176: You're so insidious!

Her taut abdomen, the smooth lines of her arms, and that slightly upturned chin—every detail spoke of the word "invincible."

"Come on!" she urged impatiently, even provocatively puffing out her chest.

"Old Man, why are you dawdling? Did you not eat enough? Should I go catch a bear to help you recover?"

Su Lin took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within him.

Looking at his Second Disciple, who knew no fear, the competitive spirit he held as a Revered Master was thoroughly ignited.

"Since your skin is itching, then as your Revered Master, I shall grant your wish."

Su Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, not immediately using his spiritual power.

He slowly raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together to form a sword-finger.

At his fingertips, a faint, yet extremely sharp silver light quietly coalesced.

That was the manifestation of the Space Law.

This was the strongest single-target killing technique he had comprehended after his Breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage. It did not rely on brute force, but rather on the principle of spatial displacement to directly cut through the essence of matter.

Theoretically, there was nothing in this world that the space could not cut.

"Go," Su Lin whispered, slashing his fingers forward through the air.

"Hum!" A faint buzzing sound came from the air.

The silver space-cutting blade vanished instantly, spanned several zhang in distance, and appeared without warning at Su Hongling's left shoulder, slashing fiercely down at her fair, delicate skin!

This strike was lightning-fast, vicious, and tricky.

If it were an ordinary Integration Stage Cultivator, even with a Magic Treasure for protection, they would have had an arm severed by this strike.

However.

"Ding." A crisp, melodious sound, like jade beads falling onto a plate, rang out.

The space-cutting blade, capable of cleaving mountains, shattered the moment it touched Su Hongling's skin!

And there wasn't even a white mark left on Su Hongling's shoulder.

She hadn't even activated her Protective Aura; she had purely relied on her Physical Body to withstand it.

"Hmm?" Su Hongling tilted her head, looked at her shoulder, and reached out to scratch the spot.

"Old Man, did you hit me just now?" She blinked her large eyes, looking confused.

"It seems… a bit itchy?"

"…"

The corner of Su Lin's mouth twitched violently.

Itchy? That was space cutting! That was the power of the Law! And you're calling it itchy?

"Good, very good." Su Lin laughed instead of getting angry.

He reached out and grabbed at the empty air with his right hand.

"destiny!" With a flash of golden light, the ancient sword [destiny] that had accompanied him for two lifetimes appeared in his hand.

Although the sword spirit was currently dormant, it was, after all, a divine-grade weapon; its edge was sharp enough to sever hair blown upon it.

"Since Spells don't work, then I'll use a weapon." Su Lin flicked his wrist, executing a beautiful sword flourish.

"Hong Ling, watch the sword!" This time, he used his full strength.

The spiritual power within him, strengthened by the heart of the primordial demon, was poured into the sword blade without reservation. The golden sword radiance surged by three feet, flickering uncertainly and emitting a chilling, sharp aura.

Su Lin moved like lightning, instantly closing the distance. This sword strike was aimed directly at the center of Su Hongling's brow!

Facing this sword strike capable of piercing through the Void Realm, Su Hongling did not dodge; instead, she widened her eyes in excitement.

"Well come!" She shouted loudly, not dodging or evading, but meeting it head-on with her forehead! She was catching the sword with her face!

"Clang—!!!" A deafening metallic collision echoed through the cave, shaking the ice crystals on the ceiling until they fell like rain. Sparks flew everywhere!

Su Lin felt his wrist shake violently, and a terrifying force of recoil traveled up the hilt, nearly causing him to lose his grip on the sword.

The golden light of the [Immovable Wisdom King Body] flashed frantically on his body, helping him dissipate the force that was strong enough to shatter his arm.

He looked closely. Su Hongling was still standing in place, not having moved an inch. And the tip of his sword was pressing firmly against the center of her brow.

There, let alone bleeding, not even the skin was broken! There was only a tiny, almost invisible red mark that was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hehe." Su Hongling grinned at Su Lin, who was right in front of her, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Old Man, did you not eat?"

"This little bit of strength isn't even enough to scratch an itch for me."

As she spoke, she arrogantly extended a finger and flicked the blade of the sword pressing against her forehead. "Clang!"

A massive force surged through. Su Lin could no longer hold onto the sword; the ancient sword [destiny] flew out of his hand, spinning and embedding itself into the rock wall nearby, up to the hilt.

This was simply not a human! This was a piece of divine iron that had gained sentience!

"What? Are you done fighting?" Seeing Su Lin stop, Su Hongling pouted with some dissatisfaction, hands on her hips, puffing her chest out even further.

"I haven't felt anything yet! Come again!"

"Old Man, are you not capable?"

She emphasized the word "not capable" heavily, carrying a thick sense of provocation.

As a man, and a Revered Master at that, to be told he was "not capable" by his own disciple? Su Lin's gaze changed.

It was the gaze of someone pushed to the edge, deciding to abandon all sense of martial honor.

"Hong Ling." Su Lin slowly retracted his aura; the look of frustration on his face vanished, replaced by a meaningful calmness.

He stepped toward Su Hongling. This time, he didn't use any movement techniques, nor did he condense any spiritual power.

Just like an ordinary Mortal, he walked step by step toward the girl who stood there like a demon god.

"Since your skin is so thick, then as your Revered Master, I won't compete with you on strength."

Su Lin stood before her, the two of them extremely close, their breathing audible to each other. He was a head taller than Su Hongling.

Lowering his head to look at her, his deep eyes seemed to contain an endless starry sky.

Su Hongling was unnerved by his sudden calmness and instinctively wanted to retreat, but to maintain the wager of "never taking a step back," she forced herself to stay rooted in place, thrusting her chin out and shouting:

"Then… then what do you want to compete on?"

"On this." Su Lin slowly extended his hand. But he didn't attack; instead… he placed his hand gently on Su Hongling's waist.

That was the patch of soft flesh exposed by her red and white short outfit, firm, delicate, and carrying a scorching body heat.

Su Hongling stiffened all over, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; all the hairs on her body stood up.

"Old… Old Man… what are you doing?" Her voice stuttered, and the pressure of her Mahayana Stage instantly fell into chaos.

"I am looking for your weak point," Su Lin said solemnly, his palm sliding slowly against her skin.

The hand wasn't using force; one could even say it was gentle. But for Su Hongling, this gentleness was ten thousand times more terrifying than that sword strike just now!

Although her skin was indestructible, her sensitivity had not vanished; on the contrary, because a Body Cultivator had extreme control over their body, her sense of touch was a hundred times sharper than an ordinary person's!

Su Lin's fingers traced her waist, pressing against the texture of her muscles. "Is this… ticklish?" Su Lin suddenly asked.

Then, without waiting for Su Hongling to answer, his fingers suddenly exerted force, tickling the soft flesh on her waist in an extremely tricky way.

"Ah—!!!" Su Hongling let out a short, sharp scream, her body shrinking violently; she almost broke her focus and jumped up.

"Not… not ticklish! I'm not ticklish!" She gritted her teeth, shouting with a flushed face, tensing her muscles tightly in an attempt to resist that heart-piercing, tingling sensation.

"Oh? Is that so?" A mischievous smile curled the corners of Su Lin's mouth. "Although Body Cultivators train their skin and flesh to be like metal and iron, their Meridians and Acupoints are still of human construction."

"Since external force cannot break through, then I can only use Internal Energy." His other hand reached over as well.

Two hands, one left and one right, as if to embrace her, but instead pressed onto two major Acupoints under her ribs. "Hold it in," Su Lin whispered.

Then, his fingers began to move. It wasn't an attack, but… tickling. And it was tickling that carried the force of spatial vibration, penetrating straight into her internal organs!

"Haha… Hahahaha!!!" Su Hongling finally couldn't hold it anymore. Her small face, which had been so arrogant just a moment ago, twisted instantly, and she was laughing until tears were about to fall.

"Stop! Stop it! Hahahaha… Old Man, you're cheating!!"

"What kind of attack is this! Hahaha… I'm being tickled to death!!"

Her body began to writhe violently, trying to dodge Su Lin's devilish claws, but because of the wager, she couldn't move her feet, so she could only thrash in place like a fish out of water.

"I didn't move my feet! I didn't lose! Hahahaha… Help!" She shouted stubbornly while laughing wildly, waving her hands chaotically, wanting to push Su Lin away, but fearing she would use too much force and hurt him, so she could only pat Su Lin's chest weakly.

That appearance was in no way resisting; it clearly looked like she was acting spoiled.

"This is called the 'Soul-Disrupting Tickling Finger.'" Su Lin made up nonsense with a straight face, but his movements didn't stop at all; instead, they became even more intense.

His fingers slid up along her ribs, past her underarms, then down along her spine, pressing lightly near her tailbone.

"Awoo!!" Su Hongling let out a strange cry, her whole body shaking as if electrocuted, her legs going weak, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Her flushed face was covered in sweat, and her red hair danced wildly with her trembling.

"Do you submit?" Su Lin leaned to her ear and whispered. His warm breath sprayed onto her sensitive ear, causing Su Hongling to shudder all over; that tingling sensation instantly spread from her ears through her entire body, even more lethal than the tickling from before.

"No… I don't submit! Hahahaha…" Su Hongling, laughing until she couldn't catch her breath, was stubborn to the end. "This is just… just scratching an itch for me! It doesn't… it doesn't hurt at all!!"

"It doesn't hurt, right?" Su Lin narrowed his eyes. It seemed this girl's resistance was even stronger than he had imagined. Since that was the case, Su Lin suddenly stopped his hand movements.

Su Hongling was able to catch her breath, gasping for air, her chest heaving violently, looking at Su Lin with dazed eyes, thinking the punishment was over.

However, the next second, Su Lin made a move that made her Soul Fly Away and Spirit Scatter.

He lowered his head, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and then, opening his mouth, took a suck on that slender, delicate neck that was still radiating heat.

"Pop." A sound of extreme ambiguity rang out.

Su Hongling petrified completely. As if struck on the crown of her head by a heavenly thunderbolt, her brain stopped functioning for an instant.

The patch of skin that had been sucked felt a strange sensation—moist, warm, and carrying a slight stinging pain. This sensation followed her blood vessels, instantly igniting the blood throughout her entire body.

"Boom!" Su Hongling felt like she was going to explode. Not a physical explosion, but an explosion of shame and some indescribable emotion.

Her face was as red as a branding iron, and steam even rose from the top of her head, visible to the naked eye.

"Ma… Revered Master…" Her voice became shaky, soft, and glutinous, carrying a trace of helpless panic. "What… what are you doing…"

Su Lin raised his head. Looking at the freshly minted, bright red hickey on Su Hongling's neck, he nodded with satisfaction.

"This is called—an eye for an eye." He pointed to the bite mark on his own neck that hadn't faded yet. "You bit me last night, and now I'm returning one to you."

"Fair, isn't it?"

Su Hongling covered her neck, staring blankly at Su Lin. Mist filled her red eyes, as if she had suffered some immense grievance, or as if she had tasted some peerless delicacy.

"You… you…" She stuttered for a long time, finally stomping her foot hard. "You're cheating!!" "What kind of attack is this! This is… this is…"

This is flirting! Su Hongling's heart was roaring, but those two words simply wouldn't come out of her mouth.

She was a Body Cultivator! A Body Cultivator who only knew how to be straightforward and speak with her fists! Facing such high-level emotional offense, her defense was practically negative!

"What? It doesn't count as an attack?" Su Lin stepped back, watching her flustered appearance, and chuckled inwardly. Sure enough, although this girl was powerful, in these matters, she was still a complete novice.

"Since you don't think it counts, then we can continue." Su Lin made a gesture as if he were about to step forward again.

"Don't! Don't come over!" Su Hongling was so scared she jumped backward, leaping three zhang away, completely breaking her vow of "never taking a step back."

"I lost! I lost, okay!"

She covered her burning neck, looking at Su Lin with a wary expression, as if guarding against some flood or wild beast. "Old Man, you… you've become bad!" "You are too insidious! To actually use this kind of trick!"

"Although your Physical Body is invincible, and even the Law can hardly destroy it, your heart…" Su Lin extended his hand, pointing at her chest from a distance. "Is still too soft."

"Especially when facing your Revered Master, your defense is practically zero."

These words sounded high and mighty, full of educational significance. But paired with the smooth "operation" Su Lin had just performed, it sounded more like a forced excuse after acting like a hooligan.

Su Hongling glared at him, her eyes spinning in circles. Heart too soft? When facing her Revered Master? She savored the sentence, and her original shame and annoyance slowly dissipated, replaced by an emotion called "secret joy" spreading in the depths of her heart.

Is Revered Master… complimenting me for being good to him?

"Hmph!" She huffed haughtily, slowly lowering her hand from her neck, exposing the bright red mark openly, even deliberately sticking her neck out.

"Lost is lost! This young lady can afford to lose!" "Anyway, you have to pay for this meal! I want to eat braised pork, ten basins of it!"

Her eyes rolled, and suddenly thinking of something, her previous shyness was swept away. She leaned in again, a mischievous smile with a touch of anticipation appearing on her face.

"But… Old Man." She pointed to the mark, lowering her voice, her tone becoming extremely ambiguous, carrying a trace of imperceptible craving.

"You said just now that this was 'an eye for an eye'?" "But I broke the skin last night… it even bled."

She extended her fingertip, gently stroking the red mark, seeming somewhat unsatisfied. "Yours… doesn't seem to have drawn blood?" "Was the force not enough?"

She leaned forward a step, presenting her neck to Su Lin; beneath that fair skin, the blue veins were clearly visible.

"How about… you use a bit more force?" Her voice became somewhat hoarse, carrying a kind of near-pathological obsession. "Bite it open. Leave a scar."

"Just like the one I left on you, the kind that never fades." "If you bite it open… I don't mind."

"…"