Page 54

"He ran off to Tailai City," Wen Chi said, furrowing his brows.

Cheng Yan's expression changed immediately upon hearing this. "Not good! I just heard that Tailai City is facing a beast tide!"

Wen Chi's face darkened further. He didn't even bother recovering his spiritual energy and immediately swallowed a handful of top-grade spirit-replenishing pills. "That little girl—how is she a walking disaster? Wherever she goes, trouble follows! With her measly cultivation, even a single demon beast could swallow her whole!"

Muttering his complaints, he pulled out his flying artifact.

Cheng Yan, rarely seeing him this agitated, reached out to stop him. Though their relationship as senior and junior brothers wasn't great, he still tried to reason with him. "Tailai City has City Lord Yan Yi, a True Person* sitting in command. If it's just a minor beast tide, it shouldn't be able to break through the city. You should ask her again; she might have already been sent back to the sect."

*(TN: "True Person" is a title for high-level cultivators.)

Wen Chi's attractive brows knitted tightly together, full of impatience. "If she's already back, even better. That way, I can focus on slaughtering those demon beasts and helping Tailai City break the siege!"

With that, his figure vanished in an instant.

Cheng Yan watched the spot where he disappeared, lost in thought. Since when did Wen Chi have such a passionate sense of justice? And more importantly... he seemed particularly concerned about Qin Shu.

It was quite strange.

"Real Person Cheng Yan, will that great demon break free again?" The steward of the Zhong family stood beside him, his face full of worry.

Cheng Yan snapped out of his thoughts, glanced at the man indifferently, and said, "Hard to say. Go back and report to your master—halt all mining on this spiritual vein for now."

The steward was immediately anxious, his features contorting in distress. "How can that be? Our family spent a fortune to buy this spiritual vein!"

Cheng Yan clasped his hands behind his back and snorted coldly. "Then your master is welcome to come and slay that demon himself."

The steward fell silent. Even Xuantian Sect had used a seventh-rank formation plate and countless high-level talismans, yet they had only managed to temporarily seal the demon, not kill it. If the Zhong family wanted to handle it, the cost would be high enough to buy another spiritual vein.

Cheng Yan continued, "This spiritual vein was likely planted here intentionally—to serve as a seal for that demon. Your reckless mining disturbed the seal, causing it to loosen. If that demon escapes again, your Zhong family will have to deal with it yourselves."

The steward felt a chill run down his spine. His voice was bitter as he asked, "Real Person Cheng Yan, what kind of demon beast is it? Please, tell me so I can report back properly."

"Phantom Night Sky Spirit Mastiff."

"Phantom Night Sky Spirit Mastiff?" The steward muttered the name. When he looked up again to ask more, Cheng Yan had already vanished.

The steward stomped his foot in frustration and hurriedly summoned his flying artifact, rushing back to report.

Their master must have been deceived when purchasing this spiritual vein. To think such danger was hidden beneath it...

Whoever was behind this had truly sinister intentions!

Meanwhile, Wen Chi sent a message to Qin Shu, telling her to stay put in Tailai City and not run around. At the same time, he pushed his Zhuji Flowing Light Fan to its limit, speeding through the air.

Tailai City wasn't far from the Illusory Abyss Valley. With his rapid pace, it didn't take long before he arrived outside the city's great formation.

Looking at the still-intact city, Wen Chi, who had been tense all the way here, finally exhaled in relief.

A water-blue barrier covered the entire Tailai City like an eggshell. Below, waves of demon beasts attacked the defensive formation relentlessly. Inside the city, several Real Persons hovered mid-air, continuously channeling spiritual energy to maintain the barrier.

Wen Chi eyed the beasts with disgust. With a flick of his fingers, a powerful spell shot toward the fiercest ones attacking the barrier.

At his current cultivation—late-stage Golden Core—these lesser demon beasts, which hadn't even developed spiritual intelligence, stood no chance against him.

In an instant, he seemed to draw the aggro of every demon beast. The ones flying in the air and those running on the ground all turned their attention toward him.

Unbothered, Wen Chi reached into his storage ring and pulled out a large handful of spirit talismans, flinging them around as if they cost nothing.

Inside the city, those fighting on the walls for a meager reward from the City Lord watched him toss talismans left and right. A collective wave of bitterness surged in their hearts.

And then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Wow! He's so brave! So powerful!"

"So handsome!"

Then someone recognized him.

"Wait! Isn't that Wen Chi, one of the top ten most handsome cultivators? I've seen his portrait before—I'd never mistake that face!"

"In person, he looks even better than in the images!"

"I'm in love."

"I never knew Wen Chi was such a heroic, chivalrous person!"

Meanwhile, Qin Shu and He Xin had climbed onto the rooftop of Xuantian Sect's local branch for a better view. The vantage point was much clearer from here.

But as soon as Qin Shu looked up, she saw a man floating outside the barrier, tossing talismans like flower petals.

She squinted her eyes and leaned closer to He Xin, whispering, "Sis, doesn't he look like a peacock?"

He Xin leaned in as well and whispered back, "Honestly, he looks a bit like your second senior brother."

Qin Shu sucked in a sharp breath, stepping half a foot back, her eyes wide. "Sis, your eyesight is incredible! But isn't my second senior brother supposed to be fighting that great demon? Why would he be here?"

He Xin looked even more shocked than her. "You really can't recognize your own senior brother? Even if you don't recognize his face, you should recognize his artifact. Look at what he's standing on—isn't that the Zhuji Flowing Light Fan?"

Qin Shu: "..."

She had only ever seen the fan when it was the size of her palm. Who would recognize it at this scale?

But now that He Xin pointed it out... it did look like the Zhuji Flowing Light Fan.

Why was he here?

Recalling the message he had sent her earlier, Qin Shu had a sudden wild thought.

Could it be that he came all this way... to save her?

So, she was actually playing the role of a pampered junior sister?

A soft breeze blew by, sending chills down her spine. Goosebumps rose on her arms.

She shook off the thought immediately, burying it deep in her mind.

Ridiculous. Wen Chi found joy in teasing her—he wouldn't cross cities just to save her. The idea that he'd come for the sake of the common people was far more believable.

"Second Senior Brother really is one of the top ten most handsome cultivators," He Xin said, clasping her hands together, eyes full of admiration. "Look at the way he tosses those talismans. So dashing!"

Women—no matter their age—could never resist a handsome face.

"Of course he's handsome," Qin Shu scoffed. "If you had that many talismans to throw around, you'd be handsome too."

He Xin's hand, which had been clutching Qin Shu's sleeve, froze.

After a moment, she nodded solemnly and said, "That... makes sense."