The woman in white watched as Liang Hui swallowed the pill without hesitation, her red lips slightly lifted.
Deep in her eyes, there was a hint of satisfaction as she softly spoke.
"Just call me by my name, Qing Yi."
"Qing Yi, sister."
The youth, while enduring the effects of the pill, responded earnestly.
It was then that Qing Yi turned around and glanced at the bloodied temple exterior.
She slowly extended her palm.
"Earth!"
The next moment, the ground outside the temple seemed to gain consciousness, churning and collapsing to bury the corpses.
Before long, the land outside the temple leveled off, the bloodstains gone.
And Liang Hui, witnessing this scene, had his pupils contract slightly.
This Great Sect Goddess was even stronger than he had imagined, she must have walked this Taoist path very far.
"Liang Hui, do not accrue such slaughter again in the future, it is enough to strike down the leaders; these soldiers should not have to die like this."
"I understand."
Though not in agreement, the current situation compelled him to bow his head.
Moments later, when the effects of the Minor Yang Qi Pill had largely worn off.
Her soft voice entered Liang Hui's ears.
"Let's go, it's time for us to leave."
With those words, Qing Yi waved her hand again.
A seven-zhang-long green boat, radiant with light, appeared in front of the temple.
The jade-like green boat was engraved with dense runes, radiating vitality under the moonlight.
Liang Hui nodded, struggling to stand and carrying the sleeping Liang Si towards the green boat.
Soon he stepped onto the boat, placing Liang Si aside, and stretched out his hand to touch the boat's edge, feeling the smoothness against his palm.
His heart gradually settled down; in less than half a night, he had gone through transmigration, peril, scheming, and slaughter, and now, at last, he could rest for a while.
Lost in thought, Qing Yi, seated at the front, was already steering the green boat into the sky.
Transforming into a streak of light, it cut through the night, disappearing into the horizon.
On the ground, a girl in a black dress looking like a sprite under the moon, raised her head to watch the passing green light.
A smile crept onto her face.
"The road home is not easy; I hope there will be a time to meet again."
...
Two days later, at dawn, within the borders of Yunzhou.
A blue boat was moving leisurely across the sky.
By now, Liang Hui had donned a blue robe, and his naturally thin and dark face had gained a touch of rosiness.
However, under the large robe, he still looked exceptionally comical as a youth.
Liang Si, who had also changed into new clothes, stood behind him, looking blankly at everything inside the boat.
Even after two days, Liang Si's mind was still filled with fantasy.
He only remembered the night the army came to arrest them and the sound of the bell ringing before losing consciousness.
When he awoke, he found himself living this luxurious life.
The complex emotions of Liang Si went unnoticed by the two aboard the boat.
At that moment, Liang Hui looked at Qing Yi seated in front and showed a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
Based on the boat's speed when they set off, the three of them should have been nearing the border of Yunzhou by now.
Who knew that after only flying for two or three hours on the day of departure, they would land and proceed on foot.
It took almost half a day before they took the Flying Boat again.
In this manner of flying and walking, they were still within Yunzhou after two days.
By that time, Liang Hui had realized that the landings and walking must be because the Inner Qi within Qing Yi's body was limited, insufficient to support prolonged flight.
"Sister Qing Yi, where is the support from my sect? If we delay further, just the two of us may not make it back," Liang Hui stood, his hand caressing the edge of the boat, his words hinting at more.
"No worries, the support from the orthodox sect will arrive soon."
Qing Yi also noticed something amiss. According to reason, the support from the Minor Yang Qi Pill Sect should have arrived a day ago, with a special secret technique to escort the two back to the sect's gate.
Without a doubt, there was a problem with the support.
Qing Yi's eyes dropped in a low gaze, concealing the thoughts in her heart, and she whispered softly, "Even if I'm alone, I am more than capable of leading you back to the sect's gate."
Her words were soft, yet carried absolute confidence.
The youth didn't get a chance to reply.
Cack! Cack! Cack!...
The laughter began deep and low, then climbed to fill the skies, and finally shook the mountains and earth.
A thick blood color rose from the edge of the sky, spreading toward the blue boat.
An indistinct figure emerged within the blood light, barely visible yet exuding an oppressively strong presence just by standing there.
"Youngster, weren't you here to eliminate me, the rebel? Why the hurry to leave?"
The laughter stopped, and the hoarse voice echoed through the space.
The response was but the light tinkling of a chain.
A holy and dazzling radiance appeared as Qing Yi moved her arm, countering the overwhelming blood color pouring down.
The blue boat was etched with dense runes that constantly flowed. The blue glow burst forth suddenly, piercing through the blood sea like a sword, heading towards the distance.
Qing Yi had no intention of tangling with the situation from the beginning; her only goal at the moment was to deliver Liang Hui safely back to the Minor Yang Qi Pill Sect.
Suddenly, the rapidly moving blue boat came to a halt, and Qing Yi's eyebrows knitted slightly.
Looking at the figure that appeared before the blue boat, she felt an extreme familiarity. It was an old man with an aged face, wearing a Taoist robe unique to the Minor Yang Qi Pill Sect.
The old man wore a sinister smile, with blood light radiating from his eyes.
For the first time, Qing Yi's eyes held a cold killing intent, and she spoke with a chilly voice,
"Liu Yunhai, I respected your past acts of righteousness, and I even pitied you as the sole survivor of the Chivalrous Sect. But none of these are reasons for you to slaughter the elders of our sect."
"If you wish for death, then stay."
Amidst her words, blinding light surged about Qing Yi's body, forming several Divine Rings that enveloped her.
She then stepped forward, and in the next moment, arrived before the old man.
Her pale hand, in an instant, was pressed upon the elder's head.
Bang!
The head and body burst apart instantly, turning into a flow of blood that trickled down.
"Martial for primary, dao for auxiliary, that memory indeed was not mistaken."
Praises came from all directions. Unbeknownst when, the scarlet blood fog had once again veiled the sky.
"But alas, this isn't a place where you can boast at length."
"Fight!"
With a low shout, blinding brilliance soared into the sky, instantly evaporating a vast amount of the blood fog.
Divine light interwove with the blood color
The mere shockwaves caused the blue boat to continually shake.
Liang Hui braced himself against the edge of the boat, frowning as he watched the grand combat unfolding before him.
Yet, his heart was filled with helplessness. Wasn't the most pressing matter at the time to take him away?
Oh Divine Emperor of the future!
You abandoned me just like that to fight alone.
"Big brother, what should we do now?"
The question from behind interrupted Liang Hui's thoughts.
"Wait!"
Devoid of power to support them, all they could do was wait for the combat to end.
Boom!
Another shockwave hit the blue boat, causing the blue protective barrier above it to flicker continuously, but it still didn't burst.
This time, the impact pushed the blue boat even closer to the ground.
Suddenly, a crimson column of blood light rose from the earth, colliding swiftly with the flying boat.