Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

"If it were a hundred years ago, Brother Jiang, there would be no need to hide your opportunity. You could openly report it to the Sect Master, and he would temporarily assign you to Heavenly Power Peak for research. Refining flesh and blood may sound like an unorthodox method, but it is undoubtedly the best choice for enhancing one's physique."

"The treasures we cultivators search for daily mostly originate from places rich in spiritual energy or where corpses lie. Their essence is not much different from refining flesh and blood, as long as it's not obtained through unorthodox means to seize others' opportunities, the sect will have no prejudice."

"It's just..."

"Nowadays, the world has changed somewhat."

A hint of bitterness appeared on their face.

This was the first time Jiang Feng saw the emotion called bitterness on Yu Ying's face. It was evident that the decline of the sect and the emergence of traitors had dealt her a significant blow. This was not just a psychological blow but also one that impacted her and the societal status of Heavenly Power Peak as a whole.

Although Jiang Feng hadn't been in the sect for long, he had heard many senior brothers and predecessors talk about the stories of Heavenly Power Peak. The most widely spread tale was that Heavenly Power Peak had top talents every generation, capable of competing with Swordmaster Peak for the top spot.

Moreover, the position of Sect Master often fell to Heavenly Power Peak, sometimes even for two or three successive terms. Yet, such a strong mountain gate had now fallen to this state.

He had visited Heavenly Power Peak for a tour and found neither special Daoist skills nor any true teachings. Even the level of the disciples was uneven, mostly those left over by other mountain gates, especially the third-generation disciples participating this time, none of whom were at the Nascent Soul Stage.

There was only one high-grade Core Formation disciple, revealing just how desolate Heavenly Power Peak had become.

"It's because of the Xuanyin Sect traitor sneaking into the sect that Heavenly Power Peak lost its heritage, no wonder it's fallen to this state."

He didn't speak to ask.

Given Jiang Feng's character, he would never add fuel to the fire and poke someone's wound at a time like this. But now he was in a state where his thoughts could be read by Yu Ying, and any idea he had could be perceived by her.

"Well, fuck! Why did I blurt it out! How the hell am I supposed to apologize now?"

Looking at Yu Ying's somewhat dim expression, another thought flashed through someone's mind, but the woman in front of him couldn't help but laugh.

"Brother Jiang is really considerate, able to soothe a woman with eloquence. No wonder none of those girls can escape Brother's grasp."

"..."

He dared not think of anything else in his heart.

With a frustrated expression, this was why he hated Yu Ying's way of doing things, living in your divine soul every day and watching everything; who could stand it? However, Yu Ying did not make fun of him. She had seen many people of all sorts, many of whom seemed knowledgeable and refined on the surface, but were dark inside, with countless filthy thoughts.

The young senior brother in front of her was indeed consistent in and out. No, one might say he had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, cursing outwardly but caring deeply about other people's feelings inwardly.

With a glance around, the sunset was about to disappear, its afterglow spreading. Waves of spiritual energy came from afar, from the disciples of Swordmaster Peak returning on their swords to the mountain gate.

"Greetings to Master Yu Ying."

"Greetings to Steward Yu Ying."

They all greeted proactively.

They all knew of Yu Ying and her identity, since she had come personally to help when Jiang Feng was unconscious a few days ago. Even the usually capricious Lu Luo respectfully said, "Greetings to Steward Yu Ying."

Responding with a smile, this alone showed her high standing within Purple Cloud Palace. Although she bore the title of a steward, the territory she actually controlled covered almost the entire Long Country, even the Qingshui County on the border was under her jurisdiction.

With the support of the sect, significant personal strength, and a wide control range, calling her a local emperor in Shuangfeng City would not be an exaggeration.

Even now, she was the direct superior of Su Yi and Lu Luo, especially since...

These two sisters had seen firsthand her execution of traitors and the extermination of foreign forces. The Nascent Soul masters, hung at Shuangfeng City's gate with their Nascent Souls ripped out, were both witnessed by them.

"Little Sister is fine now, though her body is somewhat convulsed, it's nothing serious. Sister Su Yi, help her regulate her qi and blood later, it should take three to five days to fully recover."

"Miss, help her change clothes and administer an elixir every two hours, the pain relief one."

"I have important matters to discuss with Yu Ying here, no need to wait for me for dinner."

Nodding repeatedly.

The others left obediently, leaving space for the two of them. On the entire mountain, only Jiang Feng and Liu Tangxi had absolute authority.

However, they were still a bit puzzled, especially Miss Lin and Bai Yu, who had joined recently, looking confused because they hadn't seen the two speak since they arrived via sword flight.

From beginning to end, the two were big-eyed and small-eyed, so what exactly were they discussing? Was it eye communication?

But in the end, Yu Ying remained expressionless, with a facade of a hypocritical smile, showing no change in mood, while continuing the previous topic.

"Brother Jiang is indeed correct, yet not entirely so."

"As you've said, Heavenly Power Peak has fallen, heritage broken, but it is not entirely extinct."

"Brother Shan possesses exceptional strength, after the master's suicide, he willingly took up the mantle, stabilizing the mountain gate. He ranks eighth among us and is considered one of the youngest disciples. At that time, he couldn't enter the Grotto Heaven due to his young age."

"Although not as astonishing as the previous chiefs, he is diligent, conscientious, and kind-hearted, with solid foundations. He also has some insights into the transformation method of flesh and blood, considered to have inherited true teachings. After becoming the Peak Master, he successfully reached the Divinity Transformation Stage within a few decades."

"To date, he has been managing the mountain gate for fifty-nine years."

A thought flashed through his mind, pondering why it fell on the youngest disciples to bear the burden, and he immediately realized why.

They had all perished.

Because that Grotto Heaven incident had almost wiped out the third-generation disciples of Purple Cloud Palace, and those ranking at the top probably met tragic fates.

Yu Ying saw through his thoughts but remained expressionless, continuing, "Brother Shan may not be as talented as that traitor, but he still holds the method of flesh and blood refinement. Though I, a humble servant, am not skilled, I have learned a smattering of the divine soul extraction method from my master."

"Therefore, the heritage of Heavenly Power Peak is not considered broken, but the problem is..."

"Prejudices."

He was startled.

These two words weren't uttered by Yu Ying but appeared as a thought in the young man's mind.

"The sect holds prejudices. Even if they're not displayed, just because the flesh and blood and divine soul refinement techniques caused great trouble, the disciples under this sect are somewhat suspected of having issues."

"Although nothing ever happened before, once it happens, it receives a label. I believe the Sect Master wouldn't actively blame, from the little exposure and the sect members' and senior sister's attitudes, I can tell."

"However, after this incident, even the sect master would be extremely cautious towards Heavenly Power Peak and scrutinize its disciples strictly. No matter the reason, the fact of inadequate supervision causing great mistakes cannot be glossed over."

"Currently, Heavenly Power Peak is likely in a state where they seek no merit but avoid faults. It's okay to do nothing, but they can't be incompetent. Peak Master Shan might even hesitate to pass down true skills freely, including the cultivation technique you have."

"To rejuvenate Heavenly Power Peak, you must wait for the right opportunity. Either prove your disciples' worth in this Phoenix Heavenly Cave trial or patiently endure until new times make this incident fade."

"That Peak Master Shan is a wise man... wait."

At this moment, Jiang Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Out of habit, he laid out his thoughts in his mind, then seeing Yu Ying's slightly surprised yet smiling face, he suddenly realized why she had come to find him, and why his senior sister had handed him over to this woman.

"The method to prove Heavenly Power Peak's heritage..."

"It won't be me, will it?"