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

"All of it is mine?" Shen Yifei almost dropped his jaw in shock. "Uncle He, I came to borrow the Water-Repelling Pearl from you, not to ask for your entire family fortune..."

"Haha, Yifei, I'm not just being polite. From now on, Zuixianlou will belong to Tianyan Sect, and I'll take care of things for you..."

If Yun Zhonghe said that, it would seem pretentious for Shen Yifei to refuse again.

"Uncle He, then I shall respectfully comply and follow your arrangements!"

"Yes, that's right."

Facing his father's close friend, Shen Yifei had so many questions he wanted to ask, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

Seeing that he hesitated several times before speaking, Yun Zhonghe said, "Yifei, I know you have many questions to ask. Take your time, first look at your father's sword!"

Upon hearing Yun Zhonghe's words, Hongxiu hurriedly took out a long box from her personal storage bag.

It turns out that Hongxiu had already switched the items before going upstairs.

"Yifei, this sword was meant to test you. I didn't expect you to exaggerate so much. You scared Wanjian Manor, Tianjian Sect, and... well, that dragon woman too."

"A dragon woman? That woman holding up the sign is a dragon?"

"Young Master, that woman is a dragon, and she seems to be of high status." Hongxiu observed more carefully from the stage.

Yun Zhonghe opened the box, and Shen Yifei saw his father's sword up close. A chilling sword intent immediately rushed towards him.

Shen Yifei reached out and grasped the sword hilt, and in an instant, his whole body jolted.

The sword intent surged into his body through his arm, like finding a long-lost relative, and joyfully roamed through his meridians.

The small vortex in his dantian spun wildly, swallowing the sword intent in one gulp, then spitting it out, circulating repeatedly within his body.

Shen Yifei closed his eyes, and the image of the white-clad figure appeared in his mind.

That man who stood atop Cangwu Mountain, fighting alone against more than ten Transcending Tribulation experts.

The man who wielded those three swords, causing the heavens and earth to change color.

The figure turned around, revealing a face that bore a resemblance to Shen Yifei.

But his face held a resolute and determined look, along with an indescribable sense of tragic grandeur.

"Take off!"

"Father!" Shen Yifei's eyes instantly reddened.

"Time is running out, listen to me." Shen Changtian looked at him with loving eyes. "I'll leave you with three sword techniques. These aren't what I want you to learn; what I want you to comprehend is the essence of swordsmanship."

"Father, I still can't grasp the basics of swordsmanship..."

Shen Changtian raised his sword, the tip pointing to the sky. "Sword intent is the unity of man and sword, the sword moving with the heart. But sword momentum is the unity of heaven and man, an unstoppable force. No matter how strong the sword intent, it is still just human power. Once sword momentum is unleashed, heaven and earth will change color. Yifei, watch closely!"

After saying that, Shen Changtian swung his sword.

There was no sword energy, no sword light, and no sound.

But Shen Yifei felt the entire void tremble, and that force descended from the sky, pressing down on his shoulders, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"This is power." Shen Changtian sheathed his sword. "Transcending sword intent, borrowing the power of heaven and earth for your own use. Once you comprehend sword power, even a peak Tribulation Transcending cultivator is nothing but a chicken or a dog before you."

As Shen Changtian finished speaking, the illusory figure gradually dissipated, and Shen Yifei slowly opened his eyes.

"How is it?" Yun Zhonghe asked with a smile, holding his wine glass.

"There are things left by my father inside the sword."

Shen Yifei gripped the sword hilt and remained silent for a long time.

"Uncle He, my father... how did my father die?"

Yun Zhonghe held his wine glass, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Yifei, are you sure you want to know?"

"Uncle He, I need to know."

Yun Zhonghe stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the bustling streets of Yong'an City.

"Your father didn't die at the hands of those people from the Golden Crow Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Manor."

"I know," Shen Yifei said. "Hua Qianmei said that a strange force injured him at the time."

"Yes, that power is neither human nor demonic." Yun Zhonghe turned around and looked into Shen Yifei's eyes. "I investigated for a long time before I found out that it was the power of an immortal."

"An immortal?" Shen Yifei was taken aback.

"Yes, an immortal." Yun Zhonghe said, emphasizing each word, "Your father died at the hands of an immortal."

Shen Yifei was completely stunned.

Fairy?

How many years has it been since anyone in the cultivation world ascended to immortality? Where did these immortals come from?

"You probably think I'm talking nonsense," Yun Zhonghe said with a wry smile, "but it's true. Your father's cultivation had reached the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, just one step away from ascension. But he discovered a secret..."

"What secret?"

"The so-called tribulation and ascension is fake; it's all a lie!"

When Yun Zhonghe uttered the words "It's all a lie," his voice was trembling.

"Ascension... Ascension is fake?" Shen Yifei felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

"Yes, it's fake." Yun Zhonghe picked up his wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. "The so-called ascension, the so-called becoming an immortal, are all scams. Those who successfully transcended the tribulation did not ascend to the immortal realm at all. Instead, they were taken away by a force and never heard from again."

"Where did they go?" Hongxiu was also completely bewildered. Just like humans, demons also undergo tribulations and ascend to become demon immortals!

If what Yun Zhonghe said is true, then do those demons who ascend to immortality through tribulation suffer the same fate as humans?

Yun Zhonghe shook his head. "Nobody knows where they went. We have absolutely no power to fight them!"

Why did my father get involved with them?

"After Changtian discovered this secret, he and I began to investigate in secret. We found out that every few hundred years, someone would take away a group of cultivators at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage; their influence in our cultivation world is called Immortal Punishment!"

"Divine punishment? Was my father killed by them?"

Yun Zhonghe nodded. "Yes, they were the ones who made the final move! I arrived too late that time. Before Changtian's soul dissipated, I managed to save a wisp of it and gave it to your mother."

"You've met my mother before?"

"I've met her before, I'm so familiar with her," Yun Zhonghe said with a wry smile. "Your father is a womanizer. Ever since he met your mother, he's been inseparable from her all the time. When I go to see him, he doesn't have time to pay any attention to me."

"No way, my dad isn't that kind of person..."

"Young Master, I can testify that Princess Youlan is the same; she always complains that I'm meddling..."

"Sigh..." Yun Zhonghe sighed deeply, "They only have eyes for each other...but..."

Yun Zhonghe changed his tone, "The two of them protected you very well. I haven't seen what you looked like since you were born."

"Young Master, this is the first time I've met you today." Overwhelmed with emotion, Hongxiu's tears flowed again.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yifei immediately thought of Hua Qianmei. It seemed that his parents trusted her the most.

Perhaps they were afraid of implicating those around them, after all, one was a princess of the demon race and the other was a chosen one of the human race. Not only would breaking the rules attract jealousy, but it would also make people jealous.

"By the way, child, it was your father's idea to build the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and the brothel, in order to find clues about the divine punishment here."

"My dad's idea?"

"Heh, your dad, on the surface a perfect gentleman... humph, he's got a lot of shady ideas up his sleeve!"