Within the courtyard, the stench of blood hung heavy in the air.
The siblings Shi Rushan and Shi Rulan had met a gruesome end.
Taking in the tragic scene within the compound, True Monarch Dazhi could not help remarking, "You were a bit impulsive. You killed them far too fast."
Qi Yuan had acted with thunderous decisiveness, uprooting the Mountain of Destiny straight from its foundation and effortlessly executing Shi Rushan and Shi Rulan.
"Hm?"
"We should have asked if they had any more birds. I didn't even get to taste it," True Monarch Dazhi said, glancing at Qi Yuan in serious contemplation.
"There'll be plenty of chances in the future," Qi Yuan replied softly.
In his hand appeared a curious little wooden gate.
This very gate was what the Mountain of Destiny had relied upon—the Gate of Destiny.
Shi Rulan had been able to summon the projection of the Chaos-Filth Bird precisely because of this Gate of Destiny.
Yet in Qi Yuan's eyes, this Gate of Destiny was nothing other than the Liufeng Realm's Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Of course, this small wooden gate was not the true Gate of Myriad Manifestations, but merely a token capable of summoning a sliver of its phantom projection.
*Does the Gate of Myriad Manifestations have a Gate of Gaming?*
*If it does, wouldn't that mean I could play video games in there all day long?*
Qi Yuan mused to himself.
He and True Monarch Dazhi then returned to the Dao Seeking Palace.
Back in Qinghong City, Qi Yuan's earlier shout had stirred up quite a commotion.
However, none of the other Yin Gods or cultivators knew what had actually happened; they were merely left with lingering doubts.
In the days that followed, Qinghong City returned to peace once more.
The Origin God Sharing Society continued its step-by-step development.
The Divine Flower Society's campaign proceeded like wildfire.
Roughly a third of the entire Canglan Realm was swept up in the frenzy of uploading cultivation arts and boosting progress.
Even some old-timers who had been in secluded cultivation emerged one after another, either to lend a boost or to upload arts.
More and more Yin God experts headed toward Fengtian Domain, seemingly hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary Blood-Robed Sword God.
During this time, Qi Yuan dispatched three Great Venerables to assist Iceberg Overlord Woman in breaking through to the Yin God Realm.
When Iceberg Overlord Woman's grandfather laid eyes on the three Great Venerables, the look on his face had been quite a spectacle.
He was especially deeply moved to hear that the Blood-Robed Sword God was the very same Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator whom his granddaughter had spoken of as a sworn brother.
And the moment the three Great Venerables saw Iceberg Overlord Woman's grandfather—Venerable Binghun—they immediately noticed the grave injuries he carried.
His wounds were exceedingly severe, leaving him with scarcely a century of life remaining.
Having traveled from afar and knowing that Iceberg Overlord Woman shared close ties with the Blood-Robed Sword God, the three Great Venerables decided to return favor for favor. All three stepped forward to treat Venerable Binghun's wounds.
Joining forces and producing precious treasures, treating Venerable Binghun's injuries was naturally trivial work. With little effort, he was seventy to eighty percent healed.
The cultivation arts within the Origin God Sharing Society grew ever more numerous.
The arts amassed by the Divine Flower Society likewise reached a terrifying volume.
Across the forum, posts of every kind sprang up.
"Haha, this master got a middle-grade Heaven-rank cultivation art!"
"Someone help me! The Heaven-rank art I redeemed just got snatched away!"
"Quick, go find the Blood-Robed Sword God to uphold justice!"
"100 isn't even maxed out?!"
"Fellow Daoists, put your backs into it so we can all obtain the divine art together!"
"Never did this humble Daoist imagine I would have a shot at a divine art in this lifetime. Thank you, Divine Flower Society! Thank you, Blood-Robed Sword God!"
"I've made up my mind. I want both the senior sister and the junior sister."
By now, the number of cultivation arts gathered within the Divine Flower Society had reached a staggering scale.
Yet the overall progress bar had been stuck at 99% for two full days.
Even so, the cultivators on the Divine Flower Society forum voiced no complaints, offering each other encouragement instead.
With the divine art only a single step away, the speed at which cultivators uploaded arts only accelerated.
At this moment, aboard a spirit boat bound for Great Shang, Jiang Ruhua stood dressed in a deep navy robe, his expression placid.
"This Blood-Robed Sword God of the Divine Flower Society certainly has some tricks. It's been stuck at ninety-nine for two whole days now."
On his journey toward Great Shang, he had inevitably come into contact with the Divine Flower Society.
His personal progress bar had already reached 51%, after which further growth had grown exceedingly difficult.
Hence, his gaze was fixed on the society's overall progress bar.
As Jiang Ruhua pondered, he glanced at the young man beside him. The excessively handsome fellow had his head lowered, fiddling with a Divine Flower Society jade slip of his own.
Assuming the posture of an experienced elder, Jiang Ruhua remarked to the young man beside him:
"If you ask me, this ninety-nine will probably stay stuck for at least six months to a year. That's a divine art, after all. Whether the Blood-Robed Sword God is even willing to give it away is one thing, and whether he truly has one is another."
Jiang Ruhua had made this handsome youth's acquaintance aboard the spirit boat.
After all, on a vessel bound for Great Shang, cultivators possessing a Divine Flower Society jade slip were few and far between. Moreover, the aura surrounding this handsome youth was rather mysterious—Jiang Ruhua could not see through his cultivation, which had prompted him to strike up a friendly conversation.
The handsome young man looked up, a smile dancing in his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, a figure like the Blood-Robed Sword God keeps his promises as strictly as gold. Why would he deceive anyone?
"I'd wager that within three days, this progress bar will hit 100%, and everyone will get the divine art!"
"Whatever those high-tier cultivators say, you might as well treat it like hot air.
"That's a divine art! One that probably doesn't even exist anywhere in the Canglan Realm. Who would be willing to make it public?
"Even if he does, I bet it'll only be a fragmented version!" Jiang Ruhua said with absolute certainty.
"Fellow Daoist, you think too harshly of human nature." The handsome youth chuckled. "I'm ninety percent certain that within three days, we will see the divine art."
The young man spoke with utter confidence.
He was this confident because he was Qi Yuan. As for the progress bar, it would legitimately reach completion in three days.
There was another reason: in three days, the game icon would finish loading as well. He would be in a rush to dive into the game, so he naturally wouldn't hoard the divine art.
It was merely a divine art.
He wasn't so stingy as to withhold it.
Seeing his attitude, Jiang Ruhua smiled without replying further.
Thinking of something, he shifted the topic: "Fellow Daoist, since you hail from Great Shang, do you know of Qi Yuan from the Divine Light Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Of course I do! That man is the number one Divine Infant in Great Shang, not to mention the most handsome man in Great Shang! Powerful, righteous to a fault, dashing and elegant... a peerless figure ruling Great Shang all on his own!"
Qi Yuan threw out every flattering phrase he could recall in a single breath.
Jiang Ruhua was slightly dazed by this torrent of praise, then narrowed his eyes.
"It seems you hold great admiration for this person." Jiang Ruhua thought it made sense.
The Divine Light Sect could be considered the foremost power in Great Shang, and a Divine Infant True Monarch had enough weight to throw around anywhere within its borders.
It was only natural for a cultivator of Great Shang to revere him.
"I admire him as much as I admire myself!" Qi Yuan stated solemnly.
Just then, True Monarch Dazhi spoke up from the side: "That individual is not merely Great Shang's number one Divine Infant; he is the Eastern Lands' number one Divine Infant, and indeed the entire Canglan Realm's number one Divine Infant!"
Jiang Ruhua cast a glance at True Monarch Dazhi and refrained from pursuing the subject.
He realized he had stumbled upon a pair of diehard fanboys of his daughter's eldest senior brother.
Claiming he was Great Shang's number one Divine Infant was one thing, but daring to declare him the foremost in the Eastern Lands and even the entire Canglan Realm was absurd.
"If memory serves, in the entire Land of a Hundred Nations, only Kang Fulu of the Divine Light Sect managed to place on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll.
"It appears that Qi Yuan falls far short of Kang Fulu," Jiang Ruhua said.
"I have met Kang Fulu; he cannot hold a candle to Qi Yuan." True Monarch Dazhi looked toward Qi Yuan. "If they came to blows, Kang Fulu wouldn't survive a single strike from Qi Yuan."
"Hmph, nothing more than using age to bully the weak!" Whenever Jiang Ruhua thought of Qi Yuan, gloom welled in his chest.
A Divine Infant True Monarch—an old fogey who must be around a thousand years old—daring to hit on his daughter, who hadn't even turned twenty!
Hearing that, Qi Yuan was completely bewildered. "How can you slander an innocent man out of thin air?!
"Qi Yuan ought to be quite young."
Insulting Senior Brother Kang Fulu's strength was one thing, but calling him old was intolerable.
He was extraordinarily young, right in the prime of his youth!
"No matter how young he is, could he possibly be as young as you?" Jiang Ruhua could not help retorting.
The man before him brimmed with vigorous vitality; one look revealed he was exceptionally young and in his physical prime.
As for that Qi Yuan, having become a Divine Infant in Great Shang, he was bound to be well up in years, practically an old relic.
"He's just like me," Qi Yuan muttered under his breath, then asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you know Qi Yuan? Why do you harbor such malice toward him?"
Jiang Ruhua did not answer.
After all, he couldn't very well admit that he had traveled thousands of li to Great Shang solely on account of the business between his daughter and Qi Yuan.
That would be far too humiliating for his old face.
After a brief pause, Jiang Ruhua changed the subject: "Fellow Daoist, didn't you claim that the Blood-Robed Sword God would release the divine art in three days?
"Come, add my jade slip. Three days from now, we'll see who was right."
Qi Yuan grinned at this. "If you lose the bet, you'll have to apologize to me on the Divine Flower Society forum—under your real name!"
Too bad the Divine Flower Society didn't support video uploads, or having this fellow post a video apology would have been even more entertaining.
"You certainly don't lack confidence... Wait, you're Origin Celestial Venerable?!" Jiang Ruhua gasped in astonishment.
He followed the Divine Flower Society forum closely and knew that Origin Celestial Venerable was currently one of its most popular figures.
This person frequently shared his progress in uploading cultivation arts, particularly amusing anecdotes from his sect.
Stories about a busty junior sister, an aloof senior sister, and the like.
Judging by the content of his posts, Origin Celestial Venerable was undoubtedly an Origin Core cultivator.
"Hehe, so did you end up choosing the junior sister or the senior sister?" Jiang Ruhua wore a slightly sly grin.
"It's all fake. I made all of that up," Qi Yuan hurriedly denied.
Naturally, neither the junior sister nor the senior sister was real.
"Ah, why be shy? We're all men here; I understand you.
"Back in the day, I faced the exact same dilemma—a junior sister on one side, a senior sister on the other." Jiang Ruhua assumed a wistful expression, reminiscing about the past. "In the end, I successfully took my junior sister as my Dao companion!"
At this, Jiang Ruhua beamed with pride. "From your descriptions, your senior sister is rather haughty and of noble birth.
"In my opinion, you'd better pick the junior sister.
"Otherwise, your future life... ah."
Jiang Ruhua sighed deeply, as if speaking from vast experience.
"From what you wrote, that junior sister of yours seems deeply devoted to you.
"As for the senior sister, she's somewhat ethereal, neither warm nor cold," Jiang Ruhua continued.
Qi Yuan actually agreed with Jiang Ruhua's assessment.
When fabricating the tales, he had used Jiang Lingsu as a character reference for the junior sister, making her feel relatively authentic.
The senior sister, on the other hand, was indeed rather hollow.
"From what you said, your junior sister's father is a difficult man who has an inscrutable relationship with the sect master. He looks down on you and has his eye on the sect master's daughter instead.
"This is easy to resolve. Hehe, since your junior sister is already head over heels for you, find a moonlit night, let romance take its course, and make it a done deal!
"Once you take her to see your father-in-law, what can he do? Beat you up?!" Jiang Ruhua shared his formula for success, stroking his beard with a triumphant air.
Qi Yuan was rendered speechless.
He could never do such a thing.
More importantly, the entire story was made up!
"Fellow Daoist, if you follow my advice, you'll definitely marry that junior sister of yours.
"As the saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water. Once you two are wed, she'll definitely take your side.
"Your junior sister's family is quite wealthy, too. If she casually hands you some cultivation arts to redeem for Heavenly arts in the Divine Flower Society, alongside some resources, you might even become a Divine Infant True Monarch before long.
"When that day comes, won't that snobbish father-in-law of yours be thoroughly tamed before you?
"And if you one day ascend to the Purple Mansion Realm, you could take a shit right on his head, and he wouldn't dare breathe a word!" The latter half was, of course, purely Jiang Ruhua's personal fantasy.
Alas, his fantasy had never materialized.
He was currently only at the late Divine Infant Realm, still far from the Purple Mansion Realm.
His own father-in-law was at the perfected Divine Infant Realm, a full cut above him.
"Fellow Daoist is truly rich in experience." Qi Yuan knew how to cater to his audience, and at this moment, flattery was the only sensible response.
"Young man, follow my lead, and within half a month, you'll have the beauty in your arms.
"When you and your junior sister wed, if this old man is still in Great Shang, you must invite me as the matchmaker and toast me with a cup of wedding wine!" Jiang Ruhua said proudly.
Seeing Qi Yuan brought him back to his youthful days in his old sect.
Yet after returning to his clan, those past days could only ever remain memories.
Qi Yuan shrugged, casually playing along. "Naturally!"
He certainly wouldn't invite him.
His relationship with his junior sister was entirely innocent.
Jiang Ruhua narrowed his eyes. "Meeting here is fate. If you run into any obstacles on the path to your good match with that junior sister, just contact this old man. In my leisure time, nothing brings me greater joy than bringing lovers together."
"Right," Qi Yuan nodded. He glanced out over the spirit boat and murmured, "Fellow Daoist, the spirit boat will dock in just a moment. My junior sister has come to pick me up."
Hearing this, Jiang Ruhua's smile deepened. "See? She truly has you in her heart."
Thinking of his own daughter, a wisp of gloom surfaced in his chest.
His daughter hadn't come to greet him at all!
Yet the gloomy cloud quickly dispersed.
If this Origin Celestial Venerable had a daughter, she certainly wouldn't come pick him up either.
The thought brought a comforting sense of balance to his mind.
Right at that moment, however, a crisp voice rang out.
"Daddy, you're back!"
Qi Jianjun leaped straight into Qi Yuan's embrace, a radiant smile across her face.
Confronted by this, Qi Yuan wore a face full of helplessness. "Jianjun, proper propriety between men and women!"
A grown daughter had to maintain distance from her father; Qi Yuan felt as if he ought to hang himself.
If someone had snapped a picture of this just now and posted it online, wouldn't he be cyberbullied to death?
"Jianjun is Daddy's daughter, what's wrong with a hug?" Qi Jianjun replied, hopping down from Qi Yuan's arms.
Jiang Ruhua stood frozen, staring at Qi Yuan. "You have a daughter?"
"Yes." Qi Yuan nodded vigorously. "Most of the stories posted on the Divine Flower Society forum were made up.
"I don't have any senior sister, nor do I..."
"Daddy, you clearly do have a busty junior sister! Hehe... when are you going to win her over? Wouldn't that give me a... third mother?" Qi Jianjun pondered earnestly.
Her birth mother was naturally Jin Li.
Her second mother was Ning Tao.
Her third mother, in Qi Jianjun's eyes, was none other than Jiang Lingsu.
"*Cough, cough*... Stop talking nonsense." Qi Yuan was thoroughly embarrassed.
It seemed he couldn't spin wild tales anymore; everyone was misunderstanding.
Beside them, hearing Qi Jianjun's words, Jiang Ruhua's eyes widened in disbelief. "Fellow Daoist, your attainments run this deep?!"
A pang of shame washed over him.
According to this little girl's words, the young Daoist before him already had two Dao companions.
From the sound of it, harmony reigned among them.
And now, he was already contemplating a third.
This filled Jiang Ruhua with both envy and jealousy, coupled with deep embarrassment over his earlier unsolicited guidance.
He surreptitiously sent a voice transmission to Qi Yuan: "Fellow Daoist, how on earth do you manage to have two Dao companions and still go around hooking up with another on the side?
"Teach this old man!
"I shall reward you handsomely!"
Jiang Ruhua looked positively consumed with curiosity.
Chapter 276