25: on the road

As the two stepped out of the Sect's barrier, the view before them suddenly opened up.

Without the slightest delay, Liu Yan flipped her delicate hand, and a streak of crimson light shot out, transforming into a sharp, spirit-light-overflowing Flying Sword that hovered before her.

The blade's body was entirely crimson, with runes faintly flowing across it, emitting a powerful and pure fluctuation of spiritual power.

This was a Second-tier Magical Artifact!

It was worth ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Lu Yang's gaze was instantly and firmly fixed upon that Flying Sword, and he couldn't help but feel envious in his heart.

The First-tier Low-grade Magical Artifact he had spent years of effort and self-study to barely refine probably couldn't even be traded for this Flying Sword's tassel!

This blatant gap lay between the two of them like a cold chasm.

"What are you standing there for? Get on!" Liu Yan's posture was as light as a swallow as she gracefully landed on the front of the Flying Sword, her sleeves fluttering in the wind. She glanced back at Lu Yang, who was still in shock, and urged him in a cold tone.

Lu Yang suppressed the surging envy and disappointment in his heart, took a deep breath, exerted force from his toes, and landed steadily on the narrow middle-rear section of the sword blade.

The Flying Sword wasn't very spacious to begin with, and Liu Yan's slender figure only occupied the front third of the space.

She stood with her back to Lu Yang. Her waist, which had been slightly plump when she was troubled by fire poison, had now become perfectly proportioned.

Her slender waist and elegant back curve, outlined by her red clothes, formed a breathtaking silhouette.

Lu Yang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to her slender waist and her slightly thin yet resilient body, and a sudden throb surged in his heart for some reason.

Just as his mind was wavering slightly—

"Whoosh!"

The Flying Sword suddenly started, and the powerful inertia caused Lu Yang's body to jerk violently!

In the blink of an eye, almost out of instinct, he reached forward with both arms and firmly embraced that warm, slender, and surprisingly resilient waist in front of him!

The sensation from his palms made his heart tremble.

Liu Yan's entire body suddenly tensed up!

The solid arms and burning body heat belonging to a man coming from behind made her feel as if her pressure points had been struck.

A strange, unfamiliar sensation instantly swept through her body, and the tips of her ears quickly began to burn.

She lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, suppressing the urge to scold him. In the end, she said nothing, only applying a bit more force with her fingers as she controlled the Flying Sword.

The Flying Sword sped through the air, the scenery on both sides receding rapidly as the piercing gale buffeted them.

Lu Yang held onto her slender waist tightly, feeling the warmth and fragrance of the jade-like body in his arms.

Liu Yan's waterfall-like black hair brushed against his cheeks in the wind. The scent of her hair—cold, yet carrying the unique warmth of a Fire Spirit Root—drifted into his nose, making his mind sway.

As if possessed, he couldn't help but lean his head forward, almost pressing against the back of her small, delicate ear, greedily taking a few deep breaths of that intoxicating scent.

"Mm..." The scalding breath caused Liu Yan's body to tremble uncontrollably for a moment,

And the burning sensation instantly spread to her cheeks and neck.

This area was already the outer airspace of the Hehuan Sect, and fellow disciples occasionally flew by using escape lights.

Warning bells rang in Liu Yan's heart, fearing that someone would see this ambiguous scene.

She gritted her silver teeth, her mind racing, and she controlled the Flying Sword to suddenly soar upward, plunging straight into the thick layer of clouds!

In an instant, the surroundings were a vast expanse of white. It was as if only the two of them and the small space beneath their feet remained in the world.

The mountains, rivers, and towns below, as well as the escape lights of fellow disciples in the distance, were all obscured by the dense clouds and mist.

With her vision blocked, Liu Yan could only fully activate her spiritual consciousness, extending it forward like invisible tentacles, struggling to find the way and navigate through the sea of clouds.

With such divided attention, the consumption of spiritual power immediately doubled.

What made Liu Yan even more flustered was that after entering this cloud Secret Realm where no one could peek, the bold fellow behind her seemed to become even more unscrupulous!

Those arms, which had been wrapped around her waist somewhat properly, actually began to grow restless.

Liu Yan felt her heart in a mess. On one hand, she had to resist the numbing, strange sensation coming from her waist, and on the other, she had to divide her soul to maintain the spiritual consciousness for pathfinding and the stability of the Flying Sword.

In her struggle to balance both, the spiritual power in her Dantian was like an opened floodgate, draining away rapidly.

Soon, her spiritual power hit rock bottom. The speed of the Flying Sword slowed down significantly, the spirit light on the blade dimmed quite a bit, and it even began to shake slightly.

"Senior Sister, why have we stopped?" Lu Yang asked in confusion, sensing the change.

Liu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil and shyness in her heart, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible panting: "My spiritual power is almost exhausted; I need to go down to recover for a moment."

Not enough spiritual power? Lu Yang's eyes lit up at the news, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, watch me!"

As he spoke, instead of letting go of Liu Yan's waist, he held her even tighter, as if declaring some kind of sovereignty.

At the same time, his other hand quickly brought out his Magic Treasure.

Lu Yang absorbed the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi while he spoke.

Simultaneously, he operated the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Art, converting all the spiritual power into Fire Spiritual Power and transferring it to Liu Yan.

"Ah! Lu Yang, you..." Liu Yan felt him release one hand and was about to ask in alarm what he was doing.

The next second, a stream of pure, hot, yet incredibly gentle Fire-attribute Spiritual Power, like a gurgling warm current, was continuously transferred into her Dantian!

"Ugh!" Liu Yan's delicate body shook violently, her beautiful eyes widening instantly, filled with disbelief!

Spiritual power... could actually be transferred so directly?!

What shocked her even more was that this Fire Spiritual Power belonging to Lu Yang, which was being transferred into her Dantian, did not cause the slightest rejection. Instead, it blended perfectly with her own Fire-attribute Spiritual Power!

It was absorbed and converted almost instantly. Like a long-awaited rain after a drought, her depleted Dantian was immediately filled, even bringing about a warm sense of comfort!

This level of compatibility... was simply inconceivable!

Stormy waves rose in Liu Yan's heart.

It was an iron law of the cultivation world that the spiritual power of different Cultivators—due to differences in Cultivation Techniques, Spiritual Roots, cultivation Realms, and even Divine Soul imprints—would normally reject each other. The consequences of forced infusion were unimaginable!

But the spiritual power Lu Yang sent was so highly compatible with her own, as if they shared the same root and origin, complementing each other like Yin and Yang!

Liu Yan's mind raced, and she instantly thought of the key: That's it! It must be Lu Yang's special Five Spiritual Roots Physique and the harmonizing effect brought by that strange Dual Cultivation Secret Method!

Only this could explain such a miracle!

Having understood the key, Liu Yan's tensed heartstrings finally relaxed.

The solid arms behind her now seemed to become a source of strength and warmth.

The continuous flow of pure spiritual power into her body not only instantly solved the urgent problem but also brought a strange, slightly body-softening sense of comfort, like soaking in a warm spiritual spring, even soothing her tensed nerves.

This feeling... was actually like this... never before... an indescribable sense of strangeness quietly sprouted.

Liu Yan bit her lower lip hard with her pearly teeth, suppressing the ripples in her heart and that trace of improper comfort and dependence, forcing herself to collect her thoughts.

She refocused her intent, guiding this external yet incredibly compatible spiritual power into the core of the Flying Sword.

Buzz—!

The originally dim and listless crimson Flying Sword suddenly erupted with dazzling spirit light!

The sword blade emitted a clear and spirited hum, as if injected with new life. Carrying the two people in an intimate embrace, it sped away at a speed far exceeding before, tearing through the layers of clouds like ripping silk!

Lu Yang's arm was still domineeringly wrapped around Liu Yan's slender and soft waist, declaring his presence.

[Liu Yan's Good and Evil Value +20]