Her sudden change from cold to courteous left Li Fei even more puzzled. However, the genuine admiration on Su Wan's face was unmistakable. Li Fei smiled and said, "You flatter me, Senior Sister... May I ask what rumors you're referring to?"
Could there be some unfavorable gossip circulating about her at Shining Light Peak? Was that why Su Wan had initially been reluctant to speak to her? It was strange—aside from Lei Xiuyuan and Hu Jiaping, she had barely interacted with anyone else at Shining Light Peak. What kind of rumors could there possibly be?
Su Wan studied her thoughtfully before shaking her head. "Gossip can be vicious. With Jiang Shi Mei's stunning beauty, it's inevitable that she would attract unwarranted attention. I mistakenly believed those rumors earlier and treated you rudely. Please don’t take offense."
...Whatever those rumors were, they probably weren’t pleasant. Li Fei frowned in distaste. She had taken an immediate liking to Su Wan’s straightforward and candid nature, so she smiled again and said, "Senior Sister, just call me by my name."
Su Wan raised an eyebrow and readily agreed. "Alright, Li Fei. And you don’t need to call me 'Senior Sister' either. We’re about the same age—let’s just use our names."
The two girls exchanged a smile, their mutual fondness instantly deepening. However, now was hardly the time for idle chatter. As they descended on their clouds, they saw Lei Xiuyuan retrieving a fang from the charred remains of the snake demon. The fang was longer than their arms, but fortunately, it hadn’t been burned by the fire dragon.
Noticing Deng Xiguang’s dazed expression, Su Wan chuckled. "Why don’t we give this fang to Senior Brother Deng? He’s had quite the scare."
Deng Xiguang flushed with shame. He had assumed the two female disciples would be frail—after all, outstanding female cultivators were rare. Yet one had displayed formidable offensive power, while the other had wielded the Five Elements Immortal Method with perfect timing, even saving his life. His earlier arrogance had now completely vanished.
"Jiang Shi Mei..." He clasped his fists and bowed to Li Fei. "Words cannot express my gratitude for saving my life. I owe you a debt."
His sincerity was a far cry from his earlier glibness, making him much more likable. Li Fei smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Deng, you’re too kind. It was just a coincidence. In terms of mastery over the Wood Element Immortal Technique, I’m nowhere near—"
Before she could finish, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"
Instinctively, Li Fei raised her hand, casting the Bronze Wall Technique around the four of them. In a flash, a massive, sinuous shadow darted out—what seemed like another serpent’s tail, but this one ended in a huge, razor-sharp bone hook glinting coldly.
The tail lashed out, the bone hook striking at them like lightning. Fortunately, the Bronze Wall Technique blocked the attack, but with a thunderous crash, the barrier shattered into fragments under the force of the hook. The four of them had already leapt onto their clouds and soared away. Below them, the churning black water in the ravine suddenly erupted like boiling liquid, and from within, several enormous, grotesque monstrous creatures emerged one after another—at least a dozen at a glance.
Trouble upon trouble. Deng Xiguang’s legs went weak, and he wobbled unsteadily on his small cloud, his face deathly pale. His spiritual energy faltered, and the cloud beneath his feet dissipated instantly. With a scream, he plummeted downward. Lei Xiuyuan transformed into a streak of golden light, catching him midair. "Retreat, now!" he ordered.
Without hesitation, the four of them turned and fled. At this point, conserving spiritual energy was the last thing on their minds. Their small clouds shot forward like arrows, covering dozens of miles in the blink of an eye. When they glanced back, the monstrous creatures didn’t seem to be pursuing them. Relieved, they descended to the ground."Let's not go near that area next time." Su Wan said with lingering fear. One or two monstrous creatures were manageable, but a dozen of them would be impossible to handle even if they had three heads and six arms. Seeing Deng Xiguang still pale-faced and trembling, she frowned. "Senior Brother Deng, are you alright?"
Deng Xiguang couldn't utter a word. He had severely underestimated this trip to Chestnut Blaze Valley. Originally thinking he ranked among the top three young disciples under Baifu Zhenren and with a genius like Lei Xiuyuan in their team, hunting demons should've been effortless. Yet, not the slightest negligence was tolerated here. Repeatedly rescued by his teammates, he had become nothing but deadweight.
This was neither a hunt for admiration nor a leisurely outing—the journey to Chestnut Blaze Valley was a genuine trial where the slightest oversight could lead to total annihilation.
Still being dragged along by Lei Xiuyuan, he finally snapped out of it, clasping his hands and bowing his head in apology. "...I've caused you trouble. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
All three here were technically his juniors. If an elder brother were to be deemed incompetent and expelled from the team by his juniors, he'd have no face left to show anyone.
Su Wan had intended to scold him further, but seeing his sincere apology, she couldn't bring herself to say more. She smiled faintly and fell silent.
The four took flight again, with Lei Xiuyuan continuing to scout ahead using his aquatic immortal technique. After flying for no more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he suddenly halted again, concentrating for a long while before landing. After a prolonged pause, he frowned slightly. "There seem to be two sources of demon qi ahead, close together. I can't get a clear read."
Li Fei smiled. "Let me take a look. Leave it to me."
She reached into her robe and pulled out a crystal-clear glass mirror, its aura vast and profound—clearly an extremely powerful mystical treasure. Deng Xiguang and Su Wan's eyes immediately lit up.
Su Wan gasped. "Li Fei, is this your mystical treasure?"
A young disciple could already refine a mystical treasure? Weren't these things only successfully crafted after becoming a direct disciple?
Li Fei nodded silently. "Master gave it to me for protection."
That Chongyi Zhenren would bestow such a powerful treasure upon her spoke volumes about his affection for this disciple. Su Wan said enviously, "Chongyi Zhanglao treats you so well. No wonder the miasma and demon qi retreated as soon as we entered Chestnut Blaze Valley—it must be this treasure's effect."
Li Fei smiled, warmth blossoming in her heart. She was but a small orphan girl, yet she kept encountering such kindness. Her master had once asked her what drove her cultivation. Perhaps she still didn't have a clear answer, but for the sake of these warm-hearted people, she was determined to cultivate diligently and achieve results. Maybe that was her current motivation?
Closing her eyes to focus, she channeled spiritual energy into the glass mirror, then slowly turned it in all directions before stopping abruptly, facing one particular way. The mirror trembled incessantly in her hands. "Over there, three miles away. Wait—let me show you."
Moments later, the palm-sized mirror surface suddenly revealed the outline of a monstrous creature—a massive tiger demon, its paws wreathed in flames, fur on its back several feet long, with two fleshy wings protruding from its sides, surrounded by swirling black qi, appearing utterly ferocious and sinister.
Perched atop the trees above it was a horned, eagle-like monster with blood-red eyes and a piercing gaze.
Su Wan's expression shifted slightly. "That's the ferocious beast Gu Diao. The tiger demon is with it?"
After observing for a while, Deng Xiguang said quietly, "Junior Brother Lei, shall I handle distracting these two?"He was originally supposed to be responsible for containment in the team, a role of great importance. Yet his earlier performance had been a complete mess, and even he felt ashamed thinking back on it. If he didn’t contribute something now, he might just die of humiliation.
Lei Xiuyuan pondered for a moment before speaking: "Senior Brother Deng, are you skilled in the Wood Element Immortal Technique, Ironwood Forest?"
Deng Xiguang immediately understood his intention and nodded firmly.
The four of them stood together, shielding Li Fei in the center. Lei Xiuyuan lowered his head and said, "Li Fei, when the time comes, try to freeze the Tiger Demon first. Can you do it?"
She raised her eyebrows: "Of course I can. Didn’t you see my training? How was it?"
Lei Xiuyuan looked down at her expectant expression, eager for praise, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Not bad."
"Hey, what do you mean by 'not bad'?" Li Fei was a little dissatisfied. "If it’s amazing, say it’s amazing. If it’s not, say it’s not. 'Not bad' sounds like you’re just brushing me off."
Lei Xiuyuan patted her head. "I’ll give you a detailed analysis when we have time."
Li Fei gave a dry laugh and raised her hand, casting three layers of Bronze Wall Technique around everyone. At the same time, she dispelled the Invisibility Spell, which had been used to conceal their forms and spiritual energy, preventing the monstrous creatures from detecting their presence. The moment it was lifted, the creatures ahead immediately sensed the spiritual energy fluctuation. In an instant, demon qi surged violently, and a fierce wind swept toward them.
The four immediately soared into the air on clouds. Deng Xiguang had already focused his mind and formed hand seals, suddenly shouting, "Grow!"
In an instant, countless withered trees sprang up from the ground within a radius of dozens of zhang, densely surrounding the four of them. The branches of the withered trees were as sharp as blades and as hard as steel. The Tiger Demon and Gu Diao, charging forward with the wind, unexpectedly plunged into the Ironwood Forest, their movements severely hindered. As they struggled, the withered branches snapped one after another, but the broken sections instantly regrew, branching and extending further. The more they broke, the denser the branches became, forming a cage-like prison that trapped the two demons, leaving them unable to advance or retreat.
By this time, Li Fei had also completed her spell. A drizzle of icy rain fell, freezing the Tiger Demon’s four paws onto the withered branches, rendering it immobile. Meanwhile, vines sprouted from the branches, swiftly binding the Gu Diao tightly.
Lei Xiuyuan transformed into a streak of golden light, swiftly and coldly slicing past the Tiger Demon’s massive body. In the blink of an eye, he landed back on the white cloud. Su Wan laughed heartily and praised, "Well done!" Before her, a blazing fire lotus slowly rotated. This Immortal Technique seemed to strain her greatly, as sweat covered her face.
With a flick of her finger, the fire lotus drifted gently toward the Gu Diao. Thousands of fiery tongues lashed out, and a fiercely burning lotus bloomed on its enormous body. Before it could even roar, it was reduced to ashes, leaving only half a head to crash to the ground.
Deng Xiguang was stunned to see the Tiger Demon still frozen among the branches. But the next moment, a spray of blood suddenly exploded—the Tiger Demon’s body had been sliced into countless pieces without anyone noticing, leaving only its head to fall to the ground, its gaping maw still filled with fangs.
No one landed to inspect. The Supreme Harmony Art descended, severing the horn and fangs, while Su Wan burned the rest to ashes with a wave of fire. The four flew for a while with their spoils, only landing in the forest once they were far from the demon qi.
"Senior Brother Deng, we owe this victory to you," Su Wan praised bluntly, without any awkwardness over her earlier scolding. Deng Xiguang’s actions truly deserved admiration.Deng Xiguang gave an embarrassed smile. He had finally adjusted his mindset, regained his normal standard, and redeemed the face he had lost.
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