Chapter 32: The Power of the Peach Branch

Lin Mingyue possessed only the aptitude of a four-spirit root, yet at such a young age, he had managed to attain his current position as a teaching steward in the Hall of Enlightenment. Aside from his skillful maneuvering and management, he relied on a mysterious manual of bedroom arts whose origins were shrouded in secrecy.

He had once considered seeking prey outside the sect, for within its confines, the restrictions were too numerous, and it was all too easy to give himself away. But he was not adept at magical combat; several times, he had encountered life-and-death crises beyond the sect’s borders and had barely escaped with his life. Helpless, he turned his gaze inward, relying on relationships and connections to become a steward and instructor in the Hall of Enlightenment. He diligently cultivated his reputation, waiting for chances to approach female disciples.

He was exceedingly cautious, never acting unless he was certain of success. Cast a wide net, harvest few fish—over the years, the female disciples he encountered either offered themselves willingly in hopes of currying favor or, once subjected to his threats and inducements, eventually submitted, losing the courage to resist. He would then reward them with small favors, patiently instruct them in the arts of talisman-making, and in the end, none dared to leak a word.

He was adept at social maneuvering, maintaining good relations with the stewards of various halls, including the Disciplinary Hall. Even if someone tried to raise a scandal, he could always find a way to suppress it and keep his reputation untarnished.

In the world of cultivation, the strong ruled over all.

Power and status were more important than anything.

There had even been a female disciple who tried to expose his deeds, but he simply claimed she had tried and failed to seduce him and, in her humiliation, sought to defame him. No one believed the girl, her reputation was ruined, and she was ultimately expelled from the sect for slandering a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Lin Mingyue had not expected it.

The bait he had cast before Jiang Min—

She had taken it so quickly.

Seeing that Jiang Min could only glare at him with fury, Lin Mingyue smiled faintly, scooped her up around the waist, and strode toward the bedroom.

"I am not a violent man. I will be gentle; there is no need for fear."

Disgust boiled within Jiang Min; her scalp tingled and her stomach churned.

How blind she must have been to ever think Lin Mingyue trustworthy!

She tried to struggle, but her body was weak, her spiritual power and physical strength sealed. She had no intention of yielding to such a hypocrite. Her mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.

Lin Mingyue was a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

She was but a lowly Qi Refining disciple—how could she resist? Talismans? Magical artifacts? No, all these were mere tricks of Qi Refining; a Foundation Establishment cultivator could suppress them with a flick of his fingers. What should she do?

"No... I still have the peach branch!"

The peach branch was shrouded in mystery; Jiang Min knew well it was no ordinary item. Yet she had long suffered from its backlash and had only just begun the process of refining it. If she wanted to use its power to resist Lin Mingyue—how would she do it? Inject spiritual energy?

At this thought, Jiang Min made her decision. She summoned all the fire spiritual energy from her dantian and poured it into the peach branch. Though Lin Mingyue had sealed her spiritual power, she could still mobilize what was within her dantian.

Buzzing filled her ears.

The peach branch did not reject her spiritual energy; it greedily devoured all she offered, suddenly bursting forth with a devouring force that consumed every last drop from her dantian. Blood-red, demonic blossoms bloomed even more fiercely along its length, radiating a dazzling crimson light.

Having devoured so much spiritual energy, the peach branch exuded a wild, surging demonic force, swelling recklessly in her dantian. Pain stabbed through her abdomen, thin cracks even beginning to appear within her core.

Jiang Min could barely withstand the agony of the peach branch’s backlash, but when she saw Lin Mingyue had already entered the bedroom and laid her gently upon the bed, she gritted her teeth, preferring torment to such humiliation. With a desperate resolve, she injected every last remnant of spiritual power into the branch.

A deep, resonant hum.

The peach branch vibrated, releasing a surge of immense power.

Her dantian cracked, inch by inch.

It was on the verge of collapse.

But the root of the peach branch also loosened.

It trembled, as if it would soon burst out from her core.

Jiang Min managed a bitter smile.

"So that’s how it is. The dantian must collapse to extract the peach branch!"

"Very well, peach branch, I hope you do not disappoint me. If my cultivation is ruined, so be it—I’ll become a demon cultivator, even a ghost cultivator! Anything is better than suffering Lin Mingyue’s violation!"

She endured the searing pain.

She sent her very last trace of spiritual power into the peach branch.

A sudden, sharp whistling sound.

Just as her dantian was about to shatter, the peach branch sprang forth with a resonant hum. A dense, formidable demonic aura exploded from her body. Lin Mingyue, in the act of untying her belt, was startled and quickly produced a magical artifact for defense. Jiang Min opened her mouth, focused her will, and the peach branch shot out, plunging straight into Lin Mingyue’s chest.

His expression changed abruptly. He desperately summoned all his spiritual power to expel the branch. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a pierced chest was not fatal.

But then—

The peach branch erupted with a fearsome devouring force, ravenously draining Lin Mingyue’s essence and spirit.

"No—no, please! Spare—"

His cry was cut short as the light vanished from his eyes. Within mere breaths, his tall frame shriveled like a punctured sack and crashed to the ground, leaving only a dried husk, unrecognizable as a man.

The peach branch, rooted in Lin Mingyue’s chest, after feasting on his cultivation and life force, suddenly sprouted branches, swiftly growing into a towering peach tree, over ten feet tall. Yet with a thought from Jiang Min, halting its growth, the branches shrank back, ultimately transforming into an ordinary, unremarkable twig that floated to her side, motionless.

With Lin Mingyue’s death, the seals on her spiritual power vanished.

She immediately found the healing and restorative pills she kept on hand and swallowed them, working to mend the rifts torn in her dantian.

When her strength gradually returned, she stood and gazed at the hideous corpse on the floor, drawing a deep breath as her racing heart slowed.

"Since you would not spare me, I shall not spare you," she said coldly, her eyes fixed on Lin Mingyue’s remains.

She beckoned, and the peach branch flew back, hovering quietly above her palm.

Fragments of memory flickered from the branch—glimpses of Lin Mingyue’s own recollections. To her astonishment, she realized the branch not only devoured cultivation and life but could also consume the very soul.

From Lin Mingyue’s memories, Jiang Min learned that he had acquired a wicked, insidious manual of bedroom arts, capable of stealing a woman’s vital yin to enhance his own cultivation. He had always been exceedingly cautious, yet had harmed countless female disciples over the years, all while maintaining his position as a respected steward and instructor.

How laughably naïve she had been, to have fallen into his trap.

"The devouring power of the peach branch is stronger than I imagined—it could even consume the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But when it devours a cultivator, unlike when it swallows a demon core, it does not return power to me, only strengthens itself. It seems, though it may serve as a trump card, I must never use it lightly again."

She stared at the now-bare peach branch.

The blood-red blossoms that once bloomed along its length had all vanished, yet instead of relief, she only felt greater unease.

Just now, after the branch had feasted on Lin Mingyue’s life, its rampant growth had been difficult to restrain, even with her best effort. If she allowed it to devour the lives of cultivators again, she feared she would not escape its backlash.

All this time—

This mysterious peach branch, to Jiang Min,

Was both a treasure,

And a threat.

Years of cautious observation had convinced her that, though the branch was alive, its soul had long since been extinguished. If she could fully refine it, it would be a formidable ally. Since reaching the fourth layer of Qi Refining, she had used a magical affinity technique daily to strengthen her bond with it.

But affinity rituals were only a supplement; the true method was dantian refining, which required mastery of the Scarlet Flame Body. She had only just begun that path—without it, she could not proceed with the next stage.

"I must master the Scarlet Flame Body and refine the peach branch fully. If it ever turns on me, and I am sucked dry, what then?"

"And even though it is powerful enough to devour a Foundation Establishment cultivator, unless I am at the very brink of death, I must not use it a second time."

After all,

If the branch grew so strong it escaped her control,

She could not begin to imagine what disaster might follow.