[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]