The woman's movements paused slightly, and she responded with a choked laugh, "I'm aggressive? You were the one with ill intentions, peeking at me... and then you call me aggressive?"
The word "bathing" was too much for her to utter.
Even so, her face was flushed crimson, unsure if it was from shame or anger. Perhaps it was a mix of both.
After speaking, the woman's spiritual energy surged again, her palm strikes swift and direct, aimed at Du Lao's vital points.
Du Lao initially felt a pang of guilt. After all, the Tianyuan Continent had rather conservative customs, and women cherished their chastity above all else.
Although he had stumbled upon her by accident, he had indeed seen her bare form.
Therefore, even with the woman's fierce attacks, Du Lao did his best to yield, not retaliating directly.
Simultaneously, Du Lao continued to apologize, hoping to earn the woman's forgiveness.
However, the woman, consumed by her rage, was deaf to his words.
Instead, she hurled insults like "lecher," "scoundrel," and "voyeur" incessantly.
Du Lao could only offer a wry smile, daring not to retort. He wished for her to vent her frustration so he could hurry to the Xuan family and fulfill his master's mission.
Despite being a formation master, Du Lao's spiritual cultivation was not low. He was a typical dual cultivator of formations and spirits.
Though the woman's attacks were sharp, Du Lao defended with impenetrable skill.
The poor woman, her heart filled with unspent fury, attacked with increasing ferocity, even a hint of killing intent emerging in her moves.
Even a clay figurine has its limits, let alone Du Lao, a proud cultivator.
Gradually, Du Lao's temper flared. His stance shifted from pure defense to a mix of offense and defense, a perfect balance of both.
"Young lady, though I inadvertently witnessed you bathing, I have already apologized. Moreover, bathing in such a secluded wilderness is inherently questionable. If you continue to press the matter, I will be forced to defend myself."
Upon hearing this, the woman's anger intensified.
She was the one who had been wronged, yet now it was being turned into her fault. Was there any justice in this world?
"You dare fight back? Take this!"
As she spoke, a ruler appeared in her hand.
The ruler was about half a meter long, entirely black, and covered in flames.
Holding it, the woman seemed unaffected by the heat. She swung the ruler, attacking Du Lao directly.
"Imperial artifact?"
Du Lao exclaimed in shock. The aura emanating from the ruler filled him with dread.
As the ruler neared Du Lao's body, it became clear that if struck, he would be gravely injured, if not killed.
What to do?
A flicker of anxiety crossed Du Lao's face.
He felt his energy locked by the ruler; evasion was impossible.
He had to risk it!
Unable to dodge, Du Lao could only brace himself for the impact.
It was too late to set up a formation. He could only channel his spiritual energy throughout his body and quickly erect twenty spiritual energy walls before him.
The moment Du Lao finished, the ruler descended, crushing the first ten spiritual energy walls with destructive force.
The remaining ten walls wavered precariously.
"Dodge quickly!"
The woman cried out in alarm.
In less than a breath, the remaining ten spiritual energy walls met the same fate as the first ten.
However, the ruler's power had been significantly dissipated.
Even so, the remaining fraction of its force struck Du Lao, sending him flying. He crashed through five or six large trees before landing heavily on the ground, spitting out three mouthfuls of blood.
It was worth noting that Du Lao was already a Saint King realm expert at this time, a testament to the terrifying power of that single strike.
Du Lao felt as though his bones were dislocated and his internal organs were bruised.
He was unable to rise, lying still on the ground with his eyes closed, attempting to regulate the chaotic spiritual energy within him.
The woman had only intended to teach Du Lao a lesson, not to kill him.
But she had been so enraged by Du Lao earlier that, in her haste, she had wielded the ruler without fully refining it.
This ruler, named the Xuanming Ruler, was an Imperial artifact she had recently forged.
She had planned to refine it after her bath, but Du Lao had seen her then.
Embarrassed and furious, she had wanted to give that lecher a good scare.
An unrefined Imperial artifact could not be controlled arbitrarily by the woman.
She had used excessive force. By the time she realized it, it was too late, and she could only shout for Du Lao to dodge.
But by then, Du Lao's energy had been locked by the ruler's aura, making evasion impossible.
Thus, the scene of Du Lao being blasted away unfolded.
Seeing Du Lao motionless for so long, the woman assumed he was dead.
A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, and her voice trembled, "Hey! Get up, don't pretend to be dead."
"Crazy woman! *You're* the one pretending to be dead!"
Du Lao wanted to retort, but the rampant spiritual energy within him made it impossible to spare any focus.
Seeing Du Lao unresponsive, the woman's face turned ashen.
In her life, she had never killed anyone before.
"Wuwuwu..."
The woman began to cry, desperate, "You can't die! I just wanted to teach you a lesson, I didn't mean to kill you! Wuwuwu..."
By now, night had fully descended.
Under the cloak of darkness, a beautiful woman knelt beside a "corpse," weeping softly.
It took Du Lao the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before he finally managed to force the rogue spiritual energy back into his meridians.
He opened his eyes and said with a sigh, "Alright, stop crying!"
"Mind your own business!"
The woman dabbed her tears and retorted, but then she felt something was amiss.
She raised her eyes and saw Du Lao slowly sitting up from the ground. "You... you... you're not dead?"
"I am! Not only am I dead, but I've met the King of Hell. The King of Hell said: 'There's a beautiful woman crying for you, so you must immediately return to the human world!' So, I came back!"
Du Lao said with a straight face.
His earnest expression was as if he were saying, "I can't swim, but I crossed a great river!"
The woman was stunned for a moment before realizing she had been teased by Du Lao.
Her anger, which had subsided due to guilt, resurfaced.
"Lecher, not only did you peek at me bathing, but you dare to mock me!"
With that, the woman's spiritual energy-infused fists flew towards Du Lao.
Although Du Lao had regulated his spiritual energy, his injuries had not healed. He dared not let her fists land.
He raised his hand, firmly grasping the woman's wrist, then abruptly released it, attempting to push her back a few steps.
Unexpectedly, the woman, losing her balance, was about to fall to the ground.
Fortunately, Du Lao reacted quickly, pulling her with all his might, trying to prevent her from landing on her backside.
However, this sudden exertion caused the already unstable woman to lunge directly into Du Lao's embrace, landing on his lap.