"Rest assured, Senior Sister, I know the importance of the matter. This time, I’ve returned to... deal with the Heaven-Suppressing Sect."

"Deal with the Heaven-Suppressing Sect?"

True Monarch Lan Ling’s beautiful eyes widened instantly, as if she’d heard the most absurd words in the world, "Junior Brother, don’t be impulsive."

"That Heaven-Suppressing Sect is no ordinary power, and it has a Divinity Transformation Celestial Venerable as its overseer."

Her words were full of disbelief and urgency, fearing that Xu Ping, due to some progress in his cultivation, might harbor unrealistic ideas of hurling himself against a great force.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister, your Junior Brother is judicious and would certainly not engage in such reckless endeavors."

Seeing True Monarch Lan Ling’s extremely anxious demeanor, Xu Ping merely smiled slightly and did not offer further explanation.

True Monarch Lan Ling slightly parted her crimson lips, intending to persuade further, but when her gaze met Xu Ping’s eyes, which showed not the slightest hint of falsehood or impulsiveness, her heart suddenly calmed.

She deeply knew this Junior Brother to be of a steady nature, not one to speak recklessly. If he dared to speak of dealing with the Heaven-Suppressing Sect, there must be a basis behind it.

A thousand words lingered on her lips, ultimately transforming into a soft sigh that she swallowed back down.

Seeing her expression ease, Xu Ping then turned to ask about the anomaly he had noticed earlier in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons: "Senior Sister, I observed a rather low morale among the disciples in the valley. Has there been some difficulty faced recently?"

Hearing his question, the worry that had just faded from True Monarch Lan Ling’s face returned with a few more shades. She sighed slightly and explained:

"Ever since True Monarch Wan Yang came around, the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons has seemed like its backbone was severed, with neighboring forces showing signs of restlessness."

"Especially that Red Sand Sect, which has grown increasingly arrogant over the last century, openly and secretly suppressing our valley’s industries and seizing resource points."

"A few years ago, even True Monarch Yuan Tie, who was responsible for guarding an important mineral vein, unfortunately... fell during a conflict with the Red Sand Sect."

Her tone was somber, carrying sorrow and helplessness.

True Monarch Yuan Tie was one of only two Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. His fall was a significant blow to the valley.

"Moreover,"

She continued, "The Tush Royal Family in the Great Xia Country, since Emperor Tu successfully advanced to Late-Stage Nascent Soul, has greatly increased their control over the country, adopting an increasingly firm stance toward sects like ours."

"With external and internal difficulties, the situation in the valley is naturally becoming more challenging, and low morale among the disciples is understandable."

"I see."

Xu Ping nodded slightly, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes. As for the Tush Royal Family, they had no direct enmity.

But he remembered the Red Sand Sect very clearly.

When he was still a Golden Core Cultivator, the Red Sand Sect had sent people to assassinate him more than once, and the dangers he faced still vividly lingered.

He had long since noted this enmity and now that he had returned, naturally, he intended to settle it all together.

He reached out, gently smoothing through True Monarch Lan Ling’s cascading hair, his touch natural and gentle:

"Since I’m back, I will certainly ensure the safety of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. These petty clowns can be wiped out with a flick of my hand."

Feeling the warmth between her strands of hair and the mighty confidence contained in his words, True Monarch Lan Ling felt her heart settle.

She gently leaned into Xu Ping’s embrace, her delicate and shapely figure pressing closely against him, carrying a hint of subtle yearning and attachment from a long-awaited reunion.

"Of course, Senior Sister trusts Junior Brother," she whispered softly, yet with complete trust.

Xu Ping embraced her slender yet strong waist, lowering his head to catch the cool fragrance within her hair.

After hundreds of years of cultivation, his Dao heart was as firm as a rock. Yet with the soft and fragrant figure in his arms, being the one he’d long been drawn to, ripples inevitably arose in his heart.

True Monarch Lan Ling lifted her delicate face, her beautiful eyes shimmering with watery light, her red lips slightly parted, exuding a hint of faint allure:

"Junior Brother, it’s been many years. I wonder how much your cultivation has improved? Would you let Senior Sister... test it personally?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ping chuckled softly, his fingers lightly tracing over her upturned nose, his eyes filled with teasing and indulgence:

"Since Senior Sister wishes to test me, I shall accompany her. Only... by then, Senior Sister mustn’t beg for mercy."

Their eyes met, filled with passion and affection, as the air grew heavy with ambiguous and rising warmth.

Hundreds of years of separation and longing transformed into the most intense flames at this moment.

The two embraced, their figures slowly disappearing behind the layered curtains of the bedchamber’s depths.

...

Time flew by, and seven days passed silently.

Inside the bedchamber, on a luxuriously soft cloud bed, True Monarch Lan Ling lay lazily, her entire being flushed with a faint pink, her bones seeming to have turned to jelly, and she didn’t want to move even a single finger.

Even though she was a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, her physique far surpassing ordinary mortals,

under Xu Ping’s attack, imbued with the immense life-force of a Nirvana Golden Body and pure primordial Yang, she could hardly endure it. Only after a long time did the dreamy look in her eyes gradually clear.

However, when she regained her senses from the extreme exhaustion and began to carefully experience the changes within herself, an unbelievable look appeared on her exquisite face.

She discovered, to her astonishment, that through these seven days of Dual Cultivation, her cultivation level, which had stagnated for a long time, had actually improved slightly.

The mana, which would have taken decades of hard work to condense, had quietly increased, and even more astonishing to her, the purity of the mana within her had been refined somewhat.

This was simply incredible.

Though Dual Cultivation could be mutually beneficial, such significant effects far exceeded her understanding.

Unless... the cultivation and essence of the other party were far superior to her own, bringing such enormous gifts in the exchange!

She suddenly lifted her head, looking at Xu Ping beside her, whose breath was calm, and demeanor as usual, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and inquiry.

"Junior Brother... your cultivation..."

Her voice carried a hint of hoarseness and doubt, "Has actually reached Late-Stage Nascent Soul, and this deep and unfathomable aura... likely surpasses an ordinary Late-Stage Great Cultivator by quite a margin, doesn’t it?"