67: What is real...heat?

However, when asked how to crack it, the old man stroked his beard for a long while before finally letting out a long sigh.

"This poison... this old man has never heard of it, nor seen it. It does not harm the Meridians, nor does it destroy one's cultivation. It specifically attacks... cough, it specifically attacks one's great desires. Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice; as for the method to detoxify this, I'm afraid this old man... currently has no clue."

With even the leader of the Alchemy Hall waving his hand in resignation, the last hope of the Guanghan Immortal Palace seemed to drift away with that sigh, dissipating into the air filled with the ambiguous fragrance of pink mist.

Chu Ye watched this scene from the clouds and rubbed his chin. "Even the professional team failed. It seems this 'after-sales service' will have to be handled by this host personally."

Just as the Senior from the Alchemy Hall was sighing and stroking his beard, the Fairies' eyes grew glazed, and the discipline of the Immortal Palace was on the verge of collapse.

Zheng!

A zither note, like ancient ice suddenly shattering, erupted from the depths of the Void Realm.

Wherever the zither sound passed, time seemed to freeze. Falling snow suspended in mid-air, and even the pink hidden fragrance permeating the palace halls came to a standstill.

Even more astonishingly, the Laws of heaven and earth where the entire Guanghan Immortal Palace was located were being forcibly interfered with and rewritten by this cold zither sound!

The trajectory of the ice and snow, the flow of Spiritual Qi, and even every trace of restless factor in the air were incorporated into a brand new, cold, and solemn order.

Immediately after, the zither sound, containing the rhythm of the Great Dao, poured down like moonlight, enveloping the Immortal Palace. All the poisoned Fairies trembled, feeling a stream of clear, icy flow pour into them from the top of their heads, cleansing their Divine Souls and instantly extinguishing those scorching fires of desire, returning their minds to a cold state of calm.

Above the clouds, Chu Ye and Lady Hua Yu, who were watching the show, both raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

"Modifying the regional Laws of heaven and earth to perform a 'purifying wash' at the Law level?"

As the master of the hundred phoenix diagram world, Chu Ye saw through the trick at a glance. "Quite a grand gesture."

Lady Hua Yu also showed a look of surprise. "Her power level hasn't reached that of a True Immortal; she's still within the realm of an 'Immortal,' but this method... is exquisite and overbearing. This Palace Master Li Yue has hidden herself quite deeply."

As a newly ascended True Immortal, she could naturally influence local Laws, but to use zither music as a medium to precisely cover the entire area and target the 'cleansing' of foreign energy was truly an art.

It seemed that Fairy Li Yue, who had been high on the great dao golden ranking list for years but remained obscure, had long since stood at the Peak of the Immortal Dao. As a half-step True Immortal, she was only one final step away.

Below in the Immortal Palace, the Fairies who had found life in a desperate situation had tears in their eyes as they all looked toward the Void Realm.

"It's the Palace Master! The Palace Master has acted!"

"The Guanghan Nirvanic Sound! We are saved!"

Under countless expectant gazes, an illusory figure condensed from cold moonlight, stepping on the rhythm of the zither, quietly emerged in the sky above the Immortal Palace.

The figure was hazy, like a flower in a mirror or the moon in water, yet it could not hide her peerless elegance.

She was cold and aloof, as if standing independently outside of time, untainted by the slightest bit of mundane worldliness. The phantom raised her hand, and moonlight condensed at her fingertips, turning into the phantom of an ancient zither.

The zither music rose again; it was precisely the world-renowned 'Guanghan Nirvanic Sound.'

The Dao notes flowed, intending to purify all 'filth' and 'toxins' in this part of the world, returning the Immortal Palace to its original icy purity.

By Chu Ye's ear, the System's notification sound rang out in a timely manner.

[Scanning Complete]

[Target: Li Yue (Palace Master of Guanghan Immortal Palace)]

[Cultivation: Peak of the Immortal Dao (Half-step True Immortal)]

[Traits: Moonlit Sacred Body, Clear Zither Heart, Law Affinity]

[Personality: Extremely cold, aloof and self-disciplined, protective of her own]

[Overall Rating: 99]

[Comment: Top-tier beauty, the Incarnation of the Iceberg Law. Conquest Difficulty: Hell. Suggestion to the host... act according to your ability.]

"Ninety-nine points..."

Chu Ye's eyes lit up, looking at that moonlit phantom as if looking at a shining, rare mineral vein.

As for her zither music that attempted to purify everything?

Chu Ye just crossed his arms with interest, the corners of his mouth curling into an 'everything is under control' arc.

"Produced by the System, it must be a premium product."

He thought leisurely, "My 'heavenly soul disturbance fragrance' isn't some 'toxin'... it's a conceptual-level 'desire awakener.' Using water to wash away fire? It will only make the sparks fly further, Fairy."

How could a high-dimensional strike be resolved by a mere Law cleansing?

The good show has only just reached its climax.

The moonlit phantom slowly dissipated with the zither music, and the Guanghan Immortal Palace returned to 'tranquility'—if that kind of eerie atmosphere of surviving a disaster while undercurrents surged could be counted as tranquility.

Abnormal flushes appeared on the Fairies' pale faces, and an unspeakable restlessness and... excitement permeated the palace halls?

Chu Ye withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. The information was in hand; it was time to leave.

He patted Lady Hua Yu's hand beside him, and the two figures quietly faded away. Before leaving, he only left behind a playful look.

"The next time I come, it will be time for this place to change masters."

However, despair after hope is the true poisoned blade.

When night completely enveloped the Immortal Palace, that familiar, bone-eroding, and heart-piercing heat surged up again from the depths of every Fairy's marrow like a tide! It was more ferocious than during the day, more irresistible!

"It's coming again... No...!"

Suppressed cries of alarm rang out among the palace buildings.

The heavenly soul disturbance fragrance was invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent.

Palace Master Li Yue's 'Guanghan Nirvanic Sound' could temporarily 'wash' the body and Soul with the power of Laws, but it could not 'delete' this awakened 'demand' branded into the instincts of life at its source.

It was like the most stubborn ghost; as soon as the zither music receded, it staged a comeback with doubled intensity.

This time, the flames of desire burned through the thin ice of reason.

Some curled up on the carpets in spasms, some buried their faces against cold jade pillars to rub against them, and some even had nothing but chaotic longing left in their eyes, murmuring unspeakable words... the style of the Immortal Palace's night galloped all the way toward the indescribable.

Zheng—!

The zither music rang out again, coming from the Palace Master's secluded cultivation quarters.

Only this time, the tone lacked a bit of the grand Dao intent and held a few more traces of hard-to-detect stagnation and fatigue.

The purification effect was also greatly reduced. The zither sound lasted for a long time before it barely managed to suppress that overwhelming tide of desire once more.

When everything returned to coldness, there was no joy in the Fairies' eyes, only deep fear.

They understood: the Palace Master's zither music was only a painkiller, not an antidote. If the root of the poison was not removed, they would forever be trapped in this tug-of-war Hell between desire and pure regulations until they collapsed.

The next day, the rising sun brought light, but it also brought a scorching heat wave even more despairing than the night.

And this time, that redeeming zither music... did not sound.

The Immortal Palace fell into a true, deathly panic.

Meanwhile, at the Myriad Saint Heaven Sect, in the main hall.

Chu Ye sat comfortably on the Sect Master's throne. Behind him, the newly ascended True Immortal and master of a sect, Lady Hua Yu, was kneading his shoulders with water-like tenderness, her posture as submissive as a most favored concubine.

To conquer this woman, Chu Ye had used a 'combination of punches': first saving her daughter to bestow kindness; then gifting her immortal opportunity to help her Breakthrough;

Protecting her with his life during the Heavenly Tribulation to completely shatter her heart's defenses;

And finally supplementing it with the Soul brand of a blood pact, along with a full year of 'deep exchange and cultivation development'... Now, Lady Hua Yu's body and mind had both surrendered. With one look from Chu Ye, she knew his intent; with one movement, she knew his needs.

This charming True Immortal had long since become the most supple and sharpest blade in his hand.

Chu Ye enjoyed the massage, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the Void Realm, falling upon that icy Immortal Palace currently being tormented by the fires of desire.

"Icy and jade-pure?"

He laughed softly, tapping his fingertip lightly on the armrest.

"Soon, you will all know what true... heat really is."