Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

The rain stopped sometime ago.

"Did you kill him?"

Hearing Shen Wei's words, Ye Qingci finally came to her senses.

She shook her head.

"Let it go."

Hearing the expected answer, Shen Wei sheathed his sword at the opportune moment.

"I think I understand why the fairy has fallen to such a state."

Ye Qingci remained silent for a long time:

"All of this is my own fault, but I...have no regrets."

These words seemed to be spoken to Shen Wei, but also to himself.

Shen Wei didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly exerted force with his waist and hips, kicking Pei Yan hard. Pei Yan fell backward and spat out a mouthful of blood.

He spoke in an icy tone:

"Leave the storage ring behind, then get out."

Pei Yan clutched his chest, looking at Shen Wei with a complicated expression. Under Shen Wei's cold gaze, he finally gritted his teeth, took off the storage ring from his hand, and threw it to him.

It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with the storage ring in his hand, but Shen Wei's actions made him feel extremely humiliated.

Shen Wei's eyes met Pei Yan's directly:

"Fellow Daoist Pei, you seem to have a problem with what I'm doing?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's heart tightened, and a forced smile appeared on his lips:

"I dare not, no, senior, your strength is extraordinary and your mind is even more magnanimous. I can only look up to you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei's gaze fell on the two disciples behind Pei Yan.

"You two too."

The two disciples, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, hurriedly did as instructed, dropping the rings and fleeing in panic.

Pei Yan and his entourage no longer possessed the arrogance they had displayed when they entered; instead, they fled in a disheveled and hurried manner.

Seeing Pei Yan and his group leave, Ye Qingci finally calmed down. She had many questions in her mind, but she still restrained herself and spoke:

"May I ask... what is your name, young hero?"

She wanted to confirm something.

"Shen Wei".

He uttered two words calmly, then bent down and picked up the storage rings that the two people had dropped.

"Shen Wei..."

Ye Qingci silently recited in her heart, the expectation in her eyes gradually fading. This was not the name she had in mind.

Moreover, if he really was that boy, he probably would have recognized him the moment he saw him.

But that spiritual power...

She hesitated for a moment, but still didn't voice her question.

"My name is Ye Qingci. I was originally a member of the Shangqing Sect, but because I resented that sect..."

She explained her origins in a soft voice.

Shen Wei searched through the three people's storage rings and found only some scattered spirit stones; there was no trace of protective spirit treasures or anything like that.

Are even the direct disciples of the Shangqing sect this poor?

He felt a pang of regret. If he hadn't let those three go, their cultivation levels would have kept the evil dragon within him in check for a while.

"yes."

In fact, he knew without even thinking that, given her personality and the dirty deeds those immortal sects had done behind the scenes, it was only a matter of time before she ended up like this.

He gave a perfunctory reply and casually put away the three storage rings.

This storage ring is of exceptional quality and could fetch a good price.

Shen Wei composed himself and spoke to Ye Qingci:

"So, can we set off now?"

Ye Qingci glanced at him, blinked, and seemed helpless at Shen Wei's indifferent attitude:

"it is good."

Just as the two set off, the stone shell around the headless Buddha statue began to crack inch by inch!

Thick, ink-like black mist overflowed wildly from the cracks, and suddenly, a twisted, evil Buddha head with sharp fangs appeared!

At the same time, two more baby-like heads sprouted from either side of the Buddha's head, which was extremely bizarre!

The pair of scarlet eyes on the Buddha's head were moving uneasily, fixed on the two people's location.

Shen Wei's senses were sharp, and he instantly detected the unusual movement behind him. His eyes narrowed, and the longsword he had previously sheathed emitted a soft hum once more.

At the same time, the evil dragon within him was roaring.

Just when they were worried that the evil dragon had nothing to eat, something good was delivered to their door!

Ye Qingci was also startled by the strange noise behind her. She turned around and, with her extensive knowledge, quickly recognized what it was:

"Watch out, it's the Vengeful Child Demon!"

She gasped in surprise.

This demon was born from the resentment of children. It seems that this temple was not for worshipping Buddha at all, but for suppressing this demon!

It must have been the battle between Shen Wei and Pei Yan that allowed it to absorb a large amount of true energy, which enabled it to revive.

Ye Qingci made a judgment in her heart.

Shen Wei had heard of the Vengeful Child Demon, but had never actually faced it.

He gripped the longsword in his hand tightly:

"I know what I'm doing. Just take care of yourself."

After saying that, he raised his sword and stepped forward, slashing at the heavy body of the vengeful child demon.

"clang--"

With a crisp sound, the sword energy struck the demon Buddha, leaving only a shallow mark. Shen Wei was slightly surprised—this monster's physique was much stronger than he had imagined.

Having just exhausted a lot of spiritual energy in the battle with Pei Yan and his group, and also because the Evil Dragon Demon hadn't been fed in time, facing this Vengeful Child Demon now would be extremely troublesome if he didn't unleash his killing move.

Just as he was pondering, the vengeful child demon stretched out its hands and stumbled toward him like a child, moving at an astonishing speed, while making eerie "giggle giggle" laughter as it ran.

Shen Wei inwardly cried out in alarm; at that speed, he had no time to dodge.

In this critical situation, Shen Wei had no choice but to retreat several steps, rapidly circulating his internal energy, and letting out a low shout:

"Azure Frost Moonfall Sword Technique!"

Upon seeing this technique, Ye Qingci's body trembled slightly, and the nascent idea in her heart began to stir even more.

This sword technique is clearly the unique sword method she accidentally gave to that boy back then, and it is the same as the mental cultivation method. No one else knows it!

"Ugh... Ah!"

The vengeful child demon let out a piercing shriek, and its stumbling figure suddenly accelerated as it closed the distance.

Shen Wei's eyes were icy cold. He gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, his spiritual power circulated wildly within his body, and the evil dragon's aura from the depths of his Qi Sea surged out continuously!

"break!"

With a low shout, he swung his dark black longsword forward.

The evil dragon's malevolent energy was originally incompatible with the extremely yin and pure nature of this sword technique, but in Shen Wei's hands, the two were perfectly combined.

"Bang—"

A massive, crescent-shaped, azure sword aura, enveloped in the malevolent energy of an evil dragon, slashed down fiercely towards the vengeful child demon, carrying a resolute killing intent.

The demonic child seemed to lack intelligence. When Shen Wei slashed at it with his sword, it neither dodged nor avoided, but instead opened its bloody mouth wide, as if it wanted to swallow the powerful sword energy whole.

"Bang--!"

The sword energy collided head-on with the demon.

"Ha ha……"

The monster's eerie laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by painful howls.

"Waaaaah...waaaah...waaaah!"

The wails grew louder and louder until the resentment burst through its hideous body.

"Bang!"

The vengeful child demon exploded, turning into countless fragments of stone.

At the same time, it also emitted waves of resentment, like countless writhing black shadows, desperately surging outwards.

Seeing this, Shen Wei lowered his eyes, lightly tapped his chest with his finger, and in an instant, the atmosphere within the ruins reversed, and the resentment surged towards his fingertip.

Before long, he had completely swallowed up the resentment.

For the evil dragon, resentment is a great tonic.

He did this very secretly and quickly to avoid Ye Qingci seeing it, after all, the Evil Dragon was the most evil demon in the eyes of the immortals, and he could not let anyone know about it.

Ironically, according to his investigations over the years, the evil dragon within him seems to be inextricably linked to those immortal sects.

After doing all this, Shen Wei sheathed his sword and stood up, his body slightly staggering.

This sword drained most of his true energy. Although the evil dragon had absorbed a lot of resentment in this battle, it was selfish and would not produce any spiritual power for him to use unless it was fully satiated and digested.

Ye Qingci walked over at the opportune moment, her tone gentle:

"How are you?"

"It's alright, just let me rest for a while."

After saying that, he slumped down on the broken pillar, panting heavily.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qingci finally couldn't suppress the question in her heart. Her voice was somewhat tentative. She was still not sure. Even though their eyes and brows were very familiar, their temperaments were completely different.

"Where did you get the sword technique you just used?"

Are you still unsure if it's me?

He pondered for a long time, but ultimately decided to continue hiding the truth, and then casually made up a lie:

"You mean the sword technique I just used? I obtained it from a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a secret realm. At the time, I was curious where a rogue cultivator got such a good sword technique."

Shen Wei spoke casually, as if recalling a trivial matter: "That guy wasn't very skilled, but he had a hidden talent for swordsmanship. When asked about his background, he said..."

Shen Wei paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"They say they killed a rich young master, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and found it in his storage bag. Who knows if it's true?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingci's eyes revealed an expression of disbelief:

"So... is the rich young master really dead?"

Shen Wei shrugged and continued answering:

"I don't know. After asking, I sent that evil cultivator on his way. I didn't have the time to verify whether it was true or not. However, I did find a cultivation manual in his storage ring. It was of excellent quality and must have belonged to that rich young master."

After saying this, Shen Wei closed his eyes and said no more.

Ye Qingci wanted to continue asking questions.

Seeing this, she had no choice but to put aside her doubts and find a place to stand nearby. She tugged at her muddy skirt and, completely lacking any fairy-like demeanor, casually sat down beside him.

This person is truly sparing with words...

Ye Qingci pondered to himself.

However, his explanation does make sense...

If what he said is true, that boy...

How could the ending be like this?

Some memories flashed back.

Several years ago, she casually saved a boy and took him in to live with her for a while.

She still remembered that boy always liked to pester her, begging her to teach him a move or two.

She still remembered the boy patting his chest and making a promise to her:

Once he has mastered his divine skills, he will no longer allow any injustice or unfairness to occur in this world.

Even though ten years have passed, the memories are still so vivid.

Thinking of this, she smiled to herself, but her current situation and the boy's fate brought a deep sense of desolation to her eyes.

If she had stayed a few more days, given him more advice, and protected him more, would the outcome have been different?

She felt partly to blame for this; if she hadn't given him those two cultivation manuals, he might not have been coveted and died so hastily...