The group walked deep into the palace.
Inside, it was even more vast than it appeared from the outside, with winding corridors and layer upon layer of halls.
Though mostly in ruins, one could still catch a glimpse of the grand atmosphere from ages past.
Lu Mingxuan walked at the very front, holding the fragmented map and identifying the direction with a focused expression, occasionally stopping to cross-reference with the surroundings.
The following disciples surveyed the area warily, feeling both anticipation and nervousness.
"According to records, these ruins belong to an ancient immortal cultivation dynasty called Xuanli, which fell tens of thousands of years ago."
Lu Mingxuan introduced the place to everyone as they walked.
"Its national treasury was said to contain rare treasures from the four seas. If we can find it, this journey will be an immense opportunity for us."
The national treasury! These words made the eyes of all the disciples light up, their breathing quickening slightly.
Lu Mingxuan then shifted the topic, "However, the internal structure of the ruins is complex and contains remnant restriction barriers. Since there are many of us, searching together would be inefficient and might trigger large-scale restrictions."
"It would be better to split up. We will set a limit of half an hour. Whether we find anything or not, we will return here to regroup and decide on the next step."
He looked at Fang Xuan, seeking his opinion: "What does Junior Brother Fang think?"
"That works," Fang Xuan replied.
Lu Mingxuan’s face still showed concern as he added, "Junior Brother Fang and Junior Sister Ning, please be extremely careful. If there is danger, send a signal immediately."
......
Fang Xuan led Ning Xian directly toward a deep side corridor.
As soon as they left the group's sight, Ning Xian’s pace quickened slightly.
She seemed to have a vague resonance with this place, her cold eyes scanning the ancient patterns on the corridor pillars.
She led Fang Xuan through several twists and turns before finally stopping in front of a mural depicting a blurry phoenix-like bird.
"Here..."
Ning Xian reached out, her fingertips lightly tracing the lines of the phoenix's eye on the mural.
Click.
A subtle mechanical sound echoed. A section of the wall beside the mural, which had looked perfectly seamless, suddenly recessed inward and slid open to reveal an entrance.
Fang Xuan’s eyes brightened.
Here it comes—the protagonist’s exclusive treasure-hunting path. There must be something big.
......
Behind the entrance was a flight of stone steps leading downward, covered in moss.
After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the sound of gurgling water came from ahead, and the air became fresh.
Outside was a massive, naturally formed cavern.
In the center of the cavern, a clear underground river about a zhang wide flowed slowly.
On both banks of the river, various jars, jade boxes, and stone chests were piled high.
A dense medicinal fragrance filled the entire cavern.
"A pill storehouse?" Fang Xuan was stunned.
This luck was simply too good. Did they just stumble directly into a pill stash?
Ning Xian had already walked quickly to the nearest pile of jade bottles. She picked one up, opened it, and poured out several pills that emitted a faint, clear fragrance.
"High-grade black-grade Clear Mind Pills. They are well-preserved, and their medicinal power has not been lost."
She began to quickly inspect the containers, nimbly packing and bottling any valuable pills.
Fang Xuan didn't stay idle either, helping to open the piles of jade boxes and stone chests. Most of them contained healing pills of various grades, ranging from yellow-grade to earth-grade.
Though earth-grade pills were extremely rare and most had lost much of their potency over time, the quantity of black-grade and yellow-grade pills was enormous and relatively well-preserved.
"We’ve struck it rich, we’ve struck it rich..." Fang Xuan muttered with a smile as he helped.
Although he himself wasn't lacking in pills, he simply enjoyed the feeling of getting something for free.
On the other hand, Ning Xian had fully entered a "thrifty homemaker" mode. Her small face was tense, her expression focused, and her movements were so fast they almost left afterimages.
Once she selected the pills, she stuffed them all into the storage ring Fang Xuan handed her.
That ring, which had an astonishing capacity, was quickly filled with various bottles and jars.
"That should be enough." Seeing that the ring’s space was nearly exhausted, Ning Xian finally stopped. She carefully stored away the last pill, labeled as a low-grade earth-grade Barrier-Breaking Pill, and let out a satisfied sigh.
As expected of a former immortal cultivation royal family, their foundation was deep. Even after countless years, the remaining pills were enough to drive ordinary cultivators mad.
"Let’s go. This place isn't suitable for a long stay." Ning Xian regained her composure, took Fang Xuan’s hand, and prepared to return the way they came.
The two headed back up the stone steps.
But when they emerged from the hidden mural door and returned to the side corridor, they felt as though the surrounding environment had changed slightly.
The pillars were still the same pillars, and the mural was still the blurry phoenix, but the light had become more hazy and trance-like.
"Something is wrong." Ning Xian frowned, warily surveying her surroundings.
"We might have triggered something, or... does this place change on its own over time?"
Fang Xuan also felt the anomaly, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
"Let’s leave this corridor first and check the main hall."
The two quickened their pace, moving through the maze-like palace.
The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, with only the echoes of their own footsteps.
After walking for a while, a palace appeared ahead that was more magnificent than the ones they had seen before and relatively well-preserved.
Crack!
A clear crack appeared on the surface of the ring on Ning Xian’s ring finger. Immediately, its light faded completely, and it turned into common iron.
Right after that, Ning Xian’s body swayed.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Fang Xuan.
Those eyes, which were originally as cold as the moon... were now a hazy pink.
Deep within her pupils, it looked as if two peach blossoms were slowly rotating.
Fang Xuan thought, "!!!"
Truly, whatever one fears most is what happens.
Before he could react, Ning Xian took a step forward and forcefully pushed him back.
Caught off guard, Fang Xuan’s back hit the wall.
Only then did he glance at the fallen hall plaque.
Fengluan Hall? It seemed they had taken a wrong turn...
But before he could think further, in the next second, Ning Xian had already stood on her tiptoes, tilting up that beautiful, dazed face and kissing him.
Her lips, slightly cool and soft with her unique crisp scent, pressed against his.
Fang Xuan’s brain stalled for a moment.
So soft...
Wait, there’s also... a tongue?
While he was dazed, a clever little tongue was clumsily attempting to pry open his teeth.
【Detected master Ning Xian initiating forced physical contact, pinning down, and forcibly kissing the training target Fang Xuan!】
【Action evaluation: Master’s dominant assertion and intrusion!】
【Training value +120!】
【System Hint: This is exactly how it should be—being forcefully possessed and harshly trained by the master! Training target Fang Xuan, please enjoy the master’s grace to your heart's content!】
Fang Xuan thought, "..."
He snapped out of it; now was not the time to complain about the system.
Senior Sister had clearly fallen into a trap. This Fengluan Hall, along with that shattered ring, was the cause.
He pressed his hands against Ning Xian’s shoulders, wanting to push her away and wake her up.
But Ning Xian seemed dissatisfied with his resistance, a flash of displeasure crossing her pink eyes.
The hands pressing his shoulders became even more forceful, and her other hand even grabbed the wrist he was using to try and push her away, pinning it firmly against the pillar.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes again, tilting her small face up to kiss him even more deeply.
【Ding! Master is continuing her dominant intrusion! Training value +180! Rewards are stacking!】
【System Excitement: Yes! Just like that! Resist! Struggle! And then be completely conquered by the master!】
Fang Xuan thought, "..."
Seizing a gap while they caught their breath, Fang Xuan finally broke free for a moment: "Senior Sister, wake up..."
He didn't finish his sentence because Ning Xian had already pressed against him again, blocking his words with a kiss.
This time, Fang Xuan clearly felt Ning Xian’s body trembling slightly.
In her pink eyes, desire and confusion were intertwined.
Fang Xuan steeled his heart. Since he couldn't push her away... he would take the lead! He’d suppress the fire first.
As for Ning Xian, she had only just regained a sliver of consciousness from the maze, and her mind was still foggy.
She then saw Fang Xuan reach out to wrap his arm around her waist, pressing her more tightly against him.
"Mmm...!!!"
Then he began to kiss her back, his tongue entangling with her soft, retreating one...
Her body stiffened for an instant before she seemed to lose all her strength, left with no choice but to weakly cling to his shoulders while tilting her head back.
It wasn't until she was almost out of breath that Fang Xuan forced himself to let her go.
Ning Xian leaned into his embrace, panting heavily. her eyes were still dazed, now filled with a watery mist.
Just as she was about to say something, Fang Xuan pressed against her again, continuing to kiss her forcefully.
The two were pressed tightly together. She wanted to push him away, but her entire body was as soft as a puddle of water, without a shred of strength.
She also felt that Fang Xuan’s body seemed a bit stiff and his breathing was unstable.
Had he fallen into the trap too? Just like she had moments ago?
Right, this place was so bizarre that even an earth-grade anti-illusion artifact had shattered instantly. Junior Brother was only at the Void Core Realm, so it was very likely he had been poisoned by a maddening toxin...
He must be suffering too, right? Was he doing this to help her, so...
She reach out with a trembling hand, fumbling until she hooked onto the belt of Fang Xuan’s robes.
Can't untie it? Pull harder!
Fang Xuan was just steadying his breath and heartbeat, wondering how to help Ning Xian detoxify, when he suddenly felt his belt loosen!
He looked down just in time to see Ning Xian’s small face flushed crimson. With her eyes closed in an expression of "giving it her all," she was wrestling with his belt, seemingly trying to rip it off.
"Senior Sister?"
Fang Xuan was truly shocked this time.
Ning Xian was startled by his voice, her body jolting as the belt she had just loosened slipped from her hand.
She snapped her eyes open and met Fang Xuan’s gaze. Instantly, the blush on her face spread all the way to the tips of her ears, and even her neck turned pink.
"I... I... I'm not... I didn't... Don't misunderstand... I just... wanted to help you..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller until it was almost inaudible.
She stood there at a loss, her gaze flickering, not daring to look at Fang Xuan at all. Her fingers twisted the corner of her robe forcefully, as if she were about to start smoking from the sheer heat of her embarrassment.
She... she really wasn't craving her Junior Brother’s body...
Rate on N.U.
