The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

As Song Hongliao spoke, she flicked her fingers twice on the short knife at her waist, making the copper ring on the hilt ring with a tinkling sound.

Her eyes weren't very big, but when she glared at someone, they looked like two knives.

Shen Yifei knew this kind of woman's nature well: she had a fiery temper, a sharp tongue, and was quite skilled in combat; anyone who crossed her would be in for a headache.

"Miss Song, what are you saying? I'm just an alchemist. Why are you gouging out my eyes? I can't see anything about you anyway. Look at you, you're all wrapped up tightly, unlike your senior sister, who's showing bits and pieces here and there. At least I can see something."

"Your eyes are darting around; you're clearly up to no good."

"My eyes are on my face; those that don't move are dead people."

"Look at my senior sister, I'll tell her later, and she'll gouge your eyes out!"

"Things grow on your body so others can see them. Your senior sister is so beautiful, but no one appreciates her; isn't that a waste?"

Shen Yifei spoke with such confidence that Song Hongliao was stunned for a moment after hearing it, staring at him for a couple of breaths.

"You've got a sharp tongue. Fine, watch out. After you've finished, I'll gouge your eyes out and soak them in alcohol."

"Soaking eyeballs in alcohol doesn't taste good!"

Song Hongliao stopped and turned to look at Shen Yifei, her eyes darting downwards. "Eyeballs don't make good liquor, so what on your body would make good liquor?"

Shen Yifei's anus tightened. "I said, Junior Sister Song, stop thinking about removing things from my body. If you ruin me, how will I refine pills for your Senior Sister!"

Song Hongliao removed her hand from the hilt of the knife, turned around, and continued walking forward.

"Keep up, don't dawdle."

Shen Yifei followed behind, looking around.

The architectural layout atop Cangwu Mountain is quite sophisticated, with the main peak in the center and three flanking peaks on each side, resembling stars surrounding the moon. During the Tianyan Sect's heyday, this layout could easily accommodate three to five thousand cultivators.

"How many people are there in your Tianji Pavilion?" Shen Yifei asked.

Why are you asking about this?

"I'm curious. In such a big place, I only see a few of you."

Song Hongliao didn't stop walking. "Not many people, just enough. More people don't necessarily mean more use. War isn't about numbers."

"That's right. The Golden Crow Sect has many people, but we've never seen them dare to cause trouble in Cangwu Mountain."

Song Hongliao snorted, "Those people from the Golden Crow Sect did come a few times, but they were all thrown down the mountain. They haven't dared to come since."

"Who threw it?"

"My senior sister! Those few people from those sects think they can cause trouble at our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? They don't even know their own limitations!"

Shen Yifei considered it in his mind.

Gu Yunyan's cultivation level was at least at the Tribulation Transcending stage, and she was also protected by a magic array. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to slap the Golden Crow Sect members off the mountain one by one.

No wonder the major sects dared not touch the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

Song Hongliao led him around most of the mountain, showing him what he should see and missing everything he shouldn't.

As they reached the mountainside, Shen Yifei noticed a cluster of ruins. The ruins covered a considerable area, and the remaining walls suggested that this must have been a very important building complex in the past.

"Where is this place?"

"The Tianyan Sect's Scripture Pavilion," Song Hongliao glanced at it, "was burned down; nothing was left."

Shen Yifei stood in front of the ruins and kicked at the broken tiles at his feet.

His father, Shen Changtian, must have frequented this place often. The cultivation manuals, alchemy formulas, and secret techniques of the Tianyan Sect were all stored here, but a great fire destroyed them all.

"Who burned it?"

"The Golden Crow Sect! On the night of the massacre, the first thing the Golden Crow Sect members did after rushing in was to loot the Scripture Pavilion. After they finished looting, they set it on fire, burning it completely, leaving not even a single intact piece of wood behind."

Shen Yifei squatted down and picked up a piece of broken tile. There was a layer of black ash on the back of the tile. He rubbed it with his hand and could vaguely see some decorative patterns under the black ash.

He stood up, clutching the tile, and stuffed it into his storage ring.

"Let's go, we've seen enough."

Song Hongliao glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to walk back.

Back at the stone house, Song Hongliao stood at the door without going in.

"You'll stay here tonight. I'll stay in the courtyard across the street. Call me if you need anything, and don't wander off. If you do, you might get mistaken for a spy and killed, and don't blame me for not warning you."

"Understood, Steward Song."

Song Hongliao glared at him, then turned and left.

Shen Yifei closed the door, and Liu Mengli floated out of the cauldron and plopped down on the alchemy platform.

"Master, have you made any new discoveries?"

"No, I'll go check other places tomorrow. I have a feeling the Sky-Covering Umbrella is still with the Heavenly Evolution Sect!"

"Master, is your intuition accurate? If the Heavenly Umbrella is really still in the Heavenly Evolution Sect, how could those people from the Golden Crow Sect not be able to find it? They dug up the entire Cangwu Mountain back then."

"Digging three feet into the ground won't help." Shen Yifei sat down on the edge of the bed. "If something is hidden cleverly, you won't find it even if you dig three hundred feet into the ground."

"So how do you plan to find it?"

"Let's find out what happened back then first." Shen Yifei lay down. "Tomorrow I'll go find Gu Yunyan and ask her to teach me about the Demon Pill. I'll also try to get some information out of her."

As night deepened, Shen Yifei tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

"Master, are you thinking about women?"

"I'm thinking about that woman like a fart."

"Master, I can't sleep. Touch my calf and let me show you what Gu Yunyan's calf feels like."

Liu Mengli stretched out her leg, and Shen Yifei reached out and touched it, feeling that it was a bit rough.

"Is this supposed to be Gu Yunyan's calf? It feels more like a pig's leg!"

"Master, did you look closely today? These are the legs she has. Touch them carefully, the texture of the skin, the elasticity of the muscles, the leg hair..."

"What did you say? Leg hair? Gu Yunyan doesn't have any leg hair! I saw it clearly!"

"Master, your eyesight isn't good. I looked very carefully. She had hair on her legs, but she shaved it off beforehand! Women like that have strong desires. You need to be careful. If she gets any bad intentions, you're finished!"

Shen Yifei pulled his hand back.

Why are you always staring at other people's leg hair?

"I'm just helping you vet it. Women are good at observing other women, especially the details," Liu Mengli pulled her leg back. "Gu Yunyan is a wild woman, you can't handle her. It's more suitable for me to serve my master."

Shen Yifei closed his eyes, letting her do as she pleased. Liu Mengli's demonic power circulated within his body, taking away some yang energy and bringing back some demonic power. The spiritual energy was indeed a little purer, but the quantity remained unchanged.

After reaching the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his cultivation progressed at a snail's pace. Fortunately, Liu Mengli constantly purified his spiritual energy; otherwise, his cultivation wouldn't have advanced much even in ten or twenty years.

It's better to find someone with a higher cultivation level to cultivate with, that way you can solve the problem once and for all, and once you get through it, your cultivation level will rise rapidly.

I must say, Gu Yunyan is a really good choice. She's beautiful, highly skilled, and has a wildness that I quite like!

Shen Yifei started to have some ideas; he still needed to deal with the Golden Crow Sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Manor, and the Profound Ice Palace.

Chen Yunhe's disappearance will be exposed sooner or later. When that happens, he'll come knocking on our door. If we don't have any power, we'll be nothing but meat on the chopping block.