"You're really going to cultivate? And also to charge on to the eighth tier of Qi Condensation?" Ming Long asked.

"Mm." Wu Yu nodded. He cultivated quietly. Ever since his last near-death experience, his Inner Vajra Buddha cultivation speed had become fairly quick.

Perhaps a month or two. If he did not rush it, and built it in a more holistic way, then it might take three months for the Inner Vajra Buddha to become five zhang tall.

After all, each time he read the sutra, the Buddha would grow a little.

"Aren't you afraid that the faster you cultivate, the faster you will die?" Ming Long said.

Although she looked pretty relaxed, she was actually very tense as well. She had finally found an individual with more talent than sense. If he died, just how many more years would she stay lonely?

Wu Yu had considered this problem before.

"There's no use running. How can I let fear and worry stop me on the road of cultivating dao? Should I stop cultivating just because of a fox demon?"

Wu Yu had considered this before. If he continued to delay and did not cultivate, then the Ninth Spirit could do nothing to him. But the problem was that Jiang Xie and the others would not hold back for long, and the Ninth Spirit would also grow frustrated as time dragged on. When Jiang Xie finally gave up on his disciples and the Ninth Spirit's patience ran out, then they would simply attack in unison, and the Heavenly Sword Sect's doom would still not be averted.

This was not his only consideration.

Wu Yu's dao cultivation, especially the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal's Dao, led him to aspire to become the Great Sage's heir. That was a proud existence. He knew that to reach the eighth tier of Qi Condensation would bring about his death, a painful death. But even so, it was not sufficient reason for him to stop cultivating. One choice was flight. The other was to fight. Even if he had to die, he would go down fighting. He was not afraid of growing stronger simply because of the Ninth Spirit's threat.

The only purpose of his cultivation was to grow stronger and reach immortalhood!

This was the foundation, and it would not change easily. A purpose that had to be fulfilled even with one's life. And once this purpose was sullied, then even if he did not die to this threat, his very roots would be shaken.

"As expected of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal's heir. Ballsy. But he is still 18,000 leagues away from I, Ming Long," Ming Long said to herself.

Even when she praised others, she had to include herself....

Presently, Feng Xueya and Jiang Xie made no moves. All awaited Wu Yu. The Ninth Spirit became even more eager, watching for Wu Yu's improvements with shining eyes as though she was beholding some otherworldly treasure.

In this period, Jiang Xie and Tian Yijun had had a few arguments, but the Ninth Spirit stood firm on this. Using her withdrawal as a reason, she would persist even amidst conflicts with Jiang Xie and the others. Finally, the Ninth Spirit and Jiang Xie agreed on a three month limit. Within these three months, Jiang Xie would raise no further argument.

Jiang Xie had said that if more than three months passed, he would not care about those disciples. This was the most leeway that he would grant the Ninth Spirit. After which, he would not let the Ninth Spirit have her way.

In truth, the Ninth Spirit did not care about him at all. Jiang Xie did not have much backing so to speak. The Ninth Spirit was flying free, while he was taking hits everywhere. Even with the Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts supporting him, his words did not count for much. After all, there were only three Ghosts left.

Jiang Xie understood that the best way forward was to finish off the Heavenly Sword Sect, and then destroy the Ninth Spirit in alliance with Tian Yijun. For now, he could only let the Ninth Spirit run her antics.

Three months was enough for Wu Yu to grow his Inner Vajra Buddha to five zhang....

No one would have thought that such a heated four way battle would suddenly reach such a peaceful state. Jiang Xie and Feng Xueya held stare-downs on a daily basis, but neither clashed in the 10,000 Swords Formation anymore.

Only Wu Yu knew that the real battle was ongoing within this palanquin!

"The Ninth Spirit understands my abilities well. Once I reach the eighth tier, I will be able to fight a 10th tier Qi Condensation cultivator at most. I will still not be her match, and she understands this. If I can rush to the ninth tier of Qi Condensation in one shot... Hmm, but that will take more than half a year's worth of time, and it might not be possible. Additionally, if I reach the eighth tier and my body satisfies her conditions, she will definitely devour me immediately."

Wu Yu only had one chance, which was to fight the Ninth Spirit when he became an eighth tier Qi Condensation cultivator, as impossible as it seemed.

For now, it was hard to tell if he would live or die.

But that was no excuse for Wu Yu to give up. He had never given up before. The first time he had fallen into the Ninth Spirit's hands, he had only had the strength to kill Jiang Junlin.

Even while the four factions were fighting furiously, he had surged forth to the seventh tier of the Qi Condensation Realm, killing a ninth tier Qi Condensation cultivator. Having come so far, how could he give up halfway?

Compared to an endless play for time with no end or hope, he chose to resist vigorously!

Wu Yu did not proceed as he had in the past, cultivating day and night. Instead, he proceeded routinely. As he built his body, he used Spirit Concentration Pills. Every time the Inner Vajra Buddha grew a little, he would take another Spirit Concentration Pill.

This way, he would avoid having to condense qi all over again to solidify his eighth spiritual source when his Inner Vajra Buddha reached the fifth layer. Before he condensed his spiritual source, he would have already passed the Ninth Spirit's requirement, and it would be a time of immense danger.

As his flesh continued to be refined, his eighth spiritual source, the God's Dip Meridian located at his navel, also began to condense qi.

It was completely silent within the palanquin.

Wu Yu occasionally rested, and when he opened his eyes, the Ninth Spirit would be extremely lively. She would nuzzle his neck and nestle within his arms. Her face was alive with innocence and lit with a moving smile.

Sometimes, she would shift into a snow white fox with nine tails. A cute and adorable creature that played within Wu Yu's arms.

Sometimes, she even slept within Wu Yu's embrace, serene. Those red lips were almost irresistibly kissable. Sometimes, she twitched in her sleep, clutching Wu Yu tightly. The close skinship ate at Wu Yu's determination.

She manipulated the details that lovers shared that would cause Wu Yu to fall helplessly in love with her, to be infatuated with her. And Wu Yu feigned a slow demise into her trap. He began to warm towards her, to show affection towards her, and even become infatuated with her.

But Wu Yu knew that all of this was a sham. She was pretending. He was pretending. After Wu Yu discovered her true purpose, all of the Ninth Spirit's efforts were wasted. Only, she did not know this.

For three months, they shared a room, and a warm, honey-sweet coexistence. The Ninth Spirit was charming, innocent, and cute. Her child's heart, pure and warm, worked on Wu Yu's heart. Before, Wu Yu's flesh could not resist her. And now her charms aimed to endear even his heart and mind.

Luckily, he knew the truth. His endearment towards her was the most dangerous pretense he had ever ran in his life.

"Wu Yu, stop cultivating. Jiu Er is going to sleep. Come and keep Jiu Er company for a while."

Sometimes, she would even let Wu Yu rest. Wu Yu did not reject her. Both lay on the goose down, Wu Yu spooning that sexy figure from behind, his body aflame with desire. But he controlled himself. Even if he could not, the Ninth Spirit would be more rational than he was. Because Wu Yu was not yet at the mark,joining now would be a waste.

"You must forgive Jiu Er. Jiu Er cannot let Wu Yu do that yet. A while more, and we can." Every time their emotions reached a peak, the Ninth Spirit would console him that way.

"Alright."

They lived the life of lovers. At least from their actions, they were a perfect couple. A talented, noble, and impressive youth, paired with this devastating beauty. They hugged, even kissed. Sometimes they cuddled, listening to the other's heartbeat. When dawn came, they smiled at each other. The feeling was perfect....

But Wu Yu knew deep down that he was walking a tightrope over a sea of fire and knives. Every day, he moved closer to his demise!

The Ninth Spirit was as beautiful as a goddess, but she was a demon to him. She had waited a thousand years to eat him and possess all that he was.

In the night, the Ninth Spirit nuzzled his neck, asking breathily, "Wu Yu, I love you. Do you love me?" Her eager expression made it hard to deny her.

"I...." Wu Yu took a deep breath. "If... If you withdraw from the battle, and don't attack the Bipo Mountain Range, I might...."

"But the others will not let Jiu Er leave. And Jiu Er has to protect the little demons. I made a vow, and I cannot break it." The Ninth Spirit's eyes started to grow glassy as she gave him a heartbreaking look.

Wu Yu said, "You can choose to ally with my Heavenly Sword Sect. We will defeat them together. As for the little demons, I'm more important to you than the little demons, aren't I? Didn't you say you wanted to travel to the ends of the earth with me?"

The Ninth Spirit's gaze wavered. Her tears flashed. This was a look that no man could resist.

"Alright. Then when Wu Yu reaches the eighth tier of Qi Condensation, Jiu Er will take the little demons and leave. Wu Yu treats Jiu Er so well, and Jiu Er is moved. This way, if Wu Yu continues to dote on Jiu Er, Jiu Er will be content," the Ninth Spirit finally said.

If he had not known the truth, Wu Yu might have been deceived to think that she really liked him and wanted to roam the world with him.

But her words held a very clear caveat: only when Wu Yu reached the eighth tier of Qi Condensation.

That was why these were all lies. When the day came, she would devour Wu Yu, and surge to the fourth tier of the Jindan Dao Realm. Her words were her final weapon. She would move Wu Yu and cause him to truly fall in love with her.

These three months were all part of her strategy. They had moved step by step to this place. And the Ninth Spirit thought that she was winning. Their three months of lover-like coexistence gave Wu Yu nowhere to run to. He had walked into her deadly trap, not only surrendering his body, but also his mind.

And now, more than 70 days had passed. She could clearly see that Wu Yu's body was growing stronger. His qi condensation was reaching a peak as well. Perhaps in another five days, Wu Yu would successfully attain the eighth tier of Qi Condensation!

That was why she would unleash her final ace in these five days.

"You mean it? Give up on attacking the Bipo Mountain Range?" Wu Yu asked as he hugged her, overjoyed.

"Mm! Jiu Er is afraid that Wu Yu will hate Jiu Er. Who asked Wu Yu to become so important to Jiu Er? Even if Jiu Er makes all the little demons sad, Jiu Er can only cut them away and endure the pain. After all, Wu Yu is the one that Jiu Er loves the most." The face of unearthly beauty turned to his own in adoration. Such sweet words would make anyone tremble.

But the more Wu Yu listened, the angrier he got. He understood that all of this was just the Ninth Spirit's ploy. She was just too frightening. If he had not known the truth, then he would have thoroughly come to love her over these three months.

But he could not let his anger and hatred show now. Because in a fight between pros, victory and defeat was only revealed at the last moment.

For now, the outcome was uncertain.

He definitely would not let anything slip at this moment.

Clashing with the Ninth Spirit, for now, had nothing to do with strength. It was a contest of purpose, of will, of belief, and even of acting.

One misstep, and it was all over.

"Jiu Er has gone so far for Wu Yu, but does Wu Yu love Jiu Er?" The Ninth Spirit's eyes opened, looking at Wu Yu in anticipation.

Wu Yu laughed.

"Of course, I do."

And then, after another five days, Wu Yu really reached the fifth layer of the Inner Vajra Buddha. Almost at the same time, he took the last Spirit Concentration Pill, and also successfully condensed qi at his God's Dip Meridian's spiritual source.

The Spirit Concentration Pills all this while had been provided by the Ninth Spirit.

Finally. The golden light shimmered from within the palanquin. The day had come.