Digging a hole requires filling it in.

After Fairy Mihuan finished recounting the events, she cast a cautious look at Bai Wuhuo and continued, "Fairy Mishucun also knows that you are not people devoid of compassion... The cultivation world of the Central Plains is no longer what it used to be; resources are scarce, and great masters are withering away. If we continue to stand by with folded arms while vicious villains run amok, how can we be certain that a Demonic Dao killing god will not be born in the future? When the righteous and the demonic clash and both sides suffer, I fear the Central Plains cultivation world will perish... And if it spills over to afflict all ordinary living beings, is that truly what you Daoist friends desire?"

Although this sounded somewhat exaggerated, the logic was sound. Qin Yue thought for a moment, then said with a straight face, "Then what should be done? How about this seat issues a public notice to refute these rumors?"

Fairy Mihuan shook her head and said coldly, "Those vicious scoundrels all know there is no hope of entering the sect, and I'm afraid they are far from resigned. If someone raises a banner and calls upon them, followers will gather like clouds, and demonic factions will arise in response, eventually becoming a fatal affliction. Instead of waiting, we should take advantage of the fact that these villains are currently leaderless and their wings are yet unfledged, and eliminate them one by one."

Seeing that Fairy Mihuan possessed the completely refined and ethereal appearance of an immortal maiden, yet could speak of such ruthless matters with such casual indifference, Luo Yu could not help feeling a slight chill in his heart. Could this be the legendary "warm like spring toward comrades, but cruel and ruthless like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves toward enemies"? Women truly were terrifying!

Fairy Mihuan cast a light, drifting glance toward Luo Yu. Her cold and aloof gaze, however, revealed a trace of gentle warmth, and she said softly, "When a spiritual garden is eaten by insects, it must naturally be cleared. The intention is to protect the garden, not to slaughter life."

Luo Yu awkwardly said, "Um... isn't the scale a bit too large..." Although he had killed quite a few low-level creatures, he had never truly killed sentient beings possessing intelligence equal to his own. The fatal blows had basically all been delivered by Qin Yue; moreover, even when the two of them had cooperated to kill people, those killed were individuals who had direct conflicts with them. To go and cause trouble for people he had never even met just felt a bit difficult to justify.

Fairy Mihuan smiled gently, blooming like a flower in early spring: "How strange you are, little friend. Why not eliminate a great evil when you see one? Have you not heard that the decline of the righteous path is entirely due to 'the dao being one foot high, while the demon is ten feet tall'? If vicious villains are utterly ruthless, we must be even more so. Without harshness and cruelty, how can one attain Buddhahood!"

Luo Yu was thoroughly subdued by Fairy Mihuan's imposing and domineering aura. No wonder the Nine Heavens Palace could stand proudly in the contemporary world; it seemed it was not entirely due to the shade of their predecessors... Women really can hold up half the sky, and strong women are truly no less heroic than men, whether in the mortal workplace or the immortal battlefield!

Luo Yu said helplessly, "Fine, then do as you please. We will definitely not interfere or disrupt your plans."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Mihuan's face instantly assumed a pitiful and innocent expression. She blinked her apricot-shaped eyes and said coquettishly, "Little friend Luo speaks wrongly. Although this matter was not committed by members of your esteemed palace, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. Not to mention that the vicious deeds of those scoundrels harm your esteemed palace's reputation... but as a dignified, seven-foot-tall man, could you truly stand idly by and allow a group of weak maidens to step forward and fight desperately against these villains? Would you, little friend, truly have peace of mind?"

So this was the ultimate goal! Luo Yu finally realized: women were truly terrifying, so terrifying!

Bai Wuhuo scoffed disdainfully from the side, "Hey, it's not like you can't defeat them. Why do you need us to send troops? The people of the Heaven-Defying Palace are all very busy, and going out to waste time incurs huge losses!"

Fairy Mihuan muttered inwardly: Exactly that! Those scoundrels flee the moment they see people from major sects coming. Who has the time to play hide-and-seek with them? If it were just a few people, that would be fine, but there are numerous individuals scattered widely, appearing and disappearing irregularly. You can't possibly expect dignified Golden Core cultivators or Nascent Soul patriarchs to personally chase after their tails and play games with them, can you? This mess was brought upon by the Heaven-Defying Palace, so why should other sects clean up your backyard for you? It's not like they are servants in your household!

However, although she thought this way in her heart, she could not say it directly. She only led her group of immortal maidens to engage in sweet-toned and tactful arguments, and both sides began playing tai chi with each other regarding the dispatch of troops.

The grand hall of the Heaven-Defying Palace was instantly filled with the chatter of orioles and swallows. As those female disciples talked and talked, they once again began casting affectionate glances at Qin Yue with blushing faces—this time, not only did Fairy Mihuan not stop them, but she even pretended not to see anything. The situation could be described as utterly terrifying. The enemy's relentless offensive was fraught with danger, and finally, Luo Yu could no longer hold out: "Alright... We'll send troops! You can go back first! Rest assured, my word is absolute!" Hurry, hurry, hurry, leave already! If you don't leave, my wife's soul is going to be stolen away by your flirtatious glances!

The beauties of the Nine Heavens Palace achieved total victory, their brilliant scheme of borrowing a knife to kill someone successfully accomplished. One by one, with sweet smiles, they drifted away gracefully~

***

After sending off this group of wolves in sheep's clothing, Luo Yu went and called the cat back, then handed this opportunity to save the world over to her. Luo Li possessed an extraordinary passion for "eliminating criminals, upholding justice, and protecting humanity," and she readily agreed without a second thought. She promptly mustered her troops and marched forward in high spirits to maintain the peace of the cultivation world.

Through the vicissitudes of the martial world, amid bloody winds and rain, unpredictable tides of clouds and shifting worldly affairs, those pitying, merciless instigators of violence who never blinked at slaughter met an unexpected end. Instead of the amorous hearts they hoped to win, they were met with a piercing blade, leaving them only to look up to the heavens and cry out in sorrow, "I entrusted my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines upon a ditch!"... And then they collapsed and died, their grievances unredressed.

After this battle, the image of the Heaven-Defying Palace became even more bizarre: Goodness gracious, this master of the Heaven-Defying Palace is simply too unpredictable in temperament! Does he actually like wicked people, or does he hate them? If you say he likes them, he didn't hesitate at all when ordering executions; if you say he doesn't like them... I heard that this time, some wicked scoundrels actually achieved their wish and were successfully recruited into the Heaven-Defying Palace... Goodness gracious, this palace master truly has some strange quirks!

However, regardless of whether this palace master had strange quirks, the cultivation world finally settled down completely. During this major purge by the Heaven-Defying Palace, not a single sect stepped out to speak for the victims. The Heaven-Defying Palace was not yet satisfied after dealing with those villains, and riding on their momentum, they combed through almost the entire cultivation world, cleaning out every single villain of any notable reputation.

After the bloodshed dissipated, the skies of the cultivation world cleared up to a brilliant blue, the waters turned lucid, and young maidens cast charming glances once more... It actually seemed rather nice after all. The elderly monk Xuanjing of the Universal Benevolence Temple also commented on the Heaven-Defying Palace regarding this matter, saying: "If I do not enter hell, who will enter hell?" This old monk never spoke carelessly, so... perhaps, possibly, maybe... this master of the Heaven-Defying Palace was actually a good person after all?

The irresponsible (spiritual) leader of the Heaven-Defying Palace accompanied Luo Yu to deliver medicinal pills to Huang Xuan, and after leaving a trail of mixed legends throughout the martial world, the two of them peacefully returned to the Yunlu Immortal Manor, beginning a leisurely life of farming experience points while exchanging affectionate sweetisms.

The Three Immortals of Thousand Vines constantly monitored the movements of their new neighbors.

Although their divine senses could not penetrate the barrier of the other party's immortal dwelling, they could see with the naked eye that at some point, a number of people had appeared in the household of these distinguished neighbors—presumably servants and subordinates. A few of these people began doing business selling magical artifacts on the island, while others went off to unknown places; but every single month, they would visit the neighbors' immortal dwelling and return with large bundles of spiritual coins...

Of course, this conclusion was deduced: whether those other people brought back spiritual coins was not something they witnessed with their own eyes, but the ones on the island certainly did—the people were right beneath their noses, and even if their protective barrier was top-notch, if a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't even discover this much, they might as well not live. From one spot on the leopard, one can picture the whole animal. Whether the others brought spiritual coins back or not... Heh, who couldn't guess?

The Three Immortals of Thousand Vines gathered privately to gossip, speculating on how much income their distinguished neighbors made every month. The more they guessed, the more depressed they felt: the other party was in the Nascent Soul stage, and so were they; the other party squatted in their cave dwelling every day, and so did they; the other party had people sending spiritual coins every month... But why didn't anyone send spiritual coins to them?! Smash the bowl!

They were not the only ones thinking this way. The residents in the gorge hadn't paid much attention before, but after a few years passed, even the slowest-witted cultivators, under the guidance of others, finally saw it.

In the past, everyone in the gorge was dirt poor and wouldn't think much of it... But now, seeing a living example right beside them raking in a fortune every day, everyone finally couldn't sit still anymore: I heard that the newcomers opened many magical artifact shops; should we open one ourselves and hire people to manage it? But their magical artifacts are exceptionally useful and business is booming; moreover, those promotional discount tactics require a huge amount of capital to sustain, and we certainly couldn't compete. However, we're all neighbors—could we go and ask for some guidance? If we learn a thing or two, we could occasionally set up street stalls elsewhere; and taking a step back, we could gain more insights for refining magical treasures in the future...

These residents sought out the Three Immortals of Thousand Vines and shared their thoughts with the three bosses. The Three Immortals of Thousand Vines were itching as if scratched by a cat inside, but they felt too embarrassed to approach their distinguished neighbors for guidance. Now, just as they were dozing off, someone handed them a pillow—how utterly wonderful!

The Three Immortals of Thousand Vines secretly plotted for a whole night, and the next day, Tengxuanzi immediately flew cheerfully over to the Yunlu Immortal Manor. Hovering in front of the mountain gate archway, he called out leisurely, "Senior Bai~ Daoist Luo?~ Is Daoist Qin at home~`~ Little brother, please inform your masters that Tengxuanzi has come to visit. Are the immortals currently in seclusion?"

Luo Yu and Qin Yue were currently farming experience points inside a spiritual cave. Although the spiritual Qi from Feiyue's cheat-like setup was very pure and farming it caused no physical damage, the experience points required for the Nascent Soul stage had skyrocketed. Even after three years, they were still some distance away from reaching the mid Nascent Soul stage—in the previous years, Luo Yu's main energy had been focused on developing sealing techniques, and his cultivation had basically relied on the experience shared through dual cultivation with Qin Yue.

Although farming experience wasn't exhausting, progressing too fast might cause an unstable foundation; after all, even if someone suddenly acquired the ability to leap over roofs and vault over walls, they still had to practice jumping a few times before scrambling further up a wall, otherwise they would still take a tumble. Therefore, the two of them felt that farming for three or four hours a day was enough, after which they would stop to spar and familiarize themselves with their strength, then continue the next day.

By noon, Luo Yu and Qin Yue finally walked out of the spiritual cave. The subordinates at the entrance saw them emerge, stepped forward, and cupped their fists in salute: "Reporting to the Exalted Lord and Master, Senior Tengxuanzi visited at the hour of Chen. This subordinate did not dare to disturb the two masters while they were practicing their arts, and thus did not report it earlier. Senior Tengxuanzi left behind a phantom message slip before departing. The slip is right here; may the Exalted Lord please review it."

Luo Li was still carrying out the massive purge in the mortal cultivation world at this time, and Bai Wuhuo was acting as her accomplice; neither of them had returned to the Yunlu Immortal Manor. Since Tengxuanzi couldn't figure out when Luo and Qin would have time to receive guests, he had no choice but leave a message slip and take his leave.

Qin Yue took the phantom message slip presented by the subordinate and gently tossed it into the air. The slip transformed into a three-inch-tall figure: with a refined countenance and three strands of long beard; his hair tied into a bun at the top of his head with green vines, upon which several small white lily-like flowers were blooming; dressed in a grey-green long robe, it was precisely the likeness of Tengxuanzi.

As soon as this figure materialized, it bowed in the air and began to speak: "To the esteemed neighbors Daoist Qin and Daoist Luo: Tengxuanzi came to visit presumptuously, only to find the two of you in seclusion practicing your arts, with no telling when you might be available to receive guests. Having no choice, I have left this oral message and departed first. Please forgive me for this discourtesy, and I hope both Daoist friends will bear with it. Tengxuanzi has been entrusted by others this time and has a matter to request of you. Once both Daoist friends successfully emerge from seclusion, please come to my humble dwelling for a chat. I have prepared some light wine and await the arrival of your immortal presence."

After saying these words, the figure turned into a wisp of clear smoke and dissipated.