173 Windfall

The subordinate, whose temporary new name was Zhao Wu, examined what he could from Zhi Rui. Concluding her life wasn't in danger he jumped away, to watch Zhi Rui from a safe distance.

Time passed, falling leaves went away with the chilly night wind,insects neared and went away. When beasts came too close to Zhi Rui, a sudden Aura would send them away in fright.

After a good seven hours, Zhi Rui's hand twitched. In her sprawled state, she laughed out loud. Holding her belly on the ground, her laugh got higher and higher, the still, quiet area become devoid of any living beings, they all ran away from that menacing laughter,

Suddenly she stopped. Took a deep breath and smiled gently.

[To think, that this Lust method also helped with the improvement of the consciousness. After her first strike, you separated your mind and body and watched, pain-free, as she tortured your shell. That Lust method helped you so much that for six hours, your mind didn't need to go back once. It's really a heavenly method.]

Zhi Rui heard his voice, and it filled her with humor. Her heart was still in ecstasy. "For an ancient conscience, you're showing quite the distraught feelings. Are you not happy for me? strengthening my psyche was one of the steps you would go through with me, but now there's no need for it anymore."

[I'm just in awe of the Lust method.] He said.

Zhi Rui chuckled knowing full well, that his hopes for taking over her were just shattered. 'He's probably thanking heaven that he didn't act cautiously. and didn't offend me.'

She remembered Demon Hu, who also got inside her and tried to fool and manipulate her.

'Well, If I lived as long as them, I guess I would underestimate a kid too. He probably assumes that if he's friendly enough I won't act against him...What a shrewd bunch. Still, I don't blame them.' Zhi Rui grinned 'I planned to swallow both of them from the beginning, so I'm not any better.'

She chuckled and concentrated on the information she gathered with this experience.

In her astral state, she could sense triple the distance she normally could.

Before she had never sighted or knowing the presence of that subordinate of Bianca. But in her astral body, she could find him easily, not only him, every kind of lifeform around was visible like fireflies in the dark forest.

She could even feel Blakcie andRen Zu on her storage pouch.

With the focus on the present. Zhi Rui closed her eyes and revised the whole information on the original method of Lust.

As she studied it herself. Zhi Rui entered in a trance.

the words and inscriptions passed through her eyes like flashes. Her core shone brightly, a bright, vivid red shone on her mind. The image of what had become the most beautiful woman she had ever seen stood in front of her, smiling gently.

It was impossible to not be awed by her.

A voice reached Zhi Rui' ears.

"Child, Lust is pleasure, and pleasure is what comforts and gives life meaning. Be it Pride, Envy, Gluttony or any other sins or virtue, Lust is the root of them all. The act of achieving a threshold you're proud off brings you pleasure, the act of attaining the object of your envy is a pleasure. Consuming the thing you were yearning for, is another pleasure.

See? It all boils down to pleasure. Regardless of the reason you put behind your actions.Hence, pleasure creates and guides life. That's me, and this method is created after my image."

Suddenly the image started to move, the goddess smiled and moved her own mouth, a voice indescribably enchanting, shookZhi Rui's mind and core.

"Pleasure guides life into evolving. pleasure is Lust, Hence, to be lustful is to be alive. This method is simple; Seek to quench your desires and you'll grow strong, living in eternally in pleasure. Cease to do so, and your existence wil lose its meaning. You'll wither, then die."

In the next second Zhi Rui's mind was back in place. Before she could process everything that she has seen and heard, Simple instructions sounded on her ear.

A whim is a desire birthed out of the moment,it could disappear according to the mood.

A craving is more long-lasting,but it still can disappear if there's a sudden change of mood.

Lust is the long-lasting desire that doesn't go away, regardless of circumstance.

The Desire intensity and the effort put into its realization, summed with the pleasure had with it, equals the amount advanced on cultivation.

Zhi Rui smiled, she wasn't expecting anything like this, a surprise windfall. And she had not even counted everything. Like the strengthening of her psyche and affinity with souls. She could feel it, she was a few steps away of being able to swallow the ancient soul inside of her with all its knowledge and.

It had read all the books on Sweety and had centuries of experience. She could shorten years of reading into a few minutes of memory digestion.

Zhi Rui smiled. The gates of the underworld would open soon, but she was completely ready, she only needed to finish her evolution towards the fourth level, then all would be well. Even better, with her method of lust,

she could do it on the safety of her own sect and didn't need to hunt and fight unless the whimsical thought of fighting or a sudden craving for blood surged on her.

And with her wealth, she could easily arrange a suitable core for the fourth level.

A sudden thought struck her mind.

Zhi Rui calmed down and breathed in deeply. 'Even with such method, I'll still need strong subordinates, I'll still need to struggle. I can't get ahead of myself.' She thought and took Ren Zu out of the storage pouch.

She was in the same position form when she entered.

Her first action was to open her arms and take in the chilly morning air on her lungs.

"You can't know the value of something until you lose it. inside there, without air, was horrible. Even if I don't need to breathe to be alive, I don't think I would live well like that." She said.

Then she looked at Zhi Rui. Her eyes were bright, her lips curled into a complicated smile "I'm happy to master managed to achieve her objectives, but I'm sad I wasn't part of it."

Zhi Rui smiled She felt the impulse of petting the sad puppy and she did just that.

A short, almost imperceptible good feeling sprouted on her chest when she caressed her hair. Her inner energy advanced, just a little. But Zhi Rui smiled. and playfully scoffed at Ren Zu. "Now we're both monsters." She laughed and bolted away.

"Let's get you to the fourth level, then we'll go back." She left those words to Ren Zu.

Looking a the horizon Zhi Rui licked her lips with desire.