The Forbidden Path to Immortality-Chapter 265

The shift in her heart was subtle, almost too delicate to notice... yet for a cultivator it was something crucial. She couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

Shui Die Lan froze for a moment, then let out a huff. She released her grip and turned her face away, still looking a little upset.

Seeing her like that, Li Xun had no idea what was going on. He could only keep half explaining, half complaining. “I’m already unlucky enough as it is. If both puppets were gone, I’d lose at least eighty percent of my abilities. And if I ended up getting killed, you wouldn’t be any better off, right?”

She shot him a sidelong glance and finally let a small smile slip onto her face. “Even without a puppet, with your cunning, you’re not someone just anyone could take down. But what about that puppet of yours? Isn’t she still injured and recovering? How could you not show a little pity... drag her out to suffer for you?”

“Pity?”

Li Xun finally caught on, though it only left him even more exasperated.

“Setting aside whether she even cares. She’s nothing like me, dying and coming back, losing ground just to gain a little. She’s been tempering her body in the Yin-Transforming Pool, gathering energy. All she’s gotten are benefits. Why wouldn’t I make use of her?”

“Benefits?”

“Exactly. Before, when she relied on external means to act, her Nethermyst Body was a bit rough. After being refined in the Yin-Transforming Pool, her ability to stay in this world has become much more stable. Add in that bizarre Yin Charm Scripture, and she’s advanced a lot in her cultivation. Look at her. Do you see even a trace of weakness?”

“Oh? Then I guess congratulations are in order.”

She said the word “congratulations,” but Shui Die Lan’s tone was still prickly. Her eyes were fixed on the elegant woman reflected in the mirror, but what kept flashing through her mind was that scene on the snowy plains where the two of them had fucked like wild beasts. Thinking of it again and again left her feeling strangely unsettled.

Yin Wanderer stood on a high point, making no effort at all to hide her presence. Naturally, every cultivator nearby turned their eyes toward her.

Still, there weren’t many fools in this realm. Most people, once they spotted her from afar, immediately suppressed their aura, shut their mouths, and ran as far and as fast as they could.

As for the ones without any sense… the bodies lying at the foot of the peak were example enough.

Yin Wanderer had only been appeared for an hour, yet within a thousand-li radius centered on her, you could hardly find a single cultivator. The shockwaves of her appearance were still spreading even farther.

It was easy to imagine that before long, news of Yin Wanderer arriving in the Southeast Forest Sea with some unknown plan would roar through the entire Tongxuan Realm, tossing fuel onto a situation that was already unstable.

Shui Die Lan knew perfectly well why Yin Wanderer was making such a high-profile entrance. Even so, the whole scene still rubbed the demoness the wrong way.

She was never the type to swallow her annoyance. If something bothered her, she would stab that lecher with a jab or two just to get it out of her system. But the scene in front of her made her gasp in surprise at the same time Li Xun did.

Up on the cliff, Yin Wanderer had already sensed something. She tilted her head slightly and looked toward a point several li away in the empty air. The corner of her lips curving into a cold, mocking smile.

Out of the void, a figure seemed to step forward as if walking on solid ground. With that single step, his thin, tall body appeared out of nowhere and stood before her.

He wore a loose gray robe that hung on him almost awkwardly, like clothing draped over a drying rack. At first glance, it looked almost comical.

A night breeze swept by, lifting his bluish-gray hair. It revealed a gaunt, aged face that was surprisingly dignified. And beneath the messy strands, a pair of eyes as dark and bottomless as an abyss.

But the most striking thing about him was the deep purple demonic mark that slanted down from his left temple, skimmed the corner of his eye, brushed past his nose, then hooked back toward the base of his ear. It looked like some eerie, otherworldly vine, strange and unsettling yet impossible to look away from.

Inside the Mist-Hidden Pavilion, Li Xun and Shui Dielan traded a look and said at the same time, “Luo Moshi!”

The old, withered cultivator who had suddenly appeared was none other than the unrivaled master of the demonic path, the leader of the Succubus Sect, Luo Moshi himself.

At the moment, he seemed unaware that anyone was secretly watching him. He lifted a long-necked silver flask with his left hand, gave it a little shake at Yin Wanderer, and said with a grin, “On a fine night like this, running into an old friend is one of life’s real pleasures. Lady Yin, would you care to share a hearty drink with me?”

If a graceful young gentleman had said this, it would have sounded bright and elegant, full of carefree charm. Unfortunately, Luo Moshi was not only dry and stick-thin, but his voice was also raspy and muffled, as if something were stuck in his throat. The moment he spoke, it made people want to cringe and look away.

Strangely enough, those muffled, tangled words seemed to sharpen the moment they reached the ear, becoming surprisingly clear and even more unforgettable.

Luo Moshi raised his other hand. No one could tell what kind of trick he used, but a brass-colored, three-legged wine cup appeared in his palm. Without waiting for Yin Wanderer’s answer, he pressed the silver flask lightly. A thin stream of liquor poured straight into the cup.

What drew the eye was the liquor itself. It was bright red like fresh blood, and once it hit the cup, it even began to boil and roil, bubbling with a low burble.

Yin Wanderer’s gaze flicked toward the cup. And she flashed a dazzling smile. “I haven’t touched meat or blood in a very long time. You’ve always liked using blood when you drink, Old Luo, but why trouble me with it?”

Luo Moshi smiled. The movement of his facial muscles made the deep purple mark on his left cheek writhe constantly. Just looking at it sent a chill down your spine.

He didn’t look angry at all. He simply shook his head. “That’s a real shame. I hunted down an Anghun beast with my own hands just an hour ago and took its fresh blood. Mixed it with ground Di-bird crest. It’s rich, strong, and absolutely delicious. Lady Yin, you’re missing a treat.”

He lifted the cup and drained it in one go.

Maybe the blood-wine really did hit the spot. Luo Moshi’s face flushed a vivid red, almost glowing, and it took a while before the color faded. He let out a long breath, his expression growing even more lazy and relaxed.

Yin Wanderer flicked her whisk lightly and smiled. “Old Luo, your temper’s improved. You’ve grown far more gentle than you used to be.”

This was a detail only a very small number of their peers would understand.

Ever since he was young, Luo Moshi had a taste for drinking blood. Whenever the urge got too strong, he would kill something just to satisfy it. After his cultivation deepened, he lost interest in such earthly urges. Now, to sharpen that killing intent before a fight, he’d avoid the scent of blood altogether for some time.

So the fact that he had drunk blood-wine now meant one thing: he had no intention of fighting. He was here simply to reminisce.

Yin Wanderer understood this perfectly. She gave a small smile and, in response, also drew in the lively true breath that had been radiating from her.

Ignoring her sarcasm, Luo Moshi moved onto the cliff edge until his feet found solid ground. He made sure to keep a courteous distance from her. “I heard long ago that you broke through, left seclusion, and returned to the world. And now that I’m seeing you again, it’s clear your sixty years of closed-door cultivation truly paid off. Your whole presence feels deep and unfathomable. I’d wager you’ve mastered the Yin Charm Scripture. The path to Dao shouldn’t be far from your reach.”

Yin Wanderer didn’t trouble herself with pretending to be humble. Just gave a smile. “Plenty of folk climb a mountain near to the summit, only to slip right at the end. Maybe things look promising; but only an idiot starts taking the last stretch for granted.”

“Exactly, exactly! Only people like us, who are right at the doorstep, really know how hard it is to reach Dao. It’s no simple thing. Folks like Zhong Yin, who treat a heavenly tribulation like it’s nothing, are rare in all of history. You need every tool at your disposal.”

Luo Moshi looked genuinely pleased to have found someone who shared his outlook. He flicked the rim of his cup, letting it ring with a deep, heavy note, then chuckled. “When it comes to facing a tribulation, there are always two parts. What’s inside and what’s outside, and the difference is clear enough. From what I can see, Lady Yin has a steady, well-guarded mind, so your inner ‘world’ should be fine. And that precious niece of yours has been running the Yin-Yang Sect for quite some time now any surprises. That tells me the outer part is falling into place too.”

Old fox.

Inside and outside the Light-Splitting Mirror, all three cursed him in their head.

But soon, Shui Die Lan was grinning ear to ear. “Perfect. That’s what people mean when they say someone’s too clever for their own good. Go on, have your little Yin beauty tease him a bit more!”

“What do you mean my this or your that?” Li Xun shook his head. “Yin Wanderer isn’t an idiot. Why would she need me to coach her?”

Sure enough, Yin Wanderer’s eyes grew colder, though her smile stayed warm. “I haven’t belonged to the Yin-Yang Sect in ages. Old Luo, why drag up ancient history? And you... Void-Trapping Mountain is a Grotto-Heaven, with tens of thousands of disciples, ruling the northwest. Why bother coming all the way to this forest just to amuse yourself?”

At that point, the pretense was more or less stripped away.

Maybe it was the wine and food, but Luo Moshi was in a good mood. He let out a dry laugh. “Amuse myself? Hardly. More like inviting trouble. You and I are on similar levels, Lady Yin. So tell me: do you really think I still care about outside distractions at this stage?”

Yin Wanderer smiled indifferently. “A Grotto-Heaven lineage has nothing to do with outside distractions. And even if it did, passing it down to later generations and strengthening the sect is hardly a bad thing.”

Luo Moshi chuckled. His laughter sounded like sand slipping through stone.

“One person’s path to Dao doesn’t require two Grotto-Heavens. Although Void-Trapping Mountain is no match for Mist-Hidden Pavilion, it’s still more than enough for my ascension. Why would I bother with anything extra? As for preserving benefits for future generations... haha! Back in the day Qu Zhuoyu relied on this very Grotto-Heaven and still didn’t fail his sect’s younger members. You think I’m any worse than him?”

Yin Wanderer raised an eyebrow slightly. “Oh? That is interesting.”

“The interesting part comes next. From what I heard, Lady Yin visited Yemo Heaven recently. A perfectly calculated move, small effort, huge impact. Isn’t that interesting?”

A spark flickered in Yin Wanderer’s eyes, but her voice stayed cool. “Not bad.”