Morse opened his eyes once more, staring intently at the ceiling above with his eyes wide open.
He had awakened again, but this time, he felt a profound sense of renewal surging through his frame. His energy meridians had been completely repaired.
[ The Host's meridians have been restored and upgraded to 'Origin Yang Meridians.' These paths are exclusive to the Supreme Yin-Yang System. Good luck with your Dual Cultivation. ]
"What is this... Dual Cultivation? This is impossible."
Dual Cultivating with a Phoenix was akin to a suicide mission. What was the difference? Moreover, if he thought about it, the System would be useless in this case. His primary goal was to transform the heroine into a pure, calm, and non-lustful female. The worst thing he could have done was Dual Cultivation—she would drain his life force entirely.
This was catastrophic.
As he glanced beside him, he found the girl sound asleep, looking as though they had engaged in endless, fierce sexual battles the night before.
"She was truly terrifying..."
Recalling her state of peak lust, he felt a wave of pure horror. It was a wild, unbridled desire by all standards—a hunger capable of devouring everything. He imagined the novel's ending: when no form of sex was enough to satisfy that rampant lust, frustration and rage consumed her. In the end, she had annihilated every man in existence using her power. Just watching her pleasuring herself had terrified him; he couldn't imagine what she would do if she remained unsatisfied.
Yet, as he looked at her sleeping form, she appeared incredibly gentle. Graceful, slender, and possessing a legendary body in every sense of the word. In her sleep, her body had reverted to its original form, not a modified one. She was transcendent in both beauty and femininity—truly immortal. But one must never judge a book by its cover.
Why the hell did she have to be a protagonist in a smut novel?
He rose from the bedding on the cave floor and surveyed her living space. It was surprisingly elegant, despite being a cave.
"Damn, I released too much... this is disgraceful."
As they say, great sacrifices are what move mountains. He had been driven to ejaculate such a massive amount that he felt a lingering discomfort in his "little brother." Even his clothes had been stained by the sheer force of it.
He had no choice but to rummage through his storage ring for a fresh set of clothes. However, everything inside was utterly useless. He couldn't understand why he hadn't brought an extra outfit. He certainly couldn't go out in public wearing clothes stained with his own fluids. What would happen to his reputation? What kind of rumors would spread? Fortunately, his underwear was still clean. He pulled them on, racking his brain for a solution.
"There is a river flowing from the mountain, five hundred meters away at the nine o'clock position..."
Ni Ni Layan finally woke up beside him. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Morse looked at her with a hint of terror. Had she just read his mind?
"No, I didn't read your mind, but you looked quite perplexed."
This was becoming even more terrifying. She simply rose from the bedding, opened the cave door, and stepped out into the open, completely naked, basking under the morning sun.
Does this girl have no shame?
Wasn't she supposed to be a virgin still? How could she act in a way that even the boldest harlots wouldn't dare? Morse almost thought she was doing it unconsciously.
"May I ask a question?"
Ni Ni Layan said as she moved a bit further from the entrance. Morse followed her, filled with wonder.
"What do you want to ask?"
Ni Ni Layan turned to him, her golden eyes seemingly infused with the embers of lust.
"Why did you come here? I mean... you got my feathers, you absorbed them—you absorbed so much like an idiot while your body was crippled. You came here as if you were specifically targeting my location..."
Morse felt the crushing pressure of the Celestial Phoenix's words. It was a dangerous situation; she might suspect he knew her from the Celestial Realm, perhaps as one of the traitors who had betrayed her. She hadn't reclaimed her full power yet, and it looked as though he was hunting her down.
"But that isn't my question. You seem far too foolish to be what I suspect. My real question is this..."
She suddenly lunged toward him with terrifying speed, getting so close that he recoiled in shock and fell backward. She leaned down, sniffing his body as if she had caught the scent of pure musk, instantly becoming intoxicated.
"How were your energy meridians repaired? And not just that... why do you possess the scent of Origin Yang... the Solar Yang?"
Morse's body tensed as he tried to push her away, his nerves frayed. He stared into her eyes, which seemed to radiate a golden, divine light.
"Could you... please move back a little?"
Ni Ni Layan withdrew, leaving Morse still lying on the ground. He looked up at her naked silhouette, framed perfectly by the morning sun. Despite all of yesterday's exhausting efforts, his "little brother" couldn't help but stand at attention once again.
Morse had always taken pride in his size down there, but a sudden memory of the original novel hit him: this girl had endured the members of giant, non-human beasts. The thought made his own pride feel rather pathetic.
Looking up at her, Morse said, "How about you put some clothes on first, and then I'll explain everything?"
Ni Ni Layan ignored him, walking away as the wind caught her beautiful white hair, sending it fluttering behind her. She looked breathtakingly ethereal.
Morse followed to see where she was headed. After a short walk, he found the river she had mentioned earlier. He cursed himself again for not bringing spare clothes.
He stood at a distance, watching Ni Ni Layan dive into the rushing river. Even against the powerful current, she remained perfectly still and steady beneath the water.
"Incredible..."
If only he had his drawing supplies, he would have sketched this scene instantly. A woman sitting amidst a torrential river, naked, with her hair flowing beautifully across the water's surface... her flawless, milky-white body submerged against the riverbanks. It was a masterpiece.
He drew closer and closer, trying to capture every detail in his mind as if he were painting her.
"Are you going to keep staring forever?"
his voice startled . "Should I leave to give you some privacy?"
He immediately reconsidered. Privacy? What the hell am I thinking? This girl didn't possess a shred of shame. Even though she had never experienced sex, the psyche of a Phoenix was worlds apart from that of an ordinary human.
"Why don't you come in and wash up?" she invited.
"No... the current will just sweep me away."
Ni Ni Layan nodded with a slight smile.
"The current here is indeed strong."
It was as if she had already forgotten what she had asked him, or as if he were nothing more than an insect in her world.
Morse had no intention of lingering. He couldn't remember the exact time the Celestial Phoenix was supposed to regain her full power. He had forgotten. Surely, she should feel threatened now, shouldn't she? Even if she had a few tricks up her sleeve, wouldn't she fear that he might be here to kill her?
Despite the risks, Morse decided to take a gamble anyway.
"Excuse me... when will you regain your strength?"
Stupid, wasn't it? If the Phoenix had suspected before that he was from the Upper Realm trying to eliminate her, she could certainly be sure of it now.
Ni Ni Layan's expression didn't change. She looked at Morse and thought to herself:
'So, this man truly knows me... he is an enigma. He possesses the scent of Origin Yang... and he knows my secrets. In the entire world, there was only one person who ever possessed these meridians. Could he be... his heir?'
Ni Ni Layan was absolutely certain of her intuition. The energy meridians of Origin Yang possessed a unique, unmistakable scent that could never be forged.
How could such a talent go unnoticed by the Celestial Realm? She was sure that when she saw him yesterday, his meridians appeared crippled—as if he were disabled.
Yet, suddenly, she found him possessing these legendary paths. Had he been hiding them all along?
How was that possible? She was the Phoenix, the mother of Yang and the Sun itself.
How could she have failed to notice him?
It was a profound mystery, but as for his question...
"None of your business..."