Having said his piece, Qi Yuan didn’t stick around to see if the duo believed him. He immediately activated the teleportation talisman he had palmed earlier.

Buzz!

Space warped, and with a flash of white light, he vanished from the pocket dimension.

He had done his due diligence. Whether they listened to his warning was their problem now. Qi Yuan just wanted to get the hell out of this cursed place before a certain swindled Blood Spirit realized something was wrong and came charging out for blood.

Besides, given how paranoid Tu Ruoxu and Zhuang Qingyun were, they would likely bolt the moment things looked sketchy. They would be fine.

Probably.

With the Creation Cauldron gone, Laifu’s strength had plummeted. He was no longer a Void Refinement monster, but likely hovering around the Half-Step Void Refinement stage.

Tu Ruoxu and Zhuang Qingyun were the Holy Scions of top-tier superpowers. Their pockets were stuffed with life-saving trump cards. Even if they couldn’t beat a Half-Step Void Refinement entity, they wouldn’t die easily.

Qi Yuan felt zero guilt as he hurtled through the void. In fact, he felt quite noble.

I really am too kind-hearted, he mused. I just saved two lives, and I didn’t even stay for a thank you.

Think about it. If he hadn’t used a little trickery to scam the Creation Cauldron, Tu and Zhuang would have walked straight into a peak Void Refinement boss.

Against that kind of absolute power, all their “steady” planning would have been useless. They would have been flattened into meat paste instantly.

If the Holy Scions of both the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary and the Boundless Sacred Ground died on the same day, the entire cultivation world would have convulsed in war.

So, technically, Qi Yuan had single-handedly prevented a geopolitical catastrophe. It was a tragedy that no one would ever know of his heroism.

Doing good deeds without seeking fame… if that’s not saintly, what is?

“Phew… finally out.”

Qi Yuan materialized in the chaotic void outside the dimension. He let out a long breath, the tension leaving his shoulders.

This dungeon run had seemed simple, but it was a walk on a tightrope over a pit of spikes. One wrong move, one slipped word, and he would have been dead.

Laifu looked like a gullible idiot, but that was deceptive. The only reason the scam worked was because of Han Lie’s lingering shadow. The Blood Spirit was so terrified of his former master that his survival instinct overrode his logic. He had been forced to gamble.

And, unfortunately for him, he lost the house.

Qi Yuan glanced at his storage bracelet. It was stuffed to the bursting point. A grin split his face.

Worth it.

Leaving aside the mysterious Creation Cauldron, the raw currency alone was staggering. Over ten thousand top-grade Spirit Stones. Hundreds of artifacts radiating powerful fluctuations.

In the cultivation world, top-grade Spirit Stones were strategic resources. They fueled grand formations, powered high-tier puppets, and accelerated cultivation. They were priceless.

The official exchange rate was one top-grade to a hundred high-grade stones, but in reality? You couldn’t get one for less than a hundred and fifty.

And the artifacts? Qi Yuan was the Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary; he was used to luxury. But for the average cultivator, seeing this hoard would cause a heart attack. Some Soul Formation elders didn’t even own a decent low-grade Dharma Treasure.

Add in the piles of heavenly herbs, rare ores, ancient pills, and secret manuals… this haul rivaled the entire treasury of a large sect.

Even if the Sanctuary expelled him tomorrow, Qi Yuan had enough resources to cultivate all the way to Ascension.

“I have to admit, murder and robbery really is the fastest business model,” Qi Yuan muttered, patting his bracelet lovingly. “High risk, insane rewards.”

He composed himself. The celebration was over.

“Now… time to finish that braindead mission. Chen Huai is waiting for me. He’s the key NPC for the next arc. If he accidentally dies before I get there, I’m in trouble.”

Qi Yuan clicked his tongue and summoned the System interface. His expression twisted into a grimace as he read the text.

[NEW MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED]

Background: You survived the horrific Blood Sacrifice of the demonic cultivators by digging a tunnel like a rat, incidentally saving several innocent civilians. However, your body has been invaded by ghost energy, severely damaging your cultivation base.

The Plot: After the butchers left the slaughtered city, you cautiously emerged from the ground. But misfortune struck from the heavens—you ran straight into Chen Huai, a demonic cultivator sent to clean up the battlefield.

The Conflict: Weakened and exhausted, you were captured after a few rounds. Fortunately, Chen Huai did not kill you. Instead, he sold you to a Demon Sect mine to serve as a slave laborer.

The Realization: During your time in the pits, you deeply felt the cruelty of the cultivation world. You realized that without a powerful backer, you are nothing but fodder.

The Resolution: After painful reflection, you decided to abandon your scruples. You will cast aside the distinction between Righteous and Evil. You will do whatever it takes to climb out of this hell.

[MISSION OBJECTIVE] Within two months, shed your identity as a slave laborer. Gain the recognition of the Mine Overseer and secure a recommendation to become an Outer Sect Disciple of the Demon Sect.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ (Average)

Rewards:

2,000 Counterattack Points.

Top-Tier Golden Core Manual: Nine-Turn Golden Core Art.

System Storage expanded to 1,000 cubic meters.

Feature Unlock: Remote Teleportation.

Note: This mission cannot be abandoned.

Qi Yuan read it twice. His face turned darker with every line. The joy of his recent heist vanished instantly.

Are you sick in the head?!

I finally clawed my way out of being a Servant Disciple. I’m a Holy Scion now! And you want me to regress? To go back to being a mine slave? That’s lower than a servant!

And what is this ‘Demon Sect Outer Disciple’ garbage?

I, Qi Yuan, am the Holy Scion of the Righteous Path! A young man of morals and integrity! You want me to abandon my bright future to go mix with demonic scum?

I see through you now. This dog system just can’t stand to see me happy. It actively plots to make my life miserable.

“Trash system! I spit on you!”

After a solid minute of impotent rage, Qi Yuan took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to murder the invisible interface.

Fine. Whatever. Let’s speedrun this.

His figure blurred and vanished, heading toward his destined “capture.”

A long time later.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two beams of white light erupted from the void, spitting out two incredibly wretched figures.

It was Tu Ruoxu and Zhuang Qingyun.

They looked like they had been chewed up and spat out by a dragon. Their faces were sheet-white, their auras flickering like candles in a hurricane. The defensive artifact—the Heaven and Earth Black Yellow Cover—was tattered and dim, barely hanging onto its physical form.

They had clearly just survived a cataclysmic battle.

“Senior Brother Tu…”

Zhuang Qingyun looked back at the entrance of the pocket dimension, terror lingering in his eyes. He gasped for air. “Fellow Daoist Qi… he was right. There really was a terrifying existence in there.”

“Cough! Cough…”

Tu Ruoxu hacked up a mouthful of blood and barely managed to stand straight. His brow furrowed in deep confusion.

“It doesn’t make sense!”

“The Supreme Elder of my Eternal Sacred Ground specializes in Spatial Dao. He personally guaranteed that this dimension could only hold three Nascent Soul cultivators. Where did a Half-Step Void Refinement monster come from?”

Tu Ruoxu wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes narrowing. “Did the Elder miscalculate?”

“And another thing,” Tu Ruoxu muttered, looking genuinely hurt. “When I announced my name earlier… that demon went berserk. He didn’t believe I was Tu Ruoxu. He screamed that I was a liar and attacked us with even more madness. Does he have a grudge against my Sacred Ground?”

“What do we do now?” Zhuang Qingyun gritted his teeth, his face full of unwillingness. “Do we just watch helplessly as the demons snatch the opportunities inside?”

Tu Ruoxu sighed, a sound of heavy defeat.

“It seems we have no choice. We cannot stop a being of that level. Even if we rallied Fellow Daoist Qi to join us, we would just be adding another corpse to the pile.”

He shook his head. “We are too far from the inner territories. Reinforcements would take too long. This… this is my failure. I was inadequately prepared. I have dragged you and Fellow Daoist Qi into a wasted journey. I apologize.”

“Senior Brother Tu, do not say that!”

Zhuang Qingyun shook his head vigorously, his expression solemn.

“If not for your brilliant strategy—if we hadn’t listened to you and set up ten layers of defensive formations—we would be dead right now. Your caution saved our lives.”

Zhuang Qingyun turned back to the void, a sharp, cold killing intent surfacing on his face.

“The Demon Sect… I will remember this debt!”