Steadying her heart, Zhou Che then responded.

"What use is there in being afraid? The gap in our cultivation realms is vast. If I refused, wouldn't you force me anyway?"

She was indeed afraid, but as long as Tao Yao drew away the main force of cultivators surrounding her, with the Dao Rune of the Character 'Gate' protecting her, no one would truly be able to stop Zhou Che from leaving.

"Rest assured, I'm not that kind of person. Since I'm asking for your help, I certainly won't treat you unfairly." Tao Yao said, and then she took out a long golden empty shell from her storage pouch, looking like a scabbard for some kind of long-handled weapon!

"This was found in a certain ruin in the Zhou Kingdom. It seems to be the sheath of some kind of divine weapon. Though it can't be used to attack, when activated with spiritual power, it can withstand the spiritual pressure of the Minor Attainment Realm. Consider it my thanks for your help. Once this matter is settled, I'll gift you another pleasant surprise."

After saying this, she handed it over to Zhou Che as well.

Zhou Che would be lying if she said she wasn't envious of Tao Yao's storage pouch.

After all, for the other to so casually hand over a bunch of Dharma treasures to her, clearly these artifacts were nothing more than a drop in the bucket to her.

Zhou Che couldn't even imagine how wealthy a person had to be to act like this.

"Ah, right, take this as well."

Tao Yao spoke again, and then actually squeezed a tear from the corner of her eye. With a wave of her hand, the tear flew over to Zhou Che.

"Regarding the quality of the Pure Maiden Ten Tears, the richer the primordial yin of the source material, the better the refined effect. Using my tear to refine the Pure Maiden Ten Tears, I guarantee that after absorbing it, you can break through to the second stage of the Minor Attainment Realm!"

Zhou Che looked at the teardrop floating before her, then at Tao Yao, and put it away together with those Dharma treasures.

"Thank you," Zhou Che said.

"Time is of the essence. Let's head to that cave of yours first." Tao Yao said, then pulled Zhou Che up. With a surge of spiritual power, they arrived at the cave entrance in an instant.

This teleportation method was completely different from Xiao Ningyu's escape technique, yet its impact on Zhou Che was far greater.

Though it was only an instant, the terrifying gale-force wind nearly killed her.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath in large, desperate gulps.

And within her body, a surge of violent spiritual power was also stirring restlessly, almost bursting forth.

This spiritual power was the Dao Rune of the Character 'Gate'.

In other words, Tao Yao's teleportation method had nearly killed Zhou Che!

"Are you alright?" Tao Yao asked, her tone casual, carrying more amusement than concern.

"I'm fine!" After catching her breath, Zhou Che laboriously got up from the ground.

Then, with a wave of her hand, she lifted the restriction and headed into the cave.

Inside the cave, the Shiba Inu was still recalling the words Zhou Che had spoken before leaving.

It carefully pondered Zhou Che's subtle expressions at the time. It seemed there had been a trace of loss in her heart, as if it was the bitterness of not being understood.

And just as it was pondering, it heard some sounds from outside the cave.

The Shiba Inu raised its eyes and saw two figures slowly walking in.

One was naturally Zhou Che, and the other, though it didn't recognize her, the aura she inadvertently exuded was enough to make its heart race with fear!

"So this is He Xi's dog?" Tao Yao asked with a smile upon seeing the Shiba Inu.

"Mm. Since you've been observing me for a few days, you should also be clear about what happened last night, so I won't explain further."

Zhou Che nodded in reply.

"It's fine. You focus on refining the Pure Maiden Ten Tears first. Quickly break through to the second stage." Tao Yao waved her hand, then headed toward the Shiba Inu.

Seeing Tao Yao approach, the Shiba Inu's heart couldn't help but tighten. "What are you doing! Hey, who is this person you've brought back! Didn't you say you'd let me go after you finished your business? Why aren't you keeping your word! Are you planning to kill me to silence me?!"

The Shiba Inu shouted, its gaze turning to Zhou Che, a trace of anger surfacing.

Zhou Che sighed upon hearing this.

"Tao Yao, don't hurt it."

"Don't worry, I have no desire to make an enemy of He Xi. Once we're safe, I'll naturally let it go." Tao Yao chuckled, then scooped the Shiba Inu into her arms.

"But how did it end up with such a sleazy and comical look? Would He Xi really raise such an ugly dog?"

"Ugly as it may be, as an ordinary dog, it can speak human words, so its aptitude and sentience are beyond doubt." Zhou Che shook her head, then sat cross-legged and began to condense the Pure Maiden Ten Tears.

The Pure Maiden Ten Tears required desire spiritual power as its foundation, so Zhou Che fully circulated the Heart Desire Lure, determined to refine it at the fastest speed possible.

* * *

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and morning arrived. As the first ray of sunlight shone into the cave, the desire spiritual power on Zhou Che gradually dissipated.

In its place was a strand of yin qi pure to the extreme.

This strand of yin qi originated from the blue, semi-transparent liquid floating before her.

And this liquid was precisely the Pure Maiden Ten Tears.

Zhou Che slowly opened her eyes, then offered up the Outer Sect Secret Order.

With the spiritual power fluctuations of the Pure Maiden Ten Tears, the seal upon the secret order slowly dissipated.

Once the seal completely faded, the secret order emitted a platinum spiritual radiance, making one feel incredibly comforted.

The Pure Maiden Ten Tears served as a necessary item for cultivating the Evil Dragon's Four Crossings, and its cultivation for the Charm Physique shared a similar subtle principle.

Both required refining it, except the Evil Dragon's Four Crossings refined the Pure Maiden Ten Tears into a yin evil dragon shadow, serving as the foundation for cultivating an evil dragon; while the Charm Physique absorbed it entirely, converting it into spiritual qi to assist its own cultivation.

Thus, after careful consideration, Zhou Che refined it into her body, then split it into two streams, using them for the cultivation of both the Charm Physique and the Evil Dragon's Four Crossings respectively.

At this moment, Tao Yao was sitting with her eyes closed, regulating her breath. Her injuries were extremely severe, so as she circulated her spiritual power, countless beads of sweat appeared between her brows.

After glancing at the other, Zhou Che continued her cultivation.

Once the Pure Maiden Ten Tears entered her body, a subtle and wondrous aura arose within her bloodline.

This aura resonated with her spirit root, then devoured and transformed desire spiritual qi, madly tempering Zhou Che's entire body with an enormous quantity of spiritual power.

As Zhou Che cultivated, a wisp of aura unconsciously permeated from her. This aura was colorless, formless, tasteless, and featureless, perceptible only to the divine soul.

The Shiba Inu, which had been sleeping, was influenced by this wisp of aura and suddenly jolted wide awake.

It looked at Zhou Che. Although her outward appearance had not changed, a trace of greed clearly appeared in its eyes.

This feeling was exactly the same as when Wang Er had looked at Zhou Che back then.

It slowly walked toward Zhou Che, but just as it was about to touch her, a slender finger fiercely knocked it on the head.

The Shiba Inu yelped in pain, and its eyes immediately became crystal clear.

"What's the big idea!" The Shiba Inu looked up, angrily glaring at Tao Yao.

"You're a dog, a completely different species. What are you joining in the excitement for!" Tao Yao teased, then tapped its brow and used spiritual power to protect its consciousness.

"She has an innate Charm Physique. When you see her cultivating, try to stay far away. Otherwise, at best you'll lose your mind, at worst your divine soul will be damaged!"

"That terrifying?" Hearing Tao Yao's words, the Shiba Inu immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Tao Yao nodded. "Mm, this girl has innate charm bones. But unfortunately, judging by her personality, she's not suited to stay in the Hehuan Sect."

"What do you mean? You're not trying to say that her nature isn't bad and she's suited to join the orthodox path, are you?"

The Shiba Inu looked up at Tao Yao, its expression somewhat puzzled. After all, although Zhou Che was a member of a demonic sect, the feeling she gave it wasn't what it had imagined.

It couldn't quite put that feeling into words. In any case, being with Zhou Che always felt strange.

Upon hearing this, Tao Yao instead cast her gaze toward Zhou Che.

After a long pause, she finally replied.

"She... is not suited for the orthodox path..."