A deathly stillness hung over Qinglan Holy Land's square, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
The Tongxuan Mirror Qin Wangchuan had bestowed floated in midair, its swirling cloud-patterned Dao Rhyme reflected on every face.
Thousands of inner and Outer Disciples, stewards, and menial servants lay prostrate on the ground, cautiously lifting their heads, their eyes brimming with envy.
They couldn't help wondering—if they could win that Immortal's favor, could they also ascend to the heavens in a single step?
Some gazed at the Tongxuan Mirror in Yin Qiyue's hands, imagining the glory of standing tall with the mirror in their grasp.
Others stared at the Cyan Jade Pill Bottle, as if they could already smell the medicine.
A few bold inner disciples had even begun plotting how to curry favor with this Saintess in the future.
The elders kneeling on the ground stared at the treasures. Greed and fear flickered in their eyes, then finally hardened into a decision—
"Please... please let Saintess Yin succeed the Sect Master!"
The First Elder suddenly cried out, his forehead thudding heavily against the flagstones.
His cry rang out like a thunderclap. The entire Holy Land fell silent for a moment, then voices of agreement rose one after another:
"Only Saintess Yin can inherit the Immortal's favor!"
"Everyone in Qinglan will follow the Saintess's lead!"
Steal the treasures?
Don't make me laugh. Hadn't they seen that the bodies on the ground were still warm?
Yin Qiyue stood stunned, nearly dropping the Treasure Mirror in her hands.
She was not even twenty, yet at that moment they were pushing her into the exalted position of Sect Master.
She didn't refuse right away. Instead, she instinctively looked toward the Flying Ship.
By then, the Flying Ship had already risen into the sky, pierced the void, and vanished.
Yin Qiyue gazed at the Treasure Mirror and Treasure Bottle in her hands and murmured, "What exactly does Young Master Qin intend?"
"What did he mean by saying Qinglan Holy Land was not at peace? And what does he want me to do?"
After turning it over and over in her mind, she arrived at only one answer.
Young Master Qin wants me to take charge of the Holy Land and become his attack dog.
It was an offer no one would refuse, but on the other hand—
He killed the Sect Master, who had shown me kindness...
For a moment, Yin Qiyue was lost.
"!!!"
Suddenly, the remaining Warning Runes of the Mountain Protection Array flashed violently.
"Report! Allied forces from Fentian, Zhenyu, and Chixiao Holy Lands spotted seven hundred li away!" The scout's voice trembled. "They... they..."
The First Elder's face turned deathly pale. Those old enemies must have noticed the Mountain Protection Array had been destroyed and seized the chance to attack.
Now that the Holy Land's array had been completely ruined, how could they possibly hold them off?
"Sect Master, please come with me. Everyone else, prepare for battle!"
Though these elders were crooked in their ways, there was no denying their abilities. They immediately began issuing orders.
But just as the two sides were about to clash—
"Fentian Holy Land has brought the sect's treasure, 'Niehuo,' to pay homage!"
"Xuanming Holy Land offers ten thousand jin of Spirit Stones!"
"Chixiao Holy Land is willing to cede three Spirit Mines, all in the hope of meeting the Immortal from the Upper Realm!"
The three voices rang across the heavens. Even more shocking than the announcements was the sight in the distance: the Sect Masters of all three Holy Lands had personally led their forces, yet they had removed their hats and let down their hair, kneeling ten li from the Mountain Gate like disgraced officials awaiting punishment.
Behind them, a vast sea of cultivators now lay prostrate, as if they were surrendering.
"This..."
The elders were dumbfounded, unable to make sense of what was happening.
"They're here to pay homage to Young Master Qin," Yin Qiyue said, having figured it out.
For now, she was the only one whose thoughts were clear.
Seeing such an enormous Flying Ship, of course the others thought an Immortal from the Upper Realm had descended.
And that was, in fact, exactly what had happened.
"Then how should we respond?"
"Yes, Sect Master. What should we do?"
Everyone's eyes turned to her.
Only then did Yin Qiyue begin to feel that it was real. She hadn't expected that she had truly become Sect Master because of a single remark from Young Master Qin.
Since that was the case...
She took a deep breath, then called out, "Open the gates and welcome our guests!"
Though she had already been prepared for it, when Yin Qiyue looked at the countless cultivators kneeling outside the Mountain Gate,
she finally understood that Young Master Qin had bestowed more than just treasures—
The mirror was a mirror that exposed demons, laying bare the entire cultivation world's ugly scramble to curry favor with the powerful;
It was also a ruler that measured the so-called dignity of the Holy Lands, revealing how lowly it was before absolute power.
But there was one thing she still couldn't understand—
"Why exactly did Young Master Qin kill the Sect Master?"
Several days later, in a stone chamber in Qinglan Holy Land's forbidden grounds.
Yin Qiyue sat in the Sect Master's seat, while several Core Elders, led by the Elder of Instruction, knelt before her.
Candlelight flickered in the stone chamber, illuminating the densely packed jade plaques on the walls—the names of disciples who had "disappeared" over the years.
"Speak," she said, lightly tapping the armrest with her fingertips, her voice as cold as ice. "Tell me everything you know, without leaving out a single word!"
The elders exchanged glances. In the end, they revealed the truth.
"Master... no, Xuanmingzi..."
As the elders confessed to Xuanmingzi's crimes, Yin Qiyue's faith crumbled completely—
"So... the Sect Master I've respected ever since I joined the sect not only treated his disciples as cultivation vessels, but also used our fellow disciples' Essence Blood to refine pills?" Her voice was as soft as a dream, yet her fingertips dug deep into her palm, and blood trickled through them.
The Tongxuan Mirror reflected her twisted image. The girl in the mirror suddenly smiled:
"Young Master Qin killed him well... truly well!"
"Crack!"
She crushed the armrest in her grip.
Amid the flying splinters, Yin Qiyue whispered in a frenzy, "You filthy things dare call yourselves a 'Holy Land'?!"
Only now did she understand just how merciful Qin Wangchuan's description of the Holy Land as "not at peace" had been.
That had not been disappointment. He had been granting that pack of beasts one last shred of dignity!
The First Elder slammed his head against the ground. "We deserve a thousand deaths! But back then, we truly had no choice! We did everything for the Holy Land!"
"Shut up!"
"So you could kill innocent people for the sake of the Holy Land?!"
"If Young Master Qin hadn't intervened, who knows how many more people would have died."
"You don't regret what you did. You only regret that you're about to die!"
The Tongxuan Mirror suddenly erupted in blinding light, making the elders squeeze their eyes shut.
Yin Qiyue trembled all over, not from fear but from excitement!
She finally understood why Young Master Qin had killed them. It wasn't senseless bloodlust. He had been cleaning out a pile of stinking garbage!
He hadn't offered any explanation, and she had almost wronged him.
But when she thought about it, why would Young Master Qin need to explain himself to her?
She was simply not strong enough!
"Pass down my orders!" Yin Qiyue sprang to her feet. The Cyan Jade Pill Bottle in her sleeve rang in resonance like a dragon's roar.
"From this day forward, Qinglan Holy Land shall be renamed Wen Dao Palace."
"Anyone involved in the heretical cultivation schemes may preserve their corpse by destroying their own cultivation."
"Also, build a statue and offer incense in worship to Young Master Qin!"
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