Chapter 267: I’m Really Trying My Best Here! |
Frost clung to the branches in the courtyard. The steam rising from the teacups couldn’t dispel the chill in the air.
Cultivators at the Core Formation Realm and above could easily withstand the winter cold if they wished. Their internal energy would dispel the chill.
However, the moment Yao Meng spoke, Mu Zhi’an felt a cold sweat break out on his back, a chill running down his spine despite the cold weather.
Gong Lianyue narrowed her eyes, observing the fairy from the Jade Pool Holy Land. “If I remember correctly, countless talented individuals pursued you before you achieved Dao Integration, but you rejected them all. And now that you’ve reached Dao Integration, you’ve set your sights on a mere young cultivator?” she said, her voice laced with a hint of mockery.
“Or could it be that the first Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool, revered by all, prefers someone much younger than herself?”
Mu Zhi’an had always thought Yao Meng was a gentle and peaceful fairy who avoided conflict. However, it seemed she had a hidden dark side. She glanced at him, as if saying: You’re quite popular, aren’t you?
Then, she looked away and chuckled. “Love has nothing to do with cultivation level. I’m not like you, choosing him as my Dao Companion just for his Innate Celestial Furnace constitution. We simply share a mutual affection.”
Her simple words subtly mocked Gong Lianyue’s impure motives, implying: You don’t love him. You’re just attracted to his body. You’re pathetic!
Gong Lianyue raised an eyebrow, the golden swords behind her vibrating slightly, causing the frost on the branches outside to shatter and drift into the pavilion like snowflakes.
“And you reconstructed your body using his Innate Celestial Furnace.”
She looked into Yao Meng’s eyes.
“Is that what you call ‘mutual affection’?”
The atmosphere in the pavilion turned frigid. Mu Zhi’an froze, his heart pounding.
This is bad. They’re really going to fight. If they do, I’ll be caught in the crossfire… Mu Zhi’an felt a sense of impending doom, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He suddenly missed the little ‘fish’ in his pond… They might bicker among themselves, but he could always handle them individually afterwards.
But these two were experienced Empresses. They would be difficult to appease, and he might even be locked up in a dark room if he wasn’t careful.
Yao Meng glanced at Mu Zhi’an, her melodious voice echoing softly through the pavilion. “Whether we share a mutual affection or not is none of your business.”
She turned to Mu Zhi’an, her lips parting slightly, her green eyes filled with an indescribable allure, a hint of redness at the corners adding to her charm.
She smiled. “What do you think, Mu Lang?”
Her voice, laced with a special Dao Rhyme, was incredibly captivating, but Mu Zhi’an felt a chill run down his spine.
The pressure was on him now.
A beautiful smile, both pure and seductive, appeared on Gong Lianyue’s face. “The dignified Jade Empress using the Jade Pool’s Dao Rhyme to seduce a young cultivator at the Core Formation Realm… If word gets out, it would be a laughingstock throughout the Nine Realms,” she said calmly.
Yao Meng chuckled. “The Jade Pool’s Dao calms the mind. It’s not meant for seduction. I’m more concerned about whether you used the Nine-Tailed Fox’s charm on Mu Lang.”
The Nine-Tailed Fox’s charm…? Mu Zhi’an instinctively glanced at Gong Lianyue.
Speaking of which, Ruoxi possessed the characteristics of a ‘Three-Tailed Fox’, inherited from Bai Yuanfeng.
However, Gong Lianyue didn’t exhibit any demonic cultivator traits…
After a moment of thought, Mu Zhi’an understood.
Bai Ruoxi was indeed Bai Yuanfeng’s daughter, but she was also a special existence, born as Gong Lianyue’s ‘scabbard’.
If she cultivated to the peak, perhaps she could become the first cultivator in the Nine Realms to possess two souls within one body, both the demonic and human consciousnesses achieving Dao Integration.
As Mu Zhi’an’s mind raced, Gong Lianyue’s gaze fell upon him.
“Mu Lang, do you remember what you promised me?”
Her black dress accentuated her fair and flawless skin, her figure as alluring as Bai Ruoxi’s.
The glowing swords behind her silently unfolded, her eyes filled with tenderness. Mu Zhi’an felt as if he were looking at Bai Ruoxi.
Then, his heart skipped a beat as he realized what she was referring to.
Back in the Sword Palace, under those complicated circumstances, he had promised to break things off with the other women…
He had planned to delay it, waiting for the ‘fish’ in his pond to mature, assuming Gong Lianyue wouldn’t wake up so soon.
But now…
She had been awakened by the black box left behind by the Primordial Witch.
And Yao Meng had also been awakened…
However, as a competent fish pond master, even in the most urgent situations, he had to maintain his composure… Mu Zhi’an knew this well.
He coughed lightly and tried to appease her. “I’ll handle it properly, Master. Don’t worry.”
However, Gong Lianyue wasn’t fooled. She looked at him with a smile. “So you’re saying you’ll sever your ties with the Jade Empress and focus on cultivating with me?”
“If that’s the case, it’s settled,” she said with a gentle smile, glancing at Yao Meng.
A cold glint flashed in Yao Meng’s eyes as she turned to look at Mu Zhi’an with a smile.
Mu Zhi’an: “…”
Dao Integration cultivators were rare in this world. Moreover, with the changes in the laws of heaven and earth, they rarely fought each other. Therefore, the Nine Realms were dominated by Nascent Soul cultivators.
However, just because Dao Integration cultivators rarely fought didn’t mean they could be ignored.
After all, if they were angered, even with the restrictions imposed by the heavens, they would still take action to suppress their enemies.
Therefore, having a Dao Integration expert meant a faction’s status would rise significantly.
And as Dao Integration cultivators, they often encountered each other. Although Gong Lianyue had never spoken to the Jade Empress before, they were both aware of each other’s existence.
After all, both the Sword Palace and the Jade Pool Holy Land were top factions in the past.
However, they had always maintained a peaceful coexistence.
And now, because of Mu Zhi’an, conflict had arisen between them…
In a sense, Mu Zhi’an, the ‘Chosen Female Lead’, was truly a troublemaker.
Gong Lianyue’s gaze fell upon him, and the golden sword behind her transformed into nine glowing blades, fanning out, radiating a terrifying aura.
Yao Meng smiled faintly, her confidence unwavering.
Behind her, the Pure World Azure Lotus emitted a faint green glow, radiating an aura of peace.
This seemingly peaceful lotus had caused headaches for many Dao Integration cultivators in the past.
It could seal a person’s Spiritual Energy, a truly formidable ability.
However, Gong Lianyue’s sword could transform into 108 glowing blades. If they fought, the outcome was uncertain.
Mu Zhi’an realized that both the Sword Palace Master and the Jade Empress were domineering women. The Jade Empress, like an ethereal fairy, seemed approachable and gentle, but she was actually distant and possessive, seemingly enjoying ‘cuckolding’ others.
And the Sword Palace Master was also incredibly possessive. Combined with Yao Meng’s earlier ‘provocation’, the situation had escalated.
Now, he was caught between them… No matter how he answered, it would be wrong.
If it were just one of them, he could simply sweet-talk his way out… But now, that wasn’t an option.
In fact, he couldn’t even use voice transmission.
After all, who knew if these two powerful beings possessed methods to intercept it?
Feeling their gazes upon him, Mu Zhi’an took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
He opened his mouth, about to speak.
Suddenly, Yao Meng, as if sensing something, turned to look at Wei Mengrou, her brows furrowing slightly.
Mu Zhi’an followed her gaze. Wei Mengrou, dressed in a yellow dress, her figure slender and graceful, was holding the peach blossom from the black box, her eyes unfocused, as if she were in a daze.
And the black mist emanating from the peach blossom was silently enveloping her.
Within the mist, he could faintly hear the sound of chains colliding.
“What’s that sound?” Mu Zhi’an asked instinctively.
Gong Lianyue’s gaze also fell upon Wei Mengrou, her eyes flickering.
There was something strange about the peach blossom in her hand.
It contained something… and that something was now attaching itself to Wei Mengrou.
“Mengrou…?” Mu Zhi’an called out tentatively, a strange feeling washing over him.
This woman clearly wasn’t Wei Mengrou, but some entity from the black box!
However, her consciousness seemed very weak.
Yao Meng’s eyes narrowed. “It’s the Primordial Witch… but her consciousness, having been attached to someone else for so long, has been eroded by time. This is just a fragment of her will,” she murmured.
The peach blossom within the black box contained a fragment of the Primordial Witch’s will, and this will was now attaching itself to Wei Mengrou, seemingly wanting to fulfill a wish from her past life.
Mu Zhi’an’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at his maid.
A fragment of will, eroded by time, reappearing in the world after ten thousand years, simply to convey a message to someone important… And after that, if this will disappeared, perhaps the Primordial Witch would truly cease to exist.
Thinking of this, Mu Zhi’an felt a pang of sadness, his gaze towards Wei Mengrou filled with sympathy.
Although he didn’t know why she was connected to the Primordial Witch, it seemed the Primordial Witch held no malice towards them. Once her will was fulfilled, this remnant soul attached to Wei Mengrou would probably disappear completely.
Yao Meng frowned slightly as she saw the ‘Primordial Witch’ walking towards Mu Zhi’an.
For some reason, this scene felt familiar.
Gong Lianyue narrowed her eyes, staring at Wei Mengrou, the glowing blades behind her vibrating, ready to strike.
She could tell that this fragment of the Primordial Witch’s will was targeting Mu Zhi’an!
But what was she planning…?
The two Empresses watched Wei Mengrou intently, their eyes filled with suspicion.
Under their gazes, Wei Mengrou finally reached Mu Zhi’an.
She looked up at him, her beautiful face filled with a hint of longing.
“I’ve finally found you,” she said softly, her voice filled with nostalgia.
“Do you know me—”
Before Mu Zhi’an could finish speaking, Wei Mengrou placed a hand on the back of his head.
Then, as his eyes widened in shock, she tilted her head and, under Yao Meng and Gong Lianyue’s stunned gazes, pressed her cold, soft lips against his.
Only the sound of the wind and the falling snow filled the pavilion.