Chapter 34: Reunion with Xueqing

A day passed in the blink of an eye. Yang Liming continued his efforts. Meanwhile, the beautiful maiden's injuries had completely healed, and her cultivation was rapidly advancing. At that moment, the beautiful maiden yearned to strike the man dead with a single palm. Yet, she held back, for this was a critical period for her breakthrough, and she could only allow him to continue. Suddenly... Yang Liming finally regained consciousness. "Who am I? What... what am I doing?" Yang Liming stared blankly at the maiden below him. "Don't stop," the beautiful maiden commanded, a cold glint in her eyes. "Oh." ... Two hours later, the beautiful maiden sent Yang Liming flying with a single palm strike, then immediately sat down cross-legged. "Damn, that's gratitude for you!" Yang Liming muttered. He quickly jumped into a nearby pool, washed himself off, and swiftly fled the scene. He could feel the murderous intent radiating from the maiden; staying any longer would surely mean death. The moment Yang Liming vanished, the beautiful maiden opened her eyes, a terrifying killing intent blazing within them. "You scoundrel, I'll make sure to sever every part of you that shouldn't be there!" After exiting that space, Yang Liming finally breathed a sigh of relief. He realized then that he must have been poisoned by the蛟 (dragon-like creature). Although he considered compensating the beautiful maiden, the sheer murderous intent radiating from her made him abandon the thought. Survival was paramount. "Huh! When did I break through to the Profound Realm?" Just then, Yang Liming discovered that his cultivation had advanced to the Profound Realm. He was utterly shocked. Yang Liming calmed himself, then continued to search for treasures within the ancient ruins. Another two days passed. One day, as Yang Liming passed through a valley, he heard sounds of a struggle. He immediately concealed himself and crept closer. From a distance, he saw a curvaceous young woman being cornered by a man. "Feng Xueqing, if you agree to be my woman, I'll let you go," a cold voice echoed. "Wang Xuanfeng, you're so repulsive, you make me sick to my stomach!" Feng Xueqing retorted coldly. Wang Xuanfeng's strength was clearly superior to Feng Xueqing's. The only reason he hadn't subdued her yet was his fear of injuring her. At that moment, Yang Liming finally recognized the young woman's face, and his anger flared. "Damn it, how dare he bully my woman!" Without a second thought, Yang Liming charged forward, his Immortal-Demon Sword in hand. Just as Feng Xueqing was about to give up, Yang Liming suddenly appeared before her, swinging his Immortal-Demon Sword in a furious assault. However, even with his sudden sneak attack, Yang Liming didn't gain the upper hand. After all, Wang Xuanfeng was a powerful expert at the ninth layer of the Profound Realm. "Where did this brat come from, daring to ruin my plans?" Wang Xuanfeng sneered. "I'm your father, you bastard!" Yang Liming swung his Immortal-Demon Sword, attacking Wang Xuanfeng with a frenzy. By then, Feng Xueqing had recovered and joined the fight with her long sword. With Feng Xueqing's assistance, Yang Liming felt significantly less pressured. "You seek death!" Wang Xuanfeng's aura suddenly surged, overwhelming Yang Liming and Feng Xueqing, forcing them to retreat. Just then, Yang Liming instantly threw out a dozen explosive poison pellets, simultaneously embracing Feng Xueqing. With a few swift leaps, they vanished from the valley. Boom! Boom! Boom! "You little brat, you're dead! How dare you ruin my plans!" Wang Xuanfeng's face turned incredibly grim as he watched Yang Liming's disappearing figure. "You scoundrel, I'm so glad you came, or I might never have seen you again," Feng Xueqing said, hugging Yang Liming. "From now on, you're not allowed to go on solo training expeditions. If you want to go anywhere, come find me at the Azure Cloud Pavilion," Yang Liming said, playfully tapping her nose. "You scoundrel, don't tap my nose! My nose is so beautiful, what if you ruin it?" Feng Xueqing playfully chided. Looking at the innocent and adorable Feng Xueqing in his arms, Yang Liming felt incredibly happy. He had to admit, Feng Xueqing possessed qualities that countless men desired. "Xueqing, you're truly beautiful." Yang Liming gazed at Feng Xueqing with deep affection. "You scoundrel, what are you thinking?" Feng Xueqing blinked her watery eyes. *Mwah!* Before she could react, Yang Liming leaned in and kissed her. Feng Xueqing's mind went blank. She wanted to struggle, but her body felt weak. A simple, direct collision of lips. A tender, lingering first kiss. Under Yang Liming's gentle assault, Feng Xueqing gradually found herself enjoying the sensation. Ten minutes later, Yang Liming reluctantly released Feng Xueqing. "You scoundrel, my lips are all swollen from your kissing!" Feng Xueqing complained playfully. "Haha... so cute." Yang Liming chuckled, looking at Feng Xueqing's slightly swollen lips. "You scoundrel, if one day I go to a very distant place, will you come find me?" Feng Xueqing murmured, leaning against Yang Liming's chest. "I won't let you leave. You've been stamped by me; you can only be my woman for this lifetime," Yang Liming said with a smile. "I mean, what if I suddenly left one day, would you go to any lengths to find me?" Feng Xueqing asked seriously. "I swear, no matter where you go, even if you leave the Tianwu Continent, I will find you and bring you back," Yang Liming declared firmly. "You said it! If you don't keep your word, I curse you to be impotent for life!" Feng Xueqing said playfully. That's harsh! Another two days passed. On this day, Yang Liming noticed many people heading towards a distant structure. So, he and Feng Xueqing also made their way towards it. It was a vast complex of ancient buildings, containing countless large and small palaces. Soon, a massive palace appeared before them, surrounded by a dense crowd. These people were divided into four groups, representing the four major sects. Among them, the beautiful maiden from before was in the Sword Origin Pavilion's contingent. Yang Liming and Feng Xueqing quietly moved to the Heavenly Origin Palace's disciple area. He didn't want to attract the beautiful maiden's attention. It was then that Yang Liming realized why so many people were gathered there: a massive defensive array surrounded the palace. To enter the palace complex, they first had to break through this defensive array. Yang Liming carefully observed the ancient defensive array and quickly discovered its secrets. "Everyone, we've been stuck here for days, and no one can break the array. This can't go on," a disciple from the Rakshasa Palace said. "I think we should let others present try. There are thousands of people here; surely someone can break the array!" At this, the beautiful maiden spoke up. "Miss Nangong Yan has a point. Let's let others try," Wang Xuanfeng from the Heavenly Origin Palace side agreed.