Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

As they looked upon the body of Qin Feng’s master, grief was etched on every face from Taiqing Academy. Just then, Qing Zhu, seated on the main throne, smiled. "Everyone, now that you’ve joined the Qing Zhu Association, there can be no betrayal. That is the most fundamental rule. I trust all of you can abide by it, correct?"

Hearing Qing Zhu’s words, no one from Taiqing Academy responded. Including Wei Yunhang, every single one of them remained silent.

Seeing them like this, Qing Zhu waved her hand, dismissing the members of Taiqing Academy. The body of Qin Feng’s master was carried away by the other five Supreme Elders.

Once everyone had left, Aunt Lan looked at Qing Zhu and said, "My lady, aren’t you afraid that they will..."

Understanding what Aunt Lan was implying, Qing Zhu smiled faintly. "Aunt Lan, do you think you lack the means to handle them? Just feed them a couple of Celestial Demon Pills. Do you really think we won’t be able to control them then?"

With a bewitching smile, Aunt Lan then withdrew from the Main Hall.

Lin Yun, of course, had no idea that Qin Feng’s master had been killed, and neither did Qin Feng. At that moment, Lin Yun was sitting on a stone bench in his courtyard, accompanied by Lu Bingning and the other two women.

Taking a sip of wine, Lin Yun reflected that he had never expected to suffer such a major loss at Qing Zhu’s hands.

"Lin Yun, what’s wrong? You’ve seemed so down ever since you returned from Taiqing Academy," Mo Qingliu asked, a hint of worry in her voice as she noticed his strange mood.

It had to be said that the young Mo Qingliu’s progress over the past half-month had been astonishingly fast. In just fifteen days, she had broken through from the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm to the First Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm.

She had crossed an entire Great Realm in just half a month.

Hearing Mo Qingliu’s concern, Lin Yun smiled and affectionately patted her head. "It’s nothing. Just some trivial matters weighing on my mind."

He didn’t tell the three women about what happened with Qing Zhu. After all, the situation was already set in stone; telling them would only make them worry needlessly.

They remained in Fire City for three days. Afterward, the people from the Celestial Spirit Auction House departed, returning to the Central Domain. During those three days, all the remaining Disciples of Taiqing Academy were dismissed. The Celestial Spirit Auction House officially declared that the name "Taiqing Academy" was now a part of history.

Everyone from the Celestial Spirit Auction House had left, but Qingfeng Saint and Flowing Water Saint remained.

Qin Feng Saint had already handed over the Pill Formula for the Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill to an Alchemy Grandmaster from the Pharmaceutical Instrument Master’s Guild. Once the pill was created, the Grandmaster would have it delivered to the guild’s branch in the Eastern Domain. Lin Yun and the others would only need to go there to retrieve it.

That day, Chairman Qian, Qingfeng Saint, and Flowing Water Saint came to see Lin Yun. Upon their arrival, Lu Bingning and the other two women prepared some wine for the group. Not wanting to disturb their discussion, the three women sensibly returned to their rooms to cultivate.

"Are you really planning to protect me for three years?" Lin Yun asked, looking at Flowing Water Saint.

"I’ve told you before, that depends on your performance. If I get bored, I might leave at any time," Flowing Water Saint replied with a smile.

Hearing her response, Lin Yun said no more. At this point, Chairman Qian finally found an opportunity to speak. To be honest, he was the most nervous one in the group, trying to interact with Lin Yun and the two Saints.

Qingfeng Saint and Flowing Water Saint were both Saints of the Earth Saint Realm, and Lin Yun was the person they were protecting. Therefore, Chairman Qian couldn’t help but feel nervous around the three of them. At the same time, he was eager to prove his own usefulness.

And so, looking at Lin Yun, Chairman Qian said excitedly, "Young Master Lin, now that Taiqing Academy has been utterly destroyed, when are you going to have Flawless Palace send people to take over Fire City?"

"I don’t want Fire City, nor do I want Taiqing Academy’s territory. I don’t want any of it," Lin Yun replied coolly upon hearing Chairman Qian’s words.

Chairman Qian was baffled by this. It was such a golden opportunity. Taiqing Academy’s territory was leaderless—a chance that comes once in a lifetime. ’Why would Lin Yun pass it up?’ he wondered.

Chairman Qian couldn’t understand it, but both Qingfeng Saint and Flowing Water Saint just smiled faintly. Flowing Water Saint, in particular, thought to herself, ’What a shrewd little brother.’

Seeing the confusion on Chairman Qian’s face, Lin Yun smiled, invited the three of them to drink a glass of wine, and then slowly began to explain.

"Right now, Taiqing Academy’s entire territory is leaderless. Without a doubt, it won’t be long before this place becomes the most chaotic region in the entire Eastern Domain."

"And that’s not all. The news of Taiqing Academy’s destruction has surely reached the other five great forces by now. Whoever makes the first move will become the nail that sticks out, inviting all the other powers to hammer them down."

"Furthermore, don’t forget that the Qing Zhu Association is still watching like a tiger stalking its prey. This entire affair was orchestrated by Qing Zhu herself. Who can guarantee she doesn’t have a follow-up plan?"

"If Qing Zhu is just waiting for me or Flawless Palace to occupy Taiqing Academy’s territory, wouldn’t I be walking right into another one of her traps?"

Combining all these factors, Lin Yun had decided to bide his time and absolutely not be the one to make the first move. In fact, he had shared his thoughts with Luo Feng a day earlier, and the master and Disciple had found their strategies to be in perfect alignment.

’By now, the Disciples and Elders of Flawless Palace should have all retreated back to the palace grounds.’

After hearing Lin Yun’s explanation, Chairman Qian finally understood. He looked at Lin Yun with admiration and said, "Young Master Lin is truly thorough in his considerations. I am far from your level."

With a slight smile, Lin Yun shook his head. "It’s not that my thinking is more thorough. It’s that you and I are looking at different things, Chairman Qian. You see the benefits, whereas I see the danger."

Benefits are often accompanied by danger. In times like these, one must weigh whether the potential gains are worth the risks.

In this matter, the potential dangers were too numerous. Although the rewards were also great, Lin Yun still made the most prudent choice in the face of so many hidden threats.

’It’s not impossible to seize Taiqing Academy’s territory,’ Lin Yun thought, ’but Flawless Palace absolutely cannot be the first one to act.’

"I believe it won’t be long before Fire City becomes another Wood City," Lin Yun said calmly.

The other three all agreed with his assessment. Having decided to bide their time, the four of them changed the subject and began to chat and drink casually.

It was Chairman Qian’s first time drinking and chatting with two Saints, so he was understandably nervous at first. However, after a few rounds of wine, he began to relax.

As for Lin Yun, though he had been very young during his time in the Divine Realm, Saints were not at all rare there. Consequently, he felt no sense of awe or fear in their presence.

While Lin Yun and the others were drinking and chatting, Li Tian, who had traveled to Wood City alone, came to a stop in front of an old wooden house.

At a glance, the house looked like a common dwelling that had been abandoned for many years. Facing it, Li Tian smiled faintly. "I’ve finally arrived."

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