Although they had guessed that the sword had been the work of the immortal sword belonging to an esteemed founder of their sect, the Feathering Sect disciples didn't dare speak ill of it. Still, after all their hard work had gone to waste, they couldn't help secretly shedding tears.
They had plenty of complaints and grumbles in their hearts, too.
As for the other cultivators outside, they were all even more up in arms.
The chaos had spread for more than ten thousand miles.
The demons weren't the only ones suffering.
The cultivators were all on the verge of breaking down, their faces full of gloom and despair.
In a small copse of trees.
A weasel about a foot long fled for its life.
Though it was small, a faint demonic aura radiated from its body. Clearly, it was a little demon that had gained sentience.
Close behind it, a young woman in a pale yellow dress, with an oval face, gave chase.
A green flying sword cleared the way ahead of her, chopping aside the branches that blocked her path.
The weasel was almost out of places to run. A hint of delight appeared on the girl's face.
But at that very moment—
Clang...
Like metal striking metal, like a sharp blade leaving its sheath.
A streak of silver sword light shot straight toward them.
When it vanished, a crater about ten feet across had appeared where the weasel had been standing. As for the little demon itself, it had been cut to dust without a trace.
The girl stood frozen in place, frightened and aggrieved. Then she couldn't help bursting into tears.
She had chased that little demon over hill and dale all night without sleep.
A great river rushed westward.
A lone boat drifted down the river. A fisherman in a straw rain cape and bamboo hat sat aboard, sipping rough wine as he fished.
Suddenly—
The hook twitched.
The fisherman set down his wine flask and sharply yanked up the rod.
Splash!
A spray of white water burst from the river as a huge blue fish, weighing twenty or thirty pounds, was hauled into the air.
A glassy blue sheen covered its body, and an intensely powerful demonic aura radiated from it.
"Haha! I finally caught you, you blue fish. I used earthworms raised on pills since they were small as bait. The last two years of hard work weren't for nothing. I'll stew you into soup, and then I'll have a chance at reaching Nascent Soul!"
The fisherman stroked his beard with a pleased smile. He was actually a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core Realm.
But joy came before a fall.
High above the clouds, a certain immortal sword had been riding the gale these past few days, earnestly learning how to slay demons and eliminate evil. It sensed the demonic aura and locked onto the area.
Then, like a thunderbolt streaking across the sky, it struck.
The fisherman, dressed like a simple boatman, stood there happily holding the great blue fish.
Suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared before his eyes. Only afterward did the sound of a sword ring in his ears.
"Oh no!"
He tried to react, but it was already too late. After the sword light passed, he was unharmed, but all that remained in his hand was half a length of straw rope, still holding the fish.
As for the great blue fish he had spent two whole years trying to catch, intending to stew it into soup to help him break through to the Nascent Soul Realm—
It had turned black and charred, giving off a burnt smell. A gust of wind blew, and it crumbled into ash, vanishing without a trace.
The fisherman stood stunned. At first, he just gaped; then he jumped up and cursed furiously, crying as he went.
And that was how cultivators throughout the region had been faring lately. They tried to subdue demons, only to have their prey snatched away. In the end, all their effort came to nothing, and they had nothing to show for it.
The demons weren't the only ones suffering. The cultivators were about to be driven mad, too.
As it happened, Lin Xiaoyao had spent the last two days in the Founder's Shrine.
It wasn't until today that he thought of going out for a stroll.
He hadn't gone far before he heard plenty of complaints.
He couldn't help feeling deeply embarrassed.
Who would have thought that after he'd stayed indoors for two days, the Locust Wood Immortal Sword would have already caused such a disaster?
This time, instead of praise, he had racked up a huge wave of negative emotions.
If this kept up, people really would be up in arms.
So Lin Xiaoyao hurried back to his courtyard.
He raised his head to the sky, his gaze seeming to cross mountains and rivers, and murmured softly, "Come back."
Five thousand miles west of the Feathering Sect.
Several Rogue Cultivators were battling a demon in a fierce melee.
They looked tense, glancing around from time to time.
But don't get the wrong idea: they weren't losing and searching for an escape route.
Quite the opposite. They had the numbers, and they were clearly winning against the small demon.
But rumors of an immortal sword stealing prey had already spread throughout the cultivation world.
They were afraid that the elusive immortal sword would appear at the crucial moment, leaving them with nothing but wasted effort.
"Move it! If we drag this out, that immortal sword might show up!"
A burly man with a mighty appearance shouted at them to hurry.
But before the words had left his mouth, his face suddenly stiffened. A cry of alarm rang in his ears: "Oh no, it's already here!"
They nearly burst into tears. It was always what they feared most that happened. Were they going to end up empty-handed again?
Someone hurriedly bowed and begged the immortal sword to show mercy.
But although the sword was sentient, it still wasn't as clever as a human.
Or rather, it was a simple-minded sort.
It believed it was vanquishing demons and subduing evil. How could it show mercy to wicked monsters? Of course it had to root out evil completely and cut them down with a single strike.
So it ignored their pleas.
The sword light, white as snow, was about to fall when the Locust Wood Immortal Sword suddenly seemed to sense something. It braked sharply, turned around, and shot into the sky as a streak of light, vanishing on the horizon.
"It really showed mercy?"
"Could it be that an immortal heard our prayers?"
They stared at one another.
Then they erupted with joy.
The delight of getting back what they'd nearly lost filled them with vigor. They charged at the demon, each of them full of life and energy.
"Have you heard? The immortal took that immortal sword back!"
"The immortal is truly benevolent!"
"Exactly! He rushed to help us in our hour of need. He's the very picture of benevolence and righteousness."
What Lin Xiaoyao had never expected was that the Locust Wood Immortal Sword would misunderstand him and cause such a disaster, giving everyone so much trouble these past few days. Once he recalled the sword, he'd expected to be criticized and condemned, and to receive a huge wave of negative emotions.
But things hadn't turned out that way.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
All the cultivators within a ten-thousand-mile radius were praising him so loudly that their voices shook the heavens.
They called him approachable, benevolent and righteous, always ready to help others in need. They showered him with every kind of praise, until Lin Xiaoyao was almost embarrassed.
His first thought was—
Had he gotten it wrong?
Hadn't I caused everyone a lot of trouble?
It was already good enough if no one blamed or complained about him. How could they be praising him to the skies?
And according to Lin Xiaoyao, it wasn't just the cultivators of the Feathering Sect. Those outside the sect felt the same way.
Everyone was practically grateful beyond words. If they'd known who the mysterious powerhouse behind it all was, they would probably have come to his door and knelt to thank him.
In short, everyone was deeply grateful to him.
Even the cultivators whose prey he'd stolen had once wept bitterly, but now, when they spoke of the mysterious immortal behind it all, their gratitude was just as heartfelt.
Their reactions left Lin Xiaoyao completely baffled.
What on earth was going on?
And after observing them, he could tell they weren't just parroting one another. Every bit of gratitude came from the bottom of their hearts.
That made it even more unbelievable.
It made no sense at all.
His own carelessness had caused everyone to suffer losses, so why hadn't he received complaints? Why were they instead overcome with gratitude?
At first—
Lin Xiaoyao really didn't understand.
But after observing them closely and thinking it over carefully, he finally figured out what was going on.
Before you continue