Chapter 4 - Chapter 19-29

The reason Lu Hange was able to firmly hold the position of Saint Child in the talent-rich Three Thousand Dao Sect, besides his heaven-defying cultivation talent, was also his tenacious and unyielding character.

Some people cultivate immortality by following the heavens.

Some people cultivate immortality by defying the heavens.

Clearly, the Three Thousand Dao Sect's philosophy of cultivation was the latter.

However, the disciples recruited by the Three Thousand Dao Sect were getting worse with each generation, having long forgotten the tenacity in their bones, leaving behind a group of soft-boned opportunists.

The entire scene was silent.

No one dared to be the first, but they were also reluctant to leave just like that.

After all, today's matter involved cultivation resources.

Without these pills, their cultivation speed would undoubtedly drop significantly.

Gradually, everyone's gaze shifted to Qiu Liu.

Qiu Liu was Lu Sheng's disciple, and also the Saint Child's most beloved junior sister. If Qiu Liu spoke, the Pill Hall Master wouldn't say much.

This was the benefit of having connections.

Sensing everyone's gaze, Qiu Liu's vanity exploded. She enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, and her face even flushed slightly with excitement.

Ye Feng also liked to show off.

But at this moment, he was preoccupied with the assassination matter, so he seemed a bit absent-minded.

Qiu Liu puffed out her ample chest and took a step forward. As her body swayed, the two large mounds on her chest swayed dazzlingly, and only then did everyone notice that Qiu Liu's attire today was exceptionally revealing and daring.

For a moment, sounds of swallowing could be heard.

Of course, many female cultivators also rolled their eyes, secretly cursing her as a vixen.

They envied the Saint Child!

On Qingyun Peak, there were two great beauties: one was his master, and the other was his junior sister.

He was truly blessed with female companionship!

Suddenly, everyone realized something was amiss.

It seemed that some gossip had spread a few days ago, saying that Elder Lu Sheng and Junior Sister Qiu Liu had no romantic interest in the Saint Child, but instead showered their affection on their little junior brother Ye Feng, having close contact with him.

Everyone cast envious glances at Ye Feng.

Embraced by two beauties!

Truly enviable!

However, everyone was wondering, in terms of looks, Ye Feng was not even one percent as handsome as the Saint Child. In terms of talent, ten Ye Fengs couldn't catch up to the Saint Child.

What exactly did Elder Lu Sheng and Junior Sister Qiu Liu see in Ye Feng?

Could it be that...

Beauties had rather unique tastes?

Just as everyone was lost in wild speculation, Qiu Liu coughed a few times. Just as she was about to speak, the next second, everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and then a shrill scream rang out.

It seemed something had flown past them...

Upon closer inspection, Qiu Liu was gone.

Only Ye Feng remained standing where he was.

However, Ye Feng was very flustered.

He hadn't even seen what happened just now, but the system in his body reminded him that it was Yao Fan, the Half-step Mahayana stage powerhouse, who had struck.

Yao Fan didn't even give Qiu Liu a chance to speak, directly slapping her away.

It wasn't until Qiu Liu's miserable screams echoed from afar that everyone looked back and roughly guessed what had happened. Yao Fan's slap had held back; otherwise, with one slap, Qiu Liu would have instantly exploded into a bloody mist.

"Go back and tell your master to speak."

Yao Fan's voice fell, and he said no more.

Seeing this, everyone felt like retreating.

Elder Yao Fan didn't even give Elder Lu Sheng face, let alone them...

Within the Three Thousand Dao Sect.

Very few people had higher cultivation than Lu Sheng.

But coincidentally, Yao Fan was one of them.

Perhaps within the Three Thousand Dao Sect, only two people could make Yao Fan sit down and speak calmly: one was the Sect Master, who was still in secluded cultivation, and the other was the whereabouts unknown Saint Child.

And now, neither the Sect Master nor the Saint Child was here, so today's matter was difficult.

Ye Feng stood awkwardly.

He couldn't move, nor could he stay still.

He was still in his growth stage.

Facing a Half-step Mahayana stage expert like Yao Fan, he could only play the role of a grandson.

The strange looks from the people around him also made Ye Feng extremely uncomfortable, as if he had eaten shit.

"Elder Yao, I..."

Ye Feng spoke through gritted teeth.

Clap!

Everyone saw it clearly this time.

Elder Yao did not appear in person, but merely conjured a hand from spiritual energy in the air and slapped Ye Feng away.

"You too, get lost."

"From now on, you and Qiu Liu are forbidden from coming to my Pill Hall. Otherwise, I will strike you every time I see you."

Involuntarily, the others felt fortunate.

They would only not receive pills this month; they could come again next month.

But Ye Feng and Qiu Liu were directly blacklisted from the Pill Hall. Not to mention next month, they might not even get pills next year.

Of course, it wasn't certain.

Without the Pill Hall, Ye Feng and Qiu Liu still had Lu Hange to help them refine pills.

It was just that no one knew what Ye Feng and Qiu Liu had done to provoke such a strong anger from the Pill Hall Master.

Everyone stopped speaking, bowing and leaving in twos and threes.

However, before leaving, everyone's gaze towards Ye Feng and Qiu Liu was no longer the previous envy and flattery, but visibly replaced by ridicule and sarcasm.

These gazes pierced into Ye Feng and Qiu Liu's hearts like needles.

For these two vain individuals, it was nothing less than torture!

Ye Feng's eyes turned red, and he almost couldn't control the demonic energy within his body, while Qiu Liu burst into tears, throwing a tantrum on the ground like a shrew.

Ye Feng was already irritated. Seeing Qiu Liu refuse to get up, he couldn't help but snap, "Enough! Are you done or not!"

In an instant, Qiu Liu was stunned.

Her always gentle junior brother actually yelled at her!

"Host, Qiu Liu's favorability has decreased by five points."

The system spoke.

Ye Feng didn't care at all.

He had already maxed out Qiu Liu's favorability; it was only a five-point drop, which wasn't a big deal.

Moreover, after seeing the Demon Fox yesterday, Ye Feng's mind was filled with the Demon Fox's enchanting face, slender waist, and jade-like feet. Looking at Qiu Liu now, he found her uninteresting, even a bit ugly.

Ye Feng took a deep breath, took one last look at the Pill Hall, and turned to leave.

Qiu Liu stared blankly at Ye Feng's retreating back, at a loss.

Ye Feng no longer needed to curry favor with Qiu Liu.

This woman's only remaining value was to satisfy his various needs in bed. Even if Ye Feng didn't comfort Qiu Liu, Qiu Liu would comfort herself and cling to him again, free of charge.

Chapter 20: And So, His Dao Heart Was Damaged?

Using medicine carried a certain risk!

Ye Feng didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary.

He had managed to use the system to raise Lu Sheng's favorability to eighty percent, and with just a little more time, he could max it out.

It would be too much of a loss if using medicine caused all his previous efforts to go to waste.

Originally, his plan was to have the Disciplinary Hall imprison Lu Hange in Sword Prison.

As long as Lu Hange was separated from Lu Sheng for a hundred years, he could brazenly show off his presence in front of Lu Sheng and increase her favorability.

By the time Lu Hange emerged from Sword Prison, he would have already conquered Lu Sheng, and their relationship would be set in stone.

He never expected that Lu Hange wouldn't be imprisoned in Sword Prison.

And Lu Sheng, feeling guilty, began to care for Lu Hange again.

"Damn it!"

"Lu Hange!"

"It's all because of you!"

Ye Feng pounded the table, a faint black demonic aura appearing on his usually well-hidden face.

Ye Feng was not of pure demon bloodline.

The demonic energy on his body was cultivated later.

Because of this, whenever his emotions fluctuated violently, the demonic energy would uncontrollably spill out of his body.

Everything had been going so smoothly before, so why did it suddenly become so difficult?

Ye Feng was utterly confused.

Where did things go wrong?

Just then, a graceful figure appeared inside the cave dwelling.

Ye Feng was first startled, but then he recognized the person and breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lady, was the assassination successful?"

Ye Feng asked eagerly.

As long as Lu Hange was dead, everything else would be easy to handle.

The Demon Fox looked at Ye Feng with cold eyes, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Ye Feng's heart sank.

A very bad premonition arose in his heart.

It didn't succeed?

Impossible!

The Demon Fox was an Integration stage powerhouse.

Or could it be...

The Demon Fox didn't find Lu Hange?

Ye Feng was about to ask when, the next second, he found himself suspended in mid-air, a cold hand tightly clutching his neck.

Endless demonic energy surged from the Demon Fox's body, tearing at Ye Feng's flesh and even corroding his soul. Screams echoed throughout the cave dwelling.

However, Ye Feng had done an excellent job with the secrecy of his cave dwelling.

Various intricate formations not only blocked the leakage of demonic energy but also muffled Ye Feng's screams.

People outside had no idea what was happening inside the cave dwelling.

"Why did you harm me?"

The Demon Fox spoke coldly.

In an instant, Ye Feng was stunned.

When had he ever harmed the Demon Fox?

He wanted to explain, but he had no chance to speak at all.

Of course, he couldn't resist the Demon Fox either.

Even though he had the system and the Heavenly Dao's blessing, he couldn't possibly defeat the Demon Fox. The difference in their realms was simply too vast.

However, conversely, it was also impossible for the Demon Fox to kill him.

He was, after all, the son of the Heavenly Dao.

The luck of this world revolved around Ye Feng.

Once the Demon Fox harbored murderous intent towards him, the Heavenly Dao would intervene.

Currently, the Heavenly Dao had not intervened.

This meant that the Demon Fox was merely angry, but not to the extent of wanting to kill him.

"That b*tch Lu Sheng was secretly protecting Lu Hange, and you actually incited me to assassinate Lu Hange. It seems you really wish me dead!" The Demon Fox's words were like a heavy hammer striking Ye Feng's heart.

"Not of my race, their hearts must be different!"

"Mo Ke befriended the wrong person, he befriended a white-eyed wolf."

The Demon Fox's demonic energy continued to rage.

However, she was very careful with her strikes.

She could make Ye Feng feel bone-deep pain, but she wouldn't injure his life.

She actually really wanted to kill Ye Feng directly.

But Lu Hange wouldn't let her kill him.

She could ignore others' words, but she would definitely listen to Lu Hange's.

And everything that happened before him was naturally a play that Lu Hange had asked the Demon Fox to perform.

Ye Feng was greatly alarmed, and at the same time, a surge of brutal anger rose within him.

However, this anger was not directed at the Demon Fox, but at Lu Sheng.

He had always thought that Lu Sheng had been hiding in the Scripture Pavilion for the past few days, not coming out. He never expected that she had been secretly protecting Lu Hange herself. This feeling was like catching his wife cheating on him.

To make the act more convincing, the Demon Fox deliberately let her demonic energy run wild, with faint icy blue traces subtly mixed in the black demonic energy, causing her face to grow paler, looking like she was still injured.

Seeing this, Ye Feng's suspicion completely vanished.

This icy blue chill was clearly the residual spiritual energy of Lu Sheng.

That b*tch Lu Sheng!

On the surface, she stayed in the Scripture Pavilion, but in reality, she was secretly protecting Lu Hange.

Fortunately, he didn't personally assassinate Lu Hange, otherwise his image as the kind and righteous junior brother would have completely collapsed.

"My... Lady, I... was unaware."

Ye Feng spat out a sentence through gritted teeth.

The Demon Fox, of course, knew he was unaware.

Because she had simply made it all up.

Suddenly, the Demon Fox snatched Ye Feng's storage ring.

With her Integration stage cultivation, forcibly opening Ye Feng's storage ring was as easy as flipping her hand.

In just the blink of an eye, countless natural treasures and cultivation techniques were thrown out of the storage ring.

It had to be said, Ye Feng had a truly extensive collection.

The contents of his storage ring almost filled the entire cave dwelling.

Ye Feng immediately became anxious.

His storage ring contained many good things, even the dual cultivation technique given by the system was inside.

But he couldn't break free from the Demon Fox's restraints, so he could only watch helplessly as his treasures were discarded like trash.

"This green tea man is really rich."

The Demon Fox clicked her tongue in wonder.

The storage rings of ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivators didn't contain as many things as Ye Feng's collection.

Crucially, many of the items were very valuable.

Even she, an Integration stage cultivator, couldn't help but feel tempted.

The Demon Fox swallowed, suppressing the urge in her heart. Lu Hange's instructions had not yet been completed. After a quick glance, the Demon Fox picked out the Demonic Heart: "You are not worthy to be a friend of my demon race. I am reclaiming this Demonic Heart."

Ye Feng was frantic, squirming in the Demon Fox's hand like a maggot.

He couldn't lose the Demonic Heart!

The foundation of his demonic cultivation was this Demonic Heart. If he lost this heart, how would he cultivate demonic energy in the future!

This was equivalent to cutting off his path of cultivation.

Could it be that... he would have to solely pursue body cultivation?

"My Lady."

"This heart was given to me by Brother Mo Ke, you cannot take it."

Ye Feng tried to snatch it back.

The next second, both his arms were severed.

Blood splattered everywhere!

The entire cave dwelling was drenched in Ye Feng's blood, a very gruesome sight.

"I am the Demon Emperor's concubine, Mo Ke's second mother. Do you think Mo Ke would dare say anything if I reclaimed a Demonic Heart?!"

"You didn't even mention it, but when I return to the demon race, I will definitely tell the Demon Emperor to rein in his good son and stop him from making bad friends."

Ye Feng was furious but dared not speak.

Who told the Demon Fox to be the Demon Emperor's concubine!

With that connection, he didn't even dare to speak harsh words, only groaning in pain.

However, Ye Feng's Dao Heart was somewhat shattered.

From birth until now, he had never suffered such a great setback and humiliation. This had a tremendous impact on his state of mind, causing his Golden Core to show signs of damage, and his Golden Core stage cultivation plummeted at a visible speed.

Chapter 21: In This Life, There Are Still Those I Care About

Oh, heavens above!

Why are you so unfair to me!

Ye Feng couldn't hold back the sorrow in his heart and cried out in agony. He was clearly the son of the Heavenly Dao, yet he was being dealt with like a grandson…

At this moment, Ye Feng longed for Qiu Liu's kindness.

The Demon Fox paid no mind to these minor matters.

"Snow Lotus Three-Color Flower, taken."

"Red Dragon Root, highly nourishing, taken."

"Enlightenment Meditation Mat, good stuff, taken."

...

The Demon Fox was like a bandit on a shopping spree; anything good she laid her eyes on, she didn't leave for Ye Feng.

Ye Feng had no words for his suffering.

Bandit!

An outright bandit!

These were all things he had painstakingly accumulated points for and exchanged from the system, just for his future cultivation breakthroughs. Now, they were all gone...

The Demon Fox wasn't greedy; she only took a few dozen items before stopping. She only took natural treasures. As for cultivation techniques, she wasn't interested. After all, she was already at the Integration stage, and her cultivation method was long fixed. Moreover, her identity was special—a demonic beast cultivating demonic energy, so very few cultivation methods were suitable for her.

Seeing this, Ye Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. If she kept plundering, he wouldn't even have his underpants left.

The next second, the Demon Fox picked up a cultivation manual and began to read it. Ye Feng wanted to say something, but remembering the Demon Fox's ferocity, he obediently shut his mouth.

A moment later, the Demon Fox's face turned crimson. She closed the manual in her hand: "At such a young age, you're not learning good things, constantly thinking of crooked paths. You even have such an immoral dual cultivation technique. I'll confiscate it on behalf of your master."

Ye Feng didn't know what to say. When it came to crooked paths, who could compare to the demonic race! Besides, dual cultivation techniques had existed since ancient times. Outside, there was even the Joyful Union Sect, famous specifically for its dual cultivation methods. Human cultivators could tolerate the existence of the Joyful Union Sect, so why was a demon like her blushing like a teapot!

Having finished everything, the Demon Fox looked at Ye Feng again: "This time, for Mo Ke's sake, I won't kill you. Don't ever say you're a friend of the demonic race again."

As her voice fell, the Demon Fox instantly vanished. The cave dwelling returned to silence.

On the other side, after leaving Ye Feng's cave dwelling, the Demon Fox didn't immediately escape the Three Thousand Dao Sect. Instead, she pulled out the dual cultivation manual and began to read it with delight.

"Wow! There are even positions like this!"

"Clothes can be worn this way?"

"The illustrations in this technique are completely erotic, not proper at all."

"Hehehe, so good to look at."

Undoubtedly, a pervert!

However, what the Demon Fox was thinking was when she would get a chance to dual cultivate with Lu Hange. She had been craving Lu Hange's looks and body since many years ago, even before she transformed into human form. Moreover, she had read in some mortal stories that men liked married women. She was now the Demon Emperor's concubine, a proper "married woman" physique. Surely she could utterly charm that dog-man Lu Hange!

For some reason, just imagining herself and Lu Hange entangled in bed, and incidentally putting cuckold horns on the Demon Emperor, made her legs tremble with excitement.

No! Strange fetishes are about to awaken!

Inside the wooden house, Lu Hange's hand, flipping through a book, paused slightly. When he looked up again, a familiar, exquisite face appeared before him.

"You're back so soon?" Lu Hange was a little surprised. Logically, Ye Feng should have stayed in the Pill Hall for a long time. And the matter Lu Hange had entrusted to the Demon Fox would also be delayed accordingly.

Lu Hange poured the Demon Fox a cup of water, a little confused: "Why is your face so red?"

Hearing this, the Demon Fox quickly rubbed her face, speaking defiantly: "Nonsense! My face has always been like this! Where's it red!"

Lu Hange chuckled wryly. This little fox had a hard mouth!

The Demon Fox pulled out a pile of items from her storage ring and placed them on the table: "These are all things I snatched from Ye Feng. They're all yours now."

Lu Hange glanced at the natural treasures on the table, not very interested. He wasn't short on medicinal herbs. Furthermore, even if he was, a trip to the Pill Hall would get him everything he needed. Elder Yao Fan's stock was so abundant it made people envious. Lu Hange had been fortunate enough to see Elder Yao Fan's inventory once and almost couldn't resist kneeling on the spot to ask for apprenticeship.

"Keep these things," he said. "They're not very useful to me."

What Lu Hange lacked most now wasn't medicinal herbs, but something that could replace meridians. He needed the ability to protect himself.

Of course, poisoning was also a form of self-preservation. But for highly vigilant cultivators, the success rate of poisoning was not high, and the risk of failure was great.

The Demon Fox pouted. "Here, what you wanted." A black heart flew out.

Lu Hange reached out and caught the Demonic Heart, the joy in his eyes clearly visible. He finally had it. For now, the Demonic Heart was the most suitable treasure for Lu Hange. This heart could temporarily replace the function of meridians and spiritual energy, allowing Lu Hange to cultivate for a short period. However, Lu Hange wasn't quite sure if his Immortal Gaze Scripture could be operated with demonic energy. When Lu Hange created the Immortal Gaze Scripture, he only considered the possibility of operating it with spiritual energy, not the feasibility of demonic energy.

"Little fox, thank you." Lu Hange thanked her from the bottom of his heart. Honestly, the Demon Fox didn't have to help him. In fact, if the Demon Fox hadn't come to the Three Thousand Dao Sect, Lu Hange wouldn't have even remembered he had the Demon Fox as a contracted beast. After so many years apart, the Demon Fox was still willing to help him unconditionally, which deeply moved Lu Hange.

The Demon Fox proudly raised her chin. However, judging by the curve of her lips, she was clearly overjoyed.

"You should leave." Lu Hange put the Demonic Heart into his storage ring. The Demon Fox's happy face immediately fell: "Are you that eager to make me leave?!"

Lu Hange gently stroked the Demon Fox's head, his tone gentle: "The longer you stay in the Three Thousand Dao Sect, the more dangerous it becomes. When I come out of Sword Prison, I'll come find you."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Fox's expression softened.

"What's so great about Sword Prison!"

"Come with me to the demon race; I have a way for you to cultivate again." The Demon Fox put her hands on her hips, very confident.

Lu Hange's eyes turned cold: "Entering Sword Prison to cultivate anew is only one of my goals. The reason I'm staying in the Three Thousand Dao Sect is because there are still some people I haven't killed. If I don't kill them, I won't find peace."

The Demon Fox snorted but said no more. She knew that even if she offered to help him kill, Lu Hange wouldn't let her stay. Lu Hange always preferred to handle his own affairs and didn't like to trouble others.

"You promised! You'll come find me after Sword Prison!"

"If you lie to me, I'll sneak back into the Three Thousand Dao Sect and tie you up and take you to the demon race."

The Demon Fox slowly hugged Lu Hange, burying her small face in his chest. This scent made her feel safe. Through countless nights of deceit and trickery, only this chest could allow her to sleep peacefully.

Lu Hange gently patted the Demon Fox's back. This little fox was as clingy as ever.

Lu Hange felt content. In this life, his heart was enveloped by hatred, but he wouldn't fall into the endless path of slaughter, because in this world, there were people he cared about.

Chapter 22: Why Were You Beaten Again?

By the time the Demon Fox left, the sun was already setting. The little fox had lingered for a long time before reluctantly departing.

After seeing off the Demon Fox, Lu Hange returned to his wooden house and dumped all the natural treasures from the table into his storage ring. Originally, Lu Hange didn't plan to keep them. He only needed the Demonic Heart. But the Demon Fox didn't value them either; after all, whatever natural treasures she wanted, the demon race's treasury surely had them.

"The Demonic Heart is in hand."

"I can try cultivating now." Lu Hange's eyes flickered slightly. The Demonic Heart had many uses.

In his previous life, Lu Hange had repeatedly pushed Ye Feng to the brink, but Ye Feng, relying on the luck of the Heavenly Dao and the Demonic Heart, always found a glimmer of hope in despair.

The luck of the Heavenly Dao was undeniable. After all, Ye Feng was the protagonist. Blessed with luck! Favored by the Heavenly Dao! A life of cheats needed no explanation. Even if Lu Hange wanted to snatch this heaven-defying luck, he had no way of doing so, unless he could kill the Heavenly Dao one day.

However, this Demonic Heart was an external object. Lu Hange meticulously examined the Demonic Heart in his hand, and a hint of madness gradually surged in his calm eyes. Without the Demonic Heart, he wondered how Ye Feng's cultivation path would proceed! He wanted to slowly torture Ye Feng to death! In Lu Hange's heart, Ye Feng was nothing less than a perfect stepping stone.

Of course, there was another reason. Lu Hange needed to use Ye Feng to access the Heavenly Dao of this world. To truly become an immortal, he had to kill the Heavenly Dao! This was something Lu Hange only understood on his deathbed in his previous life. This world was like a nutrient farm cultivated by the Heavenly Dao solely for Ye Feng. Everything and everyone existing in this world would ultimately serve Ye Feng's ascension to immortality. This included Lu Hange.

The truly terrifying one wasn't Ye Feng. Without the blessing of luck and the help of the system, Lu Hange could crush a large group of trash like Ye Feng with one hand. The terrifying one was the Heavenly Dao. If the Heavenly Dao didn't die, becoming an immortal was merely a fantasy!

Lu Hange had a very strong sense of crisis in his heart. He wasn't sure why he was able to be reborn, nor did he know if the Heavenly Dao of this world was aware of his rebirth, so he had to race against time.

"Demonic energy infusion." The black heart pulsed. The catalyst to activate the Demonic Heart was demonic energy. But at this moment, Lu Hange had no spiritual energy or demonic energy on him.

The heavens and earth suddenly trembled. The grand sound of the Great Dao, a low murmur, arose. The benevolence of Confucianism, the joyless detachment of Buddhism, the natural harmony of Daoism, the chivalrous spirit of swordsmen, the resonance with medicine of pharmacists...

What is the Three Thousand Great Daos! Three thousand is not a precise number, but an approximation. To Lu Hange, the Three Thousand Great Daos all converged in his heart. Apart from a few of the most astonishing ancestors since the founding of the Three Thousand Dao Sect, Lu Hange was the most profound and enlightened genius in the Three Thousand Great Daos. This was terrifying talent! Even without spiritual energy or demonic power, Lu Hange could rely on his comprehension of the Great Dao to trigger a resonance with heaven and earth, using the power of the Great Dao to activate the Demonic Heart before him. In this aspect alone, Ye Feng was far inferior.

Under the resonance of the Great Dao, invisible ripples spread throughout the wooden house, and the Demonic Heart's beating grew stronger.

Seeing this, Lu Hange frowned slightly. He had no cultivation now. And outside, there were still guards left by Lin Xing. If he didn't conceal the Demonic Heart's heartbeat and the ripples of the Great Dao, he might be discovered.

The Great Dao ripples were minor. After all, the entire Three Thousand Dao Sect knew of Lu Hange's talent in the Three Thousand Great Daos. The key was the Demonic Heart. If this were discovered, it would cause no small trouble.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Hange rummaged through his storage ring. Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, there was naturally also comprehension of talismans, but Lu Hange hadn't delved deeply into this area; at most, it was a superficial understanding. When he was bored previously, he had made some simple talismans, such as invisibility talismans, spiritual gathering talismans, and so on.

"I should have made a barrier talisman." Lu Hange recalled.

The next second, he slapped his forehead. "My own storage ring was already returned to Lu Sheng; all those little trinkets I made before were in there." His current storage ring was given to him by Yao Fan. Besides some medicinal herbs and the pills he refined himself, there was nothing else.

Thinking of this, Lu Hange put the Demonic Heart back into his storage ring. He couldn't cultivate now! At least, not in front of the guards outside. Lu Hange tidied up his wooden house simply, then refilled it with fragrance before pushing open the door and leaving with satisfaction. This time, he still didn't lock the door.

The safest place in the Three Thousand Dao Sect was the Pill Hall. Moreover, the Pill Hall's alchemy rooms naturally had a barrier effect; cultivating inside there, no one outside would notice.

The guards hidden in the shadows of the wooden house watched Lu Hange walk away, their eyes somewhat puzzled. This Saint Child, who had lost all his cultivation, seemed to go out very frequently. What was a cripple who couldn't cultivate always running around for?

"Old Wang, let's go! To the Drunken Dream Tower!" A guard called out. Their task was to protect Lu Hange. But in the Three Thousand Dao Sect, what danger could Lu Hange encounter?! Instead of wasting time here, it was better to enjoy themselves at the Drunken Dream Tower at the foot of the mountain. Anyway, they didn't need to spend money; they, as cultivators, always got services for free at brothels. Paying was out of the question.

"I'm not going!"

"The scent of rouge from yesterday hasn't dispersed yet." Old Wang waved his hand. A woman's body was made of water. And the women in brothels, their bodies were made of the sea. As a cultivator, even if he didn't specialize in body cultivation, with the nourishment of spiritual energy, his body was certainly much stronger than a mortal's. Even so, he still felt that those little seductresses at the Drunken Dream Tower were a bit much to handle.

Another guard scoffed: "Are you impotent?"

Old Wang immediately raged: "Nonsense!"

The accompanying guard leaned in lewdly: "I heard the Drunken Dream Tower got a new batch of virgins today, advertised as 'pure courtesans.' Really no interest?"

Upon hearing this, Old Wang felt conflicted. On one side was his health, on the other was the temptation of beauty.

"Let's go take a look, then." Old Wang chuckled slyly.

The two exchanged glances, their lewdness almost written on their faces. As for the so-called "pure courtesans," who only performed arts but didn't sell their bodies, this might be believable for mortal men, but they were cultivators, and disciples of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. The women in those brothels, knowing their identities, would be eager to strip naked and climb into their beds the next second.

The two walked off, arms slung over each other's shoulders, chatting and laughing.

...

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Sheng looked at Qiu Liu's pig-like swollen face, confused.

"Liu'er, what happened to you?" Lu Sheng put down the ancient book in her hand. Just a few days ago, she had been beaten into a pig's head by Lin Xing, and it had taken great effort and natural treasures to reduce the swelling and restore her original appearance. How had she become a pig's head again today?

The next second, Qiu Liu cried sadly: "Master, I was beaten!"

Lu Sheng was a little helpless. I'm not blind, I can see you were beaten. But the person who struck her was truly ruthless. Qiu Liu's face was so swollen that only those close to her would recognize her. Fortunately, the elder guarding the Scripture Pavilion recognized Qiu Liu's aura, otherwise she wouldn't even have been able to enter.

Chapter 23: Good Dogs Don't Block the Way

Qiu Liu recounted the events in detail. Actually, what made her most sad wasn't being slapped by Yao Fan. It was Ye Feng's attitude towards her. Her always kind and gentle junior brother had actually yelled at her, and even abandoned her, leaving on his own. This made Qiu Liu feel very distressed!

Lu Sheng gently patted Qiu Liu's back, comforting her: "Xiao Feng is a child with very strong self-esteem. Being slapped and reprimanded in front of so many fellow disciples, he was inevitably unhappy and didn't intentionally yell at you."

Qiu Liu sobbed softly.

It must be said, this thing called "favorability" was truly amazing. After Lu Sheng's divine explanation, Qiu Liu's favorability towards Ye Feng once again soared to maximum, and she even felt a hint of guilt towards Ye Feng.

That's right! Junior brother had such strong self-esteem. He must have felt bad! She shouldn't blame him; instead, she should understand and comfort him.

Honestly, when it came to self-manipulation, Qiu Liu was definitely the first person in history.

"Master, I'll go comfort junior brother right away." Qiu Liu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Before, she had felt a slight dissatisfaction with Ye Feng, but now it was all guilt and self-reproach.

Lu Sheng was very pleased, but then her expression dimmed. If Hange could only be as sensible as Qiu Liu, why would things have come to this point today!

"Master, what about the pills?" Qiu Liu was unwilling to give up. She had many pills in her hand. They were all pills Lu Hange had refined for her before, more than she could ever consume. But today, she hadn't gotten any pills and had been reprimanded, which made her feel very angry. She felt as if her possessions had been embezzled.

Hearing this, Lu Sheng pondered for a moment: "I'll go to the Pill Hall to check."

Qiu Liu obediently hummed. However, she tugged at her sleeve, unwilling to leave.

Seeing this, Lu Sheng dotingly ruffled Qiu Liu's hair: "Just go to my cave dwelling and get a few natural treasures."

"Thank you, Master!" Qiu Liu then left contentedly.

Actually, Lu Sheng was the most protective person in the Three Thousand Dao Sect. Before Ye Feng joined, she had been exceptionally fond of both Lu Hange and Qiu Liu. But ever since Ye Feng became her disciple, Lu Hange had become invisible. While this was certainly influenced by the system's favorability, ultimately, Lu Sheng had indeed reduced her concern for Lu Hange. Lu Hange was the Saint Child. In her heart, Lu Hange lacked nothing, so she naturally lessened her attention towards him.

Conversely, Qiu Liu and Ye Feng, who were not as talented, needed her as their master's support in both life and cultivation.

"This matter must be related to Hange." Lu Sheng realized in her heart. Yao Fan and Lu Hange had a very good relationship. Many elders and disciples of the Three Thousand Dao Sect said that Yao Fan was Lu Hange's true master. Now that Lu Hange's cultivation was completely gone, this matter might be hidden from ordinary disciples, but it certainly couldn't be hidden from Yao Fan. With Yao Fan's temper, he must be acting out for Lu Hange's sake.

With this thought, Lu Sheng put down the ancient book in her hand, and her figure instantly vanished, leaving only a lingering fragrance and the warm remnants of the book.

Inside the Pill Hall, a young alchemist apprentice was sweeping the floor. There were actually quite a few alchemists in the Pill Hall, but due to poor harvests from the medicinal fields, most alchemists had left the sect to search for herbs outside. Because of this, the Pill Hall seemed a bit deserted.

"Where's Elder Yao?" Suddenly, a clear voice echoed through the Pill Hall.

The young alchemist apprentice was startled, and when he looked up, a beautiful figure in a long, crimson robe came into view. A hint of infatuation flashed in the young alchemist apprentice's eyes, but he quickly reined it in, appearing exceptionally respectful: "Elder Lu, the Hall Master is in seclusion and is not seeing anyone for now."

Seclusion? Lu Sheng's beautiful eyes twitched slightly. Yao Fan was already at the Half-step Mahayana stage; if he went into seclusion again, wouldn't he be breaking through to the Mahayana stage?

"That's good news."

"Congratulations, Elder Yao." Lu Sheng's expression was calm. Yao Fan had lived for nearly ten thousand years and had only just touched the threshold of the Mahayana stage, while she had only lived for two thousand years and was already at the perfected Integration stage. In terms of talent, she was stronger than Yao Fan.

"I'd like to ask about today's pill distribution."

"If Elder Yao is inconvenienced by seclusion, could the pills be distributed first?" Lu Sheng also felt that the Pill Hall must have pills, and Yao Fan simply didn't want to distribute them.

In reality, the Pill Hall truly didn't have many pills. Most of the pills were refined by Lu Hange, and they were all in Lu Hange's hands.

The young alchemist apprentice was in a difficult position: "Elder Lu, please forgive me, the Pill Hall truly has no pills to distribute."

Hearing this, Lu Sheng frowned. "The Pill Hall of my Three Thousand Dao Sect would lack pills? Wouldn't that make others laugh?"

The young alchemist apprentice gave a sheepish smile. When he didn't know how to answer, pretending to be foolish was enough. Anyway, he was just a small alchemist apprentice; Lu Sheng wouldn't make things difficult for him.

Lu Sheng was silent for a moment. The young alchemist apprentice felt anxious. After all, Lu Sheng was a mighty cultivator at the Integration stage. The thoughts of such powerful individuals were the hardest to fathom.

Lu Sheng said softly: "Since Elder Yao is in seclusion, I won't linger. However, please inform Elder Yao that distributing pills is the Pill Hall's duty. If they are not distributed today, the Sect Master might be displeased when he comes out of seclusion." This was both a reminder and a warning. She knew in her heart that Yao Fan wasn't afraid of her. A Half-step Mahayana stage cultivator combined with a top-tier Eighth-grade alchemist. With these two identities, Yao Fan had no need to give her face.

Within the Three Thousand Dao Sect, only the Sect Master could make Yao Fan sit down and talk properly. Lu Sheng turned to leave.

Just then, the door to an alchemy room slowly opened. Lu Hange walked out of the alchemy room, coughing, his clothes full of holes, and his hair exploded into a hedgehog: "Refining high-grade pills without spiritual energy is still a bit difficult."

The three elements of alchemy: medicinal herbs, pill fire, and spiritual power. Medicinal herbs were the foundation, suitable pill fire could increase the success rate, and spiritual power... was used to control the heat of the pill fire. In alchemy, spiritual energy was an optional existence. If an alchemist's spiritual power was strong enough, the auxiliary effect of spiritual energy could be ignored. Lu Hange was an eighth-grade alchemist, so his spiritual power was naturally strong. However, shattering his Nascent Soul had affected Lu Hange's spiritual power, so refining high-grade pills greatly required the assistance of spiritual energy. But Lu Hange had no spiritual energy.

After much thought, Lu Hange had a wild idea. Since demonic energy could replace spiritual energy for cultivation, could demonic energy also replace spiritual energy for alchemy? Lu Hange was like someone who had discovered a new continent, constantly trying to refine pills with demonic energy, but the result was obvious: the furnace exploded.

"Demonic energy is too overbearing."

"It devours the vitality of the medicinal herbs the moment it comes into contact with them."

"This is the key to the explosions." Lu Hange understood the problem. But how to solve it was a challenge.

Lu Hange walked out of the alchemy room, ready to grab some dinner and continue pondering. He felt that refining pills with demonic energy was feasible, but no one had tried it before.

The young alchemist apprentice respectfully called out: "Saint Child." Lu Hange ignored him.

The next second, a familiar figure blocked his path. In an instant, Lu Hange's eyes turned extremely cold: "Get out of the way."

The young alchemist apprentice broke out in a cold sweat. Oh my! The Saint Child was too bold. He even dared to curse his own master...

Chapter 24: A Single Thought, A Single World; A Single Blade of Grass, A Single Wither

"Hange, I am your master!" Lu Sheng's face was ashen.

"Even if you were an animal, if you blocked my way, I'd still curse you." Lu Hange's eyes flickered with killing intent. It was simply that he currently lacked the ability to kill Lu Sheng; otherwise, he would have acted already, why waste words!

For a moment, the Pill Hall's main hall was silent. The young alchemist apprentice's mouth gaped in horror, staring blankly at Lu Hange. Saint Child... you're trying to rebel!

Even if Lu Sheng wasn't his master, she was still a powerhouse at the perfected Integration stage. Was it appropriate to speak to her like that? The Three Thousand Dao Sect was a righteous sect.

The sect placed the highest importance on reputation. And Lu Hange's actions at this moment were already considered rebellious and against human decency. If this got out and other elders and the Sect Master found out, Lu Hange would definitely face severe punishment.

"Gotta run." The young alchemist apprentice wanted to leave. This situation was not something a mere Pill Hall apprentice could get involved in.

The next second, the young alchemist apprentice's legs went soft, and he knelt directly on the ground. Lu Sheng's terrifying aura permeated the entire Pill Hall, and layers of icy blue crystals spread from her feet. In just a few breaths, the entire Pill Hall was frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Is this how I usually teach you to respect your master and the Dao?!"

"Look at you now, completely devoid of a Saint Child's demeanor. You're not just shaming the Three Thousand Dao Sect, you're shaming me."

"You've disappointed me greatly!"

Lu Sheng's crimson robe was covered in ice crystals. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly. Lu Hange's body was also covered in patches of frost.

Lu Hange casually pulled out a fiery red pill from his storage ring and swallowed it. The extreme bone-chilling cold on his body instantly eased considerably. It had to be said that a perfected Integration stage powerhouse was indeed terrifying. But Lu Hange was not flustered in the slightest.

"Elder Lu, if I'm not mistaken, we severed our master-disciple relationship a few days ago. You are not my master now, so what right do you have to lecture me here?"

"And one more thing."

"You've never actually taught me anything, so don't try to glorify yourself." Lu Hange sneered.

Upon hearing this, Lu Sheng's aura froze for a moment. She wanted to retort but found that what Lu Hange said seemed to be true. She really hadn't taught Lu Hange much. She wasn't very good at teaching. When Lu Hange was first brought into the Three Thousand Dao Sect by her, she tried to personally guide him in cultivation, but later found that her guidance was less effective than Lu Hange's self-study. Lu Sheng simply stopped interfering with Lu Hange's cultivation, at most giving verbal instructions. Even Qiu Liu's cultivation was handled by Lu Hange.

It could be said that Lu Sheng's only kindness to Lu Hange was bringing him back to the Three Thousand Dao Sect from a ruined place more than twenty years ago. Other than that, Lu Hange owed her, Lu Sheng, nothing.

Perhaps out of a slight twinge of guilt, Lu Sheng slightly reined in her icy aura, and her tone softened considerably: "We've been master and disciple for over twenty years; how can it be severed just like that!"

"I know you harbor resentment, but now that your cultivation is gone, where else can you go if you leave Qingyun Peak!"

Not far away, the young alchemist apprentice's expression grew even more vacant.

Holy cow! An earth-shattering secret! The Saint Child had lost his cultivation!!!! He had noticed earlier that Lu Hange had no spiritual energy aura, and thought Lu Hange had some treasure that concealed his aura. He never expected that his cultivation was gone. Didn't that mean that the Saint Child of the Three Thousand Dao Sect was a mortal...

The Three Thousand Dao Sect was about to change. No sect would allow a mortal without cultivation to hold the position of Saint Child or Saintess. The position of Saint Child was about to change hands.

Thinking of this, the young alchemist apprentice cautiously raised his head and glanced at Lu Hange. What exactly happened! How did the Saint Child lose his cultivation?

However, the young alchemist apprentice still respected Lu Hange greatly. Even if Lu Hange were later stripped of his Saint Child status, the title of Eighth-grade alchemist could not be erased. This was a senior worthy of respect for all alchemists.

"Are you blind?" Lu Hange looked at Lu Sheng with an idiot's gaze. In an instant, Lu Sheng's anger flared up again.

"Didn't you see I was perfectly fine staying in the Pill Hall?"

"The Pill Hall is a million times more comfortable than Qingyun Peak." Lu Hange truly felt that Lu Sheng's brain had been kicked by a donkey. No, wait! It was everyone on Qingyun Peak whose brains had been kicked by a donkey. Ye Feng appeared scheming and calculative on the surface, but in reality, he was an extremely arrogant person, always feeling that everything was under his control. Qiu Liu, needless to say, if her brain were scooped out and weighed, a pig's would be heavier by two ounces. Lu Sheng used to be fine, but after spending a long time with Ye Feng and Qiu Liu, her intelligence also showed signs of degradation.

All three of them were idiots!

Oh, no! Lu Hange just remembered. He seemed to have another junior sister. However, this junior sister was absent from the Three Thousand Dao Sect for many years; it was said that she had a special physique and needed to stay in a specific environment to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage before returning. Lu Hange didn't have much of an impression of this junior sister, having only met her once. However, according to his memories from his previous life, this junior sister whom he had only met once seemed to have died young, perishing outside before even cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage and leaving seclusion.

Involuntarily, Lu Hange felt a bit envious of this junior sister. Cultivating outside was much better than staying in the Three Thousand Dao Sect and facing three idiots.

"Hange, we've known each other for over twenty years."

"I brought you to the Three Thousand Dao Sect and helped you embark on the path of cultivation."

"You were also the first disciple I took."

"How could you bear to sever our master-disciple relationship!"

Lu Sheng was very confident. She felt that Lu Hange's Dao Heart had issues, leading to a drastic change in his thoughts and behavior. As long as Lu Hange's Dao Heart was repaired, everything would return to normal. As for re-forming a Nascent Soul, she couldn't think of a way for now. If push came to shove, she could let Lu Hange cultivate his body and become a body cultivator. Although the cultivation process would be tougher, it was still better than being a mortal without cultivation.

Lu Hange sighed. He was wrong! He shouldn't have wasted time on such an idiot. If he stayed any longer, Lu Sheng's amniotic fluid would almost be filling her brain.

Thinking of this, Lu Hange simply turned and walked away.

"Come back to Qingyun Peak with me!" Lu Sheng waved her hand, trying to grab Lu Hange's arm.

The next second, the ice crystals in the Pill Hall melted quickly into puddles of water, like winter snowflakes meeting the scorching sun. Immediately after, countless vibrant blades of grass flourished within the Pill Hall. Even... green branches grew from Lu Sheng's body.

Ice and snow melted. All things revived. For top alchemists, a light touch of a finger could create a green world, and a wave of the hand could bring forth endless vibrant life.

But such a world of rampant growth required sufficient nourishment. And the spiritual energy in a cultivator's body was the best fertilizer. Lu Sheng's face was grim. She felt as if roots and green sprouts had grown in her meridians, frantically devouring her spiritual energy.

"A single thought, a single world."

"A single blade of grass, a single wither."

"The Great Creation Scripture of the Medicine King Hall." This was the cultivation method Yao Fan practiced. Every blade of grass that grew from the ground could revive living bone and blood, but every blade of grass could also devour living bone and blood clean. However, Lu Sheng could sense that Yao Fan's aura was still at the Half-step Mahayana stage.

Lu Hange's expression was calm. What a joke! In the Pill Hall, Yao Fan was the boss.

Chapter 25: The Truth Revealed

The young alchemist apprentice nearby was about to pee his pants in fright. When immortals fight, mortals suffer. In front of cultivators at the Integration and Mahayana stages, 99.99% of cultivators were considered "mortals." Moreover, he was just an alchemist apprentice. He couldn't even be considered a proper alchemist. If he died under the residual power of these big shots, he would have no place to seek justice.

Fortunately! The Hall Master had awakened. The young alchemist apprentice felt like he had saved his life.

"Lu Hange is a person of my Pill Hall."

"Today, you cannot take him away." Grass and trees grew. A figure walked out from the lush greenery.

Lu Hange's eyes narrowed slightly. Yao Fan's condition wasn't good. It had only been a few days since they last met, yet the death qi on Yao Fan's body had grown denser, as if he could pass away at any moment. However, Yao Fan concealed the death qi very well. Only Lu Hange, also an eighth-grade alchemist, could detect the surge of death qi; even an Integration stage cultivator like Lu Sheng hadn't noticed it.

Lu Hange looked at Yao Fan worriedly. Although Lu Hange knew Yao Fan had little lifespan left, he didn't expect the situation to be even more critical than he had imagined.

Noticing Lu Hange's gaze, Yao Fan first gave Lu Hange a kind smile, then looked at Lu Sheng, his expression instantly turning cold: "If Hange agrees to go with you, I won't stop him."

"If he doesn't want to go, you can't force him."

Authoritative! But also reasonable!

Hearing this, Lu Sheng's face became extremely grim. She wasn't trying to do anything to Lu Hange; she just wanted to bring him back to Qingyun Peak, which was his home.

"Elder Yao, I'm taking my disciple home. What do you mean by obstructing me?" Lu Sheng spoke coldly. In terms of strength, she couldn't beat Yao Fan. The higher the cultivation realm, the lower the possibility of fighting above one's level. Don't let the fact that she was at the perfected Integration stage and Yao Fan was at the Half-step Mahayana stage fool you into thinking the difference wasn't much. In reality, if they truly fought, she would be instantly defeated.

One must know that alchemists were already recognized as the class of cultivators with the lowest combat ability in the cultivation world. Even so, she still couldn't beat Yao Fan. Unless she cultivated the Way of the Sword and had comprehended the true meaning of the Sword Heart, then there would be a slight possibility of exchanging blows with Yao Fan.

"Your disciple?" Yao Fan glanced at Lu Hange. Lu Hange shrugged.

Seeing this, Yao Fan understood: "Call out to him and see if he answers you."

Lu Sheng looked at Lu Hange, biting her red lips tightly. After hesitating, she finally spoke: "Hange, stop making trouble. Let's go home."

Lu Hange sneered and didn't respond. Trouble? So she had always thought this was just making trouble. How amusing!

The scene was silent for a long time. Yao Fan patted Lu Hange's shoulder: "You go about your business. With me here, no one can touch you."

Hearing this, Lu Hange bowed deeply to Yao Fan. This bow was heartfelt and willing.

Lu Sheng watched this scene, her heart feeling as if it were being cut by a blade. She was clearly Lu Hange's master, but at this moment, Yao Fan seemed more like his master.

Lu Hange walked away with large strides.

"Hange!"

"Hange!!" Lu Sheng's repeated calls went unanswered.

Until Lu Hange's figure disappeared from sight, Lu Sheng remained in a daze, wondering what she was thinking. Her bewildered and helpless expression made people feel a little sympathetic. The young alchemist apprentice wasn't sure what had happened, but he just felt that Lu Sheng at this moment was somewhat pitiful.

The next second, the young alchemist apprentice put away his pitiful thoughts. It was ridiculous for him, a mere alchemist apprentice who wasn't even a proper alchemist, to feel sorry for a perfected Integration stage powerhouse.

"Hall Master, I will also withdraw." The young alchemist apprentice bowed and retreated.

Inside the Pill Hall, only Yao Fan and Lu Sheng remained. Lu Sheng regained her composure, her expression turning sharp: "Elder Yao, my disciple's Dao Heart is just damaged. Once I find a way to repair his Dao Heart, he will naturally return to Qingyun Peak."

Dao Heart damaged? Yao Fan's eyes were strange. For a perfected Integration stage powerhouse, she couldn't even tell if someone's Dao Heart was damaged. Truly self-deceiving!

However, Yao Fan didn't bother to point it out. He knew very well that Lu Hange genuinely didn't want to return to Qingyun Peak, nor did he want to have anything to do with the people from Qingyun Peak. It had nothing to do with his Dao Heart.

"Elder Lu," Yao Fan said softly, "I heard that Hange already severed his master-disciple relationship with you a few days ago."

"Nonsense!"

"No!" Lu Sheng vehemently denied it, but her eyes flickered with guilt. "He was just angry at the time and spoke out of spite, and I never agreed to sever the master-disciple relationship!" The more Lu Sheng explained, the more it showed her inner insecurity.

"Does that matter?" Yao Fan countered.

Does it matter? Lu Sheng fell into a daze again. It mattered! She couldn't sever her master-disciple relationship with Lu Hange! Lu Hange was someone she had brought into the Three Thousand Dao Sect since he was young. He was both her disciple and her child. She didn't want to lose Lu Hange.

Just as Lu Sheng was about to speak, Yao Fan pointed to the Pill Hall door: "It matters to you, but to Hange, it doesn't matter. He doesn't want to see you now, nor does he want to be involved with the people from Qingyun Peak. You can leave. The Pill Hall also doesn't welcome people from Qingyun Peak."

"And one more thing, from now on, the Pill Hall will no longer distribute pills. People from Qingyun Peak should not approach the Pill Hall in the future, or don't blame me for turning hostile."

Just seeing Lu Sheng made him sick. Seeing Ye Feng and Qiu Liu made him even sicker. Regardless of whether Lu Hange could continue to be the Saint Child in the future, and regardless of whether Lu Hange could cultivate again in the future, Yao Fan wanted to tell everyone that Lu Hange was a person of his Pill Hall.

Lu Sheng took a deep breath: "Distributing pills is a rule set by the Sect Master. You have no right to change it."

"Then have the Sect Master come find me." Yao Fan scoffed. Ridiculous! The Sect Master was in seclusion now. Who could control him? Furthermore, with his current state, he might have already passed away by the time the Sect Master came out of seclusion, so why would he need to worry about affairs after his death!

Upon hearing this, Lu Sheng was so choked she couldn't speak. She couldn't win in a fight! She couldn't win in an argument! Lu Sheng felt so stifled that she almost suffered internal injuries.

Idiots! The pills distributed in the past were all refined by Lu Hange. Yet these people took them as a matter of course! Now that there were no pills, he wanted to see how these freeloaders would cultivate.

Lu Sheng was driven out of the Pill Hall.

Dong!

Dong!

Dong!!

Three bell tolls echoed throughout the entire Three Thousand Dao Sect. Countless disciples looked up at the sky as a brilliant silver screen descended. A spiritual energy brush continuously outlined a shocking message that appeared in everyone's eyes.

[From today forward, the Pill Hall is sealed!]

A clamor spread throughout the sect. The Pill Hall was sealed! Didn't that mean they wouldn't be able to get pills from the Pill Hall anymore? How would they cultivate then? Even the most talented cultivators couldn't do without the aid of pills. Without the enhancement of pills, the cultivation speed of the Three Thousand Dao Sect disciples would drop by more than one level.

...

In the Disciplinary Hall. Lin Xing looked up at the descending silver screen.

"Why provoke Yao Fan of all people?"

"Qingyun Peak truly is a bunch of fools."

Behind him, a black mist swirled. A blurry figure constantly shifted, but its features were indiscernible: "Hall Master, it's been investigated."

"Speak." Lin Xing didn't turn around.

"The demonic energy on the Saint Child comes from the demonic royal family." The figure's voice was hoarse.

Lin Xing's eyes flickered. Royal family? Then it seemed Lu Hange was indeed wrongly accused.

Chapter 26: Undercurrents Surging

"Hall Master, should the investigation results be made public?" 

The figure asked. 

Lin Xing was silent for a long time. 

"No need." 

"You may leave." 

Upon hearing this. 

The flickering figure was stunned for a moment but quickly reacted, and the black mist disappeared. 

Lin Xing no longer looked at the silver screen in the sky, turning and walking deeper into the Disciplinary Hall. Before long, he arrived at a prison cell. This cell was forged from ten-thousand-year-old meteor iron and inscribed with dozens of formations. Even a Mahayana stage powerhouse would need considerable effort to escape from it. 

"The Saint Child is crippled." 

"A new master should be established!" 

"For so many years, the Disciplinary Hall has maintained a neutral stance, never inquiring about the sect's establishment of a Saint Child, but this time, I think it's an opportunity." 

Lin Xing spoke softly. 

The prison cell was in complete darkness. 

It was impossible to see what was inside. 

No one responded. 

Lin Xing was not in a hurry; he simply stood quietly, closing his eyes to rest. 

After a long while, the sound of iron chains rattling echoed from within the prison cell. The surrounding mosquitoes seemed to have been awakened, flying everywhere, their buzzing a nuisance. 

A dishevelled person with a limp dragged himself out of the darkness: "Who do you want to promote as the new Saint Child?" 

Lin Xing slowly opened his eyes: "Qingyun Peak's Ye Feng." 

Ye Feng? 

Never heard of him. 

Probably a newly inducted disciple. 

"Why choose him?" 

The person in the prison asked again. 

Lin Xing's eyes gleamed, revealing strong excitement and desire: "At this moment, the Sect Master is in secluded life-and-death cultivation, and the only Mahayana stage powerhouses left in the Three Thousand Dao Sect are the old immortals sealed in the Sword Prison, whose lifespans are fixed." 

The right time, the right place, the right people, all in order! 

If not now! 

There would never be a better opportunity. 

Upon hearing this. 

The person in the prison laughed heartily. Looking at it this way, it was indeed a good opportunity. 

In an instant. 

All the iron chains on the person in the prison shattered, and the prison cell, cast from ten-thousand-year-old meteor iron, was as fragile as a piece of white paper, comically so. 

Boom! 

The prison cell exploded. 

Lin Xing narrowed his eyes slightly and stepped back a few paces. 

Originally, the person in the prison had no spiritual energy fluctuations at all, but as he took a step, his aura began to surge dramatically: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul... 

With every step, this person's aura surged by a major realm. 

After a few breaths. 

The terrifying aura of the Mahayana stage permeated the entire depths of the Disciplinary Hall, making it difficult to breathe. 

At the same time. 

All of this person's ragged clothes disappeared, his dishevelled long hair moved with the wind, and even the muddy, foul-smelling stains on his body fell off. 

By the time he reached Lin Xing, this person had completely transformed, from a decadent and aged old man to a young man in his prime. 

"A thousand years!" 

"I've finally waited for this!" 

The man breathed in deeply, the air filled with the scent of freedom. 

Lin Xing also seemed a bit impatient and urged: "Then let's act quickly. I've already made all the preparations on my side." 

The man shook his head. 

Upon seeing this. 

Lin Xing frowned. 

The man's gaze was like a torch, seemingly piercing through the tightly sealed Disciplinary Hall and seeing everything within the Sword Prison. 

"No hurry." 

"I'll go kill a few people first." 

As soon as he finished speaking. 

The man's figure disappeared. 

Lin Xing looked at the completely destroyed prison cell, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. 

Subsequently. 

Lin Xing turned and left. 

The Disciplinary Hall was, after all, one of the most prestigious halls in the Three Thousand Dao Sect, so it wasn't difficult to uncover the truth behind Lu Hange. 

In fact, Lin Xing even found out that the person truly colluding with the demon race was Ye Feng, and the one who framed Lu Hange was also the seemingly harmless Ye Feng. 

If Lu Hange still had his cultivation, Lin Xing might have considered helping him. 

But now, Lu Hange was crippled. 

A cripple had no value. 

Therefore. 

This truth seemed unimportant. 

It would be better to use this truth to "have a chat" with Ye Feng and maximize its value. 

..... 

Pill Hall's alchemy room. 

Lu Hange was unaware of what was happening outside. 

At this moment. 

He was doing two things at once. 

"Using demonic energy to refine pills and using demonic energy to cultivate, doing both at the same time, I should be the first in the cultivation world." This was a new and interesting experience for Lu Hange. 

But the difficulty was immense. 

Cultivating with demonic energy was fine. 

After all. 

This had been done before. 

Without looking far, among the people closest to Lu Hange, Ye Feng was a typical example of someone who cultivated with demonic energy. 

But using demonic energy to refine pills had never been attempted, or rather, some had tried but never succeeded. 

Demonic energy differed from gentle spiritual energy; it would aggressively devour and invade anything it touched, human or object, until it had completely devoured all vital essence in that area before stopping. 

For this reason. 

Refining pills with demonic energy was exceptionally difficult. 

Because very few medicinal herbs could resist the demonic energy's devourment. 

Most medicinal herbs, as soon as they were put into the alchemy furnace, before the pill fire even started to heat up, would have their vital essence completely devoured by the demonic energy, leaving only a pile of dregs. 

"Demonic energy devours vital essence." 

"And medicinal herbs grow under the nourishment of spiritual energy." 

"The two forces are conflicting." 

Lu Hange pondered for a moment. 

Immediately after. 

He stood up, rummaged through the herb rack in the alchemy room for a while, and took out a light purple mushroom. 

Without hesitation, Lu Hange directly threw the mushroom into the alchemy furnace and then separated a wisp of demonic energy from the Demonic Heart, putting it in as well. 

Lu Hange stared intently at the inside of the alchemy furnace. 

The next second. 

Demonic energy wrapped around the medicinal herb. 

Many small corroded holes appeared on the surface of the medicinal herb. 

Under Lu Hange's gaze, the medicinal herb visibly withered and shriveled, finally turning into a colorless mass of residue. 

This result was as expected. 

However. 

A look of joy appeared on Lu Hange's face. 

"Fifteen breaths." 

"This time, it took a full fifteen breaths for the demonic energy to devour the medicinal herb." 

Previously, no medicinal herb had lasted more than ten breaths under the devourment of demonic energy, but this seemingly inconspicuous mushroom lasted fifteen breaths. 

"Vital essence is not the key." 

"Different origins of power are the key." 

Lu Hange felt like he had discovered a new continent. 

Although demonic energy was overbearing, why did the demonic energy on demon race members not completely devour their vital essence, but instead become their power? 

This showed that vital essence was not the main cause of demonic energy's devourment. 

Different origins of power were! 

Normal medicinal herbs grew under the nourishment of spiritual energy, and spiritual energy itself conflicted with demonic energy, which was why the idea of refining pills with demonic energy had repeatedly failed. 

So, what if they changed their thinking? 

If the spiritual energy that nourished medicinal herbs was replaced with demonic energy, would the resulting medicinal herbs be usable for demonic energy alchemy? 

Using demonic energy to nourish medicinal herbs might be impossible for others, but Lu Hange was not at all worried, because his self-created Immortal Gaze Scripture could perfectly adapt to the operation of demonic energy, and even purify demonic energy, eliminating some of its inferior qualities. 

This path was feasible! 

Lu Hange was overjoyed. 

He acted immediately! 

While Lu Hange resumed cultivating with demonic energy, he also separated a small portion of the purified demonic energy to nourish medicinal herb seedlings. 

He had a premonition that in this life, he could forge a completely different great path. 

Chapter 27: I'm Very Angry Now

Compared to Lu Hange's fulfilling life, Ye Feng's situation was quite miserable. 

At this moment. 

Ye Feng wanted to die. 

Having his hands cut off was not a big deal. 

After all. 

They were all cultivators. 

Reattaching severed hands was not a difficult task. 

What made Ye Feng most uncomfortable was that he had been robbed. 

The Demon Fox was a bandit. 

Half of the items in his storage ring were gone. 

Not only that. 

His most important Demonic Heart and dual cultivation technique were also stolen. 

Without the Demonic Heart, how could he cultivate with demonic energy? 

Without the dual cultivation technique, even if he coaxed Lu Sheng into bed, it would only satisfy physical needs, with no benefit to his cultivation. 

"F**k!" 

"B*tch!" 

Ye Feng roared in anger. 

His unwilling fury echoed throughout the cave dwelling. 

At the critical moment, neither the system nor the Heavenly Dao was useful; the system played dead, and the Heavenly Dao would not appear unless Ye Feng was in mortal danger. 

In other words, others could insult him freely. 

In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao. 

Being humiliated was also a way to temper one's character. 

But for Ye Feng, being humiliated was even worse than death. 

"Stupid system." 

"Why are you playing dead!" 

Ye Feng questioned in his mind. 

The system's reply was mechanical, without a trace of human emotion, clearly some kind of inferior product: "Sorry, Host, this system only provides assistance for growth and cannot directly interfere." 

Ye Feng was so angry he wanted to vomit blood. 

What a useless system! 

And he thought it was so amazing... 

The system was unreliable. 

And the Heavenly Dao was even more unreliable; unless he committed suicide, the Heavenly Dao would not appear. 

The more Ye Feng thought about it, the angrier he got, feeling like he was about to have a ten-year brain hemorrhage. 

"B*tch, sooner or later I'll make you kneel at my feet." Ye Feng crawled on the ground like a dog, finally found a suitable pill after searching for a long time, and used his tongue to roll the pill into his mouth. 

Gulp. 

Swallowed! 

The qi and blood in Ye Feng's body began to surge, and his severed arms on the ground felt the call of qi and blood, actively moving towards Ye Feng's body. 

After a moment, his arms were finally reattached. 

"Damn it." 

"This Blood Qi Pill was originally intended for the next body refinement." 

Ye Feng moved his hands. 

Slightly stiff! 

However, once the Blood Qi Pill's medicinal effects fully manifested, this stiffness and discomfort would disappear. 

Ye Feng's face was grim as he thought about how to cultivate next. 

Now. 

He had lost the Demonic Heart. 

He couldn't cultivate with demonic energy. 

The dual cultivation technique was also stolen. 

Thinking about it this way. 

It seemed there was only one path left. 

That was to stubbornly pursue body cultivation. 

But the problem was. 

He was currently in the foundational stage of body cultivation; besides diligent daily training, he couldn't do without a supply of pills. 

And he wasn't an alchemist. 

Where would he get pills? 

Thinking of this. 

Ye Feng couldn't help but think of Lu Hange again, gritting his teeth in hatred, but also filled with intense envy and jealousy for Lu Hange. If only he were an eighth-grade alchemist like Lu Hange. 

Unfortunately. 

There were no "ifs" in this world. 

Alchemy relied on talent, even more so than cultivating spiritual energy. 

Of course. 

Ye Feng had the system. 

The system could posthumously grant Ye Feng alchemy talent, but those things required so-called points to exchange, and Ye Feng's points were all used to exchange for that dual cultivation technique. 

So he had no points left to exchange for alchemy talent... 

Ye Feng's situation was currently very awkward. 

He wanted to cultivate with demonic energy, but he had no Demonic Heart. 

He wanted to refine his body, but he had no pill support. 

Both paths were blocked. 

But relatively speaking. 

Body cultivation was slightly less difficult. 

After all. 

He only lacked auxiliary pills for body refinement, and Lu Hange wasn't the only alchemist in the world. He could ask Lu Sheng for help. 

After venting his anger, Ye Feng finally calmed down. 

"My cultivation talent is not outstanding to begin with." 

"And now is a sensitive period." 

"It's very unfavorable for me." 

Ye Feng wasn't stupid; he was just arrogant. Being chosen by the Heavenly Dao as the chosen one meant his intelligence was definitely not an issue. 

He was well aware of his situation. 

His cultivation talent was all thanks to the Demonic Heart and various props given by the system, and now he had neither the Demonic Heart nor the points for exchange. 

Both major aids were simultaneously out of commission. 

This was fatal to Ye Feng. 

Additionally. 

The news of Lu Hange's crippled cultivation would definitely not be kept secret for long. 

Once this news spread throughout the Three Thousand Dao Sect, it would be the time when Lu Hange's Saint Child position was abolished. 

With the Saint Child position vacant. 

There would undoubtedly be another fierce struggle. 

During such a critical period, his cultivation was bogged down, which was very disadvantageous for his pursuit of the Saint Child position. 

Just as Ye Feng was constantly thinking of ways to resolve his predicament, the transmission talisman on his body kept flashing, and after a gentle tap, a soft voice came from the transmission talisman: "Junior Brother, I've come to see you." 

Qiu Liu? 

Ye Feng didn't really want to see Qiu Liu. 

He was very angry right now. 

He was seething with rage at everyone. 

But soon. 

Ye Feng revealed a lewd smile. He was angry with nowhere to vent, so he would use Qiu Liu to vent his anger. 

Thinking of this. 

Ye Feng removed all the formations in his cave dwelling and walked out. 

Qiu Liu's face had returned to normal. It had to be said that the medicinal effects of natural treasures were truly powerful; they not only healed the injuries on Qiu Liu's face but also made her even more charming and attractive, with skin so delicate it seemed water could be squeezed from it. 

"Senior Sister." 

Ye Feng's face was pale, and he coughed. 

Upon seeing this. 

Qiu Liu was shocked and quickly stepped forward, using her ample chest to support Ye Feng: "Junior Brother, what happened to you?" 

Ye Feng took the opportunity to put his arm around Qiu Liu's waist and buried his head in a milky scent: "Senior Sister, I tried to break through, but I failed. Am I very useless? Not at all comparable to Senior Brother." 

Qiu Liu's pretty face flushed slightly. 

Junior Brother, just talk, don't move your mouth around... 

However. 

Qiu Liu didn't mind. 

She had long wanted to try some difficult moves in bed with Ye Feng, but Ye Feng had always refused before. 

"You were just too impatient." 

"In Senior Sister's heart, you are a thousand times better than Lu Hange." 

Qiu Liu gazed at Ye Feng with tenderness. 

Even though Ye Feng's appearance was average, in her eyes, he was like an peerless handsome man; she didn't even dare to blink. 

Ye Feng was secretly pleased. 

This woman was truly stupid! 

He had just broken through a few days ago, so how could he break through again in such a short time! 

Qiu Liu didn't suspect such an obvious lie at all. 

Ye Feng gradually grew bolder, his hand on her waist restlessly reaching into Qiu Liu's clothes: "Senior Sister, will you stay with me tonight?" 

Qiu Liu cautiously looked around and whispered, "Senior Sister won't leave, let's go into the cave dwelling. It wouldn't be good if someone saw us." 

Ye Feng didn't care about that. 

His hand grew more and more presumptuous. 

It made Qiu Liu gasp in pleasure and exhale fragrant air. 

Ye Feng's heart burned with desire; he had to vent all his anger on Qiu Liu tonight, otherwise, he would be uncomfortable all over. 

Chapter 28: Cultivators Are Not Particular, But They Should Be Hygienic

"What a pity." 

"The dual cultivation technique was stolen." 

Ye Feng felt it was a pity; if the technique were still there, his cultivation speed could be raised another level. 

Thinking of this. 

Ye Feng hated the Demon Fox even more. 

Not only did she fail to kill Lu Hange, she also stole a bunch of things from him, truly a damn woman! 

"Senior Sister, you are so beautiful." 

Ye Feng moved closer to Qiu Liu. 

The two were deeply in love. 

Upon hearing this. 

Qiu Liu's face flushed crimson, her heart already belonging to him, naturally, she didn't resist at all. 

Now that Lu Hange was crippled, the sect would definitely re-elect a Saint Child, and Ye Feng's cultivation talent was second only to Lu Hange's. Coupled with Lu Sheng's backing, his chances of becoming the Saint Child were very high. 

If she could become Dao Companion with Ye Feng, she would then be the Saintess of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. 

Thinking further ahead. 

Once the Sect Master ascended, and Ye Feng didn't die prematurely, then Ye Feng would be the next Sect Master of the Three Thousand Dao Sect, and she would be the mistress of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. 

This was a fatal temptation for the extremely vain Qiu Liu. 

Involuntarily. 

Qiu Liu's eyes shimmered with water. 

Anyway, she would be Ye Feng's woman sooner or later. 

Some things were inherently what Dao Companions should do. 

"Junior Brother, it's getting late. Are you still cultivating today?" Qiu Liu was even more eager than Ye Feng; she knew Ye Feng's excellence, and if she didn't act quickly and another woman got to him first, she'd have nowhere to cry. 

Ye Feng's expression stiffened. 

He wanted to cultivate. 

But the problem was. 

He couldn't cultivate... 

Without the Demonic Heart's blessing, he couldn't cultivate at all, and even the dual cultivation technique was gone, adding insult to injury. 

"Senior Sister is so beautiful, how could I have the mind to cultivate? I only want to rest early in bed." Ye Feng's coaxing words flowed endlessly, yet Qiu Liu, being blinded by love, didn't doubt him in the slightest. 

"I will only love Junior Brother in this life." 

Qiu Liu leaned against Ye Feng's chest. 

Ye Feng sneered inwardly. 

Joke! 

A true man doesn't talk about love. 

Only those blinded by love care about romance. 

Qiu Liu felt shy, her mind already fantasizing about herself as the Sect Master's wife of the Three Thousand Dao Sect, enjoying the envious gazes of countless people. 

Ye Feng picked up Qiu Liu and walked towards the bed. 

Tonight would be long. 

Not a moment to waste! 

Qiu Liu feigned shyness, acting like a delicate woman, not daring to look at Ye Feng's face. 

Just then, the transmission talisman on Ye Feng's table flashed again, and then Lu Sheng's voice came out: "Xiao Feng, are you still cultivating? I'm worried about you, so I came to check." 

Ye Feng was startled. 

Damn it! 

Why was Lu Sheng coming over... 

Qiu Liu was also shocked and whispered, "Junior Brother, Master doesn't like romance, let's go out first." 

For some reason. 

Qiu Liu felt a little guilty. 

Although this person was her Master, she still had an uncomfortable feeling. 

Qiu Liu didn't know that Lu Sheng was also one of Ye Feng's concubines, and the progress of conquering Lu Sheng was already very high. 

"En." 

Ye Feng's mood worsened. 

But there was nothing he could do! 

Who made it Lu Sheng outside! 

The two dressed and walked out of the cave dwelling together. 

Outside the cave dwelling. 

Lu Sheng stared blankly at the rising bright moon. Everything that happened in the Pill Hall today made her feel a very bad premonition: her gentle eldest disciple seemed truly about to leave her. 

She had watched Lu Hange grow from a knee-high child to the handsome and elegant young man he was today. 

This emotion surpassed that of family. 

Could it be... she was wrong? 

But she really couldn't think of where she had gone wrong. 

This confusion made her feel helpless. 

But fortunately. 

She still had two disciples. 

Although Ye Feng's cultivation talent was slightly inferior to Lu Hange's, at least he was kind and gentle, and his actions and behavior had many similarities to Lu Hange's in the past; and although Qiu Liu was usually arrogant and domineering, she was very good at using coquettish tactics to make her happy. 

Perhaps, the reason she had taken a liking to Ye Feng and brought him back to the Three Thousand Dao Sect was also because he somewhat resembled Lu Hange. 

Of course. 

Purely in terms of character. 

In terms of appearance, Lu Hange was still superior. 

The cave dwelling door slowly opened. 

A man and a woman walked out side by side. 

Lu Sheng came back to her senses, looked at Ye Feng and Qiu Liu, and was a little surprised: "Liu'er, didn't you go back to your cave dwelling to cultivate?" 

Upon hearing this. 

Qiu Liu was a little embarrassed. 

For a moment. 

Qiu Liu did not reply. 

Ye Feng, however, readily spoke a lie: "Master, I encountered some trouble in my cultivation recently, so I had to trouble Senior Sister to help me guard the Dao, which delayed Senior Sister's cultivation." 

Qiu Liu's face was filled with emotion. 

Junior Brother is so kind! 

Lu Sheng suspiciously scanned the two, and seeing Qiu Liu's slightly disheveled clothes and flushed cheeks, she felt a surge of displeasure. 

This was the effect of favorability. 

Although Ye Feng hadn't maxed out Lu Sheng's favorability, it was already very high. Lu Sheng herself hadn't realized that her subconscious had already regarded Ye Feng as her man, so she felt uncomfortable when she noticed Qiu Liu and Ye Feng getting close. 

Although the system was trash, it was indeed very good at cheating in some aspects. 

"If you encounter trouble again, just inform Master." 

Lu Sheng spoke softly. 

Ye Feng acknowledged. 

Lu Sheng glanced at Qiu Liu, feeling for the first time that this disciple of hers was quite displeasing: "Liu'er, you should go back to your cave dwelling first. Master has something to say to Xiao Feng." 

Qiu Liu clutched the corner of her clothes, not responding, looking at Ye Feng with some reluctance. 

Junior Brother! 

Say something! 

Ye Feng was also reluctant for Qiu Liu to leave. 

Moreover. 

His emotions were already built up, the time, place, and people were all right, only lacking the perfect timing. 

But looking at Lu Sheng's expression, she clearly wanted to send Qiu Liu away. 

Upon seeing this. 

Ye Feng could only ignore Qiu Liu's pitiful gaze and respectfully said, "Senior Sister, you should go back first." 

Since Ye Feng said so, Qiu Liu could only reluctantly accept. 

"Master, I'm going back first." 

Qiu Liu was dejected. 

Lu Sheng noticed Qiu Liu's abnormality and grew even more suspicious. 

Why did she always feel that her two disciples were hiding something from her? 

After Qiu Liu left, Lu Sheng slowly walked into the cave dwelling, with Ye Feng respectfully following behind her. 

Facing Lu Sheng, he had to behave a bit more obediently. 

After all. 

Lu Sheng was different from Qiu Liu. 

Qiu Liu's favorability was already maxed out, so no matter how overly intimate he acted, it wouldn't cause Qiu Liu's displeasure. 

But Lu Sheng's favorability towards him was not maxed out, and coupled with Lu Sheng being an Integration stage powerhouse with a firm mind, even a slight transgression might cause Lu Sheng's displeasure. 

Conquering Lu Sheng. 

No rushing! 

Rushing would lead to problems. 

Ye Feng looked at Lu Sheng's graceful back, could only take a deep breath, suppress the distracting thoughts in his mind, and put on a submissive disciple's demeanor. 

"Xiao Feng." 

"Even as cultivators, you shouldn't be too unkempt, but you should also be diligent in hygiene." 

Lu Sheng reminded him. 

Ye Feng's mouth twitched slightly, his expression awkward but polite. 

"I will bear Master's teachings in mind!" 

Chapter 29: Tool-Person Lu Sheng

Lu Sheng gently waved her sleeve, and the unusual smell in the cave dwelling dissipated. 

Lu Sheng didn't think about romantic affairs. 

After all. 

She had been on the path of cultivation for over a thousand years and had never encountered matters of passion. 

Lu Sheng surveyed Ye Feng's cave dwelling. 

Clean and tidy. 

However. 

There seemed to be other lingering auras in the cave dwelling. 

"Xiao Feng, has anyone else been to your cave dwelling?" 

Lu Sheng slowly sat down. 

Ye Feng's eyes flickered slightly. 

He immediately understood that Lu Sheng had sensed the lingering aura of the Demon Fox. 

Ye Feng's mind raced, and he quickly coughed, his face turning pale: "Master, this morning... someone tried to assassinate me." 

In an instant. 

Lu Sheng stood up, her face icy cold. 

Who had such audacity to dare assassinate her disciple within the Three Thousand Dao Sect! 

Before Ye Feng could speak further, Lu Sheng took Ye Feng's wrist and carefully sensed it. 

Lu Sheng's face grew even colder. 

Demonic energy! 

It was a demon race member who assassinated Ye Feng! 

But the problem was, this was the Three Thousand Dao Sect's compound. Which demon race member would be so bold as to sneak into the Three Thousand Dao Sect to carry out an assassination? 

"Xiao Feng, sit down first." 

Lu Sheng pressed Ye Feng onto the stool. 

Ye Feng was not in good condition. 

His meridians were damaged. 

Demonic energy had invaded. 

Crucially. 

There was also a toxic substance of unknown origin in Ye Feng's body. 

Ye Feng was secretly pleased; the demonic energy in his body was naturally something he deliberately revealed. With the system's help, it was impossible for Lu Sheng to discover his demonic cultivator identity. The damaged meridians and residual toxins were not intentional on his part, but rather something the Demon Fox specifically left behind to disgust Ye Feng before she left. 

Originally. 

Ye Feng thought of dealing with it slowly. 

But now, he didn't need to. 

With Lu Sheng here, he didn't have to worry about these problems. 

A moment later. 

Lu Sheng released Ye Feng's wrist. 

"This master can only clear the demonic energy and toxins from your body, but the damaged meridians need slow recuperation." Lu Sheng sighed. Meridians had always been crucial for cultivation, and she was too shallow in this area to easily treat Ye Feng. 

Ye Feng quickly stood up, bowed deeply, his eyes red and moved to tears: "Thank you, Master!" 

Upon seeing this. 

Lu Sheng smiled: "This is what I, as your master, should do." 

The next second. 

Lu Sheng's expression turned serious. A demon race member sneaking into the Three Thousand Dao Sect to assassinate was no small matter: "Tell me in detail, Xiao Feng, how were you assassinated?" 

Ye Feng naturally couldn't tell the truth, otherwise, his collusion with the demon race would be exposed. 

His mind raced. 

Ye Feng showed a hesitant expression: "Master, perhaps we should just let it go." 

Lu Sheng frowned slightly: "This matter is of great importance, how can we just let it go!" 

Upon hearing this. 

Ye Feng was secretly pleased. 

She took the bait! 

"This morning, while your disciple was cultivating, all the formations in the cave dwelling suddenly failed, and a demoness appeared out of nowhere in the cave dwelling." 

"Your disciple hadn't even reacted when this person attacked, and your disciple could only resist with all his might, but still couldn't match the opponent." 

"Fortunately, Master left me with some life-saving means, which barely forced the opponent to retreat." 

Ye Feng spoke halfway and stopped. 

Lu Sheng was very angry. 

She was, after all, an Integration stage powerhouse. 

Assassinating her disciple was slapping her in the face. 

"Continue speaking!" 

Lu Sheng already wanted to go out and kill a batch of demon race members to vent her anger. 

Ye Feng embarrassedly lowered his voice: "Your disciple only heard her mention something about revenge and Senior Brother's name; he knows nothing else." 

Lu Sheng was startled. 

Related to Hange? 

However. 

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. 

Lu Hange colluded with the demon race, and now that his cultivation was crippled, he must be unwilling. In that case, secretly contacting a demon race member to assassinate a fellow sect disciple was also reasonable. 

Moreover, Lu Hange was still the Saint Child. Before his Saint Child position was abolished, he still possessed many sect privileges, so it wouldn't be difficult to let a demon race member into the sect. 

Thinking of this. 

A strong sense of disappointment surged in Lu Sheng's heart. 

So... 

Hange was such a narrow-minded person. 

Not only secretly colluding with demon race members, but also jealous of his fellow sect disciples, and even finding someone to assassinate them. 

Ye Feng didn't continue speaking. 

Some things were better left unsaid. 

Saying too much would only make it seem intentional. 

As long as he pushed this matter onto Lu Hange and let Lu Sheng fill in the blanks, he wouldn't need to do anything further. 

Lu Sheng didn't know how to deal with Lu Hange. 

Emotionally. 

They were master and disciple. 

Logically. 

Lu Hange letting a demon race member into the sect was a major offense. 

Seeing Lu Sheng's troubled expression, Ye Feng knew that Lu Sheng still held a glimmer of hope for Lu Hange. 

"It's good that you're okay." 

"This matter... I will handle it." 

Lu Sheng sighed. 

Ye Feng bowed respectfully. 

However. 

Ye Feng still needed Lu Sheng's help. 

"Master, can my meridians be healed?" 

Ye Feng asked pitifully. 

Lu Sheng lovingly comforted him: "They are only damaged, the injury is not severe. Once I find some natural treasures that heal meridians, they will be cured." 

Ye Feng's eyes welled up with tears, then turned firm: "Master, your disciple wants to start body refinement early and become a body cultivator." 

Lu Sheng knew about body refinement. 

Lu Sheng knew the hardships of body refinement, so she repeatedly advised Ye Feng to lay a good physical foundation before officially starting body refinement, and Ye Feng had been obedient before, continuously taking qi and blood enhancing pills to strengthen his flesh and bones. 

"Wait a little longer." 

Laying a foundation couldn't be rushed. 

Lu Sheng felt it wasn't time yet. 

At the very least, Ye Feng had to be able to lift fifty thousand catties with one hand to be barely qualified. 

Ye Feng shook his head firmly: "Master, your disciple's meridians are damaged now, and his cultivation speed has greatly slowed down. To keep up with the cultivation of other fellow disciples, he can only try other methods, and body refinement is the best path." 

Upon hearing this. 

Lu Sheng fell silent. 

What he said made sense. 

To be honest. 

Ye Feng hoped that Lu Sheng could give him a world-shaking cultivation technique. 

But Ye Feng knew very well that Lu Sheng only had the cultivation technique she cultivated herself; everything else was natural treasures, so it was impossible for her to give him any extra cultivation techniques. 

There were indeed many cultivation techniques in the Scripture Pavilion. 

But the problem was. 

He didn't care for ordinary cultivation techniques, and powerful ones couldn't be viewed casually. 

Unless Ye Feng could become the Saint Child, only then would he be qualified to consult the high-level cultivation techniques in the Scripture Pavilion. 

"If you've thought it through, then do it." 

"Master supports you!" 

Since her disciple was so motivated, she, as a master, naturally couldn't say discouraging words. 

Ye Feng once again showed an embarrassed expression: "Then, Master, could I trouble you to help me find some natural treasures that enhance qi and blood? It's just that your disciple's body is unwell, otherwise he wouldn't trouble Master." 

Lu Sheng gently scolded: "Between master and disciple, what trouble is there to speak of!" 

Ye Feng's heart was set. 

With Lu Sheng, this tool-person, helping him find medicine, he could rest assured somewhat on his path of body refinement. 

However. 

He still had to kill Lu Hange. 

He had deliberately said that he was assassinated by a demon race member just now, and according to the Demon Fox, when she went to assassinate Lu Hange, Lu Sheng was secretly protecting Lu Hange. But looking at Lu Sheng's reaction just now, she seemed completely unaware that a demon race member had infiltrated the Three Thousand Dao Sect. 

This matter was very strange. 

He didn't know if the Demon Fox was lying, or if Lu Sheng was putting on an act in front of him. 

To be cautious! 

He couldn't fully trust Lu Sheng.