Yuelan’s brows furrowed in displeasure as she turned toward her shadows.

"Hua Lian, Huang Shuying... I told you not to kill the old man," Yuelan said coldly as her Qi exploded outward, sending a chill down everyone’s spine, Xuan included.

Her Qi was simply overwhelming, but just slightly below the level of a Spirit Lord. It made him proud to see how much she had advanced.

Hua Lian, the one who was slightly shorter but held a longer sword, suddenly bowed.

"Madam, we didn’t kill the old man... When we came here, he was already dead," Hua Lian said.

"That’s right, madam... But we found something inside his mouth that might interest you," Huang Shuying chimed in.

She was the other shadow who had her wig on the wrong way, and her sword was sheathed into the back pocket of her skinny jeans, not the sheath.

Even so, Huang Shuying reached into her pocket and pulled out a strange black worm that was still wriggling.

"Ew..." Yuelan shivered.

But Xuan recognized the worm.

"You said you found it inside his mouth?" Xuan asked.

Huang Shuying nodded. "Indeed. His Dantian was also destroyed beyond repair. I’m not really sure what this thing is, though."

"It’s a blood parasite." Xuan grumbled, rubbing his temples. "It’s like loyalty insurance. Whoever has this thing can’t disobey the ones who put it inside them."

Yuelan approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, not saying a word.

Xuan slightly smiled at her in appreciation, then turned to Huang Shuying.

"You can crush that thing now," Xuan said, and Huang Shuying did just that.

With that, the shadows returned to their posts, and as for Xuan, he walked up to Hanbi’s bed and placed a hand over her forehead.

She was cold, likely still getting Mei Mei’s help. There were no signs of her waking up either, so he did what he could.

"Carefully take her off the mountain. We’ll meet up later."

"You heard him." Yuelan waved her hand. "Take her to the western camp and have her treated by the priestess."

The shadows both bowed, and then with gentle care, they picked Hanbi up by the arms and legs before vanishing out of sight.

A brief silence ensued, which was broken by Yuelan’s sigh.

"I’m sorry... I should have come here first."

Xuan shook his head. "It’s not your fault... He was a stubborn man. So stubborn that he didn’t listen to anything others had to say. I didn’t know him for long, but I know that whether it was me or you... He would have killed himself regardless."

I can only imagine what he had to go through with this cult... Xuan bowed in his direction, sending a prayer inwardly. I hope that, wherever you are, there is no more pain.

"Do you have any spare shadows?" Xuan asked.

Yuelan nodded. "A couple. Do you want me to bring his body down the mountain?"

"If you can," Xuan replied softly. "The least I can do is bury him. He’s always had a weird obsession with apples. Every dish he had given me had apples, so I want to bury him under an apple tree."

Yuelan smiled and, without saying another word, snapped her fingers. In the next instant, a shadow appeared and bowed.

"Yes, madam?"

"Take this man to the western camp," Yuelan instructed, pointing at Yinuo. "Be careful with his body. Make sure the healers preserve him until we arrive. Got it?"

"Yes, madam."

With a bow, the shadow grabbed Yinuo’s body and vanished from sight.

"Thanks," Xuan said.

Yuelan shook her head. "No need to thank me. This is the least I can do... But what do you say we actually go do some fighting? There are three really strong peeps here."

Xuan chuckled and then turned toward the ruined Grand Jade Temple. He gave her a nod and Void Stepped toward the fight.

She did the same, of course.

There were three fights going on at the moment.

The Spirit Grandmasters versus Lin Fei.

Chen Zemin versus Chen Shun.

And lastly, every single Spirit Master and below was eliminating the Demonic monks. Considering none of them were returning to life, Xuan was now completely certain there were many types of Demonic cultivators.

Aside from that, he decided to join the fight against Lin Fei.

However, when he arrived, he was met with a surprising sight.

Three Spirit Grandmasters were seriously injured, their Qi spilling out. As for the fourth Spirit Grandmaster, he no longer had an arm. That Spirit Grandmaster was none other than Huizhen.

As for Lin Fei, he had no injuries, but he was breathing heavily. Clearly, the poison earlier was effective.

Lin Fei spotted Xuan, and his fury exploded. His body flickered, closing the distance in an instant.

Xuan narrowed his eyes and activated his new skill, Time Ripple.

A pulse spread out from his body and enveloped Lin Fei from head to toe. Even if it was barely noticeable, Xuan was sure he had been slowed down slightly.

And so, right as Lin Fei was about to land a hit, Xuan narrowly evaded it and leaned down before striking Lin Fei in the jaw with his back heel.

Even though he had reinforced his jaw with Demonic Qi, two teeth had been knocked out.

Lin Fei’s fury grew by the moment, and even as the Spirit Grandmasters tried to intervene, they could not do anything or deal any damage.

"You will pay for this," Lin Fei growled. "You’ve made an enemy of the Grand Jade Temple."

"And you’ve made an enemy of the Azure Sky Sect," Yuelan’s voice cut through the chaos. Her steps were steady, each one pressing down with growing Qi pressure. "I was hoping to kill some demonic trash today. Didn’t expect to see someone like you."

Lin Fei’s gaze sharpened. "And you are?"

"Xiao Yuelan," she answered, her Qi surging until the ground cracked beneath her feet. "Sect master of the Azure Sky Sect. Successor to the Moonlight Goddess. If you think you can face me, try it."

Instead of replying, Lin Fei blinked in front of Yuelan, his fist covered in Demonic Qi. His Qi twisted the surroundings, and this by far was the strongest attack Xuan had seen in this world.

Yuelan’s expression did not change as she slowly drew her sword. She shifted her wrist, and then, at the moment of impact, she redirected the punch aside.

The ground split open under the force of a Spirit Lord’s attack, but despite that, Yuelan stood unscathed as the tip of her blade rested against Lin Fei’s throat.

"Hah..."

Yuelan held back a laugh, her grin widening.

"Get parried, you filthy casual."

CUT!