Mysterious Yin Goddess

"Escape... Da Chen?"

An Jing did not immediately understand the meaning behind these words, but Bai Qinghan raised her eyes, the depths of those pitch-black, abyssal pupils swirling with a dark, cyan-blue luster.

These quiet, tranquil eyes, set against skin as white as snow, made her look like an elf stepped out of a painting, or perhaps a young deer crouching in the green grass at dawn—harmless and worthy of pity.

Yet, it was this very elf who uttered words overflowing with hatred.

"I hate Da Chen."

Under An Jing's stunned gaze, Bai Qinghan turned her head to look toward the north.

She spoke her most sincere thoughts in the calmest of tones: "My hometown suffered from the Frost Calamity, and no one came to save us. My father and mother both 'died,' and no one came to save them."

"Da Chen surrounded the three southern prefectures of Hannan, not letting a single person pass through the gates, not even willing to give me a drop of water... The garrison threw stones at me, calling me a ridiculous wild monkey."

Having never spoken so much before, the young girl turned back to meet An Jing's gaze, her voice trembling as she revealed the thoughts buried in her deepest heart.

"That evil ghost wanted to boil me alive, but I was born without fear of boiling water."

"Perhaps it was a moment of hesitation, or perhaps he wanted to see if I was cooked... I used boiling water to scald him to death right then, and that was how I survived that winter."

"It was the Divine Cult that saved me. The Divine Cult gave me new clothes, let me eat my fill, and allowed me to sleep in peace, sleeping until I woke without the fear of being tied to a pyre before I even opened my eyes."

"Senior Brother, only you and the Divine Cult have been good to me."

At this point, a full moon seemed to revolve within Bai Qinghan's eyes, overflowing with confusion: "Is the Divine Cult not good to you?"

"Why... can't you stay?"

She raised her hand, and a stream of water surged up from the river flowing out of Xuanming Valley, flying directly into her palm.

In the next instant, following a light shout from Bai Qinghan, this stream of water, now glowing with a faint cyan-white radiance, transformed into a sharp arrow and shot toward An Jing!

Clang!

Unable to dodge in time, An Jing raised his sword to block. The wooden sword shattered instantly, but the residual force was still like the strike of a four- or five-meter-tall giant bear, forcing An Jing to retreat several steps before he could dissipate the impact.

But this was not meant to kill... it wasn't even meant to attack An Jing.

It was meant to make him stay.

"This?!"

Having barely blocked the strike, An Jing discovered a chilling frost spreading from the hilt remaining in his hand. White frost was diffusing, like a cold hand trying to grab him, creeping toward the webbing between his thumb and forefinger!

Dropping the hilt, An Jing looked at Bai Qinghan with a complex expression: "A Divine Ability!"

"Xuan Yin Shape Manipulation, Thought-Driven Art Manifestation!"

On the other side, realizing Bai Qinghan's true potential, Manor Master Yao's eyes flared with dark light. He exclaimed in pleasant surprise: "This is a [Divine Ability]! To be able to command a Divine Ability immediately upon awakening one's Fate Grid!"

"Qinghan, you are a [Mysterious Yin Goddess]!"

At this moment, Bai Qinghan stood in place, surrounded by wind and frost, with ice crystals hovering around her, making her figure seem obscured by dark mist.

This was a [Divine Ability].

Once a Fate Grid is awakened, it varies from person to person, gradually giving birth to various miraculous abilities, such as manipulating lightning and fire, or wrestling lions and tigers with raw strength.

Among these, those with a Fate Grid of the Main Life level or higher can even give birth to a 'Divine Ability.'

However, most people need a period of training and mastery after awakening their Fate Grid before they can use it at will.

But if one can use abilities and Divine Abilities the moment they awaken their Fate Grid, it means the essence of the Fate Grid is perfectly aligned with the awakened, making them far superior to ordinary awakened individuals!

The appearance of the Saintess filled Manor Master Yao with great joy. One must know that Xuanming Manor was merely one of many Tianyi Sect strongholds in the northwest of Da Chen, and not one of the more highly regarded ones.

With the manor being raided and a century of reserves about to be burned to ash, even if Manor Master Yao managed to escape with his life, he would inevitably be punished.

But as long as he could secure a Mysterious Yin Goddess, it wouldn't matter if An Jing escaped. Even if a hundred or a thousand Xuanming Manors were burned, the Tianyi Sect headquarters wouldn't even frown; they would reward him handsomely!

An Jing, however, only felt helpless.

The people behind Bai Qinghan looked at her with such conviction, which showed that Bai Qinghan's way of thinking was actually not rare.

But thinking about it carefully, was this really strange?

Haha, he, An Jing, had fled all the way from the Northern Frontier, rejected by Mingshan City and Lianghe Pass, unable to head south, unable to enter the cities, and could only wait for death in a refugee camp with his severely injured mother.

No aid, no porridge stalls, no charitable clinics, not even a shred of pity.

The Da Chen authorities had no response, no measures to deal with the Frost Calamity, and even intensified their exploitation, allowing the horse bandits—the black gloves of the gentry—to run rampant.

They were the government that collected taxes and, in name, protected all the subjects of Da Chen. To be so indifferent to the disasters on the frontier, allowing the gentry to use natural disasters to plunder the property of refugees and annex their land—how was this any different from cannibalism?!

But... did one really have to choose one? Why must one choose the "least bad" among a group of idiots? Could one not just kill them all?

Could it be...

That one couldn't just build a new one?!

An Jing saw several more water arrows floating behind the young girl, drawn from the great river. He lowered his head and said softly: "So, you chose the Demonic Cult? The same Demonic Cult that eats people?"

"You will be eaten too, you know..."

"I have already eaten people. Shouldn't I be eaten?"

Bai Qinghan looked toward the Red Armor Guards who were currently storming the manor, and she asked with some confusion: "And the Divine Cult did indeed buy my life. They at least spent money, and they will truly take care of me."

"It's all oppression. If I must be oppressed, I would rather be oppressed by the Divine Cult than by Da Chen."

Turning her head to look at An Jing, she sincerely invited him, "Come with me, Senior Brother."

"The reason Manor Master Yao hasn't attacked us or fought us is because he knows Xuanming Manor is already gone, and he doesn't want to kill those companions, provoke you, and drive you away for good."

"He only wants to take us away."

"Senior Brother, the ordinary people who are different from us have already gone into hiding. As long as you leave with me and we join forces, couldn't we attain high positions within the Divine Cult?"

"At that time, if you don't want the Divine Cult to oppress others, you can make it change."

At this moment, even Manor Master Yao couldn't help but speak up, "That's right, An Jing. It is only out of respect for your wishes that I haven't attacked, but instead indulged your willfulness!"

"As long as you can become a Divine General, or even the Cult Leader, you can change things! By then, your value will be greater than all those who died combined; even the Divine Cult will change for your sake!"

"Da Chen oppresses as well, and they oppress even more than we do. They don't just oppress individuals; they oppress entire cities and entire provinces!"

"To be honest, our oppression is minimal, carried out only when there is a genuine need, whereas the world outside will only continue to rot."

"You will understand. Only by overthrowing Da Chen and overturning this world can there be a better future!"