It's over.
I expected Kiana's surprise, shock, and aversion. I was ready for it when I told her everything.
Instead, she attacked me wordlessly and… pinned me down on the bed.
What was once my source of comfort turned into a forbidden zone. I did my best to stay away from it.
Sleeping with Kiana was fine back then. The two of us did not think much about it. Kiana liked to use me as a human-sized body pillow.
This changed after Kiana's confession.
I did not expect her to become very clingy and… aggressive. This aspect of hers was shown whenever she was with Mei, but to be on the receiving end of it…
I have zero regrets.
It's just that, she is testing my self-control. A sword cultivator like me can perfectly handle external desires. However, if I really want it, that self-control won't matter.
Cultivators have selfish desires. They are not flawless and rational gods.
"Hum…"
Five minutes of breathless kissing sent me to a verge of breakdown. Both of her hands appeared beneath my shirt. In retaliation, my hands went to her waist. I tried to lift her shirt above, but the moment I touched a part of her skin, something buzzed in my mind.
...
Forget it.
It's too dangerous.
This is, after all, a competition to see who will give up first.
Bad news: The Tuna remains persistent.
Just then, I saw a tangible pale blue energy emanate from Kiana.
…
Yin Qi?
My mind almost halted.
"Hn..!"
Her entire body jolted as her eyes closed. My hands on her waist could feel her trembling. A few seconds later, a damp sensation appeared on my stomach—the place where Kiana sat. Her legs remained trembling. The concentration of the yin qi she emitted became thicker.
…
"Huff…"
With my last bit of self control, I separated my lips from hers. The redness on her face is extremely evident. I did not have much choice except to let her face rest on my shoulders.
She is unconscious. Her…
I tried my best to shift my thoughts away.
"Huff…"
It is my turn to experience yet another torture. My little brother could not calm down. Her scent along with the existence of her yin qi fueled my desires further. All I can do is to put up distracting thoughts.
Yin Qi is a special type of energy belonging to women. It is a core component of a side art known as… Dual Cultivation.
Simply put, women emit them in-between sexual acts. If a man absorbs them, they will increase their cultivation. The same happens when a woman absorbs a man's yang qi. These energies appear whenever someone… climaxes.
If I…
If…
My mind kept flashing back to the pale blue yin qi and the damp feeling in my lower stomach.
A part of my mind gave up on that thought. I used my spiritual consciousness to attract the surrounding yin qi… and absorbed them into my crystal dantian.
A cool and refreshing feeling appeared in my body. It served to fuel my desires further…
…
I am so dumb!
With a thought, my consciousness entered the golden orb space. I did not hesitate to enter the Demon Arena. All of my frustrations and unfulfilled desires… I need to vent them out with combat!
The surroundings changed. A barren land appeared in my eyes. The cracked ground and withered trees foreshadowed the demon I am about to fight.
Screech-!
A sharp cry appeared above the skies. A bird whose entire body is made up of flames appeared.
Buzz-!
Its sheer presence sent a wave of unimaginable pressure to me. Its vastness is far incomparable to anything in the Purple Mansion Realm!
"Cough..!"
Blood spilled out of my mouth. I am injured by its surrounding pressure alone..!
[Heavenly Phoenix]
Qi Realm: Early Golden Core
Body Realm: Early Golden Core
Mental Realm: Early Golden Core
Traits: Possesses bloodline of a True Spirit-level phoenix; comprehended the Supernatural Power of Flames; has strong comprehension of the Dao of Flames; has notable vitality…
Like an ice-cold bucket of water, my burning lust dissipated. I entered the calm state I longed for earlier.
Golden Core Realm…
For a month, the demons I faced increased in strength. It was the late Purple Mansion Realm dragon, then the peak Purple Mansion Realm bear. The third one ten days ago is a peak Purple Mansion Realm wolf.
Now, it's an early Golden Core Realm Phoenix.
My pupils dilated. The sea of flames emerged all throughout the skies. Wherever my spiritual consciousness went, the skies were filled with nothing but scarlet red flames. The moment I touched it, my spiritual consciousness burned literally.
"Kkh..!"
A strong headache manifested in my head. A sense of crisis pressed down in my chest.
Looking at the boundless sea of flames that could drown several continents at once, I did not hesitate any longer.
I have three powers that pose a threat to Golden Core Demons: [True Form], [Sword Light Refraction], and [Herrscher Authority].
I learned from my previous mistakes. I always keep around 10,000 HW worth of honkai energy inside my body. It allows for instantaneous usage of my Herrscher Authority—comparable to one six-cored Sirin.
Should I create two strikes or a single empowered strike?
…
I made up my mind.
Swiftly, the [Beginningless Sword] appeared in my grasp. Its status as a fourth grade spiritual artifact elevated my output to another level. Even if I could not fully utilize its strengths, it is enough.
Everything I possess outside—down to current status—is perfectly replicated inside the Demon Arena. Pills consumed here won't be affected in real life, too.
I unhesitantly placed three pills inside my mouth, all for recovering the mind.
Crunch-!
"Fu…"
[True Form] was deployed first. I used it for its ultimate attack. Unexpectedly, something else happened.
The peak Purple Mansion Realm mental cultivation started to sublimate into something else. Only, it lacked a final push.
Hum-!
The [Sword Light Refraction] gave that final push.
The range of my spiritual consciousness did not change. But, its quality did. I could see a lot of things I could not see before. The dao rhymes present in the sea of flames danced like birds embodying freedom.
Their descent did not bring despair, but rather, a kind of liberation. It is the Dao of Life at work.
{Nine Nirvana Life Origin Flames}
Grade: Low Fourth Grade
Traits: Possesses the Dao of Life; sustained consecutive damage; possesses the Dao of Death; has a chance to sublimate to the Dao of Nirvana…
The innate spiritual flames of True Spirit Phoenixes at birth. It sports the Dao of Flames, Life, and Destruction—a three-fold combination that can deal with most people within the same realm.
Unfortunately for them, I can play with fire too.
Swoosh-!
Crackle-!
Pale blue flames surrounded my sword. It seeped deeply within it, merging into one.
Just when it was no longer visible, my Herscher Authority acted up.
Ten thousand HW worth of energy, all poured for this single strike.
[True Form]'s Ultimate Attack.
[Sword Light Refraction].
[Spiritual Flames].
[Herrscher Authority].
Four different powers coalesced into one. Held in front of my face is not a sword, but a pillar of pale blue flames.
Crackle-!
Zoom-!
The moment it was swung down, pale blue flames emerged out of thin air. They darted swiftly to the phoenix's location. The sea of flames could not hide it from my [Encompassing Eyes]. It is all thanks to my temporary upgrades.
{Mental Cultivation: Peak Purple Mansion > Early Golden Core}
{Dao of Causality: Supernatural Seed > Supernatural Power}
{Predicted Superimposed Power (4-Kinds): Middle Golden Core}
SCREECH-!
Its cries are as clear as the brightest day. A solid sensation was fed back to my hand.
Some of the [Nine Nirvana Life Origin Flames] dissipated after clashing with my attack. It revealed the phoenix's current state.
The several kilometer long pillar of pale blue flames struck its neck halfway through. Dao rhymes danced around its body, with the Dao of Life attempting to repair the damage.
Unfortunately, three Golden Core level powers are superimposed onto it. Its innate advantage as the holder of the True Spirit Bloodline could not work immediately.
"Ha..!"
Screech-!
The phoenix's physical body could no longer hold on. The flame pillar struck down diagonally to its neck, severing not only its body, but also its soul.
I swung my sword in an S-shape, determined to strike down even its most precious Demon Core.
Just then, the sea of flames submerged the ground. My physical body was not spared. My outfit was burned to ashes instantly. My skin started to get scorched, followed by my hair, eyes…
The pain…
I can't describe it.
All that's keeping me awake is the solid sensation fed back to my hands.
Crack-!
The moment I heard a snapping sound, I found myself back to the golden orb space.
Thud-!
"Huff..! Huff..!"
I lay down on the ground, sprawled over.
I leaned my head upwards and saw a huge hundred-kilometer body frozen by time.
I could no longer sustain my consciousness. I automatically came back to the real world where Kiana lay asleep atop me.
The last thing I saw was her drool dropping on my chest…
*****
A/N: Sometimes, we have certain motivations in life that push us to our utmost limits...