Only now did Feng Yuan have a clear understanding of just how powerful the Heaven-Mending Fruit was.
He had absorbed less than half of it, yet his dantian had already grown to a level he once would not have dared to imagine.
It was hard to fathom just how formidable he would become once he finished absorbing it completely!
“However, even if I can’t act personally right now, I can’t let him live too peacefully.
This is the perfect opportunity to probe his limits!”
“Liu Yang!”
With that, Feng Yuan called out.
A sharp, piercing voice came from outside.
Through the gap in the door, a gaunt figure could be seen.
He was hunched over, his face a mask of sycophantic eagerness as he spoke.
“Senior Brother, you called?”
“Go and probe the limits of Mu Fan from Profound Bright Peak.
If the opportunity arises, take his life.”
Feng Yuan spoke with an indifference befitting a titan who held the world in his palm, one whose every word could decide matters of life and death.
“Rest assured, Senior Brother.
I’ll make sure that Mu Fan doesn’t live to see tomorrow!” Upon hearing his orders, Liu Yang’s expression grew even more reverent, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
He then ran down the mountain, unable to wait a moment longer.
On the other side, Mu Fan, after making sure his master’s wife was settled, set off for Wood Source Peak.
Wood Source Peak was where disciples of the Taiqing Sect went to cultivate and acquire resources like Spirit Pills.
It was a place of extreme importance to the entire sect.
Mu Fan had come for one reason only: to collect his monthly cultivation allowance.
It consisted of two mid-grade Spirit Stones and a Tier Two Spirit Pill.
The Spirit Stones assisted in cultivation, as the Spiritual Qi they contained could be absorbed directly without refinement.
The Spirit Pill, on the other hand, helped a cultivator condense the Spiritual Qi within their own body.
A short while later, Mu Fan arrived at the foot of Wood Source Peak.
It was a vast area, sprawling across several interconnected peaks, and it was the central hub for disciples to receive their provisions.
Mu Fan made his way to the South Pavilion and collected his cultivation resources.
Although he was now considered a cripple, the staff at the South Pavilion didn’t give him any trouble.
With his resources in hand, Mu Fan turned to leave, only to come face-to-face with Shen Muyao, who had clearly been looking for him.
Shen Muyao was dressed in a red robe.
A few strands of black hair had escaped to frame her cheeks, the dark silk making her skin seem all the more radiant and fresh.
Her movements were as graceful as a willow swaying in a soft breeze.
A shimmering gloss on her red lips gave them a captivating, seductive allure.
Her long, slender neck was fair and delicate, an invitation one could barely resist, and her waist—so thin it was barely a handful—was utterly captivating.
And with every sway of her hem, there was a tantalizing glimpse of her perfectly formed, pale feet.
The disciples standing near Mu Fan seemed to have their very Divine Souls captivated by her.
They stared unabashedly, undisguised longing in their eyes.
Mu Fan, however, was struck by her beauty for only a fleeting moment before averting his gaze and paying her no further mind.
Shen Muyao, of course, noticed his reaction, and it only served to pique her interest.
Indeed, Shen Muyao had recognized him.
From a distance, she had overheard him announce his name to the disciple at the South Pavilion.
A playful impulse struck her.
After telling Lu Xueqing to stay hidden, she made a beeline for him.
“Senior Brother, could you tell me how to get to Beiyue Tower?” Shen Muyao stepped in front of Mu Fan, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke, her breath a fragrant whisper.
Mu Fan gave her a surprised glance but didn’t dwell on it.
He casually pointed in a direction behind him before turning to leave once more.
Seeing this, Shen Muyao’s expression froze.
In all her years in the sect, this was the first time she had ever met a man who seemed completely uninterested in her.
She had seen not a single trace of desire in his eyes.
For a split second, it made her doubt her own charms.
But the thought was fleeting.
He must be playing hard to get!
*Hmph.
Playing hard to get, are we?* Shen Muyao thought, her body a blur as she once again blocked Mu Fan’s path.
“Is there something else?” Mu Fan stopped, frowning at the woman before him.
They were very close now, so close that he could feel a distinct, scorching heat radiating from her.
Instantly, the Demonic Qi within him surged out of his control, as if repulsed by the intense heat emanating from her.
Before Mu Fan could suppress it, the aura erupted from him.
Shen Muyao bore the brunt of it.
She felt a bone-deep chill radiating from Mu Fan, and her body trembled involuntarily.
In response, the Phoenix True Flame inside her stirred.
“Ngh!” The agitation of the Phoenix True Flame sent a blush creeping up her cheeks, and a soft moan escaped her lips.
Seeing this, Mu Fan hurriedly retracted his aura.
He frowned at Shen Muyao, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
It might have been better if he hadn’t.
The moment he withdrew the Demonic Qi, the Phoenix True Flame inside Shen Muyao erupted with unrestrained force, sending a wave of searing heat blasting outwards.
As the Phoenix True Flame surged through her meridians, Shen Muyao’s eyes glazed over.
Her hands reached out unconsciously, grasping at Mu Fan for support.
In the distance, Lu Xueqing, who had been watching, saw this and her expression changed drastically.
She rushed over at once.
“What did you do to her?!” Lu Xueqing pulled Shen Muyao into her embrace, glaring at Mu Fan as she snapped.
She, too, had felt the strange aura emanating from Mu Fan a moment ago and naturally assumed he had done this on purpose.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean for that to happen.
What’s wrong with her?” Mu Fan asked, not recognizing the newcomer as the same Lu Xueqing he had encountered on the desolate mountain.
She had been deliberately using her cultivation to conceal her true features to avoid unwanted trouble.
Lu Xueqing shot him a vicious glare before moving to seal Shen Muyao’s meridians.
But with the True Flame running rampant, how could she possibly suppress it on her own?
“Get over here and help me!” Glancing around and finding no one else suitable, Lu Xueqing grit her teeth.
Her eyes locked onto Mu Fan and, after a moment’s hesitation, she spoke.
“Hm?” Mu Fan was taken aback, unsure of what she meant.
“Help me suppress the Spiritual Qi in her body!” Lu Xueqing repeated.
There was no time for propriety.
Their only option was to get Shen Muyao to Pill God Peak and have Elder Danqiong intervene!
In the entire Taiqing Sect, only the Liangyi Heart Cleaning Pill refined by Elder Danqiong could even begin to suppress the backlash from the Phoenix True Flame.
“Oh.” Mu Fan hesitated for a second.
Considering the woman’s current predicament was, in a way, his fault, he had no choice but to agree.
Once the two of them had managed to temporarily suppress the erupting Spiritual Qi in Shen Muyao’s body, they hurried towards Pill God Peak.
“If anything happens to Mu Yao, I will never forgive you!” Lu Xueqing shot a hateful glare at Mu Fan over her shoulder.