Chương 57: Chapter 58: Restraining Desire and Luring the Foe

"Hmph, seeking death!" A streak of light flickered around Reyn's form as he prepared to vault over the mountain ravine. Suddenly, a monstrous avian, nearly ten feet in wingspan with feathers like jagged slate, lunged from the misty depths. Though the creature was massive, it possessed no spiritual intelligence, relying solely on its raw, primal strength. Reyn didn't even break his stride; with a casual flick of his wrist, he unleashed a blade of spiritual sword-qi.

The energy struck the beast mid-air, sending it tumbling toward the bottom of the gorge. He spared its life, but the message was clear. The creature let out a pained, guttural shriek and scrambled away, its wings beating frantically as it fled the presence of a predator far more dangerous than itself.

"Strange. This place seems barren; where did that beast come from?" Reyn's eyes narrowed. He infused his vision with spiritual energy, causing the world to sharpen into high-contrast clarity. Beneath a thick curtain of overhanging vines, he spotted the dark mouth of a hidden cavern.

"If one wasn't looking specifically for it, this place would be impossible to find. A perfect sanctuary." Guiding his escape light, he descended toward the ledge, carrying the unconscious Li Xiumei in his arms. He parted the vines and stepped into the cool shadows of the earth. He reached into his storage bag and retrieved several yellow talismans. With a burst of spiritual power, he tossed them against the stone walls.

The talismans dissolved into the rock, leaving behind faint, shimmering runes that pulsed briefly before fading into invisibility. Reyn nodded in satisfaction.

"With this aura-masking restriction in place, I should be able to buy us a little more time." The cave stretched back some fifteen meters, its ceiling a jagged vault of limestone. The entrance was damp and slick with moss, but the deeper recesses were surprisingly dry. In the center sat a natural stone platform covered in a thick layer of soft, dried grass—likely the nest of the avian he had just displaced. Reyn laid Li Xiumei down upon the grass.

Her condition was worsening; her skin had turned a deep, burning crimson, and her body writhed with a restless, agonizing heat. Her jade hairband had slipped, allowing her silken black hair to spill across her waist like a dark river. In her state of delirium, she exuded an almost suffocating aura of raw, feminine allure. Reyn felt his throat go dry. He forced his gaze away, a bitter smile playing on his lips as he fought to steady his racing heart.

Once his mind was clear, he retrieved several recovery pills, swallowed them, and sat cross-legged to meditate. The crisis was far from over. Xuan Liao could arrive at any moment, and Reyn knew that only by returning to his peak state would he have even a sliver of a chance in a life-and-death struggle. As he was refining the medicinal essence, a crushing wave of spiritual pressure swept across the horizon, rapidly approaching their location. Reyn's eyes snapped open, his expression turning grim.

He glanced at the whimpering Li Xiumei, his resolve hardening. If they were discovered, he would have to fight to the bitter end. High in the sky, Xuan Liao's face was a mask of cold fury. His Divine Sense, bolstered by his Late Foundation Establishment cultivation, swept across the landscape like a reaping scythe. Moments ago, he had felt the traces of the pair, only for them to vanish into thin air.

"Damnable brat! He couldn't have gone far with that little witch in tow. They must be hiding right under my nose!" His predatory eyes scanned the forest floor, but the concealment array held firm. Frustrated, Xuan Liao channeled his spiritual power into his voice, letting out a venomous roar that rolled across the mountains like a thunderclap.

"Little bastard! I know you are hiding here! When I find you, I will grind your bones to dust, extract your soul, and refine your essence in the fires of purgatory for all eternity!" The sound sent the local wildlife into a panicked frenzy, birds taking flight and beasts crashing through the undergrowth in terror. Inside the cave, Reyn actually felt a small surge of relief. Xuan Liao's blind rage proved that the restriction was working.

However, the sheer malice in the old man's voice told Reyn that there was no room for negotiation. This was a vendetta that would only end in blood. Any hope of simply waiting for the elder to lose patience and leave was now gone.

"Old ghost, if you push me too far, it's not yet certain who will be the one meeting the Reaper today," Reyn muttered, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. But before he could finish the thought, a soft, burning heat pressed against his back. Two slender arms wrapped around him, and his ability to think rationally vanished instantly. Li Xiumei had crawled toward him in her stupor. Her breath was ragged and hot, puffing against the nape of his neck with an intoxicating scent.

Perhaps because her 'Great Art of Transfiguration' was failing due to her weakened state, her true form was becoming more apparent. The sensation of her soft, lithe body pressing against him was undeniable.

"Hot... so hot..." she whimpered. She felt as though she were being consumed by an internal fire, an urge so primal it made her want to tear away her very skin. The masculine aura radiating from Reyn was like a block of ice in a desert, an irresistible magnet that she reached for with desperate, unthinking hunger. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Give it to me... please..." As she moved, her scholar's robe—already tattered—fell away, revealing the pale, moon-white silk of her bodice. Reyn's mind was a whirlwind of fire and shadow. Before he realized it, he had turned around. Her lips, moist and inviting, sought his in a frantic, clumsy kiss. He tasted a sweetness like divine nectar, and his hand, acting on its own accord, found its way to the curve of her waist. Boom! A dark, primal fire ignited in Reyn's gut.

He pulled her closer, his grip tightening as he returned the kiss with a savage intensity. His hands roamed over her silken skin, and in his heated state, he began to tear away the remnants of her clothing. In moments, her radiant, jade-like form was nearly bared to the cool cave air. But just as he was about to cross the point of no return, Reyn caught a glimpse of her eyes. Deep beneath the haze of the aphrodisiac, he saw a flicker of soul-crushing struggle and shame.

The realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. He froze. He looked at the woman who had sought his protection, who had trusted him in her final moments of lucidity.

"What am I doing? She came to me because she trusted me... If I do this now, I am no better than a beast." Self-loathing washed over him. He reached out, not to touch her, but to wrap her in a thick green robe from his storage bag, covering her beauty from his own sight. He took a deep, shuddering breath until his pulse slowed. Then, he retrieved a small jade bottle and broke the seal. A potent, medicinal fragrance filled the small space.

"Daoist Li, I swear I meant no offense. Please, forgive me. This pill was something I found by chance; it guards against internal devils and clears the mind. It should help you." This was one of the seven 'Demon Dragon Pills' he had obtained from the place where Little Butterfly was sealed. Though it was a priceless treasure of the ancient world, Reyn didn't hesitate. He gently lifted her chin and placed the pill in her mouth. The ancient medicine lived up to its legend.

As the essence dissolved, the crimson flush on her skin began to recede. A glimmer of clarity returned to her eyes. She looked at Reyn with a look so complex—gratitude, embarrassment, and something deeper—before closing her eyes to focus on refining the pill's power. Reyn felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him. He stood up and moved to the far side of the cave, returning to his own meditation. Several hours passed in silence. Suddenly, Reyn's eyes snapped open.

A powerful spiritual pressure was slowly, methodically inching toward their hidden location. Li Xiumei opened her eyes at the same time. Their gazes met for a fraction of a second before they both looked away, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. Reyn's spiritual energy and Divine Sense had mostly recovered. He stood up and began walking toward the entrance.

"Where are you going?" Li Xiumei asked. Her voice was like the song of a warbler, clear and melodious, though a hint of a blush returned to her cheeks as soon as she spoke. Reyn paused, forcing himself to sound composed.

"Xuan Liao is searching the mountain inch by inch. My restriction won't hold up against a focused, high-level Divine Sense scan for long." He looked back at her, his voice heavy with gravity.

"Stay here and recover. If I am not back within three days, leave this place immediately and don't look back." Without waiting for an answer, he vanished through the vines. Li Xiumei reached out a hand as if to stop him, but the words died in her throat. She watched his retreating back, her expression unreadable. Xuan Liao was hovering less than ten meters above the canopy, his Divine Sense probing every rock and crevice. It had been four hours since the scent went cold, and anxiety was starting to gnaw at his gut.

"Could that brat have a treasure that hides his presence? Has he already escaped?" The thought made him turn pale. Failure meant facing the infinite, soul-shredding pursuit of the Myriad Extinction Demon Sect.

"Little bastard! If you hadn't interfered, I would be enjoying that little witch right now! I would have my revenge and a boosted lifespan to reach the Golden Core Realm! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!" He gnashed his teeth, his eyes glowing with a predatory light. Suddenly, Xuan Liao froze. His head whipped toward the distance, a look of savage joy erupting on his face.

"There you are! This time, I will peel your skin off inch by inch while you're still screaming!" He transformed into a streak of black light and tore through the sky. Reyn had emerged from the cave on the opposite side of the ridge. He didn't hide his presence this time; instead, he unleashed his spiritual power to its fullest extent. He activated several Haste Talismans simultaneously, his body becoming a blur as he bolted away from the cave.

As expected, the moment he showed himself, a terrifying aura erupted in the distance. Xuan Liao was coming, and he was faster than before, burning his very essence to close the gap. Reyn felt a chill. The old man was desperate. The distance between them, once hundreds of meters, was shrinking rapidly to mere dozens. Reyn gritted his teeth, slapped more talismans onto his legs, and pushed his cultivation to the absolute breaking point.