After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

Although she is not as powerful as her elder brother who holds the position of sect leader, Hua Yushi's status within the sect is equally extraordinary. As a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection level, she ranks second only to Fu Guang and Wang Shu within the Chang Le He Huan Sect.

However, unlike her brother, who is an "important supporting character," the eight characters above Hua Yushi's head are nothing more than the most common "high-level cannon fodder, with no hope of advancement."

Huo Yu had no prior interaction with her, but their mere encounter was enough to demonstrate her meticulousness, making her no less cunning than her scheming brother.

She clearly recognized Huo Yu, but in front of Long Yucheng, she only addressed him as "senior".

This was exactly what Huo Yu wanted to hear. He didn't want to explain his identity as the Demon Lord to Long Yucheng at this time, so he simply asked:

Why are you here alone?

When asked about the meaning of flowers, she lowered her head slightly and calmly replied:

"By order of the sect's patriarch, I have come to the Ancient Immortal Realm to retrieve an item."

Huo Yu's gaze swept over the jade talisman in her hand. He briefly considered whether to take it directly, but ultimately only uttered a curt sentence:

"Lead the way."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yu bowed slightly again, her voice carrying a hint of respect:

"Thank you, senior."

Having said that, she turned and stepped forward, holding a jade talisman to guide the way. The talisman shimmered with spiritual light, dispelling the surrounding gale and seemingly pointing the way.

As she turned around, the Heavenly Dao Prism above her head glowed faintly. Huo Yu glanced at it briefly before looking away.

Long Yucheng was completely baffled by the cryptic exchange between the two.

He glanced at Huo Yu, then at Hua Yu, and countless questions arose in his mind: It seemed that his senior brother had taken Hua Yu hostage in front of him while leading the way, but the "hostage" was more emotionally stable than him.

Long Yucheng felt increasingly uneasy. He carefully recalled the conversation, trying to figure out if he had missed any crucial information.

However, no matter how he recalled it, Huo Yu and Hua Yu's conversation was shockingly concise, as if there was a tacit understanding between them that required no further words.

Did they already know each other?

Long Yucheng secretly speculated, but this guess was quickly replaced by another new question:

If they really knew each other, why would they address the senior as "senior" when discussing the meaning of flowers? Moreover, the senior's attitude was as distant as ever towards strangers, not at all like how he would treat an acquaintance.

The more Long Yucheng thought about it, the more confused he became, and he even began to wonder if he had missed some crucial details.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Huo Yu and Hua Yushi in front of him. The two of them were both calm and composed, not at all like a hostage-taker and a hostage.

Hua Yushi ignored his gaze and continued walking on her own. Only Huo Yu noticed his stare, but offered no explanation.

Senior Brother's unusual attitude made Long Yucheng even more curious about the relationship between the two. It was as if countless tiny feathers were gently brushing past his heart under the blow of an invisible wind, making him itchy with desire.

……

Meanwhile, on this fragment of an ancient immortal realm where only boundless winds howl, two people are facing off.

One of them was the red-clad youth who had briefly met Huo Yu and Long Yucheng. He was still surrounded by demonic energy, which added a touch of evil to his originally handsome face.

Standing opposite him was a young man dressed in a Taoist robe, the blue robe embroidered with dark patterns of rolling mountains in gold thread.

The young man in red curled his lips into a cold smile, his voice revealing a hint of contempt and disdain:

"Didn't Lingxiao Palace claim to have retreated overseas and remained untouched by worldly affairs? How come you're still haunting us, appearing everywhere?"

The young man in the Taoist robe remained calm and composed, his tone even, as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm in the man's voice.

"I have been away from the mainland for a long time, so I didn't know that this ancient immortal realm had become the site of the Dragon Abyss Palace?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of anger crossed the red-clad youth's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by a mocking smile.

"Heh, you're quite the smooth talker. But you righteous Taoist priests are best at saying one thing and doing another."

The young man in the Taoist robe remained unmoved, his tone still indifferent:

"Does my Lingxiao Palace need to report to you how it operates?"

The surrounding area was filled with raging winds capable of tearing apart divine senses. Neither of them had any intention of fighting here. They just exchanged a few words in a lukewarm manner. Although the atmosphere was tense, they never actually fought.

However, just as the two were preparing to go their separate ways, a sudden change occurred!

A divine consciousness, countless times more powerful than theirs, suddenly descended, like a towering, invisible mountain appearing out of nowhere, pressing down on the two of them and making them hold their breath.

Immediately afterwards, an arrogant and unparalleled voice boomed out, echoing between heaven and earth:

"How come there are cowards from Lingxiao Palace here too!"

Accompanied by this sound, an enormous hand slammed down from the sky, its palm lines clearly visible, seemingly capable of obscuring the heavens, heading straight for the young man in the Taoist robe.

Wherever the giant hand passed, the gale was torn apart, and the yellow sand was shaken into a frenzy, as if even the heavens and earth were about to collapse under this palm strike.

The young man in the Taoist robe's expression changed drastically in an instant. He raised his right hand and instantly produced a small golden seal from his sleeve.

After the small seal left his hand, it rapidly expanded, heading towards the colossal hand that blotted out the sky. However, before that enormous hand, the golden seal still seemed insignificant, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly overestimating its own strength.

At this critical moment of life and death, a beam of black and white light suddenly burst forth from the void, instantly blocking the giant hand and the Taoist-robed youth.

The light contained a mysterious power, as if it could harmonize yin and yang and reverse the universe.

Immediately afterwards, an aged voice rang out, carrying undisguised sarcasm:

"In my opinion, the nickname 'cowardly turtle' is more suitable for Dan Chen, who is always timid and hesitant."

Before the words were finished, the black and white light suddenly burst forth, transforming into a huge Bagua formation that forcefully blocked the giant hand in mid-air.

The giant hand collided with the Bagua formation, unleashing a deafening roar. The surrounding gale was scattered by the force, and the yellow sand churned like ocean waves, obscuring the sky and the sun.

The boy in red and the young man in the Taoist robe were both shocked by the scene and took several steps back, their eyes filled with horror.

They looked up and saw a figure that had appeared in the air at some point.

The man was dressed in a black and white Taoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face, flowing white beard, and an air of otherworldly elegance between his brows.

The Taoist priest stood in mid-air, his gaze piercing as he stared intently at a certain point in the void, his tone calm:

"Dan Chen, now that you're here, why hide your true colors?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry an invisible pressure that silenced the entire world.