“Even the strongest physique couldn’t withstand ten thousand female cultivators,” Jemima snickered. “Even If Jared went over there, they’d suck dry too…”
“Sure, was rough enough dealing with the two of us,” added with a mischievous grin, “But the moment a crowd of women surrounds him, he’s finished.”
Hearing that, Jared managed a wry smile.
I’m a man, not a breeding bull. Even a bull would collapse under ten thousand females!
Besides, those women cultivate by draining a man’s pure positive energy. Forget a legion, handling eight or ten of them would already be a miracle.
***
Meanwhile, in front of Bloodshadow Palace, several hundred female disciples had formed a defensive phalanx. All wore identical red gossamer robes that revealed tantalizing glimpses of skin, yet every one of them gripped a gleaming blade, murderous intent flashing in their eyes.
“Identify yourselves!” barked the senior woman at their head.
Flaxseed executed a neat midair flip and landed lightly atop a massive boulder before the mountain gate. He snapped his fan shut with a crisp clap, folded his hands in greeting, and announced, “I am Flaxseed. l have come to pay my respects to your Saintess!”
“Flaxseed?” The elder frowned. “Never heard of you. Leave at once, or…”
“Or what?” Flaxseed’s smile turned devilishly charming as reopened the fan and wafted it with a gentle stroke.
In an instant, pale mist billowed across the sky, carrying a rich, intoxicating fragrance.
Before the Bloodshadow Palace disciples could react, dizziness washed over them; their limbs grew weak.
“What trickery is this? What have you done?” the elder gasped, horror spreading across features.
“Hehe, merely a little Thousand-Illusion Bewitching Incense I commissioned. Pleasant, isn’t it?”
“Thousand-Illusion…” The woman’s face blanched. “Form up! Hold your breath!”
Too late. Dozens of disciples’ eyes glazed, weapons clattered from numb fingers to the ground. A feverish flush colored their cheeks, and their bodies began to twist uncontrollably.
“You… Vile scoundrel!” the elder snarled, legs buckling until had to lean on sword for support.
Flaxseed chuckled. “Just a little something to liven the mood, no lethal harm done. Besides, your cultivation method feeds on seducing men and siphoning their pure positive energy. I simply do the opposite, I refine my power by absorbing a woman’s pure negative energy.”
His grin, to the women’s eyes, was nothing short of chilling. They, who usually toyed with men at will, had now been neatly ensnared by a man’s scheme.
Watching from afar, Jared raised an eyebrow. “So the old codger had this in his bag of tricks? And here I thought relied on his personal magnetism to bed women…”
Jhaelyn’s face twisted into an odd look. “Has done this sort of thing often?”
Jared shot a reassuring look. “Relax… Mr. Flaxseed knows his limits. He’d never lay a hand on any woman of mine.”
Just as Flaxseed prepared to take things further, a cold snort exploded from within Bloodshadow Palace. “Who dares make a scene in my palace?”
The voice was not loud, yet it pierced the sky like a blade. The bewitched disciples shuddered, a shred of clarity returned to their eyes.
Flaxseed looked up, catching sight of a crimson silhouette drifting down from the palace’s highest rooftop.
That figure moved with sinuous grace, each time foot touched the air, a blood-red lotus blossomed beneath sole, bearing gently toward the fiagstones below.
The moment landed, everyone finally saw clearly, delicate brows, beautifully shaped eyes, skin as smooth as silk, and lips the hue of vermilion.
A single veil of scarlet gauze clung to curves, somehow more tantalizing than complete nudity.
“The Saintess…” Everett whispered, Instinctively retreating half a step.
The Saintess’ gaze swept across Flaxseed, paused on Jared and the others in the distance, then settled once more upon Flaxseed.
“Was it you who used such underhanded tricks against my disciples of Bloodshadow Palace?”
Flaxseed asked, “And who might you be?”
“I am the Saintess of Bloodshadow Palace,” replied.
