Another world?
His true background?
These words seemed to possess a strange magic, tugging at her heart.
For five thousand years, she had fought Zhang Mingyuan, from the Golden Core Stage to the Mahayana stage, and she believed she knew everything about him.
His sword techniques, his Daoist arts, and his endless array of rogue tactics—she knew them all like the back of her hand.
Yet there was one thing she could never see through.
Where on earth did his wild, unheard-of ideas come from?
Particularly the “spiritual jade.” It was created completely out of nothing, a brand-new application of natural laws. This was simply beyond the cognitive limits of any cultivator in the Xuanling Realm.
She had once thought it was merely his unique talent.
But now, it seemed there was more to the story.
Watching the subtle shifts in Su Jinxue's expression, Zhang Mingyuan sneered even harder inwardly, though his face grew only more mysterious and unfathomable.
He knew it! This woman's curiosity was ridiculously strong!
“Well?” Zhang Mingyuan’s voice carried just the right amount of temptation. “Do you want to know? This secret is enough to overturn your entire understanding of the world. It is a completely new world, one you cannot comprehend with anything in the Xuanling Realm.”
Su Jinxue fell silent for a moment, the air in the palace seemingly freezing solid.
She spoke slowly, her voice as cold and aloof as ever, but with less of her previous playfulness and more scrutiny:
“Hmph. Zhang Mingyuan, do you truly think you are in any position to negotiate terms with me?”
“No, I am not,” Zhang Mingyuan admitted candidly. Then, his tone shifted as he shrugged, looking entirely indifferent. “So I am not negotiating. I am simply stating a fact.”
“You can choose not to know and continue being your Red Dust Immortal, while I continue to be your prisoner and Sword-Bearing Attendant. Nothing between us will change.”
“Except...” He paused, speaking in a slow, pitying tone, “...you will carry this unsolvable riddle with you for eternity. A secret that even a Red Dust Immortal cannot fathom is right before your eyes, yet you choose to push it away. Tsk, tsk. I imagine that would be a unique form of torture.”
Su Jinxue's breath hitched for a fraction of a second.
This bastard!
He knew her too well!
He knew how obsessive she was. If she could not find the answer to something she wanted to investigate, it would turn into a heart demon, haunting her day and night!
“State your terms,” Su Jinxue said, cutting straight to the point.
Zhang Mingyuan smiled.
He smiled like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.
“It is very simple.” He held up a single finger. “First, undo the seal on my cultivation.”
“Impossible,” Su Jinxue refused flatly. “You are definitely plotting something.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Zhang Mingyuan let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Su Jinxue, look closely. Right now, I am meat on your chopping block. And you are a Red Dust Immortal!”
He took a step forward, looking directly into her red eyes, his gaze so honest it seemed completely pure:
“Even if my cultivation is restored, how am I any different from a mortal before you? Could I possibly escape your grasp?”
“I simply... do not wish to share my most important secret as a prisoner. This is my final shred of dignity.”
He spoke neither submissively nor arrogantly, leaving Su Jinxue momentarily speechless.
Indeed, between the Mahayana stage and a Red Dust Immortal lay a chasm as vast as the heavens.
Even if he recovered his full strength, she could suppress him again with a single thought.
She was merely... habitually wary of everything he did.
As he watched Su Jinxue sink into thought, Zhang Mingyuan's heart pounded wildly.
Come on! Agree already!
His entire plan hinged on this very step!
Finally, just as Zhang Mingyuan felt his heart was about to leap out of his throat, Su Jinxue let out a cold snort.
“Fine. I shall grant you this ridiculous dignity of yours.”
She waved her fair hand.
A streak of profound, frost-white immortal light instantly merged into Zhang Mingyuan's body.
Crack!
It felt as though some invisible shackle had shattered within Zhang Mingyuan's soul and limbs!
Boom!
The long-lost, vast, ocean-like spiritual energy surged back into his meridians like a bursting dam!
Every inch of his flesh, every single cell, rejoiced!
Power!
This was the feeling of power!
Zhang Mingyuan nearly groaned in sheer pleasure. Forcing down the immense satisfaction, he maintained his profound, enigmatic expression.
Excellent. Step one, complete!
“Now, speak,” Su Jinxue said, looking at him coldly.
“Of course,” Zhang Mingyuan nodded. Then, lowering his voice, he spoke in a highly secretive tone: “However, this concerns secrets beyond the heavens. Heavenly secrets must not be leaked, and the Dao is not to be spoken to six ears.”
He gestured to Su Jinxue, signaling her to come closer.
Su Jinxue's delicate brow furrowed slightly, a hint of wariness rising in her heart.
What tricks was this bastard playing now?
But on second thought, what could he possibly pull off in this bedchamber, which was completely enveloped by her immortal power?
She would see exactly what he was up to!
Harboring a trace of doubt and intense curiosity, Su Jinxue ultimately complied.
Rising from the ice jade couch, she walked over slowly, leaned down slightly, and brought her ear close to him.
A faint, delicate fragrance, like cold plum blossoms after a fresh snowfall, instantly drifted into Zhang Mingyuan's nose.
Now!
Wait, am I really doing this?
Fuck it, she brought this on herself. Let's do it!
The moment Su Jinxue leaned in, an inconspicuous stone slid silently from the sleeve of the hand Zhang Mingyuan held behind his back.
Projection Stone!
His movement was blindingly fast. Just as Su Jinxue bent down, he suddenly lunged forward!
Not with his hands, nor with any spells!
Instead, his lips pressed with absolute precision and lightning speed against those cool, red lips that shimmered with an icy luster!
Buzz—!
Time seemed to freeze completely.
Su Jinxue froze entirely.
Her red eyes, which usually saw through all laws and looked down upon all living beings, suddenly went wide, filled with an unbelievable, blank shock.
Warm, soft, and carrying an unprecedented, burning heat...
What was this?
A strange, tingling current erupted from the point where their lips met, instantly spreading through her limbs and bones, rushing straight to her mind!
Her Dao Heart, which had operated smoothly for thousands of years, felt as if a red-hot star had suddenly been dropped into it!
Her mind went completely blank!
As a Red Dust Immortal, she could freeze ten thousand miles with a single thought and shatter stars with a flick of her finger, yet at this moment, she could not even perform the simplest action of moving her body!
And while she was completely frozen in shock!
Buzz!
The Projection Stone flashed, perfectly capturing this shocking scene from a flawless three-hundred-and-sixty-degree angle!
Immediately after, with a thought, Zhang Mingyuan tossed the Projection Stone into the small world he had created!
He did it!
Only after completing all of this did Zhang Mingyuan release Su Jinxue like a flash of lightning.
The moment their cool lips parted, a silvery thread of saliva stretched and broke suggestively under the soft glow of the warm jade lanterns.
The entire bedchamber fell into a dead silence.
Zhang Mingyuan's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest, yet a brilliant, unprecedented smile hung on his face.
As for Su Jinxue, she slowly raised her hand, using the finger that could crush the sun and moon to gently touch her lips, which still held a lingering warmth and tingling sensation.
On her beautiful, eternally frozen face, an unprecedented, breathtaking blush was rising uncontrollably from her neck, spreading rapidly...
Rate on N.U.
