He remembered... and as he looked at her face, tucked against his neck with her sugary breath brushing his bare skin and drops of her saliva falling upon him, he began to recall everything that had happened over the past five days. It was a journey that had pushed him to the brink of madness every single second. At every moment, danger surrounded him—both from within and without.
This girl never granted him a moment's peace. She was constantly trying to invade his space, staying so close to him they were like conjoined twins or lovers who could not bear to part.
He hadn't slept a full hour without waking up ten times just to ensure she wasn't forcing his virginity into her. The anxiety, the insomnia, the fear of monsters, and the endless, grueling vigils...
Bargaining for food, everything was traded for sex. Even staring into thin air had become undeniably dangerous.
These experiences had brought him to the edge; he was nearly broken.
Even if he thought of escaping, he would remember the dozens of heads she brought back every day to warn him of the perils outside.
The inside had become a monster in the form of lust, and the outside held a lethal beast. A man's emotions were as fragile as paper.
He did not want to lose himself or drown with the Phoenix; the Phoenix had to remain chaste. The only thing keeping his mind from rotting was the points he gathered to obtain the item that could protect him. He knew she could protect him until they left the mountain, but she always told him, quite illogically:
"I am far too weak to defeat all the monsters and leave the mountain... why don't you help me a little?"
And that "help," of course, was anything but kind.
On that day, Morse succeeded. He succeeded... somehow, he managed to overcome all of this. Now, she would be the one to follow him, for she needed his Dual Cultivation points.
She would follow him like a fool. She would see who was truly in control here.
Morse rose from the bed, pushing her body away from him. He stood up straight, splashing his face with water.
"I will finally be free."
He put on his spatial ring.
While he was gathering his belongings, she woke up, sensing that the sweet scent of Yang she loved so much had moved away. When she opened her eyes, she found Morse packing his things, his face devoid of any expression.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He turned his face toward her; he looked completely indifferent, with dark circles surrounding his lifeless eyes. Morse had realized something while living here: a family that devours you is better than a girl who exploits you.
Even though exhaustion was gnawing at him, and he was ready to collapse and sleep for a lifetime, he had to get off the mountain first.
"It's dangerous outside! Why are you so impatient? Do you want to end up in the mouth of some monster? Why don't you realize that in just two weeks, I'll have finished off half the monsters? If only you had helped me, you wouldn't be in this state."
As if she weren't even speaking, Morse gathered all his things and walked out after opening the door.
"Follow me."
He said it in a calm but clear voice. It came with a slow rhythm because he felt too tired even to speak. If she couldn't protect them, he could.
"You are putting your life and mine at risk! What if we are attacked? Can you protect us?"
"Do you mean me alone? Then no... but if you mean us..."
Suddenly, beside him, a tall metallic structure appeared. It had a curved back, slender legs, and carried a colossal sword. It was a giant robot, the likes of which had never been seen before.
"Then we shall lay waste to all the monsters."
The first word that flashed in the girl's mind was: Damn it. When did he get this thing? What Morse didn't know was that Ni Ni Layan did not possess the "Shop" feature. She believed that this system was only meant to collect points and advance to higher ranks easily. Collecting points was extremely simple for her; just one hour near Morse granted her 100 points. She was now at the Fifth Level of True Qi Condensation, needing another 266 points to reach 1,500 and ascend to the Sixth Level.
She wondered to herself: When did this man build a machine of this size? He was under her constant watch. Where did he get the resources?
Is he some kind of genius? She tried to probe the robot with her divine senses, only to find it contained a type of highly advanced technology that even those in the Upper World could not replicate.
He felt it... footsteps approaching from behind, the sound of harsh, quick movements. His fingers trembled, and his pupils dilated. His throat went dry as he tried to walk calmly, desperate not to show his panic.
He opened his spatial ring, and from the light emerged the hilt that Morse had already gripped. He infused his energy into the sword and began channeled the Xuan Family technique through it in his mind.
His body appeared upright and majestic, standing tall... his mind was shaken, but he projected the complete opposite.
Suddenly, an object was hurled from behind, flying straight toward the robot. It was a rock.
Without the slightest hesitation, the robot shifted its mechanical shield and swung its torso around... with its giant hand, it struck and shattered the incoming rock into pieces.
Morse smiled as he gazed at his massive, towering guardian.
Suddenly, an invisible shadow attacked him—a giant, formless silhouette. But with lightning speed, the robot's hand struck first. It delivered a powerful blow that sent the dark figure reeling backward.
"Hahaha! Do you see now? Do you see, Ni Ni? This is the power of technology! I don't need your help from now on! Hahaha!" Morse was on the verge of losing his mind with joy.
But the dark shadow returned, launching a barrage of attacks on the robot from every direction. However, the robot, with its heavy sword, moved with surprising agility, parrying every strike.
"Untouchable... you stupid monster!"
As if the beast understood his words, it attacked even faster. But it was futile. This robot possessed the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—a realm that should have been far beyond this monster's reach.
Yet, as if refusing to accept defeat, the monster began using strange stealth techniques, vanishing and then lunging from beneath the earth. Still, it was useless. Morse smiled, gripping his sword, ready to strike the dark beast from a blind spot. But before he knew it, he was struck by the shadow. For a brief second, he noticed something strange—the shadow had odd lumps that looked like bowling balls. Does this monster have tumors on its chest?
Morse was knocked aside.
After he was hit, the robot instantly switched from protection mode to attack mode, becoming fiercely aggressive. It began raining blows from every side, strikes capable of mowing down the grass and leveling the earth. But this monster was supernatural at dodging; it evaded every move with incredible grace.
Morse lay on the ground, staring at the battle, lurking and watching. When he noticed the beast starting to tire, he bared his teeth and lunged with all his might, pouring his soul into his sword.
As the monster noticed him, the robot was also about to deliver a finishing blow at the same time. But wait... what was this?
"Blue Flame!"
The dark figure erupted in light. Wings manifested, glowing with an aura of blue flames that seemed capable of both burning and freezing anything in its path. As the robot's strike landed, the wings sliced the mechanical sword in half. A beak and a head formed, followed by the slender body of a bird made of legendary blue fire, which completely swallowed the robot.
The radiant bird, with its mythical flames, looked directly into Morse's eyes.
"Will you keep staring? Your little toy is gone."
Ni Ni Layan... She was behind it all this time? Damn her! That explained why no monsters were ever seen near the cave—because the true monster had been right in front of him all along.
"This is unforgivable... this can never be forgiven!"
Morse launched a desperate, hopeless attack on the Phoenix, his heart heavy with the weight of her deception.
As the couple's skirmish ended, morning dawned. In a hotel lobby, a receptionist was preparing her ginger drink, smiling at visitors as she began her routine day.
"Hello, we would like a room with one bed."
Before her stood a girl in serene white robes adorned with star patterns and wide sleeves. She had a strikingly attractive, slender body, long legs, and thick, long white hair. Her face was more beautiful than any fairy in the world, with piercing golden eyes.
What was truly strange, however, was that she was carrying a man on her back. He was covered in wounds across his entire body, moaning in pain.
"Is he alright? Are you two... a couple?"
Ni Ni Layan looked at Morse's face resting on her shoulder.
"Hmm... it seems he just needs some rest."