CHAPTER 71.1: HEAVEN'S END, LAST STEP

Qi Yuan hacked down the two cultivators as easily as chopping vegetables. It all happened too suddenly, and Jiang Lingsu was utterly dumbfounded.

When she heard Qi Yuan call out to her, she blinked her wide eyes, showing a pitiful look. "Senior Brother, I didn't see anything! I don't know anything!"

Could it be Senior Brother is actually an old demon who had seized someone's body? That was Jiang Lingsu's very first thought. Killing two Foundation Establishments with a single vegetable knife. That is way too brutal!

No wonder his murderous aura was so thick. Turns out, it wasn't fake. To think she'd naively assumed Senior Brother only had that aura because he played too many games! While she was cultivating, he'd likely sneaked out every day, roaming the land and slaughtering endlessly. That strike just now could've wounded even a Core Formation realm cultivator if it had caught them off guard.

Jiang Lingsu's heart pounded uneasily.

Qi Yuan was startled, his expression anxious. "Junior Sister, how could you treat your Senior Brother like this and not take responsibility?"

When she looked at his expression, he didn't seem to be pretending. It was difficult to imagine the same man had just murdered people in cold blood.

Had she misjudged him? Or was this old demon simply that good at pretending?

Secretly, she activated the Kunqian Mirror. The result showed that Senior Brother's cultivation was indeed at Peak Qi Refinement realm. His soul was intact, showing no sign of possession.

Jiang Lingsu was both shocked and delighted. He was far too ferocious back then. Thankfully, he hadn't been seized by some old demon.

She contemplated over it, carefully replaying Senior Brother's strike in her mind. It seemed ordinary, yet deadly.

"Senior Brother, why so ruthless? If it's inconvenient, you don't need to answer."

Qi Yuan relentlessly cut straight to the chase. "I'll tell you if you promise to take responsibility."

It was the same old Senior Brother after all.

Jiang Lingsu rubbed her forehead. "...I'll take responsibility."

The words felt strange as they left her lips. It was almost as if she'd slept with Senior Brother and was being forced to acknowledge it.

"Because in the game, I went through endless slaughter. Every day I was just killing, killing, killing! Killing without end. I don't even know how much time I spent killing," Qi Yuan said seriously, with a hint of weariness.

Really? Inside a game jade slip? For some reason, Jiang Lingsu felt a pang of sympathy. When she thought of the Seven-Colored Peak Master, she suddenly understood.

Even though Senior Brother's strike was anything but refined, the battle instincts were flawless, as if second nature. Without endlessly battles, no one could polish their combat instincts to such a degree. To allow him to fight daily, honing himself again and again, his gaming slip must be extremely precious.

Who could've bestowed it besides their mysterious master? Still, Jiang Lingsu couldn't understand. What use was it for a Qi Refinement realm cultivator to master so many battle skills?

"Senior Brother, you're amazing. In regions where the Dao prospers, you'd already count as a true prodigy!"

Of course, she didn't say the other half of her thoughts aloud—that Senior Brother was just a juvenile prodigy. Compared to true, fully grown ones, he still had a long way to go.

His strength was indeed far beyond ordinary Peak Qi Refinement realm cultivators. Cross-realm battles were rare, but she'd seen them before. Honestly, had it been someone she already knew, the reality would've been easier to swallow.

However, because she'd always underestimated Senior Brother, it shocked her into wild speculation. She felt clarity wash over her, like clouds parting to reveal the sun. Senior Brother was that person's disciple. Wasn't it normal for him to rival prodigies?

With such strength and striking good looks, Senior Brother actually seems like quite an outstanding man. As she thought this, ripples stirred quietly in her heart.

"Junior Sister, there's no need for flattery. You said you'd take responsibility!"

That shattered her fantasy instantly.

Jiang Lingsu sighed. "Senior Brother, if only you didn't have a mouth."

Qi Yuan declared loudly, "Whether I have a mouth or not, you still have to take responsibility! You egged me on! You're the mastermind, I'm just the accomplice!"

Jiang Lingsu rolled her eyes, her gaze carrying a hint of irresistible charm. She said softly, "These two were killed by me."

She had already planned how to deal with the aftermath. Naturally, she wouldn't frame the Divine Radiance Sect for it. She'd shoulder it alone.

Qi Yuan immediately countered. "I was just passing by. I can be the witness. It was those two who attacked you first, and you had no choice but to fight back!"

Jiang Lingsu was going numb from his twisted logic. Was this even human speech? From murderer to eyewitness, in one breath!

Jiang Lingsu and Qi Yuan walked over to the corpses. She bent down, slipping Zhu Lianhua's storage bag off his body. With a flick of her jade-like hand, a jade slip fell into her palm.

Her expression cleared. "As expected. The Bright Palace sent this man to the Great Shang to seize control and bring the kingdom under their dominion!"

Qi Yuan leaned in closer. "What do you mean?"

"The Eastern Lands have thirteen provinces. The Bright Palace is based in Cuiyun Immortal Province. From there, it takes half a month to reach the Hundred Nations by a flying ship. The Hundred Nations' sects aren't as vast as the Bright Palace. Instead, they fight endlessly, each kingdom battling the next. Great Shang is but one of those hundred nations. Altogether, the Hundred Nations cover an area about the size of one Eastern Land province."

Qi Yuan's sense of pride deflated. "That map is way too big. Doesn't that make me look like a country bumpkin?"

Joining the Seven-Colored Peak and becoming the chief disciple made him feel proud. He had been convinced he was a dragon among men. Hearing Jiang Lingsu's explanation shattered his illusion.

At best, he was like the deputy leader of some small-town elementary school's Year 1, Class 6, Study Group No. 7. Destroying the Black Mountain Sect was no different than getting into a spat with the chubby kid next door, then sneaking into his chicken coop at night to beat up his fat chicken.

Jiang Lingsu consoled him. "Senior Brother, don't belittle yourself. The Hundred Nations may lack Violet Palace realm cultivators, but their strength is still formidable."

The Jiang clan was a great family even within the thirteen provinces of the Eastern Lands. Yet to the true experts, they could be erased with a flick of the wrist.

Jiang Lingsu even suspected the great disaster looming over the Canglan World had long been foreseen by peerless figures. Well, even if they knew, why would they bother to warn weaklings like her?

After the sting of deflation, Qi Yuan suddenly felt a wave of safety. "I'm not belittling myself. I feel pretty good, actually."

The bigger the world, the smaller he seemed, and the less chance he'd attract the attention of terrifying powerhouses. Low-key development was the way forward.

"The Bright Palace wants to prop up certain kingdoms among the Hundred Nations. That's why they sent Zhu Lianhua."

Qi Yuan nodded firmly, feeling justified. "Interfering in another country's affairs? He deserved to die! The Bright Palace is disgusting for trying to lord over me!"

"As for me..." Jiang Lingsu's lips curled into a sly smile. "I am actually a member of the Divine Flower Society, which has always opposed the Bright Palace. Naturally, I always make sure to foil their plans."

She pressed her palm down, from which a strange petal slipped, embedding itself in Zhu Lianhua's chest.

"This is the emblem of the Divine Flower Society. Once his corpse is returned to the Bright Palace, they'll know exactly who killed him. Now, what we need to do is simply ensure their bodies are discovered and delivered to Ling Tian Pavilion."

The second part was trivial and easily handled.

Qi Yuan, however, latched onto the first part. "The Divine Flower Society? What's that?"

"The Divine Flower Society is an alliance of ambitious cultivators. Unlike the Bright Palace, it is quite lax. Members usually hide their identities, meet secretly, and trade resources."

Qi Yuan's interest stirred immediately. That sounds perfect...

He lacked nothing more than cultivation methods. If he could get in, he could harvest techniques by the handful.

"Junior Sister, can I join too?"

Jiang Lingsu hesitated. "With your talent, yes. But your background is... too low."

Qi Yuan froze. "Your birth is judged even in the cultivation world?! What of the saying 'Are nobles born to rule'? The Divine Flower Society clearly has no vision! If they don't unite the masses, they won't last!"

Rejected? Time to roast them.

Jiang Lingsu laughed lightly. "Of course background matters. The world isn't short of geniuses. What's scarce are resources. Well, worry not. Once you step into the Foundation Establishment realm, you should be able to join with my guarantee."

"Wow, the Divine Flower Society is pretty interesting after all. Thanks, Junior Sister."

The dragon-slayer slowly became a dragon himself...

"Alright, Senior Brother, let's go."

Qi Yuan paused, embarrassed. "Junior Sister, should we... loot the corpses?"