Chapter 143: Another Moon Spirit

Yin Tianfang stood quietly, watching as Black Underworld's figure gradually faded away into the distance, his expression remaining utterly calm. He simply chose to ignore the provocative words thrown his way by Black Underworld. After all, he was merely at the early stage of the Core Formation realm, whereas Black Underworld possessed a cultivation level that was in no way inferior to Yue Mei's. If it genuinely came down to a physical confrontation, Yin Tianfang would undoubtedly be no match for Black Underworld.

"Pay him no mind. You have only just recovered from your severe injuries, so it is best for you to avoid physical exertion," Yue Mei walked over to Yin Tianfang's side and said softly.

Yin Tianfang turned his head slightly, gazing quietly at the woman beside him. As their eyes met, a gradual flush of crimson spread across Yue Mei's face. Shyly lowering her head, an even deeper rosy hue crept up to her delicate earlobes.

Clad in a pristine water-white dress that lent her a fresh and refined aura, Yue Mei exuded a faint, soothing fragrance. Her raven-haired tresses cascaded like a waterfall all the way down to her slender waist, framing exquisite facial features that were breathtakingly charming. In that moment, she resembled nothing less than a pure, innocent maiden—endlessly adorable and captivating.

A trace of subtle astonishment flashed through Yin Tianfang's eyes. The Yue Mei standing before him now seemed like an entirely different person compared to the one he had first encountered.

Back then, Yue Mei had radiated an air of ripe maturity—bewitching, seductive, and steeped in an undeniable allure.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yue Mei asked in a voice no louder than a mosquito's hum, lifting her gaze slightly to steal a covert glance at him.

"Do you happen to have a twin sister?" Yin Tianfang hesitated for a moment before finally posing the question.

To his utter surprise, the moment those words left his lips, Yue Mei's countenance changed drastically. With a nervous and panicked expression, she demanded, "Have you seen her? What did she do?"

Seeing her react with such intense agitation, Yin Tianfang was momentarily taken aback. He thought to himself, Could they truly be twins? But why would they share the exact same name?

Just as he was lost in thought, Yue Mei's face suddenly turned ashen white. With her eyes squeezed shut, she abruptly collapsed, losing consciousness altogether. Panicking, Yin Tianfang rushed forward and caught her slender waist just in time. Staring down at her pale complexion, he found himself utterly at a loss for what to do.

Scooping her up into his arms, Yin Tianfang strode directly toward the main hall. At the entrance, two serpentine maidens caught sight of him carrying the unconscious Yue Mei. Their expressions shifted slightly as they hurried over to take her from his embrace, their demeanor laced with a hint of panic.

"Since your injuries have fully healed, you should leave here as soon as possible," one of the snake-women instructed Yin Tianfang before hastily carrying Yue Mei deep into the interior of the hall.

Left standing outside the entrance, Yin Tianfang felt a profound sense of bewilderment. He was completely baffled by the sudden turn of events. Although the snake-woman had explicitly told him to depart, Yue Mei's fainting spell might very well be connected to him; how could he possibly just walk away now?

Inside the quiet chamber, Yue Mei lay motionless upon the bed while the two snake-women stood respectfully nearby. A short while later, the figure upon the bed slowly fluttered her eyes open. Sitting up, she stretched languidly, radiating an effortless, bone-deep seductiveness.

"What on earth did that wretched girl do while I was dormant? Why am I left so utterly weak the moment I wake up?" Yue Mei muttered softly to herself. The two snake-women heard her words with crystal clarity, yet they remained frozen, unsure of how to respond.

Seeing their silence, Yue Mei did not press further. She rose from the bed, stepped onto the floor, and began walking toward the outer hall. Following closely behind her, the two snake-women stepped out of the chambers and immediately spotted Yin Tianfang pacing anxiously back and forth near the entrance, looking utterly bewildered.

Naturally, Yue Mei also noticed him standing outside, a flicker of surprise crossing her features.

Outside the hall, Yin Tianfang had his head bowed, pacing back and forth with furrowed brows. Just as Yue Mei emerged and looked toward him, he happened to raise his head and glance into the hall.

Seeing that she had regained consciousness, the wrinkles on Yin Tianfang's forehead instantly smoothed out. He lunged forward toward her in a single, eager bound.

Yet Yue Mei simply stood there quietly, gazing at him with an utterly serene and intensely foreign expression. That cold, detached look caused the joy on Yin Tianfang's face to steadily fade away.

"Hehe, little one, we meet again. I let you escape last time, but you won't be nearly as fortunate today," Yue Mei suddenly giggled, waves of seductive charm rippling through her eyes.

Yin Tianfang froze for a fraction of a second, an ominous premonition instantly gripping his heart. Without warning, a serpentine tail shot out from beneath the hem of her long dress, lashing out to wrap around him.

Pushing off the ground with the tip of his foot, Yin Tianfang rapidly vaulted backward while simultaneously spinning around to bolt toward the outer exit of the hall.

"Where do you think you're going!" Yue Mei cried out lightly. With a delicate tap of her foot against the stone floor, she gave chase, closing the distance instantly. Although Yin Tianfang's movement speed was remarkably swift, it simply could not compare to Yue Mei, who possessed the cultivation of a peak Core Formation expert.

In the blink of an eye, she had overtaken him. Catching the bewitching smile plastered across her face, Yin Tianfang felt the foreboding chill in his chest deepen into a certainty of danger.

Right now, his mind was overwhelmed with confusion. It was as if every time Yue Mei lost consciousness and woke up afterward, she transformed into an entirely different person. The Yue Mei standing before him at this moment was an exact carbon copy of the alluring, mesmerizing, yet ruthlessly indifferent entity he had first encountered by the lake.

"Get over here!" Yue Mei snapped sharply. The serpentine tail trailing behind her suddenly surged in length, lashing through the air like a thick hemp rope to coil around him. Startled, Yin Tianfang failed to react in time before the powerful tail tightly bound his limbs.

The snake-tail gradually tightened its grip, squeezing the air from Yin Tianfang's lungs until he turned blue in the face and struggled for breath. Flashing forward, Yue Mei appeared right in front of him. Licking her lips with the tip of her tongue, she murmured softly, "Little one, I let you slip through my fingers before—let's see you try running away today."

At this moment, Yue Mei was undeniably the epitome of enchanting seduction, yet in Yin Tianfang's eyes, she was infinitely dangerous. Before and after her unconscious spells, she was like two entirely different souls inhabiting a single vessel. The Yue Mei he was facing right now was without a doubt the very same one he had first laid eyes upon.

Yet, Yin Tianfang could vividly recall that there had been no one else present within the main hall. Where on earth did this alternate personality of Yue Mei keep materializing from?

"Looking at you like this, you seem quite appetizing. I really have half a mind to devour you," Yue Mei whispered, tracing the tip of her tongue across his cheek.

The constricting tail squeezed tighter still. With his eyes bulging and his face flushed a deep crimson, Yin Tianfang struggled with every ounce of his strength, yet found himself utterly powerless to break free.

The Serpent-People race stood halfway between human and beast, possessing human forms coupled with serpentine tails. Their cultivation speed rivaled that of humanity, while their physical resilience matched that of ferocious magical beasts. Without a doubt, the Serpent-People were an immensely formidable race. Even a cultivator of the exact same realm would often find themselves outmatched by a Serpent-People warrior.

A Serpent-Person who had reached the peak of the Core Formation realm was even capable of holding their ground against practitioners in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm—albeit those who had only just crossed that threshold.

Even so, that was a terrifying feat! Crossing that boundary meant spanning an entire major realm, separated by a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.

The mere fact that they could achieve such a feat spoke volumes about the innate might of the Serpent-People. Fighting opponents of the same rank, Yin Tianfang was hardly guaranteed victory against Yue Mei under normal circumstances, let alone now, when she operated at the peak of Core Formation while he remained stuck at the initial stage.

Just as Yin Tianfang felt he could endure the crushing pressure no longer, Yue Mei's brows suddenly twitched, and a flash of genuine agony marred her features.