Wind rustled the leaves, and by the dark cave entrance, a flickering candle flame cast intermittent light.
"Since I can hold the Great Desolation Mountain in check, I can naturally guard the Heavenly Realm as well."
"If you dare to harm even a single hair on her, I will let this Heavenly Realm be buried along with the Great Desolation Mountain!"
Ling Xi opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a hazy sea of mist. Light shone down on the palace, making it glisten like silver.
Is this... the Heavenly Court?
The heavenly soldiers knelt in unison, trembling. "War God, please calm your wrath. Goddess Tu Yao is already dead. Her body... has been refined into the wick of the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp. You... you are too late..."
"Utter nonsense!" Golden light struck the man's armor, reflecting a clear metallic sheen. He stood tall, clad in black and profound robes, his dark hair half-tied. His hazy face gradually came into focus.
Is this... himself?
Their eyes met. A strange smile was reflected in the center of Ling Xi's pupils. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and he took half a step back in fright.
He suddenly jolted awake from his dream, his forehead slick with cold sweat. As he reached out, the iron chains on his hands and feet clanged.
Looking around, he found himself in a narrow cave.
The candlelight illuminated large patches of snake skin on the ground, which shimmered with phosphorescence.
How did he end up here?
He remembered a poor immortal examination candidate asking him for beast-controlling powder, crying profusely, saying he was from a humble background and needed the powder to capture some beasts in the demon capital for cultivation. So, he gave it to him.
After a few drinks with the person, his body felt weak, and he passed out. He woke up here.
[Ding—Summoning System.]
"You beast, why don't you show yourself?"
[System: Lord Ling, what's wrong?]
"Where am I now?"
[System: You are in... Let me locate it first. Found it! At the foot of Penglai Mountain, in a snake's den...]
Ling Xi took a deep breath and looked at his empty waist, deep in thought.
The jade pendant was still there, but the pouch at his waist was gone. If it were an ordinary thief, the jade pendant would have vanished long ago.
This led him to conclude it wasn't a thief.
Ling Xi recalled what "that extraordinary one" had said and immediately understood what had happened.
A faint smile appeared on his jade-like face. He was fortunate to have already transferred the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp to the beast's space.
[System: What a pity—]
"I only lost a token." Ling Xi smiled again, his elegance unparalleled.
[System: Who told you it was only a token inside?]
Ling Xi:?
[System: Lord, weren't you planning to conquer that extraordinary one? I also prepared a copy of the Spring Palace paintings for you, guaranteed to help you learn!]
Ling Xi froze suddenly and smiled through gritted teeth. "Do I need you to teach me?"
If his guess was correct, that book had long since been read by that extraordinary one, and his image had plummeted.
[Ding—Host forcibly shut down.]
[System: Lord Ling! Lord Ling! Let's talk... What happened...]
The incessant noise abruptly ceased.
Before Ling Xi could think further, a pair of delicate hands slid under his clothes from his neck. A tingling sensation spread from his nape all the way to his chest.
Ling Xi looked up. The person before him was none other than the extraordinary one he longed for.
"So it's you."
Ling Xi's lips curved upwards, ripples appearing in his dark pupils as he gazed at the person before him.
She was dressed in a red gown, her dark hair half-pinned up, with stray strands framing her ears. A gentle breeze lifted them, brushing against the corners of her crimson lips. Like a vixen, she hooked his belt, then unfastened it. Her boneless hands slid across his chest, finally clasping his fingers, entwining, and seducing.
The strength of her grip was no different from their first meeting when their fingers were intertwined.
Ling Xi gasped for breath, interlacing his fingers with her restless hands, holding them firmly. He caressed every inch of skin on her fingers, still unsatisfied, and laughed, "Shall we try?"
His voice was low and husky, carrying a hint of allure. His eyes were filled with lust, like a famished beast ready to devour its prey.
For some reason, upon contact with her, his body grew hot, especially the flames in his chest burning hotter and hotter, as if trying to incinerate him.
Ye Ziling smiled faintly, her eyes shimmering like a pool of water, as if watching a struggling prey.
"Where is the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp?" she asked with a smile.
Ling Xi couldn't help but gasp, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes burning with ever-increasing desire.
Seeing him appear more uncomfortable than if he had taken an aphrodisiac, Ye Ziling pressed against his cheek and stood on tiptoe to lick his earlobe.
The moment her soft tongue touched his earlobe, the fire in Ling Xi's abdomen raged even more fiercely, and his body felt weak and numb.
Although it was to complete a task, he was enjoying it.
"Where is the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp?" Ye Ziling asked again.
"If you want the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp, you need sincerity?" Ling Xi's face was flushed, and he smiled, his intentions clear.
Ye Ziling's smile froze.
It seemed she would not accept a kind offer and would have to be forced.
With a snap of her fingers, what greeted him was not a beauty embracing him, but two cold-blooded animals crawling towards him from behind.
Two giant pythons, as thick as his thighs, slithered out from behind her, flicking their red tongues. Their tails were cocked upwards, their small eyes glowing red, their pupils filled with the same desire as his.
They were two female snakes in heat.
Ling Xi lowered his head and chuckled. He had initially thought this extraordinary one was a bellflower, but he never expected her to be a poppy.
This was interesting.
Ling Xi narrowed his eyes, looking at the two snakes and the woman. A devilish smile played on his lips.
Ye Ziling looked at his almost lifeless state, her lips curved into a smile, and she slowly faded from his sight.
Watching the beautiful figure disappear, Ling Xi's smile gradually subsided. He remembered the words the beast had spoken before shutting down.
It said he would regret it. How could he possibly regret it?
Ling Xi laughed mockingly.
The two giant pythons slowly coiled around his body. Their rough scales rubbed against his skin, the cold sensation counteracting the heat. The man, pinned like on a cross, laughed nonchalantly.
Half an hour later, the bones of the two giant pythons shattered. Their entire bellies flipped open, and they lay on the ground, lifeless.
A bloody stench assaulted his nostrils. Ling Xi frowned.
[System: Lord Ling, I told you you'd regret it! You can't do it without me.]
"You talk a better game than you sing." Without this beast, he could have dealt with these two creatures himself.
Ling Xi glanced at the two stone slabs beside him, on which snake blood flowed freely, the bloodstains shocking.
"Did she drug me?" Ling Xi asked.
Then, he thought again, that didn't make sense. If she had drugged him, why was he fine now? Had the giant pythons cured him? But he hadn't lost his virginity.
[System: Probably not.]
"Then why..." Ling Xi paused.
Why, whenever he touched her, did his body involuntarily become restless, like parched land finally receiving rain...
Had he had no interest in women for over a decade because of this reason?
Yet, over the years, countless women had thrown themselves at him, and he had felt nothing.
The thought of her fair fingers, the scent of her red lips, her body heat, made Ling Xi feel parched and unbearable restlessness.
He immediately cut off the thoughts in his mind and recalled the strange occurrences of the past few days.
Ever since this seductive demon had arrived, he had inexplicably been having recurring dreams of cutting his wrist and bleeding, using immortal power to transfer the blood into a body.
That body lay on ice. Since it was a dream, he couldn't see what she looked like, but he vaguely felt his flesh and blood draining away continuously.
He hadn't even attained an immortal position yet, how could he use immortal power?
Immortal candidates like them could only use talismans as carriers of power to successfully cast spells, except for demons and immortals.
Today, he dreamed again of a man who looked exactly like him returning victorious, giving him a strange smile.
Ling Xi lowered his gaze, his dark pupils deep and bottomless. He calmly finished the sentence: "Why does it feel like I've been drugged with an aphrodisiac every time I touch her?"
The system, caught off guard by his directness, simply replied with five words: heavenly secrets cannot be revealed.
Ling Xi hadn't expected anything from this beast. This beast still needed him. If it weren't for the desire to get divine beasts and elixirs for free and be directly admitted into an immortal position, he would have banished this beast to the demon capital long ago.
[System: Ding—Lord Ling, the mobilization meeting for the new immortal examinations is about to begin. Please return to your sect quickly!]
"Didn't we agree that you'd be directly admitted after conquering that extraordinary one?" Why should he register?
Ling Xi frowned, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.
[System: This immortal examination is related to that extraordinary one.]
Ling Xi nodded helplessly, falling silent.
The examination wasn't difficult. He had previously passed the immortal position, and it held no interest for him whatsoever.
Ling Xi was fast-tracked to the Heavenly Court due to his outstanding beast-taming abilities. Taishang Laojun almost knelt before him, begging him to become a beast tamer in the Heavenly Court, but he flatly refused.
What fun was beast taming? It was boring.