The cry was faint and muffled, and in his haste, Chen Xuan almost ignored it.

However, as it continued to ring in his ears, he finally became aware of it.

His divine sense swept out, investigating his surroundings, and he soon found the source of the sound.

His figure blurred, reappearing atop a hill a few hundred meters away.

There, a person sat slumped on the ground, staring at the ruins in the distance with a hollow gaze.

She was a young woman with long purple hair and dark eyes, who looked exactly like the "demonesses" righteous cultivators often spoke of.

Yet, her current state was wretched.

Even without considering the scratches covering her body and the mud on her face, the constant stream of tears flowing down her cheeks made her look particularly pitiful.

She didn’t notice him at first.

It was only when Chen Xuan deliberately made some noise that she jolted, realizing someone had approached her silently.

She hurriedly wiped away her tears before turning to face him.

A small talisman silently appeared in her right hand. She poured her Spiritual Energy into it, grasping it tightly behind her back.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you sneak up on me?" she stared at Chen Xuan and questioned, her voice icy and indifferent.

Had Chen Xuan not witnessed her earlier state, he would have never believed this woman had been distraught and sobbing just moments ago.

Seeing the actions she desperately tried to conceal, but which could not escape his perception, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

"Don’t worry. I’m a member of the Jade Pure Sect. As you can see," he said, pointing to the emblem hanging on his robe.

"Are you a survivor of the city?"

The woman’s tension relaxed slightly when faced with his warm smile.

But the next moment, she grew even more alarmed.

She took several steps back, and the talisman in her hand burst into flames, manifesting as a long silver sword.

Gripping its handle, she raised the blade and aimed it at her own neck.

"Don’t come any closer! Otherwise, I’ll...!" she didn’t finish that sentence. She bared her fangs, though her actions seemed meaningless.

If Chen Xuan were truly a demonic cultivator, her actions would hardly matter to him. At most, she would only be preventing her own humiliation, dying with some dignity.

Even so, Chen Xuan heeded her warning.

He remained motionless, the gentle smile lingering on his face.

"Relax," he said, "I mean you no harm. I just want to ask what happened. How was the city destroyed? How did you end up here?"

His questions agitated her. She brought the edge a little closer to her throat, but ultimately, she restrained herself and responded.

"My name is Chi Yao," she said softly, "As for what happened to the city, I don’t know," she shook her head.

"I had recently left to hunt down monsters. By the time I returned, the city was already in ruins. I was only able to take a glimpse of the backs of those demonic cultivators!"

"As for the city..."

"Everyone... Everyone is already dead! Dead!"

Her voice grew increasingly high-pitched as she spoke.

As she uttered the word "dead", her eyes involuntarily fell on the two slightly raised mounds behind her.

The tears she had been suppressing burst forth again.

"Why? Why did Bloodstone City have to suffer like this? We didn’t hurt anyone! Although we are in the territory of the Jade Pure Sect, the city has never involved itself in the conflicts between the two factions."

"Why did the demonic faction have to kill us?" Chi Yao began to sob, her knuckles turning white from her grip.

Her gaze sharpened as she looked up at Chen Xuan and gritted her teeth.

"Where was the Jade Pure Sect while this was all happening? Could it be they gave up on us? Or worse, colluded with the demonic faction?"

Chi Yao spoke no further, nor did she give Chen Xuan time to respond.

Her hand moved abruptly, swinging the blade toward her neck.

She closed her eyes, waiting for her blood to splatter everywhere. She had clearly decided to put an end to her life long ago.

The only reason she had spoken so much was to let out the resentment she had been suppressing. Now that she had said everything she wanted, she no longer hesitated.

Unfortunately for her resolve, Chen Xuan had long been prepared for any accidents.

Looking at her decisive actions, he could only sigh and shake his head. Still, he moved. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He raised his hand and pointed forward. A two-colored light fired out of his fingertips and shot toward her.

Though launched later, the beam reached Chi Yao before the edge of her blade could.

The light caused her no harm.

But a second later—thump!

Chi Yao collapsed to the ground.

The blade she had been gripping spun through the air and embedded itself in the earth before dissipating into pure Spiritual Energy.

Chen Xuan didn’t care. After taking a final look at the two mounds, he picked up Chi Yao and soared into the sky.

--

Chen Xuan had spent more than a day roaming the borderlands, saving city after city.

Yet, Huo Ling’er and Su Ying were still waiting for him.

The moment they saw the beautiful unconscious woman in his arms, both frowned slightly.

Chen Xuan, however, ignored their expressions. He handed Chi Yao over to Su Ying.

"Take care of her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless. You can register her as a member of the Jade Pure Sect," he explained, briefly explaining what had happened.

Their ugly expressions quickly softened. They glanced at the unconscious Chi Yao with pity, understanding why Chen Xuan had brought her here.

"I’ll be going in seclusion for a while," Chen Xuan added, "The demonic faction is unlikely to attack the mine again any time soon. Unless something truly important occurs, do not disturb me."