Zhu Heniang was suddenly slapped in the face by someone who appeared out of nowhere, shaking her divine soul and causing her to collapse onto the ground in a brief stupor.

When she regained her senses and saw Shi Feiyang, she quickly scrambled up and angrily said, "Who are you? How dare you use the Invisibility Technique to sneak into Red Cloud Valley!"

She thought the man was a friend of Yang Xu's, there to rescue someone. Despite being caught off guard by the slap, she was confident in her own mana and was not afraid. She flicked her whip to try snaring Shi Feiyang's neck.

Shi Feiyang had knocked her down with a slap earlier. He immediately pinched spell-casting gestures toward the wounds on Yang Xu's body, and a drop of blood flew up and reversed back, hitting Zhu Heniang right between the brows.

Just as Zhu Heniang's whip lashed forward, it was abruptly struck by the droplet of blood, making her brain buzz instantly. Her vision turned completely blood-red, and everything around her appeared red.

Shi Feiyang then targeted the golden needles embedded in Yang Xu's body. The needles, trembling, detached and flew back, embedding in the same spots on Zhu Heniang's body as they were on Yang Xu's.

"Damned fool, now you'll taste the agony of the Demon Needles piercing the points!" Shi Feiyang remarked.

Shi Feiyang could have killed Zhu Heniang with a wave of his hand, but he didn't want her to die so easily. He also used Demon Path Techniques against her, reciprocating her actions onto herself. He withdrew dozens of blood droplets from Yang Xu's wounds, pinched spell-casting gestures, and blew on them, instantly igniting them.

He then flicked these fiery Mars onto the Demon Needles, which blazed up like fireworks, spewing sparks and continuously burrowing into Zhu Heniang's body.

Wrapped in the illusion of the Demon Realm, Zhu Heniang's senses were overwhelmed; she saw mountains of corpses and seas of blood, experienced boundless terror, and her body was scorched by the Demon Needles. Shi Feiyang's magic was remarkably clever—it was ten times more excruciating than what she had inflicted on Yang Xu, affecting her muscles, skin, liver, and lungs, a combination of burning, itching, and piercing pain.

Frantically trying to pull out the needles, Zhu Heniang found they were rooted deep within her flesh, continuously burrowing further in. Quickly, they had burrowed into her body completely.

"Ahh!" Screaming shrilly, Zhu Heniang stumbled and missed her step, rolling down the long spiral staircase along the outer wall of the Bell Tower.

Yang Xu, observing Shi Feiyang, felt both fearful and delighted, yet also somewhat puzzled.

How could this young man of a similar age have such advanced mana? Most bizarre was that despite his righteous appearance, he utilized Demon Path Techniques, specifically the highest skills of the Secret Demon Great Technique!

Jiang Shu was his master in a previous life, the pioneering disciple. Since Jiang Shu had gone into reincarnation, he roamed the human world, accumulating outer skills.

As a disciple of the Demon Suppression True Master, he was quite familiar with various techniques from the Demon Path and saw Shi Feiyang as both upright and wicked, resembling a formidable figure from the Demon Cult.

Shi Feiyang asked him, "Are you Yang Xu?"

Yang Xu nodded.

Shi Feiyang continued, "Is the Demon Suppression True Master Jiang Shu your master?"

Initially, Jiang Shu, after a quarrel with Zhu Mei, had left Qingcheng Mountain for Fujian's Jiufeng Mountain's Divine Sound Cave to cultivate in seclusion. He brought his three disciples with him. Before reincarnating, he told them to go out and gain experience and accumulate outer skills. He had strictly instructed them not to return to the mountain unless summoned by him and not to have any contact with his reincarnated self, fearing that it might prematurely restore his memories and waste the chance to reshape his heart during this cycle of reincarnation.

Yang Xu and the other two disciples knew their master had been mocked and insulted by their martial uncle, who said that he was overestimating his abilities and didn't have enough Daoist power to lead a sect. Insisting on being in the limelight would not only drag him down but also disgrace their honored teachers from Tian Dou and Ming He among others—harsh words indeed.

The dignity of Jiang Shu was hurt, and in his indignation, he declared that he would temporarily dissociate from the Qingcheng Sect. Once reincarnated and achieving great success in cultivation, he would return to establish a new religious sect. Until then, he would not claim affiliation with Tian Dou and Ming He to avoid disgracing his master and the sect.

He didn't claim to be from the Qingcheng Sect, so Yang Xu and the others also changed their tune, even going so far as to never mention who their master was. This was to prevent enemies of their past from tracing them back to their reincarnated master and potentially leading to fatal trouble. As such, no matter how the disciples of Red Cloud Valley tortured him, he simply kept silent.

Now that Shi Feiyang had unexpectedly brought it up, Yang Xu's heart trembled, thinking that this expert from the Demon Path might mean harm to his master.

However, as someone pursuing immortal cultivation, he couldn't lie easily, thus he declined to answer, only saying, "Do as you will, whether to strike or to kill, but only target me and leave others out of it."

Shi Feiyang was taken aback by his response, "Why would I hit or kill you? I merely asked you if Jiang Shu is your master."

Yang Xu closed his eyes, turned his head, and remained silent.

What sort of temper was this boy displaying? Shi Feiyang, utterly baffled and a bit exasperated said, "You're quite stubborn! Aren't you Yang Xu? Then aren't you a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect?"

Receiving no response to each question and getting no clear answer frustrated Shi Feiyang, who now particularly wanted to retrieve the needles from Zhu Heniang's body and reinsert them into this young man just to make him speak!

He was about to inquire further when suddenly, a dozen beams of sword light flew in from outside, landing below the Bell Tower, all attracted by Zhu Heniang.

They saw Zhu Heniang writhing on the ground in agony, golden needles stuck in her body as demon fire burst furiously from them, and quickly went over to help her.

The demon needles had already penetrated deep into her flesh, with mostly just the eye of the needle visible as massive amounts of sparks shot out, charring her skin and flesh.

They hastily cast spells to break the magic, but Shi Feiyang's Secret Demon Great Technique was not something they could solve. More than a dozen people surrounded Zhu Heniang, forming hand seals and chanting spells, yet the demon fire simply would not extinguish; even the rendered fat began to ooze out.

Some of the more experienced ones arranged for the disciples, brothers, and sisters to take Zhu Heniang to find their Master while the rest went up to the bell tower to check the situation.

By that time, Shi Feiyang had already sealed off the bell tower with prohibitions. From their perspective, the entire bell tower was burning. If they tried to approach from the stairs, they would find flames all over the steps and various fire creatures such as venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and fierce ghosts crawling and flying chaotically, ready to attack.

If they attempted to fly over directly from the doors or windows above, they would see nothing but blazing flames inside, and upon entering, they would immediately fall into a boundless sea of fire, being burnt on all sides with no way out.

Shi Feiyang had temporarily stopped those outside and said to Yang Xu, "Jiang Shu and I address each other as brothers; he calls me older brother, and if you truly are his disciple, Yang Xu, you should call me master uncle."

Yang Xu ignored him.

Regardless of his response, Shi Feiyang still rescued him from the wooden beam and removed the demon needles that blocked the meridians in his head and body, "Is your Flying Sword still with you? Try summoning it."

Yang Xu looked at him, concentrated his energy, formed a sword technique with his hand, and cast his sect's swordsmanship to summon it through the air.

The Flying Swords of the Mysterious Sect were all very sentient. Initially, when he was besieged and overpowered by the disciples of the Red Cloud and succumbed to magic, his Flying Sword was taken and awarded by Red Cloud to a disciple who then learned the Sword Refining Technique, they told him,

"This sword is refined using the mental methods of the Mysterious Sect; you must use the method I taught you and re-refine it for forty-nine days before it can be used, and even then, do not use it against its original master, lest it be reclaimed on the spot. It must only be wielded with perfect synchrony of body and sword without any concern."

That person was now outside the bell tower, having fallen into the illusion of a fiery sea, but in reality, he lay on the outside corridor of the bell tower, an unseen great fire burning around him, his every spell unsuccessful, with only the Flying Sword protecting him.

Shi Feiyang's Secret Demon Great Technique wasn't just about creating an illusion; at first, it was an illusion, but once the opponent perceived the external demon fire as real, it would induce an internal demon, triggering their own Heart Fire to start burning. If the person believed the illusion to be real, then the illusion becomes reality, and soon enough, the visions from external sources ceased, coming instead from within. The demon fire they then saw was their own Heart Fire fueled by their Essence Energy.

All their Magical Treasures and Spells could tackle the external fire, but none could address the fire within them; therefore, from their perspective, all spells were ineffective, and any Magical Treasure released fell to the ground.

This type of magic was designed to counter sects like the Emei Sect or elite disciples of the Mysterious Sect, but such sect members only needed to concentrate their will, initiate a One Thought Reversal, and extinguish both the internal and external demon fire. Even if trapped by external demons, internal demons could be subdued, buying time until help arrived from senior sect members.

However, against the likes of Red Cloud disciples or those from fringe or borderline evil sects, it had a remarkable effect. Before long, the individual would burn dry all the Essence Blood within, depending on their cultivation method—either burning from the inside out, turning to ash, or drying up all bodily fluids to become a mummy.

Yang Xu's sword, controlled by him, was guarding him. Although the Flying Sword itself was also an external object and could only guard against external demons and not internal ones, it was rendered ineffective. However, since the sword was refined using the mental methods of the Mysterious Sect, it inherently had the power to steady the mind and assist in concentration. Truly formidable Flying Swords could also sever internal demons and cut away all sundry thoughts.

This person felt that as long as he was connected by spirit with Yang Xu's Flying Sword, he could feel a slight sense of coolness, keeping the demon fire at bay. Thus, holding the sword handle in his right hand and the sword tip in his left, he desperately persisted.

Inside the bell tower, Yang Xu formed a hand seal to recall the sword. The sword suddenly burst into light, shone brightly, and with a loud 'clang', it leaped from his hands, turned in midair, and sliced open his chest level, transforming into a beam of white light heading toward Yang Xu, piercing through two walls before returning to its master.

Yang Xu caught the sword, his heart lightened greatly, wearing a smile; this sword was refined with the help of his master and should not be lost.

He noticed many foreign auras on the sword and frowned, exhaling several breaths of True Qi, resonating the sword loudly, the flashing white light illuminating the entire room.

Unfortunately, the sword-refining techniques of Red Cloud were formidable; it would take some time to eliminate them and would need slow, gradual re-sacrificial refinement later.

Shi Feiyang watched as he frowned, discerning his intention, and abruptly snatched the sword from him.

Yang Xu was shocked; since the sword had been refined, the only ones who had been able to take it from him were his master and his master uncle, Zhu Mei.

He quickly formed a hand seal to summon it, but in Shi Feiyang's hands, the sword was extremely tame, its flickering light also mild; he was utterly astonished, "How do you know the sword techniques of my sect?"

"Not only do I know your Qingcheng Sect's sword techniques, but take a look at this!" Shi Feiyang gestured with his hand and wiped off the foreign auras on the sword, then formed a hand seal and pointed out the window.

With a massive 'boom', a bolt of golden light thunder descended from the sky, striking precisely a mass of red clouds approaching from afar.

"Taiyin Divine Thunder!" Yang Xu recognized it; this was the most authentic Taiyin Divine Thunder of Qiantian, and such formidable power could only mean it was cast by an elder of the Qingcheng or Emei Sects.

"And there's more!" Shi Feiyang handed the sword back to Yang Xu, then grabbed his wrist and stepped forward, immediately concealing their forms.

"Formless Immortal Escape!" Yang Xu finally believed that this man could make his master call him brother, as he had only ever seen the Formless Immortal Escape performed by his master uncle Zhu Mei, not even his master could manage it!

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