Chapter 568 503: Nangong Jin: "Ji Shenyun, I beg you, don't torment Brother Pei's body.

"I'm only imprisoned in this dungeon, but you, Brother Pei, have to go and entangle yourself with that Female Demon."

As she spoke, Nangong Jin gritted her teeth.

It was as if she was lamenting why the Female Demon had chosen Brother Pei instead of her.

That way, she could have been the one to shield Brother Pei from harm.

Pei Yuhang lowered his gaze, not wanting to argue with Nangong Jin over who was suffering more.

He could only be with Nangong Jin for less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

In this short window of time, he had to transfer as much of the Spiritual Qi as he could to Junior Sister Nangong—Spiritual Qi he had harvested from Ji Shenyun over the past two days using the Dual Cultivation Method.

So, Pei Yuhang swiftly cut his finger. Seeing this, Nangong Jin no longer hesitated as she had the previous two times.

Instead, she tilted her head back cooperatively and took the crimson bead of blood seeping from his fingertip into her mouth.

GULP, GULP.

Nangong Jin's long eyelashes fluttered violently as she greedily swallowed the warm blood.

With every swallow, her once-dull eyes gradually widened, and ripples of shock spread through her pupils.

'This… This is!'

Brother Pei's blood had become even more mellow and sweet than she remembered, carrying a shudder-inducing sweetness as it slid down her throat.

What shocked her to her very core was the immense life force contained within the blood—it erupted inside her like a volcano!

"Mmm…!"

An uncontrollable moan escaped her lips as her pale neck arched back, revealing its graceful curve.

Her once-brittle, dark hair regained its luster at a visible rate, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall and catching the dim dungeon light with a soft sheen.

"So hot."

Nangong Jin unconsciously tightened her grip on Pei Yuhang's sleeve, her knuckles turning white from the force.

A scorching energy surged through her meridians. Her dried-up Spirit Veins, like parched earth meeting welcome rain, hummed faintly as the energy passed through them.

An alluring flush spread across her pale skin, as captivating as a peach blossom in early spring.

"B-Bro... Brother Pei..."

Nangong Jin lifted her gaze, panting. Her eyes were misty, shimmering with a dazed, almost intoxicated light.

'Her normally tranquil heart was in turmoil. Her cultivation, stagnant for years at the Peak of Void Refining Realm, was actually showing faint signs of a breakthrough!'

Right now, she was like a Spirit Plant that had endured a long drought, now finally blessed with rain. This sudden nourishment caused her to radiate an astonishing amount of Life Force.

Pei Yuhang watched quietly as Nangong Jin's vitality was restored, a smile gracing his lips as he witnessed her transformation.

"This is wonderful, Junior Sister Nangong. You've now recovered seventy to eighty percent from the backlash and deficit you suffered when you forcefully raised your Cultivation.

"I'll only need to give you my Essence Blood one more time at most. Then you'll be completely healed, and soon after, you'll be able to break the seal on my ring."

In response to Pei Yuhang's excited tone, Nangong Jin raised her head and gave him a deep, searching look.

"Brother Pei."

Pei Yuhang looked down, meeting the eyes of his Junior Sister Nangong—eyes that seemed to pierce right through to a person's soul.

Her lips, once pale, were now a vibrant cherry-red from the nourishment of his blood. But at this moment, she pressed them into a firm, straight line.

She began to speak slowly, and Pei Yuhang's heart began to pound with anxiety.

"The Giant Sun Saint Body is indeed known for its abundant Life Force, but it shouldn't be *this* miraculously powerful.

"You've given me your blood three times in total, Brother Pei, and each time the effect has been more miraculous than the last. That doesn't make sense...

"And it just so happens that your blood becomes more potent every time after you've met with that Female Demon."

Hearing his Junior Sister Nangong's deduction, Pei Yuhang's fingers, hidden behind his back, slowly clenched into a fist.

'Oh no. Junior Sister Nangong... could she have figured out something is wrong?'

'The power I stole from Ji Shenyun through such a sordid method... If Junior Sister Nangong finds out...'

In an instant, the memory of the intimate atmosphere in the bedchamber, Ji Shenyun's languid, satiated voice, and his own... the shame and self-loathing that had washed over him as he stole her power in *that* way—it all came flooding back to him.

Just as fine beads of sweat began to form on Pei Yuhang's brow,

Nangong Jin spoke slowly.

"Brother Pei, is Ji Shenyun using you to test her medicines?"

"Is that why your Life Force has increased so bizarrely? Because you've been eating the many Spiritual Medicines she's concocted?"

Hearing her words, the tension in Pei Yuhang's chest eased.

He gave a small smile.

It was a smile of relief, but also one of self-mockery.

'Of course. Junior Sister Nangong trusts me so much. In her heart, I'll always be that noble, righteous, and admirable Brother Pei.'

'She would never... let her mind drift toward such sordid possibilities.'

Pei Yuhang lowered his gaze, hiding his chaotic thoughts in the dim light of the Luminous Pearl.

"Yes, Junior Sister… that Female Demon is, in fact, using me to test her medicines.

"But thanks to her, I've also been able to consume many precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, giving me plenty of Spiritual Qi to transfer to you."

At his words, Nangong Jin's breathing quickened.

"Brother Pei, you can't just randomly consume medicines! You have to stop testing them for that Female Demon!"

Nangong Jin's voice was filled with agitation, and she struggled so hard that the chains binding her shook violently.

Pei Yuhang shook his head. He reached up to wipe away the lingering bead of blood from the corner of Nangong Jin's mouth and said softly,

"Don't worry, Junior Sister. Ji Shenyun plans to take the medicines she's having me test, so they can't be poison. I'll be fine."

"Time is almost up, Junior Sister Nangong. I have to go back to Ji Shenyun..."

Pei Yuhang stood up. He glanced at the rock ceiling, from which water constantly dripped, and then at the cold, damp, and wretched conditions of the dungeon before speaking again.

"Junior Sister, you haven't had any food or water for days aside from my Essence Blood, and you've been suspended in this cold, damp dungeon the entire time.

"Tomorrow, I will go and plead with that Female Demon. I'll ask her to let you down and move you to a better place."

Hearing this, Nangong Jin stubbornly shook her head.

"No, Brother Pei. I'm fine."

"Don't go pleading with that Female Demon for my sake! If she knows I'm your weakness, she'll definitely use me to threaten you into doing even worse things!"

"I don't want to be your burden, Brother Pei!"

Pei Yuhang looked at Nangong Jin's defiant expression and thought, 'What worse things could Ji Shenyun possibly make me do?'

'It's just more of the same... If I don't ask, she'll corner me. If I do ask, she'll corner me just the same.'

'I might as well just plead with her, then. Trade my chastity for your safety and comfort, Junior Sister.'

Just as Pei Yuhang was wondering how he could convince Nangong Jin to agree, a set of crisp footsteps echoed from the corridor behind him.

The person made no effort to hide their approach, causing both Pei Yuhang and Nangong Jin's expressions to tense.

"Pei Yuhang, you've been chatting with your junior sister for longer than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you know."

"Keep talking, and I'll cancel your next meeting with her. You can see each other again in six days' time."

A woman's voice, lazy yet domineering, echoed through the dungeon.

Ji Shenyun's long, pale leg emerged from the corridor. She was barefoot, one perfectly shaped foot stepping onto the bare ground.

In truth, however, the sole of her foot maintained an infinitesimal distance from the ground, so that not a single speck of dust could touch its rosy-pink skin.

This was a feat at the level of 'Listen to Sand and Understand the World,' an application of skill only possible for one whose control over Spiritual Qi had reached its absolute zenith!

Upon seeing this, Nangong Jin's eyes filled with apprehension.

'Brother Pei might have said that Ji Shenyun was in an unprecedentedly weakened state, but even so, this Asura Empress was clearly not someone a cultivator at the Half-Step Mahayana Stage, like herself, could even think of challenging.'

Ji Shenyun noted the apprehension in Nangong Jin's eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

Right in front of Nangong Jin, she gave Pei Yuhang's collar a tug and said indifferently, "I'm taking your dear Brother Pei away now. Anything you want to say?"

Nangong Jin knew Ji Shenyun was trying to put her in her place. She fell silent for a moment, lowering her gaze. Her usually cool and aloof tone became incredibly soft, even taking on a pleading quality.

"When you have Brother Pei test your medicines, please... don't be too hard on his body. I'm begging you."

'Testing medicines?'

Ji Shenyun's eyes narrowed as she shot Pei Yuhang a look.