Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

The next day.

Although the rain had not stopped, it was gradually lessening. She was a light sleeper and woke up at the crack of dawn.

How could I have fallen asleep in such an environment?

She quickly checked herself over and, after confirming that the young man in black had not taken advantage of her injuries and that nothing was missing, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked up and her gaze met Shen Wei's again; he was casually stroking the hilt of his sword.

After a night's rest, she recovered somewhat and could confirm that the familiar feeling was not an illusion.

She couldn't help but ask,

"Have we... met somewhere before?"

Shen Wei chuckled softly, his eyes revealing an unreadable emotion:

"Is this the first time you've approached me, fairy?"

Ye Qingci frowned slightly.

"If you don't want to answer, then so be it. Why make fun of me?"

"Never seen it before."

"That was my presumption."

Shen Wei slung the cloth bag back around his waist, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and slowly leaned against the cracked vermilion pillar of the temple gate, his tone languid:

"I recall yesterday... the fairy mentioned that she was being chased, didn't she?"

Ye Qingci, who had intended to leave, stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, seemingly waiting for Shen Wei to finish his sentence.

"It just so happens that this is how I make a living, so I can escort the fairy on her journey."

Then he slowly extended his five fingers.

"Five thousand spirit stones."

Ye Qingci remained silent for a moment, then said coldly:

"I don't want to implicate my fellow cultivators."

"Does the fairy not trust my abilities?"

Shen Wei stood still, his right hand half-resting on the scabbard. With a gentle push of his fingers, the scabbard opened halfway, and a flash of sword light revealed his powerful true energy.

Ye Qingci was somewhat incredulous at such a vast amount of true energy…

It was even comparable to her peak period.

So young, with such a high level of cultivation, yet he's just a rogue cultivator?

This is truly unbelievable.

But she wasn't without suspicion. She knew in her heart that if this person truly harbored ill intentions towards her, the best opportunity to strike was when she was fast asleep yesterday.

She was caught off guard, her injuries severe, and she was utterly powerless to resist, but he didn't...

Ye Qingci looked up and met Shen Wei's dark and deep eyes, feeling that this person exuded an inexplicable mystery.

This stirred a strange feeling within her; it was the first time in all her years of cultivation that she had felt such intense curiosity about a strange man.

"What has your decision been, Fairy? Can you give me a definite answer?"

She hesitated for a moment, then seemed to have made up her mind:

"I have fallen to this state, and it is unfortunate that I have encountered you, young hero. Since that is the case, I humbly request your help to escort me to the Jade Balance Sect."

The sect leader of the Jade Balance Sect, Chu Qianqiu, was also her closest friend.

Now that she has nowhere to turn, Chu Qianqiu will definitely not sit idly by and will take her in for a while.

Yuheng Sect...

Shen Wei silently thought to himself, "Yuheng Sect is far away in Zhongzhou, and it is far removed from Cangyingzhou. It seems that this will be a difficult task."

Ye Qingci raised her hand and untied the purse at her waist:

"This is the deposit. That's all I have for now. As for the rest... I'll make up the difference once I arrive at the Jade Balance Sect."

Drawing her sword was a rash act on her impulse. The incident happened in a hurry, and she hadn't made many preparations. She only had a small amount of spirit stones on her, and after fleeing for so long, she was now in dire straits.

"no problem."

Shen Wei agreed readily, his gaze sweeping over the purse in her palm, but there was no trace of greed in his eyes.

He didn't come for the spirit stones; he just wanted to use this as an excuse to protect her for a while and settle the debt of gratitude from back then.

Just as the two were talking, a powerful aura suddenly arrived.

Ye Qingci's heart tightened, and a strong sense of unease surged within her.

In the blink of an eye, a tall and slender man with an extraordinary demeanor approached. He had a cold and hard expression, sharp eyes, and wore a moon-white Shangqing Sect Taoist robe. The robe was made of luxurious material and embroidered with intricate cloud patterns. A sect jade token was tied around his waist.

Two disciples, dressed similarly and looking wary, followed closely behind.

The man's gaze swept over the dilapidated temple, but he didn't look at Shen Wei once. His gaze landed directly on Ye Qingci, and his tone was serious:

"Elder Ye, since there is no way out, why not return to the sect with me? You have worked diligently for the sect for many years. The sect may be willing to make an exception for you out of consideration for our past relationship."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingci slowly stepped forward, her figure cool and upright, her voice soft yet resolute:

"The Shangqing Sect is no longer the righteous immortal sect you imagined. If you still have a conscience, you should immediately withdraw and stay away from that filthy place..."

"shut up!"

The man interrupted sharply, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Elder Ye, I don't know who has misled you. It's one thing to brandish your sword at our Grandmaster, but to dare to slander the reputation of our Immortal Sect like this! Although I respect you, Elder, if you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame me for cleaning up the sect on behalf of our Grandmaster!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingci shook her head, seemingly unwilling to argue, and stepped back to turn to Shen Wei, saying:

"This person is named Pei Yan, a direct disciple of the Shangqing Sect... At this moment, my meridians are damaged, and my true energy is difficult to sustain, so I'm afraid... I can't help him."

Shen Wei did not answer, but simply put Ye Qingci's purse into his hand and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

Pei Yan heard it clearly, then frowned and looked at Shen Wei, whom he had previously ignored, his words sharp and arrogant:

"Fellow Daoist, this is an internal affair of my Shangqing Sect, and it has nothing to do with you. I advise you not to interfere, otherwise... you will not be able to bear the consequences!"

Shen Wei did not answer, but simply shook the blue purse in his hand a few times.

"Oh? The price? I think I can afford it for these five thousand spirit stones."

Shen Wei emphasized the words "five thousand spirit stones," his sarcasm already evident on his face.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan remained silent, but his eyes darkened, as if he were looking at a dead man.

The two people behind him placed their hands on the scabbards, ready to strike.

"Since that's the case, I'll see if you can bear the price!"

In an instant, Pei Yan took several steps back, and the Qingchi longsword at his waist was now in his hand. He swung it forward with all his might, and a powerful sword aura rushed straight towards Shen Wei and the other man.

Shen Wei's expression remained unchanged, but he moved slightly to protect Ye Qingci in front of him.

Then he raised two fingers together, pointed one finger to the ground, and with a slight movement of his divine sense, the sword sheath rang out!

"Buzz—!"

The longsword flew out suddenly and hovered in front of the two people. Strands of dark sword shadows flowed along the edge of the blade, revealing the extraordinary nature of this sword.

A bizarre scene unfolded!

Pei Yan's powerful sword energy seemed to avoid the two of them as if it were something to be avoided, and swept straight past them!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the already crumbling temple could no longer hold on and collapsed!

Bricks and rubble rained down, and dust billowed into the sky.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the place was a complete ruin, with only the headless Buddha statue still standing.

Pei Yan looked closely and saw that the two people in the center of the ruins were completely unharmed.

If a Golden Core cultivator were to be struck by my sword, they would have already been sent flying. Yet he managed to block my powerful attack with just a sword!

Not only was Pei Yan surprised by his strength, but Ye Qingci, who was hiding behind him, was also somewhat surprised.

"Is this person's cultivation level truly so profound?"

Seeing this, Pei Yan seemed to become interested and strode forward with his sword drawn.

Shen Wei stood still, neither dodging nor flinching, his long sword held horizontally in front of his chest, ready to meet the attack.

In an instant, the two figures moved like shadows, swords clashing and silver light flashing.

Pei Yan unleashed a series of sword moves, showcasing the exquisite swordsmanship of the Shangqing Sect to its fullest extent.

After exchanging blows with Shen Wei for several rounds, he suddenly realized that no matter what sword techniques, movement methods, or moves he used, the other man's sword was completely impenetrable!

This person is so difficult to deal with?!

Pei Yan grew increasingly impatient. He couldn't believe that he, as a direct disciple of the Shangqing Sect with extraordinary talent, had been far ahead of his peers since childhood and practiced the Shangqing Sect's top sword technique, could lose to an unknown rogue cultivator!

But the truth is, he was already panting heavily as he retreated, and he really couldn't gain any advantage over the man in black in front of him.

A sharp glint flashed in Pei Yan's eyes. This matter concerned the honor and disgrace of the sect, and he dared not be complacent. He turned to look at the two disciples behind him and gave them a meaningful look.

The two disciples instantly understood Pei Yan's meaning and immediately moved to the flank with him as the center. The moment they landed, a sword formation exuding a murderous aura suddenly unfolded.

"Form ranks!"

Pei Yan held his sword horizontally in front of him, his eyes filled with resolute killing intent.

"Nine Heavens Cleansing Sword!"

The three shouted at the same time, and at that moment, they emitted bursts of clear light, which was extraordinary.

In an instant, the three cyan sword energies merged into one, and suddenly, a phantom image resembling a cyan dragon was revealed, with the sound of a dragon's roar faintly audible!

The powerful true energy it unleashed caused the remaining rainwater in the surrounding area to evaporate instantly!

Shen Wei's eyes darkened, thinking to himself that it was indeed the top-level combined sword technique that the Shangqing Sect had been able to pass down for a thousand years, and its momentum was so magnificent!

With his escape route blocked, in this critical situation, he could only turn sideways and pull Ye Qingci behind him into his arms, holding his sword in one hand to withstand the full force of the three men's attack!

"boom--!"

The violent aftershocks of true energy lifted the broken bricks, causing them to surge outwards like waves.

As the illusory figure faded, Pei Yan was able to kneel on one knee, while the two disciples collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

"Excellent! This Nine Heavens Cleansing Sword truly lives up to its name!"

A gust of sand swept by, and along with the scattered sound came the black longsword in Shen Wei's hand!

"Whoosh!"

The sword tip came to a steady stop at Pei Yan's throat.

Shen Wei stood in front of Pei Yan, his eyes deep, looking down at him.

Pei Yan stared in disbelief at the chilling, piercing sword hanging over his neck.

"monster."

These two words were the only ones that could describe the young man in black before me.

Ye Qingci behind him was still standing there, seemingly savoring everything that had just happened.

However, what truly shocked her was not that the young man had blocked the combined sword technique of the Shangqing Sect with just one sword, nor the sense of security brought by the warmth against his chest.

Instead,

Just now, when Shen Wei used all his true energy to resist the sword formation, the unique spiritual energy flowing through his body, which belonged only to that special mental cultivation method, was flowing in a direction that was unique to him!

In a place unnoticed by everyone, wisps of black smoke were emanating from the severed neck of the headless Buddha statue.