Chapter Forty-Five: Hurry and Take It Off

Ning Xianyu wanted to take a bath, but she couldn’t do it in front of so many people, which left her feeling quite conflicted. In the end, she could only sulkily find a room to rest in.

Before she could get there, however, Xuan Yuan Tunhan grabbed her. “Come.”

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer, simply pulling her along.

Seeing them about to leave, Yi Tianling hurried over in alarm, “Seniors, I have something to discuss. Where are you two going?”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan replied coldly, “I know what you want to say—save it. We’ll be back soon.”

With that, he strode off, dragging Ning Xianyu with him. She only had time to hastily bid Yi Tianling farewell before she was whisked away.

Yi Tianling was left bewildered by their behavior. Saba, reeking of alcohol, staggered over and slapped his shoulder with a laugh. “You really are clueless. Obviously, they’re off to enjoy a little privacy—why are you trying to follow?”

“Enjoy?” Yi Tianling asked, even more confused. What pleasure could there possibly be here in the demon realm?

Saba leaned in and whispered a string of explanations. Realization dawned on Yi Tianling, and his cheeks flushed. “Ah. That was my mistake, then.”

Meanwhile, Ning Xianyu had no idea what was going on, but simply followed Xuan Yuan Tunhan wherever he led.

They soon arrived at a secluded spot beyond the city. Here stood a towering mountain, bristling with peculiar rocks and lush with flora unique to the demon realm. Many of the trees bore bright red fruits that looked delicious. Ning Xianyu quickly asked her system which ones were safe to eat.

The system, exasperated, explained each one to her: “That one over there is safe, this one too, and that one as well—hey, wait, you picked the wrong one. That one’s male and can’t be eaten.”

On a single tree, the fruits were actually divided male and female? The females were edible, but not the males—what sense did that make?

The system replied, “If you eat the male fruit, needles will grow in your stomach and kill you.”

Terrified, Ning Xianyu immediately tossed the fruit aside and dared not touch it again. She picked only the ones the system said were safe, tucking them away in her storage pouch to enjoy slowly later.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan, watching her madly gather fruit, found it baffling. She had long since mastered fasting and no longer needed food, so why was she still so greedy, and endlessly at that?

“Hurry up. Don’t waste time.”

Ning Xianyu reluctantly retracted her hands and hurried to follow him.

They soon reached the mountaintop, where a vast lake awaited them. The water was crimson and bubbled continuously.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan dipped some water to inspect it, then set up a barrier and began undressing.

“W-what are you doing?” Ning Xianyu squeaked, covering her eyes. “Ancestor, what are you up to?”

Why was he suddenly stripping? Had he finally succumbed to her irresistible charm?

Xuan Yuan Tunhan seemed utterly unconcerned, continuing to undress with a look of disdain.

“Your body is now my body. What do you think I’m going to do to myself? Stop dawdling—undress and get in.”

His reasoning was, admittedly, quite sound.

Even so, after so long apart, Ning Xianyu could not accept exposing her body like this, especially in front of Xuan Yuan Tunhan.

“Ancestor, can’t we do this separately, or at least keep our clothes on?”

He had already shed his clothes and entered the lake, pointing at a nearby boulder which promptly disintegrated into powder. Amid the rising dust, he asked calmly, “Would you rather die or undress?”

Well, she definitely didn’t want to die.

Gritting her teeth, Ning Xianyu reasoned that since they’d already seen everything, seeing it again hardly mattered. She quickly removed her clothes and, mustering her courage, jumped into the lake.

The splash she made was so big that even Xuan Yuan Tunhan frowned in annoyance. She hurriedly submerged herself, leaving only her eyes above water, blinking anxiously.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan was once again disgusted. “Don’t make those expressions with my body.”

She immediately surfaced, gazing at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Ancestor, what made you think to come here to bathe?”

The water was pleasantly warm, like a hot spring. It enveloped her in comfort, a luxury she’d missed after so many days of relying on cleansing spells. At last, she truly felt clean. Yet with Xuan Yuan Tunhan right there, she dared not scrub herself too vigorously.

If only she had someone to give her a full scrub, front and back, that would be pure bliss.

“Hey, system, you tricked me with those glasses last time. You owe me. Find me something that can scrub my back automatically.”

The system found her request absurd. “I have a massage chair, but would you even dare use it?”

“Why not? Give it to me and I’ll find an excuse.”

The system replied, “It needs to be plugged in. Put it in water and it’ll short out. Besides, it’s only for massages, not for scrubbing.”

“Then why bring it up?” Ning Xianyu retorted, thinking aloud. “Once I’m powerful enough, I’ll recruit a whole retinue—one to massage me, one to feed me, and another to help me turn over.”

The system was about to go mad. She needed someone to help her turn over? Fine, let her become powerful and see for herself.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan leaned against a rock at the lake’s edge, eyes closed, utterly silent. Ning Xianyu didn’t know that he was savoring a rare moment of spiritual tranquility.

This lake had guiding properties, able to wash away bodily impurities and temper the physique—an incredible benefit for someone of Ning Xianyu’s meager cultivation.

The essence of the Nine-Petal Epiphyllum she exuded could be channeled through the lake, purifying a portion of his inner demons—a double boon.

He quietly cultivated for a while, soon raising Ning Xianyu’s body to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Suddenly, the system exclaimed, “Host, your body has leveled up!”

Ning Xianyu touched herself in confusion. “Leveled up? How?”

She felt nothing different.

The system sighed in frustration. “Not this body—your original one. The Demon Lord helped you cultivate it to Foundation Establishment.”

“Truly worthy of being the Ancestor of the Jade Immortal Sect. Look at his cultivation speed, then look at yours. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Ning Xianyu cautiously sensed toward Xuan Yuan Tunhan and indeed felt her original body’s improvement. The Demon Lord really was formidable—he’d already helped her reach Foundation Establishment.

“If he could get me to the Divine Transformation stage, then once I got my body back, I could sweep across the Six Realms of Yunhuang.”

Cultivators in the Six Realms were few and far between at the Divine Transformation level. Even Du Juezi was only at the late stage, let alone beyond that.

If she reached Divine Transformation, she could easily become a Peak Elder at the Jade Immortal Sect.

She giggled to herself at the thought.

The system dashed her hopes. “Others cultivate for thousands or tens of thousands of years and may never reach Divine Transformation. You think half a month is enough? Not even the Demon Lord could manage that.”

Ning Xianyu rolled her eyes, finding cultivation exhausting. She really didn’t want to try anymore.

As she mused, a ripple suddenly spread around Xuan Yuan Tunhan, lingering on the surface.

“Am I seeing things? Has he already reached the Golden Core stage?”