Chapter 159: The Underworld

After the passionate storm, the consciousness of both Qingxu and Houtu returned, yet every detail of what had transpired remained vivid and fresh in their minds. Stunned and facing one another, their hearts were in absolute turmoil. They could never have imagined that things would develop to this extent, nor could they fathom why the Supreme Saint would orchestrate such an affair.

"My Lord, are your injuries healed?" Snuggled in Qingxu's embrace, both were completely bare, holding each other in the nude with their lower bodies still linked. Houtu felt profoundly uncomfortable, her lower body aching as if torn apart, yet at this moment she cared little for this. Even the loss of her pristine chastity was pushed to the back of her mind, as her heart was consumed entirely by concern for Qingxu's injuries and the loss of his primordial masculine essence.

Hearing how she addressed him, Qingxu's facial muscles twitched involuntarily, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He had to admit that he seemed to have fallen somewhat in love with Houtu, and being intimate with her was indeed a wonderful experience, but certainly not under these circumstances. Firstly, he was merely an imposter, and secondly, from his own perspective, losing his virginity before reaching the Realm of the Da Luo Golden Immortal left almost zero hope of ever advancing to that level—let alone the Quasi-Sage realm, which remained an absolute pipe dream.

A brief internal scan of his condition revealed that his injuries had completely healed, and his Moral Golden Body had improved significantly, leaping directly from the fifth layer to the peak of the fifth layer. The bottleneck obstructing the transition between the fifth and sixth layers had also been somewhat shaken; with a little more effort, stepping into the sixth layer would not be too difficult. His magic power had likewise advanced to the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm. What shocked him the most, however, was his innate spiritual treasure, the Qingxu Pagoda. Perhaps due to the primordial Yin and Yang Qi within the Taiji Diagram, two spiritual veins—one representing the Ultimate Yang and the other the Ultimate Yin—had formed within the pagoda's first-layer micro-world, perpetually radiating incomparably pure Ultimate Yang and Ultimate Yin spiritual breath.

Being fully healed and rising like a phoenix from the ashes could certainly be considered a blessing, but when Qingxu detected that his trace of primordial masculine essence had been completely depleted, a wave of despair washed over him. His eyes grew vacant, the world turned black and white, and his heart sank into monochrome desolation.

"My Lord, do not grieve too deeply. Matters have reached this stage; try to look on the bright side! Even if the path of Dao cultivation is severed, other paths exist. Among the three thousand Great Dao, a way can always be found. If all else fails, Xuan'er can impart the ancestral flesh-tempering technique of the Witch clan, the Pangu True Body. Cultivating it to the ninth layer will equally allow one to achieve the Dao through sheer physical might." Noticing Qingxu's expression, Houtu felt an inexplicable pang in her heart. Unable to help herself, she pulled him closer into her embrace and whispered words of comfort.

At this slight movement, Houtu suddenly felt a strange sensation stirring in her lower body—partly painful, yet strangely pleasurable, accompanied by an intense emptiness that craved to be filled.

Guided by an instinctive impulse, she shifted her hips upward. An indescribable wave of exquisite delight surged through her mind, sending Houtu floating as if onto the clouds. Encouraged by this sensation, her movements grew increasingly bold. Accompanied by fierce thrusting, waves of pleasure surged like the tide, and she could no longer suppress her sweet moans and gasps...

Qingxu was no saintly figure immune to temptation. Since the deed was already done and irreversible, Houtu's actions instantly ignited the flames of desire within him. With a low roar, he instantly seized the initiative!

...

After Houtu reached her climax five times, Qingxu could no longer hold back. He delivered a dozen rapid, forceful thrusts, let out a deep shout, paused for a moment, and then collapsed heavily upon Houtu's body.

If the first time had been passive, this time was an active act driven by clear consciousness.

For Houtu, this inexplicably born intimacy brought no sadness, but rather a hint of quiet elation. Deep within her heart, "Qingxu" was the lover she had yearned for across multiple kalpas (though previously unrequited). Now that the two had crossed the boundary, it mended the regrets and anxieties in her heart, perfectly aligning with her deepest desires.

Compared to Houtu, Qingxu's state of mind was vastly more complicated. He could accept the disparity in their statuses; after all, unlike later eras, the primordial world was rife with conduct that could only be described as moral decay. According to his past life memories, the Emperor of Monsters, Jun, had married his own biological sister, Xihe, and rumors suggested that Fuxi and Nüwa had also engaged in relations, with countless similar instances. By comparison, his union with Houtu was truly minor. However, the phantom of the "Qingxu" residing in Houtu's heart remained a thorn he could not quite pull out, and the loss of his primordial masculine essence still plunged him into despondency.

"My Lord, Xuan'er feels so happy." Blushing deeply, she buried her face in Qingxu's chest, her smile as brilliant as a blooming flower.

*Sigh!*

Internalizing a sigh, Qingxu temporarily set aside his tangled thoughts and tightened his left arm around Houtu's back, which was as smooth and warm as sheep-fat jade. He truly had no words to offer.

"Eh? How can this be?" His exclamation was laden with sheer disbelief.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Hearing Qingxu's cry of surprise, Houtu immediately asked with tension in her voice.

"I just tried guiding the spiritual energy from the Qingxu Pagoda's micro-world into my body to test how vast the difference is between having primordial masculine essence and lacking it, but...!"

"Normally, immortals who lose their primordial masculine essence find their cultivation yielding half the results with twice the effort, with an efficiency dropping below one percent. Moreover, the bottlenecks between realms become ten times harder to cross. When reaching the bottlenecks of the Taiji True Immortal and Da Luo Golden Immortal realms, the path becomes entirely closed off. Could my Lord's efficiency be even lower than one percent of the past?"

"Not at all, not at all! Not only has it not decreased, it has actually increased. What baffles me is precisely this. Logically speaking, losing the primordial masculine essence should drastically reduce efficiency, yet it is more than ten times higher than usual. Furthermore, the very origin of my magic power seems to have undergone a profound transformation. While it still appears to be the celestial force of the Jade Clarity, it possesses an inscrutable mystic quality. Moreover, whether it is primordial spiritual energy, chaotic spiritual energy, or Yin-Yang spiritual energy, all of them can now be seamlessly integrated into my magic power, bypassing the refining stage altogether. The circulation of my magic power exceeds the past by nearly tenfold." Qingxu recounted in utter disbelief, leaving Houtu gaping in astonishment within his arms.

Only upon closer inspection did Qingxu realize the staggering scale of the benefits, which left even him deeply shocked.

"The Investiture System? Right, let me check with the Investiture System." Suddenly remembering his transmigrator's cheat code, Qingxu anxiously summoned his status interface.

[Daoist Qingxu]
Rank: 49 (Peak Celestial Immortal)
Immortal Dao Realm: Peak Celestial Immortal (Magic Power at Early Celestial Immortal Stage)
Divine Powers: Jade Clarity Daoist Techniques, Innate Divine Powers, Great Karma Technique...
...
[Innate Yin-Yang Pure and Turbid Essence 1%: Evolved from the Innate Primordial Masculine Essence...]

Seeing the explanation at the very bottom, Qingxu finally understood the chain of cause and effect.

"So that's how it is. The Innate Primordial Masculine Essence combined with the Innate Primordial Feminine Essence, assisted by the innate Yin-Yang force, the origin of Heaven's pure breath, and the origin of Earth's turbid breath, to form the Innate Yin-Yang Pure and Turbid Essence. It has simply not yet fully materialized because it is incomplete (100%)." Joy blossomed in Qingxu's heart. At that moment, he also understood how much the Supreme Saint had sacrificed for him—depleting his own origin of Heaven's pure breath and the origin of the Taiji Diagram to perfect him. This debt of gratitude was truly monumental.

Even at just 1% completion, the Innate Yin-Yang Pure and Turbid Essence provided a cultivation efficiency more than ten times greater than his previous primordial masculine essence, along with numerous other benefits. Once it reached 2%, it would double that of 1%; 3% would triple that of 2%, and so on. He could scarcely imagine what level the ultimate 100% would reach. Crucially, he no longer needed to view women as tigers or fierce beasts to be avoided at all costs. The union of Yin and Yang was not only harmless, but actually beneficial to his cultivation, strengthening his Dao body and nourishing the Innate Yin-Yang Pure and Turbid Essence.

"The Grand Master's grace is akin to a second birth!"

In high spirits, Qingxu looked down at Houtu's adorably stunned expression and could not resist planting a kiss on her cherry lips. "Snap out of it, Xuan'er! Put on your robes and let's head out. We mustn't keep the Grand Master and the others waiting too long."

Blushing furiously, a shy Houtu lightly pummeled Qingxu's chest.

...

Inside the Iron Tree Hell!

Supreme and the group led by Yingku had been waiting for several hours. During this time, the divine light of the Taiji Diagram flickered intermittently before finally fading into stillness.

As the divine light of the Taiji Diagram completely dissipated, leaving it looking like an ordinary black-and-white scroll, Qingxu stepped out hand-in-hand with Houtu, who was dressed in snow-white palace robes while he wore a Yin-Yang Daoist robe.

"...?" How shrewd was Yingku? At a single glance, he saw through the fact that both Qingxu and Houtu had tasted the forbidden fruit. A myriad of thoughts instantly crossed his mind, though most of them turned into silent grief for Qingxu.

"Your disciple Qingxu pays formal respects to the Grand Master!" The moment he stepped out of the Taiji Diagram, Qingxu immediately bowed deeply and respectfully toward the projection of the Supreme Saint. The benefits he had reaped this time were simply too immense; this bow was likewise offered with utmost sincerity.

"Taiqing, you are a Saint, yet you engage in such sordid deeds. Have you no shame left?" Upon seeing Supreme, Houtu's expression instantly shifted. She stepped forward and rebuked him angrily—partly to mask her embarrassment and partly out of lingering resentment. After all, losing one's virginity under such circumstances was unpleasant for anyone, and the only reason she did not resort to direct violence was her lingering awe of a Saint's might.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, it is the Mandate of Heaven; you were destined for this, and it is beyond my power to alter. Now that all matters are concluded, I take my leave!" Supreme's weathered face flushed red. With a flick of his finger, the Taiji Diagram dissolved into the void without a trace, and his projection instantly faded into nothingness.

Seeing Houtu's unappeasable wrath, Qingxu could only shake his head with a wry smile, offering no further comment. In the end, he was the one who had obtained massive benefits, while both Supreme and Houtu had suffered respective losses. The former had forfeited a share of the origin of Heaven's pure breath and the Yin-Yang origin of the Taiji Diagram while bearing an infamous reputation, while the latter had lost her virginity and a share of Earth's turbid breath, though her cultivation remained completely unaffected.

"Master..." Yingku bowed cautiously, his waist bent low.

Noticing Yingku's jittery demeanor, fearful that he might incur his master's displeasure, Qingxu's mind whirled as he guessed the reason: Yingku must have witnessed the terrifying might of a Saint and was now deeply in awe and fear of him, a Saint's chief disciple.

"Yingku, let bygones be bygones; I shall let the past dissolve like smoke. However, if you dare harbor any secondary intentions..."

"I dare not! This subordinate will never dare harbor a second heart! I shall scale mountains of knives and plunge into seas of fire for Master, dying ten thousand deaths without regret!" Before Qingxu's threat could even be fully uttered, Yingku hastily pledged his absolute loyalty.

"Very well! This Primordial Shadow Emperor Essence is bestowed upon you. I hope you will refine and integrate it swiftly to ascend to the Dao fruit of a Da Luo. Furthermore, there is a task I have for you to execute."

Regaining the Shadow Emperor Essence of his dreams, Yingku felt a surge of elation. Hearing that Qingxu had a task for him, he immediately composed himself and waited attentively.

"Shortly, Xuan'er, Kunlun, and I will return to the Primordial World. The Impermanence Ghosts of Black and White, along with Little Three, are Yin spirits and cannot linger long in the Primordial World, so I will not take them back with me. You shall work in concert with them to establish a faction within the Tongue-Pulling Hell, gathering ghosts and Yin spirits gifted with exceptional natural talent. Remember one thing above all else: foster absolute loyalty so that we may gradually infiltrate the Eighteen Layers of Hell."

"This faction shall be called... the Underworld! Within it, an Underworld King shall be established in my image, and you shall serve as the Underworld Envoy. When I am absent, you shall govern in my stead. The Black and White Impermanence and Little Three will be assigned roles later. Ah, and if any other Yin spirits join in the future, you must properly accommodate them and show no slackness." Thinking of the Three-Headed Hellhound, Qingxu could not guarantee that the Heavenly Dao would not spawn other Yin spirits in the future; after all, the ripples stirred by the butterfly wings of the Black and White Impermanence remained an unknown variable to this day.

"This subordinate will strictly obey Master's command and shall never dare show the slightest negligence." Yingku kowtowed in submission.