The Qingyun mountain range stretched out, vast and boundless under a clear, cloudless sky.
High upon one of the green peaks, Chu Yuan lay resting in a rocking chair when he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his palm. Deep within the center of his hand, a rune was slowly emerging, vibrating violently. A closer look revealed two other runes besides this one—they were the characters for "Han," "Jiang," and "Yu." These represented his three former junior sisters. The original Chu Yuan had carved these runes into his skin out of fear that the three women might encounter danger; should they fall into peril, the corresponding rune would signal him.
"Jiang Wanqing is in danger?" Chu Yuan muttered indifferently. His palm gave a sudden jerk, and the rune connected to Jiang Wanqing was instantly peeled away, hovering in his palm before transforming into golden text. At the same moment, a black hole emerged in Chu Yuan's chest, sucking the rune inside to seal it. The runes carried their essence blood; by using his own constitution to seal them, Chu Yuan could inflict severe damage upon the women. Without hesitation, he sealed the remaining two runes into his body to refine them as well. Once refined, the three women would suffer a backlash.
Having finished, Chu Yuan stood up and headed north. The north was where the Sacred Land of Aurora was located, and where the ancient ruins were set to open. Though there was still a month left, he was a long distance away, and there was no harm in leaving early.
Shortly after Chu Yuan departed, several figures appeared on the green peak.
"He’s heading north! Follow him!"
"The Sect Master of the Qingyun Sect said that this boy has been struck by the Forbidden Technique of the Sacred Land of Aurora; his cultivation level will surely plummet sooner or later. We only need to shadow him and deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment!"
"Understood, Sect Master!"
The group followed closely in his wake.
***
In the Qingyun Sect, within the cultivation pagoda:
"How can this be? Our cultivation speed is so much slower on the sixth floor!"
"It’s true. Who would have thought the sixth floor would be so much slower than the ninth..."
Han Renxue and her two junior sisters looked visibly irritable. A six-fold cultivation speed compared to a nine-fold speed meant they were a full third slower. At this rate, they would have no advantage compared to the other genius disciples. But, unfortunately, they could not withstand the pressure of the floor above.
After a moment of silence, Han Renxue spoke up: "We might have wronged Chu Yuan. Setting aside his other issues, perhaps bringing us to the ninth floor really was for our own good; our cultivation speed did truly increase."
"Hmph! How can you think that, Senior Sister?" Jiang Wanqing retorted immediately, her face full of resentment. "In such a dangerous place, one mistake and we would have been finished! On the sixth floor, although it’s slower, at least we’re safe!"
"That’s right, Senior Sister!" Yu Qiuchui added, "If something had happened and we died on the ninth floor, what good would a fast cultivation speed be? You need to be alive to enjoy it."
"Exactly!" Jiang Wanqing agreed, casting a satisfied look at Yu Qiuchui. She found her junior sister’s perspective much clearer than Han Renxue’s.
Just as Jiang Wanqing was about to continue, a surge of backlash struck her heart.
"Pfft!!!"
She spat out a large mouthful of blood, her heart trembling violently as if a part of her soul had been refined away. The backlash was terrifying, causing cracks to form within her foundation and spirit.
"How is this possible?"
No sooner had Jiang Wanqing spoken than the other two women suffered the same fate.
"Pfft!!!" Both women vomited blood, their faces turning deathly pale.
"This... this is the backlash from having our essence blood refined!"
"I know!" Jiang Wanqing cried out, her mouth stained with blood. The other two looked up in shock. "It’s Chu Yuan! He’s refining our essence blood! That scoundrel, he’s so wicked!"
"Senior Sister! You just said we wronged him—do you regret saying that now? Can you see clearly yet? Chu Yuan is a heinous demonic cultivator! He refined our essence blood on purpose to make us suffer!" Jiang Wanqing grew more agitated as she spoke, coughing up more blood.
"I know, I know. Junior sisters, let’s heal our injuries first." A flicker of hatred crossed Han Renxue’s eyes as she began to mend her wounds.
Meanwhile, high above the Qingyun mountain range, Chu Yuan lay on a sword, flying through the sky. His divine sense enveloped the world below, observing the petty, trivial blood feuds of cultivators with a sense of nonchalant elegance.
[Ding! Remarks updated!]
"Oh? Let me see."
[User remark: Your actions now bear a resemblance to a demonic cultivator, though you can only be considered a third-rate one.]
"Oh." Chu Yuan nodded slightly and closed the System. It seemed the System wanted him to become a true demonic cultivator and slaughter the world to gain Demonic Points. While that would certainly be a fast way to gather points, he was already at the Peak Heaven Realm. With his various divine abilities, he had no reason to fear even the strongest in this realm, the Qingyun Sect Master Xiao Junmo. He was in no hurry to obtain these points; he had plenty of time.
If he were to be a demonic cultivator, he would simply be a casual one—sitting back to watch the Demon God awaken and purge the world, then seeing how the mighty ones of the Qingyun Sect would resist.
About half an hour later, Chu Yuan reached the edge of the Qingyun mountain range. Looking ahead, the terrain shifted from mountains to a vast territory. In its center stood a towering, majestic super-city: the Ancient Sword Dynasty.
It was a Sacred Lord-level power born from the secular world and a necessary stop on his way to the Sacred Land of Aurora. Moreover, forces built upon secular foundations like this always possessed super-teleportation arrays, which would allow him to reach his destination quickly. The Ancient Sword Dynasty was also the place where Chu Yuan was born. He still had many acquaintances there, including princes and princesses he had once competed against. It was a pity he had become so dazzling that he eventually became the peerless genius of the Qingyun Sect. Now that he had returned, having been expelled and framed as a demonic cultivator, he was curious how these old acquaintances would treat him.
With that thought, Chu Yuan accelerated, though he glanced back slightly before flying off.
Moments after he left, several figures materialized.
"What’s going on? Did he discover us?"
"Heh, I suspect he noticed us long ago but didn't dare to strike. It seems his cultivation really has gone awry, just as the Qingyun Sect Master said!"
"That’s good. I am currently at the sixth level of the Heaven Realm, which is more than enough to handle him together with you all. Once that brat’s cultivation drops to the sixth level, we will strike and kill him instantly!"
"We follow your lead, Sect Master!"
The figures vanished once more, trailing after Chu Yuan.
Not long after, Chu Yuan arrived at the main city of the Ancient Sword Dynasty. Outside the city gates, he immediately spotted a few familiar faces.