Dingfeng Zhenren silently recited a few incantations and flung the talisman toward Lai Pi.

The talisman was inscribed with mysterious runes, and upon touching Lai Pi, it would reduce him to his ugly original form.

Lai Pi's body was being burned by the talisman, but strangely, this time his black mist did not immediately heal his wounds.

Master Dingfeng tossed the compass in his hand into the air again. The compass instantly expanded several times in size, shooting out rings of golden light that enveloped the demon.

The monster was trapped inside the circle of light. No matter how much it struggled, it could not break free of its confinement and could only sit quietly inside the circle of light, exhausted.

The fire phoenix circled in the air a few times before flying back into Qi Yu's body. She looked excitedly at the other woman who had appeared and called out, "Dean!"

Wu Rouwan looked at Qi Yu lying on the ground in a disheveled state, stepped forward to help her up, and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Qiankun Fort has sent more people to rescue you, so there's no need to worry anymore."

Qi Yu looked at her gentle yet dignified face, his eyes dimming slightly, and whispered, "Senior Sister Lan Yue..."

Wu Rouwan's expression changed as she looked at the pool of blood in front of Xu Lanyue's door, then at Xu Shen Shen and Mu Luo, whose eyes were red and swollen.

The group remained silent for a long while.

One of them stepped forward and said, “Dean Wu, the escape of the demons has caused great chaos in your academy. It is the fault of Qiankun Fort. If your academy has suffered any casualties as a result, we will do our best to compensate you without hesitation.”

Qi Yu looked at the man, who was dressed in a magnificent earth-yellow brocade robe and wore a jade crown. He appeared to be about thirty or forty years old and his face was very similar to Li An's.

He is Li An's father, Li Daogu, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator!

Li Daogu was surrounded by a powerful aura. His breakthrough from the Nascent Soul stage to the Divine Transformation stage made his face rosy, and he showed no remorse for releasing the demonic creature and causing heavy losses to the disciples of the Spirit Academy.

Qi Yu lowered her brows and stopped looking at him, turning instead to look at the others who had come with Li Daogu.

The True Man Dingfeng looked exhausted, but he was still chanting incantations in a low voice while controlling the compass.

Strangely, Zhu Que was also standing among those people, holding his fancy folding fan, slowly waving it with a half-smile.

Noticing Qi Yu's gaze, he turned his head, winked at Qi Yu, and mouthed a few words.

Qi Yu: "..." I don't understand it, and I'm not in the mood to read it.

She continued looking at the other people, then suddenly paused.

Among the other disciples of Qiankun Fortress, there was a familiar face.

Wan Jiayu!

The Qiankun Fortress disciple who followed Li An in the pursuit of mid-level demons in the Crimson Forest, and who helped Qi Yu conceal her identity from Li An when Qi Yu was questioned about her identity after killing Wang Yaoshi and escaping.

Wan Jiayu had been secretly watching Qi Yu. When she noticed Qi Yu looking over, she hurriedly lowered her head and pretended not to know her.

Qi Yu frowned slightly and looked away.

Wan Jiayu knew her identity. Although she had a feeling that he wouldn't tell on her, she still wanted to be careful.

She tried to keep a low profile so that Li Daogu wouldn't discover that she was the mastermind behind his son's death.

Wu Rouwan did not respond immediately after Li Daogu uttered his high-sounding words.

Li Daogu glanced at her and said, "Qiankun Fortress can afford to compensate for this, Dean Wu doesn't need to worry too much."

Xu Shengsheng couldn't help but step forward, forcing back tears as she questioned, "You captured the demon, but instead of killing it on the spot, you kept it locked up and didn't even know where it escaped to, causing my sister's death. How are you going to compensate us for that life?!"

Li Daogu's expression was somewhat displeased. His eyes darkened slightly, and he released the aura of a Nascent Soul stage expert, which forced Xu Shen to kneel on the ground.

"They're just low-level cultivators who can't even reach the Foundation Establishment stage... Hmph."

"Little thing, the seriousness of the matter of demons is not something a young girl like you can easily understand. I have already said that I will make it up to you properly. If you continue to make trouble..." He sneered, "Don't blame me for turning my back on you."

Upon hearing this, several disciples of the Spirit Academy glared angrily at Li Daogu in the courtyard.

Wu Rouwan said coldly, "Elder Li, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, is it not in accordance with your status to treat a Qi Refining disciple like this?"

"Dean Wu, you're the one who should be mindful of your status," Li Daogu said with a forced smile. "Dean Wu, I know you have City Lord Wu backing you up, but..."

"Martial City also needs a Nascent Soul stage expert to protect it. If you insist on speaking to me like this for the sake of these lowly cultivators..."

"Qiankun Fort will also reconsider whether to move to a better location for its sect."

Qiankun Fort plays an important protective role in Wucheng. As the sister of the city lord of Wucheng, Wu Rouwan naturally cannot directly damage the relationship between Wucheng and Qiankun Fort.

Qi Yu clenched her fists; this was a blatant threat.

Li Daogu, the father, was clearly no good either, having fathered such an arrogant and conceited son as Ang Lee.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became tense.

Zhu Que suddenly spoke up, "Elder Li, the Spirit Academy was built by the Vermilion Bird Kingdom at great expense for the future of the Boundless Continent. Don't make things too ugly."

Li Daogu glanced at him, snorted coldly, and withdrew his oppressive aura.

Xu Shen Shen then stood up again, covered in sweat, staring intently at Li Dao Gu, imprinting his face into her mind.

Master Dingfeng smoothed things over, saying, "The escape of the demons has caused a great disaster, which is something we really don't want to see. The deceased is gone, so let's give them a proper burial as soon as possible."

Xu Shen Shen turned her face away, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.

Qi Yu looked at her tear-streaked face and sighed inwardly.

Xu Shen, who has always presented herself as gentle and mild-mannered, only revealing her domineering and vicious side in front of Qi Yu, inevitably becomes vulnerable and bewildered when her loved ones pass away.

The system announcement finally rang in my mind:

[Punishment ends. Host, please learn from this experience, cease your acts of killing, and spread love throughout the world with a compassionate heart!]

The relentless pain finally subsided, and Qi Yu slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

She listened helplessly to the mechanical, cold words, and looked at the people in the courtyard with their various expressions, a wave of sorrow washing over her.

In the world of cultivation, without truly formidable strength, let alone spreading love throughout the world, even simply protecting oneself is incredibly difficult.

The sounds of fighting within the Spirit Courtyard gradually subsided.

Master Dingfeng put the compass away and said to Wu Rouwan, "I will search again thoroughly later to ensure that no demons are left behind. Please rest assured, Dean Wu."

Wu Rouwan nodded calmly.

After the group from Qiankun Fort left the courtyard, she slowly closed her eyes and sighed wearily.

"Take a good rest these few days." She took Xu Shen Shen's hand and said softly, "Shen Shen, come with me."

Xu Shen hesitated for a moment, glanced at Xu Lanyue's room, and then followed Wu Rouwan away.

Mu Luo watched them walk away in silence, then opened Xu Lanyue's door and went inside.

Qi Yu looked around blankly; only she and Gou Dan remained in the small courtyard.

"Dog Egg, you should go back first. I still have some things to finish."

Dog Egg had been frightened too much today, so it obediently left.

Qi Yu and the others squatted down silently at the door of Xu Lanyue's room, hugging their knees and burying their heads inside.