Everyone is praising me, this is a bit strange

Although they guessed that this might be the work of the immortal sword belonging to the sect's founding ancestor, the disciples of the Feathering Sect dared not speak ill of it. Still, seeing all their hard work go down the drain, they could not help but shed tears in secret.

Deep down, they harbored many complaints and grievances.

As for the other cultivators outside, they were now all filled with resentment.

The chaos within a radius of ten thousand miles was beyond description.

It was not just the demons who could no longer live in peace.

The cultivators themselves were also on the verge of a breakdown, their expressions filled with frustration.

In a small grove of trees.

A yellow weasel about a foot long was fleeing for its life.

Though small in stature, it exuded a faint demonic aura, clearly marking it as a minor demon that had gained sentience.

Behind it, a young girl with an oval face, dressed in a pale yellow gown, was in hot pursuit.

A cyan flying sword led the way before her, hacking through the branches that blocked her path.

Seeing that the weasel had nowhere left to run, a hint of joy appeared on the girl's face.

However, just at that moment.

Clang...

It sounded like metal striking metal, like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath.

A silver sword beam struck from directly ahead.

When the sword beam vanished, a crater a full ten feet wide appeared where the little demon had been standing. As for the demon itself, it had been obliterated, leaving not even a trace behind.

The girl stood frozen in place, filled with both fear and grievance, before she finally burst into tears.

She had traveled over mountains and through ridges all night without sleep just to catch this little demon.

A great river surged toward the west.

On the river floated a lonely skiff, and upon it, an old fisherman wearing a straw raincoat and hat was sipping cloudy wine while fishing.

Suddenly.

The fishing line twitched.

The fisherman set down his wine flask and jerked the rod upward with a mighty pull.

Splash!

Amidst the white spray, a massive black carp weighing twenty or thirty pounds was dragged from the river.

The surface of the fish shimmered with a cyan luster and emitted an incredibly dense demonic aura.

"Haha, using earthworms fed on medicinal pills since birth as bait has finally hooked you, my fine carp. It was worth all the effort I've spent over these past two years. With you as my soup, my path to the Nascent Soul stage is within reach."

The fisherman stroked his beard and smiled; he was, in fact, a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

However, joy often turns to sorrow.

High above in the nine heavens, the immortal sword that had been riding the gale winds—and spending these past few days diligently learning how to slay demons on its own—sensed the demonic aura and locked onto this location.

Then, it struck out with a sword blow as swift as a thunderbolt.

The Golden Core cultivator dressed as a fisherman was still happily holding his catch.

Suddenly, a silver light flashed before his eyes, and only then did the sound of the sword's hum reach his ears.

"Oh no!"

He wanted to react, but it was already too late. When the sword light passed, he remained unharmed, but in his hand, only the severed half of the straw rope that had held the carp remained.

As for the great carp—which had cost him two years of his life to capture and which he intended to use to help him break through to the Nascent Soul realm—it had turned charred and blurred. It emitted a burnt stench, and as the wind blew, it crumbled into ash and vanished without a trace.

The fisherman stood stunned. He stared blankly for a moment before jumping up and down in a rage, cursing loudly while sobbing.

This was the reality for the cultivators within a radius of ten thousand miles lately. They wanted to subdue demons, but they were constantly having their kills stolen, leaving them with nothing to show for their wasted efforts.

Not only were the demons unable to live in peace, but the cultivators were also being driven to the brink of madness.

As it happened.

Lin Xiaoyao had been staying in the Founder's Shrine for the past two days.

It was only today that he thought about coming out for a stroll.

As a result, he hadn't gone very far before he heard a great deal of complaining.

He could not help but feel deeply embarrassed.

Who could have imagined that after staying indoors for just two days, the Locust Wood Immortal Sword would have already caused such a massive disaster.

Instead of receiving praise, he had instead harvested a massive wave of negative emotional value.

If things continued like this, he would truly be inviting public resentment.

Consequently, Lin Xiaoyao hurried back to his small courtyard.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly crossing over ten thousand mountains and rivers, and murmured softly, "Return."

Five thousand miles west of the Feathering Sect.

Several rogue cultivators were locked in a fierce battle with a monster.

Their expressions were tense, and they kept turning their heads to look around.

But do not misunderstand; they were not losing or looking for an escape route.

On the contrary, they had the numerical advantage and were clearly gaining the upper hand against the small demon.

However, rumors of an immortal sword stealing kills had recently spread throughout the cultivation world.

They were afraid that if that elusive immortal sword appeared at a critical moment, all their hard work would be for nothing.

"Hurry up! If we drag this out, that sword might just show up."

A burly man with a formidable appearance urged them loudly.

However, before his voice had even faded, his expression suddenly froze, and a cry of alarm reached his ears: "Oh no, it's already here!"

The group almost burst into tears; it was truly a case of fearing the worst and having it happen. Could it be that they were going to waste their efforts again?

Some hurriedly bowed and pleaded, begging the immortal sword to show mercy.

Yet, although the immortal sword possessed a spirit, it was not as clever as a human.

Or perhaps, it was just single-minded.

It believed it was subduing demons and eliminating evil; how could it show mercy to a monster? Naturally, it had to finish the job and slay it with a single strike.

Thus, it ignored everyone's pleas.

The sword light was like snow, and just as it was about to descend, the Locust Wood Immortal Sword suddenly seemed to sense something. It slammed on the brakes, reversed direction, turned into a streak of light, and shot into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.

"It actually showed mercy?"

"Could it be that the Immortal heard our prayers?"

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then, they were overcome with wild joy.

The joy of this unexpected reprieve filled them with vigor, and one by one, they charged at the monster with renewed energy and high spirits.

"Have you heard? The Immortal has recalled that immortal sword!"

"The Immortal is truly benevolent!"

"Exactly! He addresses our urgent needs; he is a man of great virtue and righteousness."

What Lin Xiaoyao never expected was this.

The Locust Wood Immortal Sword had misinterpreted his intentions and caused a great disaster, creating a lot of trouble for everyone over the past few days. After he recalled the sword, he had expected to be criticized and reviled by the masses, harvesting a massive wave of negative emotions.

The result, however, was not that at all.

In fact, one could say it was the exact opposite.

Within a radius of ten thousand miles, all the cultivators were singing his praises to the heavens.

Words like "approachable," "great virtue and righteousness," and "helpful in times of need"—all sorts of flowery compliments were heaped upon him, making Lin Xiaoyao feel somewhat embarrassed.

His first reaction was that he must have gotten something wrong.

Didn't I cause everyone a lot of trouble?

It would be good enough if they didn't blame or complain about me; how could they be praising me to the skies like this?

Moreover, according to Lin Xiaoyao's understanding, this was not just the case for the cultivators of the Feathering Sect, but for those outside as well.

Everyone was filled with gratitude toward him. If they hadn't been unaware of who this hidden big shot was, they probably would have come knocking on his door to kneel and thank him.

In short, everyone was deeply grateful to him.

Even those cultivators whose kills had been stolen, though they had once wept bitterly, now spoke of this hidden Immortal with gratitude that was clearly written all over their faces.

The reaction of the crowd left Lin Xiaoyao bewildered and completely stunned.

What on earth was going on?

Furthermore, through his observations, he could tell that the crowd was not just blindly following the herd; all their gratitude was heartfelt and sincere.

This was even more inconceivable.

It completely defied common sense.

Clearly, it was his own negligence that had led to everyone's losses, yet instead of receiving complaints, he was met with tearful gratitude.

At first.

Lin Xiaoyao truly did not understand.

But after careful observation and meticulous deliberation, he finally figured out what was actually going on.