Fangyuan’s Departure and the Aftermath of the Secret Treasury

This scene sent a chill through Qin Yan’s very bones.

He watched Fangyuan, bathed in blood, her dress and hair thoroughly soaked, as she, by her lonesome might, had cut down more than half of the Northern Land’s prodigies.

Had it not been for his supposed past-life entanglement with Fangyuan, he feared he too would have become a sacrifice to the young woman before him, for Qin Yan harbored no illusion that Fangyuan would spare any man.

Fangyuan, in turn, gazed at Qin Yan, seemingly intent on deciphering the emotions swirling in the man’s eyes.

It was time to leave, she knew.

“I am leaving,” she announced.

“May I ask you something? What… what will my future be like?” Qin Yan deliberated for a moment before posing the question.

“Your future, I could not perceive.”

Fangyuan turned her head, uttered these words, and then departed, leaving the Sword Sect disciples around her, who, upon seeing the blood-soaked maiden, instinctively parted to clear a path.

She simply left, as if some urgent matter awaited her.

She had to grow, and quickly. Not for any other reason, but for herself. And only after that, for the sentiment she had expressed earlier—

“Your future, I could not perceive.”

Yet now, she felt confident she could glimpse Qin Yan’s future.

The future! What a hopeful word it was. But this was a world of cultivation, where everyone was born with their innate spiritual roots. By the reckoning of the Miao Jiang, she was merely a maiden of C-grade aptitude.

The future! Such a concept seemed entirely unrelated to her.

Now, however, things were different. Her future, once shrouded in darkness, had suddenly revealed a sliver of light. By harnessing the Blood Leech Gu, she had absorbed the bloodline power of the Northern Land’s prodigies, instantly elevating her aptitude to A-grade.

If others’ futures shone brightly, then hers was destined to be a beacon of light stained with a crimson hue!

Yet, dynasties, aristocratic families, and sects had held sway over the Northern Land for millennia. If cultivators like her, from the lower strata, did not strive, did not seize, did not contend, then they would forever remain nothing more than dregs in the eyes of others.

“Five hundred reincarnations, a fleeting struggle; prodigies fall, a sea of blood surges.”

“Ascending to immortality by treading on bones is no savagery; seizing destiny through Dao seeds is a renewed crusade.”

“Old mediocrity perishes with the ashes; this life, a sacred body born from tribulation.”

“The Star River bows to my command; I dare bid the firmament reshape its balance.”

Fangyuan recited these lines softly, casting a final glance at Qin Yan behind her before vanishing from sight.

****

Five days later, the secret treasury once again opened its gates, and Northern Land cultivators swarmed inside.

Xiao Miao was naturally among them. However, upon witnessing the scene of utter devastation, as if heaven and earth had collapsed, everyone’s expressions shifted dramatically, and they began to speculate wildly about what had transpired within the secret treasury.

Throughout the Northern Land, two names now circulated widely: Qin Yan and Gu Yue Fangyuan.

Their names, listed one after the other on the stone monument, showed their accumulated merit points far surpassing those of other prodigies. As for the one named Fangyuan, it was clear at a glance that she was not a native of the Northern Land, but rather someone from Miao Jiang.

Fangyuan, of course, understood that her actions would offend all the sects of the Northern Land. She was destined to become a thorn in their flesh, a nail in their eye. Unlike Qin Yan, who had a sect protecting him, with the Northern Land’s prodigies now dead, she would undoubtedly become the target of public scorn.

After all, so many had perished within. Why had Qin Yan survived? He must surely possess some knowledge. But who dared to question him? Yanqing Sect would certainly not disclose anything, perhaps even mock them with a “good riddance.”

Fangyuan, however, was different. With no background or influence, she was easily manipulated.

“One wonders what Qin Yan truly experienced within…”

Xiao Miao murmured, her eyes brimming with a profound complexity.

During the last Demon City incident, her actions had nearly led to everyone’s demise. Yet, it truly hadn’t been intentional; who could have known that a Nascent Soul Demon Dragon was lurking within the Demon City?

Then there was Yu Qingxuan, drawing forth her Golden Core, ready to self-detonate.

“I owe an apology to Qin Yan, and to his senior sister, and also to that young woman from the Demon City—who, I presume, was Gu Yue Fangyuan.”

A pang of self-reproach struck Xiao Miao at this thought. Should she ever encounter them again, Qin Yan and his senior sister, she vowed to express her sincerest apologies in person.

Moreover, she still possessed the special healing mystical water; she wondered if it could aid Qin Yan’s senior sister.

Had Qin Yan’s Shizun not appeared so abruptly, they would have long since perished in the Demon City. Xiao Miao glanced down at her empty left hand; at the time, her Shizun had urged her to leave quickly.

She understood her Shizun’s urgency perfectly. After all, her Shizun was merely a soul-form, possessing Xiao Miao’s body, and if Qin Yan’s Shizun had captured her, who knew what might have transpired?

Nevertheless, Xiao Miao quickly composed herself. ‘Never mind,’ she thought. ‘Shizun is still outside; I must focus on accumulating merit points here. As for this self-reproach, I can address it when I next encounter Qin Yan.’

Thinking of the sharp-tongued and somewhat snobbish Yu Qingxuan, Xiao Miao felt a headache brewing. Still, the formidable spirit Yu Qingxuan displayed when single-handedly resisting the Nascent Soul Demon Dragon suggested she wasn’t truly a bad person.

****

Within Yanqing Sect, the news of Qin Yan’s return ignited the entire sect. After all, the merit points he had amassed single-handedly far surpassed the combined total of everyone else who followed.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother! But didn’t you return a bit too soon?” Yu Qingxuan stood before Qin Yan, a cheerful smile gracing her lips. “Considering the merit points you’ve acquired, once all the Northern Land cultivators enter, you’ll undoubtedly be their leader. The prodigies from other sects won’t know how to contend with you then!”

“Senior Sister, they… they all perished,” Qin Yan replied, a forced smile playing on his lips.

“What?!”

Yu Qingxuan’s expression drained of color at his words, utterly aghast. No wonder the other Northern Land sects had been so quiet lately; it turned out their own prodigies had all died within this Northern Land.

She was about to question Qin Yan about what had happened in the secret realm, but seeing the exhaustion in his eyes, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Junior Brother, you should rest first. I’ll report this matter to Shizun.”

“Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister with that.”

Qin Yan nodded. What he needed most at that moment was to find a quiet chamber and thoroughly examine the item the white-robed Venerable had bestowed upon him earlier.

It seemed to be some form of inheritance, yet for the past few days, he had been preoccupied with assisting the Sword Sect disciples in eliminating the remaining demon beasts. Now that Northern Land cultivators were pouring in, a fierce scramble to eradicate these lingering demons was sure to ensue.

After all, it was perfectly normal to ‘raid dungeons and snatch monsters.‘

With that, Qin Yan bade farewell to his senior sister and sought out a quiet chamber within the sect, ready to meticulously catalog his acquisitions.