Time passed slowly. Lei Yunshu's injuries seemed severe. Lin Zheyu chatted with her for quite a while, yet she showed no intention of leaving. Sitting cross-legged on the tree trunk, he circulated his technique to recover from mental fatigue. After boosting himself with Origin Force, his spirit had reached its peak, yet the exhaustion deep within his soul remained intense. This fatigue was different from ordinary mental strain. Even medicinal pills had little effect. Only time could gradually restore it.

A deafening roar came from afar, shaking the entire space. Lin Zheyu snapped his eyes open and looked toward the pitch-black void in the distance. Lei Yunshu also opened her eyes, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Miss Lei, there's no need to worry. Focus on your recovery. If that yao comes this way, leave it to me." Lin Zheyu floated down from the tree and spoke with a calm smile, carrying himself like an expert.

"Many thanks, Brother Xiao."

Lei Yunshu did not refuse and accepted his offer. She did not know his intentions, but so far, he had shown no ill will.

"You are too polite, Miss Lei. It's a small matter," Lin Zheyu said cheerfully.

To avoid exposing his identity, Lin Zheyu had already put away his Purple Thunder Demon-Slaying Saber. If he had to fight now, he would have to rely on his fist technique. His skill in that was not weak, but it lacked the clean efficiency of his saber technique when killing yaos.

Another terrifying roar rang out. The surrounding air churned, whipping up fierce gusts. Sensing the powerful aura, Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.

"Hm, I may have overstated things. This yao looks a bit troublesome," Lin Zheyu muttered to himself.

He considered abandoning Lei Yunshu and fleeing. But soon after, he dismissed the idea.

Lin Zheyu looked at Lei Yunshu as he asked, "My dharma artifacts were damaged in an earlier battle. Do you happen to have a blade? Something sharp and sturdy will do. It doesn't have to be a dharma artifact."

"I do. But it's only a standard-issue dharma artifact. I'm not sure if it will suit you," Lei Yunshu said.

She took out a silver-white long saber from her storage pouch. It was about 1.37 meters long, its surface etched with intricate formation patterns. The saber rose from her hand and hovered before Lin Zheyu. Watching her control it, Lin Zheyu could not help but feel envious. She was clearly using spiritual sense to manipulate the dharma artifact. Whether it was pure spiritual projection or aided by some secret technique or treasure, he could not tell.

"This saber is called the Blazing Sun Saber. It is a standard dharma artifact produced by the Directorate of Celestial Observation. It is quite effective against yaos." Lei Yunshu's clear voice rang out.

Lin Zheyu reached out and took the Blazing Sun Saber. A faint warmth spread from its hilt.

"Thank you, Miss Lei," Lin Zheyu said.

Though it was only a standard dharma artifact, the fact that Lei Yunshu lent it to him showed she held a decent impression of him. The half day of conversation had not been wasted. Lei Yunshu gave no reply.

She raised her head and looked into the distant void. "It's coming! Be careful, Brother Xiao!"

As her words fell, a yao roughly a hundred meters long entered Lin Zheyu's Perception Domain. It was enormous, with a massive body, thick limbs, and a ferocious face. Its body was covered in purple, alien scales. From both sides of its head extended two huge, grotesque tendrils, making it resemble a black flood dragon.

Roar!

The yao opened its grotesque jaws and let out a deafening roar as it charged toward Lin Zheyu. Its movement stirred up a massive commotion. Wherever it passed, the foul breath it spewed corroded everything. The black soil hissed, releasing waves of dark smoke. If it continued rampaging like this, it would disturb Lei Yunshu's recovery.

"Now that's a big one! If I could capture it as a mount, that would be impressive."

Lin Zheyu showed no fear as he watched the charging yao. Its size was indeed massive, but its strength was only around the Foundation Establishment realm. Its speed and agility were nowhere near his. He tightened his grip on the Blazing Sun Saber. The feel of the blade was excellent, far superior to the Purple Thunder Demon-Slaying Saber given to him by Senior Brother Jiang Jun. As expected of a dharma artifact used by immortal cultivators. Even as a standard-issue weapon, it far surpassed the incomplete artifact that was his previous blade.

With a thought, Lin Zheyu's true origin instantly turned into a blazing red. The powerful energy surged through his meridians, radiating intense heat like molten lava erupting from a volcano.

Boom!

True origin poured into the Blazing Sun Saber. The blade erupted with a terrifying aura. Its engraved formation patterns lit up, and blazing flames surged outward, forming a massive, forty-meter-long flaming saber.

"Now that's impressive," Lin Zheyu could not help but remark.

As expected of a dharma artifact. Its power was extraordinary. Watching Lin Zheyu, Lei Yunshu could not hide the surprise in her eyes as the blazing flames burst forth from the saber.

What a powerful aura. No, this feels different from spirit power. Could it be due to a special technique? Lei Yunshu was inwardly astonished.

Her evaluation of Lin Zheyu rose by several levels. The Blazing Sun Saber was merely a low-grade standard artifact mass-produced by the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Even she could not unleash a forty-meter flame blade in such dense Baleful Yin force.

Lei Yunshu could only produce a flame blade of about twenty-five meters at most. Lin Zheyu remained unaware of her astonishment. His attention was focused entirely on the Blazing Sun Saber and the flood dragon-like yao. It was his first time using a dharma artifact, and the novelty filled him with excitement.

The formation inscriptions on the dharma artifact allowed his true origin to unleash far greater power. With the Purple Thunder Demon-Slaying Saber, one unit of true origin yielded one unit of power. With the Blazing Sun Saber, one unit could produce nearly ten.

Lin Zheyu pushed off with his right foot and shot forward. The forty-meter flaming blade cut through the darkness in a spectacular arc.

The moment Lin Zheyu activated the saber, the flood dragon yao detected him and charged with a roar. Wind and thunder surged around them, sand and stones flying. With its roar, a foul aura rushed toward him. A thin layer of true origin energy surrounded Lin Zheyu, and the foul aura hissed upon contact.

Lin Zheyu moved with extreme speed and reached the demon in an instant. True origin surged through his meridians into the saber. With both hands, he brought the blade down toward the demon's head.

A fierce wind swept past as the demon twisted its body to evade and lashed out with its powerful tail. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Too slow..." Lin Zheyu's lips curved slightly.

Within his Perception Domain, the demon's speed slowed drastically. Its attacks appeared like slow motion.

With a sharp sound, the Blazing Sun Saber sank into the demon's head. Flames burned fiercely, producing a harsh sizzling noise. Lin Zheyu did not pause. He twisted his body, kicked off the demon's head, and with a turn of his waist, swung the saber toward the incoming tail. With a heavy thud, the massive tail was severed and fell to the ground.

The yao let out a shrill cry. Even with its head split in two, it had not died and still roared in fury.

"As expected of something produced by the Directorate of Celestial Observation. It can actually suppress a yao's regeneration." Lin Zheyu looked at the struggling creature.

Where the Blazing Sun Saber had struck, crimson flames burned fiercely. A constant sizzling sound rose as the demon's regenerative ability was suppressed. Lin Zheyu gave it no chance to recover. His figure vanished in an instant, and blade light flashed through the air.

After a few breaths, the area fell silent. The demon's roars disappeared, leaving only hundreds of charred fragments burning with red flames. A sizzling sound lingered, and the air filled with the stench of roasted flesh.

"So fast. Such terrifying power. Such strength. Fellow Daoist Xiao, do you follow the body-refinement path?" Lei Yunshu, who had been watching the battle, was stunned by how cleanly Lin Zheyu killed a yao comparable to the Foundation Establishment realm.

This strength is formidable!

Lin Zheyu walked back and asked softly, "Miss Lei, that fight caused quite a disturbance. How is your recovery? Can you move to another location?"

It was his first time using a dharma artifact, and he had pushed it a bit too far, unleashing a forty-meter flaming blade. Such a display had already drawn the attention of nearby yaos. These creatures, long accustomed to the demon realm, were highly sensitive to any energy outside Baleful Yin force.

"Can't move? Then you'll need to hurry your recovery. If stronger yaos appear next, I'll have to leave first." Lin Zheyu shrugged when he saw her pale expression.

He did want to befriend her. But if danger arose, he would abandon that thought without hesitation and leave.

"Thank you for your help, Brother Xiao. That battle must have cost you quite a bit. Please accept this Divine Power Crystal." Lei Yunshu's expression was complicated.

She felt she might have misjudged him. Taking out a crystal-clear shard from her storage pouch, she flicked her wrist, sending it flying toward Lin Zheyu.

A Divine Power Crystal?

Lin Zheyu caught the crystal, its clarity like fine glass, and felt a hint of surprise.

He had seen such crystals before, taken from a young man of the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Back then, unfamiliar with them and wary of strange effects like those of the blood lotus, he had not dared keep them on him. Now it seemed they were simply used as an energy source.

"Thank you, Miss Lei." Lin Zheyu accepted the Divine Power Crystal without revealing anything and tucked it into his robes. He did not place it in his storage pouch. Without spiritual sense, the pouch was tied shut with a cord, and opening it would expose him.

"You're too polite, Brother Xiao. After this is over, I hope you'll grant me the honor of hosting you," said Lei Yunshu, inviting him.

No matter his intentions, she had to acknowledge this life-saving favor. Without Lin Zheyu, she might have perished here. Even if she managed to kill the flood dragon yao, her injuries would have broken out completely. Faced with other yaos drawn by the commotion, she would have no strength left to resist.

In her view, Xiao Yu had likely just passed by and was not targeting her. She was only an ordinary cultivator of the Lei Family, with average talent among her generation and not of the main lineage. There was nothing on her worth coveting.

"I would be honored by your invitation, Miss Lei. Once we get out, I may have to trouble you for a few days," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

He waved the Blazing Sun Saber in his hand and said, "Focus on your recovery. I'll deal with the other yaos."

With that, he moved his foot and vanished from where he stood. This time, Lin Zheyu did not pour all his true origin into the saber to form the forty-meter flaming blade. That method consumed too much energy while delivering only moderate damage. It was highly inefficient.

In the darkness, Lin Zheyu moved at incredible speed, his figure flickering like a phantom.

Crimson blade flashes appeared and vanished in an instant. Along with them, a yao was reduced to scattered fragments.

Crimson flashes appeared from different directions in rapid succession. Only at the moment of attack did true origin flow into the saber, releasing those red arcs. In the darkness, Lei Yunshu's clear eyes followed his movements, a trace of admiration flashing within them.

Such a clean and decisive technique. Xiao Yu likely follows the body-refinement path. His style resembles that of mortal martial artists. Is it derived from martial cultivation? Could he be from the Martial Alliance?

She narrowed her eyes, spirit power flowing through her gaze as she tried to discern the circulation of energy within Lin Zheyu. She found nothing.

Although Lin Zheyu could not perfectly conceal his aura and strength, with the aid of various concealment techniques, it was not easy to see through him. Unless the other party's strength far exceeded his. The effort he had invested in concealment was not wasted.