190: must!

Zuoqiu Yi sighed in relief upon hearing this and hurriedly took out a porcelain bottle from her Storage Pouch, pouring out a brown Medicinal Pill. "This is a Qi-Replenishing Pill. Eat it quickly."

Lin Fan lay in her arms, his eyes fixed on her Face, his nose catching the scent of her fragrance. He immediately felt that it was all worth it. If he could, he would want to stay like this forever.

"Little Brother Lin?" Zuoqiu Yi called out softly when she saw he didn't react.

"Ah? What is it?"

"You... what are you looking at?"

Zuoqiu Yi was uncharacteristically shy, a faint blush spreading across her fair Face. This was the first time a man had lain in her arms.

"It's nothing, it's just... you are too beautiful."

"... Hurry up and eat the Medicinal Pill."

"Mn..."

In the center of the room, a stone table appeared with a treasure placed on it, but neither of them paid it any mind, both fully immersed in the ambiguous atmosphere.

...

The four people with Xu Sanyan easily achieved a Breakthrough in the fourth stage. The reward for this stage was still a Medicinal Pill; its value had risen slightly, but it was of no great use.

"I hope there will be something good in the next stage." Xu Sanyan was slightly disappointed. He hadn't needed to make a move in the previous few stages; the Elders beside him had taken care of everything.

As soon as they stepped onto the fifth stage, they saw four people appear on the opposite side—three men and one woman. Xu Sanyan blinked, his interest piqued. "Oh? People?"

The four people opposite had solemn expressions. One of them cupped his hands and said, "We are from the Nantian Valley Jiang Family. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

"Nantian Valley..." Xu Sanyan recalled the records in books: "One valley in South Heaven, Jiang and Yan are clear." This phrase represented the Nantian Valley Jiang Family, a force of no small standing. They were considered among the strongest below the Five Great Sects, much like the Huai Lake Zuoqiu Clan.

Moreover, the scenery in that place was quite nice and extremely beautiful.

"I have heard that your Jiang Family Young Lord, Jiang Yan, has outstanding talent. I wonder which one of you is Brother Jiang?"

"Fellow Daoist will likely be disappointed; the Young Lord is not here."

Xu Sanyan nodded. "Then please turn back. Consider it me giving your Young Lord some Face, and I will not make things difficult for you."

"Heh, what arrogance. Who are you people? How dare you not take our Jiang Family seriously?" Among the four, the woman wore a look of slight anger.

The other three also had unsightly expressions, feeling as though they had been looked down upon. The Nantian Valley Jiang Family was renowned in the cultivation world; how could they retreat because of someone's words? If it got out, wouldn't it damage the Family's reputation?

"You don't know when you're well off. I offered you a way to live, and you refuse. Then this old man will send you on your way!" The Elder to the side sneered, stopped wasting words, and attacked first.

Xu Sanyan shook his head lightly. He was not naturally bloodthirsty, but since some people were actively seeking death, he would grant their wish.

The cultivation levels of the four were clearly visible to him: two in the early Mystic Path Realm and two at Foundation Establishment Completion. He didn't even need to make a move; the two Elders took care of them.

In just a quarter of an hour, the three men were lying on the ground, lifeless. Only the woman still had a breath left. He grabbed her by the neck and gave it a light twist, and she breathed her last with a look of unwillingness.

The stone table appeared. Xu Sanyan glanced at it; it was a transparent stone, likely some sort of Material for Artifact Refining. It was useless to him, so he gave it to the Elder beside him.

As the floors became higher, the rewards improved, and the four stepped into the sixth floor.

Xiang Tan followed closely by Xu Sanyan's side, feeling incredibly secure. She raised her eyes to secretly look at his profile, her gaze filled with adoration.

This adoration was different from the purest love between a man and a woman; it was simply the result of the weak's psychological tendency to admire the strong. Once Xu Sanyan lost his cultivation or his power, this adoration would vanish.

In the Demon Sect, where would there be so much romance? It wasn't a cheesy soap opera; what one could see here was more often scheming and intrigue.

They arrived at the sixth floor. Xu Sanyan blinked and looked at the opposite side, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated. "When did you arrive?"

"J-just arrived." Fang Xiang moved his mouth, his Face full of melancholy. He hadn't expected such a coincidence, running into the person he least wanted to encounter.

Even if it were Fang Qingge or Net Intent, Fang Xiang would still have the courage to compete. But encountering Xu Sanyan, he didn't even have the courage to make a move. Even now, the memory of him being grabbed by the hair and beaten up by Xu Sanyan often flashed through his mind.

"Do you still need me to make a move?" Xu Sanyan said with a smile.

"No, no, I'll leave right now." Fang Xiang waved his hands repeatedly and led the two people behind him back the way they came.

After Fang Xiang went down, the staircase on the other side faded, and a stone table appeared. This time, it was a piece of paper.

"Oh?" Xu Sanyan reached out and beckoned. The paper drifted into his palm, and the two Elders sensibly turned their heads away.

Having lived to their age, they understood best what should be looked at and what should not. Those who didn't understand this principle wouldn't have lived to this point.

Xu Sanyan frowned as he looked at the paper. On it was drawn a crooked route; it looked like a floor map, but he didn't know what place it was a map of.

"Take a look, do you recognize this map?" The two Elders then looked over and shook their heads silently. "We do not recognize it."

Xu Sanyan put the map away and stepped toward the stairs. "Let's go, next stage."

...

In the end, Fang Qingge couldn't refuse Junior Sister Yu and brought her up with him.

Junior Sister Yu and Wei Xunzhu stood in the back, at odds with each other, while Fang Qingge fought hard against the Corpse Demons in the front.

"Hmph." Junior Sister Yu snorted coldly. Through their time together, she had already realized that Senior Brother Fang didn't like Wei Xunzhu very much, so she deliberately provoked her. "Some people, honestly. Clearly not liked, yet they insist on pestering others shamelessly. Truly shameless."

Wei Xunzhu smiled slightly. "Indeed. Senior Brother Fang even said to let Junior Sister wait outside, so why did you still follow up?"

"You!" Junior Sister Yu was furious. "That's not what I meant. Can't you tell that Senior Brother Fang doesn't like you?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Wei Xunzhu feigned ignorance. "But Senior Brother Fang and I have already..." She paused deliberately here, leaving room for endless imagination, then added, "I even know about the birthmark on Senior Brother Fang's chest."

This was what she had 'accidentally on purpose' seen while healing him earlier.

Junior Sister Yu was even angrier, but she refused to be outdone. "That's nothing. I even know how many moles Senior Brother Fang has on his butt!"

"How many?" "Three!" Junior Sister Yu said without hesitation.

Wei Xunzhu nodded silently and noted it down.

Fang Qingge had just finished off the Corpse Demons. Turning his head, he heard the two women's conversation, and his Face immediately darkened. Had his private matters become fodder for their gossip?

Fang Qingge stood between the two and awkwardly changed the subject. "Let's go, next floor."

He made up his mind once again that from now on, he must keep that thing in his pants under control! Definitely!