Giving Snacks to a Yin God

A Yin God descended, heralded by the music of Purple Mansions. He came swiftly and departed just as fast. Having slain an Origin Core cultivator, he vanished into the horizon. In the modest Liqi City, the name of Wang Shenghai rang out far and wide, making him the city's foremost celebrity. If outsiders were to ask why he was so famous, the residents of Liqi City would reply, "He is the very first cultivator in Liqi City to be slain by an exalted Yin God." *** Meanwhile, Qi Yuan had already logged onto his Blood-Robed Sword God account and entered the Divine Flower Society forum. He created a new post: *"Purging the Cultivation World's Atmosphere Begins with Me, the Blood-Robed Sword God!"* *"Looking back, when I first joined the Divine Flower Society, everyone here spoke pleasantly, acting humble and courteous.* *At some point, however, the atmosphere soured, becoming choked with hostility and rancor.* *In particular, over the recent period, many people on the forum have slandered me and fabricated rumors. Their words broke my heart, made me lose my appetite for food and tea, and plunged me into such profound suffering that I nearly fell into a deep depreshun.* *I have had to take medicine every single day just to fall asleep.* *Sometimes, it is not only blades or Dao methods that kill—it is words.* *Just moments ago, I traveled to Liqi City and carried out an execution by firing squad on a cultivator of the Divine Flower Society who slandered and spread rumors about me.* *As for the others who defamed me, I shall pay each of you a personal visit to educate you in turn."* "...Is this real or fake?" "Big shots sleep too?" "To think an exalted Yin God could be so sentimental. Mommy hugs Baby Blood, there there, don't feel bad, good boy." "Strongly supported! The Blood-Robed Sword God is invincible—beat those disgusting pests to death!" Little Li of Fox Cave hastened to reply. She had never imagined that the Blood-Robed Sword God would empathize so deeply with her feelings. Back when she was trading insults with those people, she truly had lost her appetite for food and tea, nearly lapsing into depression herself. Meanwhile, certain others—especially those who had previously directed verbal attacks at the Blood-Robed Sword God—began to panic. "Senior is an exalted Yin God and ought to be broad-minded. Why stoop to petty squabbles with minor figures? It lacks grace and dignity." "Indeed! Such actions are the conduct of the Demonic Path!" Seeing these replies, Qi Yuan sneered and had Qi Jianjun note down every name. He then posted a reply: *"I am a barbarian; what do I care about grace!"* Envy shone in True Monarch Dazhi's eyes, and he exclaimed, "A real man should be like this!" Hearing those words, Qi Yuan was reminded of Liu Bang. He glanced at True Monarch Dazhi. "When your mother gave birth to you, did she dream of a dragon?" "No, but she did dream of golden light falling from the heavens," True Monarch Dazhi said. "That was probably the light of wisdom," Qi Yuan remarked. He then added another reply to the forum: *"Next stop: Fengxian City. If you know, you know."* *** At that moment, in Fengxian City, a young woman clad in an embroidered robe turned deathly pale. "Ancestor! Ancestor!" Stumbling, she sprinted toward an immortal's cave, shouting at the top of her lungs. Before long, an elderly man exuding a terrifying aura emerged, a warm and kindly expression on his face. "What is the matter? Who has dared to bully my dear Xiaodie?" The old man was named Yan Yiqi. He had stepped into the Purple Mansion realm a decade ago and was now a supreme elder of the Chaoyang Sect, enjoying boundless prestige. The young woman before him was his most cherished descendant. "Ancestor, save me... Sob, sob..." Tears welled in the young woman's eyes, making her look exceptionally pitiful. Yan Yiqi felt an immediate pang of heartache. "Speak, speak quickly! Who has bullied my Xiaodie?" "Ancestor, in the Divine Flower Society, I saw a senior behaving with overbearing arrogance, slaughtering the innocent indiscriminately. So I made a few private comments about him to others. Who could have known that this senior would be so petty-minded that he would actually come all the way to Fengxian City to kill me!" By now, the woman was in a complete panic, yet her skill at twisting the facts and embellishing the tale remained as sharp as ever. In her mind, she was never the one in the wrong. "Outrageous! To seek vengeance over mere remarks from a junior—that is purely the conduct of the Demonic Path! If everyone acted like this, wouldn't the cultivation world descend into chaos? Quickly, tell me his name and cultivation realm. If he dares show his face, I shall teach him a thing or two about reason!" Yan Yiqi spoke with righteous indignation. The young woman's heart settled slightly. "Ancestor, he is the Blood-Robed Sword God from the Divine Flower Society... a Yin God Venerable." "..." Yan Yiqi's heart skipped a violent beat. "You said... who?" "He has already made his threats. He just struck down a cultivator in Liqi City and is now rushing here to Fengxian City without a moment's pause. Ancestor... it isn't Xiaodie's fault, it's the Blood-Robed Sword God who is narrow-minded..." The woman wept, putting on a fragile front. After all, this ploy had never failed her before. No matter what mistake she made, she had always been forgiven. Yan Yiqi's complexion shifted. He snatched Xiaodie's communication jade slip from the Divine Flower Society, skimmed through it for a moment, and his beard practically bristled in fury. "You actually dared to defame a Yin God Venerable?! Have you eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gallbladder?! The Venerable is taking great pains to purify the cultivation world's atmosphere, and what are you? You are a parasite upon the cultivation world! Men, bind her! We shall welcome the Venerable's arrival!" "Ancestor, clearly it was..." Xiaodie tried to protest, but the words caught in her throat. *** In the days that followed, scenes like this unfolded in one place after another. Every time Qi Yuan set out for a city, he would announce his itinerary in advance. Cultivators from those cities, and even those from neighboring regions, would gather beforehand to watch the spectacle. After all, this was a Yin God Venerable—a legendary powerhouse not seen in ten thousand years. Whenever this big shot appeared, an ensemble of Purple Mansions played music for him. Small fry like them rarely had the chance to even glimpse a Purple Mansion cultivator, let alone hear an orchestra composed of them. As for the prodigies who had spewed vitriol on the Divine Flower Society forum, they had already been bound hand and foot by their own sects and factions, waiting to be surrendered to the Blood-Robed Sword God for judgment. The Blood-Robed Sword God swept across the lands, tracking people down through the network cables to beat them up in person. This earnest yet comical attitude sent a jolt through the entire Eastern Lands. Elders of numerous sects issued stern decrees: younger disciples were strictly forbidden from carelessly maligning powerhouses through transmission jade slips. Those cultivators who had previously excelled at verbal skirmishes also fell completely silent. To a certain extent, the moral atmosphere of the cultivation world genuinely showed remarkable improvement. *** On the Leixing Continent. Rogue Celestial Venerable sat before an alchemy furnace, lost in thought. "Mind the fire!" a stern voice barked. Rogue Celestial Venerable jolted upright, hurriedly fixing his gaze on the flames within the furnace. "Nothing must go wrong with this cauldron of pills. I am refining this for Mighty Yechen!" the old man beside him warned. "Our sect is undergoing turbulent times, and we must build favorable ties wherever we can." The Yaochang Sect was a major power on the Leixing Continent, boasting a single Purple Mansion supreme elder. However, that supreme elder had entered death seclusion for over a century without ever showing himself. Rumors were spreading outside that the Yaochang Sect's ancestor had already perished, and their bitter rivals were lurking in the shadows, steadily encroaching upon their territory and influence. Watching the flames dance within the furnace, Rogue Celestial Venerable's eyes filled with uncertainty. "Master, I want to make progress. I don't want to stay on the Eastern Lands Lesser Heavenly Pride Roll anymore." Even after his journey to the Cuiyun Continent, he had still failed to break into the true Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. Hearing this, True Monarch Danheng smiled warmly. "It is rare for you to show such ambition. I hope that like Ji'en, you can enter the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll and step into the Purple Mansion realm. I have some notes regarding shattering the core to form the infant right here. Take them and study them." Seeing that his usually indolent disciple was finally striving for self-improvement, True Monarch Danheng felt quite pleased with himself. "Master, I don't want to shatter my core to form an infant," Rogue Celestial Venerable said, torn with hesitation. "Oh? Do you wish to polish your foundation a bit longer?" "No, I want to... shatter my core and cultivate anew. The First-grade Golden Core I formed is simply too weak. It isn't formidable at all." "Out of the question!" True Monarch Danheng hastily retorted. "A First-grade Golden Core already surpasses ninety-nine percent of cultivators; it is more than enough. If you shatter your core to cultivate anew, you will only squander your time. Even if you were to form an Earth-grade Golden Core, what of it? Would it defeat the you who had already reached the Divine Infant realm with a First-grade Golden Core?" "Master, I don't want to form an Earth-grade Golden Core. I want to form something stronger." "Stronger? How strong could it be? Even an Immortal-grade Golden Core merely possesses astounding potential." "I... know a friend whose Golden Core seems remarkably fierce." "Remarkably fierce? How fierce could it be?" True Monarch Danheng looked at Rogue Celestial Venerable with exasperation. "What kind of Golden Core did he form?" Rogue Celestial Venerable looked up, pointed through the glazed roof at the sun, and said, "That." "What?" True Monarch Danheng froze. "He formed a Sun Golden Core." "...I think you've stared at the sun so much that your brain has turned to mush!" True Monarch Danheng snapped crossly. "Stop staring blindly at that new sun from now on!" Rogue Celestial Venerable fell silent. In truth, if someone had told him in the past that they had formed a Sun Golden Core, he too would have called them insane. "Master, I truly want to shatter my core and start over. Even if I can't form a sun, an entire sea would be fine," Rogue Celestial Venerable persisted, unable to let it go. His Golden Core was simply too weak, too small. A few days ago, he had consulted Origin Celestial Venerable in the group chat. Origin Celestial Venerable had told him: the bigger, the better; the stronger, the better. "Stop daydreaming! Shoving an entire ocean into your dantian? Do you think you can contain it?" "Then... how could someone contain a sun?" Rogue Celestial Venerable asked timidly. True Monarch Danheng was so enraged his eyebrows nearly fell off. He could only advise with heartfelt gravity, "People are simply different from one another. Do not reach for what is beyond your grasp. While your Golden Core may not compare to the sun, it was condensed with the Six-Flavor Heavenly Huang Pill that I meticulously concocted for you. Small as it is, its potential is boundless." Rogue Celestial Venerable fell silent. Indeed, how could he possibly compare to Origin Celestial Venerable? Setting aside Origin Celestial Venerable, which of the other Two Sovereigns in the group could he measure up to? Still, at the thought that he could cling to such powerful thighs, his mood brightened considerably. "In three days, once this cauldron of pills is finished, you will deliver them personally to Mighty Yechen. By the way, chat more with his granddaughter to foster some feelings between you two," True Monarch Danheng added. He was trying to play matchmaker between Rogue Celestial Venerable and Mighty Yechen's granddaughter. If it succeeded, his disciple's future would be secure—he would be set for life living off her family. Upon hearing this, Rogue Celestial Venerable grew flustered. "Master, in three days, a friend of mine is coming nearby to kill someone. I have to go see him." True Monarch Danheng frowned. "He's going to kill someone and actually told you about it? Your friend is quite something. Is he trustworthy?" "Completely!" Rogue Celestial Venerable nodded vigorously. "Then go take a look, and deliver the medicine afterward." Naturally, True Monarch Danheng assumed that the friend's opponent was formidable, so the friend had sought backup and reached out to his disciple. He could hardly forbid such an endeavor. *** Three days later. Rogue Celestial Venerable sat in an inn, his storage pouch holding the pills his master had just finished refining. He was waiting for Origin Celestial Venerable's arrival. Truth be told, his heart was a knot of eager anxiety. Or rather, he had not yet figured out how to face Origin Celestial Venerable. "Xiaoyu! You were supposed to deliver medicine to my grandfather, yet here you are, running over to watch the spectacle!" Just then, a lively young woman stepped inside. She glared at Rogue Celestial Venerable with wide, almond-shaped eyes. "Ye Chan, ahem... a friend of mine is coming over. Once I meet him, I'll go deliver the medicine." Facing this girl, Rogue Celestial Venerable shrank back slightly. At that moment, the tall woman beside her could not help but frown. "To think you would dare delay Mighty Yechen's medicine. You have quite the nerve, boy." Upon hearing this, Ye Chan hurriedly intervened, "A little delay won't hurt. My grandfather isn't in a rush to use it." A complicated look flickered through the tall woman's eyes. "Xiaochan, Mighty Feng Xiao's grandson, Feng Tian, is waiting for us upstairs. Let us go join him." Hesitation flashed across Ye Chan's face. Right then, a clear, ringing voice drifted over: "Rogue Celestial Venerable, long time no see! So this is your home city. It looks quite splendid—far better than my backwater corner." Rogue Celestial Venerable turned his gaze and saw Qi Yuan clad in a blood-red robe. Qi Yuan held the hand of a dainty, adorable little girl who appeared no older than seven or eight. "This is my daughter, Qi Jianjun. Jianjun, this is Rogue Celestial Venerable. Quickly, greet your Uncle Rogue." Qi Jianjun's eyes seemed to hold the starlight. She looked at Rogue Celestial Venerable without the slightest pretension. "Hello, Uncle." Hearing this, Rogue Celestial Venerable was overwhelmed with terror and flattery. Even so, he stammered, "N-no need to call me Uncle. I'm still young; just call me by my name." He had heard long ago that Origin Celestial Venerable's daughter was a genuine Yin God. To have a Yin God call him Uncle... he did not dare imagine it, he truly did not dare. "Gao Xiaoyu, what are you doing acting young?" Ye Chan could not resist chiming in. She looked at Qi Jianjun. "What an adorable child!" Saying so, she cast a glance at the tall woman beside her. "Sister Hua, I won't be going upstairs." She then turned to Rogue Celestial Venerable. "Xiaoyu, you don't mind if I sit here, do you?" Rogue Celestial Venerable glanced toward Qi Yuan. Truthfully, when he heard Ye Chan call Qi Jianjun a "child," he was terrified that the terrifying Yin God would swat Ye Chan to death on the spot. "Rogue Celestial Venerable, haha, now I know your real name! You're browsing under your real identity from now on," Qi Yuan chuckled. Even Qi Yuan had not expected Rogue Celestial Venerable's real name to be quite so 'rogue' after all—Gao Xiaoyu, which leaned somewhat feminine. Rogue Celestial Venerable gave an awkward laugh, though his heart was in absolute turmoil. Facing Origin Celestial Venerable was stressful enough, but facing Qi Jianjun was pure terror. "Is this your Dao companion? She's quite pretty," Qi Yuan remarked, offering a courteous compliment as he looked at Ye Chan. Ye Chan's face flushed crimson. "Don't talk nonsense!" Qi Yuan wore an expression that said 'I understand everything' and clapped Rogue Celestial Venerable on the shoulder. "Work hard, and become a father soon." Rogue Celestial Venerable was rendered speechless. Ye Chan, her face blushing slightly, looked at Qi Jianjun and waved a hand. "Here, adorable little sister, this is a greeting gift from big sister." With that, she revealed a porcelain-white jade bottle in her palm. "Inside are some sweets. They taste wonderful! Whenever you have a craving, just eat one. It won't upset your stomach." Seeing this, Rogue Celestial Venerable frantically shot winks at Ye Chan. *Are you handing out snacks to a Yin God?!* Qi Jianjun extended her small hand, about to take the porcelain bottle. Just then, an anxious voice rang out: "Xiaochan! That is the Three Suns Spirit Essence Pill your grandfather gave you! How can you give it away to a little child as a treat?!" Sister Hua, who had gone upstairs earlier, rushed back down, accompanied by a handsome young man named Feng Tian. "It is my belonging; I can give it to whomever I wish," Ye Chan retorted, clearly displeased with Sister Hua. Sister Hua was struck speechless. At that moment, Feng Tian turned his gaze to Qi Yuan. "A child may be ignorant, but are you as an adult equally ignorant? The Three Suns Spirit Essence Pill is considered a treasure even to Divine Infant cultivators. Ye Chan acted out of kindness, but do you truly believe you can accept such a gift with a clear conscience?" Qi Yuan smiled. "I was never sensible to begin with." Saying so, he reached out and took the porcelain bottle straight from Ye Chan's hand. He popped it open, and a refreshing fragrance instantly washed over the room. "Come, Jianjun, have some candy." Qi Jianjun grabbed a handful of pills with her tiny hand and shoved them directly into her mouth. "Tastes good." Sister Hua and Feng Tian were utterly stunned by the sight. Sister Hua kept shaking her head in dismay. "What a waste... what a sheer waste!" To feed such a precious elixir to a young child like common candy! Feng Tian cast a cold glare at Qi Yuan. "I shall report this matter to Mighty Yechen." He then glared viciously at Rogue Celestial Venerable. "Colluding with outsiders to swindle—" "Enough!" Ye Chan snapped frostily at Feng Tian and Sister Hua. "I do whatever I please! Are you my son, showing so much concern over me?" Feng Tian was choked for words. Sister Hua's face alternated between pale and flushed before her tone finally softened. "Xiaochan, we only feared you might be deceived." The atmosphere grew tense. Just then, Qi Yuan spoke up: "Rogue Celestial Venerable, let's catch up later. I have someone to kill." Qi Jianjun held Qi Yuan's hand, looking just like a little follower. "Goodbye, Uncle, Sister." His orchestra had arrived late, and he had an execution to carry out. Hearing his words, Ye Chan was baffled. How had the conversation suddenly jumped to killing someone? Feng Tian and Sister Hua were equally taken aback. Right at that moment, a familiar melody suddenly echoed through the sky. The somber, desolate blast of a suona resonated like the sigh of a deity, sweeping across the entire city. The attention of everyone present was instantly drawn upward. "The Blood-Robed Sword God is here to kill someone!" News of the Blood-Robed Sword God's impending arrival had already spread that morning. For an event of such magnitude, people had naturally gathered long in advance to witness the spectacle. At this moment, no one knew how many hidden powerhouses were lurking in the city. Even elusive Purple Mansion masters who had remained in death seclusion might have shown themselves today, solely to catch a glimpse of this legendary Yin God. After all, this was the mighty Yin God who had destroyed the Palace of Light and slain both Venerable Yeqiong and Venerable Youqing—a supreme existence who had reached at least Step Two of Sky Treading! "Come on, let's go upstairs and watch!" Putting aside her grievances, Ye Chan prepared to lead Rogue Celestial Venerable and Qi Yuan upstairs to enjoy the show. "I have to go kill someone," Qi Yuan said. Holding Qi Jianjun's hand, his figure vanished into thin air. Ye Chan was momentarily startled, but ultimately headed upstairs with Rogue Celestial Venerable to watch the commotion. By now, almost all the cultivators in the great city had gathered together. They gazed up at the dozen-plus Purple Mansion masters in the sky, their faces filled with sheer awe. "Using Purple Mansion cultivators as an orchestra—what incredible grandeur the Blood-Robed Sword God possesses!" "Hush! Do not speak ill of the Venerable, or else..." "No, I wasn't speaking ill of him! I was praising him—praising!" "To think that in my lifetime, I would hear the music of Purple Mansions and gaze upon a legendary Yin God!" Standing on the tavern's upper floor, Ye Chan's eyes sparkled. "Gao Xiaoyu, what do you think the Blood-Robed Sword God looks like? Do you think he's icy cold, keeping everyone thousands of miles away? I heard he even has a daughter who is also a Yin God. How terrifying!" Rogue Celestial Venerable said nothing. He wanted to tell her: *You just met the Blood-Robed Sword God, and you even gave his Yin God daughter candy to eat.* On second thought, he could not be bothered to say it aloud. She was about to see it for herself anyway.