Chapter 135 Let's each talk about our own things

Walking through the dark, deep corridor, Sima Yutang could feel the howling of a sinister wind.

Along the way, through the dim light, he could see many desiccated corpses on both sides, all of them female corpses stripped completely bare.

From their expressions, one could still see vividly terrified looks, imagining the despair before death.

Some of the corpses had dazed expressions, their dried skin tightly clinging to their emaciated bones.

Sima Yutang walked forward without glancing sideways, passing through the corridor and arriving in a spacious great hall.

The hall was dozens of meters high, supported by four bronze pillars.

In the center of the hall stood a massive bronze cauldron several meters tall, burning with an eerie green flame above it, exuding a chilling aura.

In front of the bronze cauldron was a hot spring pool several dozen meters square. Warm spring water poured down from the mountain walls on either side, and a misty white vapor shrouded the surface of the pool.

At this moment, the Old Marquis Sima Tao stood in the pool, bare-chested.

He was over one hundred and eighty years old, but at this moment, he had the face of a young man—sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, a coldly handsome countenance, with stacked muscles on his upper body. He looked less like Sima Yutang's father and more like his son.

Sometimes, Sima Yutang looked at the handsome young man ahead, who bore a thirty percent resemblance to him.

He really felt like saying in his heart: "How about we each go by our own rules?"

On the surface of the hot spring water, there were also two completely naked women.

However, these two originally enchanting and graceful peerless beauties were now, like the desiccated corpses in the corridor, reduced to skin and bones.

Now, soaked until they were pale, they were just floating there!

Looking again at the Old Marquis Sima Tao, his face was slightly flushed, as if he had just drunk a pot of aged fine wine. Under the dim lamplight of the great hall, he possessed a bit of the dashing appearance of his youth.

But his expression was sinister and ruthless, like a venomous snake, vastly different from his younger days.

He seemed utterly unlike a man whose Lifespan was nearing its end.

Sima Yutang secretly sighed in his heart.

In recent years, his father Sima Tao's desire to prolong his life had almost reached a pathological degree.

He had been injured in his youth and had taken many precious medicinal herbs.

Thus, those few extremely rare Lifespan-extending Medicinal Pills were no longer effective for him now.

Under these circumstances, Sima Tao had somehow obtained a wicked Cultivation Technique of absorbing Yin to supplement Yang, claiming it could achieve the goal of extending Lifespan by absorbing the essence of a large number of virginal young women.

Therefore, in recent years, the Marquis's estate had captured a large number of young women for the Old Marquis.

Many forces even proactively offered their own women to curry favor with the Old Marquis.

Of course, the old Marquis of Annan still had some measure of restraint.

For those forces with a Grandmaster overseeing them, he would generally only absorb the essence of the women sent by their Family or Sect or Gang for a period before sending them back.

Once they had recuperated sufficiently, they would be sent again for him to absorb.

The emphasis was on a virtuous cycle!

As for those women without powerful backgrounds, their fates were extremely tragic; all turned into desiccated corpses, piled up in the great hall like specimens.

Sima Yutang entered the great hall and stood respectfully by the pool's edge, not letting his gaze wander.

Sima Tao held a piece of silk in his hand, frowning as he examined it closely, as if he hadn't noticed his son's entry.

After a long while, he finally put down the silk, his expression turning extremely grim:

"Just where did it go wrong?"

"Wind Chanting Hermit, is the Dual Cultivation method you gave me truly capable of extending Lifespan as you claimed? Why, after Cultivating it for so many years, have I still seen no effect!?"

Sima Tao, who appeared incredibly young on the outside, spoke with the voice of an octogenarian.

His voice carried emotions of unwillingness, regret, resentment, and more.

It seemed very complex.

Within the great hall, things began to change due to his emotions.

Water droplets danced in the pool, the flames in the great cauldron shook violently, and the piled desiccated corpses in the distance swayed as if about to come back to life. The scene was extremely bizarre.

At this moment, Sima Tao seemed to have just noticed Sima Yutang. He looked at him and asked coldly:

"What is it?"

"Reporting to Father!"

Sima Yutang repeated the words he had prepared long ago to Sima Tao.

"Yan Chu!? Hmph!"

After hearing about Yan Chu's deeds, Sima Tao's expression showed not the slightest flicker of emotion.

For him, no matter what kind of expert or what level of Prodigy, none were as important as extending his Lifespan.

No matter how prodigious one's natural talent, in the end, they could not escape becoming a handful of yellow earth.

"A mere Great Grandmaster, why would this Marquis need to take action personally?"

"You disturbed your father's seclusion for such a trivial matter?!"

Sima Tao's tone was icy, showing no kindness whatsoever towards Sima Yutang despite him being his son.

Sensing the dissatisfaction in his father's tone, Sima Yutang steeled himself and said:

"Father, Jianghu rumors say that Yan Chu might be a Reincarnation of a Heavenly Being, and his Physique is special, finding no joy without women. He might be some old monster from a Joyous Union lineage in his previous life."

"If you could probe his true identity, perhaps it might be of some help to your current condition?"

"An old monster from a Joyous Union lineage?"

Sima Tao immediately became interested. "Are you sure he is a Reincarnation of a Heavenly Being?"

Naturally, Sima Yutang was not sure.

But since this was Jianghu gossip, he nodded and said:

"That's what everyone says!"

"And if he weren't a Reincarnation of a Heavenly Being, how could he have achieved such accomplishments at his age? His current cultivation is probably even above mine now."

Hearing this, Sima Tao fell into deep thought.

"If he truly is a Reincarnation of a Heavenly Being, he likely has a guardian by his side..."

"Enough!"

With a splash, he stood up from the water, declaring decisively:

"At my age, what is there left to fear?"

At worst, he would test the waters first. If there really was a guardian protecting him, he would turn and leave immediately.

If there was no guardian, then as Sima Yutang said, he could capture this youth and probe his secrets.

Perhaps his hope for extending his Lifespan would hinge on this very person!

...

Time returns to one day earlier.

After Zhu Qingluan left, Yan Chu was finally able to let loose and go all out.

After six or seven hours of intense 'battle', both he and Zhao Jiyao obtained what they each desired.

Although Zhao Jiyao's body felt almost completely disassembled, when she left, her delicate face bore a smile.

This smile held seventy percent satisfaction and thirty percent reluctance.

She had exerted all her skills, engaging in a life-and-death entanglement with Yan Chu, finally making him relent and agree to join the Empress Dowager's faction.

Now, despite the soreness and weakness all over her body, she was in a hurry to return and report her mission.

Of course, part of it was also because Yan Chu kept wanting to continue.

She really couldn't take it anymore!

Even when leaving, she, a dignified Grandmaster expert, nearly tripped because her legs were weak.

Her departure could be described as a hasty escape.

Watching Zhao Jiyao's retreating figure as she forcibly mobilized her true essence to leave, Yan Chu's face showed a hint of lingering desire.

This woman acted alluring and seductive, but in reality, she was far inferior to Han Yunlu.

She was only slightly better than Su Zhirou.

If he didn't have matters to attend to next, he definitely wouldn't have let her leave so easily.

"Young Master, where shall we go next? Should we return to the Raging Flood Dragon Gang's main headquarters?"

Liu Dayuan, looking at the refreshed and invigorated Yan Chu, asked.

"Wait for me here, I'll be right back!"