A human tribulation?

When Nangong Wan heard Lin Yun's sharp shout, rather than stopping, she grew defiant and immediately reached for the red sphere inside the Ink Flood Dragon's belly.

At the same time, she said bluntly, "Junior, don't push your luck! You've already taken the Ink Flood Dragon Essence. This Flood Dragon Core is mine!"

A Flood Dragon Core was exceedingly precious, enough to make even Core Formation cultivators drool. Naturally, Nangong Wan would not let it slip away. She therefore took Lin Yun's earlier attempt to stop her as a sign that he, too, had his eye on the Flood Dragon Core.

Lin Yun paled in alarm. With no time to worry about anything else, he instantly used Formless Sword Escape, rushed to Nangong Wan's side, and raised his hand to stop her from touching the Ink Flood Dragon Aphrodisiac Gland.

The sight of Lin Yun's Formless Sword Escape stunned Nangong Wan, and she blurted out in surprise, "Senior Brother Qiong's Formless Escape Technique?!"

But her hand had already touched the Ink Flood Dragon Aphrodisiac Gland before she realized it.

The next instant.

With a pfft, the aphrodisiac gland burst on its own, spewing out a great cloud of pink mist.

Lin Yun had just appeared to stop Nangong Wan. With no time to think, he instinctively grabbed her and instantly activated Formless Sword Escape, slipping into the void.

Although they escaped into the void and avoided most of the pink mist, they had been too close. Both were inevitably exposed to a little of it.

When they tumbled out of Formless Sword Escape, Lin Yun's face was already flushed, and countless lustful thoughts flashed through his mind. Fortunately, he had inhaled little of the mist and still retained some clarity.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged and silently recited the Purity Scripture, but it did nothing. Just as the last sliver of clarity in his mind was about to fade, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he began circulating his profound art.

The Purple Mansion Manual is a secret scripture of the Daoist Orthodox School devoted to cultivating the Purple Palace primordial spirit. Its secret methods for clearing the mind, stilling thoughts, and nourishing the soul surpass even those of the Nine Heavens Profound Scripture. This art should resolve this calamity!

As Lin Yun cultivated the Purple Mansion Manual, he felt threads of coolness radiating from his Purple Palace, and the lustful thoughts in his mind subsided a little.

Meanwhile, after Nangong Wan tumbled out of Lin Yun's escape light, she had no time to ponder how he possessed the Formless Escape Technique or what connection he had to Old Monster Qiong. She immediately realized what she had touched.

"Damn it! It was that vile flood dragon's aphrodisiac gland!"

Her once pure, fair face was now flushed pink, and an alluring look involuntarily crept into her eyes. Her awareness began slipping beyond her control, and her body moved toward Lin Yun of its own accord. She even began stroking him, her cherry lips brushing haphazardly over his face. Once she found his lips, she eagerly pressed hers against them.

Feeling Nangong Wan's movements and the sweet, slippery sensation in his mouth, Lin Yun cursed inwardly. He hurriedly pushed her tongue out of his mouth, then clenched his teeth. But he was circulating the spirit-calming method of the Purple Mansion Manual, desperately suppressing his lust. How could he avoid her other advances?

Damn it! I only just attained an innate Dao body! Am I about to see all my efforts go down the drain? Who the hell wanted this kind of "good fortune"? If I'd known, I never would have given Han Li that Foundation Establishment Pill! Lin Yun cursed incessantly to himself.

Cultivators of the Daoist Orthodox School in the Zu Mountain World considered losing their virginity a grave taboo. If they did, they would very likely lose all hope of ascension and be forced to reincarnate and cultivate anew.

Lin Yun had only just used the White Yang Diagram to attain an innate five-element Dao body. Naturally, he was equally wary of losing his primal yang virginity.

At that thought, a notion suddenly surfaced in Lin Yun's mind, startling him.

He could not help thinking in bewilderment, Could this be the tribulation brought on by attaining my innate Dao body?! But this isn't the Zu Mountain World! This shouldn't be happening!

In the Zu Mountain World, where the heavenly Dao net was exceptionally stringent and karmic retribution carried enormous weight, tribulations were a crucial concept. When cultivators broke through, they faced not only ordinary heavenly tribulations but also external and human tribulations. The slightest misstep could likewise leave them forced to reincarnate and cultivate anew.

Although the Mortal World most likely also had reincarnation, whether his next incarnation would still truly be himself was very difficult to say. Lin Yun therefore absolutely refused to undergo such a rebirth!

He immediately began searching for a way to escape this tribulation.

Although Nangong Wan retained some awareness, she had completely lost control of her body and had already begun trying to strip off Lin Yun's clothes.

After only a moment's thought, Lin Yun gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. Consider this your lucky day!"

Then Lin Yun immediately sent a voice transmission to Nangong Wan through his spiritual sense. "Hey, hey, hey! Wake up! Esteemed Core Formation senior, listen carefully to this formula..."

Naturally, Lin Yun could not possibly teach Nangong Wan the complete Purple Mansion Manual, so he imparted only part of the formula for clearing the mind, stilling thoughts, and nourishing the soul.

As Lin Yun's formula reached her ears, Nangong Wan's already hazy consciousness gradually regained a little clarity, and she unconsciously began cultivating according to its instructions.

Although Nangong Wan was still clinging to him, she fortunately made no further moves. Lin Yun let out a great sigh of relief and began concentrating on cultivating the Purple Mansion Manual to suppress his lust.

Four hours later, Lin Yun and Nangong Wan woke at the same time. The pink mist's effects had completely faded. Although nothing had happened between them, their current position was truly rather awkward.

Nangong Wan's clothes were disheveled, her smooth arms wrapped tightly around Lin Yun's waist. She was curled entirely in his embrace, her chest pressed firmly against his.

Lin Yun's clothes were equally disheveled. His yellow silk robe had been torn to tatters, though fortunately his belt remained securely fastened around his waist.

Faced with their predicament, Lin Yun cursed inwardly without stopping. How did I end up stumbling into this? I just picked somewhere to cultivate and ran into this damned mess! It almost ruined my Dao body!

At that thought, Lin Yun felt immensely fortunate. Thankfully, they had been exposed to only a little pink mist, leaving them enough awareness to cultivate the Purple Mansion Manual and suppress their lust.

Fortunately, they had not slept together. Otherwise, beyond losing his primal yang virginity, he might even have destroyed the innate five-element Dao body he had worked so hard to attain.

Thinking of this, Lin Yun once again felt a lingering chill of fear.

Meanwhile, clarity gradually returned to Nangong Wan's eyes. Noticing her own situation, she raised her head and saw the relief written all over Lin Yun's face. A bitter mixture of emotions immediately welled up inside her.

In a situation like this, aside from not doing that, how was it any different from dual cultivation? I haven't even said anything, so why does this brat look as though he's suffered some enormous loss?

She abruptly released the arms she had wrapped around Lin Yun. Covering her chest with one hand and pushing him away with the other, she instantly rose and turned her back to him, then took a white dress from her Storage Bag and put it on.

Lin Yun staggered from the shove but did not bother arguing with Nangong Wan. He likewise stood, turned away, and took out a set of clothes to replace his tattered ones.

A moment later, Lin Yun finished dressing and turned around to find Nangong Wan already neatly dressed and standing nearby, watching him with a complicated gaze.

However, Lin Yun noticed that Nangong Wan now looked rather different from before. She appeared to be around twenty, and her bearing had changed from its former purity and

innocence to dignified elegance.

Moreover, her cultivation had risen from the threshold of Foundation Establishment to what appeared to be Mid Foundation Establishment.

Lin Yun gave her several long, appreciative looks before hearing Nangong Wan say coolly, "Fortunately, nothing actually happened between us. Otherwise, I would kill you. But no third person can learn what happened between us, or I'll kill you all the same!"

"Understood," Lin Yun said dismissively, his eyes clear.

After that, they both fell silent for a moment.

Just as Lin Yun was considering how to make his escape, Nangong Wan spoke again. "Also, although I don't know how you learned Senior Brother Qiong's Formless Escape Technique, I'll keep your secret, since you saved me."

Lin Yun was displeased the moment he heard that. His magnificent Supreme Clarity Daoist Orthodox School Formless Sword Art was an authentic sword art of the Daoist Orthodox School. How had it become someone else's Formless Escape Technique? Could Old Monster Qiong's Formless Escape Technique even compare to his Formless Sword Escape?

He immediately retorted, "My Formless Sword Escape is no Formless Escape Technique! That so-called Formless Escape Technique is nothing more than an invisibility escape art. What's so impressive about it? My Formless Sword Escape passes between existence and nonexistence, concealing me within the void. Its mysteries touch the divine, far surpassing Old Monster Qiong's Formless Escape Technique!"

Nangong Wan arched her delicate brows and inwardly cursed him for not knowing what was good for him. But then she recalled that the formula he had taught her truly was profound. It had actually allowed her to end her cycle early without suffering any harm and recover some of her magical power. Perhaps it really was not the Formless Escape Technique?

She therefore found it awkward to say anything more and merely said coolly, "I don't care what sword art it is. In any case, I'll keep your secret."

Then her tone softened. "Also, thank you for that formula."

Lin Yun frowned and replied offhandedly, "You're welcome."

This was his first time passing on the cultivation arts and Dao scriptures of the Zu Mountain World. He had never shared the full text of a Dao scripture before, and now he had no idea whether spreading those scriptures would ultimately be a blessing or a curse.