It wasn’t until they’d taken a direct hit from Wei Tu’s Ice Jiao Sword and lost track of his location that the demonic cultivators began to consider retreat.

After all, if they dragged things out much longer, once reinforcements from Cicada Cry Cliff arrived, they wouldn’t be in such an advantageous position anymore.

“Retreat!” The Blood God Sect cultivators didn’t hesitate. Seeing the tides turn, they immediately gave the order to fall back.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In less than a breath, all five demonic cultivators had withdrawn from the gorge, clean and swift.

Wei Tu, who had been hiding nearby, didn’t pursue them. He only revealed himself once he was sure they had completely left the area.

Back when he served as a Military Commandant, Wei Tu had never considered himself much of a general. His grasp of battlefield tactics was basic at best—but even so, he knew how to apply simple strategy.

This gorge was less than ten li from Cicada Cry Cliff. The moment he spotted the demonic cultivators, he knew they wouldn’t stick around long.

All he had to do was create the illusion of strength. With their lives on the line, these demonic cultivators would retreat rather than risk death trying to finish off Guan Zhenying and Shen Changfeng.

After all, their lives mattered too.

Demonic cultivators might view life and death with more detachment than righteous cultivators, but that didn’t mean they were idiots.

“I’m Guan Zhenying. Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving our lives.” As Wei Tu emerged, Guan Zhenying gave him a once-over. Seeing he was someone she didn’t recognize, her tone became markedly more polite.

“I also thank you for your aid,” Shen Changfeng finally came to his senses and stowed away his sun wheel artifact, quickly offering his thanks as well.

“Fairy Guan, don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?” Wei Tu smiled and brushed his sleeve, removing the illusion that concealed his identity.

“Fellow Daoist Wei?” Guan Zhenying’s eyes widened. A moment later, her memory clicked into place.

There weren’t many rogue cultivators who had exchanged Foundation Establishment Pills with Tai Xuan Sect through Danqiu Mountain.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t have left much of an impression.

What made Wei Tu truly memorable was that after the Cloud Ze Secret Realm closed, he had emerged as the sole survivor from the Heshan Huang Clan’s side. That made him stand out.

Over time, his name had become quite unforgettable.

“So it’s Talisman Master Wei,” Shen Changfeng didn’t know Wei Tu, but with a few whispered reminders from Guan Zhenying, he quickly pieced it together.

“So just a rogue cultivator,” Shen Changfeng let out a silent breath of relief.

If Wei Tu had been from an immortal sect, he’d have had to repay the favor with something valuable. But for a rogue cultivator? Not worth the fuss.

Wei Tu had no idea what Shen Changfeng was thinking. He hadn’t saved them out of righteous ideals—he simply wanted a way to get his foot in the door at Cicada Cry Cliff. He had no expectations of them returning the favor.

Still, between the two, Guan Zhenying was clearly easier to work with. Wei Tu turned to her and introduced himself as one of the stationed cultivators of Cicada Cry Cliff.

“I happened to be heading to the front lines and noticed the two of you were in trouble, so I stepped in.”

“That thing I said earlier, about reinforcements coming—it was just a bluff to scare off the demonic cultivators.”

“I don’t really know the way around Cicada Cry Cliff… Fairy Guan, would you be willing to guide me there?”

Wei Tu clasped his hands in a respectful salute.

On the surface, he was just asking for directions. But in truth, he hoped Guan Zhenying would help him network—so he could secure a place for himself at Cicada Cry Cliff.

For a Tai Xuan Sect disciple like her, such a favor was nothing.

“Fellow Daoist Wei, no need to be so polite. I happen to be one of the stationed cultivators of Cicada Cry Cliff. Guiding you there is part of my duty,” Guan Zhenying smiled as she accepted.

But inwardly, she felt a subtle bitterness.

Sixty years ago, Wei Tu had only been at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, while she was already at early-stage Foundation Establishment.

Now, six decades later, they stood at the same level—and she had even been saved by him.

Back then, she hadn’t given him a second glance, focusing only on speaking with Kou Hongying, a fellow sect disciple.

“Alright, Junior Sister Guan. Let’s not waste time. Those demonic cultivators might come back,” Shen Changfeng suddenly cut in, interrupting their conversation.

From their exchange, he’d picked up on something unsettling.

This wasn’t just paranoia.

He knew exactly how things stood.

Compared to the elite disciples of the immortal sects, a rogue cultivator like Wei Tu was far less prestigious.

But precisely because he had risen from nothing and possessed a rare skill in talismans, his allure was far greater than that of a typical sect disciple like Shen Changfeng.

“Senior Brother Shen is right,” Guan Zhenying didn’t think too much about it and nodded in agreement.

With that, the three of them headed toward Cicada Cry Cliff.

A quarter-hour later.

The Cicada Cry Cliff’s formation activated, allowing Wei Tu, Guan Zhenying, and Shen Changfeng to enter.

“As expected of a naturally defensible stronghold. No wonder the Immortal Sect chose this place for a forward post,” Wei Tu mused as he observed the terrain of Cicada Cry Cliff.

The cliff was located near the Demon Wolf Mountain range, formed by a branch of the mountain range that jutted out of the earth into a towering escarpment over a thousand zhang tall, piercing into the clouds.

The cliff face itself was composed of a dense, blue spiritual stone—far different from any ordinary rock.

Moreover, to reinforce it, the three great Immortal Sects had inscribed layers of restriction talismans across the cliff's surface.

“Even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t easily break through this place,” Wei Tu felt a bit more at ease after seeing the formidable defenses of the cliff.

There were no buildings constructed atop the cliff. Instead, utilizing the terrain, many caves had been carved directly into the stone face.

When Wei Tu followed Guan Zhenying up to the cliff’s surface, he was stunned by the sheer number of densely packed cave dwellings dug into it.

“There are currently about four hundred Qi Refinement cultivators stationed at Cicada Cry Cliff. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, including you, there are eleven.”

“These Foundation Establishment cultivators come from mixed backgrounds. Some are rogue cultivators like you, while others are from the three great Immortal Sects or even from Sky Dome City in the Jing Kingdom and the Beastmaster Sect,” Guan Zhenying explained while leading the way.

Hearing this, Wei Tu instinctively glanced at his storage pouch. He hadn’t forgotten—his Wind-Cleaving Eagle was a spirit beast from the Beastmaster Sect.

“Best not to summon the Wind-Cleaving Eagle unless absolutely necessary,” Wei Tu noted silently.

As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. And conversely, in the eyes of others, if you’re capable, you ought to shoulder more burdens.

If the cultivators stationed at Cicada Cry Cliff found out he had a mid-stage Tier-Two flying beast at his command, they’d undoubtedly assign him to the most dangerous tasks.

“That old man those demonic cultivators mentioned earlier is our stationed ‘Immortal Sect Emissary’—a False Core cultivator.”

“His name is Xi Ying. He’s the highest-ranking cultivator at Cicada Cry Cliff and hails from Sky Dome City,” Guan Zhenying added.

Wei Tu was familiar with the term “Immortal Sect Emissary.” It was equivalent to a military supervisor in the secular world.

But as for Sky Dome City—he didn’t know much about it.

All he knew was that, unlike ordinary sects, Sky Dome City was jointly run by five major cultivation clans and typically did not accept disciples from outside.

“This is the Assembly Hall. If there's ever an emergency, when Senior Xi issues a command, all Foundation Establishment cultivators must report here immediately,” Guan Zhenying brought Wei Tu to one of the larger cave halls and pointed to the inscription above the entrance.

“Your arrival at Cicada Cry Cliff, Fellow Daoist Wei, is itself considered a military matter.”

“You’ll meet the other Foundation Establishment cultivators here shortly.”

As Guan Zhenying was speaking—

A red-faced elder appeared at the cave entrance.

The elder’s expression was stern as he swept his gaze past Wei Tu, who stood a half-step behind Guan Zhenying. He then looked directly at her and asked, “This is the rogue cultivator you and Fellow Daoist Shen encountered?”

Wei Tu frowned slightly at the tone.

When addressing Guan Zhenying and Shen Changfeng, the man’s words were respectful. But toward him, the demeanor turned cold and dismissive.

He’d heard of situations like this, even if he hadn’t encountered many himself.

Many Immortal Sect cultivators looked down on rogue cultivators, considering association with them beneath their dignity.

“Yes, Senior Xi,” Guan Zhenying quickly bowed and introduced Wei Tu.

“This is the rogue cultivator we encountered during our mission.”

She cast an apologetic glance at Wei Tu as she said the words “rogue cultivator,” silently asking him not to take it personally.

Guan Zhenying was frustrated herself. Senior Xi had always treated her fairly, so why was he suddenly acting like this toward Wei Tu?

“Greetings, Senior Xi,” Wei Tu cupped his hands in a polite salute, his tone calm and measured. He didn’t lose composure despite the elder’s arrogance. After all, he had slain a False Core cultivator before.

“Wei Tu, when you encountered those demonic cultivators, why didn’t you join Fairy Guan and Fellow Daoist Shen in attacking them?”

“Why did you hide instead?”

Xi Ying’s tone was accusatory.

Wei Tu didn’t know how to respond. This was clearly an attempt to find fault.

Given the circumstances—when they were outnumbered—he had managed to scare off the enemy and rescue two allies. That was already an impressive feat. Where would he have found the strength to directly kill the enemy?

“Senior Xi, the situation was urgent. Fellow Daoist Wei’s actions were less than ideal, but they are understandable,” Guan Zhenying gritted her teeth and stepped forward to defend him.

Xi Ying was not only a False Core cultivator but also the Immortal Sect Emissary. Given her position, she couldn’t directly contradict him. All she could do was try to soften the criticism and reduce the perceived “offense.”