If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them

Xiao Menglan felt uncomfortable again, and also a bit empty.

The reason was that today, Cao Xueyan had taken the initiative in an especially assertive way.

At first, she had rejected it, but the feeling below was unexpectedly pleasant, and once she fell into the mood, she simply let it happen.

But the problem was, after going at it a few times, her good disciple ended things hastily, almost perfunctorily.

Yet her own body still wasn’t satisfied, and she couldn’t ask for more—she was the master, after all.

How could she put down her pride in front of her own disciple?

That would be far too improper, far too shameless.

Although… to be fair, their relationship had long since become absurd beyond all reason.

What was a little more absurdity to add on top?

The two passed the night in peace like this, but something made Xiao Menglan feel even worse—on the next night, Cao Xueyan once again came to her and went through the motions.

Just like the night before, a few rushed movements and it was over.

Xiao Menglan could clearly see her disciple’s flushed face and overly heated body—clearly just like her, she had not been satisfied.

Yet she forcibly endured it, refusing to do anything more.

Xiao Menglan felt that something was being hidden from her.

This child had always been obedient and considerate; she would definitely not tell her troubles directly, for fear of burdening her.

But the two of them… were not just master and disciple.

They were also intimate Dao partners.

Even though no one else knew, here, where it was only the two of them—what secret could possibly not be spoken?

Thinking this, Xiao Menglan felt a little angry.

By now, Cao Xueyan had already put on her clothes and lay down, preparing to sleep.

In reality, Cao Xueyan was simply picking a comfortable posture to use the simulation chance she had just earned.

After using yesterday’s simulation, she gained 100 cultivation points.

Not too much, not too little—just barely passing.

In this new simulation, her ending was still nothing pleasant.

The manner of death simply changed.

But before that, the simulated her broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage much earlier and descended the mountain to train alone.

During that journey, she encountered a group of demon cultivators.

That group consisted of charming, alluring young women of the Hehuan Sect.

Among demonic sects, the Hehuan Sect was a rather peculiar existence.

Thousands of years ago, they had not been considered a demonic sect at all—and in fact had a significant lineage.

In ancient times, there was a sect known as the Taiyi Sect, incomparably powerful.

Its territory was equivalent to dozens of present-day major sect domains.

Yet even such a mighty force still eventually fell.

The Hehuan Sect was born from one branch of the Taiyi Sect.

The Taiyi Sect cultivated the doctrine of Yin-Yang duality—the union and balance of energies.

Back then, it was considered a lofty and profound path.

Ordinary people had no way to learn it.

Stripped of all elegance, this principle could be understood as dual cultivation between two bodies.

The Taiyi Yin-Yang branch could be considered the grand ancestor of this path.

After the decline of the ancient era, the true lineage disappeared.

Imitators attempted to recreate dual cultivation methods from scattered texts, but only ended up with crude versions.

Not only were these ineffective, they often led to madness.

Over time, this corrupted the reputation of the Yin-Yang path.

To the point that in the present cultivation world, the phrase “Yin-Yang dual cultivation” evokes only obscene imagery.

At that time, the Hehuan Sect suddenly emerged.

They had truly inherited the authentic Yin-Yang duality teachings of the Taiyi Sect.

Their cultivation method genuinely allowed one to advance on the path.

But the reputation had already long been ruined.

No matter where the Hehuan Sect disciples went, they would be labeled obscene and corrupted.

With no way out, the sect leader of that era decided to embrace the infamy and joined the demonic path.

Thus, the Hehuan Sect became a fully recognized demonic sect.

Now, few cultivators know this history.

Even if told, most would simply reply:

“So what?”

Or:

“That was then, this is now. If we’re talking about past identities, then I might as well claim I was royal blood in the ancient era.”

As for why Cao Xueyan knew all of this?

In yesterday’s simulation, after she encountered those Hehuan Sect enchantresses, she unsurprisingly lost.

After losing, she suffered a long period of inhuman torment.

Eventually, unable to endure, she joined the Hehuan Sect herself.

Becoming one of the so-called enchantresses.

Yes—if you can’t beat them, join them.

Cao Xueyan thought: it happened in the simulation, not reality.

No impact here.

So why not?

Besides—infiltrating the enemy is the best way to gather information!

She learned that while the Hehuan Sect was strong, most of their Golden Core cultivators were actually guest cultivators—outsiders who formed Dao-partner contracts to gain cultivation benefits.

However, when disaster comes, outsiders are outsiders—they will flee first.

But Cao Xueyan had barely joined the Hehuan Sect in the simulation when news reached Qingyun Sword Sect.

A personal disciple falling into the demonic path?

As her master, Xiao Mengchen could not escape blame.

Plus, Qin Ximo was missing.

So Xiao Mengchen was exiled to a remote, bitter cold land for two hundred years.

Forbidden to return.

Twenty years later, demon cultivators attacked Qingyun Sword Sect.

The sect was annihilated.

Xiao Mengchen, exiled and imprisoned far away, survived.

Cao Xueyan wasn’t so fortunate.

Because she had formerly been a Qingyun disciple, the demons intentionally let her go free during the attack—just to enjoy watching righteous cultivators kill each other.

But she had barely walked far before a rain of petals filled the sky.

When the petals fell, all that was left was a distorted, twisted tree stump.

Naturally—that stump was her.

And so she unlocked a new method of death.

Cao Xueyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The 100 cultivation points at the end of the simulation were likely contributed entirely by those Hehuan Sect enchantresses.

If instead she had been captured by some other demonic sect, she would have likely been bled dry, turned into a corpse puppet, refined into a magic tool, made into a soul flag, or skinned to be worn as a disguise by someone infiltrating Qingyun.

She just didn’t know who killed her in the end.

Whoever it was—they were ruthless.