The Forbidden Path to Immortality

Chapter 154

Gu Pin'er's naked body trembled slightly as she leaned weakly against the tree trunk. If not for Li Xun's arm still wrapped around her neck, she would have slid down to the ground in exhaustion.

Despite her profound cultivation, the overwhelming suction force from the man behind her made the six energies within her body circulate uncontrollably. As she drew in a vast amount of heaven and earth’s primordial qi, she ended up channeling an even more purer stream of qi into his body.

In the course of this process, she had been driven to more than twenty climaxes, leaving her utterly exhausted. Her true breath was already depleted, and the movements that had once sent her into madness now brought her nothing but pain.

Yet she was happy.

All the confusion in her heart had long since melted away. The caring, sorrowful gazes of her sect elders, the meticulous concern of her fellow disciples, the strict rules she had memorized since childhood; under the relentless tides of passion and the man's unconscious murmurs against her neck, all of it was washed away, leaving nothing behind.

Now her heart held only this man behind her: at once familiar yet strange, yet brimming with her most unforgettable memories.

His aura had helped her find herself, but as time had passed, even his aura grew fainter, more distant.

Only through endless, futile longing could she grasp these fleeting impressions, engraving each vanishing trace deeper into her heart before it disappeared forever.

She did this every day, turning over the lingering traces of his aura in her mind, carving them deeper and deeper until they became impossible to forget.

And because of this, she had managed the impossible: in the vast, tangled forest of countless shifting qi, she had found his unique true breath, tracked it relentlessly, and finally eased the longing that had haunted her for years.

Now, the very true breath she had once only dreamed of clung to every inch of her skin, so thick and intoxicating she could barely breathe. This kind of happiness was something she had only ever dared imagine in dreams.

Compared to that, what did a little physical pain matter?

The man behind her finally reached his climax and pulled away. She could feel his meridians flowing freely, no longer hindered by the Yin-toxic energy, and, having absorbed a vast amount of qi from her, he had entered a peak state.

What delighted her most was that, even though he no longer needed her energy, their naked bodies remained entwined in intimate closeness, their breaths mingling until they were nearly indistinguishable.

Then his teeth grazed her neck, a faint sting that blurred the line between dream and reality, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Just then, he murmured in her ear: "How did you find me?"

The heat in her already-flushed cheeks seemed to rise even higher. She hesitated. Should she tell him about the years of unwavering persistence? It might sound like she was crazy.

But she could never refuse him. After a brief pause, she explained as casually as she could, downplaying the depth of her devotion.

For the briefest moment, the man’s breathing stopped. If Gu Pin'er hadn’t been focused entirely on him, she might have missed it.

He recovered quickly, but that pause was enough.

Gu Pin'er brushed her cheek softly against his arm, trying to hold back, but in the end she couldn’t stop herself from breaking into a happy laugh.

When he spoke again, there was a new quality in his voice. It was still the low murmur by her ear that used to send a thrill through her body, but this time it stirred a deep warmth in her heart instead.

He said, “Look this way.”

She obediently turned her head. The next instant their lips and tongues met. Gu Pin'er was so overwhelmed with joy she nearly fainted. Since the day they met, this was the first time he had chosen this way to define what they were to each other.

She wanted nothing more than for that moment to last forever.

But the kiss lasted less than half a breath. The warmth of his lips fell away all at once, and at the same time he released the arm that had been wrapped around her neck.

Gu Pin'er froze, then caught the glint of cold light in his eyes and understood immediately.

Just then, above their heads, a clear and gentle voice gave a soft laugh, accompanied by a soft but rhythmically distinct clap.

A rising star of the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, caught coupling in the wild with a woman of the Heavenly Vigorous Sect, who would believe such a thing if it got out?

Cold sweat beaded across Li Xun’s bare back.

He had been lost in Gu Pin'er’s soft beauty, his guard dropping to a dangerously low level. Even so, his two puppets, Nether One and Nether Two, were right there.

And yet, the intruder wasn’t detected until he was already within fifty paces.

By the time Li Xun reacted, the person was floating overhead, looking down as though dense branches and protective formations didn’t exist at all, taking in every detail of the scene below.

No matter how strong his cultivation might actually be, that speed and mastery of concealment alone sent a chill through Li Xun’s heart.

What unsettled him even more was the voice, a pleasant, almost androgynous tone. He was sure he had heard it somewhere before.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he made no move to cover himself. Instead he straightened, eyes cold, glancing upward to see what kind of immortal master had appeared.

The first thing he caught sight of was a pair of dainty embroidered shoes, pale blue silk, spotless as if they had never touched the ground. It was only a fleeting glimpse, revealed when the night wind lifted the hem of a skirt.

In the next moment, those elegant feet vanished again beneath the sweep of a water-blue gown.

Li Xun’s gaze lifted. His eyes passed over the few tiny pearls sewn onto the skirt and the finely embroidered butterfly patterns. The muscles in his face tightened slightly.

What he saw next was only the long sleeve of layered blue gauze. Her face was hidden behind the veil of fabric, and with the cover of night, it was blurred and indistinct.

But that was enough.

The corner of Li Xun’s eye twitched twice before he spoke the intruder’s name in an icy tone. “Shui Die Lan...”

The Rebellious Water Hook, Shui Die Lan!

One of the Nine Great Killers of the Vermilion Hook Sect, and by far the most mysterious. She had mastered the arts of both the Falling Feather Sect and the Vermilion Hook Sect, and with her own creation, the Reverse Shadow Escape Technique, she held a place among the top three escape arts in the world. It was also what made her the most relentless assassin alive.

Li Xun understood perfectly well why Shui Die Lan had come. But more than that, what weighed on him was the grudge between them, from long ago, with this woman who never showed her true face.

Yes, even now he remembered it clearly. Sixty years ago, when he had just acquired his two Nethermyst Puppets and was full of pride, she had toyed with him as if he were nothing. She had even taken away his strange companion, the one he’d only just befriended. A creature he called “Kitty.” To this day, its fate remained unknown.

That encounter had been a devastating blow to Li Xun’s confidence. The crack it had left in his spirit had taken him a very long time to mend.

Over the sixty years since, he had often thought about revenge. But to track down an assassin whose escape art was unmatched was an impossible task.

And now, fate had chosen to play a joke on him; delivering the very target he had longed for straight to his doorstep, and in the worst possible way: an ambush, completely unprepared.

Li Xun didn’t even think about putting on clothes. Every bit of his focus was fixed on the figure above him. After drawing energy from Gu Pin'er, he was at his absolute peak, and his two Nethermyst Puppets were already lying in wait, ready to strike with thunderous force at any moment.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of gauze, locking on Shui Die Lan’s obscured face. A cold smile touched his lips. “Fairy Shui, we meet again.”

“Again?” Shui Die Lan’s distinctive androgynous voice carried genuine puzzlement. “So you’re Hundred Ghosts. I’ve been looking for you, yes, but... have we met before?”

Li Xun’s fierce momentum faltered for an instant. At that very moment, she let out a lilting laugh. And her figure vanished.

An instant later, a sharp burst of true qi stabbed in from his flank. At the same time, her unmistakable yet melodious voice reached his ear.

Only now, it carried a girlish lilt, coy and teasing.

“Of course I remember. Back then, didn’t we exchange a pair of Heaven-Seer Wheels with a Bloodkiss?"

Li Xun barely managed to evade the razor-sharp burst of true qi, a cold smile twisting his lips. “Fairy Shui, what a memory you have. Back then you showed me such care; these past years I’ve thought of you often.”he Heavenly Vigorous Sect has invested a great deal in. For you to break her in so thoroughly, it must have cost you no small amount of effort.”

The words sounded like flattery, but Li Xun could hear the faint thread of threat woven beneath them.