Chapter 503: Heaven and Earth Can Be Cultivated Together

“First, I'll torture and kill your little lover, then I'll deal with you slowly!”

“With a Moon Essence body as my cultivation cauldron, I will surely ascend to the Spirit Transformation realm!”

Having revealed his true colors, Qin Shou launched an attack on Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao.

Senior Sister Zhao was only at the perfected Golden Core stage. Although she was a prodigy and capable of handling ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, she found herself somewhat outmatched against a talent like Qin Shou. Li Fan, moreover, was a complete liability. Qin Shou's every attack was aimed at Li Fan, who was behind Senior Sister Zhao. Already struggling to cope, Senior Sister Zhao was forced into hurried reactions to protect her lover's life. Realizing they were outmatched and would soon be defeated, Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan had no choice but to fight and retreat, relying on the magic treasures bestowed by their master, as they fled deeper into the ruins.

Using the hidden mechanisms and strange beasts within the ruins, they finally managed to temporarily shake off Qin Shou. Unable to find them for a time, Qin Shou began setting up a formation outside the ruins. He vowed to capture them alive within the formation.

“This is the Central Earth Element Formation. If it completes, there will be no escape for either of us,” Senior Sister Zhao said, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes. “Soon, I'll go out and fight him to the death. You must seize the opportunity to escape. Make sure you return to the sect and expose his true face to Master.”

Senior Sister Zhao drew her sword, ready to fly out, when she suddenly noticed that the Heavenly Oracle Compass, gifted by their master, began to glow brightly again.

“Senior Sister, wait!” Li Fan quickly shouted. “It seems there's always a way out!”

Following the light of the Heavenly Oracle Compass, the two of them found a secret chamber deep within the ruins. Inside the secret chamber was a rather peculiar skeletal remains. It was several times larger than an ordinary human, and the number of bones totaled over a thousand. Moreover, though the bones appeared to be a single entity, they subtly revealed a hint of disharmony, as if they belonged to different individuals.

Beside the skeletal remains, Li Fan found a storage ring. Inside, apart from a uniquely shaped token engraved with the character "Xuan," there were also several cultivation techniques.

"The Treatise of Heaven and Earth's Intertwining," "The Eternal Supremacy Art"... Li Fan scanned through each book, a hint of delight in his eyes.

“Senior Sister, quick, look! This 'Treatise of Heaven and Earth's Intertwining' is actually a rare dual cultivation technique. According to the instructions, both practitioners will experience significant cultivation advancement after their first practice session. If we cultivate it, we might even both break through...” Li Fan was chattering on when he suddenly noticed that Senior Sister Zhao's expression was a bit grim.

“Senior Sister Zhao, what's wrong?” Li Fan asked, feeling a little puzzled.

“This place must be an outpost of the Profound Heaven Sect,” Senior Sister Zhao said gravely, staring at the massive skeletal remains on the ground. “And this person should be one of the Heavenly Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect from back then.”

“Profound Heaven Sect?” Li Fan frowned. “I've never heard of it. What's the problem?”

Senior Sister Zhao patiently explained: “The Profound Heaven Sect was an evil sect that unified the world in ancient times. Its leaders proclaimed themselves Heavenly Kings. They usurped destiny and committed all sorts of atrocities. Ultimately, cultivators united to overthrow them. Although the Profound Heaven Sect was destroyed thousands of years ago, its remnants still linger. The Ten Immortal Dao Sects, including our Grand Dao Sect, still maintain great vigilance against the Profound Heaven Sect. Remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect are to be killed without question.”

Li Fan understood Senior Sister Zhao's meaning but remained somewhat unconvinced: “The Profound Heaven Sect is one thing, and cultivation techniques are another. Are you saying cultivation techniques also distinguish between good and evil? We are legitimate Grand Dao Sect disciples, not some Profound Heaven Sect remnants. To save our lives, practicing their techniques shouldn't be a problem, should it?”

Senior Sister Zhao's brows remained tightly furrowed: “It's not the same...”

Li Fan glanced outside; the Central Earth Element Formation's light was becoming increasingly solid. “No matter what, it's better than losing our lives right now. Besides, if we fall into Qin Shou's hands, death might even be a luxury,” Li Fan persuaded her. “At worst, once we overcome this ordeal, we can just abolish the technique.”

After much deliberation, with the pressure from the formation outside growing heavier, Senior Sister Zhao, left with no choice, finally nodded in agreement.

The two then began to study "The Treatise of Heaven and Earth's Intertwining" together. In the exhilarating dual cultivation of their spirits, the two felt indistinguishable from each other. Their thoughts intertwined, blending perfectly, each moment surpassing millions of years. Their auras also resonated in sync, continuously growing stronger.

Ultimately, with the power of dual cultivation, Senior Sister Zhao successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and Li Fan successfully formed his Golden Core. Having broken through a major cultivation realm, Senior Sister Zhao's combat power immediately saw a qualitative leap.

Taking advantage of the final moments before the formation solidified, the two broke out and engaged Qin Shou in battle. Qin Shou had spent days setting up the formation, exhausting much of his energy and focus. Seeing both Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao break through, and his plans about to fail, he was deeply shaken and found it hard to accept. Losing his composure, he gradually became flustered when facing Senior Sister Zhao's deadly attacks. Li Fan's occasional whispered messages further fueled his rage and caused him to lose his sanity.

“Senior Brother Qin, aren't you curious why we both managed to break through so quickly?”

“Hahaha, it's truly all thanks to you!”

“At a critical life-or-death moment, we found a dual cultivation technique inside the ruins.”

“You wouldn't pretend not to know what a dual cultivation technique means, would you, Senior Brother Qin?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk...”

“If you hadn't pulled this stunt, I don't know how long I would have had to wait for my wish to come true!”

Li Fan continued to provoke Qin Shou with his words. At the same time, he repeatedly launched attacks, exploiting the moments when Qin Shou lost control of his mind. Qin Shou watched their seamless coordination, finding it even harder to accept.

“You two! You deserve to die!”

Throwing caution to the wind, Qin Shou unleashed a desperate, all-out attack on both of them. Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan, even working together, found themselves struggling to cope for a time. However, an attack driven by madness could not last forever. Gradually, as they adapted to Qin Shou's attack rhythm, he began to lose the upper hand. During this fierce battle, Qin Shou also despairingly realized that his injuries were already severe. He could no longer manage to escape.

“You wretched pair! I curse you both!”

Under Qin Shou's venomous gaze, Senior Sister Zhao delivered a sword strike. Qin Shou's head flew high, his eyes wide with unseeing death.

Seeing their great enemy perish, Li Fan finally let out a sigh of relief. “I was just trying to provoke him earlier,” Li Fan said to Senior Sister Zhao with a hint of apology. “Please forgive me if anything I said was offensive.”

“Now that we are already husband and wife in all but name, do you still need to be so formal?” Senior Sister Zhao retorted with a frown.

Li Fan slapped his forehead. “I was being foolish!”

After tidying up the aftermath, the two returned to the secret chamber in the ruins. Physically and mentally exhausted, Li Fan embraced Senior Sister Zhao and fell into a deep sleep.

When they woke up, they didn't immediately return to the sect. Instead, after some hesitation, they decided to abolish "The Treatise of Heaven and Earth's Intertwining." There were many dual cultivation techniques; they didn't necessarily have to choose this one. However, after a series of attempts, the two exchanged glances, their expressions subtly changing.