"Mister Gustave," Tu Shanyan purred, pressing one delicate hand against her heaving chest, "you've frightened this poor woman so terribly that my heart is racing..."
She leaned closer with calculated sensuality, her rain-soaked robes clinging to every curve.
Over a thousand years old and calling herself a 'poor woman,' Gustave thought wryly. I'm not even a fraction of her age.
Despite his mental commentary, his body proved refreshingly honest about the situation. As the old saying went: when opportunity knocked, only fools refused to answer.
When Tu Shanyan pressed against him, Gustave wrapped his arms around her willingly, his hand finding her exposed arm where his lightning had burned away her sleeve. The skin was impossibly soft and warm despite the storm.
Tu Shanyan's body tensed as if struck by electricity, but remembering her seduction strategy, she forced herself to continue the charade.
"Brother Gustave," she whispered breathlessly, "I'm soaked through from this terrible rain. I'm so cold..."
She rubbed against him with practiced artistry, her body molding to his with supernatural grace.
"Really? Then come closer," Gustave replied smoothly, tightening his embrace. "I'm quite warm."
Tu Shanyan's figure was every bit as magnificent as it appeared—perfectly proportioned, radiating an intoxicating heat that had nothing to do with temperature. Holding her felt like embracing concentrated temptation itself.
What Gustave didn't notice was Tu Shanyan gritting her teeth behind her seductive smile. Every fiber of her being screamed to abandon this humiliating act and simply tear him apart—though she'd conveniently forgotten that physical force had already proven ineffective.
Just as Gustave prepared to escalate their intimate encounter, golden light blazed across the mountainside.
"Ahem," came Zhang Zhiwei's distinctly amused voice. "Please, don't let me interrupt. Pretend I saw nothing at all."
The elderly Taoist master had felt the massive energy fluctuations from Gustave's battle and assumed his friend faced mortal danger. After taking leave from General Cai E, he'd rushed to provide assistance—only to discover Gustave engaged in a very different sort of combat entirely.
"Ah, haha," Gustave stammered, immediately releasing Tu Shanyan and stepping back. "She was cold from the rain, so I was just... helping warm her up!"
His cheeks burned with embarrassment. Any pretense of dignity had just evaporated in front of the Heavenly Master.
"Of course, of course," Zhang Zhiwei said with obvious amusement. "Young people will be young people. I'm not some prudish old fossil."
His tone carried enough innuendo to make Gustave wish the mountain would swallow him whole.
"Ha... haha..." was all Gustave could manage in response.
Tu Shanyan, meanwhile, had used the interruption to carefully assess their new arrival. During the day, she'd dismissed him as an ordinary Taoist priest. Now, sensing the power radiating from Zhang Zhiwei's presence, she realized her mistake. This old man's spiritual energy dwarfed even Gustave's impressive capabilities.
How can such a terrifyingly powerful being exist in the mortal realm? she wondered with growing alarm. Why hasn't he ascended to the celestial courts?
Her memories of the previous year's battle with the Fat Doll demon had focused entirely on Gustave's Thunder Giant. Zhang Zhiwei's participation had somehow escaped her notice—a oversight that now left her completely unprepared for his true strength.
Faced with such overwhelming power, Tu Shanyan abandoned all thoughts of further mischief and remained perfectly still.
"Speaking of which," Zhang Zhiwei continued after enjoying Gustave's discomfort, "I sensed considerable energy fluctuations from this direction. Did you encounter hostile forces?"
"Oui," Gustave replied, grateful for the change of subject. "I had a... spirited disagreement with Lady Tu Shanyan here."
Zhang Zhiwei opened his mouth to ask how a fight had led to such intimate embraces when a different kind of energy signature blazed across his supernatural senses—something ancient, malevolent, and growing stronger by the moment.
"Merde!" Gustave exclaimed, recognizing the same ominous aura. "Something's gone wrong!"
Without further explanation, he dissolved into crackling electricity and streaked toward Lin Jiu's location. Zhang Zhiwei transformed into golden light and followed, leaving Tu Shanyan alone in the rain.
The fox immortal's eyes narrowed as she considered her options. Her clothing dried instantly with a subtle application of spiritual energy before she set off in pursuit, curiosity overriding caution.
The scene that greeted Gustave was far worse than his worst fears.
Lin Jiu, Simu, Qianhe, and all four of Qianhe's disciples lay scattered across the muddy ground. Only Simu remained conscious, though his body had clearly been pushed beyond all reasonable limits. The others showed no signs of movement.
At the center of the devastation stood the creature that had once been Prince Jingwu. Green-tinged flesh stretched over unnaturally swollen muscles, while two massive fangs—each as long as elephant tusks—protruded from his gaping mouth. The noble prince had become something from humanity's darkest nightmares.
The moment Gustave arrived, those predatory eyes fixed on him with disturbing intelligence.
"You... all... should... die," the zombie intoned in a voice like grinding stone. "You... all... should... die..."
Each word emerged with obvious effort, but the fact that he could speak at all sent chills down Gustave's spine.
"My god," Zhang Zhiwei said grimly as he materialized beside Gustave. "That creature is approaching Ba status. Speech is the precursor—once he can communicate fluently, he'll become a true drought demon."
"Ba?" Gustave's eyes widened with alarm. "How did Prince Jingwu evolve so rapidly? When I checked earlier, Lin Jiu and the others were holding their own!"
"We can debate the cause later," Zhang Zhiwei said urgently. "If we don't stop his transformation now, this entire region will become a wasteland within days."
Gustave suddenly noticed what his battle with Tu Shanyan had prevented him from observing earlier—the storm had completely ceased. Worse, all vegetation within a hundred-meter radius of the zombie prince had withered to brown husks.
"Taoist Tiantong," Gustave said reluctantly, "I exhausted considerable energy during my fight with Tu Shanyan. I can only provide support this time."
The aura emanating from the transformed Prince Jingwu felt comparable to Gustave's own power at full strength. In his current depleted state, direct confrontation would be suicide.
"Understood," Zhang Zhiwei nodded. "Stand back—I'll handle this."
The Heavenly Master raised his hand, calling down a massive lightning bolt that struck the zombie with devastating force. Instead of damage, however, the creature's aura intensified dramatically.
"Careful..." Simu gasped weakly from the ground. "King Jingwu... absorbs thunder... I summoned our ancestor... used lightning techniques... made him stronger... cough..."
Having delivered his warning, Simu's artificially enhanced physique finally gave out. He collapsed unconscious beside his fellow disciples.
"Thunder absorption," Zhang Zhiwei muttered grimly. "That complicates things considerably."
Without his preferred lightning techniques, the elderly master's combat effectiveness would drop significantly.
"Taoist Tiantong, let me evacuate the wounded first," Gustave said, extending his Observation Haki to assess the casualties.
Lin Jiu's group had all suffered severe injuries but remained alive. The imperial escort had fared worse—only Minister Wu and the unconscious Seventy-First Prince showed signs of life among the scattered bodies.
"D'accord."
Gustave gestured with both hands, his electromagnetic field lifting all nine survivors into the air simultaneously. They floated behind him like a small parade of the wounded.
Prince Jingwu's intelligent eyes tracked the rescue operation, clearly understanding Gustave's intentions. However, Zhang Zhiwei's overwhelming presence demanded his full