Have You Still Not Given Up on Aunt Ling?

Those who killed and burned wore belts of gold; those who built bridges and repaired roads left not even their bones behind.

On this trip to the Black-Corner Region, Shen Luo had come for all manner of opportunities.

By the time Shen Luo returned to the Inner Academy, dawn had broken.

He had killed Han Feng before Su Qian could, then gone alone to the Black-Corner Region.

He had slaughtered every Dou Wang and Dou Huang expert of the Black Emperor Sect and Demon Flame Valley.

He had devoured their Dou Qi, souls, and blood essence down to the last trace, and plundered all their natural treasures, Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills. The two top powers that had stood in the Black-Corner Region for years had been wiped out in an instant.

Shen Luo did not return to his courtyard, instead heading straight for the mountain behind the academy.

Dawn had just broken, and the thin mist had yet to disperse. Deep within the dense forest, a fiery-red figure stood silently.

The Fire Fairy merely stood there, yet she made the entire forest pale in comparison.

A fiery-red gown wrapped her exquisitely curved figure, its hem trailing along the ground. Occasionally, it fluttered in the wind, revealing a glimpse of a fair, slender ankle, lustrous as jade.

Her waist was so slender that a hand could encircle it, while the curves of her chest were full and proud. The neckline of her red gown traced a perfectly natural arc, her elegance carrying the lush allure unique to a mature woman.

Shen Luo swallowed!

This woman, his flame, was a gift from his cheat!

She could not resist Shen Luo, and Shen Luo could not extricate himself from his attraction to her!

She stood there, her brows like distant mountains brushed with dark pigment, her eyes like rippling autumn waters!

Though she did nothing at all, she possessed a soul-captivating presence. She could make countless experts fall at her feet, yet none dared harbor the slightest profane thought.

The sound of Shen Luo's footsteps alerted her.

The Fire Fairy slowly turned her head, her crimson-gold eyes settling on Shen Luo. A faint trace of tenderness flashed through her gaze, only to be swiftly concealed by her usual indifference.

"Aunt Ling, sorry for the wait."

Shen Luo stood where he was, gazing at her with burning eyes.

After several months apart, she was still as cold as frost. Yet Shen Luo distinctly noticed that, at her first sight of him, something deep in her eyes had softened for an instant, like an undercurrent silently stirring beneath a frozen lake.

The Fire Fairy studied him closely, a barely perceptible trace of surprise passing through her crimson-gold eyes. "It's only been a few months, and you've already reached peak two-star Dou Zong."

Her tone remained level, but she spoke a fraction more slowly than usual, as though using those words to conceal something.

Shen Luo approached step by step, each footfall landing on her heartbeat.

He stopped before her, reached out, seized the Fire Fairy's arm, and pulled her into his embrace.

Her body was soft and warm. Through the thin fabric of her gown, he could clearly feel the astonishing power contained beneath her skin, as well as the slight stiffening of her body at that instant.

Shen Luo buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply of her mature, enticing fragrance. His voice was low and husky. "Aunt Ling, I missed you to death."

The Fire Fairy did not struggle, nor did she make even the slightest move to resist.

Yet her body was rigid, as though it took tremendous restraint not to push him away.

Her hands hung at her sides, her fingertips curling slightly. Her crimson-gold eyes widened a fraction for an instant, then became as still as an ancient well again.

"Shen Luo, you're growing more and more insolent. You dare put your hands on me?"

Her voice remained icy, yet beneath that chill lay a tremor even she had not noticed.

She did not push him away.

That in itself was a form of tacit consent.

Shen Luo held her a little tighter, the tip of his nose brushing the delicate skin behind her ear as he felt the mingled coolness and warmth of her presence.

The Fire Fairy lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting small shadows beneath them and concealing the complicated emotion that flashed through her crimson-gold gaze.

She was a Dou Sheng expert who had lived through long ages and seen countless brilliant talents, yet no one had ever stirred her heart as Shen Luo did.

It felt like a pebble striking a lake that had lain calm for a thousand years, sending out ripples that could no longer be stilled.

But she was the Fire Fairy, a high-rank Dou Sheng. She would not allow herself to reveal any vulnerability.

Thus, by the time Shen Luo released her, her face had regained its usual indifference.

Only the tips of her ears, concealed beneath her fiery-red hair, bore an exceedingly faint, almost imperceptible pink.

After a spell of affectionate intimacy, Shen Luo began taking stock of the various items in his possession.

First was the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade. He absolutely could not let anyone from the Ancient Eight Clans learn of it. Instead, he needed to make the Gu Clan and Soul Clan fight over this piece of Ancient Jade.

As long as the Soul Clan could not find this piece of Ancient Jade, no matter how far-sighted Hun Tiandi was, he would have to stay put at peak nine-star Dou Saint until Shen Luo caught up to him.

By then, Shen Luo would not need to become a Dou Di. With his Heavenly Tyrant Body alone, he could beat Hun Tiandi to death.

Once he had helped Zi Yan unify Dragon Island, he would entrust this piece of Ancient Jade to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan for safekeeping.

The Ancient Void Dragon Clan was naturally adept at spatial power, and Ancient Dragon Island drifted unpredictably. Without precise coordinates, even a nine-star Dou Sheng could not find it in the boundless void. Nowhere could be safer.

Shen Luo then looked at the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and Sea Heart Flame wrapped in Dou Qi before him and said in a low voice, "Aunt Ling, I see you don't have any Heavenly Flames. How about this Bone Spirit Cold Flame..."

Before he could finish, the Fire Fairy interrupted him. "Keep it. At my realm, only those two or three Heavenly Flames would be of any use."

Shen Luo nodded.

At late-stage Dou Sheng, it was already difficult to advance any further without a heaven-defying stroke of fortune.

In the original story, even with the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Gu Xun'er had only reached four-star Dou Sheng, the same level as Queen Medusa-and she even had a divine-grade bloodline.

Shen Luo seemed to remember something and immediately picked up the three map fragments on the ground. "Aunt Ling, these are three fragments of the map to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. If we can collect all four, we'll have a very good chance of obtaining it. When the time comes, I'll give the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame to you."

At last, a ripple appeared on the Fire Fairy's breathtaking face, which had always been as still as an ancient well.

Ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was mysterious and powerful. With its aid, its previous master had cultivated all the way to peak nine-star Dou Saint, earning him the title of Pure Lotus Demon Saint!

As the Fire Fairy looked at Shen Luo, who wanted to give her the demon flame, that ripple in her crimson-gold eyes gradually became a complicated, tender emotion.

After a moment's silence, she suddenly reached out, her slender, fair fingers gently brushing Shen Luo's cheek. Her fingertips were slightly cool and carried the faintest tremor.

The touch was like a dragonfly skimming the water, withdrawing the instant it made contact, yet it sent a shudder through Shen Luo.

"Silly child," she said, her voice dropping, losing some of its chill and gaining a tenderness even she had not noticed. "If you can obtain the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, keep it for yourself. Why give it to me?"

Her voice was as soft as a sigh, drifting away on the morning breeze, yet it landed heavily on Shen Luo's heart.

"Have you still not given up on Aunt Ling?"

Morning light spilled over her, outlining that fiery-red figure like a dream.

Shen Luo gazed at her back, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

One day, he would make this lofty Fire Fairy fall for him completely.