“Peak Master Mo, y-you’re supposed to be thinking of a way to fix this. Why do you keep staring at me?”
Mo Yi: “...I am thinking of a way.”
He was already doing his best to try to restrain the Earth Demon Sha aura, but with little effect.
And with Yuan Shu here, he didn’t dare make too great an effort, afraid she would discover that it was the Earth Demon Sha aura forbidden by the righteous immortal sects.
All he could do was claim that it was his dark-element spiritual energy.
“I’m sorry. Something went wrong with my cultivation today, and my dark-element spiritual energy is a little out of control.”
Yuan Shu nodded in understanding. “Then, Peak Master Mo, you’d better hurry. If anyone else sees this, they’ll definitely misunderstand. It could affect your reputation.”
Mo Yi had no way to explain himself. “...All right.”
The cavern fell silent. The only sound was that of Mo Yi struggling to draw back the Earth Demon Sha aura.
On the surface, Yuan Shu appeared obedient, but inwardly, she was complaining to the Hehuan Divine Tree through her sea of consciousness.
“Has this Earth Demon Sha aura gone mad? It’s clinging to me and refusing to let go. What’s going on?”
“Shushu, more precisely, it must have sensed my power and is clinging to me,” the Hehuan Divine Tree replied.
“My power has an extremely powerful attraction to the Earth Demon Sha aura. It’s simply their instinct.”
“Instinct?” Yuan Shu’s eyes widened. “Then what do I do? Am I supposed to stay curled up in Mo Yi’s arms forever?”
“That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. After all, you came here looking for the Earth Demon Sha in the first place. Mo Yi definitely knows of its existence. Spend a little more time with him, and perhaps you’ll find out where it is!”
The Hehuan Divine Tree grinned cheekily, only to receive a knock on the head from Yuan Shu.
“I’m looking for the fierce, baleful energy that accompanies the Earth Demon Sha when it is born—not the tiny bit of Earth Demon Sha aura cultivated inside the bodies of its people!”
Yuan Shu had only thought of this possibility a couple of days ago. The Earth Demon Sha possessed a fierce, baleful aura from the moment it was born. If she could absorb and make use of it, Xiushe’s second step—transforming baleful energy into a skeletal frame—might very well be completed.
That was why, after learning that the person who had poisoned Yao Qianci had used Earth Demon Sha aura, she had developed an interest in making contact with it.
However, finding the Earth Demon Sha was no easy task.
Mo Yi could serve as a breakthrough point.
As a member of the Earth Demon Sha clan, he ought to have a much easier time locating it.
The Hehuan Divine Tree rubbed its aching head and looked at Yuan Shu with a wronged expression.
Yuan Shu sighed, then reached out with her divine sense to rub its head. “Fine. You may have a point. If I spend a little more time with Mo Yi, I might really be able to find something out.”
The Hehuan Divine Tree immediately nodded like a woodpecker.
However, Yuan Shu waited for quite some time. Spiritual energy surged around Mo Yi, but the strands of ink-colored energy binding her showed no sign of loosening.
In fact, as though stimulated by something, they tightened their hold on both her and Mo Yi.
The moment Yuan Shu moved her arm, a strand of ink-colored energy wrapped around her wrist and abruptly pulled her onto Mo Yi.
“Smack!”
The instant her palm came down, it was as if she had slapped him hard.
A muffled groan immediately came from above her head.
When she looked closely, Yuan Shu found that her hand was pressed firmly against his chest—and, by sheer coincidence, it had landed on an especially sensitive spot.
Because of that forceful slap, a red handprint had even appeared over Mo Yi’s chest.
Yuan Shu stared up at him in bewilderment, only to meet Mo Yi’s suddenly troubled gaze.
A familiar dark tide surged through those ink-black eyes.
It was obvious. A man and a woman, alone together in a pool, pressed so closely against each other with bare skin touching...
The man was getting aroused.
Yuan Shu: “...”
But only for an instant. Mo Yi turned his head away, not daring to look at Yuan Shu again.
Yuan Shu was soaked from head to toe, and the thin gauze clung to her skin, providing about as much coverage as nothing at all.
Since he was taller than her, he had a clear view whenever he looked down. He could see exactly what lay beneath the bandeau wrapped around her chest.
His body was already uncomfortable from their contact beneath the water. Now that he had seen this, he could no longer stop his thoughts from running wild.
He had never imagined that he—who had always been abstinent and had never shown the slightest interest in women—would end up, through such a strange twist of fate, embracing a woman.
And because of his own Earth Demon Sha aura, they couldn’t pull apart!
Mo Yi kept his eyes tightly shut, the corner of one eye twitching uncontrollably, but his heart was in utter turmoil.
There was a faint fragrance of pear blossoms on Yuan Shu. It wasn’t strong, but its delicate, clean scent wafted into his nose, alluring and provocative.
The pool water had originally been warm, yet at this moment, it seemed to be scalding him.
What exactly was burning hot—the water, or himself?
He could no longer tell.
“Peak Master Mo, are you still not done?”
Yuan Shu furrowed her brows. She was a perfectly normal woman herself, and she had little resistance to handsome men.
Besides, the Hehuan Divine Tree had used divine power earlier, causing the Hehuan energy within her body to surge chaotically.
That throbbing sensation had affected her physical senses.
Now, with the broad, muscular chest of the man behind her pressed tightly against her back and his arms wrapped firmly around her, it would have been abnormal for her not to have any thoughts at all.
What was more, Mo Yi’s face was exactly to her taste.
He had sharp brows and bright, starry eyes, brows shaped like distant mountains, and clear eyes. His fair skin looked even paler against his long, straight, jet-black hair, like cold jade.
His thin, rosy lips looked as though they would be wonderful to kiss.
Even though he was a member of the Earth Demon Sha clan and cultivated differently from ordinary humans, that would not affect her Hehuan Sect techniques.
As long as he still possessed his original yang, he could become a provider for the Hehuan Divine Tree and supply her with surging spiritual energy for cultivation.
Yuan Shu did not have a habit of forcing herself on others whenever the mood struck her. But if she truly became interested, she wouldn’t insist on suppressing herself.
Her light pear-blossom fragrance drifted into his nose. Mo Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice turned hoarse.
“Not yet.”
Mo Yi was anxious as well.
This was the first time the Earth Demon Sha aura had refused to obey him. If anyone else discovered it, he would lose his foothold in the Luoxian Sect.
At present, he still had not found the exact location where the Earth Demon Sha would be born. He could not allow his identity to be exposed yet.
Yuan Shu raised a brow, her gaze drifting from Mo Yi’s handsome face down to his chest.
When they had first met, she had already thought that the man looked tall and powerfully built beneath his dark robes. Now that he had taken them off—
His square, well-defined pectoral muscles were firm and bulging, and they felt excellent beneath her palm.
Just as she had expected.
And judging by his reaction, he was so inexperienced and tempting...
She suddenly felt like teasing him. Lifting her eyes, she leaned close to his ear and spoke in a soft voice.
“Peak Master Mo, are you sure you’re not lying to me?”
Mo Yi’s heart jolted. His eyes flew open, and he thought the Earth Demon Sha aura had been exposed. He was about to act when Yuan Shu continued slowly.
“How could someone’s own spiritual energy become uncontrollable? Unless they simply don’t want to control it.”
“Could it be that Peak Master Mo has been interested in me for a long time, and today you deliberately used this cultivation mishap to trap me here with these strands of spiritual energy so you could get close to me?”
“Peak Master Mo, do you like me?”
Mo Yi: “...”
That was what she thought?
The young girl’s mind really was simple.
Still, this also allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. As long as Yuan Shu hadn’t discovered the existence of the Earth Demon Sha aura, everything could still be explained.
