Chapter Forty-Four: Astonishing the World

In truth, if you consider it carefully, every woman in the hero Yi Tianling’s harem is much older than he is—the eldest is over ten thousand years old. Ning Xianyu laughed and said, “So the hero likes older women.” Inside, Yi Tianling was so shocked by these words that he nearly burst out.

The man sneered coldly, “As a Saintess, without any effort in cultivation, you possess the powers of the Nascent Soul and are worshipped by the denizens of the Demon Realm—such fortune is something countless demon cultivators can’t even dream of. What right do you have to complain?”

He stepped forward and grabbed Akali’s chin harshly. “You’ve been granted the highest honor. Naturally, you must pay a price for it. Be obedient and live out the next twenty years peacefully.”

Akali raged, “Does this so-called highest honor include bearing children with my own father?”

Ning Xianyu’s jaw dropped in disbelief; she could have fit an egg in her open mouth. To lay hands on one’s own daughter—demon cultivators were truly depraved.

How could this be allowed?

But the man replied, “Your mother was also my daughter. Every Saintess of the line is my own flesh and blood—I treat you all the same.”

Seeing Akali’s devastation, he even feigned comfort, smoothing her hair. “Once you’ve had the child, you can do whatever you please. For the next twenty years, I won’t interfere.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Akali, as if all her strength had been drained, collapsed to the ground in despair.

“Twenty years? By then, when I’m of no further use, I’ll be a withered old woman, spent and empty. Of course you won’t care. In the end, I’m nothing but a tool to you.”

As he left, the man deliberately glanced in Yi Tianling’s direction, and with a slight motion of his finger, Yi Tianling was tossed out.

Ning Xianyu, who’d been eavesdropping at the door, was nearly struck by him and hurriedly dodged aside.

She put away her glasses, itching to share this shocking news with Xuan Yuan Tunhan.

She also wanted to know just who that man was—how could he be so arrogant?

If every Saintess was his child, that meant he had relations with his own descendants.

Heavens, this was a revelation that could shake the world.

But after a moment’s thought, she realized she couldn’t expose her ability to eavesdrop, so she approached coyly to flatter him. “Ancestor, did you hear anything?”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan cast a glance at her. “I heard everything I needed to.”

Ning Xianyu longed to gossip with him, but seeing he wouldn’t speak, she pressed on. “Specifically, what did you hear?”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan looked at her with a strange expression, his brow twitching as if he wished to deliver a lengthy speech, but in the end, only two words escaped his lips.

“Guess.”

This woman, pretending not to know when she clearly did.

Keep pretending, then.

Ning Xianyu chuckled sheepishly, resigned to continue the act.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan, seeing her silly grin, suddenly asked, “Have you ever read the Jade Immortal Sect’s introductory spell manual?”

That book was kept in the Jade Immortal Sect’s library, accessible to every disciple—even the outer disciples could borrow it.

But because it was so thick and filled only with the most basic, elementary spells, almost no disciple read it carefully, and few managed to finish it.

Even the senior brothers tasked with teaching newcomers only covered the first hundred pages of fundamentals, leaving the rest for students to peruse on their own.

A slacker like Ning Xianyu had certainly never read it. She’d once borrowed it out of curiosity with the senior brothers, but after the first page, she promptly fell asleep.

Its contents were all written in classical language, obscure and difficult to understand—she found it headache-inducing even to hear someone recite it.

“I’ve read a little at the beginning. Why do you ask?”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan turned to look at her, an amused expression on his face, and enunciated each word clearly. “That book describes a spell called Keen Ears and Bright Eyes, which teaches cultivators how to sense their surroundings.”

At this, Ning Xianyu immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Xuan Yuan Tunhan continued, “Once you learn this spell, you can see and hear what’s happening dozens of meters away without using your divine sense—even through walls, trees, or stone barriers.”

Ning Xianyu was stunned on the spot.

So, as long as she learned that spell, she wouldn’t even need the ugly glasses provided by the dog system to eavesdrop.

Watching her face shift from shock to disappointment to the thunderstruck realization of being duped, Xuan Yuan Tunhan felt thoroughly satisfied inside.

This woman—so foolish!

Ning Xianyu was beside herself: “Why didn’t I study harder? Why didn’t I listen to my teachers? If only I’d gotten a diploma, I wouldn’t be tricked over and over again…”

If she’d studied hard, she wouldn’t have wished to skip the college entrance exam, wouldn’t have ended up in this accursed world. She could still be at home in the modern world, eating watermelon, enjoying the air conditioning, and watching dramas.

Her inner self clutched her head and began rolling on the ground.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan watched her collapse with leisurely satisfaction, unable to suppress a smile.

Sometimes, cunning shortcuts only lead to one’s own undoing.

At that moment, the demon attendant came over and informed them to leave and return the next day.

They had no choice but to go.

Ning Xianyu grumbled, “Come back tomorrow? Are we supposed to sit outside all day?”

Just sitting in the square, watched by all the surrounding demon cultivators, left them with no privacy at all—far too uncomfortable.

Yi Tianling said, “Senior, don’t worry. I have a portable tent we can use for shelter.”

Only then did Ning Xianyu feel better—at least she wouldn’t have to squat in the open.

Outside, Xuan Yuan Tunhan fought off the crowd and secured them a prime spot.

Yi Tianling took out the magical treasure and, with a bit of spellwork, transformed it into a house.

Its style was unmistakably demonic—colorful, bizarre, and ostentatious.

This was definitely something only someone from the Demon Realm would possess.

Ning Xianyu couldn’t help but think, Saintess Akali is truly generous—she gives the hero everything, even a place to rest.

Thankfully, with the Saintess, they all benefited.

Like other magical treasures, the house looked small from the outside but was actually very spacious within.

After entering, they found the interior was indeed enormous.

Yet, the place seemed anything but proper.

Inside, it resembled a bathhouse more than a residence.

There was a hot spring pool, a tavern, and even a gambling hall.

The actual resting area was at the very back, rather casual and not very large.

Whoever crafted this treasure must have misunderstood the concept of rest—clearly, you weren’t meant to relax, but rather to play endlessly.

Saba and the others immediately went off to amuse themselves. The drinks were real, and quite tasty; after a few bottles, they started to party.

Ning Xianyu gazed longingly at the hot spring pool, but with so many people around, she didn’t dare go.

The system goaded her: “What are you afraid of? They’re all men, and you’re a man now too. What’s the problem with bathing in front of them? You could all soak together.”

“Who wants to bathe with them?”