Several days after the incident, the situation within the United Righteous Sect had, to some extent, stabilized. Nevertheless, the members of the sect could not simply overlook the catastrophe at the Chi Bao Mountains; Feng Li Wu represented a dangerous threat to their order, and they were determined to remove this obstacle from their path by any means necessary.
In the meeting hall, the leader of the United Righteous Sect, Kong Yu Shui, sat upon his throne, while the elders were seated on mats woven from silky bamboo. Before each of them stood a small table, upon which rested jars of water and fine wine.
One of the elders, Yao Feng, spoke up, striking his palm with his fist—a gesture of respect toward the sect leader, Kong Yu Shui.
"Leader of the United Righteous Sect, Kong Yu Shui, I have heard of what transpired at the Chi Bao Mountains. At the hands of Feng Li Wu, we have lost eight of our most prominent fighters, as well as one of our rising elite—Zhao Fu Li, known as the 'Rising Gem' of the Yang Mountain Sect—who had already reached the seventh stage of the Tribulation-Crossing realm, the second tribulation! We cannot remain silent in the face of such crimes!"
Yao Feng's tone was thick with rage and indignation, his voice ringing out loudly enough for everyone present to hear.
The expressions of the surrounding elders mirrored his intense fury. Yet, Kong Yu Shui's expression remained cold, betraying no emotion. He was well aware of Feng Li Wu's true strength—a power on par with that of Saint Xiao Qing, who held the title of "Sacred Creation."
He spoke then, his tone laced with both disdain and indifference:
"They bark like a pack of curs! If they only knew the extent of his power, they would be scrambling to sign peace treaties and forge agreements with him. How pathetic! A collection of fat swine, good for nothing but idle chatter and empty, nonsensical talk."
Before the elders of the United Righteous Sect could respond, the hall doors swung open without warning.
One of the elders spoke up immediately, not bothering to check who had entered:
"What wretched scoundrel dares to barge into a meeting of such importance—and without even asking—?!"
The words died in the throat of the elder, Qin Yu Sao, the moment he realized who had walked in.
It was a beautiful woman with white hair styled into a bun. Her skin was milky-white, her face round, and her wide eyes—possessing light-violet irises—shimmered with a vibrant, living spark. Her white eyelashes were long, and she wore a loose, white *hanfu* accented with touches of pale purple.
She moved forward with a light, graceful step, her hands tucked away inside the sleeves of her *hanfu*.
With every step she took, Qin Yu Sao's face grew darker, and his body began to tremble more violently.
"S... Saint, I..." Before he could finish his sentence, his body was reduced to a mass of blood, viscera, and shattered, pulverized bone—scattering across the surroundings as if a bomb made of gore and flesh had detonated from within him.
The faces of the elders from the United Righteous Sect darkened as they turned their gazes toward Kong Yu Shui, who had extended his hand toward the spot where Qin Yu Sao had just been slain.
His expression remained as cold as frost, devoid of any emotion, and he simply withdrew his hand without uttering a single word.
The elders swallowed hard, acutely aware of the consequences of insulting Saintess Xiao Qing—a practitioner of the "Sacred Creation" realm—regardless of whether the offense was intentional or accidental.
The outcome was always the same: instant death.
Xiao Qing's serene expression shifted; anger flickered across her beautiful features, only serving to make her appear even more striking. Simultaneously, a golden-white, sacred aura emanated from her body, causing the *hanfu* she wore to ripple gently in the air.
"Kong Yu Shui, why did you do that? Haven't I told you a thousand times never to kill anyone in my presence—or because of me?!"
Her tone was laced with fury and indignation.
Who could have imagined that her and Zhao Li's descendants would be so stubborn—so excessively, rigidly committed to their code?
Yet, Kong Yu Shui's expression did not change in the slightest. "Xiao Qing, why have you come to disrupt our meeting? And why have you appeared in a manner so unbecoming of a Saintess of the United Sect of the Righteous?"
His tone was sharp, laced with a hint of mockery; he had grown weary of the incessant chatter of these elders—men he viewed as nothing more than a pile of filth masquerading as paragons of righteousness.
"Haaah... I have come regarding the catastrophe at the Qi Bao Mountains and the Venerable of Great Chaos, Feng Li Wu. I have initiated an investigation into the sects that took part in that incident."
Xiao Qing's tone was calm and respectful, yet her resolve was firm—it was not a matter open for debate. She was not seeking Kong Yu Shui's permission; she was merely informing him of what she had already set in motion.
Kong Yu Shui narrowed his eyes as he gazed at her, but Xiao Qing paid him no heed.
As for the elders, they were rendered completely powerless. The overwhelming presence exerted by both Kong Yu Shui and Xiao Qing far exceeded what they could endure. Most of them were at the eighth stage of the Late Immortality realm, whereas Kong Yu Shui stood at the ninth stage—the rank of a Supreme Entity, or what would be equivalent to the "High Outerversal+" tier.
Xiao Qing, meanwhile, occupied the tier of "Irrelevant Layers into Boundless"—a level several ranks above his own.
Both were capable of manipulating narratives, laws, and fundamental concepts; Kong Yu Shui was a trans-dimensional entity, while Xiao Qing existed as a supra-dimensional entity. Nevertheless, while Kong Yu Shui's strength was formidable—even when compared to others of his own rank—before the overwhelming power of Xiao Qing Su, he was nothing more than an insignificant insect.
"Very well. Since Saint Xiao Qing Su—who holds the title of 'Sacred Creation'—wishes to conduct a covert investigation into the sects involved in the Qibao Mountain catastrophe, let it be known: anyone who leaks even a single word of information outside the Palace of the United Righteous Sects shall meet the same fate as Elder Qin Yu Sao. Is that clear to everyone?"
Kong Yu Shui's gaze was sharp, fixed directly upon the elders.
Several seconds passed before the elders of the Righteous Sects spoke Speaking in unison, their voices filled with fear and dread, they replied:
"We hear and obey, Sect Master Kong Yu Shui! We shall maintain absolute secrecy and integrity, just as you have always expected of us."
A look of disgust crossed the faces of both Kong Yu Shui and Xiao Qing as they watched the sect elders—men who would have gladly kissed Kong Yu Shui's boots—or even Xiao Qing's—if it meant saving their own lives.
Xiao Qing mused to herself, a flicker of disdain stirring within her toward these elders of the righteous sect:
"Possessing absolute power does not necessarily equate to wisdom, intelligence, or even a sense of personal pride. Even among beings who stood at the same level of power as I did—back when Feng Li Wu, the spirit of Jiao Li, and I shared a single body—there were those who possessed this very same mindset... pathetic and repulsive."
With a deep sigh, Xiao Qing turned and left the meeting hall, leaving behind a profound, absolute silence.
Kong Yu Shui's gaze remained sharp and cold, fixed upon Xiao Qing as she departed—having stirred up a tempest within the hall the moment she stepped inside.
After she had gone, he continued to stare toward the doorway for several seconds before shifting his attention back to the elders, who now appeared to have regained a measure of their composure.
"Bai Yi Tu, come here."
Kong Yu Shui's tone was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable weight of power and authority. Several seconds passed before a man—clearly a seasoned expert in his field—entered. A faint, confident smile graced his face—a look earned through long years of service within the United Sect of the Righteous.
Upon arriving, he dropped to his knees and struck his palm with his fist as a gesture of respect.
"What does our great Sect Master, Lord Kong Yu Shui, require of this humble servant? I am entirely at your command!"
Bai Yi Tu's tone was thick with sycophancy and fawning, but Kong Yu Shui showed no interest; dismissing the flattery as nothing more than useless chatter, he chose to ignore it completely.
"Bai Yi Tu, you know what must be done."
His tone was calm yet left no room for debate, while his piercing gaze only reinforced his absolute authority.
A look of confusion crossed Bai Yi Tu's face—until he noticed the blood, viscera, and shattered, pulverized bone fragments scattered where one of the elders had been sitting.
In a split second, the truth dawned on him. His expression twisted into one of sheer terror and dread, causing him to collapse backward onto the floor. He stammered, his voice trembling:
"Elder Qin Yu Sao... he's dead!"
Yet, he quickly composed himself, realizing why the Sect Master, Kong Yu Shui, had summoned him.
He knelt once more, slamming his forehead against the wooden floor as he declared:
"This humble servant understands what my master requires!" "I shall summon the servants to clear away the remains of that wretch, Qin Yu-sao, who dared to provoke Your Excellency!"
The elders could not conceal the shock on their faces, struck by the sheer baseness, vileness, cunning, and malice of Bai Yi-tu.
Yet, what shocked them even more were the words spilling from his lips—each phrase more sycophantic than the last.
Deep down, however, they knew that such tactics would be entirely useless against Kong Yu-shui.
They cast their gaze toward the Sect Leader, only to find his expression as cold as frost, showing no reaction—not the slightest flicker of emotion—to Bai Yi-tu's fawning remarks.
This only deepened their respect for him.
In the end, strength is everything.
Had anyone else—someone of equal or lesser standing, or with less power than Bai Yi-tu—behaved this way, they would have been met with sharp criticism, or perhaps the kind of feigned smiles that mask utter contempt.
But Kong Yu-shui, despite belonging to the Righteous Path, possessed a ruthlessness and a sense of unbridled freedom that rivaled even Feng Li-wu.
And while he adhered to the established order, he did so only insofar as it served his own interests or helped him achieve his goals—never for any other reason.
Several hours later, in Xiao Qing's private quarters...
Xiao Qing and Kong Ming-xi sat upon floor mats, a small table placed between them, bearing two cups of tea brewed from rare, aromatic herbs.
"What happened in the meeting hall?" "And why did it reek of blood?"
Myung-hee's tone was laced with bewilderment. Her curiosity drove her to press Xiao Qing for more answers, but the latter refused to address any of them.
"Myung-hee, this is the forty-fifth time I've asked you to drop this. I'll say it one last time: I am not going to tell you what happened in the meeting hall. Is what I'm saying really that hard to understand?"
Xiao Qing's tone was sharp—tinged with a flash of anger and impatience—and left no room for further discussion.
A flicker of mild annoyance crossed Myung-hee's face as she brought her cup of hot tea to her lips.
"Fine. I won't ask about it again."
Though her voice betrayed her irritation and frustration, she resolved to investigate the matter herself; she knew Xiao Qing's stubborn nature all too well and realized that, no matter how hard she tried, she would get nothing out of her.
Xiao Qing turned her gaze toward the open window, a mocking smile playing across her lips.
This caught Myung-hee off guard, but she remained silent, simply watching Xiao Qing—a woman she regarded as her idol, the most formidable individual in their *Murim* world, standing above both the common folk and the masters alike.
"The world is full of superficial people. Even those who harbor grand dreams are seen as nothing more than shallow individuals by everyone else. Isn't life strange, Myung-hee?" Xiao Qing's tone was calm, tinged with a faint, mocking detachment toward the world—and toward her own lineage, whose dreams never extended beyond ruling or reshaping a world that, in the vast ocean of existence, did not even amount to a single grain of sand.
Myeong-hee remained silent, unable to find a fitting response to Xiao Qing's words, which struck her as both strange and incomprehensible.
She simply did not grasp what Xiao Qing had meant.
Yet, a faint smile graced her lips as she realized just how far she still was from reaching Xiao Qing's level.
"What kind of world do you inhabit, Xiao Qing? But one day, I will reach your level."
She whispered this to herself, making a silent vow—...never to break it—and she carries a dream that spreads its wings across the skies of her own ambitions.
As for Xiao Qing, she watched Myeong-hee out of the corner of her eye, a faint smile gracing her face—a reflection of the pride she felt for her descendant.