[The woman heard your voice and struggled to lift her head]
["Young master, please save me!"]
[You saw the woman's face was covered in blood, but she was still visibly beautiful]
["How could anyone bear to hurt such a pretty girl? Truly heartless!" You sighed regretfully]
["Young master, please take me in. My enemies will be here any moment!"]
["Don't worry, miss. I'll take you in. There's an empty room in my courtyard. If you're uncomfortable sleeping alone, you can squeeze into my room."]
[The woman smiled weakly: "Thank you, young master!"]
[The woman reached out her hand, signaling for you to help her up]
[You eagerly ran over with a grin, extending your hand]
["Thank you for your great kindness, this humble girl-"]
[Clang—]
[Cry of the Swan Goose instantly appeared in your hand]
[With a flash of blade light, the woman's skullcap flew three to four meters away]
[The remaining half of her head had an exceptionally clean cut]
[Her brain matter still quivered inside]
[Blood gushed as the woman collapsed in a pool of blood]
[Her face still bore the grateful smile from before death]
["Damn, such a crude trick trying to fool me. Did they think I've never watched TV dramas?"]
[Your small courtyard was located in a remote area of Changfeng City]
[Normally no one came by, so a beautiful woman appearing out of nowhere was suspicious]
[You could smell something fishy from miles away]
["Time to run again."]
[You knew you'd been exposed—likely by someone connected to Jiang the Barbarian's grandfather]
["No good comes from digging up someone's ancestral grave after all."]
[You searched the woman's corpse]
[Finding over a hundred Blood Qi Pills]
[A first-class Bone Tempering technique: Glacier Finger]
[Over fifty thousand taels of silver notes]
[Other miscellaneous worthless items]
[You dragged the corpse into the courtyard and burned it completely]
[After packing quickly, you prepared to flee]
[As you stepped into the courtyard, you saw a woman standing there abruptly]
[You nearly jumped, thinking the dead woman had resurrected]
[Fortunately, this woman looked different from the one you'd burned]
[The woman in your courtyard was also beautiful—stunningly so]
[To put it simply, she could make fish sink and geese fall—a beauty that could shame the moon and flowers]
[The most beautiful woman you'd ever seen]
[Wan Qingluan's voice was cold: "Young Master He, did you think killing my junior sister would go unpunished?"]
[You couldn't gauge Wan Qingluan's cultivation level]
[But you felt tremendous pressure from her presence—her strength surpassed yours]
[You weren't sure if you could handle her]
["Heroine, don't misunderstand. I wasn't planning to leave..."]
["Just planning to run!" As soon as you finished speaking, you activated Cloud Treading Steps to its limit, leaping onto the roof in one step]
[You scaled walls and roofs in frantic escape]
[After running for a while, you glanced back—Wan Qingluan remained half a meter behind you]
[As if glued to your shadow]
[Yet she made no move to attack, simply watching you calmly]
["Like some damn ghost!"]
[You stopped running—you knew Wan Qingluan could kill you easily]
["Young Master He, why stop running?" Wan Qingluan's voice remained cool and composed]
["Heroine, since you're not here to avenge your junior sister, tell me what you want."]
[You cut straight to the point]
["You're smart, Young Master He. I want... that key you took from Jiang Hui's grave."]
[You figured Jiang Hui must be Jiang the Barbarian's grandfather]
["What's the key for?" you asked]
[You expected no answer, asking just out of curiosity]
[But Wan Qingluan explained everything]
[Wan Qingluan and the junior sister you killed were both Jiang Hui's disciples]
[All three belonged to the Extermination Sect]
[The Extermination Sect's cultivation philosophy emphasized following one's heart and unleashing one's nature]
[Ultimately seeking to completely erase humanity and unite with the heavens]
[They acted without reason—like monkeys on Emei Mountain that might suddenly scratch you]
[Neither righteous nor demonic factions tolerated the Extermination Sect]
[Even righteous cultivators would attack them on sight]
[The key was crafted by the Extermination Sect's leader—one of five]
[The leader decreed whoever collected all five keys could ask for anything]
[Gathering the keys could summon the leader to grant a wish...]
[You almost asked: Is your leader a dragon god?]
["Anything?" you asked]
[Wan Qingluan replied: "Anything."]
["Even ordering him to kill himself on the spot?"]
["That too."]
[You: "Damn."]
[Don't question the Extermination Sect—their whole deal was following whims]
["How did your master get this key?"]
[Wan Qingluan said calmly: "He ambushed and killed his own master for it."]
[You clicked your tongue: "Then no need to ask—you and your junior sister tried ambushing your master for it, but failed to finish him off and he escaped."]
[Wan Qingluan's eyes brightened: "Essentially. Your temperament suits our Extermination Sect well."]
[What endless backstabbing]
[The Extermination Sect's "corporate culture" was beyond evaluation]
[No wonder everyone hated them—they operated with zero principles]
[You might be mid-conversation with an Extermination Sect member]
[When they suddenly stand up saying: "Hold on, let me go kill my mom first"]
[How could anyone tolerate that?]
[Who wouldn't find them annoying?]
["If I give you the key, will you kill me?" you asked]
[Wan Qingluan's lively eyes rolled: "Probably not."]
[Great, very reassuring]
[But you weren't particularly afraid of death anyway]
[You lived recklessly—next simulation you'd be reborn a hero]
[You directly handed the key to Wan Qingluan]
["If you're gonna kill me, make it quick. I'm not afraid of death, just pain. Thanks."]
[Wan Qingluan gave you a surprised look: "I can tell you're telling the truth."]
["Of course I am. I never lie." you said]
["That was a lie."]
[You paused: "I occasionally tell small lies."]
[Wan Qingluan nodded]
[She said your movement skills were poor and left you a top-tier movement martial technique: Phantom Phoenix Steps]
[You didn't understand why Wan Qingluan gave you a technique]
[Don't question the Extermination Sect—whims rule all]
[Wan Qingluan left directly]
[You didn't return to the courtyard, fearing more Extermination Sect members might come]
[You needed to disappear completely somewhere remote]
[Before leaving, you went on a seven-day stealing spree across Changfeng City]
[Plunging the city into chaos with widespread laments]
[You stole like a madman]
[With sufficient funds, you bought materials for refining Blood Qi Pills]
[Along with massive amounts of food and water]
[You traveled west for six months]
[During which you killed 386 bandits and thieves]
[Wiped out three bandit strongholds]
[Destroyed eighteen shady inns]
[And busted five human trafficking rings]
[You awarded yourself the honorary title of Five-Star Model Citizen]
[After another month, you reached the western edge of the Great Qian Kingdom]
[Finally entering deep into primordial forests]
[This vast primeval forest west of Great Qian was called Black Serpent Woods]
[Black Serpent Woods spanned endlessly, nearly untouched—no one had fully traversed it]
[After a month trekking through Black Serpent Woods, you found a waterfall]
[You settled near the waterfall]
[Year 31: You built a small log cabin]
[Beginning dedicated pill-consuming cultivation]
[While also practicing Phantom Phoenix Steps]
[Year 32: You expanded into a courtyard, planting fruits and vegetables—craving fresh produce]
[Though stored food remained eternally fresh, you thought it lacked soul—like zombie meat from a freezer]