Fang Xing had been so bored the past few days that his body itched all over. Furthermore, he’d just recently formed the foundation and had all these new powers, but he frustratingly didn’t have an opponent to test them against. This frustration had led him to come up with all manner of mischievous schemes, and although he wanted to tease Ye Gu’yin a bit longer, that zither reminded him of how this woman had chased him all the way here in the first place. A gush of hatred flew into his mind, and he quickly grabbed the instrument into his hands.

　　As soon as he snatched the zither away, Fang Xing immediately retreated over thirty feet and smirked. “Big long legs, you bullied me so much back then with that zither of yours. We’ll see how you show off anymore after your grandpa destroys this stupid zither today.”

　　BAM ….

　　He held the zither like a giant stick and began banging it against the stone walls with all his strength, causing large amounts of ash to fall.

　　Ye Gu’yin was initially dumbstruck before immediately chasing after him in a furious rage. “That is an Ancient weapon given to me by my esteemed shifu! How dare you!”

　　When she’d officially become the pupil of her shifu, this Phoenix-Fear Zither had been presented to her as her life’s focus and she’d been advised to cherish the zither forever. Ye Gu’yin had also publicly proclaimed, “As long as the zither is there, I am there, and should the zither be destroyed, I shall also die along with it.” She would normally carry it on her back and caress it from time to time, and even though she could allow her dress to be covered with dust, the zither was something she couldn’t accept getting dirty. In her eyes, the zither was even more important than her own life.

　　Yet today, this brat had actually snatched the Phoenix-Fear Zither away to bash it against some stone pillars? The feeling it caused was even more painful than if the zither was striking her own body.

　　“Damn, it’s that sturdy?” Even after banging it against the stone pillar a few times, Fang Xing was surprised to see that the zither wasn’t even slightly damaged. When he saw Ye Gu’yin coming towards him, he instantly leapt away and slammed the Phoenix-Fear Zither on anything he could see within reach. In mere moments, the entire stone cell was filled with sprays of ash, dust, and loose stones flying in all directions, while the Phoenix-Fear Zither itself started to release a strange humming noise that was incredibly unpleasant to the ear.

　　Ye Gu’yin continued to chase madly behind him. She was filled with so much panic and distress that she looked like a madman. “Give me back my zither, brat!” she screeched. Her usual pride and calm demeanor were completely gone now; at this moment, she was nothing more than a crazy woman.

　　However, Fang Xing had been faster than her even in the past, and she was even less of a problem for him now that he’d broken into Foundation Stage. He was overjoyed to see Ye Gu’yin so furious and laughed while slamming the zither in all directions.

　　The Phoenix-Fear Zither was a genuine Ancient weapon, to Fang Xing’s annoyance. It had been crafted from the wood of a thousand-year-old Phoenix Parasol Tree, and its sturdiness was even greater than that of Refined Iron. Even after slamming it for quite some time, there only seemed to be a few specs of dust on its body—not even a single string had snapped. His annoyance only grew and he tried to throw it into his storage sack, but he then found out he couldn’t do even that….

　　‘No wonder this harlot keeps it worn on her back!’ Seeing that he couldn’t destroy the zither, Fang Xing could only continue carrying it in his hands.

　　“Brat, give me back my Phoenix-Fear Zither! Give me back my Foundation Pellet!” By now, Ye Gu’yin had caught up as well and had gone nearly insane.

　　“Stupid bi*ch, are you still planning on being so repugnant without your zither?” With a quick movement of his hand, Ye Gu’yin was instantly sent flying back like a kite with a broken string.

　　“You… how dare you hit me?” Ye Gu’yin covered her face in surprise. She wasn’t stupid, she’d simply been blinded with fury towards Fang Xing and had been pushed to the verge of madness these past few days. That was why she nearly lost herself completely when she saw the boy. Fang Xing’s slap had actually woken her up and allowed her to realize his strength.

　　When they first fell into the Yin Prison Abyss five days ago, the boy hadn’t even been a worthy opponent. Even if she decided not to use her zither, she still had some battle prowess of her own and the boy couldn’t so easily send her flying with a single slap. Not only that, but when he countered her musical attack earlier, his movements had seemed as ethereal as a spirit’s….

　　Ye Gu’yin suddenly looked towards Fang Xing in astonishment. “You… you already formed the foundation?” she asked with a quivering voice.

　　Fang Xing smirked. He slowly walked up and released a powerful aura around him.

　　“How is that possible? Five days ago, you were still…. Spirit Stage tier eight….” Ye Gu’yin was even more surprised than earlier when she thought she’d seen a ghost.

　　“That’s all thanks to you!” Fang Xing proudly answered while inching closer and closer.

　　Ye Gu’yin’s expression fell as she took a step backwards. Although it could be said she wanted to fight against him just moments before, she’d lost all such thoughts now that she was looking at him already in Foundation Stage. The difference between Foundation Stage and Spirit Stage was like a large moat separating heaven and earth

　　“Brat, you… you’re in Foundation Stage already. How… how can you justify bullying a weak Spirit Stage woman like me?” Ye Gu’yin asked with a trembling voice. Without any other option, she fell back onto the most well-known rule in the realm of cultivators.

　　Normally speaking, for a cultivator to suppress someone just because they had a higher cultivation level was undignified. In order to preserve their own dignity, such cultivators often showed leniency to those who were at a lower stage than themselves.

　　Such a rule didn’t exist for Fang Xing, of course, and he sneered in response. “I just want to bash you, this is my rule.” As he spoke, he made a grasping motion with his hand and the ashen-faced Ye Gu’yin was instantly captured into the air.

　　After breaking into Foundation Stage, the power of his Gravitational Force had also increased. Under this powerful force, even someone like Ye Gu’yin who was only half a step from Foundation Stage had no chance to retaliate. An invisible force coiled around her neck, causing her face to become bright red.

　　“You… I dare you to… seal your cultivation and… battle me using only… Spirit Stage battle prowess….” Ye Gu’yin still didn’t want to give up and tried to goad him into sealing his cultivation level.

　　“Heh. Back when you had your stupid zither in front of your grandpa and I told you to battle me without it, what did you say then? It’s best that you let it go. You’re smart for not wanting to throw away your zither to battle me, and I’m not an idiot either; why would I be so stupid as to seal my own cultivation level? You suppressed me with your zither before, and now I—your grandpa—am going to suppress you with my cultivation level!”

　　Fang Xing released a cold laugh before extending his palm. Ye Gu’yin was first thrown against the stone walls behind her before she fell down, her body left lying on the ground. She quivered before spitting out a mouthful of blood, her complexion one of grave despair.

　　“Just… just kill me…. My esteemed shifu… will avenge me….” Ye Gu’yin had already completely given up on hope. She was still extremely proud even to the end, and she had no intention of begging for forgiveness even now. Her voice was low and deep, as if wishing for death.

　　“Heh, well killing you right now would be such a pity….” Fang Xing smirked. He didn’t plan to kill her anymore and instead began checking Ye Gu’yin from head to toe with glistening eyes, causing her to become extremely alarmed. She wasn’t afraid of death, but she did fear something else, something all women were frightened of.

　　“Brat…. You’ll never, ever be able to do… that stuff to me….” Ye Gu’yin drew her hand up against her own neck, her fingers sinking into her skin as she strengthened her heart. “I’d rather die… than let you have your way….” By now, she was determined to end her own life to avoid the possibility of such a horrifying event.

　　Fang Xing was a little surprised when he saw this. He’d wanted to have her work under the direction of the Peng King and only kill her after the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits had been completed. Why would she behave as though she’d rather die than have him succeed? He wasn’t afraid she would go through with her threat, though, and slowly replied, “Up to you. If you commit suicide, I’ll take your corpse out with me, strip you naked, and throw you in the streets. Actually, I’ll make a campsite, and anyone who gives me a coin can see it…. Hehe, ‘the body of the number one genius of Chufung Kingdom’! How much do you think I’d be able to make with such a slogan?”

　　Ye Gu’yin was completely at a loss for words, horror settling into her eyes. If the brat truly dared to do this, she couldn’t even bring herself to die anymore…. As proud as she was, she couldn’t imagine the brat bringing her body out for public display with all of those men remarking on her body.

　　“How… how dare you….”

　　“I will bring you out for public exhibition if you dare to commit suicide!”

　　“If you dare to do that… I won’t leave you alone even as a ghost!”

　　“I’m not scared of you even while you’re alive; why would I be scared of your ghost?”

　　After such a conversation, it was Ye Gu’yin’s complete defeat. Her body shivered as she kneeled down, her voice weak as she said, “Do… do… do what you want. I have only one request…. Give me a Thunder Talisman or Explosion Talisman…. I only… I only hope to have my body blown into pieces so nothing is left behind. Brat… in the next life… I’m still going to kill you!”

　　Now that it seemed she had finally accepted her fate, Fang Xing laughed and threw out the Immortal’s Snare. “Let’s go, then!”

　　“Go…?” Dazed, Ye Gu’yin let him coil the Immortal’s Snare around her neck and followed him like a puppet.

　　After passing through rooms and hallways, they soon arrived at a stone cell. The Peng King was too busy kneeling down in a pile of spirit tools and didn’t even lift his head. “Why did it take so long?” he asked while trying to choose one.

　　“There’s… two of you?” Ye Gu’yin’s face fell, but she soon noticed that the Peng King was just a spirit, not a real body. Regardless, when she saw there was someone else here, her heart grew as dead as ash and she wanted to die once more.

　　“Didn’t you say you’d need someone to copy these three hundred or so seals onto the flag? I’ve brought you a helper!” Fang Xing laughed. He pulled Ye Gu’yin over, pointed towards the Peng King, and then commanded, “Go, work now!”

　　Ye Gu’yin was instead surprised and turned to look at Fang Xing in disbelief. “You… you’ve brought me here to work?”

　　Fang Xing gave her a sharp glare and asked, “What? You don’t want to? Do you want me to bash you?”

　　A pink hue flourished over Ye Gu’yin’s cheeks as she gritted her teeth. Endless hatred welled up from the bottom of her heart as she loudly yelled, “I’m going to kill you one day, bastard! I swear I will kill you one day!”

　　“F*ck your uncle, if you don’t start working, your grandpa will kill you right now!” Fang Xing kicked Ye Gu’yin’s rear and yelled, “Work!” He was rather confused and couldn’t understand why this seemingly tamed woman would suddenly become so angry.

　　Ye Gu’yin crawled back up and looked coldly at Fang Xing without speaking a single word.

　　Fang Xing stared back. “What are you looking at?”

　　“Give me a coat and I’ll work for you!” The words seemed to be forced through the gaps of her teeth.

　　“Women are so troublesome. Isn’t it still the same work even without clothes?” Speechless, Fang Xing shook his head before throwing out a robe from his own storage sack.

　　Although there were indeed a few sets of dresses in Ye Gu’yin’s storage sack, Fang Xing didn’t dare to return them to her. These dresses were spirit tools with powerful abilities, and although Fang Xing himself didn’t wear dresses, he saw these spirit tools as his own now—there was no way he’d give them back.