Helan Ying froze for a moment, unable to react.
Enter the Fusion Realm?
Of course he wanted to!
At such a critical juncture, if he could break through into the Fusion Realm, his chances of survival would increase.
But was the Fusion Realm really that easy to enter?
He had silently absorbed so much of the power of the Ze Spirit, yet still hadn’t managed to break through. And Yuan Shu claimed that he could enter the realm just like that?
A glimmer flashed through his eyes, and realization dawned within them. “Sister, could it be that… you missed me?”
He assumed that this was merely Yuan Shu’s excuse, all so she could… be with him again.
Yuan Shu smiled. She knew he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t deny it. Instead, she slipped a hand into the loose collar of his robe, which he had just gathered together.
“That’s right. I missed you. Do you want me?”
Helan Ying’s heart skipped a beat.
He had originally planned to leave first and make preparations in advance.
But with Yuan Shu inviting him so openly, how could he remain unmoved?
The moment he heard her soft, coquettish voice, his body had already begun to heat up.
His blood raced, and his breathing changed.
“Sister.”
His voice was hoarse. Without any unnecessary words, he directly lifted Yuan Shu into his arms and let her sit on his lap.
“Shushu…”
Helan Zhao, sitting nearby, couldn’t help leaning over to ask for his share of affection as well.
Yuan Shu waved a hand and stopped him.
She reached out and stroked his cheek, letting out a soft laugh. “Be good. Wait for me outside the cave today.”
Helan Zhao gritted his teeth and was just about to ask why.
He had always been there before.
Even when Yuan Shu and Helan Ying were at their most intimate, he had been there too.
He could even help them…
But Yuan Shu offered no further explanation. She merely patted his face. “Be good.”
Helan Zhao pressed his lips together tightly. Seeing the determination in Yuan Shu’s expression, he could only nod unwillingly. “All right. I’ll listen to you.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the cave.
Helan Ying was somewhat dazed. After spending so much time together, he had already grown accustomed to having Helan Zhao, that ever-present tagalong, by his side.
He hadn’t expected Yuan Shu to send him away this time.
“Sister?”
He spoke in confusion, only to be met with Yuan Shu’s amused smile.
“That’s right. I like you calling me Sister. When you lose control later, make sure you call me that plenty of times.”
With that, Yuan Shu rose to her knees and lowered her head to kiss his lips.
The two of them were already intimately familiar with each other’s bodies.
Yuan Shu only had to tease him lightly before Helan Ying rolled over and pinned her against the bed.
…
This time, it didn’t last long—only a little over an hour.
The fire element in the air grew increasingly dense, squeezing out the spiritual energy within the cave.
But soon, a surging force of attraction burst from the cave, drawing in all the spiritual energy within a ten-mile radius.
The spiritual energy was rich and powerful. It even formed a huge vortex, surging and boiling as it rushed toward the cave.
Outside, Helan Zhao rose to his feet and stared at the scene in astonishment.
Only when the barrier separating the two sides shattered, revealing the figures within, did Helan Zhao see Helan Ying sitting cross-legged and absorbing spiritual energy as he advanced.
His eyes suddenly widened.
He was breaking through?
That fellow had actually advanced!
A breakthrough from the peak of the Void Refinement Realm—wasn’t that the legendary Fusion Realm?
“Gasp!”
Helan Zhao’s eyes widened as he sucked in a cold breath.
Helan Ying had clearly been nothing more than a cultivator at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm before this!
Hadn’t no one in the entire cultivation world truly managed to break through the Void Refinement Realm and enter the Fusion Realm?
How had Helan Ying done it?
No, more accurately, how had Yuan Shu done it?
This… this was simply too unbelievable!
Helan Zhao was astonished, but he didn’t know that Helan Ying was equally shocked.
He had thought Yuan Shu merely missed him and was joking with him.
He had never expected that after a session of dual cultivation, he would truly break through from the peak of the Void Refinement Realm into the Fusion Realm.
The happiness had come so suddenly that he was still somewhat dazed.
But no matter how shocked he was, he could only set aside his thoughts and focus on handling the breakthrough.
Fortunately, this world was blessed by special laws of heaven and earth. Breaking through did not require enduring a tribulation of lightning.
As long as he had enough spiritual energy, he only needed to shatter the barrier blocking his advancement.
On one side of the cave, Yuan Shu was also meditating and cultivating.
The feedback from the second-layer tree foundation benefited not only her Dao companion; it also helped her.
Her cultivation, which had originally been at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, had smoothly advanced to the late stage.
Although her progress was nowhere near as dramatic as Helan Ying’s, it was still an extraordinary gain.
The entire process lasted nearly an hour.
When Helan Ying opened his eyes again, a cold gleam surged through the depths of his dark green eyes, sharp and fierce.
“Sister, I—I really advanced!”
Helan Ying clenched his fists in delight, feeling the Fusion Realm power surging through his body. His face was alight with excitement and joy.
Greater strength meant greater chances of controlling his own fate.
At that moment, Helan Ying felt immensely fortunate. After Yuan Shu had deceived him, the love in his heart had ultimately surpassed his hatred, and he had not done anything too excessive to her.
At most… at most, he had simply wanted to drag her into bed every moment of every day!
“Congratulations, Helan Ying.”
Yuan Shu smiled lightly and patted him on the back. “Live well.”
The moment she finished speaking, the man before her suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. He lowered his eyes and gazed at her with deep affection.
“Sister, thank you!”
As soon as he spoke, desire stirred in his eyes. He raised a hand, clasped the back of her head, and kissed her deeply.
They paid no attention to anyone else, their breaths entwining.
Helan Zhao watched from the side, wanting to speak but unable to do so. He ground his teeth resentfully, yet at least refrained from stepping forward and disturbing their intimate moment.
Only after the time it took to finish a cup of tea did the two finally part with smiles.
Just then, a dazzling dark-red pillar of light suddenly shot into the sky in the distance.
The pillar exploded moments later, scattering into countless streams of formation runes that spread in every direction.
Helan Ying’s expression abruptly changed. He clutched his chest with one hand.
A familiar baleful aura surged violently from within his body!
“It’s the Earth Demon baleful aura inside him!” Helan Zhao’s expression changed when he saw this. He hurried forward and pulled Yuan Shu behind him, keeping her away from Helan Ying.
“Helan Ying!” Yuan Shu’s heart jolted.
“Don’t come any closer!”
Helan Ying’s face twisted in agony. Dark, raised lines began to wind across his originally handsome features, making him look terrifying.
He gasped heavily and staggered backward. Turning his face away, he seemed unwilling to let Yuan Shu see his current, disfigured appearance.
“It’s—it’s the forbidden spell the Earth Demon Sha clan left in my body. They—they must be about to begin!”
His voice trembled slightly from the pain, yet he still did his best to keep his tone calm as he reassured her.
“Sister, don’t worry. I already had a certain chance of surviving when I was in the Void Refinement Realm. Now that I’ve reached the Fusion Realm, my chances are even better.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Helan Zhao, who was shielding Yuan Shu behind him, and gave a relieved, faint smile.
His gaze returned to Yuan Shu’s face, and he said softly, “Sister, take care.”
Before Yuan Shu could respond, Helan Ying’s figure transformed into a streak of black light and vanished into the distant mountains.
At the same time, the formation runes in the distance continued to spread. Before long, they took shape, enclosing a towering mountain peak within them.
More than a dozen black-robed cultivators rose into the air. Forming hand seals, they sent complicated ink-black magical seals into the formation runes one after another.
A colossal force surged into the heavens from the formation, radiating a frightening, dark-golden light.
The spiritual energy throughout the entire Falling Immortal Sect immediately began to churn, sending sand and stones flying!
“What—what kind of formation is this? Why have I never seen it before?” Helan Zhao cried out in shock.
Yuan Shu narrowed her eyes slightly, a look of “Just as I thought” flashing through their depths. “It’s an ancient remnant formation—the Grand Primordial Heaven Gate Formation!”
