Wen Buhuo navigated through the shadows of the Ring Mountains, speculating that the five-hundred-year-old Jade Marrow Grass was deep within a mine tunnel. Just as he prepared to enter the valley, a violent spiritual energy fluctuation erupted from the side—someone was fighting, and the commotion was astounding.

Wen Buhuo suppressed his aura and stealthily moved towards the source of the disturbance. Cresting a ridge, the sight before him made his pupils contract.

It was a partially collapsed ancient building, its style completely unlike contemporary cultivation architecture. Its flying eaves and bracket sets were all ruined, but the protective array remaining at the entrance still pulsed with a faint blue light. Currently, six cultivators were assaulting the array, their various spells and magical tools bombarding the light shield, causing ripples to spread.

Most striking was the woman leading them—she wore the Moon Mask Sect’s pale white palace robes, her face covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of eyes as clear and cold as an icy pond. In her hand, she held a dharma tool like a bright full moon; with each swing, moonlight poured forth, striking the array's weakest point.

"Moon Mask Sect..." Wen Buhuo’s heart tightened.

Besides Nangong Wan, there were three Spirit Beast Mountain disciples and two Heavenly Tower Fortress cultivators. The six had clearly formed a temporary alliance to breach this ancient cultivator's cave dwelling.

Wen Buhuo did not reveal himself, instead hiding in a rock crevice a hundred yards away. He recognized the ancient script above the building's lintel—the characters for "Elixir Chamber." Ancient pill refining sites often contained rare elixirs or formulas, so it was no wonder these people had allied.

After an incense stick's time, the protective array finally emitted a distressed whine, and its blue light extinguished. The six cultivators' spirits lifted, and just as they were about to rush in, a sudden change occurred!

The stone statues on either side of the entrance suddenly "came alive"—they were two three-yard-tall stone armored guards, their eye sockets burning with eerie green flames, swinging their giant axes at the foremost Spirit Beast Mountain disciple!

"Ancient puppets!" someone exclaimed in alarm.

A chaotic battle instantly erupted. Though clumsy, the stone armored guards were incredibly strong and felt no pain; each swing of their giant axes generated howling winds. The six cultivators employed their various methods. Nangong Wan’s Moon-Chakram dharma tool cut mysterious trajectories through the air, leaving deep cracks in the stone armor with every strike.

Wen Buhuo saw clearly: these six were merely allies in name, each preserving their strength. Especially Nangong Wan; she appeared to be fighting with full power, but consistently held back, her gaze occasionally sweeping toward the depths of the Elixir Chamber.

Just as one stone armored guard had its head cleaved by Nangong Wan’s Moon-Chakram, another change occurred!

A dense black mist suddenly surged from within the Elixir Chamber, accompanied by a nauseating chewing sound. The three Spirit Beast Mountain disciples, being closest, screamed as they were dragged into the mist. After a few short wails, there was silence.

"Retreat!" The two Heavenly Tower Fortress cultivators' faces changed drastically, and they turned to flee.

Within the black mist, a massive figure slowly appeared. It was a creature resembling a spider but with nine scorpion tails, its body covered in dark purple carapaces. Its eight compound eyes gleamed with greedy red light. It was still chewing on a half-eaten corpse, blood dripping from its fangs.

"Nine-Tailed Poisonous Scorpion Spider... a Third-Tier beast!" Nangong Wan’s voice finally showed a hint of fluctuation. She quickly retreated, her Moon-Chakram forming layers of light barriers before her.

The poisonous scorpion spider let out a sharp hiss, and one scorpion tail shot out like lightning, easily piercing two layers of light barriers! Nangong Wan grunted, her shoulder grazed. A purplish-black color rapidly spread from the tear in her robes—potent poison!

Without hesitation, she severed a lock of her hair, black blood spurting from the wound, and simultaneously swallowed an antidote pill. But the poisonous scorpion spider had already pounced, its other eight scorpion tails dancing like a waltz of death, sealing all her escape routes.

This was the moment!

Wen Buhuo moved. He darted out of the rock crevice like a ghost, not towards the battle, but around to the side of the Elixir Chamber—there was an inconspicuous crack there where he had seen a faint light when the stone armored guards activated.

With his Breath-Restraining Technique pushed to its limit, Wen Buhuo slipped into the crack like a fish. Inside was a narrow passage, lit by embedded luminous pearls, extending into the depths. He rushed in without hesitation.

Behind him, Nangong Wan’s delicate shouts and the poisonous scorpion spider’s roars echoed. The battle had clearly reached a life-or-death moment.

The passage ended in a secret room. In the center sat a bronze elixir furnace, its fire extinguished, but a faint medicinal fragrance lingered within. The four walls had eight stone doors; seven were closed, only one was ajar.

Wen Buhuo was about to inspect the furnace when he suddenly heard Nangong Wan’s voice, a spiritual message that directly resonated in his mind—this was "Spiritual Sense Transference," a technique only Foundation Establishment cultivators could use!

"Since you are already inside, fellow Daoist, why not assist? If this fiend kills me, you will be next."

She had discovered him! Wen Buhuo’s heart sank. But Nangong Wan was right; after the poisonous scorpion spider dealt with her, it would search the entire Elixir Chamber, leaving him nowhere to hide.

"I can trap it for three breaths," Nangong Wan’s voice carried suppressed pain. "You will have one chance to strike. If successful, you get everything inside the Elixir Chamber except for one item. If we fail... we will be buried here together."

Wen Buhuo peered through the door crack. Nangong Wan was in dire straits, her Moon-Chakram's light dim, her left arm hanging limply, clearly deeply poisoned. The poisonous scorpion spider’s nine tails wildly danced, forcing her into a corner.

Three breaths... only one chance. Wen Buhuo took a deep breath and pulled out the Thunder Shock Pearl from his storage bag. He prepared for a single, decisive strike.

He transmitted back: "I will attack its tail root connection, where the carapace is thinnest. You just need to create an opening for an instant."

"Good."

Nangong Wan suddenly let out a clear cry, channeling all her remaining spiritual energy into her Moon-Chakram! The bright moon-like tool suddenly expanded, erupting with dazzling light, temporarily forcing back the poisonous scorpion spider! She herself spewed a mouthful of fresh blood, her aura plummeting.

Now!

Wen Buhuo burst out from behind the stone door, gripping the Thunder Shock Pearl. Without hesitation, three Lightning Strike Talismans and the Thunder Shock Pearl activated simultaneously! Three purple lightning bolts merged into a column of lightning as thick as a water bucket, striking precisely at the poisonous scorpion spider's tail root connection—where a dark red soft spot was the only part not covered by carapace!

"Hiss—!!!"

The poisonous scorpion spider let out an utterly agonizing shriek, all nine scorpion tails spasming violently as purplish-black blood spurted like a fountain! But in its dying struggle, one scorpion tail shot out at an incredible angle, stabbing towards Wen Buhuo’s heart!

Wen Buhuo had no time to dodge and could only barely turn sideways.

"Die!"

Nangong Wan gathered her last breath, her Moon-Chakram slashing like a meteor through the poisonous scorpion spider's head! The massive head rolled to the ground, and the beast finally crashed down, lifeless.

---

The secret room fell into a deathly silence. Only the heavy gasps of the two remained. So close; Wen Buhuo had almost lost his life.

"I only need one item from the Elixir Chamber. You take seventy percent of everything else," Nangong Wan stated bluntly.

Fair enough. Wen Buhuo nodded.

The two began searching the secret room. The elixir furnace contained only some dregs. Of the eight stone doors, seven led to storage rooms filled with decayed medicinal materials and jade slips—alas, too much time had passed, and ninety percent had turned to dust.

Only the last stone door, when pushed open, left them both stunned.

It was a small stone chamber. In the center was a white jade platform, on which lay a crystal-clear box. Inside the box was a fist-sized, crimson beast core—the very core of the poisonous scorpion spider! It had detached its core and hidden it here to nurture!

But what stunned them was not the beast core, but an object beside it: a jade-green, bile-shaped object with natural patterns on its surface, emitting an alluring sweet fragrance.

"A poisonous scorpion spider's... Illusionary Emotion Gall?" Nangong Wan frowned.

Nangong Wan used her Moon-Chakram to gently pry open the crystal box—she wanted the beast core.

The moment the Moon-Chakram touched the beast core, the jade-green "Illusionary Emotion Gall" suddenly exploded on its own! Pink mist instantly filled the entire stone chamber, the sweet, cloying fragrance assaulting their noses!

"Hold your breath!" Nangong Wan cried out, but it was too late.

Both inhaled the mist, feeling a burning heat rise from their lower bellies, instantly coursing through their limbs. Wen Buhuo’s vision began to blur, and Nangong Wan’s cold eyes became hazy. Her veil had slipped off at some point, revealing a peerless face flushed with a crimson blush.

"This is... an aphrodisiac poison..." Nangong Wan’s voice trembled. She tried to circulate her cultivation technique to suppress it, but the pink mist could actually corrode spiritual energy; the more they resisted, the more violently the heat surged.

Wen Buhuo was equally distressed, his sanity rapidly dissolving. He saw Nangong Wan stagger towards him, her pale white robes having loosened at some point, revealing her delicate collarbone and a flash of pristine skin.

"Fellow Daoist... forgive me..." Nangong Wan’s last shred of rationality allowed her to utter these words, but her body had already moved uncontrollably to press against him.

Wen Buhuo’s last conscious sensations were the sweet fragrance and the soft, jade-like touch in his arms. Then, complete surrender.

---

An unknown amount of time passed.

Wen Buhuo suddenly awoke to find himself lying beside the white jade platform, his clothes disheveled. In his arms, Nangong Wan slept soundly, a lingering blush on her exquisite face, her long hair fanned out like a waterfall.

Nangong Wan’s eyelashes fluttered, and she too awoke. Their eyes met. A fleeting moment of panic, shame, and murderous intent flashed in her eyes, finally settling into a complex calmness.

She silently rose, tidied her clothes, and replaced her veil. She said not a word throughout the entire process.

Wen Buhuo also got up, collecting the beast core from the crystal box and a few undamaged medicinal materials. The two tacitly avoided mentioning what had just happened, as if it had all been a dream.

"The beast core is yours," Nangong Wan suddenly spoke. "The other medicinal materials are also yours. I only want that one item."

Wen Buhuo was startled: "Then you..."

"If a single word of what happened today gets out, I will kill you," Nangong Wan’s voice was icy, but the blush on her earlobes betrayed her. "This beast core... consider it payment for your silence."

Wen Buhuo accepted the medicinal materials, his heart filled with mixed emotions. "Thank you."

"No need." Nangong Wan turned and walked towards the stone door. "There are two days left in the Forbidden Zone. Take care of yourself."

As she reached the doorway, she suddenly paused, her back to him, and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible:

"Your name is... Wen Buhuo?"

"Yes."

"I will remember it."

"At least tell me your name."

The pale white figure vanished into the passage, leaving only a faint, lingering fragrance.

From afar, a voice faintly echoed, "My name is Nangong Wan." Nangong Wan thought to herself, This boy is foolish; why would he only want some herbs?

Wen Buhuo stood there for a long time, finally letting out a bitter laugh.

While cleaning the battlefield, he discovered many medicinal herbs, all necessary for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Wen Buhuo was secretly overjoyed; he had finally gathered them all. He even collected the beast's carapace and teeth, knowing they were valuable.

A life-and-death struggle, an unexpected romance. Indeed, anything could happen in the Bloodline Forbidden Zone.

He took a deep breath and also left the secret room that had changed so much. Outside, the Forbidden Zone remained bathed in blood-red light.

And his journey had to continue.