Lin Yan's face was filled with anxiety. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind., He used a knife to make a deep cut in his wrist. With the crimson liquid that oozed out, he carefully sketched a Dao formation. Seated cross-legged before his creation, he softly uttered: “Come on, come on, come on, come on!”

Hua Che serenely altered the melody.

Mo Xiu quivered, his entire body trembling, even his facial muscles twitching. His scarlet eyes remained locked onto Hua Che as he muttered, "You, a mere music cultivator, dare to... dare..."

The arch-nemesis of the demonic cultivator isn't the unbeatable sword cultivator, but rather the music cultivator who may not appear strong in combat, much like a fragile willow swaying in the wind.

Music cultivators slay hearts and souls, and the reason why Mo Xiu was considered a demon was due to his inability to release the obsession within his heart.

Furthermore, to follow the demonic path, he had repeatedly committed killings and violated the precepts. His hands were tainted with blood, accumulating a significant amount of negative karma. Consequently, his heart became far more fragile than that of other cultivators.

Every person harbors inner demons, and music cultivators are adept at exploiting this fact. They are regarded as the most formidable presence among all cultivators. Naturally, music cultivators also have their adversaries.

Mo Xiu spit out a mouthful of blood.

However, it was already too late. As they spoke, events unfolded swiftly. A vividly striped tiger leaped out from the woods and charged directly at the demon cultivator. Caught off guard, the demon cultivator was about to retaliate when he realized that the tiger's target wasn't to attack him but to seize the young man he was holding hostage. With agile limbs, the tiger swiftly carried the youth away in the blink of an eye.

Lin Yan nervously lifted one eyelid, even he was startled, "I-it actually came?"

Beast tamers could control spirit beasts, but their abilities extended beyond just spirit beasts. Creatures that had recently gained spiritual awareness, as well as other birds and animals, could be controlled as long as a beast tamer had reached a sufficient level of mastery.

Hua Che couldn't help but praise, "Lin Yan, you're amazing!"

Lin Yan blushed, "It was just... just a lucky coincidence."

Looking at the demon cultivator once more, by now, he had been tormented beyond recognition. His seven orifices were bleeding, and his true essence was flowing in reverse. He seemed to have witnessed something horrifying, constantly retreating and wildly wielding his demonic energy, "Don't come any closer, all of you, stay back!"

The demon cultivator had lost his sanity and, at this moment, the timing was just right.

The long-nosed man drew his sword and rushed forward to seize the man.

This demon cultivator belonged to the Shang Chimei sect, with a different identity. Killing him off would be a good idea to prevent the Fenzhiang Palace from seeking revenge on Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Hua Che thought this way, but the long-nosed man was too impatient. In concern for his safety, Hua Che didn't have time to speak and could only toss the Purple Bamboo Cave Flute he held in his hand, which landed precisely on the long-nosed man's wrist.

This flute was no ordinary bamboo flute; it was a spiritual tool. When the bone-crushing sound echoed, Lin Yan was so startled that his scalp tingled.

The long-nosed man nearly spewed blood, "You!"

"What about me? I'm only thinking of the welfare of your future generations." Hua Che dashed over, bending down to pick up the fallen flute. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

Before the long-nosed man could unleash his anger, Lin Yan's face turned pale, and he shouted, "Bugs! Bugs!"

It turned out that the bracelet worn on the demon cultivator's right wrist had cracked open, releasing blood-red insects about the size of a copper coin, three in total.

"Fenqing Gus," Chu Binghuan followed up, explaining, "A method employed by Yin Wu Hui to control his disciples. By wearing Fenqing Insects, it makes them unfeeling and incapable of love."

Hua Che continued, "There are three of these Gus in total. The first one resides within the host's body, and as soon as the person experiences any emotions, be it family love, romantic love, or friendship, they will be consumed from the inside, their essence drained, and they will die."

Mu Rongsa sucked in a breath of cold air. "This is truly sadistic. Are they trying to turn their subordinates into emotionless puppets?"

"Because once someone has emotions, they will have concerns, they will be held back," Hua Che sneered. "What Yin WuHui wants are tools without emotions, cold-blooded assassins, obedient dogs that won't say 'no.'"

Hua Che continued with a suppressed disgust, "The second insect will, when its host is dying, do its utmost to absorb the soul. Of course, it's not for the sake of the host's reincarnation but to return the soul to Yin WuHui, enhancing his cultivation."

"The third one," Hua Che looked at the long-nosed man, "is left for the person who kills him. It will sneak into your body when you're not paying attention. If you can't suppress your emotions and become unfeeling, sooner or later, you'll follow in the footsteps of those demon cultivators. Only the cultivation of the Heartless Path can save you. Tell me, is this not a path to total extinction?"

The long-nosed man shivered, unable to respond.

A faint, subtle smile crossed Hua Che's eyes as he continued, "Oh, and there's one more thing. These insects will induce you to turn to the dark path. When that happens, you, a personal disciple of Elder Ganyang at the Shang Qing Immortal Sect, will have no choice but to escape the sect and seek refuge with the Fen Qing Palace."

The long-nosed man's spine tingled, and when he looked at Hua Che again, his expression had completely changed. "Th-thank you."

Unfortunately, before the long-nosed man could make a move, the demon cultivator had severed his own meridians and died.

This wasn't the long-nosed man's first time killing a demon cultivator, but it was his first encounter with a demon cultivator from the Fen Qing Palace. He had no idea about the intricacies involved, like the Fenqing Insects and the path to becoming emotionless. The more he thought about it, the more he felt a sense of dread and fear.

It was a great relief that Hua Che was there. He didn't mind the loss of his hand. In fact, he'd rather lose his entire arm if it came to that!

The long-nosed man had a change of heart, and when they parted ways, he even specifically said to Hua Che, "My surname is Duan."

He had always considered himself a distinguished disciple of the Shang Qing Immortal Sect and had never bothered to disclose his name. Of course, Hua Che didn't care about this, as they were fellow disciples from their previous life, and he knew this guy was named Duan Tiange.

"Will you participate in the Great Sect Tournament next year?" he asked Hua Che.

"Um... I probably won't," Hua Che replied honestly. After all, Lingxiao Palace had declined significantly. In the past, he had participated, but it had always been an absolute certainty that they'd end up at the bottom. Not to mention the main event; he had been eliminated directly in the first round of the preliminary hunt.

 

The long-nosed man understood this logic as well. "It's a pity. With your cultivation, grabbing a spot among the top three isn't impossible."

Hua Che didn't bother thinking about the Great Sect Tournament yet.

Hua Che hurried to take care of the town's affairs with Lin Yan. With Chu Binghuan, a medical cultivator, there was no need for Hua Che to worry about treating the injuries of these ordinary people. Healing them was as easy as flipping his hand; no need for a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

As for Murong Sa, he followed Wen Yuan to the outskirts of Mingyue Valley. Wen Yuan's complexion didn't look too good. He kept wiping the blood from the demon cultivator off his face with a handkerchief until his skin turned red, and he stopped only when it started stinging.

 

Mu Rongsa didn't pay much attention and assumed that Wen Yuan and Chu Binghuan, like him, were sensitive to the smell of demon blood.

The two of them flew, circling the mountain, and Murong Sa said, "You don't need to go to so much trouble. Just use a Thunder-Averting Talisman to shield the town, and that's it."

Thunder-Averting Talismans, unlike other protective barriers, were said to be able to withstand even heavenly thunder. They were exceptionally sturdy, and only someone as wealthy as Young Master Murong could casually reward them to ordinary people for guarding their yards.

This time returning from the mountain, they could be considered to have achieved a lot. They not only saved the people of Mingyue Valley but also reinforced the protective barrier. They also eliminated a demon cultivator from the Fen Qing Palace. The only downside was that they had caught the ghost cultivator who had killed Zuo Qi but had let it escape in the chaos.

This wasn't Lingxiao Treasure Hall's concern; in any case, they would report it to Shang Qing, and Shang Qing would figure out how to catch it.

Returning to Lingxiao Palace, Zhuang Tian heard Wen Yuan's detailed report and couldn't have been more pleased. What amazed Zhuang Tian the most was that Hua Che had such good luck, finding a sword that was so closely related to "Langyue."

The entire sect was stunned by this news. Whether it was the Fen Qing Palace or the Jifeng Sect, they all swarmed around Hua Che's group, chattering and gossiping, creating a lively scene.

.

Three months later, Lingxiao Treasure Hall welcomed its only outsider in a century. It was widely known that this sect was terrible, and even ordinary people wouldn't come here for help even if they were desperate.

Zhuang Tian thought that their ancestor's spirit had finally been appeased, and they would have a mortal come to seek their help in exorcising evil spirits. He never expected that it would turn out to be...

A woman leading a little girl.

They brought fruits, vegetables, poultry, and a multitude of crops, crossing mountains and rivers, walking for two whole months, just to come and express their gratitude in person.

"We are representatives sent by the Moonlit Town, representing the elders and villagers from three villages near Mingyue Valley. We thank you, Immortal of Lingxiao," the woman said as she began to kneel in gratitude.

Zhuang Tian's old face turned red, truly, for the first time in his long life, he was being thanked by mortals.

Wen Yuan was red-faced from being referred to as "Immortal," and he scrambled to pour tea and fetch snacks.

As for Lin Yan, he was nearly incoherent.

Mu Rongsa couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark, "You went through all this trouble crossing mountains and sleeping in the open, but why didn't those big shots come? How did they let the women suffer and camp outdoors?"

The woman replied, "Immortal, it was my choice to come. My husband passed away long ago, and this is my only daughter, my lifeline."

She looked at Hua Che standing behind Zhuang Tian, her eyes full of gratitude. "If it weren't for this little Immortal saving our lives, she would have surely..."

In just three months, the little girl had grown quite a bit, and Hua Che almost didn't recognize her. "So, it's you!"

The little girl, emulating her mother, knelt down and bowed, clumsily saying, "I'm Xiaoying, thanking Immortal Hua for saving my life."

A soft smile flickered in Hua Che's eyes as he helped the little girl up and patted her fluffy head. Suddenly, he took out a piece of broken jade from his pocket, strung it on a red string, and tied it around the little girl's neck. "For protection."

The woman was overjoyed, "Thank you, Immortal, thank you!"

Led by Zhuang Xia'er, the little girl, holding the broken jade, watched the sunlight.

"Mother, when I grow up, I want to join Lingxiao Temple too."

The woman smiled gently, "Do you want to become a heroine who fights injustice and helps the weak?"

"What's a heroine?"

"Like Immortal Hua, Immortal Chu, Immortal Mu, and others."

"Yes." The little girl nodded vigorously.