Do You Think This Can Settle the Score

I do not know how much time passed.

The rain gradually stopped, and the sound of thunder faded away.

The chaotic lotus platform dissipated into specks of starlight, revealing the two overlapping figures inside.

Gu Yang did not immediately get up.

He kept his eyes closed, but the world in his "eyes" had become clearer than ever before.

Spiritual Sense, newly awakened!

Even with his eyes closed, he clearly "saw" every movement within a hundred feet.

A hundred feet away, a black beetle taking shelter from the rain was shaking the water droplets off its wings;

On a withered stalk of grass to his rear left, the trajectory of a sliding dewdrop looked like a slow-motion replay;

Even the faint vibrations of an earthworm wriggling and loosening the soil three inches underground were as clear as looking at the lines on his palm, revealing every minute detail.

This omniscient and omnipotent sense of control intoxicated him.

His five senses were greatly enhanced. The sound of the wind was no longer just the wind, but the rhythm of air currents; the earthy smell of the soil was no longer pungent, but the breath of the earth.

Gu Yang slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the pitch-black night sky seemed to light up for a moment.

Deep in his eyes, a Golden Crow soared in the left, and Netherworld soul-locking chains flickered in the right, before finally returning to the calm of an ancient, rippleless well.

He slowly raised his right hand. Without using the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy, he merely shifted his thoughts.

[Artifact Control: Initiation]

Buzz!

A hundred feet away, a hard bluestone the size of an adult's head trembled without warning, as if grabbed by an invisible giant hand.

"Rise."

Gu Yang parted his lips slightly.

The bluestone instantly defied gravity, lifting off the ground and hovering in mid-air.

Although it was only the most basic object manipulation, capable only of simple linear attacks and limited to a range of a hundred paces, this was the signature divine ability of stepping through the gates of immortal cultivation.

"Go!"

Gu Yang's gaze focused, and he pointed his finger across the air.

Swish—!

The bluestone instantly turned into an afterimage, dragging out a shrill sonic boom in the air as it blasted straight toward a towering ancient tree a hundred paces away.

Bang!!!

Wood chips flew everywhere. The ancient tree, which required three people to hug, was blown in half. The cut was charred black, a trace left by high-speed friction with the air.

This was the power of artifact control empowered by liquid-state magical power. Even a mortal stone could kill!

Gu Yang took a deep breath. The thick layer of protective spiritual light on the surface of his body flashed slightly. It was several times more condensed than when it was at the first layer, faintly emitting a metallic luster.

Now, relying solely on this passive shield, he could withstand the full-force strike of an ordinary Peak Qi Condensation cultivator without a single scratch.

The speed of his instant spellcasting was so fast that it arrived the moment he thought of it.

"Second layer Dao Platform—Yin-Yang Glazed Platform, complete!"

Feeling the vast, ocean-like spiritual energy within his body, the corners of Gu Yang's mouth curled up in a satisfied arc.

He had made a huge profit this time.

[Ding. Successfully intercepted purple destiny opportunity—Pure Maiden's Exquisite Heart.]

[Interception Evaluation: Perfect. You not only took her heart (physically), but you also took her heart (mentally).]

[Reward: 50 Destiny Points.]

[Extra Reward: 50 Destiny Points.]

[Current Destiny Points: 100]

To think there was a perfect extra reward.

Finally, I have Destiny Points again...

He lowered his head and looked at the woman in his arms.

Su Wanyin currently looked like a frightened kitten, curled up in his embrace, draped in his loose gray robe.

Having lost the empowerment of her Primal Yin and the Pure Maiden's Exquisite Heart, her originally aggressive, bewitching aura had faded a bit, replaced by an unprecedented, elegantly refined sense of frailty.

Her face was still pale, but her breathing had steadied.

Although losing the Foundation Establishment spiritual item, the "Pure Maiden's Exquisite Heart," caused her cultivation to drop by a minor realm, the Netherworld Soul-Locking Flame that had tortured her was absorbed by Gu Yang. Furthermore, due to her dual cultivation with Gu Yang, she received a trace of nourishment from the "Great Sun True Fire."

This not only repaired her foundation but also allowed her to profit from a disaster. The spiritual energy in her body now carried a trace of extreme Yang attribute, meaning she would no longer suffer the backlash of her pure Yin physique in the future.

"The transaction is complete."

Gu Yang reached out and brushed Su Wanyin's messy black hair behind her ear, his fingertips tracing across her delicate cheek.

That jade hairpin was still crookedly stuck in her hair.

Gu Yang glanced at the hairpin, then looked at the distant sky that was already faintly revealing the pale white of dawn.

He gently placed Su Wanyin in a safe spot, then stood up and straightened his robes.

He then laid down a few formations around the area to ensure her safety.

After that, he left a storage bag, placing it by her side.

This storage bag contained a portion of his harvest from the past few days.

It could be considered his thanks to her.

"I'm leaving."

Gu Yang whispered, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to the sleeping woman.

Tapping his toes, his figure soared into the air like a great bird. Circulating the Dead Wood Aura Concealment Art, he instantly turned into a phantom shadow, speeding away toward the direction of the Empress's Forbidden Grounds.

No farewells.

No tokens.

Just like when he came—abrupt, mysterious, and untainted by the mortal dust.

...

A pale white dawn appeared on the horizon.

The rain had stopped, and the wind had died down.

The miasma deep within the Misty Swamp surged in the morning light, looking very much like that absurd and deadly entanglement from last night.

Su Wanyin woke up in a biting morning breeze.

She subconsciously wanted to curl up her body, searching for the only heat source that had given her a scalding temperature last night.

However, her embrace was empty.

Her fingertips only touched the cold, hard rock beneath her, along with a few withered stalks of grass bearing dewdrops.

"Li...?"

She suddenly opened her eyes, her voice as hoarse as if it had been polished by sandpaper.

The surroundings were dead silent.

There was no silent figure wearing a bamboo hat, nor were there those eyes that were always as calm as an ancient well, looking at her as if she were a piece of wood.

There were only a few formation flags planted around, emitting a faint spiritual light. They formed a one-way protective array that allowed exit but no entry, isolating the prying venomous insects and fierce beasts outside.

The man was already long gone.

Su Wanyin stared blankly at the empty surroundings. A massive sense of panic, as if she had been abandoned by the entire world, instantly gripped her heart.

"He left..."

"He really... left."

She lowered her head and saw that she was wrapped in that large, washed-out gray robe.

It was his clothing.

The robe still carried a faint scent of soap locust, along with an extremely weak trace of body heat belonging to that man.

As for her priceless crimson smoke-silk dress, which symbolized her status as the Holy Maiden of the Joyous Union Sect, it had long since been reduced to a pile of torn fabric strips on the ground, mixed in the mud, its original appearance indistinguishable.

She slowly sat up, the movement tugging at a certain strange sensation deep within her body.

There was no weakness and pain from being forcibly harvested, as she had expected.

On the contrary.

Within her Dantian's sea of qi, that "Pure Maiden's Exquisite Heart"—which had tortured her for twenty years, acting as both a fortuitous encounter and a shackle—was gone.

That cluster of "Netherworld Soul-Locking Flame," which struck terror even into the hearts of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators like Mo Yuan, had also vanished completely.

In its place was an unprecedented, warm, golden stream of spiritual energy.

The spiritual current was domineering yet docile, like a tamed Golden Crow coiled within her meridians. With every cycle it completed, it refined the cold, chaotic demonic qi originally within her body, making it a fraction purer.

Although her cultivation realm had dropped to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Her foundation had undergone a complete, transformative rebirth.

How could this be considered energy harvesting?

This was clearly... imparting the Dao!