That guy was just too slippery.

His combat experience far surpassed Li Meng’s own. Seeing that he was no match for the Golden Light Mantra, the man had decisively abandoned a top-grade magical artifact to secure his escape.

Li Meng released the seals formed by his hands.

The golden radiance hovering above his head gradually dissipated. Simultaneously, the brilliant golden talisman suspended in the air lost its luster and crumbled into ash.

This Eternal Rebirth Talisman was only an Intermediate-grade talisman.

It was inscribed on talisman paper crafted from the hide of a second-order demon beast. It was a single-use consumable.

If it had been a Divine Thunder Eternal Rebirth Talisman, the demonic cultivator hiding in the black mist would have been purified into nothingness in an instant. Even if the man himself had somehow survived, his life-bound treasure, the Thousand Soul Banner, would undoubtedly have been destroyed.

Li Meng descended from the sky, landing lightly in the courtyard.

He looked at the Red Mulberry Tree standing before him and flicked his sleeve.

Hum.

The space around the tree instantly distorted. The illusionary veil was torn away by Li Meng’s spiritual pressure.

The originally plump, crimson fruits shimmered and transformed into human-shaped cocoons, tightly wrapped in thick, pulsing vines.

Li Meng formed a seal with one hand and pointed.

“Go!”

A flying sword shot out from the storage pouch at his waist, streaking toward the hanging figures.

Sword light flickered through the air.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

One after another, the vines holding the human cocoons were severed by the flying sword.

Li Meng flicked his sleeve again.

A surge of Spiritual Power imbued with the five elements rushed forth like a gentle cushion. The falling bundles were caught in mid-air and lowered softly to the ground, arranging themselves neatly before him.

There were no fewer than a hundred such cocoons hanging from the tree. However, Li Meng only lowered about a dozen of them.

With a hook of his finger, he controlled the flying sword to slice through the bindings with several swift, precise cuts.

As the vines fell away, the true forms of the victims were revealed.

Six were disciples of the Joyous Union Sect:

Two were Inner Disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage—one male and one female. They were likely a Dao Companion pair.

The other four were Outer Disciples—two males and two females.

Junior Brother Xuan and Junior Sister Yuan were clearly among them.

The remaining cultivators were likely members of the Qian Family Fortress.

Li Meng moved quickly to Junior Sister Yuan’s side, crouching down to examine her condition.

“This is… damage to the soul?”

Junior Sister Yuan’s aura was extremely weak. Her face was deathly pale, resembling a corpse more than a living person.

If he had arrived just a few days later, she would have been beyond saving.

Li Meng frowned slightly, glancing up at the Red Mulberry Tree.

This thing was truly sinister. It was capable of devouring both a cultivator’s cultivation base and their soul.

He retrieved a bottle of high-grade Soul Return Pills. He poured one out and carefully placed it into Junior Sister Yuan’s mouth.

Not stopping there, he took out Flawless Revival Pills and Flawless Spirit Restoration Pills, feeding them to her as well.

After several pills were swallowed, a faint trace of color finally began to return to Junior Sister Yuan’s complexion.

Seeing this, Li Meng inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

His gaze shifted to Junior Brother Xuan beside her. A flicker of hesitation passed through Li Meng’s eyes.

Swish.

With a flick of his sleeve, pills flew out from their bottles one by one, landing accurately in the mouths of the other five Joyous Union Sect disciples.

They were fellow disciples; Li Meng couldn’t just watch them die.

As for the people from the Qian Family Fortress, they weren’t so fortunate.

Li Meng didn’t have an unlimited supply of Soul Return Pills. He had refined a batch specifically for Junior Sister Shui’er some time ago. That batch had yielded seven pills in total. Shui’er had taken one, leaving exactly six—just enough for the Joyous Union Sect disciples.

Li Meng stood up, sweeping his gaze over the half-dead Qian family cultivators on the ground.

Without Soul Return Pills, they would likely never wake up.

Li Meng looked up at the Red Mulberry Tree again. He formed a hand seal.

The surrounding air distorted as a series of fireballs materialized out of thin air.

This was the most basic spell, the Fireball Technique. Every cultivator knew it, but in Li Meng’s hands, the flames burned with an unusual intensity.

“Go!”

He pointed at the tree.

The fireballs flew forward in a rapid barrage, slamming into the trunk.

Whoosh!

The Red Mulberry Tree immediately burst into flames. Its branches seemed to come alive in its death throes, writhing and thrashing wildly like dying snakes.

But fire was the bane of all evil entities.

“Burn. Burn it all to ash.”

Blistering heat washed over the courtyard. Li Meng narrowed his eyes against the glare.

Right. There was also that beautiful yet foul woman.

Li Meng turned and walked back toward the corridor. When he arrived beside the woman’s headless corpse, he paused.

“Where’s her storage pouch?”

He had intended to scavenge some loot, but after a quick search, he found no storage pouch on her body at all.

“Tch. Poor ghost.”

Li Meng shook his head in disappointment. He cast another Fireball Technique to ignite the corpse, letting the flames consume the foul husk.

Fire.

There was fire everywhere.

Yuan Baobao opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, filled with the dancing light of raging flames.

A massive tree was burning before her. Earsplitting crackling sounds filled the air, and the scorching heat made her skin prickle.

“Who… is he?”

Yuan Baobao sat up, dazed.

A figure stood before the burning tree, watching the flames dance.

His back looked somewhat familiar. But his long hair… it was white as snow, cascading down his back like a waterfall.

“Senior Brother Li?”

No… Senior Brother Li couldn’t be here. Senior Brother Li is in seclusion. I haven’t seen him for so very long.

She missed Senior Brother Li so much.

“Junior Sister, you’re awake.”

The figure turned around and looked at her.

“Senior… Senior Brother Li?”

Yuan Baobao’s eyes went wide.

Although he had changed greatly, the feeling was unmistakable. He was no longer the gaunt, withered old man she remembered. His body was tall and robust, filling out his robes with power. His features were handsome and spirited, his skin glowing with the vitality of youth despite his snowy hair and beard.

Li Meng walked forward, crouched down, and gently ruffled Junior Sister Yuan’s hair.

“Meditate. Regulate your breathing and stabilize your mind.”

It really is Senior Brother Li?

Yuan Baobao stared blankly at him. He looked so different… so majestic.

Wait… has Senior Brother Li succeeded in Foundation Establishment?

Yuan Baobao’s pale face flushed a cheerful pink. She nodded shyly, obediently sitting cross-legged to meditate as he instructed.

Li Meng smiled faintly and stood up. The others would probably wake up soon.

As expected, within moments, the other five Joyous Union Sect disciples began to stir.

“Junior Sister! Are you alright?”

The male Foundation Establishment cultivator, Ning Changyuan, immediately searched for his Dao Companion the moment his eyes opened.

Seeing Li Xi lying not far away, alive and breathing, his face lit up with joy. He struggled to stand but collapsed weakly back to the ground.

Hearing her Senior Brother’s call, Li Xi turned her head weakly.

“I… I’m fine,” she whispered. Seeing him safe brought a wave of relief that nearly made her faint again.

Ning Changyuan finally let out a long sigh. He surveyed their surroundings, taking in their situation.

All their Qi Condensation Junior Brothers and Sisters were present. The terrifying Red Mulberry Tree was burning.

Who saved us?

Ning Changyuan looked toward the figure standing beside Junior Sister Yuan.

He wore the Inner Disciple uniform of the Joyous Union Sect. Though white-haired, he exuded a terrifying vitality.

Facing the questioning gazes of the awakened cultivators, Li Meng chuckled softly, stroking his white beard.

“I am Inner Disciple Li Meng of the Joyous Union Sect. My master is Elder Ruoshui of Moon Gaze Peak.”

His voice was calm and authoritative.

“The demonic cultivator has been driven off, but there is a possibility he may return. Fellow disciples should quickly meditate and recover your strength. We must leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.”

A disciple under Elder Ruoshui?

The Joyous Union Sect cultivators inwardly sighed in relief.

However, Ning Changyuan remained vigilant, his instincts as a Foundation Establishment cultivator still sharp.

“Please show us your sect token, brother.”

At that moment, a voice spoke up from nearby.

“It is him.”

Xuan Hao struggled to sit up. Though he was puzzled as to why Li Meng appeared so different, he felt certain.

“This is indeed Senior Brother Li… It seems he has succeeded in Foundation Establishment.”