Chapter 191: Pah! Shameless!

The Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect stretched out his hand and grabbed at the sky.

A massive cauldron immediately descended, aiming to crush Xu Ming.

Although the Sect Master's body and soul were gradually dissipating, the command he issued to the Yuanyang Cauldron had already been executed.

Even if the Sect Master died, the cauldron would carry out its master's final orders.

Xu Ming raised his head, looking at the descending cauldron. His expression remained calm, unshaken in the slightest.

In Xu Ming's view, he was already destined to die. There was no chance of survival.

In fact, he considered himself somewhat lucky—at least he managed to take down the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect.

If there had been cigarettes available, Xu Ming might have sat down on the ground, a bottle of liquor in one hand and a cigarette in the other, waiting peacefully for death.

But just as the cauldron was about to crush him, a black figure flashed across his peripheral vision.

Immediately afterward, a faint fragrance wafted into Xu Ming's nose.

He shifted his gaze from the sky and looked forward, momentarily stunned.

"Why are you back? What are you doing?" Xu Ming asked, his tone tinged with confusion.

Mo Zhuer blinked her eyes. "Of course, I'm here to help you. What, not touched by my gesture?"

"The Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect is already dead. What are you helping me with? Get lost!" Xu Ming retorted, exasperated.

Shouldn't she be rushing off to deliver Sheng Sheng to the Tianxuan Sect and fetch her antidote? Why on earth had she come back? Was her brain broken?

"Get lost?" Mo Zhuer looked around.

"Are you stupid? Don't you see that massive cauldron above your head?"

Clang!

Before Xu Ming could finish his sentence, the cauldron descended, trapping both him and Mo Zhuer inside.

Inside the cauldron, it wasn't pitch dark. Instead, a faint light illuminated the space, casting an ethereal glow.

Xu Ming finally realized—it was intentional.

But what he couldn't understand was why Mo Zhuer deliberately chose to get trapped with him inside the cauldron.

Was she seeking death?

"What's your scheme?" Xu Ming asked, puzzled.

"What scheme? I came here to save you, obviously," Mo Zhuer replied, annoyed. She felt like her rare moment of kindness was being utterly wasted.

"Heh." Xu Ming let out a cold laugh. "You? Save me? If that's true, then pigs must be flying in this world."

Mo Zhuer gritted her teeth. "In your eyes, what kind of person am I?"

"Cunning. Shameless," Xu Ming answered flatly.

Mo Zhuer raised her foot and kicked Xu Ming's knee.

"Hiss—" Xu Ming sucked in a cold breath.

"Did you come here just to torment me on purpose?" Xu Ming asked coldly.

"Exactly! I'm here to make sure your death is as miserable as possible!" Mo Zhuer snapped. "I want to repay you for all the humiliation I've endured these past days!"

Xu Ming: "..."

Xu Ming didn't believe a word she said.

Something about her felt off, as though she had taken the wrong medicine or something.

But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

Meanwhile, the Yuanyang Cauldron had already begun to activate. Xu Ming could feel every inch of his skin burning.

At this rate, it wouldn't take more than the time it took to burn a stick of incense for him to be reduced to blood and ash by the cauldron.

"Do you even know what this cauldron is?"

Perhaps Mo Zhuer had decided that arguing with him was meaningless, so she brought up a more serious topic.

"The Yuanyang (Mandarin Duck) Cauldron?" Xu Ming replied casually.

Mo Zhuer blinked. "Didn't you already know?"

Xu Ming: "I guessed. After all, there's a pair of mandarin ducks painted on the cauldron."

Mo Zhuer: "…"

"This cauldron is indeed called the Yuanyang Cauldron. Its greatest function lies in dual cultivation. If one performs the dual cultivation method inside it, the results are twice as effective with half the effort," Mo Zhuer explained.

"Of course, the Yuanyang Cauldron can also be used to kill.

All cauldron-based magical artifacts in the world have one primary method of killing—suppression.

The methods of suppression vary, though.

The Yuanyang Cauldron's method is to evoke a person's most primal desires. In other words, it forcibly pushes a man's yang energy to its maximum and a woman's yin energy to hers.

If the man and woman inside the cauldron fail to harmonize their yin and yang, the man's body will explode, leaving him as nothing but a pool of blood, while the woman will turn into an ice sculpture and shatter to pieces."

"I see," Xu Ming nodded.

No wonder when he and Cui Renwang were standing close together earlier, the cauldron wouldn't budge—it was probably afraid of locking them together in a situation like this.

Wait… Xu Ming realized something and turned to Mo Zhuer.

"What you mean is… the only way for us to get out is to…"

"Pah!" Mo Zhuer spat a gleaming droplet to the side. "Who wants to do that with you? Do you think I'd let you take advantage of me?"

Mo Zhuer turned her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wait for me to circulate my cultivation technique. I'll continuously adjust the flow of spiritual energy between us to achieve a balance of yin and yang. It'll have a similar effect.

Half-immortal artifacts like this cauldron have their own will. From what I can tell, Cui Renwang never truly gained the recognition of the Yuanyang Cauldron. He was merely controlling it through a divine soul imprint.

Now that he's dead, the imprint is gradually fading. I estimate it'll be gone in about half an hour. If we can hold out until then, we'll be free.

But I have one condition—once we're out, this Yuanyang Cauldron belongs to me. You're not allowed to fight me for it."

"No problem," Xu Ming agreed. He relied on his fists and his sword. He had no interest in such an artifact. Even if he did take it, he'd only end up selling it to pay off his debts.

"Good. Then it's settled. Sit cross-legged and face me," Mo Zhuer instructed.

Xu Ming had no choice but to comply. He sat cross-legged on the ground.

Mo Zhuer also crossed her legs and sat down. Then she noticed something—Xu Ming seemed to be… pitching a tent.

A sly smile crept onto Mo Zhuer's lips. "Don't tell me you're already losing control and want to do something to me?"

Xu Ming nodded. "Honestly, yes. But just because I want to doesn't mean I'll do it."

He had already been affected by the blow from Cui Renwang, which stirred up his primal desires.

Now, the cauldron was amplifying those urges. And less than half a meter away sat a stunningly beautiful woman. He could even smell the faint fragrance on her body.

Xu Ming felt that managing to hold himself back at this point was a testament to his extraordinary willpower.

"Pah! Shameless!" Mo Zhuer spat again, her cheeks turning a shade of red.