Chapter 504 - 303: Not a Demoness, but Mu Xue, the Empress’s Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

From the first half of the night into the latter, the sounds within the grand hall never ceased.

A pillar of black light shot skyward.

A Turtle Shell emerged from Lu Mingyuan’s body. However, his consciousness was completely immersed in his Spiritual World, leaving him oblivious.

Finally, as the crisp sound of birdsong echoed from outside the hall, the black Karmic Fire completely dissipated.

The sky had long since grown dim with the light of dawn.

Beside the bed, the floor was a mess of discarded clothing: a Daoist Robe, a white undergarment, a red-corded belt, and a pink embroidered bodice...

The full eruption of a hundred years of accumulated Karmic Fire was almost too much for Lu Mingyuan to handle.

He lay on the bed, utterly exhausted, his senses almost gone. He didn’t open his eyes from his stupor until something soft and moist began to brush repeatedly against his cheek.

Sui Yuqing’s exquisite face, like a sculpture of ice crystals, was inches away. Her lips were pressed against his cheek.

’So it was her lips...’

Gazing at her trembling eyelashes and flushed cheeks, studying that passion-addled face, Lu Mingyuan found it hard to believe.

’I actually managed to dual cultivate with this renowned Fairy!’

But seeing Sui Yuqing like this, there wasn’t the slightest trace of the cold, aloof Fairy she was known to be.

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but recall his old image of Sui Yuqing. She had always been dignified and solemn, the very picture of a Fairy. Toward Yun Qinghe, she had always acted as a guiding senior sister.

To Yun Qinghe, Sui Yuqing was both her senior sister and an elder.

And to him, wasn’t she practically an elder as well?

Even as their Cultivation levels gradually drew even, Lu Mingyuan had often addressed her as a senior, more out of respect than anything.

Lu Mingyuan lay dazedly on the bed, staring at the exquisitely carved ceiling. Even with a beauty in his arms, his first instinct was to fall into deep thought, unable to feel at ease.

However, after a short while, Sui Yuqing’s slender, snow-white arms reached out from under the covers and wrapped around Lu Mingyuan’s neck. She murmured uncomfortably,

"It’s so hot..."

’Hot?’

Lu Mingyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and his brow furrowed.

Acting on his suspicion, he placed a hand on Sui Yuqing’s smooth forehead and found it burning hot.

It was like she had a fever.

’What’s happening?’

Lu Mingyuan was completely baffled as to why she was still so hot.

’Based on how things went, I should have eliminated most of the Karmic Fire.’

’Could it be... there’s still some Karmic Fire left?’

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but wonder.

He had only been pondering for a moment when the woman beside him kissed him again, as if she had found a large block of ice to rapidly cool herself down.

Lu Mingyuan would naturally not refuse a request from such a great beauty.

He could only continue searching for a way to eliminate the Karmic Fire.

...

「Two more Hours later.」

Lu Mingyuan sat up and saw that the sky outside was already bright with daylight.

He touched Sui Yuqing’s forehead again. The Karmic Fire in her body had finally receded, and her temperature was no longer as high as before.

At that, Lu Mingyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He could finally get out of bed.

Meanwhile, Sui Yuqing’s true self gradually returned. The passion in her eyes faded away, revealing a pair of pure, crystal-clear eyes when she opened them.

Seeing that gaze alone was enough for Lu Mingyuan to be certain: this wasn’t the Heart Demon.

She clutched the blanket to her chest and sat up, her dark hair in disarray. She scanned her surroundings: the disheveled bed, the clothes scattered on the floor. Clutching the blanket, she was still completely dazed.

Finally, her gaze fell upon Lu Mingyuan.

Then, as if in a flash, she understood.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and a trace of shyness entered her eyes.

"Last night, your Heart Demon took hold. I helped you suppress the Karmic Fire. You should check your condition."

Lu Mingyuan rose wearily, one hand on his lower back. He bent down, picked up his clothes, and began to put them on.

Sui Yuqing looked at him not with blame, but with relief, mixed with a hint of gratitude and profound emotion.

"If not for Your Majesty, I’m afraid I would have... vanished by now."

She knew what would happen if her true self was devoured by the Heart Demon.

Hearing her sigh, Lu Mingyuan gave a faint smile. "Don’t get emotional just yet. First, check your condition."

"Alright."

Sui Yuqing inspected her Flesh Body and nodded.

"The Karmic Fire has been greatly diminished. I’d say about eighty percent of it is gone."

"But..."

"But what?"

Hearing that "but," Lu Mingyuan’s heart skipped a beat.

"The Karmic Fire will continue to generate itself endlessly. If I can’t truly overcome my Heart Demon, there’s no telling when it will erupt again. In the future... I’m afraid we’ll have to..."

Sui Yuqing’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she seemed unable to bring herself to finish the sentence.

Lu Mingyuan understood what she was implying.

’What her Heart Demon said wasn’t entirely wrong.’

The Karmic Fire and the Heart Demon were her tribulations—side effects of cultivating the Supreme Forgetting Emotions technique to stabilize her Daoxin.

He could help her suppress the Karmic Fire for a short time, but it wasn’t a permanent solution.

It was treating the symptoms, not the root cause. If Sui Yuqing couldn’t overcome her own Heart Demon, the Karmic Fire would persist.

It would be like a wildfire that can never be truly extinguished, ready to be reborn with the spring breeze.

It was just as the Heart Demon had said: Sui Yuqing had yet to face her true self, which was why she had only managed to temporarily regain control of her body.

Though Lu Mingyuan didn’t consider it a burden, he still offered words of comfort. "Let’s take it one step at a time. How many people in this world aren’t plagued by a Heart Demon? Everyone is affected, to some degree. As long as I’m here, Fairy, nothing will happen to you."

Sui Yuqing’s heart couldn’t help but be moved by his incredibly warm words.