The night was hazy and serene across the Cangyun Immortal Sect.
But that peace was shattered by a long howl followed by a wailing cry.
Countless lights lit up over Cangyun Peak. A staggering figure shot into the sky.
It was Luo Tian, the Sect Master of Cangyun Immortal Sect.
At this moment, Luo Tian looked nothing like the high and mighty leader of a great sect. His robes were in tatters, hair in disarray, face bruised, and his eyes so swollen they could barely open. He looked utterly disheveled.
A shadowy figure chased after him relentlessly.
"You madman! This is outrageous!"
Luo Tian roared with rage. His head was steaming. As the sect master, he had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and beaten—and he didn't even win.
Though he wasn't seriously injured, the humiliation was unbearable.
This menace had appeared eight or nine years ago. Every now and then, someone in the sect would get ambushed and beaten, but the perpetrator was never caught.
As time went on, the guy got bolder. Beating disciples wasn't exciting enough anymore—he started targeting elders, and then Peak Masters. Now, he even dared to beat the Sect Master himself.
Luo Tian grew angrier just thinking about it. Though the mysterious attacker had never caused serious harm, he'd beaten people so many times that the whole sect was on edge.
In fact, thanks to him, most of the sect was now training harder than ever, terrified they might be next.
People heard the commotion and rushed to check it out—but the attacker had already vanished.
By the time the Peak Masters arrived, it was too late.
Back on Qingyun Peak, Ye Tianyi woke up from the disturbance and prepared to rush to assist.
But just then, he noticed a shadowy figure slip into Qingyun Peak.
He tensed and hurried to investigate.
But after searching the area, he found nothing unusual—only Lu Changsheng walking in from the direction of the secluded cultivation chambers.
"Second Senior Brother, still awake this late?" Lu Changsheng greeted casually.
Ye Tianyi asked, "Junior Brother, did you see anyone come onto Qingyun Peak just now?"
"Nope!"
"You didn't?"
Ye Tianyi gave him a suspicious look but said nothing and headed for Cangyun Peak.
Lu Changsheng watched him leave and sighed.
"This sect really makes me worry. If I don't push them a little, they slack off on cultivation. How are we supposed to become powerful and protect ourselves like that?"
He shook his head in disappointment and returned to his room.
Although he always acted cautiously, he needed to know how strong he truly was. Only then could he judge whether he could beat certain opponents.
So, after every breakthrough, he'd find some slacking fellow disciple to spar with.
Before making any move, Lu Changsheng would thoroughly analyze everything to ensure he wouldn't be caught.
As a precaution, he had mastered various escape techniques. Unless someone outclassed him by multiple realms, no one could catch him.
He was also proficient in stealth techniques—concealing his aura and body so well that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
That was the foundation of his confidence in becoming the legendary "Night Demon."
However, today's cultivation had triggered another intense episode of the Ten-Thousand-Tribulations Immortal Body, and before he could recover, he had gone off to fight the Sect Master. Now he was aching all over.
The next day passed. Only around noon did the sect calm down after confirming the Sect Master was unharmed.
Ye Tianyi returned the way he came.
He still couldn't believe someone had the insane audacity to beat up the Sect Master in the middle of the night.
Many others had been victims too. Whenever they spoke of it, they'd break down in tears, cursing the attacker as inhuman.
As Ye Tianyi approached Qingyun Peak, he suddenly recalled the shadow he saw last night—just before spotting his junior brother.
He couldn't help but entertain a ridiculous thought:
"Could the one who attacked last night have been... my junior brother?"
It just seemed too much of a coincidence.
But the moment he stepped onto Qingyun Peak, he instantly dismissed the idea.
He must've been out of his mind. His junior brother? Seriously?
Before him was a quiet, peaceful courtyard.
Lu Changsheng lay comfortably on a reclining chair under the old pine tree.
Beside him were several young female disciples, all around twenty years old. They were massaging his shoulders and legs.
Each one wore a strained expression, diligently working away.
Lu Changsheng, on the other hand, looked like he was in heaven, occasionally letting out a soft, satisfied sigh.
"Senior Brother Changsheng, is the pressure okay?"
"A little harder. I can handle more."
"Like this?"
"Yes, right there! A bit more pressure!"
"Got it!"
The girls put even more effort into their work.
Lu Changsheng smiled and said,
"Later, tell me what issues you're facing. I'll ask Senior Brother about it for you. I won't let your efforts go to waste."
They all started chatting happily.
At this point, Ye Tianyi's face turned completely dark, and the anger in his chest erupted.
"What are you doing!"
His roar scared the female disciples, who all jumped back in fright.
Lu Changsheng was startled too and turned around.
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
"I asked, what are you doing!"
"Getting a massage…" Lu Changsheng replied instinctively.
"Massa—I…"
That one word left Ye Tianyi speechless.
Did he really need to say it? Of course he knew it was a massage!
Lu Changsheng caught his meaning and added,
"Senior Brother, don't be so uptight. Massages improve blood flow and relieve body aches. They're good for you."
After yesterday's breakthrough and torment, his body was still in pain. This was why he often napped under the pine tree—not out of laziness, but due to unbearable fatigue.
He'd discovered by chance that massages helped relieve the pain, so he started asking junior sisters to help out.
Ye Tianyi was furious and turned to scold the girls:
"You are inner disciples of Qingyun Peak! Instead of cultivating, you're here entertaining him? This is… this is just—"
But he was too angry to finish the sentence.
The girls hurriedly bowed.
"Senior Brother, we volunteered!"
"Volunteered?"
One of them explained,
"We ran into cultivation problems. The Peak Master is away, and the elders are always in seclusion. Senior Brother Changsheng often helps us by asking the Head Senior Brother for guidance. We knew he suffered from pain, so we offered massages—not for fun, but to ease his suffering…"
Ye Tianyi was dumbfounded.
"That's right, Senior Brother. You misunderstood us," Lu Changsheng said.
"You…"
Ye Tianyi nearly spat blood.
Most of what they said was true—except that it was Lu Changsheng himself, not the Head Senior Brother, who helped them solve cultivation problems.
With his years of cultivation, helping juniors wasn't hard for him. He did it to help others, support the sect's growth, and strengthen Cangyun Immortal Sect.
Thanks to him, the Peak Masters and elders had started training harder, and many disciples had benefited too.
Cangyun Immortal Sect had already surpassed the other two major sects in Cangzhou.
As a result, the sect had grown stronger, giving him the safe haven he needed to cultivate and eventually ascend to immortality—his lifelong dream.
But the cultivation world was dangerous. He didn't dare venture out or attract attention. He chose to stay low-key.
Even if the world misunderstood him, so what?
A bad reputation wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
As long as he could stay safely in the sect and train, nothing else mattered.
Ye Tianyi scowled.
"You all can leave now!"
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
The girls didn't dare argue and quickly left after a bow.
Now Ye Tianyi turned to Lu Changsheng. He had to talk to him seriously today. He couldn't allow this to shame their lineage.
But before he could open his mouth, a young girl arrived on Qingyun Peak from afar.
She looked at Lu Changsheng and cried,
"Senior Brother Changsheng! Something's wrong—Head Senior Brother's cultivation went awry!"