"Huh?"

The Qingfeng Sword Spirit let out a soft exclamation.

I clearly hid my presence, so how was I still detected?

Could it be that Ruan Tang, upon reaching the Divinity Transformation Realm, became so perceptive with Divine Sense that she discovered her?

However, the Qingfeng Sword didn't ask, and Ruan Tang naturally didn't know what the other was thinking, so she looked around.

In the back mountain, there was only a solitary Sword, and still no sign of Xu Lai.

Therefore.

Xu Lai truly has fallen.

"Get ready mentally."

After saying this, Xu Lai's remains dropped from the Emperor Artifact space onto the ground.

Ruan Tang looked at Xu Lai, covered in blood and as if asleep, and smiled with some relief: "Indeed, I shouldn't have held any expectations."

Ruan Tang did not cry, her emotions did not have much fluctuation, her calmness made the Qingfeng Sword somewhat astonished, even a bit incomprehensible.

She was stunned watching Ruan Tang place the cold, stiff remains onto the bed, dampening a towel with warm water to gently wipe away the blood on Xu Lai, and then change him into a clean set of clothes.

After doing all this, the sky was just getting light.

Ruan Tang covered Xu Lai with a quilt, gently said: "You've been tired for so long, you can finally rest."

"What did you say?"

Ruan Tang suddenly lowered her head, ear close to Xu Lai's mouth, earnestly agreeing: "Mhm, I know."

"..."

The Qingfeng Sword watched this scene dumbfounded, feeling a chill down the spine.

So Ruan Tang wasn't without emotional fluctuation, but actually went insane!

Covering a corpse with a quilt, whispering into its ear, the Qingfeng Sword released a wisp of Qingfeng Sword Intent.

"Bang!"

With a loud sound.

The table shattered into pieces, even the candle extinguished, the room went dark.

In the darkness.

Ruan Tang held Xu Lai's hand, sitting up straight.

"Are you crazy?"

The Qingfeng Sword questioned: "Xu Qingfeng is already dead, no matter what you do or say, it won't help."

"..."

Ruan Tang looked at the Qingfeng Sword calmly, saying nothing.

"I brought his remains back, wanting to let him rest in peace, not for you to go mad." The Qingfeng Sword continued.

"..."

Ruan Tang still said nothing.

The Qingfeng Sword was not to be trifled with, sword energy overflowing, clearly wanting to forcibly take Xu Lai's remains for burial.

She discovered the back mountain now had a fifth grave, presumably erected by Xu Lai for himself while alive.

Ruan Tang let go of Xu Lai's hand, softly asked: "Will he be scared with how dark it is underground."

The Qingfeng Sword said nothing, proceeding to bury Xu Lai as planned.

Ruan Tang just quietly watched, not stopping it.

The Qingfeng Sword once again felt odd.

Logically, any creature would have behavior or words beyond ordinary understanding after going mad, just like earlier.

But now.

Why did Ruan Tang quiet down again?

"I know he can't hear me, also know he'll never wake again. I just deceive myself, pretending he's still here." Ruan Tang murmured.

"...Sorry."

"You're right, I truly am mad."

"..."

This time it was the Qingfeng Sword's turn to fall silent, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

"It's dawn."

Ruan Tang spoke proactively: "Shall we go down the mountain and have some breakfast?"

The Qingfeng Sword didn't agree, but neither did it refuse.

Half an hour later.

At a breakfast shop in a nearby town.

Ruan Tang holding the Qingfeng Sword stood at the shop entrance, never stepping inside, hesitating momentarily, finally turned away.

"Weren't we going to have breakfast? Why leave." The Qingfeng Sword wondered.

"The Storage Space only has colored Spirit Stones, they can't make change."

"...How do you know they can't make change."

The Qingfeng Sword hesitated: "You didn't, perhaps, use Immortal-grade Spirit Stones to pay the bill before?"

"Mhm."

Ruan Tang pointed at the tavern ten steps away: "Bought three jars of wine, spent a Five-colored Immortal Spirit Stone."

The Qingfeng Sword trembled, nearly releasing a wisp of Qingfeng Sword Intent to cut down the tavern.

What's a black shop?

This is it!

Even the most precious wine in the Heavenly Court's treasury wouldn't require a Five-colored Immortal Spirit Stone, unless it's brewed with Supreme Spirit Plants.

But that kind of supreme wine.

How could it appear in the small broken tavern?

The Qingfeng Sword said: "The door's tightly shut, desolate and quiet, seems like this shop's reputation soured in town."

Ruan Tang frowned.

When she came a few days ago, the tavern still had quite the crowd, perhaps it's because of her?

Ruan Tang stepped forward, knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock"

The knocking echoed, but there was no response from inside.

Next door was a shop for rare treasures and elixirs, the shop assistant squatting at the door having breakfast, chuckled then said:

"Miss, a few days ago Shopkeeper Liu across the way received a Ten-color Immortal-grade Spirit Stone, no one dares come drink here anymore, naturally shut down, heard he bought three coffins and waiting to die at home."

"Ten colors!?"

The Qingfeng Sword's expression turned odd.

Besides giving Sikong Jiu those hundred pieces for the Heavenly Dao, even Xu Qingfeng usually wouldn't easily use Ten-color Immortal-grade Spirit Stones, no wonder the shopkeeper was scared witless.

"It was clearly five colors." Ruan Tang frowned.

"Definitely ten colors, I saw it with my own eyes!"

The shop assistant from the Spirit Plants shop eyed Ruan Tang up and down, looking shifty said:

"Miss must have come for the Immortal-grade Spirit Stone right? Back when I, the little assistant, was present, for a low-grade Spirit Stone, I'll recount the whole story, you've come at the right time."

The black market, taverns, and Fengyue Tower places like these, are always full of filth, but also with hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

If wanting to gather information or commit a robbery, with enough Spirit Stones one could even hire an Immortal Venerable Realm cultivator.

The shop assistant saw the lady in front well dressed, mistaking her for an easy prey, trying to make a profit.

"No, thank you." Ruan Tang shook her head.

"So you're a pauper."

The shop assistant had swindled quite a few low-grade Spirit Stones with the previous spiel these days, seeing no gain, sneered and went back inside the shop.

Ruan Tang sighed lightly, feeling she had wronged Shopkeeper Liu.

The Qingfeng Sword calmly said: "No need to blame yourself, misfortune depends on blessing, and blessing leans on misfortune, Five-colored Immortal Spirit Stones aren't a calamity for low Boundary cultivators."

With an Emperor's imprint Immortal-grade Spirit Stone, it's a protective charm that can be passed down for generations; demons and evils wouldn't dare come close.

Whether low or high Boundary cultivators have ulterior motives, they would consider whether it would bring the original owner's revenge before acting.

If Xu Lai were still alive, this fortune would be even more astounding.

It's just that tavern shopkeeper Liu is too timid, otherwise with this Five-colored Spirit Stone to the Liuyun Sect in town, descendants could gain the Heavenly Court's protection.

After all, the Liuyun Sect's Supreme Elder is Huang Fu, who carried the flag for Qingfeng Camp. Even when Ruan Tang and Xu Lai returned to the Immortal Domain for their grand wedding, it was the Xu-character flag Huang Fu carried.

With this cause and effect, even if the Heavenly Court declines, the Human Race would remember this goodwill.

Yet Shopkeeper Liu thought it best to buy a coffin and feign death.

"While buying wine, I heard them say there's an Immortal Path in the Immortal Domain, at the end is an Immortal Fruit, consuming it becomes an Immortal."

Ruan Tang started to speak.