I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The flying boat landed in a mountain valley fifty miles from the mountain gate.

"Put on the veil," Li Hanshan ordered without turning his head.

Ye Feiyan obeyed, donning a plain veil and changing into the attire of a concubine. Her aura was completely concealed by the dark markings on her abdomen; only the faint spiritual energy fluctuations of an ordinary Nascent Soul female cultivator were visible. Even her own father, standing before her, wouldn't recognize her without tearing away the barrier for a closer look.

Xiao An remained soundly asleep in his sea of ​​consciousness, not venturing out.

"Remember," Li Hanshan concluded, "from today onwards, your name will be Yan'er, and you will be my concubine. Speak less, look up less, especially—" His gaze lingered on her face, "Don't let those 'distinguished guests' from the Heavenly Demon Sect recognize you."

Ye Feiyan's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

"...Yes, Master."

The two walked out of the mountain valley and headed towards the mountain gate along the official road.

The closer Li Hanshan got to the Hehuan Sect, the higher his eyebrows furrowed.

In a teahouse beside the official road sat three "merchants," one of whom suppressed his spiritual energy at the Golden Core stage, yet his breathing rhythm was that of a standard demonic breathing technique. Outside a hunter's hut on the opposite hilltop, an "old man sunbathing" leaned against the wall; within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, divine sense had already scanned him three times. Further away, in several seemingly deserted mountain hollows, faint flashes of communication light flickered.

Eyeliner.

Eyeliners are everywhere.

With the destruction of the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Immortal Alliance's forces now directly targeting the Yin Spring Sect, the entire Central Continent's demonic path is now filled with fear. As one of the two remaining major sects of the demonic path, the Joyful Union Sect has become a gathering place for spies from various forces outside its mountain gates—from the Immortal Alliance, the Yin Spring Sect, the remnants of the Heavenly Demon Sect, as well as various rogue cultivators and brokers, a mixed bag indeed.

Li Hanshan didn't bother to hide anything and just swaggered around.

So, before they even reached the gate of the mountain—

"stop!"

A group of patrolling disciples descended from mid-air. The leader, with his hand on the token at his waist, had only uttered half a shout when his gaze fell on Li Hanshan's face, and he froze.

"You...you are..."

The disciple rubbed his eyes hard, then took out a communication jade talisman and compared it for a long time. His expression instantly became very interesting.

"Li Hanshan?!"

"Li Hanshan is back! Quickly! Send a message to the inner sect!"

A message beam shot into the sky and disappeared into the mountain-protecting array. Immediately afterward, a second, a third... The entire mountain gate, like stagnant water that had been hit by a boulder, suddenly boiled over.

Before an incense stick could burn.

In the square in front of the mountain gate, disciples flocked in from all directions, forming a dense, impenetrable crowd.

"Li Hanshan? Which Li Hanshan?"

"Who else could it be! That old man from the Northern Wilderness branch sect, the one who followed Senior Sister Ye into the main sect! He's the ruthless guy who triggered the heavenly tribulation in the plaza and left the Ninth Elder speechless!"

"An old man? He looks younger than you! It's said that back in the Northern Wilderness, he built his fortune on the pure yang energy of his own body—the century-old cauldron of the Joyful Union Sect. You think he's joking?"

"Don't interrupt! I'm talking about the Heavenly Demon Sect! Didn't you hear the message from the sect just now? The remnants of the Heavenly Demon Sect are searching the whole world for him, offering 10,000 high-grade spirit stones for his head!"

"Ten thousand?! The Immortal Alliance offered an even higher bounty! Three times more for a living than a dead one!"

"Tsk... What's this? Bounties from both the demonic path and the immortal alliance, trying to profit from both. This is a business spree, they're practically risking their lives..."

"Shh—keep your voice down! Are you crazy?!"

"Didn't they say—didn't they say he was the one who helped the Immortal Alliance destroy the Heavenly Demon Sect?! And that he personally set up the teleportation array!"

"Traitor! He destroyed the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Immortal Alliance's next target is our Joyful Union Sect! This kind of traitor who let the wolf into the house dares to come back?!"

"Bullshit! The Heavenly Demon Sect has dominated our Azure Netherworld Secret Realm for six hundred years, seized three spirit stone mines, and my senior brother died at their hands during the last major battle between the two sects! Good riddance! If I had that ability, I could have wiped them out even faster!"

"But he's colluding with the Immortal Alliance! The righteous Immortal Alliance!"

"What happened to the Immortal Alliance? The three demonic sects claim to be of one mind and one branch, but when the Yinming Sect was destroyed, did the Heavenly Demon Sect even lift a finger?"

The discussions were like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next.

Some cursed, some cheered, some gloated and waited to see the show, while others squeezed into the front row, standing on tiptoe just to catch a glimpse of Li Hanshan. Several newly initiated young disciples were so excited that their faces turned red—to them, the name "Li Hanshan" had been the hottest legend in Central Continent these days: a disciple from the Joyful Union Sect had wiped the Heavenly Demon Sect, the head of the three demonic sects, off the map.

Although the legend says that Li Hanshan colluded with the Immortal Alliance, no matter what, Li Hanshan was a key figure. The Immortal Alliance has always existed, but the Heavenly Demon Sect has stood in the Central Continent for thousands of years, but now it has been destroyed!

And now, the legendary figure himself stands in the center of the square, hands behind his back, smiling, calm and composed.

Several familiar figures stood frozen in place amidst the crowd.

Yan Qingsong stood with his arms crossed, his iron-gray outfit standing out starkly in the crowd. He stared intently at the smiling man standing in the center of the square, his knuckles cracking. Chen Jie's death was still a matter of reckoning—but now, looking at that man again, he suddenly realized he couldn't even muster the courage to take a step forward.

Huo Yuan, Yu Mengjia, and Zhao Shoudao stood behind him, their expressions increasingly complicated.

Zhao Shoudao subconsciously touched his chest—it still ached on rainy days.

In the center of the square, Li Hanshan stood with his hands behind his back, listening to the discussions from all directions, his smile unchanged.

But deep down, I just clicked my tongue softly.

It seems that the news of the Heavenly Demon Sect being destroyed by him in conjunction with the Immortal Alliance has already spread.

The message spread faster and in greater detail than he had anticipated.

"Get out of the way!"

A streak of silvery-white light burst through the air from the direction of the main peak, moving at an astonishing speed. Before the person even arrived, a silvery-white longsword had already landed in the arena, its tip piercing the stone three inches deep, the blade humming incessantly.

She landed with a swift light, dressed in a silver-white outfit, with cool and stunningly beautiful features.

Night Frost Splendor.

She spotted the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the arena at a glance. She strode forward, taking three steps at a time, and stood before him. Her clear, cold eyes churned with something she couldn't suppress:

"Li Hanshan".

"I have a question for you, answer me honestly."

"The Heavenly Demon Sect...did you help the Immortal Alliance destroy it?"

The square fell silent instantly, as thousands of eyes were fixed on Li Hanshan's face.

Li Hanshan looked at her, smiled, and answered decisively:

"Yes."

Ye Shuanghua's breath suddenly stopped.

She stared at him for a full three breaths, then took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth:

"...Then why did you come back?!"

"Go! Go quickly—"

She grabbed his wrist and turned to leave.

But it was too late.

"boom--"

Several terrifying auras crashed down from the five peaks almost simultaneously! The disciples on the plaza were pressed down as if by an invisible hand, kneeling down in droves, unable to even lift their heads.

"Li Hanshan—!"

A chilling voice descended from the sky, as cold as the deepest hell.

"You traitor!!"