My Celestial Ascension

Chapter 541: The Hot Spring

"Ahh~ This feels amazing! The temperature is just perfect… Moreover, the environment is so calm and relaxing. It feels like I'm in heaven~!"

Yuan was sitting in the warm water of the hot spring, leaning against a wall made of stacked rocks. A soothing sensation spread all over his body.

The temperature of the hot spring was around 95 degrees Celsius. For normal people, the water would be very dangerous and could easily take their lives. However, for cultivators, this was the perfect temperature for a relaxing bath.

"It would be wonderful if I could take such a relaxing bath every day… Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking… I wonder where my two moms and the others are right now…" Yuan mumbled in a daze, closing his eyes.

Splash!

Suddenly, Yuan heard a noise beside him; it sounded like someone had entered the pool. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was none other than Fang Xiaoyan, with a white towel wrapped around her body, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Miss Fang, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be waiting for me outside the wall?"

She stared at him with an embarrassed look on her face for a moment, then said in an awkward tone, "W-Well… my grandparents saw me waiting outside and they kind of forced me to join you for a bath, saying I should hurry up and give them a grandchild to play with and keep them occupied."

"I see…" Yuan's eyes drifted to her figure, immediately catching his attention.

She looked like a goddess who had descended from heaven, standing before him with a white towel wrapped around her body. She was perfect from every angle, making his heart race a little.

She had a flawless figure, with curves in all the right places, a well-proportioned body, and a big chest. Her skin was soft and beautiful, like jade. Everything about her was perfect, like a goddess.

Yuan found himself staring, unable to look away, mesmerized by her enchanting beauty.

'She is so beautiful... Not just beautiful, but very strong, too,' Yuan thought to himself, his gaze lingering on her.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiaoyan felt extremely self-conscious under Yuan's gaze, as though nothing could be hidden from his eyes.

"S-Stop staring at me like that! It's making me uncomfortable…!" Fang Xiaoyan finally exclaimed, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

"S-Sorry about that… Honestly, you're so beautiful that I was mesmerized for a moment…" Yuan apologized, feeling a bit guilty for making her uncomfortable, especially since she and her family had treated him so well.

Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red, and without responding, she sat down beside him quietly. The warm water of the hot spring calmed her mind and helped her relax.

Yuan remained silent as well, feeling the awkwardness between them, and he struggled to control his body's reaction under the water, given how close she was.

Both of them sat in silence, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"What is the outside world like, Yuan? Is it beautiful?" Fang Xiaoyan suddenly asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"The outside world, huh?" Yuan smiled at her, making her cheeks redden again.

Fang Xiaoyan nodded with a smile and said, "I'd like to hear about it. My parents and grandparents have told me this isn't the real world, but a small realm inside a treasure, so I'm curious about the real world."

"I see…"

Yuan began talking about the outside world as they relaxed in the warm water. As he spoke, Fang Xiaoyan became more comfortable, even asking questions about magic and the things people used outside.

Yuan answered every question with an amused look, enjoying this side of Fang Xiaoyan more than he had anticipated.

"Unbelievable… To think that in the entire world, only you and your wives are cultivators! This is really shocking! How could the people of the outside world not know about cultivation when spiritual energy is present everywhere?" Fang Xiaoyan exclaimed, looking at Yuan with a shocked expression.

Yuan took a deep breath, pondering for a moment, and then said, "I'm not really sure what happened, but there are signs that indicate cultivators existed long ago and were a very powerful force. However, there are no cultivators present in the world today."

"It sounds like all the cultivators suddenly vanished one day… Perhaps something happened in the past that wiped out every cultivator in that world," Fang Xiaoyan mumbled in a low, thoughtful voice.

"It's possible something like that happened, but it has nothing to do with us, so I don't think we should focus on that," Yuan replied after a moment.

A few moments later, Yuan asked, "By the way, don't you want to see the outside world with your own eyes?"

"If I said I didn't want to see the outside world, it would be an understatement. I want to see the outside world and travel to every corner of it," she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "But it's impossible for me to leave this secret realm. It's my home.

Moreover, we're forbidden from leaving this place even if we wanted to, as the secret realm won't allow us to pass through the gate."

Yuan learned that every citizen of the secret realm was trapped inside, unable to leave even if they wished to. This revelation shocked him; he had never imagined that the people here were forced to stay in this place forever. To him, it seemed cruel—they should have the freedom to choose whether they wanted to live here or leave.

"You don't need to feel bad about this. I was born here, so this place is my home. And we're quite comfortable living here," Fang Xiaoyan said, noticing the strange look on Yuan's face.

Meanwhile, two elderly people and a mature woman were sneaking around the hot spring, trying their best to remain undetected.

"I can't see very well from here, but it seems the two of them are enjoying the hot spring together," the mature woman said with a wide grin, her eyes focused on the two figures in the water.

"It seems we made a good choice by encouraging her to join him in the hot spring!" the old man exclaimed with a proud grin.

"Shut up, you old fool! Are you trying to let them know we're snooping around, keeping an eye on them?" the old lady scolded, kicking the old man with a furious expression.

"I-I'm sorry about that… I got a bit excited," the old man replied awkwardly, sweat forming on his forehead under his wife's intense glare.

"Thankfully, they haven't discovered us. Or else, I'd make you regret getting excited for no reason," the old lady snorted at him, then refocused her gaze on her granddaughter and Yuan in the hot spring.

"Father, Mother, calm down and lower your voices, or you'll let them know we're here," Fang Ling whispered, urging them to stay quiet and enjoy the scene.

Back in the hot spring, Yuan began to clean himself, and Fang Xiaoyan approached him with a shy look.

"Yuan, if you don't mind, could I help wash your back?" Fang Xiaoyan asked hesitantly, her face blushing and her heart pounding in her chest.

"Well, sure, if you don't mind," Yuan responded with a confident smile, trying to ease the awkwardness between them.

"I don't mind, so don't worry," she said softly, and with that, she began to help him wash his back.

Some time later, Yuan stood up, got out of the water, used his Qi to remove the water droplets from his skin, and pulled out a fresh set of clothes.

"So, did you enjoy our family hot spring?" Fang Xiaoyan asked with a smile as she appeared from behind, now dressed in a simple white dress that looked beautiful on her.

"Well, it is by far the most amazing bath I've ever had. It was incredibly relaxing!" Yuan replied with a smile.

"I see… Now, let's head back, or they might come looking for us," Fang Xiaoyan said, turning to leave.

"Well, I think it's too late to worry about that now. They're already here," Yuan replied with an awkward smile, sensing the presence of the old couple and Fang Xiaoyan's mother nearby.

"What did you just say?! They're spying on us?!" Fang Xiaoyan exclaimed, her body trembling with rage.

"Shit! This is bad! Really, really bad! We should get out of here! Let's run!" Fang Ling whispered urgently before sprinting back toward the house, leaving her in-laws behind.

Her figure immediately vanished, her presence disappearing completely, leaving only the old couple behind.

"Damn it! She left us to die here!" the old lady cursed at her daughter-in-law for abandoning them.

Then she turned to the old man with a serious expression, sensing their impending doom, and said, "Old fool, let's get out of here before our granddaughter catches up to us."

"I agree. Let's run for our liv—"

Before the old man could finish his sentence, Fang Xiaoyan appeared before them, her face furious as if she was ready to skin them alive.

"Stop right there! Do you think you two can escape from me?"

The old couple's expressions froze in absolute despair, their bodies trembling with fear as their granddaughter approached them with a bone-chilling smile.

"Shit! It seems this is our end…" the old man muttered, accepting his fate with a resigned look before glancing at his wife.

"Shut up, you old fool! You're nothing but useless! It's because of your stupidity that we got caught by our granddaughter! This is all your fault!" the old lady snapped, blaming everything on him.

"So, are the two of you ready to face the consequences of your stupid actions?" Fang Xiaoyan asked, her bone-chilling smile sending shivers down the spines of the old couple.