Chapter 70: 67. First Kill (4.1K words - Please subscribe) The dilapidated temple’s morning was accompanied by light snowfall. Early in the morning, Fu Shirong had already finished practicing a round of swordsmanship, then sheathed the sword and regulated her breathing. Su Canli praised, "Excellent swordsmanship." Fu Shirong replied, "It was something to pass the time with while at the Puppet Sect, given to me by a disciple of the Demon Sect." Su Canli asked, "Brother Hua is a martial arts expert as well. What do you think of this swordsmanship?" Song Yan complimented, "Wonderful." Su Canli asked curiously, "Do you know the name of that Demon Sect disciple?" Fu Shirong, with a complex expression, said, "Song Yan." "Song Yan?" Su Canli almost jumped up in surprise, then asked again, "Song Yan?! Which Song Yan?" Fu Shirong replied in surprise, "Song Yan from the Cave Mansion on South Bamboo Peak with the Shadow Puppet. He is quite valued, seems to be the disciple of someone called Master Shi from the Demon Sect. He... what’s wrong?" Su Canli, with a peculiar expression, said, "He... he might be a spy within our ranks, secretly infiltrating the Demon Sect for many years..." Fu Shirong was bewildered, "Impossible, right?" Su Canli said, "I received communication from the sect, his White Snake Rainbow Transformation couldn’t possibly be mastered without over a decade of nurturing Sword Intent. The Heart Method and Techniques are both ours." He then briefly recounted various matters concerning Song Yan. As Fu Shirong listened, memories of the shameless days she spent with Song Yan flooded her mind, leaving her even more conflicted. But soon, she surprisingly came to terms with it and said with a smile, "No wonder he treated Hongmian and me so well. After all, I didn’t really lose my dignity to a disciple of the Demon Sect; the humiliation we suffered was something we both helplessly endured. The thorn in my heart is somewhat relieved... If I meet him again in the future, I wonder how he will face me." With that said, the Empress lifted her head, her eyes glinting with determination, "This time, I must save the people from disaster and chaos." Su Canli said, "It can definitely be done." Song Yan thought for a bit and silently stepped forward, raising his hand. The two were startled. Su Canli was the first to place her hand on his. Then, the Empress placed her hand on top. The three hands clasped together tightly, a gleam in their eyes, as if speaking of a shared dream: eliminate the Fox Demon and restore the bright universe of the Northern Land! ... ... Paperman Mountain... The frost had frozen the branches of the ancient trees at the mountain’s peak, breaking a few in the cold wind, which fell into the deep ravine with a snap. The mountain fog spread, the light snow filling the sky, and the heavens and earth of the deep mountains were a vast expanse of blinding white. But early in the day, Song Yan had already left the Cave Mansion under the guise of cultivation, sword in hand, and came to a secluded place in the mountains, releasing two "Deformed Soul One-tailed Fox Demon" Shadow Puppets and one "Deformed Soulless Phantom Crow" Shadow Puppet. The Soulless Phantom Crow was rare, but since the skins of the Puppet Sect’s Demon Beasts had all been delivered to him, he had an opportunity to select this piece. The three Shadow Puppets flew directly toward the Imperial Capital. Song Yan was deeply enticed by the "Multi-tailed Dragon Bo Cannibal Fox Demon Blood" of Granny Fox. Though he didn’t know how to refine the Crimson Palace Pill, as long as he could get the blood, he could attempt unlimited calculations of his lifespan. Since Granny Fox’s blood was so venomous, sealing the throat upon contact, whenever he failed in calculations, he would die instantly, and it wouldn’t take much time. Unlimited calculations mean that no matter how low the success rate, as long as he had enough lifespan, there was always a chance of success. Where others might try, perhaps one in ten thousand would succeed, but he... could succeed by trying ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times. This is the unique point of his "Remaining Life Dao Fruit." The release of these three Shadow Puppets had already pushed him to his limit. Heading to the Imperial Capital was to remain adaptable to the situation. His motive was not fueled by Fu Shirong’s composure, but rather by Su Canli’s confidence. Their perspectives were different. The latter’s confidence was not the product of idealism... When the three hands united, Song Yan was convinced that "the Su Family must have other arrangements," which instilled confidence in Su Canli. And Su Canli’s confidence allowed him to glimpse a chance to acquire "Granny Fox’s Demon Blood." Therefore, he doubled down. After releasing the three Shadow Puppets, he stood silently. Flicking his left sleeve, a black light shot out in a burst, and upon closer inspection, it was a flying sword. The flying sword circled around him before returning to his sleeve’s storage space with a "swish," hauntingly undetectable. Song Yan strapped the flying sword to his back once more. He was still short of a flying sword. But procuring a good flying sword from the current market of the Puppet Sect was a sheer fantasy, as the Profound Artifacts forged at Mechanical Peak were not of the "flying sword" variety. However, the upcoming Cold Pool Valley Market co-hosted by the two sects should offer a chance to acquire a good sword. By then, with one sword on his back and one hidden in his storage space, in an actual fight, suddenly drawing two swords would likely catch opponents by surprise. Song Yan continued his experiments, discovering that the "Black and White Double Evil" derived from the mutation of the "White Snake Sword Technique" had far surpassed the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique" mutated from the "Qi Concealment Technique" and the "Torrential Rain Evil" mutated from the "Qi Arrow Technique." In both the "casting animation" and "power," the "White Evil," which could absorb enemy Profound Qi, and the "Black Death," which could unleash ferocious attacks, were unrivaled. ’I still need to conserve my lifespan. Despite having thousands or tens of thousands of years, I’m only at the Refining Profound Level now; much more lifespan will be needed later.’