The moment those two words reached her ears, Ye Ran froze.
She couldn’t believe that in such an emotionally charged moment, Lu Li would say something like that.
She quickly pulled her hand free and turned to face him.
“I’m feeling sorry for you, senior brother, and you’re still joking with me?”
“I’m not joking.”
Lu Li closed the distance again, trapping her against the tree.
“I love being intimate with junior sister. So if you pity me, then pity me properly.”
He pulled her even closer, and Ye Ran could clearly feel his physical reaction.
“No wonder they call you a demon lord. You truly are insatiable.”
Ye Ran pushed at him helplessly.
But the moment she said it, she felt Lu Li grow even more excited.
He took her hand, kissed it, then ran his tongue over each of her fingertips.
“Then take pity on this demon lord, junior sister.”
Lu Li’s bite suddenly grew harder, and a sharp sting shot through her fingertip.
Now she regretted it deeply.
If she had known Lu Li would push his advantage, she never would have shown him her sympathy.
“Senior brother, don’t forget there are disciples searching outside. If the sect leader notices you’re missing, he’ll grow suspicious. We should go back.”
Though their spot was hidden, there was always a chance a disciple might wander in.
If they were discovered, not only would they lose face, but the sect leader would suspect something, putting Lu Li’s identity at risk.
“Lingxu is busy right now. He won’t notice us. Junior sister can take pity on me all you like.”
Perhaps to reassure her, Lu Li waved his hand and set up a barrier around them.
But this only made Ye Ran more nervous.
She hadn’t expected Lu Li to be so bold as to do it out in the open.
Seeing his pitiful expression, her heart had softened. But now, realizing how daring he was, she couldn’t accept it.
“No!” Ye Ran pulled her hand away and pressed against his chest. “Not here.”
The next moment, Lu Li grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head against the tree trunk.
“This was my favorite place as a child. I want to leave a memory here with you, junior sister.”
He buried his face in her neck and inhaled deeply. When he looked at her again, his expression was almost pleading.
“You pity me, junior sister. So please don’t refuse me.”
Lu Li truly knew how to get to Ye Ran. His pitiful act successfully made her waver.
And just then, he leaned in, kissing her lips softly, on and off.
The teasing stirred an itch deep inside her.
Finally, she couldn’t resist and responded with a brief kiss. To Lu Li, this was tacit consent.
His kiss grew urgent. Before Ye Ran could react, he pushed past her lips and explored every corner of her mouth.
Only when the air was nearly gone did he curl his tongue around hers and slowly breathe back into her.
Lu Li knew exactly how to make Ye Ran lose control. As the kiss deepened, he finally released her wrists.
But by then, Ye Ran had no strength left to resist. She went limp in his arms, desperately drawing the air he fed her.
Only when his arms tightened around her waist and she felt a foreign sensation did she bite his lip.
But to Lu Li, this was a blessing.
His kiss grew bolder, his hands wandering.
Ye Ran was overwhelmed. With each breath growing scarcer, her strength drained away. Her hands, which had been gripping his back, slid downward.
Just as they reached his waist, Lu Li caught her arms and guided them around his neck.
Then his hands moved to her waist, lifting her away from the tree.
Losing the support behind her made Ye Ran feel insecure. She instinctively clung tighter to Lu Li’s neck.
“Senior brother, you— mmph…”
But the moment she spoke, Lu Li began to walk.
The constant feeling of nearly falling, coupled with that unmistakable pressure, made Ye Ran’s heart race.
She clutched tightly at the fabric of Lu Li’s back, her expression strained.
“Senior brother… stop…”
“You didn’t finish admiring the view earlier, so now I’m showing you the rest.”
Lu Li spoke with complete seriousness, but his grip on Ye Ran’s waist loosened slightly.
She had no choice but to tighten her arms around his neck.
The next moment, a sharp intake of breath sounded in her ear. Lu Li finally stopped and looked down at her.
“Relax a little, junior sister.”
His voice was husky, and the sound of it made her heartbeat quicken.
But since he had finally stopped, Ye Ran instinctively loosened her hold.
Then, without warning, Lu Li began walking again—faster than before.
Caught off guard, Ye Ran’s body tensed. She bit down hard on her lower lip, turning it white.
After a long while, Lu Li finally finished showing her the scenery. Ye Ran’s last ounce of strength was gone.
Just as she was about to slip from his grasp, Lu Li tightened his arms around her waist and lowered them both onto the grass.
“Is junior sister tired?”
He reached out and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Ye Ran was too exhausted to speak. She could only nod under his gaze.
She thought he might finally let her be. But then he leaned down and kissed her lips.
“Junior sister has worked hard. Now it’s my turn to put in the effort. Just rest.”
“!!!”
Ye Ran stared at him in disbelief. She hadn’t expected him to be so shameless.
But before she could resist, his lips were on hers.
Ye Ran had always been most vulnerable to his slow, simmering kisses. Soon, her thoughts dissolved into chaos, and she could only follow his lead.
She watched helplessly as the sky darkened, but Lu Li showed no sign of being satisfied. He seemed to have endless energy—and he used it all on her.
She didn’t know when she fell asleep. All she knew was that the night sky had been beautiful, and Lu Li was truly relentless.
When she woke again, she was inside the palace where Lu Li used to live.
Perhaps knowing she didn’t like dim spaces, all the windows were now open. Sunlight streamed in, banishing the oppressive atmosphere.
Ye Ran tried to move, and found that her body didn’t ache as it usually did.
Instead, she felt refreshed, and her spiritual energy felt noticeably fuller.
It was an unfamiliar sensation, but also delightful. She hurriedly got up to examine herself more closely. The spiritual energy in her dantian had indeed surged, and even her cultivation level seemed on the verge of breaking through.
“How do you feel, junior sister?”
Just as Ye Ran was reveling in her discovery, Lu Li walked in.
She immediately went to him, excited.
“Senior brother, what’s going on? Why is my spiritual energy so much fuller?”
“Naturally, because junior sister harvested from me last night.”
Lu Li’s words made Ye Ran freeze. Confusion spread across her face.
Harvest?
She was a cauldron—how could she harvest anyone else?
And even if it were possible, she didn’t know how.
Seeing her growing bewilderment, Lu Li smiled and patted her head.
“Your constitution makes you easy to harvest, but it also allows you to harvest others—and with greater efficiency. Last night, I secretly circulated a technique to let you harvest from me.”
So that was it.
Ye Ran nodded thoughtfully, then looked at him with suspicion.
“If such a good thing exists, why didn’t you let me harvest from you sooner?”
If there was a shortcut, why would anyone want to work hard? Her cultivation had always been slow, and she had long since tired of the effort.
“Because of the Blazing Spirit inside me. It’s not suitable for harvesting. Doing it too early would damage your body.”
“Then why can we do it now?”
Ye Ran’s questions came one after another. But when she asked this one, the smile on Lu Li’s face grew even wider.
Just as Ye Ran grew even more puzzled, Lu Li leaned close to her ear and spoke softly:
“After doing it enough times, naturally it becomes possible.”
His blunt words made Ye Ran’s face flush.
But thinking that she could now harvest from Lu Li to increase her cultivation, she felt a secret thrill.
She even found herself a little greedy, thinking she shouldn’t have fallen asleep so quickly last night—she should have harvested more.
“How do you feel, junior sister?”
Catching the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes, Lu Li’s own eyes softened with amusement.
Ye Ran, having completely forgotten how she had bitten and scratched him the night before trying to fend him off, nodded happily.
“I feel great! Even my cultivation level seems ready to break through.”
“That’s good.”
Lu Li took her hand and led her out of the hall.
“Then we should get down to business.”
The words immediately put Ye Ran on alert. She looked up at him and saw his expression had turned serious.
She understood instantly.
Lu Li was about to start making his move.
Yesterday, seeing him so relaxed, she had thought he only wanted to reveal his identity, with no immediate plans to act.
It seemed the timing simply hadn’t been right.
Lu Li led her behind the palace, eventually stopping outside a seemingly abandoned courtyard. He looked down at her.
“Is junior sister afraid?”
“Of course not.”
Even knowing that staying by his side meant facing countless dangers, Ye Ran felt no fear. Instead, she felt oddly at ease.
“Then you have no way back, junior sister.”
With that, Lu Li waved his hand, releasing a stream of spiritual energy.
What seemed like an ordinary courtyard was actually surrounded by layers of dense barriers.
But the moment his spiritual energy touched them, the barriers changed color, shifting from red to a deep azure.
Then, Lu Li walked straight through them with Ye Ran at his side, unimpeded.
When he pushed open the door to the small courtyard, a passage leading underground appeared before them.
The passage was pitch black, seemingly bottomless.
But with a wave of Lu Li’s hand, torches along its walls ignited. Their flickering flames stretched downward, as if to infinity.
Back at the City Lord’s Mansion, Lingxu sat at his table, staring at the azure flame before him. Greed flickered in his eyes.
He reached out to touch it, but before his fingers made contact, they were burned.
At that moment, Yuan Bai came rushing in, panic-stricken.
“Something terrible has happened!”
“What’s all this fuss about?”
Lingxu calmly withdrew his hand and the flame, frowning at Yuan Bai.
“The demon lord has appeared!” Yuan Bai was visibly frantic. “And he’s entered the underground palace!”
“What!”
This news shattered Lingxu’s composure. He stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Bai by the collar.
“Is this information accurate?”
“Absolutely! I sensed the barriers loosening and sent someone to investigate. The entrance to the underground palace has been sealed from the inside, and the barriers carry traces of the Blazing Spirit. Who else but the demon lord could get in?”
Yuan Bai’s voice was laced with despair.
Their plan had been to lure the demon lord out. They never expected him to go straight into the underground palace.
Inside that palace was the fruit of centuries of work. If the demon lord destroyed it, everything would be lost.
“What do we do now? The demon lord appeared and headed straight for the underground palace—clearly he has a plan.”
“Don’t panic. The palace’s defenses aren’t to be underestimated.”
Lingxu was flustered only for a moment before quickly collecting himself.
“Gather our people immediately. Head to the entrance and break through the barriers. Keep it quiet. Don’t let anyone notice, especially those elders searching outside.”
“Understood.”
Yuan Bai nodded and hurried off.
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