Half an hour passed, then an hour. An unknown amount of time went by.

Shen Jingzhe's voice finally ceased, as if a torrential, cathartic downpour had at last come to an end. Silence descended upon the cave.

Shen Jingzhe felt as if her throat was completely raw. She really had no idea why that bastard Lin Xiao had made her scream for so long. But that wasn't the main issue. The important thing was that the poison in her body had been completely neutralized.

If her master wasn't standing right at the cave entrance, Shen Jingzhe would have marched right up to that bastard Lin Xiao and demanded an answer. If his blood could cure my poison, why did he use acupuncture before?

Just as she was puzzling over this, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave.

Shen Jingzhe feigned shyness and began to put on her clothes, and Lin Xiao pretended to do the same. The moment they had finished dressing, Fu Xiaoyun appeared before them with a cold smirk.

Lin Xiao's eyes were practically spitting fire as he glared at her.

Fu Xiaoyun saw the towering hatred in his gaze and her smirk grew even more triumphant. "Angry, little boy?"

"Yes!" Lin Xiao roared.

"Too bad. You'll never get your cultivation back, so your anger is useless. I'm very curious, Dragon Lord, how will you survive in this world without your earth-shattering cultivation? Next, I'll sell this information to the Ghost Medicine Sect. They'll be more than happy to take care of you personally!" Fu Xiaoyun said with a gloating laugh.

Lin Xiao bellowed, "Damn it! What the hell did I ever do to you that you'd treat me like this!"

"Don't be impatient. Someone will tell you in due time. For now, you can get lost!"

Lin Xiao staggered to his feet. He took a single step and nearly collapsed. This was, of course, a deliberate act. He was putting on a show, pretending to be utterly spent and drained.

Fu Xiaoyun watched this, her laughter turning even more sinister. After giving him one last look, she watched him depart.

Her gaze then fell upon Shen Jingzhe. She saw her apprentice drenched in a fine sweat, her eyes filled with nothing but pure resentment. Fu Xiaoyun let out a cold sneer.

"What? You hate me?"

Shen Jingzhe only snorted coldly, refusing to speak. Her silence was as good as an admission.

"Shen Jingzhe, if I hadn't saved you back then, your body would have rotted into the earth long ago. You have no right to resent me!" Fu Xiaoyun stated icily. "Besides, Lin Xiao is the Dragon Lord. He possesses the bloodline of a dragon. Being intimate with him is no bad thing for you. It's a shame you weren't his first woman. Otherwise, ninety percent of his cultivation would have poured into your Dantian. If you could have refined that power, you would have truly ascended to the heavens in a single step."

"If this is how you wanted me to repay my debt, then Master, are we even now?" Shen Jingzhe asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"My dear disciple, don't be angry. Everything I did was for your own good. If you hadn't been intimate with Lin Xiao, there's no way you could handle his cultivation!"

Shen Jingzhe stared at Fu Xiaoyun coldly. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple. Lin Xiao can never get his cultivation back, which gives you the perfect opportunity. I possess a technique that will allow you to absorb the world-destroying cultivation inside Su Qingning's Dantian. You only need to stay by her side, and her cultivation will continuously flow into you. In three years at most, you will ascend to the heavens in a single step and become the most powerful person in the world. Of course, this is all predicated on your union with Lin Xiao. Without it, even if you could draw out the cultivation from Su Qingning's Dantian, your body wouldn't be able to withstand it!"

Shen Jingzhe fell silent.

Fu Xiaoyun continued in a heartfelt tone, "Actually, I am doing all of this for you. Think about it. The enemies of your family are still out there, living carefree lives. Don't you want to avenge your parents?"

"I do, but my current cultivation is more than enough to avenge my parents!" Shen Jingzhe replied, her voice as cold as ice.

Fu Xiaoyun laughed with disdain. "My sweet disciple, how can you be so naive? Do you really think your current cultivation is so formidable? Let me tell you, the Nine Provinces are teeming with hidden masters—top-tier experts are a dime a dozen. If you try to get revenge with your current level of strength, you are simply walking to your death!"

Shen Jingzhe fell silent again.

"So, do you want revenge?" Fu Xiaoyun asked coldly.

Shen Jingzhe remained silent.

"Since you're not speaking, I'll take that as a yes. Now, I can teach you the method to siphon the cultivation from Su Qingning!"

***

After leaving the cave, Lin Xiao found himself surrounded by mountains on all sides, with no idea where he was. He followed an unnamed path, quickly making his way down the mountain. After what felt like an eternity of running, he finally reached a main road.

The night was vast and the road was completely deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight, not even a single car.

But Lin Xiao wasn't worried. I can't be too far from Jinling City, he concluded. The sky was still pitch black. If Fu Xiaoyun had taken them a great distance, dawn would have surely broken by now.

Standing on the main road, Lin Xiao got his bearings and then broke into a full sprint. He had wanted to call Xiao Shixiong to pick him up, but his phone was long gone.

Even though Lin Xiao was now only at the Divine Martial Realm, this level of cultivation was still extraordinary. Each step covered dozens of meters. He sprinted onward, losing all track of time.

At last, Lin Xiao saw the glimmer of distant lights. The silhouette of a city began to take shape on the horizon. After running a while longer, he finally entered the limits of Jinling City. Although he was still on the outskirts, he could at least see people and cars now.

He easily hailed a taxi. As dawn began to break, he finally returned to Hidden Dragon Villa.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao had brought some cash with him from the mountain, which he hadn't had a chance to spend. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even had enough for the taxi fare.

As he entered the villa and approached his own front door, he saw Bei Kuang standing guard. The sight of Lin Xiao was a joyous surprise for the old man.

"Dragon Lord! You… you're alright?"

Lin Xiao nodded. "Why are you still here?"

"I was worried about a night attack, so I stood guard!" Bei Kuang said with a grin.

"Thanks for your trouble."

"Don't mention it, Dragon Lord! You're the one who's had it rough, being tormented by that lunatic Fu Xiaoyun!"

"It was manageable. But Bei Kuang, there's something I'm very curious about."

"Ask away, Dragon Lord!"

"Do you know Fu Xiaoyun?"

Bei Kuang nodded. "I know her. We're old acquaintances, but not particularly close."

"How do you know her?"

Just as Bei Kuang was about to answer, he seemed to remember something. He flashed a fawning smile. "Dragon Lord, you'd best ask your Senior Master about that. Oh, right, you need to call him back immediately. He already knows that Fu Xiaoyun kidnapped you!"

Seeing that Bei Kuang was reluctant to say more, Lin Xiao didn't press the issue. "Give me your phone."

Bei Kuang hurriedly handed his phone to Lin Xiao, who immediately dialed his Senior Master.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.