Bang.

Shen Yi dropped Yan Xingkong in front of the three of them, and handed the Twin-Harmony True Intent across.

Both Daoist priests exhaled audibly at the sight of the recovered technique.

“If not for Commander Shen being here — forget recovering the True Intent, we might have left something of ourselves in this valley.”

A demon with genuine inheritance: the azure feather with its cutting force, the crimson feather that restored injuries without limit — this was not an opponent they could have managed. Running at full speed would have been a good result.

With that thought, Elder Chunyang’s expression settled into something not at all gentle as he looked at Yan Xingkong on the ground — the only thing keeping him from pressing those sword intents into the man was that one was still keeping Kong Jing contained. If they hadn’t been, he might have put a hole straight through him.

That ancestral shrine had been there since the Monastery was founded. This damned thief had destroyed it without a second thought.

Elder Qingjing shook his head slightly and reminded his old companion: “Enough. The two officials will deal with him on the Monastery’s behalf.”

The man had violated the Division’s most fundamental principle — every demon-hunter, every Division Commander, had one responsibility: protect Qingzhou. Not throw their lives away for a personal grievance. And he’d given them no information in advance, leading everyone in blind.

If it had been any other personal attendant from Tingyang Prefecture instead of Commander Shen, and they’d been lost here — Qingzhou was already dangerously thin. Losing a personal attendant post would cause ripples no one could predict.

The Division couldn’t set that kind of precedent.

The priests were angry, but neither of them had the habit of tormenting someone already dying just to vent.

“…”

Shen Yi walked toward the last demon.

Kong Jing was suspended by both sword intents, looking at the bodies of his parents in the distance. The whole frame was shaking badly. When he noticed the young man approaching, the despair and collapse on the pretty face twisted into something feral.

“I’ll take you down with me—!!“

The azure feather on the right arm blazed — a blade-like sweep coming.

The arm hadn’t even fully risen when Shen Yi’s palm landed casually.

The finely-featured head exploded.

The body swayed once, then the original form appeared. A thread of blood qi entered the bell.

Shen Yi drew Erhei, opened the abdomen, and extracted the core. The motion was considerably more practiced than drawing a bow — just a few breaths, and a rough peacock core was in his palm.

Then the same process for both old demons, their blood qi and cores joining the rest in the bell.

When he walked back to the group, they were still wearing expressions of blank shock, instinctively stepping half a pace back.

“…”

Rough-core stage, yes. But the manner was extremely direct.

And the whole fluid, practiced sequence — how much demon blood did it take to develop that? Even with the Baiyu Monastery’s purpose being the subjugation of demons, looking at this, both priests felt humbled.

“Hff.“

Yan Xingkong lay on the ground staring at Kong Jing’s body and finally let out a long, satisfied breath.

The bloodshot eyes held something that had settled.

“How does it feel?” Xiao Qiangwei walked over.

“Good. Very good.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Thank you all.”

“Do you need to be brought back to the Division?” She offered him the question plainly. He was a full-core stage practitioner. He’d been operating in Qingzhou most of his life. Whatever his reputation — he was known.

“You’re all good people. Let me be a coward one last time — would the two Daoist masters bury Ying and me together? She was only Jade Liquid level. The core isn’t worth much. Go to Pingsha Valley — my people will give something of equal value.”

It was obvious which of the group had the softest heart.

He looked at Elder Chunyang with a rueful smile.

“Of all the—! Playing pitiful in front of me! I should have your head on the city wall!” Elder Chunyang squeezed his fist, drew several harsh breaths, and then fell silent and looked at the black-robed young man.

Everyone in Qingzhou knew the Division’s methods. Talking about burial — the head and body wouldn’t necessarily stay together by the time the Division was done.

And if you had access to the Thief King of Pingsha Valley, you used that to its full value — to make every major force in the area think twice.

“My business here is done. The rest is up to you.”

Shen Yi stood with his hands at his sides.

Yan Xingkong closed his eyes with a satisfied expression.

“Thank you.”

He’d never planned on returning to Qingzhou alive. Having the last wish granted was more than enough for the smile that came.

Shhk.

Elder Chunyang’s wide sleeve flicked almost casually. The sword intent shrank to a fraction of its size and swept cleanly across the man’s throat, leaving the body whole.

“You promised it. You do it. I don’t have the strength left to bury this couple.” Before Elder Qingjing finished saying it, he’d already been grabbed by Elder Chunyang and pulled toward the collapsed building.

Three demons, all essentially killed by Commander Shen’s hand. Those feathers had clearly been valuable. Standing around during the collection would just be making things awkward for everyone.

Left alone—

Xiao Qiangwei finally let the unease show.

“I nearly got you killed in there.”

If what was inside had been core-nurturing rather than Condensate Perfection, today would have had a very different ending.

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.

“It wouldn’t have happened. I had the Turtle-Breath Method running. And I looked around a bit after I came in.”

That was why he’d gone straight for Yan Xingkong first, instead.

One simple sentence — and Xiao Qiangwei understood what he was actually saying. Her own qi concealment was nowhere near his level. And if he’d found something he genuinely couldn’t match, he would not have stepped in to cover for her.

“You could be slightly less blunt about it.” She dusted herself off with a resigned expression.

“With something that can get you killed — clearer is better.” Shen Yi turned his attention away and worked his arms, which had gone stiff. He hadn’t noticed it during the fight. The bow had apparently done something to him even with the Nine Transformations behind the draw — he was genuinely worn from it.

He was a Jade Liquid Realm practitioner who’d acquired full-core stage combat ability through body refinement. Without the external pill, he wasn’t functionally different from these two Daoist priests by any decisive margin.

He wasn’t a savior who showed up on command and turned every situation around.

If this woman kept letting his presence override her own judgment and caution, she was going to die in some valley somewhere.

Xiao Qiangwei reflected on this seriously, then nodded.

“I’ll be more careful.”

Probably it was the image of him walking into Black Stone Deep without hesitation — that had left too strong an impression, made her assume he’d gone through the stone wall. She’d forgotten the Turtle-Breath Method that had never once been lifted.

Careful and decisive both at once. The difference was having a foundation for it.

“…”

She adjusted her breathing, and found something of her former self returning — the demon-hunter who had worked her way up to the silver bell entirely alone, on accumulated credit. Not someone whose every thought hung on another person, whose function had become picking up his blade.

“Then I’ll leave the cleanup to you, Senior Xiao.” Shen Yi turned and walked off to count the take.

“Right.” Xiao Qiangwei nodded on instinct.

(End of Chapter)