inevitably spread across the waters of his heart. He was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.
"Put your clothes on first."
Liu Yu's voice remained cold, but his tone seemed to soften somewhat.
Hearing this, the alluring female cultivator immediately relaxed. Joy at surviving the calamity welled up within her, and she could not help beginning to smile.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a glimmer of dark light flashed through her forehead, leaving a tiny red dot.
Before the alluring female cultivator's smile could fully form, it froze, and her body fell to the ground with a thud.
It was the silver needle magical artifact he had obtained from the Pockmarked Cultivator!
Mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward yourself!
Expressionless, Liu Yu looked at the fallen corpse and silently thought those words.
That saying had left a particularly deep impression on him.
In many novels from his previous life, the villains failed to pull out the roots when cutting down the weeds, leaving themselves endless future trouble.
Liu Yu took that as a warning.
He knew full well that he was only a Qi Refining Period cultivator. He dared not keep a hidden danger at his side and spend every day on guard.
"Heh..."
Looking at the two corpses, he gave a self-mocking laugh.
Two more vibrant lives had faded away at his hands.
Although both had harbored ill intentions toward him, he could not help feeling a little melancholy after the killing.
Life is so fragile.
Like a flame in the darkness, it can be extinguished by the gentlest breath of cold wind.
These reflections suddenly arose in Liu Yu's heart.
He carefully considered why he had been attacked.
Was it because he had flaunted his wealth? Or because he had not been careful enough?
No! Neither!
Ultimately, the root of it all was my low cultivation.
My weakness!
Liu Yu clenched both fists tightly as the answer emerged in his mind.
If he had reached Qi Refining Perfection, or were a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, would they still have chosen him as their target?
No. They might not even have dared spare him a second glance!
Liu Yu shook his head sharply.
"Perhaps weakness itself is a sin."
"Perhaps the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation is right. This is the true world of cultivation!"
Standing there covered in blood and grime, Liu Yu murmured to himself.
At that moment, his determination to become powerful was stronger than ever!
Only by becoming powerful could he control his own destiny, pursue what he wished to pursue, and protect everything he currently possessed!
Even if that required paying a price or making certain changes, it would be worthwhile.
He buried all these thoughts deep in his heart.
"Hiss!"
Liu Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain and weakness in his body as he collected the pair's magical artifacts and storage bags.
If I had hesitated even a little, or if my magical artifacts had not been sharp enough...
The corpse lying on the ground might well have been mine!
Without even realizing it, I have become capable of killing late Qi Refining cultivators.
Ordinary Qi Refining Period cultivators can no longer make me wary.
Looking at the two corpses, Liu Yu was filled with reflections. Unnoticed, his mindset underwent a subtle transformation.
It took longer to tell than to happen.
The battle had actually been settled in no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
However, this place was not far from Jiatai Market, and the battle had caused quite a commotion. Someone with ill intentions might well come looking to reap an easy profit.
After searching through the spoils and confirming he had missed nothing, Liu Yu flicked out two fireballs, reducing both corpses to ash.
Just before leaving, he suddenly paused and glanced back at the two piles of ashes.
"No matter how beautiful one was in life, all beings are equal before death."
For a moment, his heart felt heavy.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Liu Yu held a spirit stone in each hand, using the Wind-Riding Technique to travel while replenishing his magical power.
Within a few bounds, his figure vanished from the woods.
The dark clouds drifted past, and cool moonlight spilled down once more, draping the earth and mountains in silver gauze.
After running twenty li, Liu Yu found a secluded cave in a small mountain hollow.
He took out a meditation cushion and sat cross-legged.
Circulating the Wood Spirit Art, he swallowed a healing pill and began restoring his magical power and tending to his injuries.
An hour later, Liu Yu slowly opened his eyes.
By then, his magical power had recovered and his injuries had stabilized, no longer hindering his normal movements.
He only needed to return to the sect as soon as possible and recuperate for a while to recover completely.
Much of this was thanks to the Wood Spirit Art. Though its performance in combat was ordinary, it had certain advantages when it came to healing injuries and prolonging life.
With his injuries stabilized, Liu Yu had no desire to linger.
The spiritual energy in this remote wilderness was sparse, and there were no defenses whatsoever. It was unsuitable for cultivation.
His immediate priority was to return to the sect to recuperate, then attempt to break through the bottleneck to late Qi Refining.
Tap, tap.
Leaving the mountain hollow, Liu Yu lightly touched his toes to the ground, covering two or three zhang with each step as he headed toward the Primordial Yang Sect.
Yet after traveling several dozen li, he suddenly sensed the repeated disturbances of a battle five or six li ahead.
From afar, he could see the radiance of various spells and magical artifacts blooming in the night sky.
Judging by the commotion, he estimated that the combatants were somewhere between the middle and late stages of Qi Refining.
Liu Yu stopped, hesitation flashing across his face as he began to consider his options.
This was the shortest road back to the sect.
Taking a detour would add another hundred or two hundred li to his journey, wasting two to four hours.
That would be highly unfavorable for his recovery.
Murder for treasure?
Lust stirred by beauty?
Judging by the commotion, both sides are fighting fiercely.
Perhaps if I go over now, I can reap the fisherman's reward while the others struggle?
As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Liu Yu decided to approach covertly and take a look before deciding what to do.
If wicked cultivators were committing murder for treasure and had been severely weakened, it would be perfectly justified for him to "slay demons and uphold the Dao," confiscating their ill-gotten wealth.
Having killed the Pockmarked Cultivator, and with the Black Bird Flame Talisman and Earth Escape Talisman as his trump cards, Liu Yu's confidence had grown considerably, along with his courage.
His injuries needed treatment back at the sect as soon as possible.
Moreover, neither side's strength exceeded what he could handle, so he did not want to waste time taking a detour.
Activating the Spirit-Concealing Art to suppress his cultivation aura and magical power fluctuations, Liu Yu crept quietly toward the battle.
It's her?
After drawing close, Liu Yu recognized one of the combatants at a glance.
It was the lavish-spending female cultivator in a red dress who had sat to his right at the auction, wearing a rabbit mask.
Liu Yu was not at all surprised that cultivators with sinister intentions had set their sights on her, treating her as a "fat sheep."
Many small details had revealed that, although the red-dressed female cultivator had plenty of spirit stones, she lacked experience.
He suspected that she might have a considerable background.
Somehow, she had learned about the Beauty-Nourishing Pill, then secretly slipped out with spirit stones to buy it.
A single Beauty-Nourishing Pill cost nearly as much as a top-grade magical artifact. Might the red-dressed female cultivator have even more spirit stones?!
Winning the Beauty-Nourishing Pill at auction under everyone's watchful eyes had left many cultivators green with envy.
And since she was alone, it was only natural that some cultivators would start entertaining ideas.
Thank you to Muyuyan, Tianxia Shuyou 160, 140515160618205, Miracle's Cape, Fallen Angel II, I Pay to Defy the Tropes, May the World Treat You Gently pi, A Thought Never Forgotten, and the other readers for your recommendation votes!
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