186: The saintess's house collapsed! She took a selfie amidst the ruins, and the divine child burst into laughter!

The "teaching" in the canyon was still proceeding with feverish intensity.

Under the meticulous one-on-one guidance of Jian Buping, this "Honorary Gold Medal Mentor of the Demonic Path," the saber techniques of that ghost-headed great saber demonic cultivator were improving at an inconceivable and frantic speed.

He had already transformed from a mere woodcutter who only knew how to swing his arms to hack, into a practitioner capable of displaying a few hints of saber technique charm.

"Not bad! Your Comprehension Ability is very high!"

Jian Buping scrutinized his "teaching results" and nodded with satisfaction, a look of pride appearing on his face, like an old father seeing his son get accepted into a top university.

"Now, use your life's cultivation to strike at me."

He stood with his hands behind his back, assuming the posture of a final exam head proctor.

"Let me see where your limit lies."

"Yes... Yes! Senior!"

That demonic cultivator had been completely brainwashed by this set of god-tier maneuvers.

The gaze with which he looked at Jian Buping had long since sublimated from guarded hostility into the fanatical worship of a hidden supreme expert.

He firmly believed that he had stumbled upon a legendary, heaven-sent Opportunity today!

A peerless powerhouse playing in the Mortal World was using this inconceivable method to enlighten him!

The demonic cultivator trembled with excitement, turning this kindness from heaven into endless Battle Intent.

With a thunderous roar, he squeezed out every last drop of Devilish Qi and poured it into that ghost-headed great saber!

Then, using everything he had learned in his life along with all the freshly minted new techniques, he hacked out an earth-shattering strike toward the top of Jian Buping's head!

"Ghost King's Angry Slash!"

Whether it was the ferocity of the saber's momentum or the condensation of the Saber Intent, this strike was more than twice as strong as when he first started!

Facing this Peak strike that condensed his own "teaching efforts," a flicker of hard-to-detect approval flashed in Jian Buping's eyes.

But he still stood on the spot, completely motionless.

He didn't even touch his scabbard.

Just as the blade, accompanied by a sharp whistle that tore through the air, was about to touch his hair.

Jian Buping finally, unhurriedly, extended two fingers.

Index finger and middle finger.

Ding!

A crisp sound like jade clashing against stone rang out.

That incomparably violent ghost-headed great saber was caught just like that, clamped between two fair and slender fingers as if it were nothing.

Time stood still.

The demonic cultivator's face turned the color of pig liver as he used every ounce of strength he possessed, yet that saber seemed welded into the air, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch!

The demonic cultivator's eyes bulged, and his jaw almost dislocated.

He looked at this "Senior" who had crushed all his dignity and power with just two fingers, and his mind was left with nothing but a blank roar.

A powerhouse!

This was a true powerhouse who could pierce the heavens!

He wasn't teaching me saber techniques just now; he was clearly... teasing a dog!

Jian Buping held the blade between his fingers and shook his head in disappointment, his face written with the heartache of "you are the worst student I've ever taught."

"Still not good enough."

"Your saber has form but no intent; your Killing Intent is too scattered and flashy without substance."

"A true saber master has intent before the saber and heart before the blade; you are far too lacking."

After saying that, he applied a slight force with his two fingers.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, that Saint-rank weapon forged from hundred-refined demonic steel actually snapped like a fragile piece of dough!

Looking at the half-broken hilt in his hand, the demonic cultivator was completely petrified into a statue.

Jian Buping disdainfully flicked away the broken blade between his fingers and clapped his hands, having finished a trivial little matter.

He glanced at the dumbfounded demonic cultivator and spoke in a flat tone.

"Today's lesson ends here."

"I'll take this Ghost Spirit Grass as tuition; don't mention it."

With those words, he bent down to pick up the Spiritual Plant that had caused the incident and put it into his pouch.

Then, under the demonic cultivator's complex gaze mixed with awe, gratitude, and fanaticism, he turned and drifted away.

Hiding his merit and fame.

After a long time, the demonic cultivator finally woke from his petrification. Facing the direction Jian Buping had left, he fell to his knees with a "thud" and gave three solid kowtows.

"Thank you for the kindness of remaking me, Senior! This Junior will never forget it for all eternity!"

...VIP Viewing Area.

Su Chen had already laughed until he lost all strength, completely abandoning his image management as he slumped like a puddle of mud on the rocking chair, feeling his internal organs protesting frantically on the verge of oxygen deprivation.

"What... what a talent..."

He complained breathlessly.

"Is Taiyi Holy Land... a talent incubation base?"

[This isn't some Righteous Path undercover agent; this is clearly a rural volunteer from the Demonic Path Precision Poverty Alleviation Working Group!]

[One is responsible for ideological construction, the other for technical poverty alleviation—this professional ability is just incredible!]

Liu Ruyan laughed even harder, tears shimmering as she wiped the corners of her eyes and said coquettishly to Su Chen, "Little Chen Chen, I can't take it anymore. Big sister's abs are about to be laughed out by this bunch of clowns. When the demon codex ends, I will definitely go to Taiyi Holy Land and Ten Thousand Buddhas Holy Land personally to deliver a commemorative banner!"

"On the banner, I'll write eight big characters: Good Teacher of the Demonic Path, Paragon of the Righteous Path!"

Su Chen: "..."

[You really are an unremarkable little Genius at fanning the flames.]

Ling Qingzhu also finally stopped trying to hide it.

She lightly covered her vermilion lips with one hand, while her other hand subconsciously patted Su Chen's back to help him catch his breath.

Those phoenix eyes, normally as cold as frost, had now laughed into a pair of curved crescents.

"Alright, stop laughing."

Her voice was gentle, yet it still carried a laughter she couldn't suppress.

"Be careful not to get a stitch in your side."

Su Chen's gaze happened to meet her peerless smile, which was like ice and snow melting into spring flowers, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

[...This is fatal.]

[When this Ice Block Face smiles, it's practically an off-the-charts lethal weapon.]

[If she could keep smiling like this, it seems... quite nice?]

The thought had just arisen when he slapped it dead.

[Danger! Danger! A beautiful woman is a source of trouble! I, Su Chen, am a man determined to lie low until the end of time; how can I be obsessed with mere female charms!]

[My sin, my sin!]

Su Chen frantically chanted the Heart-Clearing Incantation in his mind, forcing his Dao Heart to stabilize.

"Next one! Quick, look at the next one!"

Liu Ruyan had gotten hooked on the show and urged him impatiently.

Whatever yellow springs demonic sword, whatever Devil Emperor Legacy—now they had all become secondary.

She only wanted to know exactly where the lower limit of this group of Righteous Path undercover agents was.

Su Chen deeply agreed with this.

Compared to those treasure-hunting games involving killing, watching others be publicly executed brought double the joy.

Liu Ruyan's jade finger swiped across the Blood Mirror again.

The image shifted, finally settling on a massive ruin of white bones.

Deep in the ruins, a slender woman wearing a black veil was hiding behind a broken, giant bone pillar like a thief.

Her holy and ethereal aura was completely out of place with the surrounding gloomy and terrifying atmosphere.

It was precisely the other Prodigy of the Yaochi Holy Land, Yue Qinghan.

"Eh? Little Ice Block, isn't this someone from your Jade Pool?" Liu Ruyan glanced at Ling Qingzhu, her tone playful.

After Ling Qingzhu saw her Junior Sister in the image clearly, her elegant brows furrowed tightly, and she silently shook her head.

Don't ask.

If asked, the answer was: don't know her, not familiar, just a passerby.

She already had an ominous premonition that what was about to happen might become the dark history that Yaochi Holy Land would most want to destroy in its ten-thousand-year history.

In the image, Yue Qinghan sneakily poked out her small head, looking around to confirm no one was there.

Then, she performed an action that caused the entire viewing area to fall into a daze.

She fished out a... specially made recording spirit stone inlaid with pink crystals and lace trim from her Storage Pouch.

Immediately after, she walked to a hundred-zhang-tall, ferocious-looking demonic dragon skeleton and skillfully found what she considered a "golden photography spot."

She first struck a high-and-mighty pose looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, her eyes melancholic and her temperament pure and aloof. Combined with the grand demonic dragon skeleton behind her, it instantly created a sense of "the loneliness and brokenness of a doomsday goddess."

She could be heard facing the recording spirit stone, providing her own narration in a barely audible voice:

"Mhm! The name will be... 'The Dark Flower Blooming Alone Amidst the Ruins of Eternal Night.' It has depth and style."

After taking one photo, she didn't seem satisfied.

She switched poses at lightning speed.

This time, she actually imitated those enchantresses from Demonic Path storybooks, leaning charmingly against the demonic dragon's leg bone. One hand stroked the forest-white bone while the other made a playful "V" sign toward the recording spirit stone, a sweet and harmless smile blooming on her face.

"This one is also so cute! The title will be... 'Today is also a day to be a witch full of Origin Qi~ Chu~'."

"Oh my, and this squatting pose makes my legs look so long..."

And so, in this desolate land of white bones permeated with death and resentment, this highly anticipated candidate for the Yaochi Saintess just started her personal session like there was no one else around... a "Demonic Domain Style Artistic Photo" shoot.