When one possessed of divine powers fell, heaven and earth felt it. The phenomenon spread on and on, scattering earth and stones across the ground.
Jiang Yang pressed a hand against the illustrated scroll. Once he realized what had happened, he instinctively turned his head and, sure enough, saw Qing He hovering silently in midair.
"Was that... your doing?"
Jiang Yang could think of no other explanation.
"Of course. His greed knew no bounds, and he kept pressing you harder. If I hadn't acted, you would surely have been forced out of the Grotto-Heaven..."
Qing He nodded lightly, as though it were only natural.
"That being the case, I could only leave his bones buried here. He's added a little thickness to the Grotto-Heaven—he should count it an honor."
"Someone with divine powers fell just like that?"
The might and terror of Purple Mansion had always been deeply rooted in Jiang Yang's heart. Yet what he had just witnessed seemed scarcely harder than slaughtering a chicken. He had only lost focus for an instant, and by the time he came to his senses, the man had already returned his Dao to heaven.
At his words, Qing He grinned, showing white teeth between red lips. There was no trace of her earlier imposing air as she chuckled.
"What else did you expect? What do you think golden nature is?"
"They... should be afraid of me."
An inexplicable chill ran through Jiang Yang's heart at those words. Qing He behaved so much like a living person that he often overlooked her true nature.
That's right. This golden nature was left behind by a True Lord. Dealing with a Purple Mansion cultivator on a whim would be as easy as reaching out and taking something.
Qing He, however, was in a rather poor