Chapter 76: Arrival at the Imperial Capital
Above the night sky, a silver moon hung high, its faint moonlight blanketing the land, dispelling some of the darkness.
Inside a private room in an inn.
Yao Yan sat cross-legged on the floor in meditation, hands forming seals, his body surrounded by a faint misty aura that flowed through his body with each breath. His aura steadily grew stronger, inching toward the level of a Two-Star Da Dou Shi. It had been nearly a month since he broke through to One-Star Da Dou Shi, and through a month of alchemy, the Dou Qi in his body had been refined to its peak.
For him, cultivation was never difficult. The real challenge was mastering every ounce of strength in his body.
Ding~
A crisp sound seemed to echo from the Dou Crystal inside his body, like the clinking of crystal. At the moment it rang out, Yao Yan's aura surged dramatically before gradually returning to calm.
There was no so-called bottleneck—everything had gone smoothly, naturally.
Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes. Within his dark pupils, golden flames rose up. They quickly dissipated, and as he felt the increase in Dou Qi within his body, he clenched his fists and chuckled softly, "Two-Star Da Dou Shi, not bad speed."
With a flip of his palm, he took out a sixth-grade Body Tempering Pill from his storage ring and swallowed it, then closed his eyes again to refine the medicinal power while cultivating the Indestructible Vajra Body and refining the spatial energy within him.
The spatial power left in his body from the spatial storm hadn't fully dissipated. It still needed to be refined with blood and Qi for some time. During this process, however, his cultivation of the Indestructible Vajra Body had significantly accelerated. The silver energy circulating around his body became denser, even showing signs of forming a continuous layer.
The only downside was the excruciating pain during the refining process, comparable to having his flesh sliced off piece by piece and repeatedly torn apart.
Just as Hun Xu Zi had said—there were never true shortcuts to becoming stronger. Even if you were given the smoothest path, how far you could go and whether you could stand at the peak depended entirely on your own effort, your struggle, your resolve!
On the bed beside him—
Caidie lay bored, propping her chin up with one hand, lazily teasing Ling'er with a jade-like finger. Her alluring snake tail swayed idly, and her gaze occasionally drifted toward Yao Yan. Seeing him constantly in a cultivation state, she bit her lip in frustration and disappointment, realizing she didn't seem to have much appeal to him.
She had even gotten excited earlier, thinking something might happen since they were sharing a room. But as soon as Yao Yan entered, he sat down and started cultivating.
If he wasn't making pills, he was cultivating…
"Is cultivation really that fun?"
She murmured softly, pouting, and gave Yao Yan a resentful glance.
But the man had his eyes closed, completely ignoring her, fully immersed in his training, deaf to the world around him.
Yao Yan was certainly no saint. He was well aware that Caidie had feelings for him, but beauty could easily corrode the heart—especially in youth, when it was most addictive. He had no doubt that if he dared to do anything tonight, things would spiral out of control.
Caidie might even be the one to suggest it...
Some things were just addictive—once you started, you couldn't stop. It had nothing to do with self-control, but everything to do with the body's influence.
Everyone has been young once, and if he had the chance, he would've proven his second brotherhood was unmatched under the heavens.
Otherwise, he'd dig a crater into the earth!
As for rejection—
If Caidie were to say, "Do you love me? If you love me, then love me already," how could he say no?!
With great ambitions ahead, how could a true man be lost to indulgence in beauty?
Yao Yan knew he couldn't afford to start down that path. Caidie was a little naive—he had to stay rational. Besides, he wasn't even sure if he could resist the charm of Queen Medusa. That aphrodisiac-like allure to men could ignite a fire in his belly just from a glance, and that was when she wasn't even trying.
If things really got physical, he'd have to give his all just to keep up.
And now, with his body's astonishing recovery ability and thriving vitality—right in the prime of youth—it was all too easy to slip into a state of infinite stamina!
Historically, Lao Ai stayed in bed with Zhao Ji for seven days straight. In the Dou Qi Continent… wouldn't that be seven or eight months?
Wasting time on such matters during the most golden age of cultivation was practically a crime!
"Hmph, ignore me then! Ling'er, let's sleep. We won't bother him!"
Caidie pouted, scooped up the dazed Ling'er into her arms, and turned over, closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"Ying ying?"
Ling'er pawed about, but couldn't escape. She blinked her innocent eyes helplessly at Yao Yan, but he was still in deep meditation, leaving her to fend for herself.
...
Time passed quietly.
When the first ray of sunlight shone into the room, Yao Yan finally opened his eyes—only to be met with a view of smooth white skin, plump curves, and flawless, exquisite features.
The most striking thing was the alluring snake tail hanging limply, its scales shimmering with a captivating glow, giving the scene an exotic charm.
The natural allure of it stirred an indescribable impulse.
Yao Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath, trying to suppress the flame rising in his abdomen.
Unfortunately, he failed to do so, and couldn't even straighten his back.
The Medusa bloodline was truly outrageous… Yao Yan inwardly complained, then closed his eyes again to meditate, trying not to lose control first thing in the morning. Honestly, this was a top-tier way to train one's mental discipline—probably a unique privilege on the entire Dou Qi Continent. Blissful yet torturous.
About half an hour later, Caidie finally rubbed her eyes and sat up, sleepily looking at Yao Yan. Without a care about her disheveled state, she mumbled, "Young Master, you're up so early."
At that moment, Yao Yan was studying a map by the window. Hearing her, he glanced at the carefree Caidie and said, "Breakfast is on the table. Once you're done, we'll head out."
"Oh~"
Caidie responded, twisting her waist and snake tail as she got up to wash and eat.
Once she'd filled her belly, she returned to Yao Yan's side. Her bright eyes blinked as she stared at his face. When Yao Yan gave her a puzzled look, she earnestly said, "Young Master, you look best without the mask."
"If you have that much energy, focus it on cultivation instead. Don't you want to integrate into the human world? Once you reach Dou Zong, your tail will become legs. Then you can go anywhere you like."
Yao Yan tapped her forehead lightly as he spoke.
Caidie held her head in both hands, adorably glaring at him and softly protested, "Young Master, can't you just talk without hitting my head? I'll hit back, you know!"
"That over-the-shoulder throw of yours was impressive."
Yao Yan complimented her on her previous move—it had been so smooth he hadn't even seen it coming.
Caidie boasted proudly, "My sister taught me that!"
"Enough showing off, let's go~" Yao Yan checked the sky and said softly, "We're not far from the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. At our pace, even slow, we'll be there in about three hours."
"Then wait a sec~"
Caidie replied, pulling out a black robe she bought yesterday from her storage ring and draped it over herself, completely hiding her snake tail. She also took out the bamboo hat Yao Yan gave her and put it on, concealing everything. With a bright smile, she said, "Now I won't cause you any trouble."
Yao Yan froze for a moment, then a trace of warmth flashed in his eyes. "Trust me. Soon, you won't have to hide anymore."
Caidie didn't understand.
Yao Yan didn't explain either. Purple Cloud Wings appeared on his back, and he shot into the sky from the window in a streak of light. "Let's go."
Caidie hugged Ling'er tightly and followed right after.
The two of them flew toward the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire.
...
...
The imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire, also known as Jia Ma Holy City, was the empire's only super-sized city. Located in the northern province of the empire, it lay beside a majestic mountain range resembling a coiled dragon, exuding faint, surging spiritual energy.
The Jia Ma Empire's strongest sect, Yunlan Sect, was situated there.
At that moment, within the sect.
An elder stared at a dignified and graceful woman and asked, "Have you found the cause?"
"Teacher, so far we only know it's related to the Magic Beast Mountain Range. As for the rest, the royal family of the Jia Ma Empire has silenced everything. No news has leaked. If we want more details, we might have to go there ourselves."
The woman's voice was cold and steady, as if none of this truly concerned her.
The elder shook his head slowly and said, "Three Dou Wangs died just like that? The Amethyst Winged Lion King doesn't have that kind of power…"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was the overlord of sixth-rank magical beasts—tough-skinned and thick-fleshed. Even a peak Dou Huang might not be able to defeat it completely, but that didn't mean it had strong killing power. The greatest difference between humans and magical beasts was that humans could cultivate various Dou Techniques, which boosted both offense and survivability.
If the three Dou Wangs had truly tried to flee, the Amethyst Winged Lion King couldn't have kept them all—unless those three were stupid enough to get surrounded by a horde of fifth-rank beasts. Then it'd be a different story.
After a moment of thought.
He suddenly chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Let's drop it. Since Jia Xingtian doesn't want others to know, we don't need to concern ourselves either. No need to make the old guy overthink. At his age, instead of seeking breakthroughs, he's still obsessed with power games. How foolish."
"Yes, Teacher."
The woman's cold eyes flickered slightly as she looked at her teacher and replied softly.
(END CHAPTER)
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