"Qing Qiu! How dare you! The Brahma Sound Pure Land, the Great Ci Dynasty, is a sacred ground for women! You dare slander it?"
Sage Ruler Jin De was the first to react. She pointed at Qing Qiu.
"If not for the Pure Land's protection, you would be a wandering vagrant! If not for Elder Sister's kindness, would you have achieved your current status? You are ungrateful!
Among the ten great Sage Rulers, there is actually a traitor like you! I, Jin De, am ashamed to be associated with you!"
Jin De had always disliked Qing Qiu. Today, she finally had a legitimate reason to criticize her publicly.
However, her insults didn't affect Qing Qiu. She remained calm, her gaze indifferent. She glanced at Jin De briefly.
"I am indeed grateful for the Pure Land's protection. But I have also paid the price. We are even. There is no debt between us."
Jin De was taken aback. Her gaze shifted towards Empress Yao Guang's desk. Upon it lay a sword and an imperial seal.
The Emperor's Sword of Great Ci, formerly known as Emperor Xin's Human Sovereign Sword. The Imperial Seal of Great Ci, formerly known as the Imperial Seal of the Shang Dynasty.
Treasures of the nation!
Jin De was speechless. These two treasures had helped Empress Yao Guang comprehend Pangu's Giant Body, the divine ability of an Emperor. Surely they were more than enough to repay any debt Qing Qiu might have owed.
"I'm leaving." Qing Qiu looked around. "Will anyone stop me?"
No one answered.
When the ten great Sage Rulers were still together, Qing Qiu's rank had been second to last. No one knew her true strength. But today, even Bai Rong was aware.
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu, an eighth-rank Great Vehicle Realm cultivator. She was among the strongest in the world.
Only Emperor Jiajing's cultivation level was undoubtedly higher than hers.
Empress Yao Guang was rumored to have reached the eighth rank many years ago. Perhaps she was already at the ninth rank.
Moreover, Yao Guang had mastered Pangu's Giant Body, the Emperor's divine ability. Within the Great Ci Dynasty, she was invincible.
Unless Yao Guang intervened, who could possibly stop Qing Qiu?
Jin De's face flushed with anger. She wished Qing Qiu were dead!
But she was no match for Qing Qiu.
"May I leave?"
Qing Qiu finally looked at Empress Yao Guang. It was Yao Guang who held absolute authority in the Great Ci Dynasty.
"Alas…"
Empress Yao Guang sighed deeply and raised her left hand. It was stained with blood, the blood of Danzhu. Slowly, she extended her hand towards Qing Qiu.
Jin De watched in anticipation. She was eager to see Elder Sister's World in Her Palm technique once more!
But she was disappointed.
Empress Yao Guang simply patted Qing Qiu's shoulder gently and smiled.
"Silly girl. You wish to leave the Pure Land. This means our karmic ties have reached their end."
It was rare for Yao Guang to speak of the Pure Land, not the Great Ci Dynasty. At that moment, she seemed to have returned to her former self, the compassionate and ethereal Supreme Sage Ruler, not the ambitious Empress who sought to conquer the world.
Her bloodstained palm left a mark on Qing Qiu's shoulder. Qing Qiu didn't seem to mind. She looked at Yao Guang calmly.
"Our karmic ties might be over, Sister, but our bond as sisters will never change. You wish to leave, so leave. How could I possibly deny you your freedom?
But Sister, please promise me one thing. Do not sever the bond between us. It's a precious connection."
Qing Qiu frowned.
She hesitated.
In the past, she would have believed Yao Guang's words without question.
But now, Fan Li's mischievous smile appeared in her mind. The rogue seemed to be saying, "Qing Qiu, are you truly this foolish? How many times has Yao Guang tricked you? Haven't you learned your lesson?"
"Damn him!"
Qing Qiu felt a strange sensation. Her cheeks flushed, as if Fan Li had exposed her weakness.
"Sister, what did you say?" Empress Yao Guang's gentle smile faltered.
What was happening?
Qing Qiu, known for her emotional detachment, had just shown a hint of… shyness?
But within moments, she regained her composure.
"Nothing. I agree to your request, Elder Sister."
She agreed, but she stepped back, putting distance between them. Only when she felt safe did she turn and walk towards the exit.
"Farewell, everyone."
Qing Qiu's figure disappearing from view.
Silence descended upon the palace.
After a long moment, Empress Yao Guang finally spoke. "Issue my decree. From this day forward, Qing Qiu is no longer a member of the Great Ci Dynasty. All her titles and positions are revoked."
"Elder Sister?!" Jin De was shocked.
"That's it? You're letting her go? How can the Great Ci Dynasty allow someone to simply come and go as they please?"
Before she could finish, she noticed the coldness in Empress Yao Guang's eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
She had never seen Yao Guang like this. A chill ran through her body. Fear spread rapidly. Jin De lowered her head, unable to meet the Empress's gaze. Then, she heard Bai Rong's voice, a tentative suggestion.
"Elder Sister, should we… wait until Qing Qiu leaves Great Ci's territory before taking action?"
Jin De's head shot up!
Why hadn't she thought of that?
How foolish!
To attack Qing Qiu within the Chao Ge Palace would be seen as an internal conflict, a sign of weakness in the dynasty's leadership.
But to eliminate her outside Great Ci's borders, that was a different matter.
Moreover, they could conceal the news.
They would simply announce that Qing Qiu had left the dynasty. The reason for her departure? They could easily fabricate a story. Dead women couldn't defend themselves.
"Alas… I don't wish to do this," Empress Yao Guang sighed. She stared at her left hand. "Sister Qing Qiu was right. The Great Ci Dynasty is no longer the Pure Land it once was. Therefore, those who abandon us… cannot be spared."
…
The Mark.
It wasn't until a day later that Qing Qiu realized Empress Yao Guang had used a secret technique, leaving a mark upon her shoulder with that seemingly harmless pat.
Initially, she hadn't noticed the mark. When she reached the border of the Great Ci Dynasty, she had hesitated, feeling lost.
Was this what it meant to be homeless?
Where could she go?
The Tomb of Xuanyuan?
That was her ancestral burial ground. It was no longer her home.
Qing Qiu thought of Fan Li. She felt a warmth spread through her.
That day, on a whim, she had asked if he could give her a home.
He had actually agreed.
Head southeast?
He had given her a direction, but hadn't told her what awaited her there.
She vaguely remembered that southeast was where the vast Southern Ridge Mountains were located. And she also remembered that Nanchao, where Fan Li and Bai Shijiu had gone, was also in the southeast.
Whatever, she'd just go.
The unknown held a certain allure.
Having abandoned her position as a Sage Ruler, Qing Qiu felt a lightness, a sense of freedom. It was a feeling she had last experienced when she had left the Tomb of Xuanyuan as a child.
But time had passed. The Pure Land, once a haven, had become a cage, a burden weighing heavily upon her.
"Something's wrong!"
As she was about to enter the Southern Ridge Mountains, Qing Qiu finally sensed something amiss.
The mark on her shoulder, Empress Yao Guang's aura, could no longer be concealed.
The Empress's Mark!
Slap!
Qing Qiu struck her shoulder, destroying the mark. But she knew it was too late. If there was a mark, there must be pursuers.
Ahead lay the vast and treacherous Southern Ridge Mountains. Perhaps Fan Li's "home" awaited her there.
But if she continued forward, if Fan Li was waiting for her, they would have to face the danger together.
She would face it alone!
Qing Qiu stopped, turning around.
The path behind her was empty. There was no sign of any pursuers.
"Show yourselves. I can smell you."
"Humph!"
Sage Ruler Jin De was the first to appear. She glared at Qing Qiu.
"So, the fox's nose is truly this sensitive? It's a pity you discovered it too late, Qing Qiu."
A pink figure suddenly appeared. Barefoot, with a slender, alluring figure, dressed in revealing and extravagant clothing, her arms cradling the Heavenly Demon Zither, it was Sage Ruler Miaoyin.
"Oh, Qing Qiu, why did you have to awaken? In my experience, dying in blissful ignorance is also a form of happiness."
Her voice was sweet and seductive, but her words were even crueler than Jin De's.
"Hee hee? Sister Miaoyin has so much experience. Rong'er must learn from you. Perhaps I should try assassinating a few people someday!"
Bai Rong's figure appeared, but she remained far behind. It seemed as if her cultivation was too weak to keep up with the other two Sage Rulers. Or perhaps she knew that her low cultivation level would be a liability in the upcoming battle?
"Rong'er, step back."
As Empress Yao Guang's voice echoed through the air, a gust of wind swept across the landscape, pushing Bai Rong hundreds of meters backward. She landed on a small hilltop.
Jin De glared at Bai Rong enviously. Elder Sister was truly spoiling her. A Great Vehicle Realm battle, and Bai Rong was allowed to observe from a safe distance?
But then, she remembered. Bai Rong was the heir to the Sage Ruler of Blood's legacy. The path of blood was paved with slaughter and bloodshed. This was the most effective way to train Bai Rong.
Empress Yao Guang descended from the sky.
She wore her dragon robes, her aura majestic and imposing.
"You've come to kill me? So, yesterday's talk of sisterly affection was another lie?"
Qing Qiu's words were always blunt and direct.
Disgust flickered in the Empress's cold eyes. She had always disliked Qing Qiu's manner of speaking.
Previously, Yao Guang had endured it. But today, there was no need.
"Kill her."
Yao Guang uttered those two words, cold and ruthless.
A golden light suddenly illuminated the sky.
Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of golden pages appeared, blocking the sun. The pages were filled with words, each sentence a maxim of feminine virtue. And each maxim transformed into a tangible shackle, binding Qing Qiu.
Clang!
Clang, clang!
The shackles instantly bound Qing Qiu's wrists and ankles. Two thick chains wrapped around her neck and waist. Before she could react, the sound of a zither echoed through the heavens and the earth!
From all directions, blades of light, formed from the zither's melody, hurtled towards her. They were sharper and more powerful than the blades that had attacked Danzhu.
"On the battlefield, autumn's soldiers gather!" Miaoyin shouted, unleashing countless blades.
Qing Qiu, trapped by the shackles, was about to be torn to shreds. Suddenly, a tail emerged from behind her. The tail swayed, its color shifting rapidly, finally settling on a silvery gray.
The fox's tail brushed against the shackles. It was a gentle motion, like a caress, but the sound it produced was like metal clashing against metal.
Where the tail touched, the shackles shattered.
"Paper is wood. Metal overcomes wood," Qing Qiu whispered.
Thud!
As the shackles were destroyed, Jin De suffered a backlash. The countless pages in the sky exploded into confetti. She coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground!
Qing Qiu ignored Jin De, turning her attention to the blades of light that still surrounded her.
"Fire overcomes metal," she said.
Her tail instantly transformed into a fiery red. Nine balls of strange spiritual fire appeared, floating around her, forming a protective circle.
The blades of light, unable to penetrate the fire, were consumed!
Qing Qiu was unharmed. One of the fireballs, under her control, launched itself towards Miaoyin. It transformed into a blazing meteor, its speed far surpassing that of the zither's blades.
The meteor grew larger as it flew. Miaoyin, unable to react in time, was engulfed by flames!
"Aaaaaaaah! Elder Sister, save me!"
Qing Qiu realized something was wrong. Jin De and Miaoyin, the weaker Sage Rulers, had both attacked. But why hadn't Yao Guang moved?
If the three of them had attacked together, she would have been overwhelmed. She wouldn't have been able to counterattack.
As she thought this, Qing Qiu felt an immense force strike her back!
It was as if a mountain had crashed into her!
She was sent flying. Blood splattered from her lips.
"So… it was a trap…"
Qing Qiu, through her blurry vision, saw Empress Yao Guang. While she had been fighting the other two Sage Rulers, Yao Guang had moved behind her. She hadn't rescued Miaoyin. She had launched a sneak attack!
"Fan Li said… 'When you can't win, run…'"
Qing Qiu remembered Fan Li's words. The rogue had actually tried to teach her how to fight.
How ridiculous!
She was an eighth-rank Great Vehicle Realm expert. He was a mere Golden Core cultivator.
But that day, when he had asked her to deliver the letter, he had insisted on teaching her how to fight.
"Don't take unnecessary risks. Only fight when you can win. If you can't win, run. Especially if you're outnumbered. Your first instinct should be to escape."
Qing Qiu had asked, "Even if I'm strong enough, I still have to run?"
"Run! Of course you run! Unless you're so powerful that you can crush them all with a single finger. But most of the time, if you're outnumbered, they'll try to sneak attack you. And then you're in trouble."
He had been right.
Then she would run.
Qing Qiu didn't hesitate. She was still being flung backward by the force of Yao Guang's attack. She used the momentum to propel herself even further.
"You have more people. I won't fight." Even as she fled, Qing Qiu couldn't help but explain herself.
Empress Yao Guang was stunned. Was this truly the Qing Qiu she knew?
Run when you can't win?
"Pursue her!"
Yao Guang was enraged. She dispersed the fire that had trapped Miaoyin and reached out with her hand.
The World in Her Palm technique!
Aside from crushing her enemies, she could also use it to transport her allies.
Qing Qiu's escape was too swift. Jin De, Miaoyin, and Bai Rong couldn't possibly catch up to her.
Only Yao Guang herself could.
"Elder Sister!"
Miaoyin's scream echoed from within the World in Her Palm.
"Catch her! Kill her!"