Chapter 38: Avoiding the Unavoidable

"Senior Brother Lin Yi, has your cultivation improved at all during this time?"

Chu Ling'er visited Lin Yi every few days, bringing with her whatever resources she could scrape together. However, to the current Lin Yi, what she brought was merely a drop in the bucket. Ever since he had swallowed the Enchantment Pill and begun practicing forbidden arts, his need for resources had become insatiable. Without a constant, massive influx of energy, he could not counteract the side effects of the dark arts within his body, and his cultivation realm would inevitably become unstable.

Lin Yi shook his head. "These resources are still far too little. The higher my realm climbs, the more resources I require. If I cannot secure a large quantity of them soon, my cultivation might even begin to regress."

Hearing this, Chu Ling'er grew anxious. "Then... what should we do? You know the current state of the Cold Spirit Sect; it has not been easy for me to bring you even this much."

Lin Yi took a deep breath and said slowly, "Perhaps... you will have to humble yourself once more and beg Ye Fan. If you can obtain even a fraction of his heavenly treasures or top-grade spirit pills, I am confident I can quickly break through to the Nascent Soul stage. I know this is difficult, and I know how much you despise him. If you are truly unwilling, then forget it; I would never force you to do something you loathe."

Chu Ling'er struggled internally, but for Lin Yi's sake, she decided to try. "Senior Brother, to tell you the truth, Ye Fan is currently staying at the Cold Spirit Sect. If he were still at the Lingxiao Sect, I might never be able to see him, but now, there is a chance. Wait here for me; I will go find him right now!"

Upon returning to the Cold Spirit Sect, Chu Ling'er learned from her father which room Ye Fan was occupying. Late that night, dressed in nothing but a layer of sheer silk, she snuck into his room. Little did she know, the moment she pushed the door open, Ye Fan had already sensed her presence. He did not rise, however, choosing instead to feign sleep to see what she intended to do.

"Ye Fan! Ye Fan!" Chu Ling'er reached the bedside and whispered his name. Seeing no reaction, she prepared to climb onto his bed.

At that moment, Ye Fan suddenly opened his eyes, seized her by the wrist, and threw her forcefully against the floor. "You shameless wretch, do you truly have no sense of dignity?"

"Chu Ling'er, I have warned you many times. Do you honestly think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

He expected her to flee in shame, but instead, she remained on the floor, deliberately posing to display her body. Under the thin fabric, she looked incredibly seductive.

"Brother Ye Fan, look at me! I dressed up specifically for you! You were so rough just now, you hurt me!" She purred, "A night like this is rare; let me serve you tonight, Brother Ye Fan. I will make sure you are thoroughly satisfied."

To Chu Ling'er, if she could just establish a physical relationship with Ye Fan, everything else would fall into place. She could squeeze resources out of him, and Lin Yi would be able to break through. Had this been the old Ye Fan, he would have already succumbed to her beauty and given in to her desires. But now, he only found this shameless creature increasingly repulsive.

"Do you not understand my words?" Ye Fan’s voice grew colder, the biting chill stripping away Chu Ling'er’s courage to continue her seduction. She scrambled up and fled the room in a panic, terrified that he might kill her the next second.

Realizing that obtaining resources from Ye Fan was impossible, she had to look elsewhere. She thought of the outer-sect disciples who used to fawn over her. Back then, they had showered her with gifts just to gain her favor; perhaps she could find success with them. Even though her reputation had been ruined by Ye Fan at the Qishan Secret Realm, there were always lecherous men blinded by her beauty.

With this thought, she set out immediately. However, she visited four or five sects, only to be turned away at the gates or rejected heartlessly; no one wanted anything to do with her. The disciples of those sects avoided her as if she were a plague, fearful of being implicated. After all, Ye Fan had declared at the secret realm that anyone associated with Chu Ling'er was an enemy of the Lingxiao Sect. In the entire Northwest, no sect dared to offend the Lingxiao Sect. Faced with life and death, beauty was worthless. It was only Chu Ling'er, a foolish woman, who lacked a clear understanding of her own situation.

Having been turned away at every door, a dejected Chu Ling'er returned to Lin Yi.

"Senior Brother Lin Yi, I... I really tried my best. Ye Fan wouldn't give me a chance, and when I went to those who used to flatter me, their attitudes were the same. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I'm so useless..."

Lin Yi had heard her apologies countless times, to the point where his ears were numb. Suppressing his irritation, he comforted her, "It's alright, this is not your fault. Everything is Ye Fan's fault. You should go back for now; I want to cultivate a bit longer and see if I can make a breakthrough."

After dismissing her, an exasperated Lin Yi had no choice but to summon the Outsider Demon, seeking its assistance.

"Great Demon Lord, I am in urgent need of cultivation resources. This foolish woman, Chu Ling'er, is becoming less and less valuable to me. To serve you better, I must increase my cultivation as soon as possible. Please, I beg you to grant me resources!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of black mist drifted from between his brows, accompanied by a familiar, eerie cackle.

"Heh, heh! My loyal servant, I knew you would come to me. I do not have the resources you require on hand, but I have found you a very promising new target. Look at this woman."

A vision materialized before Lin Yi's eyes. A stunningly seductive woman was shown, meticulously grooming herself. Though not as breathtaking as Chen Qingshuang, she was in no way inferior to Chu Ling'er.

"This woman is the last descendant of a wealthy clan in Central Province, and she is currently in Luo City here in the Northwest. Her family fortune is immense, and she possesses countless heavenly treasures. If you can get your hands on her, resources will no longer be a problem. This is all I can tell you; the rest is up to you."

This news was a lifesaver for Lin Yi. Overjoyed, he bowed repeatedly. "Thank you, Great Demon Lord!"