659: lottery!

The clouds and rain had just ceased, and the secret room was filled with a lingering, decadent scent and a faint, cold fragrance.

Yao Delong lay on his side on the soft jade bed, one hand gently stroking the smooth, delicate back of the jade-like beauty beside him, which felt like the finest cold jade.

Lin Qingxue curled up in his arms like a kitten, an alluring blush remaining on her cold face as she enjoyed this rare moment of tenderness.

"Clear Snow," Yao Delong spoke softly, "I need to leave the Sect for a while tomorrow."

Lin Qingxue's delicate body stiffened slightly, and she raised her moist eyes to look at him.

"Martial Uncle Dan informed me that in the land where the Ba Xia Dynasty borders the Demon Domain, a Secret Realm suspected to be left by an ancient master of the Alchemic Dao is about to open."

Yao Delong explained, "It's said there might be clues to an Eighth-Grade Divine Pill that can help me increase the strength of my Primordial Spirit. As you know, my Primordial Spirit's strength has not yet reached Perfection."

"An ancient Secret Realm? The border of the Demon Domain?" Lin Qingxue's elegant brows furrowed slightly, and a deep sense of worry immediately appeared in her cold eyes.

"That place is exceptionally dangerous! Senior Brother, I will go with you!"

Her tone was firm as she propped herself up. Her pale blue lapel slipped down, revealing a large expanse of alluring, snowy skin.

Yao Delong looked at the soul-stirringly beautiful body before him and suppressed the wicked fire in his heart. He pressed her back into his arms and said warmly:

"This trip is with Senior Sister Liu Ruyan from Pill Cloud Peak, along with several Elders and elite Disciples. They are experts in the Alchemic Dao, and the goal of this trip is clear. Besides..."

He gently tapped Lin Qingxue's petite nose.

"You haven't studied the Alchemic Dao as a secondary path. That Secret Realm might have miraculous effects for successors of the Alchemic Dao, but not necessarily for you."

"You've only just had a Breakthrough not long ago, and you also need to quietly digest and consolidate your gains from the Northern Border Secret Realm. That is the top priority."

He spoke with an unquestionable gentleness, "Don't worry. With your Senior Brother there, a mere Secret Realm is nothing to worry about."

"Once I find that precious pill that nourishes the Divine Soul, I will return immediately."

Lin Qingxue looked up at Yao Delong's confident and composed face, feeling the concern and strong confidence in his words.

Although the worry in her heart hadn't completely dissipated, she felt much more at ease.

She knew Yao Delong's strength and understood even more that he was considering her well-being.

"Mm..."

She gave a soft reply and buried her head back into Yao Delong's warm chest, her voice carrying a hint of muffled attachment and worry.

"Clear Snow... obeys. Senior Brother... you must return safely." Her delicate hand, tightly clutching his lapel, betrayed the reluctance and concern in her heart.

Yao Delong lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead.

In his heart, however, he had already begun to calculate regarding the unknown ancient Alchemic Dao Secret Realm and the creatures of the Demon Domain he was about to encounter.

After a moment of tenderness, Yao Delong felt the deep attachment and worry from Lin Qingxue in his arms, and a warm current flowed through his heart.

He gently kissed her forehead and comforted her, "Don't worry. Your Senior Brother's life is very tough; I will definitely return safely."

His thoughts raced as he calculated his next direction for improvement:

"'Sunset Glow Illuminating Yin-Yang Art', 'Great Sun Body Forging Art', and even 'Heart Sword Without Trace' all require a Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm to truly Cultivate their core chapters."

"Right now, the only thing that can immediately increase my combat power is the ultimate killing move of 'Nine Transformations of the Vast Sun'—the Ninth Transformation: Co-Radiance: Nine Suns Descend!"

The power of this move was earth-shattering. It was rumored that when practiced to Perfection, nine suns would emerge together, capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas in an instant!

But the requirements for execution were also extremely harsh, posing an ultimate test to one's physique, purity of spirit power, and Primordial Spirit strength.

With his current state of having a Minor Achievement in his Saint Body and his Origin of spirit power being nearly at the peak of Soul Transformation, he had finally barely reached the threshold.

"System," Yao Delong thought to himself, "How many yin-yang values are needed to comprehend and reach Perfection in the Ninth Transformation of 'Nine Transformations of the Vast Sun'?"

[Ding! host requirement detected: Comprehend and reach Perfection in the ultimate killing move of 'Nine Transformations of the Vast Sun'—Co-Radiance: Nine Suns Descend!]

[Ding! Calculating...]

[Ding! Required yin-yang value consumption: 350 points!]

"Hiss... Three hundred and fifty points?!" Yao Delong's brows instantly knitted into a knot.

"This is practically going to hollow out more than half of my savings!" He glanced at the System panel:

yin-yang value: 870 points!

These eight hundred-plus points were hard-earned blood-and-sweat money he had saved over the past few days of "hard labor," to the point where his kidneys were almost screaming for a strike!

Losing nearly half at once... it would be a lie to say it didn't hurt.

However, his gaze immediately fell on the flashing prompt at the bottom of the panel:

[Current available System lucky draws: 1!]

"A lucky draw opportunity!"

Yao Delong's eyes lit up as if he had caught a life-saving straw. "If I can draw that 'skill mastery card'... I can directly get the Perfection Realm of the Ninth Transformation for free without spending a single point!

"If I'm lucky... and I manage to draw the 'certain Fairy's intimate clothing' listed in the 'Grand Prize'... then the hidden achievement 'Boudoir Secret Collection' will be completed!

"The reward is a top-tier Dao Artifact... it might even be a third-Realm Grandmist Dao Artifact!"

Thinking of that terrifying reward, his heart burned with passion, and even the dull pain in his kidneys seemed to lessen a bit.

"Take a gamble! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle! System, give me a lucky draw!" Yao Delong roared in his heart.

Buzz!

Deep in his mind, a huge, shimmering virtual roulette wheel instantly appeared!

The wheel was clearly divided into different areas: the smallest but most goldenly radiant one was naturally the "Grand Prize"!

Next was the First Prize, then several areas for shimmering Magic Treasures and Medicinal Pills... and finally, the largest area, a dull grey "Thank You for Participating"!

The pointer began to spin frantically! Yao Delong's heart also rose to his throat as his thoughts screamed wildly:

"Grand Prize! Dao Artifact! Or a skill mastery card! Anything but 'Thank You for Participating'!"

The wheel's speed gradually slowed down... The pointer swept past the golden edge of the Grand Prize area... passed the orange light of the First Prize... slid past the dazzling array of prizes for the Second and Third Prizes... and finally, it stopped in front of a small white-lit square representing the "Fifth Prize"!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host! You have won the 'Fifth Prize'! Obtained 'skill mastery card' * 1!]

"Fi... Fifth Prize?" Yao Delong's expression froze, and the small expectation in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by a strong sense of loss.

"Sigh... Why wasn't it the Grand Prize or the First Prize..." He felt a bit depressed, as if he had missed out on a fortune.

But the next second, he slapped his thigh hard:

"Hey! What am I thinking! A skill mastery card! Isn't this exactly what I need right now?!"

"It's a freebie! It even saved me 350 yin-yang values! As long as I didn't get 'Thank You for Participating', it's a huge profit!"

With his thoughts cleared, that bit of loss instantly vanished, replaced by the ecstasy of finding a treasure! This System, after all, still loves me!

"Senior Brother? What's wrong? Your expression is a bit strange..."

Inside the Immortal Cave, Lin Qingxue, who was about to return to her Cultivation, noticed the change in Yao Delong's expression the moment before he left and asked with concern via a voice transmission.

"Ah? Cough... It's nothing, it's nothing!" Yao Delong immediately snapped back to reality and gave a toothy grin toward the Immortal Cave.

"I just thought of some minor matters regarding Cultivation, and they've been resolved! Clear Snow, you should Cultivate in peace; consolidating your Realm is what's important!"

With that, he didn't stay any longer and turned into a streak of light, flying toward his own Immortal Cave.