After refining the black-robed ghost with the Myriad Spirits Banner, Lu Yang no longer lingered. He directly rode a streak of escaping light and flew far away, preparing to begin his great undertaking of capturing ghosts.
"The top priority is still to collect fierce ghosts on a large scale and complete this Mysterious Underworld Palace Lord Seizing the Nether Position."
"In addition, the cultivation of the 'Secret of the Heavenly Silkworm by Severing Thoughts to See the Self' also needs to be put on the schedule. And then there's Yu Suzhen's side, I wonder how she is progressing."
"If everything goes smoothly, I'll gather third-grade True Qi, The Sage's Theft, refine the status of a Corpse-Shedding Immortal, then cultivate the 'Secret of the Heavenly Silkworm by Severing Thoughts to See the Self' to completion, obtain the Mysterious Underworld Palace Lord Seizing the Nether Position, and then use the Stealing Heaven's Secrets art to drain Yu Suzhen dry, and then charge towards Foundation Establishment, I should have a sixty percent chance of success."
Thinking of this, Lu Yang frowned again. A sixty percent chance was still not secure enough. If he could also obtain the Ascension Token in Daoist Master Yinshan's hands, a seventy percent chance would be worth a real gamble.
"Getting the Ascension Token isn't impossible."
If he could control the Witch Ghost Secret Realm and also solve the problem of the Golden Core sword qi, perhaps he could use it to trade with Daoist Master Yinshan for that Ascension Token.
"That being said, I still need to plan this out for the long term."
Lu Yang was very clear. In this life, he was not one of the Three Rivers Society's own. Rather than trading with him, killing him and taking his things was the true style of the Saint Sect.
"Perhaps I can have Yu Suzhen think of a way."
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately controlled his clone to find a desolate wilderness to hide in. Then, he withdrew his consciousness, planning to check on Yu Suzhen's situation. Primordial Saint Sect, Heaven-Linking Cloud Sea.
Yu Suzhen had long been refined by Lu Yang into a puppet for Stealing Heaven's Secrets. The karmic connection was extremely deep, so divining her was effortless, and he quickly established a connection. Heaven Mending Peak, inside a cave residence of the Three Rivers Society.
Inside and outside the cave residence, it was already a sea of people, bustling with noise and excitement. One after another, cultivators affiliated with the Three Rivers Society enthusiastically and fawningly surrounded a young man.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Luo, on mastering a Great Divine Ability! Foundation Establishment is in sight!"
"In the future, we'll have to ask Senior Brother Luo to look after us."
"Senior Brother Luo, do you still remember? I treated you to a meal back in the day..."
At the banquet, Luo Wuya appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was quite satisfied. After all, he was still young, and being able to master a Great Divine Ability meant he had hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future.
Thinking of this, a heroic spirit suddenly surged in Luo Wuya's heart: 'Big brother has taken a step ahead and achieved the status of a Daoist Master, but I may not necessarily be inferior to him in the future.' Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door.
Then, someone, with a look of surprise and a tone of longing, said: "Fairy Suzhen has come too!" The next second, a beautiful figure walked into the cave residence.
A beautiful and exquisite face, a curvaceous and upright body, paired with that cold expression and a sixth-level Qi Refining Realm cultivation, made the newcomer look like a proud and aloof snow lotus on an iceberg.
Yet, it also made people unable to help but wonder, if one were to peel away this cold and arrogant lotus robe, what kind of passion would be underneath.
"What a beautiful woman..."
Many people looked at Yu Suzhen, their faces showing admiration.
"As expected of Fairy Suzhen. It has been less than a year since she formally joined the sect, yet her cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. She's only one step away from breaking through the bottleneck to become a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator."
"Suzhen greets Senior Brother Luo."
Yu Suzhen walked gracefully before Luo Wuya and gave a slight bow. Her demeanor was proper, without a trace of seductive charm, yet her dignified posture instead made people's hearts itch.
"Junior Sister Yu is thoughtful."
Luo Wuya smiled with satisfaction. Yu Suzhen had quite a reputation on Heaven Mending Peak. Moreover, she lived in seclusion and rarely socialized with others or attended banquets.
Yet today, she was willing to accept his invitation, which truly satisfied his vanity and also gave him a rather favorable impression of this junior sister.
"And Senior Brother Zhao, Younger Sister Qinghe."
Turning around, Yu Suzhen bowed to Zhao Xuhe, who was beside Luo Wuya, her gaze sweeping past Fairy Qinghe who had come with him.
"Senior Brother Lu as well. Thank you both senior brothers for your care."
Immediately after, she looked beside Zhao Xuhe and met the eyes of Lu Yuanchun, who was also a disciple of the Heaven Mending Peak Master, but quickly looked away as if nothing had happened. Soon, the banquet began. Before long, the areas around Luo Wuya and Yu Suzhen were crowded with people.
One side was greedy for profit, the other for beauty, instantly livening up the atmosphere. Such a scene naturally attracted Luo Wuya's attention. He himself was the center of the crowd and was quite adept at dealing with these sycophants.
At this moment, he was naturally curious as to how Yu Suzhen would handle it. And when he looked at Yu Suzhen, he saw that although she remained cold, she was not so arrogant as to be repulsive. Instead, her manners were proper, her actions measured.
She would respond to everyone, and in her words, she would seem quite close to you, yet in the next second, she would be happily chatting with someone else. In short, she was playing hard to get. It was just that no one present noticed this game of push-and-pull.
Even if they did, they would think, 'She's playing games with me, she must be interested in me...' Poor junior brothers, being played in the palm of this woman's hand...
Luo Wuya shook his head, but he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in his heart, because from beginning to end, Yu Suzhen had not taken the initiative to get close to him. It seemed she really was that type of cold and proud woman, single-mindedly focused on cultivation. 'An interesting woman...'
The banquet did not end until sunset. Yu Suzhen came before Luo Wuya, still dignified and proper, and gave him a curtsy: "It's getting late. Suzhen still needs to cultivate, so I will take my leave first."
Hearing this, Luo Wuya let out a light laugh, "It's been hard on you, Junior Sister. After all, you're usually focused on cultivation, so dealing with these people must have been a bit difficult for you."
"... As long as Senior Brother knows."
Hearing this, Yu Suzhen raised her head. Her originally cold face suddenly relaxed, and she actually gave Luo Wuya an annoyed roll of her eyes, saying half-complainingly. Such a tone, such an expression, was the complete opposite of the aloof pride everyone had seen at the banquet.
It was as if ice and snow were melting, revealing a momentary charm that made even Luo Wuya's heart skip a beat. He even felt a little excited, as if he had seen another side of the cold fairy. However, Luo Wuya quickly regained his composure.
He let out a hearty laugh, "... Then that would be my fault, Senior Brother's fault. Very well, if Junior Sister has any questions in your future cultivation, you can come and ask me anytime."
"Then, many thanks, Senior Brother."
Only then did Yu Suzhen show a hint of pleasant surprise. She then nodded solemnly before turning and leaving under the admiring gazes of the crowd. Seeing this scene, a glint flashed in the eyes of Zhao Xuhe, who was not far away.
Soon, he also brought Fairy Qinghe over to bid farewell to Luo Wuya. Luo Wuya agreed on the surface, but his heart stirred slightly, giving rise to a hint of suspicion. The next second, he sent out a strand of spiritual sense to follow Zhao Xuhe quietly.
Zhao Xuhe was seen leaving the cave residence, first persuading Fairy Qinghe, who was still preparing to discuss the Dao with him, to leave, and then finding a hidden place to hide. Then, he took out an invisibility talisman to conceal his figure and actually made his way to Yu Suzhen's cave residence.
After checking the secret sign on the door, he snuck inside. As soon as he entered, he immediately saw the beautiful figure sitting before a dressing table, her back as smooth as jade, utterly captivating... Zhao Xuhe's heart was instantly inflamed with desire.
"Suzhen..."
"Mmm~~" Yu Suzhen raised her long, slender neck and let out a sigh that could have been helplessness or resignation, but she allowed Zhao Xuhe to have his way with her.
The two of them instantly set the entire Cultivation Chamber ablaze. When Zhao Xuhe thought of Yu Suzhen's cold appearance at the banquet, and her passion before him at this moment, he felt as if he had an inexhaustible supply of strength. A long time later, the two gradually stopped.
On the bed, Yu Suzhen held onto Zhao Xuhe and whispered, "Xuhe... I don't want to wait anymore. Can our relationship really not be made public?"
"Suzhen, I have my own difficulties that are hard to speak of."
Zhao Xuhe shook his head but didn't say much more, just casually fobbing her off with a few words. The truth was very simple. It was merely because the Heaven Mending Peak Master had arranged a marriage for him, with none other than the Peak Master's daughter.
Under these circumstances, how could he have a Dao companion? So it could only be an underground affair. Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe even felt a hint of guilt.
After all, Yu Suzhen was so innocent, yet he was deceiving her like this... Afterward, the two were intimate for a long while more before Zhao Xuhe reluctantly left. Before leaving, he even left Yu Suzhen some medicinal pills for cultivation.
After watching Zhao Xuhe leave, Yu Suzhen gradually wiped the charm from her face. She then hid the medicinal pills and immediately took out a jade slip. After she entered a line of message into the jade slip, a moment passed.
"Knock, knock-knock, knock..."
The pre-arranged secret knock came from outside the door. Yu Suzhen immediately went to open it. A moment later, a figure darted in and directly swept her up by the waist.
"Don't! Senior Brother Lu, I'm not that kind of person!"
"What do you mean, don't? You fake, pretentious bitch! I knew you still had feelings for Zhao Xuhe. Don't forget, I still have leverage over you..."
"Sob, sob, sob..."
More than two hours later. Lu Yuanchun left, satisfied. Yu Suzhen lay on the bed, silently shedding tears.
But the next second, the sound of slow footsteps suddenly came from behind her. Yu Suzhen turned her head in astonishment. Looking at the figure that had suddenly appeared behind her, a triumphant look of a successful plan flashed in her beautiful eyes, but on her face, she cried out in alarm: "Senior Brother Luo!?"
Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Yang fell into a deep silence. A long time later, he sighed with emotion: "She's truly a talent..." Even he had never imagined that in just a few months, Yu Suzhen could achieve such tremendous success in her career of seduction.
He couldn't understand it, but he was greatly shocked.