Inside was a person, precisely speaking, an absolute supreme beauty.
Ambiguous in gender and sex, with unrivaled peerless beauty.
White hair was spread out across the bed couch. The light, thin gauze robe had no ties, looking like a fully opened door. The entire body was covered in red cracks, and inside the cracks, blood flowed like magma. That scorching aura was spreading outward from within.
The beauty’s eyes were closed, and groans of unbearable pain spilled from his throat. His jawline was pulled taut, and his sexy Adam’s apple protruded high.
Gu Shi was momentarily mesmerized, standing frozen with his sword until another low, scorching groan rang out. Only then did Gu Shi suddenly snap back to his senses, raising his sword to stab.
As a transmigrator, Gu Shi naturally understood that the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it was. A beauty as peerlessly gorgeous as the one before him, unmatched in heaven or on earth, was definitely a nuclear-bomb-level danger. If he did not take advantage of the other’s weakness to take his life, probably not even a thousand profound thunder talismans could protect him.
Although Gu Shi could not cultivate, he had great strength. If he thrust this sword toward the beauty’s chest, it would certainly pierce his heart. No matter what species, once the heart was gone, they were bound to die.
However, reality completely defied Gu Shi’s expectations. The moment his sword touched the beauty’s skin, it turned into white specks of light inch by inch, not even leaving behind ash.
Gu Shi’s heart plummeted. Before the long sword could melt down to the hilt, he quickly let go, steered his paper crane, and turned to run. At the same time, he did not forget to take all the talismans on his body, regardless of whether they were useful or not, and threw them all backward in a flurry.
Behind him, it was exceptionally quiet. The profound thunder talismans did not summon thunder, the trapping talismans did not form arrays, the blazing fire talismans did not ignite, and the ice talismans did not condense frost.
Gu Shi understood that he had truly encountered a tough opponent. He had anticipated that the beauty would be formidable, but he never expected him to be this powerful even when weakened to such an extent. He used three more invisibility talismans to cloak both himself and the paper crane, and immediately slapped an escape talisman onto the top of the paper crane to flee at top speed. But the moment he reached the cave dwelling’s entrance, a swamp-like force bound him. The paper crane flapped its wings but could not advance a single fraction of an inch.
Gu Shi was so terrified that his breathing stopped, and he had even figured out which direction to kneel and kowtow toward. Just as he turned around to drop to his knees and beg for mercy, a scorching, intense fragrance seized his jaw, forcing him to lock eyes with the beauty’s captivating, shifting gaze.
Beautiful, truly beautiful. The person was gorgeous, and the eyes were even more stunning, resembling flowing rivers of stars, brilliant and profound.
Gu Shi unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. That fragrance grew even hotter, seeping into his limbs and bones as if it wanted to melt his very bones.
Gu Shi thought to himself, as expected of a Xianxia world, the medicinal potency is truly fierce.
The beauty glanced at him, speaking in a low tone. “You look decent. I permit you to accompany me.”
Before the sentence could finish, Gu Shi leaned forward and kissed the beauty’s moist lips to demonstrate his sincerity. To survive, he was willing to proactively offer himself. He only hoped that, seeing how proactive and cooperative he was, the beauty would spare his life afterward.
He would take a gamble.
The beauty’s eyes widened. The sudden, chilling contact blocked the word “death” in his throat, preventing it from coming out.
The temperature seemed to drop a bit, or perhaps it did not. Gu Shi could not tell; he was simply too nervous.
Gu Shi waited for a long while without waiting for any follow-up action from the beauty. He cautiously squinted open a crack to look at him, and seeing his face full of dazed astonishment, his pretty eyes written over with shock instead of the imagined hostility, he instantly understood. It seemed his initiative had truly pleased the other; to save his life, he had to be even more proactive.
Gu Shi reached out and wrapped his arms around the beauty’s waist, using all his strength to soften his voice, making sure the beauty could feel his gentleness and goodwill. “Shall we go to the bed?”
As soon as the words fell, the beauty swept him up and flew to the bed. The wind stirred up not only failed to dissipate the heat, but instead made it hotter and hotter. Gu Shi clearly saw that the fiery red cracks on the beauty’s face grew deeper and wider, resembling a dried, cracked riverbed with a bottomless abyss underneath.
Perhaps he had already reached his absolute limit.
Imitating what Gu Shi had just done, the beauty pressed against Gu Shi’s lips. It was as hot as boiling water, making Gu Shi’s lips smoke. This was not an exaggeration; Gu Shi felt that if the beauty did not detoxify soon, even he would be burned to death by this medicinal fire.
Gu Shi obediently lay down on the bed. “Just come ahead.”
Yet the beauty did not move, merely pressing idly against Gu Shi’s nearly scorched lips. Gu Shi hurt so much he wanted to dodge, but fearing he would be slapped to death, he could only soften his voice and urgently urge him once more, “Hurry up and come already, no need to spare me.”
The beauty blinked, his eyes filled with total incomprehension. A jolt ran through Gu Shi’s heart. Could it be that the beauty could not do it? Did it have to be him? But he did not dare fake this; if he got it wrong, his little life would be forfeited, so he asked instead, “Uhm, Universe-Invincible-Super-Handsome-Radiant-Fortune-Blessed-Wise-and-Brave Senior, may I ask if you are coming, or am I coming?”
The beauty tilted his head, seemingly not understanding his words. Gu Shi clearly felt that his lips had already blistered from the heat, and his entire body was scorched scarlet. If this kept up, he would be roasted to death. Living was fine, but he could not bear the thought of someone desecrating his corpse.
Deciding to go all out since the beauty looked so inexperienced, utterly bewildered, very easy to bully, and quite delicious, Gu Shi flipped over and pressed the beauty beneath him.
The beauty’s entire body was piping hot. By comparison, Gu Shi felt like an ice cube dropped into a furnace. The scorching flames made his eyeballs bloodshot, and everything in his vision turned a sheet of red.
An ice cube pushed into the fire. The flames surged, swallowing the ice cube, while the water melted from the ice poured over the flames, on and off in a repeating cycle until every last trace of the fire was quenched.
Indeed.
Extremely delicious, much like a wolf starved for ten days finally getting its claws on a dying tiger.
Gu Shi lay sprawled and limp on the bed, feeling as hollowed out as an emptied coin pouch, unable to lift even a single finger. The redness in his vision slowly receded. After quite a while, he turned his head to look at the white-haired beauty beside him. The cracks on his body had completely vanished. Right now, with his eyes closed and breathing steady, he was fast asleep.
To survive, Gu Shi dragged his half-crippled body, biting his lips until they bled, and with arduous difficulty managed to crawl onto the back of the paper crane, rapidly fleeing the cave dwelling. Only when he ascended from the abyss did half of Gu Shi’s suspended heart finally settle. Luckily, luckily, he had won the gamble.
Even so, Gu Shi did not dare linger. Who knew if the white-haired beauty would turn on him and repay kindness with enmity after waking up? After all, someone that powerful could kill him as easily as pinching an ant.
Gu Shi did not stay a single moment, driving the paper crane at top speed back to the Yuan Dao Sect. A journey that normally took two days was completed in just one day as he poured out spirit stones and talismans without a second thought for the cost. Returning to a familiar place, his tightly wound nerves suddenly unspooled, and he practically tumbled straight off the paper crane.
Sensing that his son was in bad shape, Gu Yan rushed over at top speed to catch Gu Shi. Seeing him covered in injuries, he furrowed his brow instantly, but noting how overly weak Gu Shi was, he did not ask many questions, quickly supporting him into his room to lie on the bed and retrieving a breath-replenishing pill from his personal storage pouch to feed him.
Once the pill went down, a warm current nourished his limbs and bones, but Gu Shi was injured far too severely. After feeling slightly better, he rolled his eyes back and passed out cold.
When Gu Shi woke up, it was already the morning of another day. Seeing him stir, Gu Yan hurriedly asked, “How are you feeling?”
Gu Shi moved his lips, left with only a single sensation: “So hungry.”
Fortunately, Gu Yan had prepared in advance. The moment he spoke, he had junior chores disciples bring over food, a large table full of dishes that Gu Shi devoured like a starving ghost reincarnate.
Gu Yan looked at Gu Shi, who was acting like a starved ghost. “Just how long were you starving?”
Gu Shi did not answer because he discovered that his body seemed a bit strange. He could perceive the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the air, something only cultivators could sense. Since he had no spiritual roots, it should have been completely impossible for him.
Noticing his dazed, foolish-looking state, Gu Yan’s worry deepened. He waved a hand in front of him. “Is your brain still working properly?”
Gu Shi grabbed Gu Yan’s hand, excited yet shocked, “Dad, I think I can feel spiritual energy fluctuations.”
Hearing his words, Gu Yan instinctively probed with a sliver of spiritual energy from his fingertips, guiding it through Gu Shi’s arm to inspect his body. Sure enough, right in his spiritual field resided a tiny, fiery-red spiritual root. The spiritual energy was pure yet tyrannical, a top-grade fire spiritual root, albeit extremely weak, resembling a newborn sprout.
As everyone knew, spiritual roots were something you were born with. If you did not have them at birth, you simply did not have them, and whatever they were like at birth, they stayed. Throughout the entire cultivation world, nobody had ever heard of a case like Gu Shi’s, where a spiritual root newly sprouted at twenty years old.
Seeing Gu Yan’s expression grow increasingly solemn, the joy that had just risen within Gu Shi was instantly replaced by panic. He hurriedly asked, “Well? How is it?”
Gu Yan released Gu Shi’s hand. “A spiritual root has indeed sprouted.”
Seeing Gu Yan’s gloomy brows, Gu Shi felt the bad news had not been delivered yet and asked again, “Is it bad?”
Gu Yan shook his head. “Not bad, simply unprecedented. What on earth happened?”
Gu Shi recounted his trip to the Xizhou Secret Realm, omitting only the part on the bed and merely claiming that he had inadvertently stumbled upon a cave dwelling, had a minor conflict with its owner, was injured by him, and had to risk his life to escape back.
Gu Yan remarked, “Your external injuries are not heavy; most are scratch marks concentrated on your back, waist, hips, and thighs, while your chest has abrasions. Judging from this, either the cave dwelling owner’s cultivation was unrefined, or he did not intend to take your life.”
Gu Shi blushed at his words, ultimately failing to voice the truth. After all, his own father had gone treasure hunting in a secret realm when he was young and lost his chastity to someone’s schemes. Legend had it that he did not even see the person; when he woke up, his mother was gone, and a year later she had simply sent him to the Yuan Dao Sect via a paper crane, leaving behind a jade pendant to prove Gu Shi’s identity. In truth, a jade pendant was not even necessary, as cultivators had countless ways to verify bloodlines, and his father had said that meant his mother was bidding him farewell.
Ever since then, disciples of various sects never went out alone anymore. Groups of three or five were few; the standard configuration was rows of a dozen or more, since nobody wanted to be inexplicably slept with and then left to raise a child.
Gu Shi awkwardly muttered, “It must have been a fortunate encounter.”
Gu Yan sighed. Having lived for so many years, he had witnessed far too many things; pies falling from the sky always gave people reason to overthink. “The Xizhou Secret Realm has too many variables. Who knows whether this encounter is a blessing or a curse?”
That did not sound quite right. In books, the Xizhou Secret Realm was the male protagonist’s treasure garden! Gu Shi asked, “What kind of variables?”
Gu Yan countered with a question, “Do you know why everyone who goes to the Xizhou Secret Realm only practices breathing and meditation?”
Citing what he knew in this world, Gu Shi answered, “Isn’t it because the spiritual Qi is abundant, so practicing there for a day equals a month outside?”
Gu Yan shook his head. “Abundant spiritual Qi naturally means more heavenly treasures, too.”
This statement genuinely surprised Gu Shi, as the early chapters of the book had not mentioned them knowing about treasures in the Xizhou Secret Realm.
Naturally unaware of what was running through Gu Shi’s mind, Gu Yan continued, “A thousand years ago, the Xizhou Secret Realm opened for the very first time. It was the first time the cultivation world discovered a place with such abundant spiritual Qi on earth. Everyone swarmed in, preparing to unscrupulously pillage the treasures inside. But without exception, anyone who touched a treasure instantly turned into flying ash, or some said they turned into specks of light. In short, not even a corpse remained. Out of those who came out of the Xizhou Secret Realm that time, fewer than one in ten survived, creating a severed generation of prodigies.
For the next five hundred years, although the Xizhou Secret Realm opened frequently, absolutely nobody dared to go.
Five hundred years later, most of the people who experienced that event had died, and the impact gradually faded. Only then did cultivators dare to set foot in the Xizhou Secret Realm again, and they discovered that as long as they did not touch the things inside the realm, they could remain safe and sound.
Thus, everyone formed a tacit understanding: when going to the Xizhou Secret Realm, they only practiced cultivation and did not touch anything else by even a fraction.”
Specks of light. This naturally led Gu Shi to associate it with the sword he had thrust at the white-haired beauty, which had likewise turned into specks of light. Could the events of a thousand years ago be related to him? But that did not make sense either. Later on, Shen Yusheng went to the Xizhou Secret Realm and took many treasures, so why was he fine? Did he possess protagonist plot armor?
Gu Shi asked, “Did nobody ever try taking things again afterward?”
Gu Yan shook his head. “Who knows? The Xizhou Secret Realm sets no threshold; even ordinary people can enter. But the past events of the Xizhou Secret Realm were widely broadcasted by the major sects. With so many people in this world, who knows if someone might have a death wish?”
At this point, Gu Yan’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Gu Shi. “Did you take something from the Xizhou Secret Realm?”
Gu Shi hurriedly shook his head. “How could I dare?”
Gu Yan sighed, feeling somewhat self-reproachful. “Disciples of the sect all know about this; I completely forgot that you have not been attending classes. I should have told you.”
As the sect leader, Gu Yan was busy day in and day out, glued to his tasks. Ever since Gu Shi transmigrated, the number of times he saw him could be counted on one hand, and each meeting was hurried, rushing off to deal with this or that person. This was precisely why Gu Shi had managed to avoid exposing his identity.
Gu Yan continued, “The major sects unanimously believe that the Xizhou Secret Realm is different from other secret realms. It should have an owner, or at least used to have one.”
Gu Shi eagerly asked, “How so?”
Gu Yan replied, “A deduction. Only land with an owner would refuse to allow the removal of its contents, or perhaps the owner died but left behind their will. Not a single person in the entire cultivation world possesses the capability for such a feat, so it is reasonable to guess that the owner of the Xizhou Secret Realm must come from the Upper Realm.”
The more Gu Shi listened, the more confused he became. How did an Upper Realm get dragged into this? Did this book have a sequel, or had the world within the book spontaneously generated some other logic?
How was he supposed to handle this? Could that white-haired beauty actually be the master of the Xizhou Secret Realm? Was he related to the annihilation demon lord Xuan You? These questions lingered around Gu Shi, weighing heavily on his heart.
Since everything that needed to be said had been said, Gu Yan saw Gu Shi’s grave expression and patted his shoulder, comforting him, “Since you are still alive, consider it a blessing bestowed by the heavens. Do not overthink it.”
Gu Shi gave an awkward smile. He did not want to think about it either, but having heard so much already, how could he not?
“I understand, Dad. I want to sleep a bit longer. You go ahead and get busy.”
Before leaving, Gu Yan thoughtfully uttered, “This time, the Xizhou Secret Realm has actually stayed open for quite a long time, ten days and it still has not closed.”
Gu Shi keenly sensed that something was wrong. “The Xizhou Secret Realm has been open for ten days?”
Gu Yan nodded. “Mm.”
Gu Shi calculated the days: it took one day to go, one day to return, and he had slept for two days. That meant he had stayed in that cave dwelling for a full six days?
Without sleep, without rest, crashing wildly head-on for a full six days.
No wonder the white-haired beauty had not made a sound. It was not that he fell asleep; he had passed out.
This.
On one hand, Gu Shi secretly rejoiced at his own stamina, while on the other hand, he was terrified that the white-haired beauty would come looking for him to settle accounts.