The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 616: Chapter 640: Physical Examination

Stay calm, stay calm…

Lancelot reminded himself repeatedly in his mind, but the scene before him was somewhat beyond his limits—The Succubus Lord was sitting cross-legged on the stone platform in the underground chamber of Hagrid Manor, her back to him. The silk lingerie adorning her shapely body was even less than the amount of fabric in a single one of his sleeves, barely covering a few key areas. Coupled with the boiling Titan’s Blood in the cauldron in the corner, it made his throat dry and tongue parched.

How had things developed to this point? The answer was a series of bold jokes, half-serious tests, and intentional or unintentional provocations. Lancelot even wondered if sweets had an alcohol-like effect on Tijana, otherwise many things were truly inexplicable. Officially, the Succubus Lord had him perform a mysterious ritual dubbed ‘Body Refining’ for her, and at this moment, her faintly trembling body awaited her lover’s touch.

Succubi were born from humanity’s most primitive desires, their bodies the ultimate fantasy of beauty for mortals, and as their power grew, so did their allure. Tijana was not like the average succubus, with their capricious, libertine lifestyles. She preferred to wear armor and wield weapons to fight her enemies head-on, which meant her body featured well-defined muscle contours not found on a typical succubus, which for a human knight was simply an irresistible temptation.

Tijana had once again tied up her long black hair to allow Lancelot to ‘operate’ on her exposed back. The single knot of her lingerie straps on her smooth neck, and her strong, capable shoulders gave her an air of extraordinary valor. Where humans’ shoulder blades would be, a pair of elegant black wings sprouted, leading to a deep and inviting groove down her back. This groove trailed down, passing her dramatically tapered, taut waistline before finally converging on the succubus’s plump, peach-like buttocks.

The entire silhouette was breathtakingly beautiful—if it weren’t for the full-force circulation of the Ice Heart Technique, Lancelot would have transformed by now. Yet he managed to control himself, dipping his hands into the bubbling cauldron before, upon withdrawal, his arms were covered in globules of glistening blood plasma.

“Be careful, it might hurt quite a bit in a moment…”

“Just get started,” Tijana said without turning her head, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremble, “Don’t underestimate my tolerance for pain.”

Lancelot took another deep breath, then placed his palms on Tijana’s back. Both their breaths became heavy, as if on the verge of losing control, but they demonstrated extraordinary self-restraint, not letting the situation spiral into a wholly different direction.

Since he was to refine Tijana’s body, Lancelot naturally had to first understand the condition of her body. Any living creature of flesh and blood would surely have meridians, even demons. Differences in structural anatomy were not a problem, because the shape did not affect how the cultivation technique operated. Just as cats and fish were completely different creatures yet both possessed organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, gallbladder, and kidneys. Once he figured out how life force and energy flowed within the body, transforming the cultivation technique to fit another species’ form wasn’t difficult, although the results might be discounted.

Since Tijana was now completely ‘unprotected’ against him, Lancelot’s divine sense easily ‘entered’ the Succubus Lord’s body, with her internal condition clearly presented in his mind. Succubi were said to be the creatures most resembling humans on the outside, and it was the same on the inside. Except for a much stronger heart, Tijana’s chest cavity appeared largely similar to that of humans.

However, below the liver and stomach, things were completely different. Unlike humans, a succubus’s stomach appeared remarkably large but was not connected to anything at its base; like other demons, their digestive system ended there. The abdominal cavity lacked intestines and instead contained a complex reproductive system, with the two openings in the lower part converging after a distance, ensuring that the succubus could collect the essence from a male creature, no matter the mode of lovemaking.

Under the direct probe of Divine Sense, Lancelot could confirm that the body before him had not undergone any magical transformation. However, he suddenly had a very absurd thought — could it be that his lover, who had lived for at least a thousand years, had truly never been with any man?

Lancelot didn’t originally care about this; he himself was no longer a youth, having spent ten years in military service, where he made quite a few foolish mistakes with women and also had some memories worth cherishing. Even though Madam Viska, the Serpent Demon, had hinted at it before, he had taken it merely as a joke.

However, the current condition of Tijana’s body proved that there was no issue with that nickname, and in Lancelot’s eyes, things suddenly became completely different.

“Is there a problem?” Tijana’s voice broke the silence in the room, and the shyness in it could hardly be hidden, “It seems… you have lingered there for a long time…”

“Hmm… This area is called the Dantian, a very important location where the body’s power is stored,” Lancelot explained somewhat guiltily, “I will inject a strand of energy into you, pay attention to how it circulates in your body…”

The technique Lancelot was teaching was certainly not the Cauldron Immortal Technique — without Grandmaster Han’s personal approval, Divine Skills must absolutely not be imparted to others. Moreover, as a Spiritual Cultivator, one must remain true to one’s conscience, so he would never do anything to betray his mentor. However, the little bamboo slip did record many widely known Cultivation Techniques for his reference, and Grandmaster Han had explicitly said that it was okay to establish a school with these techniques, and from the tone of it, there seemed to be encouragement.

He simplified one of the most common Body Cultivation Methods and demonstrated it to the Succubus Lord, figuring it would suffice for an immediate need. Refining the body would certainly be more effective than not guiding at all; it would also help preemptively clear the Meridians, lowering the intensity of the pain that would come later.

After three Heavenly Cycles, Lancelot felt the time was ripe and began to move his palms, evenly spreading the refined, crystal-clear blood plasma on the Succubus’s body. With his movements, the Succubus Lord’s breathing grew heavier again, and when Lancelot’s fingers grazed some sensitive spots, she emitted a soft moan.

“Mmm… Hah… Ah…”

“Don’t make strange noises!” Lancelot said helplessly, “You’re preventing me from concentrating.”

“Um… but your hands… feel nice,” Tijana’s voice at that moment was as tempting as her gasps, “You mentioned… pain, where is it?”