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

Shen Yifei said he wasn't afraid, but he was still a little worried inside.

Just this one small demon leader was already quite troublesome for a human at the Mahayana realm.

If another demon army were to arrive, we simply wouldn't be able to handle it.

That old bastard Lu Ya was definitely up to no good. He said he was guarding the outer perimeter and wouldn't enter the secret realm, but it turns out he sent a demon inside to wait for him.

Damn it, this guy is trying to kill himself.

"Kid, that sword strike you just used wasn't bad." Ye Ling walked up to him. "Your swordsmanship is interesting, but your skill is still lacking."

"Senior is right." Shen Yifei chuckled twice. "I've only been learning this sword technique for a short time, and I've only grasped the basics."

After speaking, he turned to look at the female disciples who were still in shock.

The woman leading the Xuanbing Palace group stood up with the help of her companions, her face pale and blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth. The other women looked at Shen Yifei and Ye Ling with a fear in their eyes that surpassed even the fear of seeing demons.

Shen Yifei walked up to the women. "Everyone, don't be nervous. I am Shen Yifei, the Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect. I'm friends with your Palace Master Leng Rushuang and Valley Master Hua Qianmei." Shen Yifei smiled at them, his face full of friendliness. "Didn't they tell you?"

The woman from Xuanbing Palace nodded. "Palace Master Leng did indeed instruct that if we encounter people from the Tianyan Sect in the secret realm, we should look after each other. However..."

She glanced at the demon corpses cut in half on the ground, then at the sword in Shen Yifei's hand. "Sect Master Shen, the sword energy of that strike you just used was... demonic energy, wasn't it?"

Shen Yifei knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he simply said, "Yes, I have demonic energy within me. But demonic energy doesn't mean I'm a demon, much less that I'm a bad person. Your palace master knows about this, and she trusts me, so you should trust me too."

The female disciples exchanged glances, but in the end, the woman leading the group nodded. "Sect Leader Shen saved our lives, we trust you."

"That's right." Shen Yifei sheathed his longsword. "The secret realm is very dangerous. There might be even more powerful demons appearing later. Stay behind me and don't get separated."

The leader from Hundred Flowers Valley was a woman in her early twenties, with a mid-stage Mahayana cultivation. She cupped her hands in thanks to Shen Yifei, "Sect Master Shen, thank you for saving my life. The Valley Master instructed us to follow you after entering the secret realm, saying that Lu Ya of the Golden Crow Sect might be hostile to you!"

Shen Yifei felt a warmth in his heart when he heard that Hua Qianmei was thinking of him. "Valley Master Hua is so thoughtful. All of you from Hundred Flowers Valley are following me, so you can look after each other."

The male cultivators from the other sects were terrified when they saw Shen Yifei use demonic energy to kill the demon. They didn't dare to travel with Shen Yifei and left on their own after thanking him.

Shen Yifei didn't force them. Since they didn't trust him, he would let them be.

Seeing that their leader had agreed to follow Shen Yifei, the women lowered their guard and surrounded him, chattering about the danger they had just experienced.

After much discussion, the women began praising Shen Yifei's skill again. Some said his sword strike was clean and swift, like cutting melons and vegetables; others said it was elegant and handsome. Their praise made Shen Yifei quite smug.

Just then, the little monster came running over from a distance, carrying a bunch of things in its mouth, making a clattering sound as it ran.

It squeezed past the women, put the things on the ground, and the women gasped in surprise and backed away in unison.

Shen Yifei looked down and saw that they were all giant spicy snacks from the devil. The female disciples of Xuanbing Palace covered their faces and dared not look. When the female disciples of Baihua Valley found out what it was, their eyes lit up and they examined it carefully.

For some reason, the little monster didn't eat any of it this time; it brought it all back.

He kept gesturing for Shen Yifei to have a bite, probably because he felt embarrassed to keep eating other people's pills all the time.

Shen Yifei was both amused and exasperated by him, especially in front of this group of women. If this got back to Leng Rushuang and Hua Qianmei, he really wouldn't know how to explain it.

The little monster tilted its head, seemingly not understanding why its master didn't like these treasures. It rummaged around for a bit, picked out the biggest one, and carried it to Shen Yifei, looking at him expectantly.

Shen Yifei lightly kicked it, "You better put it away and eat it yourself. Hurry up and go to the side, it's disgusting."

The little monster whimpered pitifully, picked up the pile of things, and ran off in a flash.

Ye Ling stood to the side, watching the whole thing unfold, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I never expected the Thunder-Swallowing Beast would actually acknowledge you as its master!"

"What Thunder-Swallowing Beast? It likes to eat that stuff, but I don't have that fetish," Shen Yifei called out to the women. "Everyone, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's find a safe place to stay."

The woman leading the group from Xuanbing Palace nodded. "Sect Leader Shen, I know there's a cave ahead. It's strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Why don't we go there to take refuge first?"

"Alright, lead the way." Shen Yifei recalled the little monster, and the group followed the woman from Xuanbing Palace toward the cave.

After walking along a narrow valley for about an hour, we finally saw a hidden cave.

The cave entrance is small and is hidden by several huge rocks; it is almost impossible to spot without careful observation.

Shen Yifei went in first to explore. The cave was spacious enough to easily accommodate dozens of people. The cave walls were dry, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of dry grass, indicating that people had rested here before.

"Let's settle down here." Shen Yifei walked around the cave to make sure there was no danger before waving to the others.

The women filed in and found places to sit. Most of them were injured to some extent, and the disciples took out medicine to bandage each other's wounds.

Seeing this, Shen Yifei took out healing pills and gave one to each person.

After everyone received the pills, they exclaimed in surprise again. They never expected that this young Sect Master Shen could give everyone a top-grade healing pill with just one move.

The woman leading the group from Xuanbing Palace walked up to him and bowed deeply. "I am Lin Ruonan. Thank you, Sect Leader Shen. I will definitely report to Palace Master Leng after returning to the palace for your generosity."

Shen Yifei quickly waved his hand, "Elder Lin, you're too kind. We're all family. Tianyan Sect and Xuanbing Palace are the true allies. By the way, how is Ru Shuang?"

"Palace Master is doing well; her cultivation seems to have improved again. She's changed a lot since returning from Cangwu Mountain; she's become more cheerful now," Lin Ruonan said, stealing a glance at Shen Yifei. "We're all wondering if it's because of you, Sect Master Shen..."

Shen Yifei coughed twice and quickly changed the subject, "Did you find anything when you entered the secret realm?"

Lin Ruonan shook her head. "We encountered a lot of skeletons and ruins on our way in, but we didn't find anything special. Today's encounter with those demons is the first time we've faced any real danger."

"Hmm, those demons were hired by that old bastard Lu Ya, specifically to deal with me. I wonder if they'll be able to find this place later. Elder Lin, tell your men to hurry up and recover; there might be a fierce battle later!"

Lin Ruonan acknowledged and returned to the female disciples.

Shen Yifei glanced at Ye Ling, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed, and no one dared to approach her.

Shen Yifei thought to himself, with this God of War around, there's no need to worry about the demons.

But this woman was unarmed; where was her gun?