Obtaining the Flame Cloud Fruit, Returning to the Eight Gods Pavilion

A massive flying ship sailed slowly across the sky. The Grand Elder summoned Qin Yi to her room and, looking at his unfamiliar face, smiled and said, "Take off your disguise. It's just the two of us here, so you have nothing to worry about anymore."

"Your disciple Qin Yi greets the Grand Elder."

Qin Yi removed White Visage, revealing his true face. Looking at the familiar face before her, the Grand Elder shook her head. "Little Qin Yi, we haven't seen each other for years. If it hadn't been for you this time, I'm afraid we would all have died there."

"I am a disciple of the Eight Gods Pavilion, and the pavilion master's personal disciple at that. It was only right for me to act on the pavilion's behalf," Qin Yi said hastily, deflecting the praise. Truth be told, if he hadn't run out of options, he would never have called forth Song Qi's strand of divine sense from Cangyuan. Whenever he thought of how his strongest life-saving measure was gone just like that, his heart ached.

Seeing Qin Yi put on an expression that said he was willing to make any sacrifice for the sect, the Grand Elder's lips curled up slightly. She didn't expose him; everyone had their own selfish interests, after all. But since Qin Yi had rendered such a great service, she still had to compensate him.

"You contributed greatly in this battle. As Grand Elder, I will certainly report it to the sect and secure a generous reward for you."

When Qin Yi heard that the Grand Elder intended to report it to the sect, he was just about to offer a polite refusal when a fiery-red spirit fruit suddenly appeared in her hand. The moment it appeared, Qin Yi felt the spiritual power in his body suddenly grow restless.

Seeing Qin Yi look as though he wanted to speak but was holding back, the Grand Elder chuckled inwardly. Go on, keep pretending. The spirit fruit in her hand then floated toward Qin Yi. "I obtained this spirit fruit at an auction several years ago. It is called a Flame Cloud Fruit, and it comes in two colors, cyan and red. Though both are called Flame Cloud Fruits, their effects differ."

"A ripe red Flame Cloud Fruit can improve a cultivator's control over flames and strengthen fire-attribute martial techniques. It can also refine a cultivator's spiritual power, making it purer. The cyan one, meanwhile, contains a vast amount of Spiritual Qi and can help a cultivator break through a bottleneck. I can see that the spiritual power in your body is saturated. With your talent, I imagine you are close to breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, so I am giving you this fruit."

At that, Qin Yi swallowed the polite refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue. He had indeed reached the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He had originally wanted to consolidate his cultivation a little longer, but as long as he obtained this Flame Cloud Fruit now, he was confident he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage within three days. He stopped being polite and put the Flame Cloud Fruit into his Storage Bag.

Seeing Qin Yi accept the Flame Cloud Fruit, the Grand Elder smiled. "Once we return, I'll apply to the sect for a reward. I'll make sure you receive a cyan Flame Cloud Fruit, so wait a few more days. Using both fruits together will have a better effect."

Since the Grand Elder had put it that way, Qin Yi stopped being polite and put away the spirit fruit. "Thank you, Grand Elder," he said.

After speaking, the Grand Elder slowly rose and left the room, with Qin Yi following her out. The two stood at the bow of the flying ship, looking down at the tiny, bustling cities below as a bitter wind beat against them. The Grand Elder fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Qin Yi, the righteous path suffered devastating losses in this battle. While some of the blame lies with us, more importantly, there was a traitor within the righteous path."

"This person must hold a high position. Not only could he keep track of our movements at all times, but he could also lead us into a trap the demonic path had prepared long ago. So after we return, I hope you will be extremely careful of the people around you. After all, we cannot rule out the possibility that the traitor is in the Eight Gods Pavilion."

Qin Yi agreed with the Grand Elder. From the time the righteous and demonic paths prepared for battle to the righteous path's near-total annihilation, their every step had been part of the demonic path's calculations. The tallest tree in the forest was the first to be broken by the wind; he understood that much.

Now that a decisive battle had been set for ten years from now, the geniuses of the righteous path would become targets of the demonic path. As the Eight Gods Pavilion master's personal disciple, someone would surely make a move against him. Returning to the sect this time might not be a good thing. If he was careless, he might even bring a fatal disaster upon himself.

Seeing Qin Yi sink into thought, the Grand Elder said no more. She had said what needed to be said, and she trusted Qin Yi to know what to do from here. What worried her more was the strife within the righteous path. The Eight Gods Pavilion could be said to have stolen the show in this battle, and those people were even less willing to see a genius emerge from another sect. That was why Bai Junhao, all those years ago...

The Grand Elder sighed softly and turned to leave. After a long while, Qin Yi shook his head and left the bow. When soldiers came, he would send generals to block them; when floodwaters rose, he would pile up earth to hold them back. Only by improving his own strength could he keep anyone from daring to make a move against him.

The flying ship sped toward the Eight Gods Pavilion, weaving through the constantly shifting clouds.

Three days later, the flying ship finally entered the Eight Gods Pavilion's territory. At the sight of the familiar scenery in the distance, some disciples couldn't help shedding tears. They had set out in groups of two or three, but now they returned alone. Back then, none of them had imagined they would never see one another again.

For some people, one farewell lasted a lifetime. When they set out, their hearts had been filled with ambitions that reached the clouds, and they had hoped to earn merit in the great battle. But when the demonic path attacked the city, they had finally understood that simply staying alive was already good enough.

Looking at the familiar scenery before him, Qin Yi couldn't help feeling reflective. Truly, time slipped by unnoticed during cultivation. It felt as though little time had passed, but when he counted carefully, he had already been away for more than a year. He had also experienced countless things in that time, yet the scene of his departure was still vivid before his eyes.

"Everyone, welcome back to the Eight Gods Pavilion. This is your strongest support."

"We lost this battle, but in the next, we will surely destroy them. You have ten years. I hope you can pull yourselves together. The day you take your revenge is not far off!"