The Calamity Constitution: Ruan Xiaoruan

Earth-tier Foundation Establishment spiritual item, ranked seventy-eighth on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items List.

The cultivation world had a strict hierarchy, and Foundation Establishment was an enormous chasm to cross.

The path of Foundation Establishment involved forging a nine-story Dao Platform above the dantian's sea of qi, much like a nine-tiered ladder ascending to the heavens.

The first three stories served as the foundation, liquefying magic power and granting a lifespan of two hundred years; the middle three stories formed the body, allowing one to ride the wind and granting a lifespan of three hundred years; the final three stories were the peak, reaching straight to the firmament to catch a glimpse of the Golden Core Great Dao.

And how high this nine-story tower could be built depended entirely on the quality of its bricks and stones.

Ordinary rogue cultivators used Mortal-tier and Human-tier spiritual items like century-old demon cores and common spiritual herbs.

That was like building a wall with mud and broken bricks; they might barely manage to scrape together nine stories, but it would be tottering and entirely devoid of any miraculous properties. For their entire life, they would be fated to remain at the Foundation Establishment realm.

True disciples of sects with some foundation sought Earth-tier spiritual items.

Earth-tier spiritual items ranked from eleventh to one hundredth, such as this Plain Maiden's Exquisite Heart, were like high-quality blue bricks and jade stones.

Using this item for Foundation Establishment would double the purity of one's magic power, and upon completing the third, sixth, and ninth stories of the Dao Platform, it would awaken a special attribute bonus each time.

This was a smooth path that countless people dreamed of.

What would happen if all nine stories of his Dao Platform were built using Foundation Establishment spiritual items of the Earth-tier or higher?

Gu Yang felt a sense of anticipation in his heart.

Su Wanyin, the Joyous Union Sect Holy Maiden who had previously delivered the Great Sun Heaven Burning Sutra to him.

It seemed she was not completely out of danger yet.

However, she was temporarily safe for now.

The most pressing matter was to first deal with a petty buffoon.

Han Feng.

This Han Feng had a mishap in his cultivation and wanted to harvest Ruan Xiaoruan's vital essence?

That silly girl Ruan Xiaoruan, although they had only met once, that Withered Wood Breath Concealment Art had indeed helped him greatly.

Since I took her fortuitous encounter, I shall be the one to repay this karma.

"Excessive yang fire?" Gu Yang stood up. In the center of his palm, a wisp of dark gold Golden Crow True Fire danced silently, distorting the surrounding air with its heat.

"Perfect. I happen to have a strong medicine specifically for treating yang fire. I guarantee it will... cure you instantly."

...

The night was as black as ink, and jackdaws cried out.

The Outer Sect of the Falling Cloud Sect, the Class C handyman disciple living quarters.

The houses here were low and dilapidated.

Ruan Xiaoruan huddled in a corner. On a small red clay stove in front of her, low-quality medicinal herbs were bubbling as they stewed, filling the narrow room with a bitter medicinal scent.

Thump, thump, thump.

The knocking was light, but it carried a rhythm that brokered no refusal.

Ruan Xiaoruan's body jerked violently, and the cattail leaf fan in her hand used for fanning the fire dropped to the ground.

"Wh... who is it?"

"Junior Sister Xiaoruan, it's me, Han Feng."

A gentle and clear voice came from outside the door, revealing a majestic righteousness unique to orthodox sects.

Ruan Xiaoruan's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Han Feng.

That Inner Sect senior brother who had just successfully reached Foundation Establishment and was hailed as the Grand Elder's named disciple.

During the day today, he had publicly given her a bottle of extremely precious Rejuvenation Pills, saying that her filial piety had moved the heavens.

But the look in his eyes when he looked at her... was like looking at a piece of tender, fat meat.

"Senior Brother Han... it's late at night, it's very inconvenient..."

Bang!

The flimsy wooden door was directly pushed open by a gentle yet domineering spiritual power.

A cold wind mixed with dead leaves swept into the room, making the oil lamp flicker.

A tall and slender figure strode in.

Han Feng wore spotless white clothes with a jade pendant hanging at his waist. A smile that made people feel like they were bathing in a spring breeze hung on his lips, completely out of place in this dirty slum.

With a backhand wave, he slammed the wooden door shut again.

"Junior Sister, your words are too distant."

Han Feng walked over to the only broken wooden stool and sat down without asking.

"I heard that your father's illness requires someone to channel spiritual power to help him, so I came specifically to assist. What, is Junior Sister not welcoming me?"

As he spoke, his gaze roamed unscrupulously over Ruan Xiaoruan's frail body.

Although the young girl was thin and weak, that pitifully timid demeanor, especially those eyes like a frightened deer, made Han Feng's lower abdomen flare with heat.

The evil fire wildly darting around in his body due to a mistake in cultivating the Majestic Heavenly Dipper Art burned even more fiercely.

"N-no... no need..."

Ruan Xiaoruan had nowhere to retreat. Her back was pressed against the cold wall, and her voice carried a crying tone.

"My father is already asleep... I beg Senior Brother to let me go..."

"Let you go?"

Han Feng chuckled lightly and slowly stood up, his originally gentle disguise tearing away bit by bit.

"Follow me and be my concubine. I'll take care of your father's illness, and in this Outer Sect, no one will dare to bully you again."

He approached step by step. The aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was like a massive mountain, pressing down on the Qi Condensation realm Ruan Xiaoruan until she could barely breathe.

"Be good. Senior Brother has a lot of pent-up fire right now. Help Senior Brother... put out the fire."

Han Feng reached out his hand, grabbing toward Ruan Xiaoruan's slender neck.

However.

Right at the moment his hand was about to tighten.

"A lot of pent-up fire?"

A hoarse, indifferent voice, sounding like sandpaper grinding against rust, rang out extremely abruptly in this narrow space.

"Perfect. I happen to know a little about medicine, and I specialize in treating... burning lust."

Who?!

Han Feng's scalp exploded with numbness, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.

Without even thinking, he launched a backhand Majestic Palm, blasting it toward the shadows where the voice came from.

White astral qi surged out, carrying an unmatched fierce power that was enough to shatter boulders.

Pfft.

A soft sound.

It was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

The hand that reached out from the shadows was sallow and rough, with calluses on the knuckles left by years of gripping a blade.

That hand casually pierced through the violent Majestic astral qi as if piercing through a layer of window paper.

Then, under Han Feng's absolutely horrified gaze, it grabbed his wrist.

Crack.

The sound of bone fracturing was crisp and melodious.

"Ah——!"

Han Feng let out a miserable shriek. The hand that was originally going to grab Ruan Xiaoruan now hung down limply, the wrist bent at a bizarre, twisted angle.

The shadows dispersed.

A gray-robed rogue cultivator with a sallow face and a knife scar at the corner of his eye walked out slowly and methodically.

It was precisely Gu Yang in disguise.

He didn't even glance at Ruan Xiaoruan, who was shivering in the corner. His murky eyes simply stared coldly at Han Feng, while an inconspicuous wisp of dark gold flame danced on his fingertip.

"Y-you... who are you?!"

Han Feng's face was twisted in pain. Clutching his broken wrist with his other hand, he retreated in terror.

He couldn't see through the cultivation of the person in front of him.

His aura clearly indicated only the fifth level of Qi Condensation, but this power... was definitely not at the Qi Condensation realm!

"Who I am is not important."

Gu Yang casually pulled over that broken wooden stool and sat down with a commanding presence, blocking in front of Ruan Xiaoruan.

"What's important is that I have a few questions I'd like to ask Senior Brother Han."

"Y-you... what do you want to do? I am the named disciple of Grand Elder Zhao Wuji! If you dare touch me, the Law Enforcement Hall won't let you off!"

Han Feng roared, putting up a fierce front to hide his panic, while secretly reaching his hand toward the storage bag at his waist.

Whoosh!

A flash of golden light streaked by.

"Ah!!"

Han Feng shrieked miserably again. The finger he reached toward the storage bag was directly severed by a thread-like line of fire. It fell to the ground and was instantly burned to ashes.

"I ask, you answer."

Gu Yang flicked his finger, his tone as plain as if they were just chatting.

Han Feng's legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, instantly wetting himself.

Such absolute mastery over fire, such ruthless methods... This man was undoubtedly a bloodthirsty demonic cultivator!

"Don't... please don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"Good."

Gu Yang leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. In the dim glow of the oil lamp, his eyes flickered with a chilling, soul-piercing light.

"Three months ago, you went to the Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons in the Carrion Swamp and retrieved the Bone-Eroding Spirit-Dissolving Powder."

"Who did you give it to?"