The Secret Realm closed.

"Let that kunoichi serve as your cultivation vessel. I will teach you the art of dual cultivation through absorption once, and from then on, you will understand how to practice."

Having had her fill of pleasure, Xiao Rong planted a fierce kiss on Liu Lang's forehead. Liu Lang had noticed that ever since she completed her cultivation technique, her personality had undergone some changes.

"This... I don't need to use absorption..."

Xiao Rong pinched his ear and kissed his lips with a mischievous smile. "You want to engage in dual cultivation with me, don't you? My dear brother, the gap between our strength levels is too vast. We cannot sustain dual cultivation through the *Hehuan Imperial Spirit Saint-Derivation Art*."

"Right now, absorption is the fastest way for you to improve your strength."

*If she truly loves me, can she tolerate me being intimate with other women?*

"You want me to do 'that' with her?" He pointed at Chun Ying, who lay on the ground. "Don't you mind?"

"As long as I am certain that you love me, that is enough. Besides, I can have you whenever I want; that woman is merely a vessel."

Although Chun Ying was attractive, with a fiery figure and the unique charm of a Fusang woman, Liu Lang felt no desire for her. While he knew he lacked resistance to pleasure, he also knew he couldn't just sleep with anyone.

"I don't need the fastest way."

He projected a feeling of refusal. Xiao Rong pondered for a moment, appearing at a loss for words, as if she lacked experience in handling such situations.

The Hehuan Sect vibrated slightly. It was, after all, an immortal artifact—or at the very least, a massive complex. For it to tremble, it could only be the result of unimaginable power. Ripples appeared in the space above the lotus pond, as if something were about to emerge. Liu Lang stared at the spot, guarded, his dagger flying back into his hand.

Xiao Rong breathed a sigh of relief. This guy had arrived just in time to resolve the awkward situation; otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known what to do if her dear brother refused to listen to her. She secretly weakened the spatial suppression of the Hehuan Sect, and a figure immediately leapt out from the ripples.

It was Mizumon Meiruto, or rather, Xu Fu.

"Let me see the style of the current successor of the Hehuan Sect!" Xu Fu habitually stroked his long beard, but as Mizumon Meiruto was a young, beardless youth, he stroked nothing but air.

*It seems she has not yet gained full recognition from the Hehuan Sect. Otherwise, a single thought would have been enough to suppress the space and prevent me from entering. Perhaps there is a chance to seize this immortal artifact.*

"Oh, just a little girl at the Foundation Establishment stage. At your age, you probably haven't even touched a man, have you?" He was overjoyed, as the probability of seizing the artifact had greatly increased.

***

Hearing this, Liu Lang lowered his head for some reason. Xiao Rong had dressed before Xu Fu appeared and said with poise, "Senior has sharp eyes. However, Foundation Establishment is the current limit of this world. If one wishes to ascend further, one must seek other methods, such as the three branches you founded."

The villainous boss Xu Fu from the novel *Meeting a Female Demon in a Transmigrated Story* had appeared; it was undeniable that the world of the book was descending upon reality.

*I only wished to become the protagonist of this book, so why has the entire story descended into reality...*

At the time, she had been obsessed with this risqué web novel, coveting the beauty and methods of its female lead, as well as the Hehuan Gu that could control men...

Xu Fu was shocked. He thought to himself that the current successor of the Hehuan Sect was truly extraordinary. The founding of the three branches had always been kept secret, undetected even by grandmasters like the Lotus Hermit.

"How does a wet-behind-the-ears child like you know about the three branches?"

Xiao Rong found his shocked expression amusing; she had learned it from reading the book.

"You need the Resilient Heart, the Martial Body, and the Yin-Yang Soul to truly resurrect, and these three things are what you achieved through the three stages of your technique, the *Minghuang Immovable Heart*."

"Preserving your consciousness, while the heart, body, and soul are passed down through the technique... Am I not correct?" Xiao Rong smiled cunningly. It was too easy to outsmart a character from a book.

Xu Fu was struck speechless. This was his proudest and most guarded secret; he never expected it to be laid bare by a mere slip of a girl.

"As for why you hid your consciousness within the Hehuan Sect, it is because only this immortal artifact could survive the apocalyptic calamity."

Xu Fu actually felt an urge to flee. He could not comprehend how his secrets had become known to her. It was as if she were an omniscient, omnipotent Heavenly Dao. Yet, the young girl before him was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

*Is she really just at Foundation Establishment?*

"May I ask... fellow Daoist, are you perhaps an old friend of mine?"

Liu Lang looked from Xiao Rong to Xu Fu, feeling perplexed. What they were saying sounded familiar, as if it belonged in a novel. It seemed to be the one Xiao Rong used to love reading, something about meeting a demoness.

He only remembered that the protagonist was a powerful woman—a demoness—who fell in love with a male lead who had transmigrated into the world of the book. After the male lead left the world of the book, the demoness searched every corner of the world, finding only a tiny clue. The male lead might have come from another world. As a being of this world, the demoness could not escape it, and in the end, she chose to destroy the world in search of a glimmer of hope.

Liu Lang hadn't read it, but he had listened to Xiao Rong explain the plot repeatedly during that time. He looked at Xiao Rong. *Could it be that the wish she made was to become the female lead of that novel?*

***

*Willing to destroy the world just to find her lover?*

The lively, cheerful Xiao Rong gradually merged with the demoness from the book. Had Xiao Rong become someone else, or had she fused into a new person?

*No wonder I can accept her now; it turns out she has changed...* He immediately suppressed this bold and cold-blooded thought.

Xiao Rong smiled faintly. "Senior, do you know why I kept you here?"

"Because in this world, only you are the most refined resource for cultivation. Once I consume you, I will surely break the rules of this world and achieve supreme immortal status!"

Xiao Rong communicated with the Hehuan Sect to unleash a terrifying mental suppression. Xu Fu felt a life-and-death crisis.

*Fortune and disaster are intertwined. She suppresses me, but she has left a loophole. With a small sacrifice, I can escape!*

Xu Fu held nothing back, his vast and ancient aura erupting and shaking the entire Hehuan Sect. Xiao Rong was secretly alarmed; this guy was truly formidable. If she fought him head-on, she would be no match for him.

Thinking he had found the opening, Xu Fu laughed, "Little girl, we shall meet again. I, the old man, will go and see the sights of this future era first!"

He gathered Mizu and Chun Ying, preparing to leave, only to find that the spatial nodes had become incredibly tough. Yet, he laughed, "Just as expected."

Somewhere in the space, a kunai shot out, piercing through space and emerging into the outside world. Xu Fu activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleported out of the secret realm along with the kunai.

"We should go too." A small spatial gate appeared before Xiao Rong and Liu Lang; outside the gate was the entrance to their camp. Many people at the camp entrance were curiously peering inside.

"The Hehuan Sect is an immortal artifact. The power to sustain its presence is running low. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to get out."

Liu Lang looked regretful. He had once thought about moving the camp there, as it would not only be safe but could also house more refugees.

"I can communicate with it normally, so storing and retrieving items is still possible, but to enter again, we will have to wait until I reach the Golden Core stage."

"Golden Core?"

Xiao Rong took his hand and stepped out of the Hehuan Sect.

"You can think of it as S-rank combat power."