In the Moon Dynasty.
The white-robed woman looked at the young girl before her, a helpless look in her eyes.
"Grand Priest, are you really going with him... to the Canglan Realm?"
"You're heading to the Upper Realm alone, and I must stay here." A sweet smile played across Qi Jianjun's face.
This was nothing like the Grand Priest the white-robed woman had known in the past.
All of it was because of that man.
"Grand Priest, do you think he... became like this as an aftereffect of devouring this realm's Heavenly Dao?" the white-robed woman asked.
In truth, she was warning Qi Jianjun to be careful.
After all, there was no telling when a madman might suddenly harm someone.
"In a dreamlike world such as this, isn't it wonderful to be a little mad?" Qi Jianjun replied, ignoring the question.
The white-robed woman fell silent.
Qi Jianjun continued, "Alright, the teleportation array has already been activated. You should head to the Upper Realm. If you manage to reach the Moon Goddess Palace, tell Mother that I found Father."
Teleportation arrays leading to the Upper Realm sent travelers to random destinations; there was no telling which region she would end up in.
For the white-robed woman to find the Moon Goddess Palace might take hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
The Grand Priest glanced at the white-robed woman and stepped out of the room.
The moment she caught sight of that blood-robed figure, a bright, cheerful smile lit up her eyes.
"Father, are we going to... the Canglan Realm now?"
"Yes." Qi Yuan nodded.
Over the past few days, he had intended to pay a visit to the world where the Moluo Clan resided.
Unfortunately, the gate had long since closed.
He had thrown a punch at the Moluo Realm from afar, but nothing at all had happened.
Later, he spent an entire day scouring the Wangyue Continent in search of traces from the past.
Alas, whether it was the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground, the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, the Yin Yang Forbidden Ground, or Tianjue, all of them were entirely empty.
He did not encounter a single acquaintance of old, nor could he find any familiar remnants.
Without the power of reincarnation, those who failed to achieve the Yin God stage stood virtually no chance of reincarnating.
Death meant total annihilation, dissolving into the fabric of the world.
Not a single person left in this realm remembered them.
Except for Qi Yuan.
And so, Qi Yuan had no choice but to head back to the Canglan Realm, back to Seven Colors Peak.
Of course, before heading home, he had to make a stop at the Ascending Heaven Pavilion.
Jiang Ya still owed him quite a few cultivation manuals.
"Everyone's here. Let's go." Qi Yuan looked up, gazing deeply at the Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
The towering ancient tree was draped in silver, laden with heavy snow—a truly breathtaking sight.
"Time to go back." Qi Yuan glanced at True Monarch Dazhi, Xu Tongchen, and Jiang Ya.
Four had come; five were returning, with an additional child in tow.
"Ah, time to leave," True Monarch Dazhi sighed with deep emotion. "Is it I who am leaving this world, or is this world leaving me?"
In the blink of an eye, the group of five arrived at the desert from before and quickly stepped into the realm corridor.
Qi Yuan could feel that terrifying power he had wielded while in command of the Wangyue Continent gradually fading away.
Even so, he was neither panicked nor flustered.
As he set foot into the Canglan Realm once more, Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"Quite a crowd. Could they be helpers that boy Yeqiong called in?" Qi Yuan held Qi Jianjun by the hand as he sensed four formidable figures.
All four of those terrifying presences belonged to Yin Gods.
"Greetings, Senior Blood-Robed Sword God!" Venerable Yunju spoke up.
The others offered respectful salutes as well.
"Senior, we bear no close association with Venerable Yeqiong."
"This humble woman, Leichen, pays her respects to Senior."
All four Yin Gods present looked upon Qi Yuan with unreserved reverence.
These lofty Yin Gods behaved before Qi Yuan just as Purple Mansion cultivators would before a Yin God.
Quite a few of them also noticed the young girl Qi Yuan was holding by the hand, their eyes flashing with strange curiosity.
"Are you all Yin Gods of the Eastern Lands?" Qi Yuan asked.
As far as he knew, there were only three Yin Gods openly known in the Eastern Lands.
"Yes."
"No, this junior has come specifically to offer an apology." The aged Venerable Huxiao behaved like an obedient child before Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan glanced at Venerable Huxiao, who hurriedly explained the whole sequence of events.
At the end, Venerable Huxiao added, "I was entirely oblivious to Venerable Yeqiong's schemes."
"Those who are ignorant commit no sin." A gentle smile appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes.
As expected, strength was everything.
Back when the Palace of Light launched the Hundred Nations Blood War to stir up turmoil across the hundred nations, not a single Yin God had been willing to speak on their behalf.
Now, Ling Jiao had merely uttered a few spiteful words against him, yet Shuiyun Palace's military mobilization was halted on the spot by Venerable Yunju.
Before Qi Yuan had even voiced his thoughts, the palace master of Shuiyun Palace had been dragged here in chains for him to dispose of at will.
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Venerable Huxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
He was genuinely terrified of the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Through the accounts given by Gu Xiaoyao and the other Divine Infant cultivators, they had confirmed that the Blood-Robed Sword God had devoured the Heavenly Dao of the Wangyue Continent.
To devour a Heavenly Dao required the strength of at least a Great Venerable.
In other words, the Blood-Robed Sword God was at least a Great Venerable.
The might he wielded while on the Wangyue Continent was likely even greater than that of an ordinary Great Venerable.
"You didn't come all this way just to welcome me back, did you?" Qi Yuan asked, eyeing the four Yin Gods.
For some reason, this felt just like the time all those Purple Mansion experts sought him out after he wiped out the Palace of Light.
Venerable Yunju stepped forward and said, "We have completely suppressed all news concerning Senior. Aside from the four of us, only Venerable Binghun knows."
"I will remember the kindness you and Binghun have shown." Venerable Huxiao had already mentioned during his explanation that Venerable Yunju had stepped in to assist the Blood-Robed Alliance.
A look of delight crossed Venerable Yunju's face.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Sometimes, it truly paid to be cautious.
Otherwise, had he joined Venerable Yeqiong and Venerable Youqing in confronting the Blood-Robed Sword God, he would have walked straight into the tiger's jaws.
"Senior, we have come today to ask for a favor," Venerable Yunju said.
All the other Yin Gods present were looking at him expectantly.
"What is it?" Qi Yuan knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
"When the Great Tribulation descends, we hope Senior will open a door of convenience and allow us to take shelter within the Wangyue Continent!" Venerable Yunju looked at him with longing eyes.
An ordinary Great Venerable would be powerless before the Great Tribulation.
Nor could taking shelter in an ordinary Wangyue Continent stave off the catastrophe.
However, a Great Venerable who had devoured the Heavenly Dao was a completely different story.
If they hid inside, there was a very strong likelihood they could survive the Great Tribulation.
Qi Yuan looked at the Yin Gods. "Helping you is simple enough. I need cultivation manuals—the more, the better!"
In any case, the Great Tribulation was still centuries away.
There was plenty of time.
Securing real benefits upfront was what truly mattered.
"Does Senior have any other conditions?" Venerable Leichen asked.
What the Blood-Robed Sword God asked for seemed far too easy.
"That will do for now. I'll think about the rest later," Qi Yuan replied.
The Yin Gods grew somewhat uneasy.
They almost wanted to urge Qi Yuan to make more demands.
With so few conditions, they could hardly set their minds at ease.
***
Inside the Divine Flower Society forum.
Little Li of Fox Cave was fiercely debating a crowd of critics.
"Senior Blood-Robed Sword God is a man of righteousness! He opposed the Palace of Light for the greater good, to stop the Hundred Nations Blood War!"
"Righteousness, my foot! Cultivators like him only care about profits. An arrogant, tyrannical thug like the Blood-Robed Sword God deserved to be struck down by Venerable Yeqiong.
Those Yin Gods gathering at the Blood-Robed Alliance right now are probably dividing up the Blood-Robed Sword God's treasures.
Just imagine how many ordinary cultivators the Blood-Robed Sword God must have slaughtered to get his hands on all those treasures!"
"You're slandering him!" Seeing these comments, Little Li of Fox Cave fumed with anger and hurriedly recorded them with her shadow-recording stone.
"If the Blood-Robed Sword God thinks I'm slandering him, he's more than welcome to come confront me in person!
If he doesn't dare answer, isn't that an admission of guilt?
No, wait, he doesn't even have the ability to answer anymore—he's probably long dead!"
"You!" Little Li of Fox Cave was livid.
All she could do was record every single one of these posts.
After arguing for so long, she felt utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically.
Just as she was about to log off the forum, a post suddenly caught her eye.
Her pupils constricted.
"Thank You All for Your Concern; I, the Blood-Robed Sword God, Was Indeed Ambushed by Yin Gods, but Sadly They Were Far Too Weak."
"After entering the Wangyue Continent, I heard people talking behind my back one day.
I went to look, and it turned out to be Yeqiong and Youqing.
They were badmouthing me alongside the Moluo Clan.
I couldn't stand it, so I had them executed by firing squad on the spot."
"Senior Blood-Robed Sword God really is alive!" Little Li of Fox Cave was overjoyed.
She quickly replied, "I knew you would be alive, Boss! Boss, you're so mighty! Could I get a friend slot with you?"
"Sure, I'll add you," the Blood-Robed Sword God replied to her.
Little Li of Fox Cave widened her eyes in disbelief.
"The big boss actually added me as a friend!" Her heart leaped with excitement, so thrilled she could burst.
She desperately wanted to tell the clan elders, but on second thought, decided against it.
"Boss, after you left, lots of people in the Divine Flower Society have been slandering you behind your back!" After adding him, Little Li of Fox Cave quickly explained everything that had taken place on the forum.
"What? People are cursing me behind my back!" When Qi Yuan saw this, he grew furious. "The internet is not outside the law! These people must pay the price!"
He hadn't even started flaming people online yet, and someone dared to curse him first?
"Boss, I've recorded it all. Should I send it over?" After posting, Little Li of Fox Cave hesitated, a little troubled. "How am I supposed to get the shadow-recording stone to you, Boss?"
"Simple. Where are you right now? Give me your exact location, and I'll have an avatar of my daughter come see you!" Qi Yuan had not yet reached the Yin God stage and could not use divine spiritual power to form an avatar that could cross tens of thousands of miles in an instant.
"The boss's... daughter?"
At that moment, Little Li of Fox Cave felt exceedingly nervous.
The boss's daughter was coming to see her...
She hurriedly sent her coordinates to the Blood-Robed Sword God.
"My daughter should arrive in about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Just show her the shadow-recording stone."
"Alright!" Little Li of Fox Cave felt a knot in her stomach.
She never imagined that instead of meeting the big boss, she would meet his daughter.
Then, realization struck her, and her face went stark white.
"Oh no! Fox Cave is a restricted ground—outsiders aren't allowed in!
If Granny finds out someone came looking for me, she'll definitely scold me!"
Little Li of Fox Cave was terrified.
She wondered whether she should inform Granny in advance that a friend would be visiting shortly.
Meanwhile, within the restricted grounds of Fox Cave.
A sharp, overbearing aura suddenly swept through the area.
An elderly figure flew out, her voice filled with vigilance. "Which senior expert has graced our Four-Genus Fox Cave? Please reveal yourself!"
The Matriarch of Fox Cave was a Purple Mansion expert. While meditating, she had suddenly felt a formidable aura approaching.
It was definitely stronger than her.
Anxiety gripped her heart, fearing an enemy had come knocking.
Yet in the next breath, that sharp aura grew even more terrifying.
The Matriarch's expression changed drastically. "... A... a Yin God!"
Such energy fluctuations unmistakably belonged to a Yin God.
Why would an esteemed Venerable come to her decrepit Fox Cave?
Fear overwhelmed her, dreading that this passing Venerable might wipe them out with a single strike.
Before the Matriarch of Fox Cave, a petite, delicate figure manifested—an ethereal silhouette.
Yet the Matriarch knew that even a mere phantom of a Yin God possessed enough power to obliterate Fox Cave entirely.
Faced with a Venerable, she trembled with sheer terror.
The petite, adorable little girl broke into a bright, cheerful smile. "Don't be afraid. I'm here on my father's orders to collect something from Little Li of Fox Cave."
This petite, adorable girl was none other than Qi Jianjun.
Leaving the Matriarch staring in bewildered confusion, she stepped straight into the cave dwelling where Little Li resided.
The Matriarch stood frozen in shock.
Since when did Little Li know a Yin God?
No, wait—she knew the Yin God's father!
Inside, Little Li of Fox Cave couldn't stop trembling. Confronted with a Yin God in the flesh, she was thoroughly intimidated.
"S-Senior, this is the shadow-recording stone." Little Li of Fox Cave quickly presented the stone for Qi Jianjun to inspect.
As Qi Jianjun reviewed the contents within the stone, the smile on her face froze. "How dare they speak ill of my father behind his back! They're finished!"
Qi Jianjun ground her teeth.
Only then did Little Li of Fox Cave gather the courage to speak up. "These people went way too far. After Senior Blood-Robed Sword God posted on the Divine Flower Society forum, some people even privately claimed that as an esteemed Yin God, he would never bully the weak or bother with such petty matters!"
"Why wouldn't he bully the weak?" Qi Jianjun retorted. "What, should he go fight stronger people instead?
They dared talk bad about my father, and you call that a petty matter? They are so done!"
Qi Jianjun memorized all the contents.
Finally, she bid farewell to Little Li of Fox Cave. Before leaving, she glanced at the Matriarch.
"Little Li is my father's friend."
With that, Qi Jianjun's avatar dissipated into thin air.
The shock in the Matriarch's heart lingered for a very long time.
She walked into Little Li's cave dwelling, her tone far gentler than ever before, her face brimming with an amiable smile. "Little Li, how did you come to know that Yin God Venerable?"
This was an attitude Little Li had never seen from her before.
"Granny, I met him through the Divine Flower Society..." Little Li truthfully recounted how she had gotten acquainted with the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Hearing this, the Matriarch's smile broadened even further. "Little Li, you have done well."
As if remembering something, the Matriarch added, "I recall you've always wanted a nine-tailed fruit, but lacked enough contribution points.
As it happens, I have eight remaining here with no use for them. You may have them."
The Matriarch handed eight nine-tailed fruits to Little Li.
Looking at the nine-tailed fruits, Little Li's face lit up with surprise and joy.
It was the kind of delight a kitten felt when stumbling upon catnip.
"Thank you, Granny!" A precious nine-tailed fruit would normally take her at least a century of saving to earn just one. To receive eight all at once, how could she not be ecstatic?
***
At the Blood-Robed Alliance.
Qi Yuan sneered, "To dare badmouth me behind my back and even try to take the moral high ground to tie my hands—they're truly courting death!"
Jiang Ya stood nearby, keeping silent.
She didn't take this seriously at all.
At this moment, True Monarch Dazhi spoke with a solemn expression, "I believe that right now, the Blood-Robed Alliance should launch its very first expedition to nip this foul trend of backbiting in the bud!"
"Exactly! I'm not doing this for selfish revenge; I'm doing this to rectify the conduct of the cultivation world!" Qi Yuan's eyes brightened as he elevated his moral standing once again. "The cultivation world is utterly corrupt and foul. Changing its atmosphere starts with me!"
Just then, Qi Jianjun appeared. "Father, I've already obtained their general information from the vice society master of the Divine Flower Society."
Qi Jianjun held out her small hand, looking rather proud of herself.
The three of them immediately huddled together to discuss their retribution.
Standing in the room, Jiang Ya watched the three of them passionately debating how to clean up the cultivation world's atmosphere, feeling completely out of place.
A sense of utter bewilderment washed over her... An esteemed Great Venerable, squabbling over such... trivial nonsense?
***
In the Eastern Lands, Shuixian Continent.
Liqi City was a rather remote cultivation city.
The strongest cultivation sect in the vicinity had an expert who was merely at the late Origin Core stage.
At that moment, Wang Shenghai was indulging in wine and pleasure within the Red Lips Courtyard, yet his brow remained deeply furrowed.
A group of cultivators was drinking and reveling alongside him.
"Brother Wang, why so gloomy?" an Origin Core cultivator asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Sigh, didn't I join that Divine Flower Society?
Originally, when Venerable Yeqiong went to execute that archdemon, the Blood-Robed Sword God, I thought he'd succeed without a hitch.
Who would have guessed that useless fool Venerable Yeqiong would get counter-killed by the Blood-Robed Sword God instead? What a piece of trash!" Wang Shenghai spewed curses freely.
He held court before the gathered cultivators with grand, sweeping gestures.
He often shared major news he came across in the Divine Flower Society, which frequently earned him much flattery.
Hearing his words, the Origin Core cultivator felt a trace of disdain.
Given the shady things Wang Shenghai engaged in every single day, how did he have the nerve to brand a Yin God Venerable an archdemon?
"Brother Wang, you'd best be careful. If that Yin God Venerable ever catches wind of this, he might come looking for trouble," the Origin Core cultivator cautioned.
"In a godforsaken place like ours, people would talk about the arrival of a Divine Infant cultivator for years! Why would a Yin God Venerable ever come here?" Wang Shenghai was a keyboard warrior through and through, completely fearless.
After all, how could a grand figure like that ever spare the time to care about a tiny shrimp like him?
It was like a mosquito buzzing in the building next door—would an ordinary person bother crossing the street just to swat it?
Right at that moment, however, the mournful, piercing wail of a suona suddenly rang out.
The Origin Core cultivators in the Red Lips Courtyard froze in stunned confusion.
Before them appeared over a dozen cultivators clad in blood-red robes, blowing into suonas.
The aura radiating from every single one of them was unfathomably deep; the onlookers couldn't gauge their cultivation at all.
They were at least Divine Infant experts!
Then, a man draped in a blood-red robe appeared. Looking down at Wang Shenghai, a smug gleam showed in his eyes. "Were you the one talking bad about me behind my back?"
Wang Shenghai was dumbfounded, instantly sobered up. "Senior... you are?"
He didn't recognize the man before him, but the man's cultivation was unimaginably profound.
"Didn't you claim on the Divine Flower Society forum that I deserved to be chopped into eight pieces by Venerable Yeqiong, and that once I was dead, the skies over the Eastern Lands would clear right up?" Qi Yuan looked at Wang Shenghai with a radiant smile.
"Y-You... You're the Blood-Robed Sword God!" Wang Shenghai stared at Qi Yuan in his blood-red robe, then at the suona-playing troupe behind him.
It dawned on him in a flash—this entire setup belonged exclusively to the Blood-Robed Sword God!
An exalted Yin God Venerable, completely disregarding all martial ethics!
The other cultivators present were equally shell-shocked and bewildered.
A Yin God... This was actually a mighty Yin God!
For a supreme powerhouse like this to visit a backwater town like theirs was like the nation's wealthiest tycoon suddenly enrolling in a third-rate community college.
"Correct! Your reward is an extra bullet to eat." Qi Yuan gave a brilliant smile.
Qi Jianjun pulled out a jade slip and read aloud in a cold voice, "Wang Shenghai: Seventy years ago, to obtain a first-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item, you schemed and slaughtered the entire family of your junior brother, Li Xiangyang. Twenty years ago, you abducted civilian women...
Six days ago, you spouted outrageous rubbish on the Divine Flower Society forum, slandering the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Guilty of heinous atrocities, your crimes compounded together earn you... execution by shooting."
Qi Yuan raised his hand, shaping his fingers into a gun. "Don't go cursing people behind their backs in your next life.
Also, after your death, you'll become the most famous person this city has ever known. No need to thank me."
Qi Yuan pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
Wang Shenghai dropped dead on the spot.
Even in his final breath, he never imagined that he would die at the hands of a legendary Yin God.
The surrounding cultivators trembled with mingled terror and astonishment.
A Yin God had actually come to Liqi City.
This Wang Shenghai would indeed go down as the most famous figure in Liqi City's history.
After all, a Yin God Venerable had led an entire retinue across tens of thousands of miles just to personally execute a measly Origin Core cultivator.
Qi Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd and said softly, "Rectifying the conduct of the cultivation world starts with me.
As for the rest of you, do not commit an evil act just because it seems small."
Having said his piece, Qi Yuan turned and departed with his troupe of Purple Mansion musicians.
Inside the Red Lips Courtyard, only those cultivators who could easily idle away an entire day were left.
What had just happened was simply beyond absurd!
Chapter 167