This Is Fairness!

The Purple Mansion grand cultivator glanced at Qi Yuan and chuckled. "Fellow Daoists, let us strike together and open this door." Right then, Qi Yuan turned to Ning Tao and transmitted his voice softly: "Go back first and bring Zero-One over. I think this place is quite suitable for him." "All right." Ning Tao nodded, and her figure vanished from where she stood. The Divine Infant cultivators before them blinked in surprise. The elder in the solid red mask narrowed his eyes, thoughts racing. *This kid actually dares let his Dao companion leave.* *The Divine Infant cultivators from the Sky-Overturning Plan Alliance are all rushing this way.* *If she runs into them, she's dead for sure.* Naturally, he kept these thoughts to himself. None of the cultivators present objected to Ning Tao's departure. Before entering the ruins, they had needed to conceal their identities, terrified that other Divine Infants would discover the site. Now, they could hardly wait for them to show up. With an Eye of the Sky in their hands, even if they couldn't unleash its full might yet, slaying a few Divine Infants would be effortless. "Come on, together!" Qi Yuan clenched his fist. A mighty force swept out in that instant. The door that everyone had failed to budge instantly pulverized into dust. The cultivators present were dumbfounded. They all cast suspicious looks at Qi Yuan. Then, their figures dissolved into streaks of light and shot forward, disappearing inside. Only the Purple Mansion grand cultivator stayed put. Looking somewhat nervous, he asked tentatively, "Dare I ask, who was the sacred being Fellow Daoist mentioned earlier—the one who preached the Dao and imparted enlightenment on origin?" Qi Yuan looked at the purple-robed man, a smile appearing in his eyes. "Naturally, that was an alt of mine." The Purple Mansion grand cultivator's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing grew hurried. "Are Fellow Daoist's words true?" "Of course they're true." Qi Yuan's eyes held amusement and even a touch of reminiscence. "In the Liufeng Realm, at the City of No Return, I was..." "The Bl—Blood Lord!" the Purple Mansion grand cultivator blurted out, his body trembling uncontrollably. Beside them, Xie Tang was utterly bewildered, not understanding the Purple Mansion grand cultivator's reaction in the slightest. The fat cultivator's jaw dropped in wonder. *What's going on?* "You are the Blood Lord—the Blood Lord of the Liufeng Realm, who imparted the Great Dao to a hundred thousand cultivators single-handedly!" The Purple Mansion cultivator was shaken to his core, utterly terrified. Xie Tang stared at Qi Yuan, feeling an overwhelming sense of absurdity. *Isn't he a Divine Infant?* *How did he turn into the Blood Lord, some legendary almighty being who helped Divine Infants comprehend origin?* The fat cultivator blinked. *This guy is... an almighty being?* *Does that mean after I die and turn into a ghost, I really can go find him?* Both of them were in utter turmoil, overwhelmed by how bizarre and preposterous it all seemed. Xie Tang even wondered if the two were putting on an act. *But if it's an act, what are they even trying to achieve?* "Oh?" Qi Yuan looked at the Purple Mansion cultivator with a half-smile. "Are you one of the demons from the Myriad Demons Realm who invaded the Liufeng Realm?" "No, absolutely not! Senior, Lord Blood Lord, I'm not like those demons!" the Purple Mansion grand cultivator said hurriedly, his expression fraught with dread. After all, this was the legendary Blood Lord. Back then, a hundred thousand Sovereigns had marched out, blotting out the sky. Though the Purple Mansion grand cultivator hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he had heard about it from his elders. Even after thousands of years, the memory still haunted everyone's minds like a living nightmare. "How are you different?" Qi Yuan asked casually. The moment he had arrived at the symposium, Qi Yuan had noticed the Purple Mansion grand cultivator's true identity, but he hadn't cared. "I am an... indigenous demon from the Myriad Demons Realm!" the Purple Mansion grand cultivator blurted out. "Roughly during ancient times, the Myriad Demons Realm belonged to demons like us. But one day, all our ancestral demons vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown." Ancestral demons were the progenitors of each demon clan, every one possessing the combat power of a Yin God. The ancestral demons had governed the Myriad Demons Realm, willingly severing connections between heaven and earth because they refused to ascend to the Upper Realm. Yet during the ancient era, a sudden catastrophe occurred, and all the ancestral demons disappeared. Without ancestral demons to guard it, demons from the Upper Realm descended and conquered the Myriad Demons Realm. The original demons were either executed, enslaved, or penned up as livestock to serve as resources for the Upper Realm. Today, most ancient demons in the Myriad Demons Realm were kept in captivity. Ancient demons like him, who had hidden in secret realms and managed to cultivate to the Purple Mansion realm, were exceedingly rare. Qi Yuan looked at the Purple Mansion grand cultivator, his expression calm. "Indeed, you are somewhat different from them. Your Dao carries a flavor of martial arts." His nose hadn't grown longer, so he was telling the truth. His tone was right, too. And he did indeed carry the aura of martial arts. The Purple Mansion grand cultivator swallowed hard in terror. "For some reason, I've always felt a sense of familiarity around Senior." He feared the Blood Lord. Yet he also felt an odd affinity. Qi Yuan smiled without answering. The humans of this world and the demon race in the Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll shared the exact same ancestor. "I heard that the demons of your Myriad Demons Realm have been instigating Can Star, trying to invade Arch Star?" Qi Yuan mentioned casually. "Senior, that has nothing to do with me! The ones occupying Can Star right now are those Upper Realm demons!" the Purple Mansion cultivator explained in a fluster, terrified Qi Yuan would misunderstand. "Oh." Qi Yuan didn't care in the slightest. "Let's go. Time to take a look inside." The main control room wasn't very large, only a few square kilometers. Inside were numerous smaller compartments. By now, every room had been ransacked, but they were completely bare, without so much as a stray hair left behind. Evidently, the contents of this control room had been carried off long ago. The Divine Infants who had rushed in first had come away practically empty-handed. The group followed Qi Yuan deeper inside. After a dozen breaths or so, they reunited with the other cultivators ahead. Those cultivators were all staring straight ahead, greed written across their faces. Floating in midair before them was a rectangular glass box, crystal-clear and translucent like flawless white jade. Its shape was unmistakable: a coffin. "This coffin must be a supreme treasure!" "I wonder if someone... is lying inside." The Divine Infant cultivators noticed Qi Yuan and his group arriving, but their eyes remained glued to the coffin. The presence that coffin gave off felt even stronger than the supreme treasures left by their founding ancestors. It was surely the most precious treasure in the entire ruins. However, their magical power was too weak to peer through the glass, so they couldn't tell if anyone was inside. Right then, a smile appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes. "This coffin is fated with me. It's mine. "It just so happens that I haven't taken anything since entering the ruins. Taking a coffin shouldn't be too much to ask, right? "This is only fair, isn't it? "Who agrees, and who objects?" Qi Yuan was a man of high morals; he never took petty advantages. Hearing this, the elder in the solid red mask sneered. "You've certainly calculated that nicely." The pale-faced female cultivator chimed in, "You didn't have the skill to snatch any resources, and now you want to preach about fairness?" The members of the Sky-Overturning Plan Alliance spoke up one after another: "Before coming here, we agreed that everything would depend on ability." "Fellow Daoist, we are all Divine Infant cultivators. Don't tell me you don't understand that there is no fairness in this world? Everything depends on... skill!" Most of the speakers belonged to the Sky-Overturning Plan Alliance. As for the remaining lone Divine Infant, having come alone, he didn't want to offend Qi Yuan and chose to stay silent. Seeing this, Qi Yuan said softly, "I offered you fairness and you didn't want it. In that case... have it your way. "By the way, who agrees now, and who objects? "Those who agree still get fairness. "Those who object—well, cultivation level takes priority." The elder in the solid red mask scoffed with disdain. "I object!" "I object too!" "Object!" Instantly, all six Divine Infants from the Sky-Overturning Plan Alliance voiced their objections. "I agree!" the Purple Mansion grand cultivator spoke up at that moment. Seeing this, Xie Tang hurriedly chimed in, "Agree!" The fat cultivator quickly followed suit. "Agree!" The lone Divine Infant looked between the two hostile sides, struggle flashing across his face. "Everyone has already sworn an inner demon oath. Isn't coming to blows here a bit improper?" he couldn't help saying. "Heh, you people swore an inner demon oath, but we didn't!" Right at that moment, over a dozen Divine Infants filed in, radiating powerful auras. Seeing these unfamiliar Divine Infants, the lone cultivator turned pale with fright. The six Divine Infants who had just objected stepped back, regrouping with the newcomers. "Brat, do you understand what fairness means now?" The elder in the solid red mask was completely emboldened. They had sworn an oath not to attack one another inside the ruins. But the newly arrived Divine Infants were bound by no such oath. The elder in the solid red mask laughed arrogantly. Among everyone who had entered the ruins, the six of them had reaped the greatest harvest. Qi Yuan, that fool, had brought three other fools along and spent his time staring at murals instead of searching the ruins. And now he even wanted to claim the greatest treasure in the depths of the ruins for himself. How utterly laughable. Xie Tang stared at Qi Yuan, countless thoughts racing through her head. *Is he truly the Blood Lord?* At the same time, she went on high alert. "I completed nine years of compulsory education, so naturally I understand what fairness is. I also understand what peace is," Qi Yuan said, sweeping his gaze across the Divine Infants. "By the way, after you die, remember to thank me for giving you so many chances to show your face before me. "Oh, I forgot. You're all wearing masks. You have no face." Having said that, Qi Yuan looked at them and blew a gentle puff of air. "This is fairness!" The breeze was faint, barely even the displacement of a cat yawning. Yet the nearly twenty Divine Infants opposite him had no power to resist whatsoever. Or rather, their time froze in that very instant. Artifacts left by founding masters, the Eye of the Sky—beneath this single breath, they were as frail as paramecia. *Crack.* The mighty Divine Infants shattered like wax figures... crumbling directly into dust in the blink of an eye. The sight was horrifying beyond words. Those were Divine Infants—earthly gods, living legends walking the terrestrial realm! Yet they couldn't withstand a single breath from Qi Yuan. They weren't even on the same plane of existence. Xie Tang forgot how to breathe. In that moment, she understood: this was truly the legendary almighty Blood Lord. The Purple Mansion grand cultivator was similarly stricken with terror. Because this Blood Lord was even stronger than the records described! A single breath from him could probably slay a Grand Sovereign! Right then, Qi Yuan turned his gaze to the only unaffiliated Divine Infant remaining. "Do you agree, or do you object?" The lone Divine Infant trembled from head to toe, terrified out of his wits. What had he just witnessed? Even a Yin God couldn't possibly be more terrifying than this! "This humble one... agrees!" His face crumpled like a bitter gourd, scared half to death. "Since you agree, why the sour face? Don't tell me you only agree on the surface?" "No, no, no!" The Divine Infant fell directly to his knees in fright. "Eighteen generations of my ancestors agree!" Hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "Fairness reigns on earth. Then I shall humbly accept this coffin." Saying so, Qi Yuan turned to the coffin. His eyes shifted. The coffin, which had previously obscured everything within, gradually revealed its contents to his vision. Suddenly, a familiar face entered Qi Yuan's sight. "It's her?" He discovered to his surprise that a woman was lying inside the coffin. Her features bore a sixty-to-seventy-percent resemblance to someone he knew. Just then, Ning Tao reappeared. "There's someone in this coffin?" Beside Ning Tao stood the robot Zero-One. "Yeah, a woman." Qi Yuan told Ning Tao what he had seen inside the coffin. Ning Tao narrowed her eyes, her expression shifting. "Could she be the female lead from the murals?" "Probably." Qi Yuan nodded. "What a tragic, epic story. Such a pitiful person," the fat cultivator couldn't help chiming in. Qi Yuan agreed wholeheartedly. "She's been lying here for who knows how many years. She must be terribly lonely." Xie Tang was baffled. *Can dead people feel lonely?* Qi Yuan spoke with a voice full of compassion, his expression resembling a middle-aged woman grieving over a wronged sister. "She's here all alone, without family or friends, sleeping in dead silence without a single loved one by her side. It's truly enough to make anyone weep. "I'm a very kindhearted person, so today I'll be generous and give her a granny!" "Huh?" Xie Tang blinked, not following Qi Yuan at all. *Could he mean the woman lying inside has a flat chest?* *But in the murals, it didn't look... small, did it?* Qi Yuan closed his eyes. Inside his body, the final Divine Infant throbbed. This Divine Infant belonged to Wu Shi. All this time, Wu Shi's Divine Infant had shown no movement. Now, it finally stirred. This meant Wu Shi, like the other Divine Infants, could gradually awaken. Passing through the coffin, the Holy Mother of Inedia's Divine Infant descended into the corpse within. Qi Yuan let out a breath of relief. The Holy Mother of Inedia was finally showing signs of waking up. Then he thought of something. "Oh dear. I gave her a granny without her consent. Isn't that a bit impolite?" Beside him, the Purple Mansion grand cultivator was internally shaken. If the woman in the coffin truly was the heroine from the murals, her power was likely beyond comprehension. Yet the Blood Lord seemed to have breached the coffin and shoved something straight into her body. Just what realm of cultivation... was the Blood Lord at? Ning Tao chuckled. "She's already dead. She can't give consent." "Doesn't that mean I need to find her guardian? But she doesn't have one." Qi Yuan furrowed his brows in thought. This was a bit tricky. Then a realization struck him, and he beamed. "Isn't Wu Shi her granny? As long as Wu Shi agrees, that's enough. "Wu Shi, do you agree?" Qi Yuan called out to the Divine Infant formed by the Holy Mother of Inedia inside the woman's body. The Divine Infant gave a couple of thumps. Seeing this, Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Wu Shi agrees. Excellent, another polite day." Standing nearby, Xie Tang didn't dare say a word. *Who gets consent like that?!* *Doesn't that mean whenever someone disagrees with you, you can just find them a grandpa or grandma to agree on their behalf?* She felt this Blood Lord was utterly bizarre, a total enigma. Naturally, she kept her mouth shut. Qi Yuan turned to Zero-One and said softly, "You're an AI robot. See if you can hack into the database here and find anything useful—or maybe use their data to upgrade yourself." That was his purpose in having Ning Tao bring Zero-One along. With Qi Yuan's enhancements, Zero-One had undergone a mutation, becoming completely different from ordinary robots and distinct from immortal-path puppets as well. "Understood, Master." Several tentacles extended from Zero-One's palm, plugging directly into the wall of the main control room. Countless lines of data scrolled through her eyes. Qi Yuan and the others waited quietly. After an unknown amount of time, Zero-One opened her eyes. "How did it go? Did you get the data?" Unlike before, Zero-One didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked into Qi Yuan's eyes. "Master, do you know what love is?" Qi Yuan froze. "Oh no. My robot is turning lovesick." "I think for a robot, making money is far more important than love!" Qi Yuan told Zero-One. He had worked hard to get a robot; he couldn't let it become romance-brained. "Master, can money buy love?" Zero-One asked inexplicably. "Perhaps for some people, yes," Qi Yuan replied offhandedly. "Answer me: is there anything valuable here?" "Yes," Zero-One replied. "In Arch Star terms, there is a bank account number along with an encrypted key." "Money?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "How much?" "Unknown." "Give it to me!" Qi Yuan loved money. Who in this world didn't love money? After all, he still wanted to buy Arch Star, and his funds were far from enough. "Master, please accept the transfer." Instantly, a string of symbols flooded Qi Yuan's mind. Unlike an account and password in reality, the account here wasn't made of numbers, letters, or words, but rather a kind of... feeling. Indescribable.