After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

"Yes...that's right...I've been fed up with these sect guys for a long time. Why should they be able to monopolize the secret realm and exclude us..."

"Kill...kill our way in! The Phoenix Hill Secret Realm is ours!"

The scattered crowd regrouped and launched a coordinated attack on the protective barrier covering the entrance to the secret realm.

Seeing this offensive, the faces of those who remained huddled inside the protective barrier turned grim.

At this moment, Long Wanyan, the instigator of the current situation in the secret realm, was leisurely walking side by side with Xiao Yu in the secret realm.

After killing the frozen monster several more times, until the flames on its body were completely burned away and its body could no longer support its recovery, the monster was considered completely killed.

Only a pool of flames, burned to ashes, remained, then suddenly receded into the ground, as if it had been absorbed by something.

Watching the flames disappear, Long Wanyan pondered for a moment, recalling knowledge about this phenomenon from her memory:

"They are probably the phoenix's retinue... some poor creatures who have been given the fire."

"The phoenix's retinue? And the bestowed fire... What is this?"

Hearing the terms that Long Wanyan used, Xiao Yu asked in confusion.

"You know the legend of the phoenix rising from the ashes, right? This kind of effect can not only be applied to the phoenix itself, but also to other people. The phoenix will brand its trusted confidants with flames containing its own blood essence."

After enduring the excruciating pain of being burned by the flames, one successfully gains a phoenix-like extraordinary regenerative ability; this process is known as receiving the fire.

"Initially, Phoenix implemented this method to expand its power and to suppress the rising human race. After all, compared to other races, the number of Phoenixes was pitifully small. Those who were given the fire seed were Phoenix's family members and were also under Phoenix's control."

However, unlike the phoenix itself, after being given the fire, each time it is injured and recovers, the flames burn itself, burning its soul and even its body as fuel for the fire, until finally its body and soul are burned to ashes. This is fundamentally different from the phoenix's immortality.

However, those phoenixes don't seem to be immortal, otherwise they wouldn't have been wiped out overnight.

Getting back to the point, the monster we just defeated was probably after the Phoenix clan was wiped out. Its flames, now unrestrained, began to devour its body, burning it to ashes. Its soul, caught in the constant cycle of physical regeneration and destruction, had already completely collapsed.

At this point, Long Wanyan rested her chin on her hand, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"It seems that this secret realm is far more complex than we imagined. We might even encounter some ancient celestial weapon."

These words drew a slight glance from Xiao Yu. This woman dressed as a Taoist nun seemed to know quite a lot. From explaining the difference between the two moons in the sky when she first appeared, to now speaking eloquently about the phoenix family, it was clear that she was no ordinary person.

Rogue cultivators wouldn't know so many secrets.

Xiao Yu began to ponder the true identity of this Daoist nun named Linglong, and why he had approached her.

He was a Taoist with the cultivation level of Golden Core, but his attack methods were not the common sword techniques and talismans. Instead, they were similar to those of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Was that claw that just smashed the monster into a bloody mess?

paw……

hiss……

I have no clue what to do, and my head hurts.

Thinking about it, Xiao Yu habitually picked up the sword-nurturing gourd hanging at his waist and took a big gulp.

Then...

"Cough cough cough..."

A faint aroma of wine wafted past her nose, and Long Wanyan looked at Xiao Yu, who had just choked on a large mouthful of wine, with a puzzled expression.

His gaze fell on the apricot-yellow gourd in his hand.

Chapter Seven, Fine Wine

"Ye Ba... what's that in your hand?"

"A gourd for holding wine."

After coughing a few times to spit out the alcohol stuck in his throat, Xiao Yu replied.

As for the yam and wolfberry soup in the gourd, it had already been finished. In addition, thanks to that bastard woman from the Thieves' Sect, Xiao Yu's lost essence was replenished, even greatly so, to the point of being over-replenished.

Since the gourd was empty, and considering that there was a certain boxing manual that he had been throwing into the warehouse to gather dust, which Xiao Yu would never want to learn, just in case, Xiao Yu took advantage of the night to go to the inn's kitchen and fill the gourd with strong liquor.

After all, sword immortals are best paired with wine, although Xiao Yu is probably not used to drinking such strong alcohol right now.

But a flushed face and a thick neck are better than a weak, pale face.

The title "Void Sword Immortal" sounds awful.

"Alcohol? Can your body handle it? If you drink such strong liquor without taking proper care afterward, it will likely leave some aftereffects. Did you finish the soup?"

Smelling the strong aroma of alcohol, Long Wanyan recognized it as strong liquor, and a very strong one at that. Remembering how Xiao Yu had barely managed to walk out of the cave that morning, looking weak and leaning against the wall, she couldn't help but ask with concern.

"I'm perfectly healthy. I can climb three flights of stairs without even breaking a sweat. Wait a minute! Do I look that weak? I can't even drink alcohol, let alone soup...you..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's heart tightened, and he pointed to his face in disbelief.

No way... his complexion has gotten that bad?!

Even the Taoist nun, who had only met him once, thought he was a sword immortal with kidney deficiency.

And the soup she mentioned... could it be that she smelled the yam and goji berry soup that was still inside the gourd?!

Xiao Yu was about to explain when he saw the Taoist nun in front of him. He glanced away, quickly waved his hand, and hurriedly changed the subject, his tone somewhat flustered:

"Ah... no, it's nothing. You must have misheard. By the way, if I'm not mistaken, what you're holding should be the legendary sword-nurturing gourd, right? So you're a sword cultivator with a natal destiny?"

"Yes, I didn't expect you to notice. This gourd was a gift from a friend of mine."

Xiao Yu didn't think much of it, but Long Wanyan immediately recognized the origin of the sword-nurturing gourd in his hand. Fearing that he might have evil intentions, Xiao Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he successfully diverted his attention.

It was a close call, I was almost exposed.

If Ye Ba discovers her identity, he might mistakenly think she's a controlling, perverted stalker, which would be bad.

Upon hearing this, and seeing that Xiao Yu's attention was not on the medicine she had just let slip, Long Wanyan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But upon hearing Xiao Yu's explanation for the origin of the sword-nurturing gourd at his waist, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her tone turned slightly cold:

"Friends? You...are you sure, just...friends?"

"Um...more or less, she's a very important friend to me, the kind of very important. She's given me a lot of help in my life and left an irreplaceable mark on my heart..."

For some reason, the moment Xiao Yu was stared at by the Taoist nun named Linglong, he felt a chill creep up his spine.

So they quickly extended the meaning of the word "friend" further.

"So... a very important 'friend'?"

Long Wanyan lowered her eyes, and the coldness in her tone lessened.

"Ye Ba, what do you think of the friend who gave you the sword-nurturing gourd? Do you find him arrogant and scary, and afraid to get close to him?"

"Arrogant? Linglong, do you know the person who gave me the sword-nurturing gourd?!"

"No, no, how should I put it? After all, sword-nurturing gourds are rare. If someone just casually gives you one, it means they don't care about one or two sword-nurturing gourds. They must be a very wealthy and powerful person!"

"This is indeed..."

Xiao Yu gripped the gourd tightly in his hand, took a small sip, and felt a burning sensation in his heart as the strong liquor went down his throat. He looked into the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"She...is a good person."

"..."

Long Wanyan subconsciously glanced at the sack in the storage space again with her divine sense.

Fortunately, Xiao Yu then added another sentence:

"However, I still quite like it."

After all, a woman who rushes to give you spirit stones and a sword-nurturing gourd, afraid of neglecting you in any way, wouldn't Xiao Yu, who has accepted so many benefits, say he dislikes you, right?

Who wouldn't like a woman who gives away such treasures?

The only downside seems to be that it's a bit too astringent; my kidneys can't handle it.

Hiss... wait a minute, a woman who's nice to you for no reason, is very rich, and only wants your body? Isn't that the legendary rich woman?!

In a daze, a wide and promising road stretched out before Xiao Yu.

But then I thought, I might become so weak in the future that I won't even be able to stand up for support, so I decided to give up on that idea.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yu picked up the gourd and took another sip of wine. Just then, a voice that was much gentler than before came from the other side.

"Excuse me... may I have a sip of your wine?"

He was taken aback, and although he hesitated for a moment, he still obediently handed over the gourd in his hand.

"Oh... okay, but these are just cheap wines, not the famous Qingzhushan wine."

He wasn't afraid of her taking it; on the contrary, taking it would be exactly what Xiao Yu wanted. The sword-nurturing gourd, as the name suggests, is used to nurture and hone flying swords.

Xiao Yu's flying sword, Yue Li, is currently lurking inside the gourd. If the Daoist nun makes any unusual moves, the flying sword can pierce her chest with a single strike at such close range.

"It's alright, in fact, this is better..."

"Eh?!"

Taking the gourd from Xiao Yu, Long Wanyan tilted her head back and took a big gulp. The strong liquor went down her throat with a spicy sensation, but her thoughts drifted away with that spiciness.

"Friend"... probably refers to a Daoist partner, right? ...My identity is sensitive to outsiders, so I can't just tell any stranger I meet on the street about my relationship.

She was being inconsiderate; Ye Ba did a much better job in this regard.

As the liquor poured in, Long Wanyan didn't choke like Xiao Yu, but swallowed it all. Her throat tightened, the strong liquor went down her throat, and a blush rose on her fair face.

"Good wine!"

Long Wanyan returned the gourd to Xiao Yu and gave him a thumbs up.

"Um... thank you for the compliment."

Faced with the Taoist nun who suddenly exuded a heroic spirit, as if she had seen through everything, Xiao Yu was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.

By the way... is this wine still drinkable?

Could she have secretly poisoned the gourd while she was drinking?

He pondered to himself.