My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Ye Qingfeng was awakened by birdsong.

The bird was chirping merrily, chattering as if it were arguing.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar sky—the sky was so blue it was almost blinding, with a few white clouds drifting slowly by.

He lay in a patch of wild grass.

The grass was so dense that it almost buried him completely, with only his face showing.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the grass blades, dappling his body.

Ye Qingfeng did not move.

He closed his eyes first and assessed his condition.

His cultivation level is still there, but it has been severely depleted, with less than 30% remaining.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Being alive is enough.

Immediately, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "That damn thing, it's not even human."

Unable to overcome divine punishment, he was simply thrown into this unknown place on his deathbed.

A typical example of someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong.

He sat up and looked around.

This is a valley surrounded by mountains, stretching endlessly.

The grass grew to waist height, and when the wind blew, it rustled loudly.

There were a few trees in the distance, crooked and twisted, looking somewhat desolate.

There were no roads, no people, and nothing familiar.

Not far from him, two people were lying down.

Lu Yang lay on the ground, his face buried in the grass, his buttocks sticking up high, in a very unsightly posture.

Shen Zhaoyue lay on her side, one hand still resting on the hilt of the knife at her waist, not letting go even while unconscious.

Ye Qingfeng stood up and walked to the two of them.

Shen Zhaoyue looked terrible, as pale as a sheet of paper, with chapped lips and furrowed brows.

Her dark-colored outfit was torn in several places, and there were several bloody marks on her exposed arms, which had already scabbed over.

Ye Qingfeng squatted down and reached out to check her breath.

Although his breathing was weak, it was still relatively steady.

He glanced at Lü Yang again.

The kid is fine, his breathing is even, and his complexion is normal, but the way he's lying there is really funny.

Ye Qingfeng did not wake them up.

He stood up, walked to a nearby rock, sat down, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

About an hour later, Shen Zhaoyue woke up first.

The moment she opened her eyes, her hand was already gripping the hilt of the knife.

His gaze swept quickly around, taking in Ye Qingfeng, Lü Yang, and the surrounding barren mountains and wild grass, before he slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

She sat up, the movement somewhat difficult.

A sharp pain shot through her ribs. She looked down and pressed them—two ribs were broken, but not dislocated. They would heal with rest.

She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and poured out a pill.

The pill was dark brown, about the size of a thumb, and had a bitter medicinal smell.

She tilted her head back and swallowed it, then closed her eyes and regulated her breathing for a moment before some color gradually returned to her pale face.

She opened her eyes, looked at Ye Qingfeng, and clasped her hands in greeting:

"Thank you so much, Taoist priest, for saving my life."

His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was steady and there was no exaggeration in it.

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly in return.

"No need for formalities. How are your injuries?"

Shen Zhaoyue moved her arms and pressed her ribs:

"Old wounds haven't healed, and new ones have appeared. But I won't die."

As she spoke, she stood up and brushed the grass clippings off her clothes.

Lü Yang was still lying there, motionless.

Shen Zhaoyue walked over and kicked his leg.

"Hey, wake up."

Lü Yang did not respond.

Shen Zhaoyue kicked again, this time with more force.

Lü Yang finally made a move.

He grunted twice, rolled over, and lifted his face out of the grass, his face covered in grass and dirt.

He squinted, looked around in confusion, and then saw Ye Qingfeng.

"Immortal Master!"

He yelled, sat up abruptly, and looked around to make sure he was all right before letting out a sigh of relief.

Then he saw Shen Zhaoyue, and looked around at the desolate mountains and wild grass, his face blank:

"Where...where am I?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "I don't know."

Lü Yang: "How did we get here?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "I don't know."

Lü Yang: "Then how do we get back?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "I don't know."

Lü Yang: "How come you don't know anything?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "Because I really don't know."

Lü Yang choked.

He got up, brushed off the grass clippings and dirt, and moved closer to Ye Qingfeng:

"Immortal Master, are you alright?"

Ye Qingfeng: "It's nothing."

Only then was Lü Yang completely relieved. He turned to look at Shen Zhaoyue with a smug expression on his face.

"Officer Shen, do you know how you survived?"

Shen Zhaoyue looked at him without saying a word.

Lu Yang grew even more smug and moved closer:

"The Immortal Master's sword strike transformed into three thousand! No, it was ten thousand! You didn't see it, the scene was...tsk tsk..."

He gestured wildly, dancing with joy:

"Just like that, with one swing of the sword, whoosh—the sky was filled with sword light, overwhelming everything, and the monster had nowhere to hide!"

Then the immortal master unleashed another sword strike—whoosh—three thousand more came! Three thousand, three thousand, and three thousand more—until finally, ten thousand swords were unleashed simultaneously, and the monster was instantly chopped into mincemeat!

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes practically sparkling.

Shen Zhaoyue listened without any expression on her face.

After Lü Yang finished speaking, he stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to show a look of amazement.

Shen Zhaoyue simply said "Oh".

Lu Yang was stunned.

"Oh? That's all?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "Otherwise what?"

Lü Yang: "Don't you think that's amazing? That's divine skill! One sword transforms into thousands! Shrinking the earth to an inch! Samadhi True Fire!"

Shen Zhaoyue: "Impressive."

Lü Yang: "Then why aren't you agitated?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "Why should I get excited?"

Lü Yang was stumped by the question.

He scratched his head, thought for a long time, and then said:

"Shouldn't a normal person bow down and worship upon hearing this? Begging the immortal master to accept them as a disciple, to impart their teachings, to guide them in cultivation..."

Shen Zhaoyue interrupted him:

"That was the Taoist priest's opportunity, not mine."

Lü Yang was stunned.

Shen Zhaoyue continued:

"Everyone has their own path. It is his good fortune that he was able to become an immortal and a patriarch."

I practice my swordsmanship, climbing step by step, seeing how far I can go. Even if I reach the top, I'm still not as good as a Taoist priest; that's my fate.

As she spoke, she patted the knife at her waist:

"I've had this knife for over a decade. It can't fly, it can't multiply into countless forms, but it can cut people. That's enough."

Lu Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

He looked at Ye Qingfeng, his eyes filled with confusion.

Ye Qingfeng was also looking at Shen Zhaoyue.

He had met many people, and upon hearing that he possessed supernatural powers, he became envious and eager to learn from him, trying every means to become his disciple and get close to him.

Thinking of this, he also glanced sideways at Lü Yang.

Shen Zhaoyue is the first person to have witnessed his methods firsthand without showing any envy.

He suddenly spoke:

"Have you never considered taking this path?"

Shen Zhaoyue shook her head:

"I never thought about it. The path that the Taoist priest can take, I cannot take. The only path I can take is this one."

She paused, then said:

"Besides, even if I wanted to leave, the Daoist Master might not accept me. Young Master Lü, following you, is still just a mortal, isn't he?"

Lü Yang: "..."

Those words really hurt.

Ye Qingfeng's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't speak.

Lu Yang recovered his senses, scratched his head, and still couldn't figure it out. He leaned closer to Ye Qingfeng and asked in a low voice:

"Immortal Master, is he... mentally unstable?"

Ye Qingfeng ignored him.

Shen Zhaoyue ignored him.

The three were silent for a moment.

Lu Yang suddenly remembered something and looked around:

"By the way, where are we?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "I don't know."

Lü Yang: "Where are we going?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "I don't know."

Lü Yang: "Can you please stop pretending you don't know?"

Shen Zhaoyue: "Yes. But I really don't know."