Fairy, help me cultivate.

“Uncle Wu, please unlock the spiritual energy in my dantian. I will go to save him. Whether he lives or dies, I will share the responsibility with him.”

"No."

Lingzhou stamped his foot, loosened his belt, wrapped it around a nearby tree, and jumped down.

Everyone was stunned by her sudden action.

"Foolish child! Ignore her."

The long-bearded old man waved his hand, indicating that he was about to continue forward.

The boy looked at the rhombus-shaped boat that was just a little short of catching the disciple who had fallen off the cliff, and then at the shadow of the fire demon bat that was gradually moving away, feeling conflicted.

At this moment, Lingzhou also saw his fellow disciples gradually drifting away, seemingly ignoring him completely, and a chill ran down his spine.

What she found most unacceptable was that even after risking her life to jump off the cliff, she still couldn't save her fellow disciples.

"Junior Sister Lingzhou, don't try to control me! Go back quickly! I've escaped the protection of the Fire Demon Bat, and the demons in Demon Peak will soon swarm in. You must leave!"

His fellow disciple was grimacing, his face drenched in sweat, he had reached his limit.

"No! What kind of righteous path is it to stand by and watch someone die!"

Lingzhou struggled to adjust his posture, his hand just approaching the back of his fellow disciple's collar.

His fellow disciple was only holding onto a rock with one hand, and dared not make any big movements, so he didn't dare to raise his other free hand either, and could only watch as Lingzhou tried to come up with a solution on his own.

Just as he felt a tightening at the back of his collar and his heartstrings loosen, a tearing sound suddenly rang out.

Lingzhou suddenly fell, and she knew something was wrong; her face was already blank with fear.

"Junior Sister!"

The anxious and remorseful cries of her fellow disciples reached her as she brushed past them and landed, but Lingzhou could only manage a bitter smile.

He failed to save the person and even lost his own life... But what's the point of living if you can't do what's right?

Just when she thought she was about to fall hundreds of feet to the ground and be smashed to pieces, her body suddenly twitched, and although it hurt, it stopped her fall.

Lingzhou looked up in surprise and found that her feet were being held in a warm, large hand. Looking up, she saw a cultivator who looked very similar to Chen Yao and was carrying a child.

"you……"

She didn't know what to say. The relief of escaping death and the guilt of having implicated someone else turned into tears that flowed out in torrents.

"Next time you're going to save someone, you'd better think about whether you're confident you can do it, okay?"

Chen Yao pulled on her ankle, and the two of them rose up at the same time.

Only then did Lingzhou realize that Chen Yao was holding one of the Fire Demon Bat's claws with his other hand, and the Fire Demon Bat's unwilling hissing reached her ears.

"Grab my shoulder. It's a good thing you're not as heavy as her, otherwise, this fire demon bat probably wouldn't be able to support the three of us."

Chen Yao said to the cultivator hanging on the cliff.

"What, am I that heavy?"

Lingzhou felt both ashamed and guilty.

Chapter 180: Recognized

"Fellow Daoist, if you continue to act so willfully and do things that put everyone at risk, then let's part ways here!"

The long-bearded old man, his face ashen, spoke coldly to Chen Yao.

He showed no concern for Lingzhou and his disciples who had narrowly escaped death; he only scolded Chen Yao and snatched the Fire Demon Bat away.

Chen Yao glanced at him: "I was in a hurry, I'm sorry."

The long-bearded old man snorted coldly: "I hope you'll be more clear-headed next time."

After saying that, he turned around and continued up the mountain.

Lingzhou's face turned pale. He looked back at the cliff behind him and sincerely thanked Chen Yao.

Chen Yao sensed something different in her eyes.

Having learned from the mistakes of Lingzhou and his disciple, the others proceeded with extreme caution, and no further incidents occurred.

As the surroundings grew gloomy, the dark blue mountain scenery turned deep purple.

The long-bearded old man sighed, "It seems that we have been slowed down today after all."

As he spoke, he glanced at Lingzhou and Chen Yao, still extremely dissatisfied with them.

Chen Yao ignored her, while Ling Zhou's face turned ashen. She didn't say a word the whole way, looking very disappointed by her fellow disciples' cold indifference.

"Night is approaching, let's rest here for the night and set off again tomorrow! Xu Mu, you take two people to patrol the area first, and you will keep watch for the first half of the night. Be careful and attentive."

The old man gave the order and sent out a small fire demon bat.

One of the disciples stepped forward, took the bat, and left with two or three others.

The campfire crackled and popped as it burned.

Chen Yao and Ling Zhou were pushed to the shade of a tree, far away from the campfire.

The child looked indignant: "They were the ones who were afraid of danger and cowered like turtles, so why does it seem like we're the ones who made a mistake?"

The disciple who fell off the cliff said remorsefully, "It's all my fault."

“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You can’t be wrong for life just because you made one mistake!” Lingzhou’s tone was calm and firm, but her gaze was fixed on Chen Yao.

Chen Yao smiled at her.

“I was wrong,” Lingzhou suddenly said to him.

"Do you regret saving them?"

Chen Yao sensed something else in her gaze and wanted to change the subject.

But he failed. Lingzhou shook his head: "I was wrong to just follow the crowd."

Chen Yao stopped looking at her.

Lingzhou suddenly nudged his toes with her foot: "Want to come sit over there with me for a while?"

She pointed to a protruding cliff, like a broken bridge piercing the night sky.

The clouds in the sky were churning, dark and gloomy, with no stars or moon.

Lingzhou sat down by the broken rock and stared intently at Chen Yao.

"You almost fell off a cliff during the day, and you dare to come here at night?"

Chen Yao avoided her gaze and teased her with a smile.

"I know who you are."

Lingzhou was straightforward.

Chen Yao sat down next to her and looked at the distant mountains and plains, with the faint lights of villages even smaller than starlight.

"I guessed you guessed it."

"Then why did you save me? Wouldn't it have been better to just let me fall to my death?"

Lingzhou glanced at Chen Yao out of the corner of her eye to observe his reaction.

Chen Yao smiled, turned around and looked directly at her: "Because you are very beautiful."

Lingzhou was taken aback, and her ashen face flushed red as she avoided his gaze: "I...I'm talking to you seriously."

“I answered very sincerely.”

"They were right! About your lecherousness."

"Yes, that makes some sense."

"But they say you've betrayed the Demonic Sect. After today, I don't really believe that."

"You're being too hasty in saying that. Maybe I saved you so that you'd think that way?" Chen Yao said, half-jokingly.

"That doesn't make sense. I'm just an unknown disciple, not even worth the time to save. It's pointless for you to waste your energy on me. It would be more convenient for you if I died."

"Maybe!"

Lingzhou turned to face Chen Yao directly: "So, I think the sect's claims and condemnation of you are unreasonable. Did you really betray your master and ancestors? Did you really destroy Hanyu Peak?"

Chen Yao thought of Ling Ning's graceful and alluring figure and shook his head: "Not yet."

Yun Jiang snorted coldly in his consciousness.

"I didn't destroy Hanyu Peak either."

"I'm actually also wondering, no matter how strong you are, your cultivation level determines the upper limit of your strength. How could you destroy the strongest peak that Senior Uncle Ling Ning is guarding all by yourself?"

"Then why do you seem to hate me?"

Chen Yao recalled that she had said last night that she wanted to tear herself into eight pieces.

Lingzhou chuckled: "If I said it's because I admire you, would you believe me?"

"You might as well say that you admire me, and that love has turned into hatred."

When Lingzhou heard Chen Yao teasing him like that, he spat out, "Dream on."

"It's not exactly beautiful."

Lingzhou stared wide-eyed: "Why?"

"Because I'm afraid you'll tear me to pieces."

Lingzhou chuckled, then straightened his face and said, "Then you'd better be careful. Although I don't know what you're doing here, you'd better not harm your fellow practitioners."

Chen Yao smiled but didn't respond. He just looked at the crescent moon climbing up the eastern horizon in the distance.

"At least your judgment of me is fair enough now, thank you."

Lingzhou smiled and said, "No, I should be thanking you."

She also looked at the crescent moon gradually rising into the clouds in the east and whispered, "Thank you for not letting me completely lose hope in this world."

"Perhaps disappointment is the best choice..."

Before Chen Yao could finish speaking, the long-bearded old man scolded Ling Zhou: "Ling Zhou! Everyone is busy with their own things, how dare you sit there and talk about love?"