“Old Man Han, here… it’s n-not very appropriate, is it?”

Bai Ling’s face was a mask of scarlet shame, her voice trembling. The open courtyard felt dangerously exposed under the vast sky.

“What’s inappropriate about it? No one comes here,” Han Lie replied casually, his hands already wandering.

Bai Ling glanced frantically left and right, confirming the area was indeed deserted, before her resistance crumbled. “Then… alright then.”

Despite her verbal protest, a thrill shivered through her. The idea of dual cultivating in the open air, exposed to the elements, carried a forbidden excitement that the safety of a bedchamber lacked.

Under Han Lie’s practiced touch, Bai Ling quickly melted. The pleasure she hadn’t felt in so long washed over her, turning her skin hot and sensitive.

After nearly an hour of agonizingly slow foreplay, they finally joined.

A torrent of Pure Yang energy flooded into her body, merging with her Yin in a perfect cycle of harmony. Bai Ling gasped, her eyes widening as she felt her cultivation base surge upward, fed by an impossibly potent force.

Three days later.

Nourished by Han Lie’s Pure Yang essence—a tonic far superior to any pill—Bai Ling shattered the bottleneck that had held her back. With a burst of spiritual pressure, she officially stepped into the Late Golden Core Stage.

“Old Man Han… why does dual cultivating with you feel so miraculous?” she asked, glowing with satisfaction as she lay in his arms.

She wasn’t naive. While dual cultivation was beneficial, it was rarely this transformative. There was only one variable that made sense: Han Lie himself.

“Guess,” Han Lie said with a mysterious smile.

“I can’t.” She shook her head.

“Then don’t ask. Just know I didn’t lie to you, right?”

“That’s true.” Bai Ling beamed, revealing pearly white teeth.

This breakthrough would have taken her a year or more of solitary meditation. With Han Lie, it took three days. It was intoxicating.

“Old Man Han, then… will you cultivate with me again in the future?” she asked, lowering her gaze, her voice laced with shyness.

She realized, to her own shock, that she had become addicted. perhaps it was the power, or perhaps it was simply the way he made her feel—cherished and thoroughly conquered as a woman.

“As long as the Saintess wishes, this Senior is ready to accompany you anytime,” Han Lie chuckled.

It had gone exactly as planned. Three sessions were all it took to completely capture her heart.

“Mmh!” She nodded against his chest. “Then… Old Man Han, would you be willing to become my Dao Companion? You see… I’ve given you my chastity. Even if I found another companion later, I’d definitely be looked down upon.”

“So… so…”

“Haha, didn’t this Senior tell you before?” Han Lie laughed heartily, stroking her hair. “I am willing to reluctantly accept the burden of being your Dao Companion.”

Bai Ling’s face flushed with joy. “Thank you, Old Man Han!”

She was already picturing their future together. The age gap meant nothing in the cultivation world. As long as one had strength, an ‘old cow eating tender grass’ was a sign of prestige, not shame.

“Still calling me Old Man Han?” Han Lie pinched her waist playfully.

“Then… Brother Lin?”

“No good. Sounds like we’re siblings.”

“Hmm…” Bai Ling tapped her chin. “Then… Brother Mo? How about that?”

“That sounds better.” It was intimate, a name reserved for lovers.

They lingered for a while longer before Han Lie rose. “It’s time. We should depart.”

He returned briefly to the wooden cabin to retrieve Xiao Zi, tossing the grumbling cat onto his shoulder before rejoining Bai Ling. Together, they left the Heavenly Void Sect.

“Brother Mo, Qingzhou City is on the way. Should we visit our parents?” Bai Ling asked as they flew over the familiar landscape.

Han Lie considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “No. Time is tight. We don’t know if the ruin has fully opened yet. We should hurry. We can visit on the return trip.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you, Brother Mo.” She smiled, trusting his judgment implicitly.

The journey was a hundred thousand li. For mortals, a lifetime. For them, a few hours of flight at full speed.

By evening, the Buried Immortal Mountain Range loomed on the horizon—a jagged scar of rock stretching as far as the eye could see.

Above a distant valley, the sky was broken.

The space within a hundred-mile radius was twisted and distorted, warping light itself. In the center of this anomaly spun a pitch-black vortex, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy like a hungry beast. The pressure radiating from it was immense, suggesting something ancient and terrible was fighting to break free.

“That must be it, right? Brother Mo!” Bai Ling’s eyes shone with excitement.

“Should be.” Han Lie nodded, feeling his blood heat up. This would be his first true ‘dungeon’ run in this world.

As they approached the staging area, Han Lie’s senses flared.

Dozens of powerful auras dotted the landscape. Most were Golden Core cultivators, but hidden amongst the noise were several presences that felt like deep, still pools—quiet, but infinitely dangerous.

Nascent Soul monsters.

“The Demoness wasn’t lying,” Han Lie thought, frowning. “The sharks are circling.”

This complicated things. If he didn’t breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage within the ruin, he would be hopelessly outmatched when the real treasures appeared. With only Golden Core Perfection strength, he was just a slightly larger fish in a tank of leviathans.

Meanwhile, in a camp nestled near the vortex.

A disciple of the Myriad Sword Pavilion, tasked with monitoring the arrivals, squinted at the sky. He spotted the incoming streak of light and the familiar figures within it.

“Young Pavilion Master!” he shouted, turning back to the main tent. “People from the Heavenly Void Sect have arrived!”