As Li Sheng approached, seven silver threads shot out from Liu Hongfeng's hair, glinting with a sharp cold light as they whistled through the air. Recognizing their danger, he frowned; he knew how terrifying these strands could be. Channeling his nine spirit forms, he unleashed a radiant sword strike, creating a loud humming sound as he disrupted the attack.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Sheng swiftly closed the distance and aimed to knock his sister unconscious with a precise strike. Liu Hongfeng turned slightly, her delicate hand morphing into a claw, red-tipped nails gleaming menacingly as they swiped at him. Reacting quickly, he transformed his palm into a fist, their energies colliding with a heavy impact.

Liu Hongfeng staggered back, blood spilling from her lips, while Li Sheng felt a hint of embarrassment; he had miscalculated. A fourth-grade warrior's strength was around eighteen thousand pounds, and Liu Hongfeng, even with her two spirit forms, was at a disadvantage without her martial domain. Thankfully, Li Sheng had held back his strength; otherwise, he would have seriously injured her.

As his thoughts raced, he took advantage of Liu Hongfeng's retreat to strike again, aiming to subdue her completely. With a final, forceful blow, she fell unconscious, and the surrounding noise diminished. He grasped her delicate wrist, sending a pulse of spiritual energy into her.

Seeing the situation under control, Bai Ye hurried over, her expression filled with concern. "Brother, how is she? Is she...?"

Li Sheng shook his head, his face serious. "The demonic energy has merged with her completely. It's deep-rooted; even if she tries to expel it now, it's too late."

"Deep-rooted?" Bai Ye's brow furrowed.

"That's not even the worst of it. Her sea of consciousness is in chaos, filled with violent thoughts that are consuming each other. It's going to be tricky!"

"We need to wake her up first," Bai Ye suggested.

"To the Low Mountain?"

"Let's go!"

The two exchanged a determined glance and sprinted toward the training ground. Meanwhile, Qingyi and the others shared worried looks.

Hua Jingjing, anxious, turned to her mother. "Mom, do you think Master Li will blame us... for what happened to Elder Liao?"

Hua Zhi shook her head. "Though we made our position clear earlier, Elder Liu's transformation is ultimately linked to him. If something happens to her... it could end badly for us."

"Let's hope for the best..." Hua Jingjing muttered softly.

Qingyi's expression was complicated as she gazed in the direction Li Sheng and Bai Ye had gone. As a member of the Anti-Demonic Alliance, she understood the implications of demonic cultivation better than anyone.

In a world rife with tangled factions and constant strife, the only time they united was to eradicate demonic cultivators. While demonic beasts were frightening, they lacked intelligence, making them manageable. But demonic cultivators were a different story.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Becoming a demonic cultivator was a brutal process; out of a thousand warriors tainted by demonic energy, perhaps only one could survive the ordeal, while the others would succumb to the torment. The survivors faced an even harsher fate, as their martial skills and medicinal remedies gradually failed them, forcing them to carve out their own paths. As they advanced in rank, the demonic thoughts grew stronger, and if they couldn't hold onto their will, they would eventually turn into mindless demons, slaughtering indiscriminately.

Ordinarily, the demonic path was one of near-certain death; there was no need to intervene—just let nature take its course. But five thousand seven hundred years ago, a supreme demon lord named Pang Ban emerged, wreaking havoc with his unique method of "Demonic Heart Cultivation," leading to the destruction of empires and sacred lands, plunging the world into chaos for months.

After he shattered the void, society adopted a zero-tolerance stance toward demonic cultivators, uniting against any signs of them. As a member of the Anti-Demonic Alliance, reporting any discovery was the right course of action. However, given that they had just been saved by Liu Hongfeng, betraying her felt too cold-hearted, contrary to her principles.

Sighing deeply, Qingyi resolved to keep this matter secret. She turned to her companions with a serious expression. "Aunt Hua, Jingjing, what we just witnessed must stay between us. No one else can know!"

"Don't worry, Miss!"

"Got it, Sister Qingyi!"

...

Li Sheng carried Liu Hongfeng to the Eighteen Steps. The area's energy quickly revitalized her, and she soon regained consciousness, recalling the events that had transpired. Apologetically, she said, "I lost control earlier... I killed those people... and even attacked you, Junior Brother..."

"They deserved it. Don't apologize; let's focus on dealing with the aftermath," Li Sheng replied, offering a reassuring smile.

Feeling the warmth of his presence, Liu Hongfeng instinctively nuzzled against him. "Um... Junior Sister is still here."

Li Sheng scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Ah?" Liu Hongfeng blushed, quickly sitting up and noticing her junior sister's concerned gaze, feeling a bit awkward.

"Stay here for now and suppress the demonic thoughts. If anything happens, let Tuan Tuan call for me. Tomorrow, I'll concoct a top-tier Qing Ling Pill to see if it helps."

"Okay," Liu Hongfeng replied, nodding.

Sensing the atmosphere was tense, Li Sheng stepped down the steps and spoke to Bai Ye. "It should be fine for now; let's go."

"Sure!" Bai Ye agreed, saying no more.

In the council hall, Qingyi and the others stood up to apologize for the earlier incident. Li Sheng waved his hand. "It's not your fault; there's no need to apologize."

After learning the backstory from Tuan Tuan, his frustrations dissipated. Seeing Li Sheng not pursuing the matter further, Qingyi quickly reassured him, fearful he might change his mind. "We won't tell anyone about Elder Liu being a demonic cultivator. You can trust us, Master Li."

"Demonic cultivators... leaking this information? What would happen?" Li Sheng frowned, not well-versed in the topic.

"Uh... let me explain," Qingyi recounted what she knew about demonic cultivators.

"Is it really that serious?" Li Sheng looked at his junior sister, concern etched on his face.

Bai Ye appeared confused, clearly hearing this for the first time as well. Li Sheng thought to himself, "Qingyi is willing to share this secret; she doesn't seem to have ill intentions. Otherwise, she would have kept quiet and spread the word after leaving. But since it's a critical matter, we'll have to consider our next steps."

He smiled and asked, "Thank you for the warning, Qingyi. Do you know if the Demonic Heart Cultivation method has survived?"

Qingyi pondered for a moment, shaking her head. "Most tales of the Demon Lord have been buried; only the top-tier factions keep records. If there are remnants of the Demonic Heart Cultivation method, they've likely been destroyed long ago."

"What a pity," Li Sheng sighed.

Seeing his reaction, Qingyi's lips parted slightly, "However..."