Even if she ultimately could not sever the Three Corpses, gaining one more high-grade innate spiritual treasure would still be a good thing

For three thousand years, she had fled without cease. For three thousand years, she had slaughtered madly.

Those two clans, which had never possessed much of a population to begin with, were now all but extinct.

In the end, only a female immortal in green remained, struggling bitterly to survive beyond the mountains.

Just then, she suddenly sensed a surge of joy from within her bloodline, and tears streamed down her face in an instant.

She knew that this was a message from the larvae of her clan.

Those children had been taken in by Venerable Zhu Yin and had received quite a few benefits.

Otherwise, with their minds not yet developed, it would have been impossible for them to feel such intense emotional fluctuations.

At last, the crushing weight that had been pressing upon her heart for years eased slightly.

Her choice to head to the Western Lands had been a decision reached after deep consideration.

Because living beings there were sparse and resources were barren, it was a place the Golden-Blade Mantis Clan did not even deem worthy of notice.

They would never have imagined that she would flee to such a godforsaken place where not even birds laid eggs.

Moreover, there were few powerful experts in the Western Lands. With the strength of a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, one could basically swagger about unchallenged, and no one would dare give her a second look. At the very least, her life would be safe.

As for entrusting the descendants of the two clans to Venerable Zhu Yin, that too had been a choice born of helplessness.

She had heard from the Golden Ant ancestor that Venerable Zhu Yin of Spirit Platform Mountain had taken in the Southern Sea Hundred Illusion Butterflies ten thousand years ago, and had also gathered many rare insect clans beneath him. Though it could not compare to the Ten-Thousand Mountains, it was already an excellent home for the butterfly and bee clans.

She herself did not have long to live and could die at any moment, nor did she carry many spiritual treasures.

If those descendants had continued following her, even being born would have been difficult, let alone growing strong.

After weighing it carefully, she decided to gamble once.

If she succeeded, those children could be born safely and receive protection, never again needing to fear the Golden-Blade Mantis Clan.

If she failed, she would merely continue wandering or die an early death. That was still better than sitting and waiting for death.

In any case, she could no longer afford to lose.

Now that her wish had finally been fulfilled, she could die in peace.

At that thought, Qingnu dropped to her knees and solemnly kowtowed nine times, her voice hoarse but resolute.

"Qingnu thanks Venerable for taking in the descendants of the two clans. This grace is as vast as the heavens, and we will never forget it through all eternity. One day, they will surely serve Venerable with their lives, repaying today's kindness."

"I also wish Venerable smooth cultivation and that all your wishes come true."

She understood very clearly.

No matter how glorious the Azure Jade Sword Butterflies had once been, they had not yet grown powerful. Who would risk angering the Golden-Blade Mantis ancestor just because of their name?

Therefore, she had never hoped to seek refuge with Venerable Zhu Yin on the strength of the Azure Jade Sword Butterfly name.

She could only take a roundabout path and find a way to send the descendants into Spirit Platform Mountain.

She also understood in her heart that the Golden Blade Mantis Clan did not know exactly how many insects she had brought with her.

So long as she was willing, she could sacrifice some of them to die alongside her and preserve the rest.

At the Hundred Treasures Hall auction, she had deliberately not revealed who was inside the box, saying only that it contained two precious types of insects.

She believed that Venerable Zhu Yin or his disciples would surely see that these insects were extraordinary.

Furthermore, the auction hall could obscure the secrets of heaven, so outsiders could not possibly see the truth.

If Venerable Zhu Yin took a liking to them and was willing to help, she could properly entrust the insects to him.

Inside the small pavilion beside the Lotus Pond.

Zhu Yin watched her kneel and kowtow, then turn and leave, her back lonely yet steadfast.

He let out a soft sigh.

He did not try to persuade her to abandon revenge.

After all, the hatred of clan extermination could not be dissolved with a few words.

Nor did he say any grand principles like "while green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

For three thousand years, she had fled for her life while killing enemies, watching her loved ones die one after another before her very eyes. The fire of vengeance had long been blazing in her heart.

Now that her worries had been cast aside, she no longer wished to wait.

She wanted revenge!

Even if this road led only to death!

Even if she could not even meet the Golden-Blade Mantis ancestor!

So long as she could kill a few more enemies, she would consider it worthwhile!

Otherwise, her Dao heart would sooner or later be driven mad by hatred.

If there was a grudge, then draw the sword!

Repay kindness and vengeance with exhilarating freedom, never dragging things through mud and water!

This was her sword Dao.

Three thousand years of slaughter had made her sword Dao extreme.

Cold-blooded, bloodthirsty, ruthless—when taking revenge, she never waited until tomorrow.

Though Zhu Yin did not specialize in sword Dao, he could still see some clues.

As he watched her figure recede into the distance, he could faintly sense a sword intent brewing.

Once she encountered an enemy, it would surely erupt like a volcano!

Its edge exposed, its momentum unstoppable!

Should I give her a hand? he pondered.

After thinking for a moment, he made his decision.

He and Qingnu were strangers, and he would not help her kill her enemies.

But neither would he watch helplessly as she marched toward death.

Thus, Zhu Yin raised his hand and left a Primordial Spirit mark upon her body.

Sword cultivators never bowed their heads and had always charged forward without hesitation.

They proved the Dao through killing. If there was injustice in their hearts, they drew their swords.

This was the true freedom of sword cultivators!

Qingnu was already at the peak of the late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm.

If she could truly break through herself amid slaughter, elevate her sword intent, raise her cultivation to Perfected Primordial Unity, and make her sword heart transparent and clear, then she might break through into the Great Principle realm.

And the mark Zhu Yin had left behind would save her life at the critical moment between life and death.

At that time, she would truly be able to touch the core of the Great Principle Sword Dao.

This deal was worth it.

If she could become a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal in the future, she would naturally seek revenge.

If she failed, the Primordial Spirit mark would dissipate along with her.

Zhu Yin would not incur any trouble because of it.

Once she died, the secrets of heaven would be obscured, and the matter would come to an end.

When the Azure Jade Sword Butterflies and Golden Ants truly matured in the future, it would not be too late to settle their karma then.

Yet as Zhu Yin gazed in the direction where she had vanished, an image of the Ten-Thousand Mountains surfaced in his mind.

It was an immense forested mountain range in the southwest of the eastern Primordial Wilderness, bordering the Western Lands.

The spiritual energy there was abundant, poisonous mist lingered year-round, and countless vicious insects and strange beasts dwelled within.

Countless insect clan experts occupied the place, and an incomparably terrifying Pan King ancestor sat in command.

Zhu Yin remembered that his master Zhunti had once mentioned this ancestor as well.

He did not interfere in internal conflicts and was only responsible for guarding the insect clans' paradise.

Even if someone died in the mountains, he would not concern himself with it.

It was just like the Gu Cultivation he practiced.

When the Heavenly Court was established, Dijun invited him to join, only to be refused.

Later, Pan King even displayed mid-stage Primordial Golden Immortal cultivation, leading an army of gu insects to repel the Demon Race and becoming renowned throughout the world.

This ancient expert was fierce of temperament and kept to himself. He was rather interesting indeed.

After Qingnu left, an elder of the Western Sea Dragon Clan did not immediately return to the sea.

He found Boy Attendant Wuxin and stated that he wished to meet Zhu Yin, intending to trade something for a drop of Three Lights Divine Water.

Zhu Yin had long known of the matter. After pondering briefly, he agreed.

However, when this Dragon Clan elder had bid for the Undying Spirit Wine at the auction, he had used high-grade water-attributed innate spiritual fruits. This time, Zhu Yin wanted earth-attributed ones.

The Dragon Clan elder considered it only briefly before nodding in agreement.

A hundred years later, he arrived at Spirit Platform Mountain as promised and visited Zhu Yin once more. At last, he obtained a drop of Three Lights Divine Water and departed in high spirits.

Zhu Yin, meanwhile, obtained nine rare Earth-Yellow Pear spiritual fruits.

This was a high-grade earth-attributed innate spiritual fruit. The Ji-Earth Spirit Root bore thirty-six of them every nine thousand years, and they contained the essence of the Dao of Earth.

This transaction also gave Zhu Yin a new understanding of the Dragon Clan's foundation.

Previously, he had held two guesses about the Dragon Clan. One was that they had long declined and were no longer as powerful as before. The other was that they were secretly conserving their strength and waiting for an opportunity to rise again.

Now, the latter seemed more likely.

Three Lights Divine Water was one of the top divine waters in the Primordial Wilderness, possessing boundless vitality and miraculous transformative power. Even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals would be tempted by it.

In the future, Nuwa would use Three Lights Divine Water and Primordial Breath Soil to mold humans and create mankind; after the Ginseng Fruit Tree was toppled, it would also rely on this divine water to recover.

Even with Zhu Yin's treasure bottle capable of nurturing life, it could only condense one drop of Three Lights Divine Water every ten thousand years. Had the bottle not accumulated over a thousand drops, Spirit Platform Mountain would never have prospered as it did today.

Little Pi Lan could not possibly have been born so early.

Nor would the mountain have possessed so many rare innate spiritual roots.

And he would have been unable to use Three Lights Divine Water to cleanse and refine the bloodlines of the two strange insects.

For this reason, Three Lights Divine Water was extraordinarily precious. Trading merely nine Earth-Yellow Pears for it was clearly a loss.

But Zhu Yin had not suffered a loss.

Besides the Earth-Yellow Pears, he had also received ten drops of "Four Seas True Water" as a gift from the Dragon Clan.

This water was also known as "Heavenly One True Water." It was the source of all waters of the Four Seas, and only the Dragon Clan possessed it.

A single drop could transform into rivers, lakes, and seas. It could not only fuse the five elements and harmonize all things, but also nourish the body and Primordial Spirit, increase cultivation, and even be used in artifact refinement and pill refinement.

Though it was slightly inferior to Three Lights Divine Water, its uses were broad, balancing hardness and softness, and it was also immensely precious.

Yet what pleased Zhu Yin most was still those nine Earth-Yellow Pears.

Not only would these fruits greatly benefit the immortals under his command, but their pits could also be used to attempt the cultivation of new spiritual roots.

Nine fruits meant nine pits.

Even if only one spiritual root successfully grew, it would still be an enormous profit.

He had already begun calculating that Spirit Platform Mountain might soon gain an earth-attributed innate spiritual root.

Originally, he had wanted to use the pits of mid-grade spiritual fruits to try cultivating innate spiritual roots. For this purpose, he had even specially borrowed Five-Colored Spirit Soil from Mount Sumeru... an extremely rare innate soil.

Now that he had found a source for high-grade earth-attributed spiritual roots, he could save some of the Five-Colored Spirit Soil.

He planned to use this soil to try growing a Ninth-Grade Black Lotus and a Ninth-Grade Golden Lotus.

In the future, he could use these two lotuses to sever source incarnations when he attempted to break through to Quasi-Sage.

Although this step was exceedingly difficult, it was always better to be prepared.

Even if he ultimately could not sever the Three Corpses, gaining one more high-grade innate spiritual treasure would still be a good thing.