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

Lu Yang was so shocked by the shockwave that he stumbled back several steps and landed hard on his backside.

Shen Zhaoyue was also shaken and staggered backward, but her eyes remained fixed on what was in front of her.

Ye Qingfeng stood in front of her, his right index finger pressed against the tip of the flying sword, remaining completely still.

The sword trembled violently, its blade flashing with blue light, like a trapped beast struggling desperately, yet unable to break free from that seemingly fragile finger.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the sword, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Oh?"

He flicked it lightly.

"clang!"

The sword was struck as if by lightning, flying backward and tumbling several times in the air before being retrieved back into the tiger demon's mouth.

The tiger demon stared wide-eyed at Ye Qingfeng, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Although the Shu Mountain swordsman was killed by him, he was still skilled, and the flying sword he summoned was extremely sharp.

To say that it can cut through iron like mud would be an insult.

If the other party hadn't been so young and hadn't been outmaneuvered, it's hard to say who would have won.

But this Taoist priest blocked it with just one finger?

Ye Qingfeng withdrew his hand, stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.

He looked at the tiger demon and suddenly asked:

"Who taught you this swordsmanship and magic?"

The tiger demon ignored him and growled:

"You'll know when you're dead!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it opened its mouth again, and the flying sword shot out once more!

This time, it didn't thrust straight at the target, but instead spun several times in the air, with a burst of sword energy shooting out with each rotation!

Three, five, seven—in the blink of an eye, seven or eight azure sword energies swept across the sky and slashed towards Ye Qingfeng!

Each sword aura was incredibly sharp, enough to shatter stone tablets and split rocks!

Lu Yang was so frightened that he closed his eyes.

Shen Zhaoyue gripped the knife hilt tightly, only to find that she couldn't get a hand in at all.

Ye Qingfeng remained standing still, motionless.

The sword energy roared in, carrying a world-destroying force—

Then, it suddenly stopped about ten feet away from him.

It didn't stop, but rather... dissipated.

It's like falling into an invisible pool of water, melting away silently.

The seven or eight sharp sword energies only created a few faint ripples a foot in front of him before turning into a few wisps of breeze that stirred his robes.

Not a single hair on his head was damaged.

The tiger demon was completely dumbfounded.

It opened its mouth, watching the few wisps of breeze sweep past Ye Qingfeng, stirring the grass behind him, but not even lifting the hem of his clothes.

"You...you..."

Ye Qingfeng looked at it and smiled slightly:

"What other skills do you have? Show them to us."

The tiger demon took a step back, then another.

It was afraid.

Having lived for over a hundred years, it had never been this afraid.

Those sword energies and flying swords were its most powerful skills, but they couldn't even touch the hem of this Taoist's clothes.

It turned and tried to run away.

But it was too late.

Ye Qingfeng raised his right hand and gently beckoned to the flying sword that was still suspended in the air.

The flying sword flew towards him without any resistance, its eagerness making it seem as if Ye Qingfeng was the true master.

The tiger demon was shocked and desperately tried to retrieve its flying sword by channeling its demonic power.

Useless.

The flying sword had completely escaped its control.

Ye Qingfeng gripped the hilt of the sword and looked down at it.

The sword is azure blue, with a sharp edge, and a faint sense of spirituality flowing within it.

It was indeed a fine flying sword, but it had been forcibly refined by this tiger demon with its demonic power, and its spiritual essence had been somewhat diminished.

He looked up at the tiger demon:

"This sword isn't yours, is it?"

The tiger demon retreated until it crashed into the mountainside, with nowhere left to go.

Its eyes were filled with fear, and it finally gave in:

"What do you want to know... I've already told you... That sword, that magic, they were all obtained from that Shu Mountain swordsman... He came to me first, saying he wanted to get rid of me... If I didn't kill him, he would kill me..."

Ye Qingfeng didn't speak, he just looked at it.

His gaze was as calm as if he were looking at a stone, a tree, or something unrelated to himself.

The tiger demon felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly said:

"I... I've cultivated for a hundred years and haven't committed any major mistakes... I just ate a few people... Those people went up the mountain to their deaths, so they can't blame me..."

The more it spoke, the more reasonable it seemed, and its voice grew louder:

"These mountains have always been my territory. They trespassed, so it's only right that I eat them! Just like those humans, they go up the mountain to hunt and kill wild boars and rabbits, does that count as a mistake?"

It stared at Ye Qingfeng, a hint of expectation in its eyes:

"Master, I didn't lie to you! I've told you everything! Please... please spare my life..."

Ye Qingfeng looked down at it.

The moonlight slanted in from the cave entrance, falling on him and casting a cool, silvery glow on his gray-blue Taoist robe.

His face was half in light and half in shadow, so his expression was unreadable.

"Are you finished speaking?"

The tiger demon was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded:

"I've said it all! I've confessed everything!"

Ye Qingfeng nodded.

"Um."

He paused, his tone remaining calm:

"Then let me ask you, did that swordsman from Mount Shu beg you for his life before he died?"

The tiger demon was stunned.

Ye Qingfeng continued:

When he begged you, did you spare him?

The tiger demon opened its mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Ye Qingfeng:

"Did those mortals you ate beg you before they died?"

The tiger demon's lips began to tremble.

Ye Qingfeng:

"When they begged, did you spare them?"

The tiger demon finally understood.

Its eyes were filled with despair, and it kept muttering:

"You...you didn't say...you didn't say you'd spare my life..."

Ye Qingfeng shook his head.

He stood with his hands behind his back, the moonlight casting him as a cool, detached silhouette.

"I definitely didn't say that."

He paused, looking down at those gradually unfocusing vertical pupils:

"You've been talking the whole time."

The tiger demon opened its mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Ye Qingfeng stopped looking at it.

He raised the sword in his hand.

The tiger demon's pupils constricted, and it opened its mouth to shout—

A flash of sword light.

The azure flying sword flew out of his hand, drew an arc in the air, and pierced the tiger demon's chest with a "thud".

The immense force propelled it backward, pinning it firmly to the mountainside behind it!

The tiger demon let out a mournful howl, struggling frantically with its limbs, but it could not break free no matter what it did.

Ye Qingfeng walked up to it, looking calmly at its gradually unfocusing vertical pupils:

"When you were eating that swordsman, why didn't you think of sparing his life?"

The tiger demon opened its mouth as if to say something, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Ye Qingfeng stopped looking at it.

He raised his hand and made a vague slash towards the flying sword nailed to the tiger demon's chest.

With a twist of the sword, a long gash was slashed open in the tiger demon's chest, and blood gushed out.

The sword tip probed inwards, and when it emerged, it was already holding a pale golden bead.

Inner alchemy.

It's bigger and shinier than the previous one.

Ye Qingfeng took the inner core and weighed it in his hand.