217: Stop killing with killing

[Over the course of half a year, you have traveled across dozens of Dynasties and hundreds of major cities.]

[You discovered that every major city had a statue of you, and many common folk were paying respects to you.]

[Your Divine Sense spread out like a tide, and the chatter from the market reached you clearly:]

["I heard that during the snow disaster in the Northern Border, Fengyun Pavilion moved three great mountains with a wave of a hand to block the cold wave..."]

["During the plague in the East Sea, Fengyun Pavilion scattered sweet dew, and the dying patients were able to get up and work the very next day!"]

["Last year, the three kingdoms of Qi, Ning, and Yuan fought, leaving corpses strewn across the fields. It was the Immortal Master of Fengyun Pavilion who stood in the air and severed the battle flags of the three armies with a single sword—only then did the conflict cease, saving tens of millions of common people!"]

[After listening carefully, you finally understood that Chen Yuanyuan had not only established branch pavilions in major cities over the years but also set the core philosophy of "receiving the Mandate of Heaven above, saving the common people below, and sharing a common destiny."]

[Fengyun Pavilion Disciples in white robes carrying swords traveled the world, slaying corrupt officials, punishing local tyrants, and vanquishing demons, to the point where even children sang, "Above the clear sky is the Fengyun."]

[Now, all major Dynasties revered Fengyun Pavilion as a living Buddha to the common people, and you, the Pavilion Master who never revealed your true appearance, had long been called the "Heaven-Shrouding Saint Hand" by the populace—]

[Meaning this invisible great hand provided shelter from the wind and rain for the common people.]

[These world-changing great deeds were naturally executed under Chen Yuanyuan's direction by the artifact spirit "qingming" and others.]

[Simpler matters were completed by the Fengyun Pavilion Disciples traveling throughout the world.]

["So this is how the Power of Sentient Beings is generated?" You smiled contentedly.]

[You thought of the horrific scene when the Yao Beasts invaded the Tianhuang Continent—mountains and rivers collapsed, city walls crumbled, fertile lands turned to scorched earth, and the entire continent was soaked in a crimson sea of blood, as if the end of the world had arrived.]

[Looking out now, within the territories of the major Dynasties, the fields are crisscrossed, the markets are bustling, and the people live in peace and contentment amidst the rising smoke from cooking fires, a scene of tranquility and prosperity.]

[What you felt was not joy, but a heavy realization—]

[You knew deeply that temporary peace was not the end.]

[Your mission was to protect every ordinary being on this land, turning this conviction into an eternal flame passed down through generations, allowing hope to forever exist in this world.]

[After learning the source of the "Power of Sentient Beings," you returned to Fengyun Pavilion to continue your seclusion.]

[The eighth year...]

[You finally achieved initial mastery of the "Slave Contract" Secret Method.]

[You remembered that last time it took you more than ten years to achieve initial mastery, but this time you were years faster.]

[You eagerly sought out the imprisoned Liu Ruyan—she had been kept in a courtyard within Fengyun Pavilion all these years.]

[Given Liu Ruyan's current state, you easily planted the Slave Contract Secret Method on her.]

[The stark difference in her before and after made you feel as if she had become a completely different person.]

[Of course, this change was only directed toward you—in front of you, she seemed to have lost her self-awareness.]

[You looked at her gentle gaze, recalled the hidden danger of the Lake of Reincarnation, and asked, "Do you know where the Lake of Reincarnation is? Is there a way to destroy it?"]

[Liu Ruyan nodded: "The Lake of Reincarnation is inside a grotto-heaven magical treasure and is guarded by the Great Protector. It would likely be very difficult to destroy."]

[Hearing her words, you couldn't help but frown.]

[You were very clear about the power of a grotto-heaven magical treasure.]

[Just like the qingming mirror, its main body is either hidden inside Qin Yu or concealed within the vast Void Realm. That's why, during your time in the Tianhuang Secret Realm, you seemed to have vanished into thin air.]

[Furthermore, a grotto-heaven magical treasure has another characteristic: within its Small World, it is equivalent to a "False Heavenly Dao," an almost invincible existence.]

[Trying to enter the grotto-heaven magical treasure to destroy the "Lake of Reincarnation" would be nothing short of a pipe dream.]

[Unless you could defeat the Great Protector and subdue the main body of that "grotto-heaven magical treasure."]

[Then, looking at Liu Ruyan, you started to worry again—having her follow you would easily expose yourself, especially since her identity was special.]

[Moreover, you had not been exposed this time. The Liu Clan Immortal Family should not know that you were the mastermind behind the "qingming mirror" incident.]

[Your only concern was whether the "Lake of Reincarnation" could predict the past events of this matter.]

[Thinking of this, you said to her, "You should return to the Liu Clan Immortal Family first and secretly monitor the movements of the Lake of Reincarnation for me. If anything happens, I will send someone with a black gold jade pendant to contact you."]

[Although Ru Yan was somewhat reluctant, she still nodded in agreement.]

[At the same time, you secretly agreed upon several details with her—]

[For instance, when encountering members of the Liu Clan, you would appear as her attendant, and your enrollment in the academy would also be at Liu Ruyan's instruction, the purpose being to scout for information on her behalf.]

[As for her disappearance over the past eight years, it was nothing to a Nascent Soul Cultivator.]

[After making arrangements for Liu Ruyan, you found Qin Yu again to discuss the matters of traveling to the Kunlun Dao Academy.]

[At sunrise,]

[You and Qin Yu appeared out of thin air in the residence you had purchased in Tianxuan Imperial City.]

[Looking at the empty courtyard, it felt as if an age had passed.]

[After buying this house, you had barely lived in it for a few days.]

[Coupled with the fact that you had been in seclusion recently, you knew very little about the current situation in the Immortal Domain. Thus, you immediately spread out your Divine Sense to listen for the latest news from the Immortal Domain—]

[In a teahouse, the discussions of Loose Cultivators could be heard, the topics involving private transactions of various Secret Realms, Opportunities, and Heaven And Earth Treasures, as well as various gossip.]

[One piece of news caught your particular attention:]

["The grotto-heaven magical treasure, the qingming mirror, that the Liu Clan Immortal Family put a bounty on—hasn't it been eight years already? They keep raising the reward every year, but sadly, there are still no clues."]

["Who says there are no clues? Eight years ago, the Shenkan Mountain Range suddenly disappeared. It's rumored to be related to a grotto-heaven magical treasure, maybe even the qingming mirror."]

["Even if that's true, so what? It's been eight years; the qingming mirror is probably no longer on our Tianxuan Continent."]

["With your cultivation level, stop dreaming! Even if you did encounter a grotto-heaven magical treasure, you wouldn't have the ability to subdue it."]

[This kind of news was virtually common knowledge, which is why these people dared to discuss it openly.]

[Listening to the discussions everywhere, you found that the hottest topic recently was the Liu Clan Immortal Family's bounty for the qingming mirror.]

[The main reason was that the reward amount this time was truly astonishing—one hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones, plus a Spirit Treasure, and the protection of the Liu Clan Immortal Family.]

[This attracted a large number of Loose Cultivators, powers, and assassination organizations to search for clues everywhere.]

[You didn't expect the Liu Clan Immortal Family to be willing to pay such a huge price just to recover the qingming mirror.]

[Just then—]

[Another piece of news caught your attention:]

["Did you hear? Feng Yu, the Young Lord of the Huanling Sect, has also been looking for a Loose Cultivator named Qin Chen for eight years. The reward amount isn't low either; it's ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones."]

["That Qin Chen is supposedly a Nascent Soul Senior. Isn't Feng Yu too bold, daring to put a bounty on a Nascent Soul mighty figure?"]

["I heard it's because Qin Chen impersonated a Disciple of Venerable Yuqing. That's why Feng Yu dares to be so high-profile; he's actually doing it for Venerable Yuqing to see."]

[After hearing all this, you instantly understood—]

[The matter of you impersonating Venerable Yuqing's apprentice had been exposed.]

[You didn't need to guess; Feng Yu must have gone to verify it.]

[However, you didn't care. You had planned to enroll in the academy anyway, and you also intended to take Venerable Yuqing as your master.]

[After investigating all the news, you and Qin Yu set off for the Kunlun Dao Academy.]

[It was very convenient, as one could teleport directly from Tianxuan Imperial City to the Kunlun Dao Academy.]

[You quickly received your student identification jade pendant at the academy's "Registry Hall."]

[The enrollment process was simple. You chose the Poison Dao Academy, just like last time, while your younger sister Qin Yu went to the Killing Dao Academy.]

[You curiously asked her, "Why did you choose the Killing Dao Academy?"]

[The sixteen-year-old girl, now graceful and slender, flashed a cold light in her eyes and spoke firmly: "To deal with the Liu Clan Immortal Family, the only way is to use killing to stop killing!"]