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

Shen Yifei followed the crack back, squeezed through the narrow gap, and returned to the giant snake's cave.

He stopped when he reached the cave entrance.

The blood-red boulder at the cave entrance is still there, sealing the entrance perfectly.

Shen Yifei reached out and pushed, but it didn't budge.

He channeled his spiritual energy from the early stages of the Golden Core realm and struck out with his palm.

"Bang!"

The boulder remained motionless, but his hands were throbbing painfully from the impact.

"Damn." He shook his hand, took two steps back, and prepared to try again.

The little monster darted out from beside his feet, its four short legs kicking as it slammed headfirst into the boulder.

"Click."

A crack appeared where the giant rock had struck the small monster. The crack spread out in all directions like a spider web, covering the entire rock in the blink of an eye. Then the rock shattered into fist-sized pieces, which collapsed onto the ground with a crash.

The little monster crawled out of the pile of rubble, shook off the stone dust, glanced back at Shen Yifei, and wagged its tail.

Shen Yifei walked over, squatted down, cupped its head in his hands, and kissed it on the forehead.

"Well done."

The little monster was stunned by his kiss; its eyes widened, its ears stood straight up, and its tail stopped wagging.

Liu Mengli poked her head out of the cauldron, looking disgusted: "Why did you kiss it?"

"I'm happy." Shen Yifei stood up and stepped out of the cave.

Shen Yifei returned to the exit the way he came; he couldn't stay inside any longer, who knew what other powerful things might be lurking there. This time, it was a huge win.

This time, Shen Yifei stayed at the exit without moving, waiting for the three days to pass before leaving the cave.

When the three days were up, the exit opened slightly, and Shen Yifei flashed out of the Blood Soul Cave.

As soon as I stepped out of the cave, I bumped into a face.

It's Han Yue!

The elder's beloved son was standing in the passageway, arms crossed. Behind him stood six disciples, all at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, completely blocking the passageway.

Shen Yifei's heart skipped a beat.

The exit of the Blood Soul Cave changes randomly each time it opens; when he came out, he was teleported to a remote passageway.

This passageway is quite far from the main hall, and no one usually comes here. The fact that Han Yue was able to bring people here to ambush him shows that Han Yue had already figured out the pattern of the exit.

"Oh, the guest elder has come out." Han Yue looked him up and down. "It's not easy to be alive."

Shen Yifei leaned against the cave wall, the little monster squatting at his feet, tilting its head to look at Han Yue.

"Senior Brother Han, are you here to pick me up?"

"To pick you up?" Han Yue chuckled. "Yes, to pick you up. To put you on your way."

Shen Yifei glanced at the six disciples behind Han Yue. They were all at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and their positions were carefully chosen to completely block the path. This group wasn't a hastily assembled group; they had rehearsed beforehand.

"Senior Brother Han, the sect leader knows we've found the exit. If he can't see me, the first person he'll suspect is your father."

"The Cult Leader?" Han Yue took a step forward. "You think the Cult Leader can still protect you? While you're in the Blood Soul Cave, the world outside has already changed."

"What do you mean?"

"My father has already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Shen Yifei's heart sank.

The Grand Elder had been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for decades, but he broke through during the three days he entered the Blood Soul Cave.

This is by no means a coincidence.

Yin Wuxie had said that the Grand Elder had been waiting for an opportunity, waiting for her to weaken. Now that he had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and Yin Wuxie's soul had only recovered to 60%, the situation was changing drastically, and the Blood Soul Sect's fortunes were about to change.

"So you plan to kill me here, then go back and tell the cult leader I died in the Blood Soul Cave?"

"Smart." Han Yue pulled a long knife from his storage bag. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you die a quick death. After all, you have no grudge against my father, you just chose the wrong side."

Han Yue's six disciples simultaneously drew their weapons, their blades gleaming with spiritual light.

The little monster squatted at Shen Yifei's feet, letting out a low purr, clearly excited.

Shen Yifei gently nudged it with his toe, signaling it not to move. Then he reached into his storage ring and touched the hilt of the Listening Tide Sword.

"Senior Brother Han, have you forgotten something?"

"What is it?"

"You said at the entrance of the Blood Soul Cave that if I came out alive, you would kowtow to me three times and call me grandpa."

Han Yue's face darkened instantly.

"You still dare to be stubborn even when you're about to die." He brandished his long sword. "I'd like to see what you, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, have to offer to make me kowtow."

Shen Yifei drew the Listening Tide Sword.

The spiritual energy of the early Golden Core stage flowed into the sword, and a layer of water-like patterns appeared on the blade, ripples spreading outwards in circles.

Han Yue's pupils contracted slightly.

"A high-grade spiritual artifact? Where did you, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, get a high-grade spiritual artifact?"

"I found it in the Blood Soul Cave." Shen Yifei pointed the tip of his sword at Han Yue. "Didn't your father always want to go in and search for treasure? Let him go in, there are lots of good things inside."

Without another word, Han Yue pushed off with his foot, and his long sword, wrapped in a layer of bloody light, slashed down at Shen Yifei's head.

Shen Yifei dodged to the side, the blade grazing his nose as it slashed down, striking the cave wall and sending shards of rock flying.

He thrust his sword towards Han Yue's ribs, and the water ripples on the sword suddenly surged, a blue sword aura bursting from the tip and surging towards Han Yue like a tide.

Han Yue hurriedly sheathed his sword and defended, holding it horizontally in front of him to block the sword energy. However, the sword energy did not dissipate after hitting the blade; instead, it split into two streams, bypassing the sides of the blade and continuing to surge towards Han Yue.

Han Yue's expression changed, and he took three steps back. Two sword energies grazed his shoulders, cutting two gashes in his black robe and revealing the skin underneath.

"What kind of swordsmanship is this?"

"I just learned it, and I haven't memorized the name yet." Shen Yifei gripped the Listening Tide Sword, feeling the water-attribute spiritual energy within the sword slowly merging with the dark golden spiritual energy in his dantian. The two spiritual energies mixed together, creating a strange sensation.

Han Yue steadied himself, his contempt fading. He waved to his six disciples behind him: "Attack together, don't hold back."

Six disciples at the early stage of the Golden Core realm attacked simultaneously. Blades and sword shadows came from all directions toward Shen Yifei.

Just as Shen Yifei was about to swing his sword to block, the little monster at his feet suddenly darted out.

Its speed was astonishing. With a push of its four short legs, its body became a blur, slipping between the legs of the first disciple, and with a snap of its head, it bit off the disciple's testicles.

The disciple let out a scream, bent over like a shrimp, clutched his groin with both hands, his face turned from white to blue, and finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The remaining five disciples stopped fighting at the same time and took a step back in unison.

Han Yue's expression also changed. He looked down at the unconscious disciple on the ground, whose crotch was stained with blood, a horrifying sight.

"What the hell is this thing?"

The little monster spat out what was in its mouth, licked the blood clean by circling its tongue around its lips. Then it turned its head, its eyes fixed on the second disciple's crotch, and opened its mouth again.

The second disciple turned green with rage, clutched his groin, and stumbled back three steps.

The little monster let out a howl and charged forward again.

Shen Yifei gripped the Listening Tide Sword, watching the little monster dart around in the crowd, specifically targeting the crotches of people.

The five disciples, all at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, were chased all over the place, their weapons scattered everywhere. They clutched their groins tightly, completely disregarding their techniques and cultivation levels.

Han Yue stood at the back of the crowd. He pushed aside a disciple who was blocking his way, and his long sword shone brightly with blood as he slashed down at the little monster.

The little monster was chasing and biting a disciple's crotch when it sensed a gust of wind coming from behind. With a leap of its four short legs, it darted sideways three feet away. Han Yue's blade struck the ground, sparks flying and stone chips covering his face.

The little monster landed on the ground, turned its head, stared at Han Yue's crotch, opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and panted twice.

Han Yue felt a chill in his groin and instinctively squeezed his legs together.