Just Ask If You're Mad

A mountain path in the Feathering Sect.

"Have you heard? Two days ago, Junior Sister Tang went out to search for immortal herbs, but she ran into a vicious and cunning wolf demon. Its strength was formidable, and just as she was about to be devoured, she was saved by an immortal sword."

"I heard about that too. They say that sword rode the gale winds high in the sky like a treasure of the immortals. Over the past few days, not just Junior Sister Tang, but several other fellow disciples and even our uncles and aunts have been saved by it while out on their adventures."

"It slays demons and suppresses evil. They say no matter how powerful the monster, it cannot withstand a single strike. One slash, and no demon has survived to tell the tale."

"Is that for real? It's that strong? Which senior is wielding that sword?"

"Not sure. They say people have seen the sword, but never the person behind it."

"Hiss..."

A collective gasp of shock rippled through the crowd.

If no one is wielding it, could it be that the treasure already possesses a sword spirit?

Even so, that is far too ferocious!

Word is that it's not just low-level disciples; many uncles and aunts at the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stages have been saved by this sword when encountering demon kings.

For a time, everyone was singing its praises.

They were all speculating which senior's magical treasure possessed such astonishing spirituality and power.

Some said it belonged to a Spirit Severing expert, others said a Profound Opening master, and some even whispered of Great Vehicle ancestors.

But at that moment, a sneering voice cut through the air.

"It's not just our sect's cultivators who have benefited from this sword. I heard that Madam Wei of Bright Moon Villa was hunting down a powerful enemy when she encountered a great demon at Black Python Mountain."

"The entire mountain range turned out to be the body of that great demon, stretching for thousands of miles. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have had to bow their head and accept death, yet that immortal sword slew it with a single strike, and the massive demonic corpse vanished into the wind."

The crowd was horrified.

It was impossible to imagine what it would look like if a demon the size of an entire mountain range were to awaken.

What level of cultivation would such a monster have?

Profound Opening, or perhaps a legendary Great Vehicle Demon King?

And yet, it was still slain with a single strike.

"Could it be an immortal's sword!"

"Yes, it must be! Aside from a treasure refined by a True Immortal, how could any cultivator possess such overwhelming might?"

Beyond their shock, the crowd was filled with such profound admiration that they were ready to prostrate themselves. Thinking of the senior's demeanor, they felt an even deeper sense of longing.

"Do you think that immortal is the same one who made our sect's pear trees bloom in the dead of winter?"

"Hmm, it's possible. True Immortals are hard to find, and it's unlikely two would appear in this vicinity at the same time. It must be that ancestor!"

"Why do you call him an ancestor?" someone asked, confused.

"What, you don't know? I heard that this True Immortal is actually one of our sect's predecessors. Otherwise, why would he bestow such great benefits upon our Feathering Sect?" someone said smugly, eager to show off his well-informed status.

To his surprise, his words were met with unanimous agreement from the cultivators present.

"Right, I've heard that rumor too. It makes perfect sense; that senior must be an ancestor of our sect."

"This is wonderful! Our sect is actually protected by a True Immortal. Doesn't that mean we're invincible?"

"What are you daydreaming about? Even if we have a True Immortal ancestor, we must never become arrogant or complacent. When we go out, we must not bring trouble upon the sect."

An elder disciple immediately offered a reminder, as the Feathering Sect's rules were notoriously strict.

The crowd roared their agreement and continued their discussion, every face glowing with excitement and worship.

Lin Xiaoyao walked past the crowd.

Along the way, he had already heard similar discussions many times over.

He couldn't help but feel a secret thrill, his heart filled with joy.

This was truly a case of planting a willow by accident, only to have it grow into a full shade.

He finally understood why the Locust Wood Immortal Sword hadn't returned after all these days.

It must have misinterpreted his words: "You are already a mature immortal sword; you must learn to slay demons and eliminate evil on your own."

After slaying the Black Python Demon King, it had sent the demons within a radius of ten thousand miles into a frenzy, leaving them too terrified to show their faces.

Lin Xiaoyao was left between laughter and tears.

He had originally intended to recall the Locust Wood Immortal Sword, but after hearing the crowd's discussion along the way, he was in no hurry.

Letting it roam around outside wasn't a bad idea after all.

After all, every merit the Locust Wood Immortal Sword achieved was, without exception, attributed to him—the mastermind behind the scenes, the True Immortal ancestor.

These past few days, no matter where he went, he heard nothing but praise, and everyone worshipped him to the point of prostration. This feeling of lurking in the shadows and watching the show was truly comfortable.

No wonder so many people in the chat groups of his past life loved to lurk.

Lin Xiaoyao thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of acting cool from behind the scenes.

So, let it be. Although it misunderstood his intentions, slaying demons and eliminating devils was never a bad thing, and letting it play outside for a while longer was fine too.

However, the ways of the world are always unexpected.

The immortal sword displaying its divine might to subdue demons and eliminate devils was originally a matter worthy of praise.

But as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be counterproductive.

Within a few days, the discussion had shifted.

"Have you heard? Junior Brother Zhang went out to slay demons, fought a bloody battle, and was just about to sever the monster's head when an immortal sword flew down from the nine heavens and snatched the kill."

"It's not just Junior Brother Zhang. Junior Sister Ye and the others had the same experience. It is said they laid an ambush for a full half-month just to corner that cunning fox demon. They were on the verge of slaying the demon and earning merit, but it was snatched away by an immortal sword that appeared out of nowhere."

"Sigh, that's nothing. I'm the one who had it the worst."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up while shedding tears: "I traveled over mountains and ridges, and only after great difficulty did I find that extremely rare vine demon. If I had eliminated it, its roots would have been precious medicinal materials for refining spirit pills. But the result was the same. I was in the heat of battle with the monster and clearly had the upper hand—I didn't ask for any help—yet that immortal sword appeared from nowhere and slew the vine demon with a single strike."

"If you had just killed it, that would be one thing; I would have even been grateful for the help. But what I never expected, what made me so angry I coughed up blood, was that the power of that sword strike was shockingly immense. The entire vine demon was reduced to ashes. Forget about the roots; not even a single scrap of vine was left behind."

"Great, all my hard work was for nothing."

The man was still fuming as he finished speaking.

Lin Xiaoyao, who happened to be passing by, felt a twinge of guilt.

The crowd was still chattering away.

But this time, they weren't praising the immortal sword's achievements; they were complaining about how it appeared and disappeared unpredictably, stealing their kills everywhere.

One must know that while slaying demons and eliminating devils is a good thing, all things in the world exist in mutual restraint, and demons have their own significance for cultivators.

First, they serve to temper the disciples.

Second, once a demon falls, its fur, bones, and other parts are of great use to cultivators.

Therefore, disciples of various sects and schools are sent out for training once their cultivation reaches a certain level.

It allows them to both broaden their experience and hunt demons to obtain what they need for their cultivation.

It kills two birds with one stone.

However, recently, the cultivators within a radius of ten thousand miles had sadly discovered that whenever they went out for training to slay demons, someone would jump out to steal their kills.

Moreover, the other party was ruthless, always obliterating the monsters so thoroughly that not even a trace of residue remained.

It was like working hard to finally catch a big boss, and after a grueling battle, just as it was about to drop loot, someone suddenly popped out to steal the kill.

Not only did they steal the kill, but they also one-shot the boss with a single sword strike, turning the loot that was supposed to drop into ashes along with it. I ask you, wouldn't that make you angry?