31: Something seems to be wrong

On the square of Qinglan Holy Land, a silent undercurrent surged.

The tongxuan mirror bestowed by Gongzi Qin floated in mid-air, its swirling cloud patterns and Dao rhymes reflecting on everyone's faces.

Thousands of Inner Sect Disciples, Outer Sect Disciples, deacons, and servants prostrated themselves, cautiously looking up, their eyes filled with envy.

They couldn't help but wonder—if they could gain the favor of that Immortal from the Upper Realm, would they also be able to ascend in one step?

Some looked at the tongxuan mirror in Yin Qiyue's hand, fantasizing about the glory of standing with the mirror themselves.

Some stared at the jade pill bottle, as if already smelling the medicinal fragrance.

Even a few bold Inner Sect Disciples were already pondering in their hearts how to curry favor with this Saintess in the future.

The prostrate Elders stared at the treasure, their eyes flashing with greed, then fear, finally transforming into a certain resolve—

"Please... please Saintess Yin, assume the position of Sect Master!"

The Grand Elder suddenly shouted, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab with a heavy thud.

This sound was like a thunderclap, and the entire Holy Land first fell silent, then a chorus of agreement rose and fell:

"Only Saintess Yin can inherit the Immortal's edge!"

"Qinglan, from top to bottom, will follow Saintess Yin's lead!"

Steal the treasure?

Don't be ridiculous, haven't you seen that the corpse on the ground isn't even cold yet?

Yin Qiyue froze in place, the precious mirror in her hand almost slipping.

She was barely 20 years old, yet she was now pushed into the esteemed position of Sect Master.

She didn't rush to refuse, but subconsciously looked in the direction of the flying boat.

By now, the flying boat had already ascended, breaking through the Void Realm and disappearing.

Yin Qiyue looked at the precious mirror and bottle in her hand and whispered, "What exactly is Gongzi Qin's intention?"

"What does he mean by 'Qinglan Holy Land is not peaceful,' and what does he want me to do?"

After much thought, she had only one answer in her heart.

"Gongzi Qin wants me to manage the Holy Land, to be his hawk."

No one would refuse such a good thing, but on the other hand.

'He killed the Sect Master who was kind to me...'

For a moment, Yin Qiyue was lost in confusion.

!!!

Suddenly, the remaining warning runes of the mountain protection array flashed violently.

"Report! The allied armies of the Blazing Heaven, Suppressing Hell, and Scarlet Firmament Holy Lands have been spotted seven hundred miles away!" The scout's voice trembled, "They... they..."

The Grand Elder's face turned pale. These old enemies must have noticed the shattered mountain protection array and seized the opportunity to attack.

Now that the Holy Land's grand array was destroyed, how could they resist?

"Sect Master, please follow me; everyone else, prepare for battle!"

Although the Elders had ulterior motives, their capabilities were indeed undeniable, and they immediately issued orders.

However, just as the two sides were about to clash—

"Blazing Heaven Holy Land, with its sect-suppressing treasure 'Nirvana Fire,' comes to pay homage!"

"Xuanming Holy Land offers ten thousand catties of Spirit Stones!"

"Scarlet Firmament Holy Land is willing to cede three Spirit Mines, only to meet the Immortal from the Upper Realm!"

Three messages echoed through the sky, but what was even more shocking than the sound was the scene in the distance—the Sect Masters of the three great Holy Lands personally led their teams, yet all had removed their crowns and disheveled their hair, kneeling before the mountain gate ten miles away like guilty officials.

Behind them, the vast army of Cultivators was now prostrating themselves, as if surrendering.

“This…”

The Elders were stunned, momentarily unable to comprehend the situation.

"They are here to pay homage to Gongzi Qin," Yin Qiyue said, reacting.

Only she had a clear mind at the moment.

Seeing such a large flying boat, others naturally assumed that an Immortal from the Upper Realm had descended.

Although, in fact, that was true.

"Then how should we respond?"

"Yes, Sect Master, what should we do?"

Suddenly, everyone's gaze turned to her.

Only then did Yin Qiyue feel a sense of reality, never expecting that she would actually become the Sect Master because of a single word from Gongzi Qin.

Since that was the case...

She took a deep breath, then loudly declared, "Open the gates and welcome them!"

Although she was mentally prepared, when Yin Qiyue looked at the thousands of Cultivators kneeling outside the mountain gate.

Only then did she finally understand that what Gongzi Qin had casually bestowed was not just a treasure—

It was a demon-revealing mirror, exposing the ugly truth of the entire cultivation world's sycophancy;

It was also a sky-measuring ruler, measuring the insignificance of so-called Holy Land dignity before absolute power.

But there was one thing she still didn't understand—

"Why on earth did Gongzi Qin kill the Sect Master?"

Days later, in a stone chamber in the Forbidden Ground of Qinglan Holy Land.

Yin Qiyue sat in the Sect Master's seat, with several core Elders, led by the Elder of Transmission, kneeling before her.

Candlelight flickered in the stone chamber, illuminating the densely packed jade tablets on the wall—these were the names of the Disciples who had "disappeared" over the years.

"Speak," she tapped her finger lightly on the armrest, her voice as cold as ice, "Tell me everything you know, without missing a single word!"

The Elders exchanged glances, and finally revealed the truth.

"Sect Master... no, Xuanmingzi he..."

As the Elders confessed Xuanmingzi's crimes, Yin Qiyue's original faith completely collapsed—

"So... the Sect Master I respected so much since I joined the sect, not only regarded Disciples as Cauldrons, but also used the essence and blood of fellow Disciples to refine Alchemy?" Her voice was as light as a dream, yet her fingertips dug deeply into her palm, blood dripping between her fingers.

The tongxuan mirror reflected her distorted image, and the girl in the mirror suddenly laughed:

"Gongzi Qin killed well... he killed really well!"

Crack!

The armrest was crushed by her bare hands.

Yin Qiyue whispered deliriously amidst the flying fragments: "You filthy things, do you even deserve to be called a 'Holy Land'?!"

Only at this moment did she understand how merciful Gongzi Qin's assessment of "not peaceful" was.

That wasn't disappointment at all, but the last shred of dignity given to these beasts!

The Grand Elder prostrated himself, hitting his head on the ground: "We deserve ten thousand deaths! But at the time, we truly had no choice! Everything was for the Holy Land!"

"Shut up!"

"For the Holy Land, you can kill the innocent?!"

"If Gongzi Qin hadn't acted, who knows how many more would have died."

"You don't know you're wrong; you know you're going to die!"

The tongxuan mirror suddenly erupted with a dazzling clear light, making several people unable to open their eyes.

Yin Qiyue trembled all over, not from fear, but from excitement!

She finally understood why Gongzi Qin killed people; it wasn't senseless bloodlust, but a cleanup of a pile of rotten garbage!

Without any explanation, she almost misunderstood him.

But on second thought, why would Gongzi Qin need to explain anything to her?

It was because she wasn't strong enough!

"Give the order!" Yin Qiyue suddenly rose, and the jade pill bottle in her sleeve emitted a Dragon-like resonance.

"Effective immediately, Qinglan Holy Land will be renamed 'Dao Seeking Palace.'"

"All who participated in the evil Cultivator's affairs, self-cripple your cultivation to preserve your corpse."

"At the same time, build a stone statue to offer incense and worship Gongzi Qin!"