For the sake of caution.

Before leaving the stone pavilion, Wei Tu handed one top-grade third-rank defensive talisman each to Wei Xiuwen and Mei Zhen.

With these talismans for protection.

Even if they encountered a third-rank monster beast along the way, Wei Xiuwen and Mei Zhen would have enough power to defend themselves, saving Wei Tu the trouble of needing to protect them personally.

As for his grandson Wei Changshou.

Wei Tu carried him personally. With his dual cultivation of body and qi, he had full confidence in protecting at least one person.

…

While the Wei family was crossing the border in secret.

At the same time.

In the Jing Kingdom, at the Hehuan Sect’s base.

Inside a side hall.

“Fulang, ever since we left Great Void Realm, you’ve been so much colder toward me.”

In the inner chamber, Leng Yuyuan stepped out of the bath, draping herself in a translucent silk robe as she slowly approached Fu Lin, who sat cross-legged on a luohan bed.

With every step, her graceful figure swayed enticingly.

Any lecherous man present would have been unable to tear his eyes away.

However—

Surprisingly.

Fu Lin showed no reaction at all. He didn’t even respond to Leng Yuyuan’s question.

His eyes remained shut, as if the seductive display before him meant nothing at all—or perhaps, had become an unbearable burden.

Seeing that Fu Lin refused to answer.

Leng Yuyuan’s smile slowly disappeared. Her gaze turned cold as she stared at Fu Lin like a predator sizing up its prey.

“Fulang, since you insist on being heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

She reached his side, her tone both coy and chilling.

With a delicate finger, she traced from Fu Lin’s forehead down his cheek, lips, chest, and lower.

As her finger moved, it was like a sharp blade cutting open his skin, drawing beads of blood that clung to his body like pomegranate seeds.

“Such fine human elixir,” Leng Yuyuan purred, curling into Fu Lin’s lap like a cat, extending her pink tongue to lick the blood beads.

Mortal Shedding Pills were rare.

But using the Hehuan Sect’s secret arts, it was much easier to cultivate a living cauldron that mimicked their effects.

Fu Lin was the perfect cauldron that Ancestor Ningyan had spent nearly a century refining for her beloved nephew.

If she could fully refine Fu Lin’s essence, she had a real chance of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.

But just as she was enjoying her harvest, Fu Lin suddenly opened his eyes, his expression turning ice-cold as he grabbed both of her arms tightly.

“Fulang, are you angry?” Leng Yuyuan smiled seductively, twisting her body to straddle his lap.

She had seen this reaction many times while breaking in this cauldron.

After all, Fu Lin had Ancestor Ningyan’s soul restriction implanted in him. The moment he tried to resist, the restriction would lock his body and torture him with unbearable agony.

Not only that, she held the lives of his younger brother Fu Chun and younger sister Fu Min in her hands.

These were Fu Lin’s weaknesses.

Leng Yuyuan knew them all too well.

“Leng Yuyuan!” Fu Lin’s eyes flashed coldly as he flipped his palm, producing a slender green needle, which he viciously stabbed into her dantian.

At the same time, his other hand surged with black demonic qi, sealing several of her vital acupoints, cutting off her spiritual power.

“How dare you rebel?”

Caught off guard, Leng Yuyuan let out a startled cry, utterly stunned.

She had always viewed Fu Lin as nothing more than a toy to be played with at will.

She never imagined that Fu Lin would suddenly fight back—and even strike first.

“Fulang, release me now and all can still be forgiven. But if you wait until my Aunt Ningyan returns… you’ll be doomed.”

She tried to threaten him again.

In the Hehuan Sect, cauldrons died in all sorts of ways. Some perished in pleasure, others after unbearable torture.

“And don’t forget—your brother Fu Chun and sister Fu Min are still in our hands. If you rebel, they’ll die too!”

Seeing that Fu Lin remained unmoved, Leng Yuyuan once again struck at his soft spot.

“You talk too much.”

Fu Lin sneered coldly, slapping her hard across the face and kicking her off his lap.

“Fu Lin, how dare you humiliate me like this…” Leng Yuyuan, lying on the ground, trembled with rage, her normally pale face flushed bright red.

She, the “Cold Fairy”, admired by countless cultivators, had never suffered such disgrace.

“Fu Lin, stop wasting time with this woman. Quickly use the Three Corpses Secret Art to devour her cultivation and escape the Hehuan Sect.”

At that moment, a straw-coated old man appeared silently in the side hall.

He glanced at Fu Lin and Leng Yuyuan with a calm, indifferent expression.

The man’s aura was powerful, around the Golden Core Realm, but his face was shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

"Who are you?" Leng Yuyuan turned pale the moment she heard that voice. She scrambled on hands and knees, trying to crawl out of the side hall to seek help from Ancestor Ningyan. It wasn’t hard to guess that the soul restriction in Fu Lin’s body had most likely been broken by this straw-coated old man. That was the only reason Fu Lin had dared to catch her off guard, sealing her cultivation.

"Who am I?" The straw-coated old man let out a cold laugh. He flashed forward, appearing right beside Leng Yuyuan, towering over her half-naked figure. "My surname is Fu!" the old man sneered, clamping his hand around Leng Yuyuan’s pale neck and leaning in to whisper into her ear. As his words fell, the black mist over his face slightly dissipated, revealing facial features very similar to Fu Lin's, along with strange dark red markings all over his skin. Before Leng Yuyuan could react, the old man struck her unconscious with a squeeze and casually tossed her in front of Fu Lin.

"Yes, Senior Corpse Master." Fu Lin stepped down from the bed, accepting the limp Leng Yuyuan with gratitude on his face, bowing respectfully to the old man. A few months ago, after returning from the Great Void Realm with Ancestor Ningyan, he had unexpectedly encountered this straw-coated old man, the so-called Senior Corpse Master. This man had immediately seen through Fu Lin’s plight and offered to help him break free from Ancestor Ningyan’s control—on one condition: that Fu Lin become his disciple.

At first, Fu Lin hadn’t trusted this Corpse Master. After all, after so many years in the Demonic Path, he knew very well how unreliable so-called seniors could be. Taking him as a disciple likely meant the old man had his own motives—probably planning to use Fu Lin as a future vessel for possession. He’d seen that kind of scheme many times before. He had already fallen victim to a similar trap once, when he’d been naive enough to believe Leng Yuyuan truly loved him. That mistake had led him to become nothing more than her cultivation furnace, a tool to help her reach the Golden Core Realm. If not for that, his former sect, Myriad Spirits Sect, wouldn’t have just sat back while he, a Foundation Establishment disciple, was stolen away by the Hehuan Sect to be used as a furnace.

So in Fu Lin’s view, this Corpse Master was no different from Ancestor Ningyan—both had their own schemes. However, right now, he had no other choice. Better to bargain with a tiger than wait around to be fully drained by Leng Yuyuan.

"Three Corpses Secret Art!" Fu Lin gritted his teeth, forming a hand seal and chanting loudly. In an instant, his back split open, and several blackened ribs were pulled out by his spiritual power, transforming into three small skulls, each about seven inches tall, that shot toward the unconscious Leng Yuyuan. The three skulls landed on her forehead, left chest, and dantian, sitting cross-legged like tiny monks.

At this moment, the Corpse Master bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto each skull’s forehead. As the blood touched them, the skulls' aura shifted dramatically, and they began to breathe rhythmically like living beings. But instead of drawing in heaven and earth spiritual qi, they were absorbing everything from Leng Yuyuan herself. Moments later, Leng Yuyuan’s soul, vital essence, and spiritual power were all being devoured by the three skulls, her life force growing weaker and weaker.

An hour passed, and Leng Yuyuan’s aura was on the brink of extinction, her body reduced to nothing but skin and bones. "Ancestor Ningyan would never expect that under my Three Corpses Secret Art, her precious niece would not only fail to succeed in her dual cultivation but would instead hand all her power over to you, becoming your stepping stone," the Corpse Master chuckled, a mocking tone in his voice, clearly ridiculing Ancestor Ningyan.

"Senior, you know Ancestor Ningyan?" Fu Lin, still channeling the secret art, asked curiously. "Ancestor Ningyan?" the Corpse Master let out a sneer. "She and I go way back. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have broken her soul restriction so easily."

Go way back? Fu Lin frowned. He had spent decades at Ancestor Ningyan’s side, yet had never heard her mention a Corpse Master. "Probably a false identity," Fu Lin guessed to himself.

"You’re lucky to have met me. Otherwise, with that furnace technique you’ve been forced to practice, not only would you never reach the Great Dao, but you’d likely die young. But with my Three Corpses Secret Art, that furnace technique has become your greatest fortune… your breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm is within reach," the Corpse Master laughed again. But to Fu Lin, it sounded like the old man was repeating himself. Ever since they’d met, the Corpse Master had said the same thing countless times.

As they spoke, Fu Lin began to withdraw his power. He recited a few incantations, and the three skulls hopped off of Leng Yuyuan’s body, returning to his body and merging back into his ribs. However, unlike before, these ribs now held all of Leng Yuyuan’s essence—her vitality, spirit, and power.

"Leng Yuyuan only has two days left to live. Senior Corpse Master, let’s leave quickly." Fu Lin stood up, glancing at the barely breathing Leng Yuyuan, urging the old man. Once Leng Yuyuan died, Ancestor Ningyan would surely sense it. That would be a huge problem.

"No rush. I’ve already checked—Ancestor Ningyan isn’t in the sect right now," the Corpse Master replied casually. Still, despite his words, the Corpse Master didn’t act arrogantly. He placed his right hand on Fu Lin’s shoulder and immediately whisked them both away from the Hehuan Sect’s base.