Chapter 116: Gone Mad from the Shock
Yu Le was never one to enjoy being controlled. His hand dug sharply into the wound on Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder, where the Phoenix Flame Cone had struck, causing Mo Cunzhi to groan in pain. In an instant, their positions reversed.
The demonic energy within Mo Cunzhi surged, having already consumed all of his consciousness, leaving only his body’s instincts behind.
Yu Le, with blood-stained fingers, gently patted Mo Cunzhi’s cheek, leaving a vibrant streak of red on his icy face.
Without hesitation, he tore off Mo Cunzhi’s heavy black robe, revealing the stark white inner garment beneath. Yu Le used the discarded robe to bind Mo Cunzhi’s arms.
He pressed his hand against Mo Cunzhi’s heaving chest, showing a glint of greed.
Yu Le could feel the demon core within that heart, surging with power, eager to draw all of that demonic energy into his own body.
However, a natural-born demon like Mo Cunzhi was different from ordinary demonic cultivators; the energy in his demon core wasn’t so easily absorbed.
With Yu Le’s cleverness, two days had been enough for him to master the energy-absorbing technique from the jade slip.
As for the rest, even if he didn’t know how to proceed, he wasn’t one to panic. He would figure it out slowly.
Right now, his senior brother, with his consciousness muddled by the clash between spiritual energy and demonic energy, and further affected by dr*gs, was reacting in interesting ways. Yu Le could thoroughly study him.
His cold, rigid senior brother was only cold and rigid in appearance. When he truly reached out and touched him, his chest was still soft, and his heart was warm.
Yu Le was like a child with a new toy. After unwrapping the packaging, he wanted to pull everything apart to inspect it closely.
Upon discovering that the toy had invisible and untouchable parts hidden inside its hard shell, he flipped it over repeatedly, trying every trick to get to its core.
However, this toy was too hard and stubborn. Yu Le, too, was easily hurt by its sharp edges, furrowing his brow in discomfort.
When he became displeased, he only wanted to torment it more, just like a mischievous, unruly child.
The table beside them was knocked over, and the robe binding Mo Cunzhi’s hands tore apart.
Mo Cunzhi’s arm, veins bulging, suddenly grabbed Yu Le’s arm with his large hand.
“Ugh!”
Yu Le was thrown onto the cushion, his hairpin painfully pressed against the ground. He raised his hand, yanked it off, and tossed it aside.
That hand was immediately pinned to the ground by Mo Cunzhi’s other hand.
Being abruptly interrupted, Yu Le was extremely displeased.
“Senior Brother? Mo Cunzhi…” he cursed, “Damn it, have you gone mad?”
Mo Cunzhi’s movements were fierce and rough, and he wasn’t any gentler in other actions. Yu Le couldn’t gain the upper hand for a moment and, gritting his teeth, he viciously clawed at the wound on Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder.
Blood flowed down Yu Le’s pale arm in winding streams.
Mo Cunzhi remained oblivious, tightening his grip on Yu Le’s arm and pressing it against his chest.
Gradually, Yu Le began to find it amusing and wasn’t as angry anymore. He snorted a couple of times, releasing Mo Cunzhi’s wound and instead wrapping his arms around his neck.
“Heh, enjoying yourself now, are you? Just wait until you wake up… Let’s see how you’ll have any dignity left…”
Yu Le relished the thought of what kind of cracks would appear on Mo Cunzhi’s usually calm and stoic face when he finally regained his senses.
Besides, after such painstaking “cultivation,” he had finally obtained some pure demonic energy.
That demonic energy coursed through his body, flowing along his spiritual veins until it reached his dantian. It was like a blazing fire, refining the stubborn demon core in a single sweep.
It was much faster than his usual slow refining process or absorbing the demonic energy from lower-level demonic cultivators.
The sensation of his cultivation level skyrocketing felt incredible.
Yu Le narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. He could also sense that by absorbing Mo Cunzhi’s chaotic demonic energy, Mo Cunzhi’s condition had stabilized somewhat.
Even Mo Cunzhi’s instincts seemed to recognize the benefit of this process. The demonic energy that had been suppressed in his demon core for so long, unable to find an outlet, now flowed entirely into Yu Le’s body.
The exchange of power turned into a cyclical attraction, and without realizing it, Mo Cunzhi pulled Yu Le into his arms, holding him close.
It was as if someone who had been climbing a mountain under a heavy burden had finally found a moment to rest and catch their breath.
Yu Le, still sorting through the demonic energy he had just absorbed, leaned against Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder for once, unusually quiet, with a satisfied and lazy expression. His fingers absentmindedly played with the ribbon that hung from the back of his senior brother’s head.
Suddenly, with a sharp tug, he pulled the ribbon off, frowning as he cursed, “Suddenly again—!”
But his expression quickly relaxed, and he even seemed to take some twisted pleasure in it. “Well, if you’re going to continue, just don’t blame me when you suddenly snap out of it!”
The sky outside had already turned dark, and the candles inside the hall automatically lit themselves. The massive alchemy furnace was still burning, but the smoke it emitted was becoming fainter.
Propping himself up on the cushion, Yu Le glanced over at the furnace, wondering if they had added too many of those stimulating herbs, or perhaps the pill Mo Cunzhi had taken was simply too potent.
Or maybe, was this just how all cultivators normally were?
It certainly felt good to sense his strength becoming more robust, and the cultivation process had been quite enjoyable, but when the stimulation reached a certain intensity, it also became exhausting.
Yu Le draped his arm lazily over Mo Cunzhi’s shoulder, his fatigue causing his mind to wander a bit.
Suddenly, he felt Mo Cunzhi’s movements stop. The abrupt stillness and the way the other’s body suddenly tensed up made Yu Le instantly realize—he had regained consciousness.
This excited Yu Le. He deliberately let out a couple of cold hisses, as if in great pain, meeting his senior brother’s disbelieving gaze.
Holding back a laugh, Yu Le couldn’t resist teasing, “Senior Brother, finally awake?”
Mo Cunzhi’s entire body was tense, the lingering sensations of comfort and pleasure still coursing through every corner of his being. The tingling at his fingertips hadn’t yet subsided. They hadn’t even separated.
No one could understand what he must have felt upon waking up from his haze, only to see himself… with his junior brother.
Seeing Mo Cunzhi frozen in place as if struck by a bolt of lightning, Yu Le thought to himself, ‘Well, at least this should be easier to accept than waking up and realizing you’ve killed hundreds of mortals and a dozen cultivators.’
He felt he had shown his senior brother quite a bit of kindness, at least letting him be the one in control.
Though, in truth, it was only because of the requirements of the cultivation technique in the jade slip.
Mo Cunzhi was stiff as a rock, so Yu Le tapped his chest with his fingers, noticing how the once-soft muscles were now taut and rigid.
“Senior Brother, have you gone dumb?”
It was only then that Mo Cunzhi seemed to come to his senses, quickly retreating a step. “You…”
“Ugh,” Yu Le let out a muffled groan as well.
Mo Cunzhi abruptly fell silent, his gaze landing on Yu Le’s legs.
His face alternated between red and pale at the sight of the damp marks, as his body’s sensations fully returned.
Mo Cunzhi had never imagined something like this could happen. The last thing he remembered was fighting the Old Demon Dansha, with his mind overtaken by violent killing intent. He thought he had killed the old demon, but what happened afterward was a blur.
Had he been affected by the old demon’s demonic energy?
His hazy memories offered fragments of him fighting with his junior brother—had they fought?
It seemed like… Yu Le had told him he was injured.
And then… there were more memories, but all of them were filled with those unspeakable moments—entwining, pleasure, and warmth.
As he recalled these things now, they filled him with guilt and regret, making it impossible for him to raise his head and face his young and reckless junior brother.
The man, always so serious, composed, and distant, who kept others at arm’s length, now looked pale, his black hair falling loosely over his shoulders, avoiding Yu Le’s gaze.
Yu Le had enjoyed watching the changes in his senior brother’s expressions, and after getting his fill, he picked up a robe that had fallen nearby and draped it over himself.
His movement caught Mo Cunzhi’s attention, and as his eyes followed, he couldn’t help but notice the striking marks covering his junior brother’s body.
Mo Cunzhi quickly averted his gaze, as if burned, but he couldn’t escape the sight of the disheveled cushions, the tangled clothes, and the chaotic mess that surrounded them.
There were unfortunate stains, an overturned table, and a strange scent still lingering in the air.
Everything was a testament to what had just happened here and how intense it had been.
Yu Le wasn’t sure how much longer his senior brother would sit there in a daze, but he understood that Mo Cunzhi needed time to calm down. He casually pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands and legs.
For some reason, his actions seemed to provoke Mo Cunzhi.
Yu Le watched as his senior brother suddenly stood up, picked up his sword, and placed it in front of him.
With great difficulty, Mo Cunzhi spoke, “If you want to kill or punish me, I won’t resist.”
Yu Le tried to hold back but couldn’t. He burst into laughter, slapping the cushion beside him.
Finally, Mo Cunzhi looked at his face. The expression on his junior brother’s face wasn’t one of disgust or anger. Instead, Yu Le’s flushed cheeks were filled with barely contained amusement.
Could it be that Yu Le couldn’t accept what had happened and had gone mad from the shock? Mo Cunzhi pursed his lips, unsure.
After laughing his fill, Yu Le pulled his robe around himself and said, “Senior Brother, it was just an accidental nap. No need to talk about killing or punishment, right?”
Mo Cunzhi didn’t believe him. “I did something like that to you, and you don’t hate me?”
Yu Le shrugged. “To be honest, it didn’t anger me as much as when you whipped me back then.”
“…I’m sorry,” Mo Cunzhi said, closing his eyes in shame.
“Even if you don’t mind, it was still my fault.” He turned the sword against himself, aiming the blade at his own body. “I should make amends for my wrongdoing.”
It seemed he had no qualms about being harsh to himself. Without hesitation, he was about to stab his own chest.
Yu Le raised an eyebrow and quickly lifted his hand to stop him.
The moment he touched Mo Cunzhi, his senior brother felt a tingling sensation, as if tiny sparks of lightning were running across his skin. Startled, Mo Cunzhi retreated again, dropping the sword with a clang.
With ease, Yu Le sheathed the gleaming sword and stood up, saying, “Senior Brother, if you really have some deep-seated guilt and feel the need to punish yourself, go ahead. Just don’t make a mess of blood and guts in front of me.”
Yu Le’s outer robe slipped off his shoulder as he grabbed a clean set of clothes and put them on.
Mo Cunzhi, caught off guard, quickly averted his gaze and rasped, “I understand.”
Yu Le acted as if the whole situation was insignificant, his tone indifferent. Once dressed, he touched his hair and said curiously, “Where’s my hairpin?”
Mo Cunzhi spotted the silver hairpin in the corner, with a phoenix pattern. A memory flashed through his mind—a hand angrily throwing the hairpin aside, while he had firmly restrained that hand.
Mo Cunzhi closed his eyes again, refusing to let himself recall any further.
He had cultivated for years, never having encountered something like this. To break his vows all at once, and so unexpectedly, left him deeply unsettled.
It had been many years since he had felt this disturbed and unable to find peace.
“Senior Brother, shouldn’t we be leaving?” Yu Le, now fully dressed, smiled mischievously with his hands behind his back as he looked at him.
Mo Cunzhi’s expression was complicated. Without a word, he tidied himself up, restoring his usual cold demeanor.
But this time, that cold expression was only surface-deep, like a cracked layer of ice, revealing the turmoil beneath.
Outwardly, he seemed unaffected, but in truth, his mind was elsewhere as he walked out.
Yu Le kept a small distance from him before suddenly saying, “Oh, by the way, congratulations, Senior Brother, on successfully advancing to the Void Returning Stage.”
Mo Cunzhi was stunned, realizing that he had broken through the Spirit Refining Stage and reached the Void Returning Stage.
With everything happening so suddenly, he hadn’t even noticed.
He had suppressed his cultivation and held back from breaking through for so long, and now, unexpectedly, it had happened in such a way.
Mo Cunzhi’s heart felt heavy, but his body was lighter than ever, even the “inner demon” that had echoed in his mind day and night had vanished.
But now, his “inner demon” would likely take on a new form.
Yu Le, gazing at his senior brother’s stiff back, didn’t press him further. Instead, he began to ponder something else.
Since his senior brother’s demonic energy was useful, and that demon core would continue to accumulate more, how could he pass up such a perfect source of energy?
Looking at how deeply shaken his senior brother was, Yu Le realized that if he wanted to keep absorbing his energy in the future, he would need to find a way to make Mo Cunzhi willingly cooperate with him.
