109: I had no intention of saving people.

Shortly after Lin Feng's figure completely vanished into the rainy night, a swift Escaping Light broke through the curtain of rain and landed at the entrance of the Condensing Fragrance Cave. The radiance faded, revealing Smoke of Willow's figure.

Her face looked slightly weary as she walked straight into the cave. However, as soon as she stepped into the main cavern, her expression froze.

When the Disciples on duty inside the cave saw her, looks of panic and unease appeared on their faces.

"What's going on?" Smoke of Willow's heart skipped a beat for some reason, and her voice turned cold.

A Disciple stepped forward tremblingly, his voice shaking: "Re... Reporting to Senior Sister Liu, just now... just now a Disciple was acting suspiciously. He left on the pretext of needing to relieve himself and then disappeared... Upon inspection, your subordinates found that the box containing the heart-bewitching grass had been tampered with, and a small pinch is missing..."

Smoke of Willow's face instantly turned so dark it looked like it could drip water. She walked quickly to the tampered box, her fingertips brushing over the subtle yet precise cut, sensing the lingering traces of Sword Qi. This technique, this aura... a thought she absolutely couldn't believe flashed into her mind.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping across the room, and shouted sternly: "When did this happen? Which direction did they go?"

"Just... just half an incense stick ago... it seemed to be toward... toward the West Mountain outside the valley..." The Manager's voice grew smaller and smaller.

Smoke of Willow's figure blurred, and she appeared outside the cave. Her powerful Divine Sense spread toward the West Mountain. However, besides the vast night rain and the pitch-black forest, where was there any trace of him?

He was back. That kid, who was supposed to be heavily injured and dying, fleeing in panic, had not only returned but had also easily stolen the heart-bewitching grass right under her nose during the brief interval when she had just left, and then made off once again.

Smoke of Willow's face twisted with rage, and the pink radiance around her body fluctuated violently and uncontrollably, evaporating the surrounding rain into a cloud of white mist. She suddenly slammed a palm against the nearby mountain wall.

Boom!

The hard rock exploded into a deep pit at the impact, with rubble flying everywhere.

"Good, very good... Kid, you've successfully provoked me." Her chest heaved violently. "I'll see how long you can run. The next time we meet, I will make sure you wish you were dead."

Meanwhile, Lin Feng was riding the wine immortal gourd, flying at full speed through the rainy mountain forest. Only after confirming there was no aura of pursuers behind him did he stop in a crevice behind a hidden waterfall.

He sat slumped on the cold rock and took out the small bundle wrapped in silk from his black jade bracelet.

Unwrapping the silk, a few dark purple, slightly curled grass leaves lay quietly in his palm, emitting that unique delicate fragrance. It was indeed the heart-bewitching grass.

Inside the spirit beast pouch, the agitation coming from the Shadow Scale Snake had become extremely weak. Lin Feng gently placed a leaf of the heart-bewitching grass into the Shadow Scale Snake's slightly open mouth.

After eating it, the Shadow Scale Snake's slender body trembled slightly and let out a hiss. In its dark gold vertical pupils, the originally scattered light began to flicker, as if something had been ignited within its body.

The Shadow Scale Snake's originally tense and slightly trembling body slowly relaxed. Finally, it lifted its head, gently rubbed its cold scales against Lin Feng's finger, and then curled up, falling into a deep sleep.

Lin Feng could feel its aura becoming steady and long, but at the same time, it seemed to have fallen into a strange state of dormancy.

"Has it started to advance?" Lin Feng felt slightly more at ease, but this was followed by deeper worry. The Shadow Scale Snake's current state was not entirely the same as any sign of a Spirit Beast's advancement that he knew of.

After putting the Shadow Scale Snake back into the spirit beast pouch, Lin Feng rode the wine immortal gourd, speeding through the high sky.

The wind whistled in his ears, but he was in no mood to appreciate the mountains and rivers passing beneath him.

A scorching aura rose from his Dantian, wandering recklessly through his Meridians, bringing waves of tearing pain wherever it went. He clenched his teeth, fine cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, as he tried to circulate his Cultivation Technique to suppress it, only to find he couldn't.

Even worse, an indescribable sense of irritability welled up from his heart. Faces of Smoke of Willow and the tragic state of Hundred Beasts Mountain flashed before his eyes from time to time, and countless faint whispers seemed to be interfering with his mind.

He shook his head forcefully, attributing this to the lingering effects of Smoke of Willow's bizarre Formation and the backlash of forcibly performing the Blood Evasion Technique.

At this moment, he only wanted to return to the Sect as soon as possible to seek his Revered Master's help.

Just as he was enduring the discomfort and preparing to speed across a marshy area below, a faint roar of Spells and the sound of clashing weapons reached his ears.

He frowned, lowered his altitude, and scanned the area. He saw a group of Cultivators dressed in dark gray clothes at the edge of the marsh, besieging several men and women in light blue robes. The battle was clearly one-sided; most of the blue-robed Cultivators had already fallen, with only a few struggling to hold on.

Lin Feng didn't want to get involved and was about to quietly bypass them. However, the moment his gaze swept across the battlefield, he saw the woman being protected in the center.

Her cultivation wasn't high, around the Qi Refining Late Stage. Her face was pale, but there wasn't much fear in her eyes. Instead, when her companions were in danger, she stepped forward without hesitation, trying to use a weak water shield to block the sharp Spells aimed at her fellow Disciples.

The Spell easily crushed the water shield, and the aftershock sent her stumbling back. However, the fearlessness and persistence in her clear eyes were like a glimmer of light, piercing through Lin Feng's mind, which was clouded by pain and irritability.

Driven by some unknown impulse, Lin Feng lowered the wine immortal gourd and dove down. With a flash of pale gold light from the gourd at his waist, he dropped into the fray like a meteor. His Sword Qi flared, precisely parrying a fatal blow that was about to land on the woman.

The sudden intervention caught the attackers off guard. Although Lin Feng was not in good condition, his Foundation Establishment Mid-stage cultivation and sharp swordsmanship were still not something these enemies, a mix of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, could withstand.

After a few rounds, the opponents saw that things were going poorly, left a few harsh words, and quickly retreated.

Silence temporarily returned to the marsh's edge, leaving only the smell of blood and a faint mist.

The rescued woman walked quickly to Lin Feng and gave a graceful bow. "Mu Yurou thanks Senior for saving my life."

She looked up and examined Lin Feng closely, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "Senior, your... your aura seems a bit off?"

Lin Feng was about to wave his hand to say it was fine, but the burning pain in his Meridians suddenly intensified, causing his body to sway slightly and his face to turn even paler.

Seeing this, Mu Yurou didn't have time to think and stepped forward, extending a slender finger and gently touching Lin Feng's brow.

Her fingertip didn't directly touch his skin, but a cool and pure aura, like a mountain spring, slowly flowed into Lin Feng's body.

Wherever this aura passed, the rampaging heat was like scorched earth moistened by spring rain, gradually subsiding. His agitated mind also seemed to be washed by the clear spring, regaining a moment of peace.

Lin Feng breathed a long sigh of relief as his tense nerves relaxed. This sudden sense of comfort almost made him groan aloud.

He had never felt such effective soothing. Although he didn't understand what method this woman had used, his body's reaction was incredibly real.

"Does Senior feel any better?" Mu Yurou withdrew her finger, her face also slightly pale due to the consumption of spiritual power.

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground.

Among the Disciples here, besides Mu Yurou, only one dying elderly woman remained. A hideous wound on the old woman's chest was constantly bleeding, and it was clear she wouldn't survive.

She tightly gripped Mu Yurou's hand, her cloudy eyes full of anxiety, repeatedly saying in broken sentences: "Saintess... you must... full moon night... Moon Gazing Cliff... the Sect's heavy responsibility... concerns our survival..." Before she could finish, she breathed her last.