Chapter 197: Heading to Great Zhou
Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Heading to Great Zhou
Over the Wilderness.
As Li Ping flew back, he spread his Divine Sense to search and quickly discovered Wei Yiling.
Wei Yiling was unconscious, guarded by a black tiger Spirit Beast.
Li Ping controlled his violet-gold Flying Fork, slaying the black tiger Spirit Beast as easily as dicing a melon. His gaze then fell upon Wei Yiling, who lay on the ground.
He wasn’t sure if she was poisoned or something else, but she lay motionless on the ground. However, her face and any exposed skin were flushed red, as if she were overcome with passion.
’Did that man give her an aphrodisiac?’ Li Ping immediately guessed the reason.
After a moment’s thought, he opened the Storage Bag of the man he had killed and searched it carefully. With his skill as a Pill Master, he easily found half a dose of Soft Flood Dragon Powder remaining, along with its antidote, which was stored right beside it.
’So it was Soft Flood Dragon Powder, but I recall Soft Flood Dragon Powder only paralyzes the body and Magical Power; it doesn’t have any aphrodisiac effects. What’s she thinking about when she’s been paralyzed unconscious?’ Li Ping’s expression turned strange.
He was now certain that this Female Cultivator wasn’t in league with the man he’d killed. This wasn’t a honey trap; it was a genuine "hero saves the beauty" situation.
Without much hesitation, Li Ping walked over to the Female Cultivator, took out the antidote for Soft Flood Dragon Powder, and sprinkled it on her face.
Then, he stood aside and waited quietly.
The antidote took effect quickly. A struggling expression appeared on the Female Cultivator’s face, and her ten fingers began to tremble slowly.
Clearly, she was starting to regain consciousness.
Li Ping’s expression remained unchanged as he patiently waited for her to wake up.
He mainly wanted to ask about the identity of the man who died at his hands. Otherwise, he would have left immediately after giving the Female Cultivator the antidote.
He had not the slightest interest in any reward for saving her; he only wanted to avoid entangling himself in karma.
Suddenly—
The Female Cultivator’s eyes snapped open.
Li Ping smiled. "You’re aw—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Female Cultivator shot up with a WHOOSH, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her flushed lips to his ear, her breath coming in hot pants.
At the same time, she began tearing at her own clothes, her body grinding restlessly against his, looking unbearably hot and bothered.
"This..."
An astonished look crossed Li Ping’s face. After the initial shock, he put his hands out and pushed the Female Cultivator away with a sudden burst of force.
The force was so great that it sent her stumbling backward to sit on the ground.
He had no interest in taking advantage of this Female Cultivator.
Not to mention her unknown origins, there was no telling if she carried some poison on her person.
Besides, Li Ping’s own morals wouldn’t allow him to do such a thing. He didn’t consider himself a good person, but he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.
Pushed to the ground by Li Ping, the Female Cultivator’s eyes burned with desire. Her hands continued to tear at her clothes, and in a moment, a great deal of her fair skin was exposed.
Seeing the uncomfortable way she rubbed her legs together, Li Ping finally realized that she might have been afflicted with more than one type of poison.
However, he hadn’t found an antidote for this sort of aphrodisiac poison in the Storage Bag, so he couldn’t treat the specific ailment.
After a moment’s hesitation, Li Ping sighed, walked over to the Female Cultivator, and restrained her. At the same time, he placed his palm on her forehead and infused his Nourishing Life Skill Power into her.
The Nourishing Life Skill Power could save even a dying Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly with only a faint spark of life left. Clearing a simple aphrodisiac poison from the Female Cultivator’s body was naturally a trivial task.
Li Ping guided the Nourishing Life Skill Power through the Female Cultivator’s body for one full cycle, cleansing all the toxins within her.
Even the residual Soft Flood Dragon Powder left over after taking the antidote was purged.
However, there was nothing Li Ping could do about the Soft Flood Dragon Powder that had mixed with the Female Cultivator’s own Magical Power.
Outside of dual cultivation techniques, two different types of Divergent Magical Power were as incompatible as fire and water.
Therefore, while detoxifying the Female Cultivator, Li Ping carefully avoided her Dantian. This also meant he failed to notice the Golden Core within it.
Of course, it never crossed his mind to think otherwise; he just assumed she was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
After all, what kind of Core Formation Cultivator would be successfully ambushed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator like this? How foolish would that Core Formation Cultivator have to be?
After clearing the toxins, Li Ping noticed the Female Cultivator’s eyes becoming clear again. Only then did he remove his palm and step back several feet away from her.
...
When Wei Yiling came to her senses, the first thing she did was look around. She found herself lying in a rugged wilderness, and standing several feet away was a figure in a green robe.
"Fairy has awakened?" Before she could process anything further, a calm voice sounded by her ear. "Fairy, you should fix your clothes first."
"Ah?" Only then did Wei Yiling notice her disheveled state. Most of her ample bosom was exposed, as were her fair white thighs.
She hastily straightened her clothes and stood up, a mixture of grief and indignation in her voice. "You did this."
Li Ping watched her fix her clothes, then shook his head slightly. "Me? Fairy, you misunderstand. You were afflicted by an aphrodisiac poison and, not in control of yourself, tore your own clothes. I merely helped you remove the toxins from your body."
"I did it all myself?" Wei Yiling was a Core Formation Cultivator, after all, with an incredibly powerful Divine Soul.
Even though she had been unconscious when it happened, as she focused her thoughts, hazy images from her memory began to surface.
Her disheveled clothes were indeed her own doing. Overcome by passion, she had even thrown herself at the cultivator before her, only to be ruthlessly pushed away.
At this thought, Wei Yiling’s face couldn’t help but flush slightly. But at the same time, a strange sense of grievance arose in her heart. ’Am I really that repulsive? He just pushed me away directly, and with so much force, too.’
Normally, her personality was as cold as an iceberg, and she was curt with everyone, especially men.
But for some reason, Wei Yiling felt a genuine sense of goodwill toward this ordinary-looking cultivator before her.
If any other male cultivator had seen her in such a disheveled state, she would have long since summoned her Magical Treasure and cleaved him in two like a watermelon.
Although her Magical Power had yet to recover and she wouldn’t be a match for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a short while, forcing her to be conciliatory, she definitely wouldn’t be feeling just a simple grievance in her heart like she was now.
Even Wei Yiling herself hadn’t noticed this change.
...
"Where is Hua Hong?"
Thinking of that dog who ambushed her, fury surged in Wei Yiling’s heart. She wished she could dismember Hua Hong into eight pieces and chop him into mincemeat.
Seeing that Wei Yiling had fixed her clothes and her expression had returned to normal, Li Ping said calmly, "If Fairy is asking about the man who was pursuing you, he is already dead at my hands."
"Hua Hong is dead? You killed him?" Hearing this, Wei Yiling couldn’t help but be stunned.
She knew very well that Hua Hong had a prominent background. The number of Treasures he possessed and his combat strength far surpassed that of a typical Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This unremarkable-looking cultivator before her was only at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, yet he managed to kill Hua Hong?
Li Ping nodded. "I must ask Fairy to tell me Hua Hong’s specific origins."
"No, you’re lying! Hua Hong isn’t dead at all." Wei Yiling’s Divine Sense swept over Li Ping, and when she didn’t find any trace of the Blood God Attraction on him, she immediately realized the truth.
Not even a Nascent Soul Cultivator could escape the Blood God Attraction. If he had truly killed Hua Hong, the Blood God Attraction would have been implanted in his Divine Soul.
Li Ping frowned. The Blood Shadow that had burst out of the man’s body immediately came to his mind.
At the same time, he began to doubt the identity of the Female Cultivator before him. Her reaction seemed a bit off.
He spoke coolly, "Oh? And how does Fairy know that Hua Hong isn’t dead?"
"I..." Wei Yiling wanted to say that she hadn’t detected the Blood God Attraction, but when she thought about her current weakened state, she worried that Li Ping might ’eliminate a demon to defend the righteous path’ and didn’t dare to finish her sentence.
Instead, she put on a matter-of-fact expression and said, "Hua Hong is the apprentice of Hua Wuji, the Grand Elder of the Blood Shadow Sect. He is also related by blood to Hua Wuji and is deeply doted upon. He has numerous Treasures. How could a mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like you possibly be his match?"
"A descendant of Hua Wuji, the Grand Elder of the Blood Shadow Sect." Hearing this, Li Ping’s brows furrowed deeply.
He took a deep breath before continuing his questioning. "Hua Hong did indeed die at my hands. The antidote for the Soft Flood Dragon Powder was found in his Storage Bag. What is this Hua Wuji’s cultivation?"
"He’s really dead?" Dubious, Wei Yiling didn’t hide the information from Li Ping and answered honestly, "Late-stage Core Formation."
"Late-stage Core Formation?"
Having accidentally provoked such a powerful figure, Li Ping’s expression immediately turned grim. His gaze involuntarily shifted to Wei Yiling as he contemplated the possibility of silencing her permanently.
But Wei Yiling’s next sentence made him completely abandon the idea.
Wei Yiling explained with a solemn expression, "I know that among the Cultivation Techniques Hua Wuji practices, there is a special Secret Technique that allows him to trace an aura from tens of thousands of miles away. The moment Hua Hong died, as long as the two of us remain in the Western Wilderness, he will find us sooner or later."
Now, Li Ping’s expression became even uglier.
’What kind of mess is this?’
Out of nowhere, he had provoked a Late-stage Core Formation big shot.
If what the Female Cultivator said was true, his only option was to flee immediately and hide in the secret realm grotto-heaven that Yan Liming had discovered. Only then could he feel at ease.
"May I ask why Fairy came into conflict with Hua Hong?" Li Ping inquired.
"Ahem..." Wei Yiling blinked and immediately began to fabricate a story.
According to her, she was a Loose Cultivator from the Qi Kingdom who came to the Immortal City to escape the chaos of war. But unexpectedly, she had the misfortune of running into Hua Hong in the Immortal City. He pursued her relentlessly, and in her desperation, she had no choice but to ask Li Ping for help.
After hearing her story, Li Ping had no interest in judging its authenticity. He simply nodded and said, "Fairy’s Magical Power should be fully restored within about an hour. I will take my leave first."
Faced with the threat of a Late-stage Core Formation Cultivator, he was now in a hurry to get away.
"Wait... staying in the Western Wilderness is a dead end for you." As if moved by a strange impulse, Wei Yiling called out to stop Li Ping. "Why don’t you come with me to the Great Zhou? Only by going to the Great Zhou will you have a chance of survival."
"Oh? The Great Zhou?" Wei Yiling’s words made Li Ping stop in his tracks.
It was the first time he had ever heard of this place.
Wei Yiling explained, "Yes, the Great Zhou. We just need to pass through the territories occupied by the four major sects of the Holy... Demon Dao, then cross the boundless Vast Sea, and we’ll reach the Great Zhou."