As usual, upon returning from the Naruto World, it was early morning at the Yizhuang. Following his routine, Qiu Xia cleaned the premises and prepared a few dishes before releasing Ren Tingting from his Small World. Having been away for a month, she was anxious to head home and see her father.
"Oh, Qiu Xia, you're back!" Master Zhe exclaimed as she emerged to wash up, spotting Qiu Xia waiting in the main hall with a freshly cooked meal.
"I'm back, Mistress. I left Qiusheng and Wencai in the Naruto World to continue their training, but I've brought Tingting back. She's already headed home to see her father."
"How was Tingting's cultivation during this past month?" Master Zhe asked curiously.
"She has already reached the Earth Master realm!"
"What!" Hearing this, Master Zhe's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Only a month ago, Tingting had barely broken through to become a Human Master. To jump straight to Earth Master in a single month was unheard of.
"She didn't just force a breakthrough after opening the twelve main meridians, did she?" Master Zhe asked, her expression turning grim.
"Mistress, what are you thinking? With me there, I would never let her sacrifice her potential for short-term gain. Tingting opened every meridian possible and even forged the Azure Lotus Creation Physique. She only broke through to the Earth Master realm after building a flawless foundation."
Hearing Qiu Xia's explanation, Master Zhe let out a long sigh of relief. "That's good. That's good then."
"By the way, Mistress, while I was away with Qiusheng and Wencai this past month, did anything happen around here?"
"We don't know about other places, but nothing out of the ordinary has happened around your master's Taoist temple or the surrounding areas."
"That's good. In that case, I plan to take Master and you to the Naruto World for cultivation in a month's time. However, during this month, I've decided to travel across Shenzhou to slay demons and exterminate devils."
Although Qiusheng, Wencai, and Ren Tingting had served as successful test subjects for traveling between worlds, they were ultimately supporting characters. Uncle Jiu was different; he was the protagonist.
Qiu Xia knew that if he spirited the protagonist away, there was no telling what cosmic consequences might follow. To prevent any unforeseen disasters, he decided to spend the month purging the Divine Land of every evil spirit and monster he could find.
Having made his decision, Qiu Xia didn't even wait for Uncle Jiu to wake up. He left a quick word with Master Zhe and set off. Relying on the Three Lights Divine Escape, it took him less than a day to streak from the eastern reaches of Shenzhou to the west. Using the Three Lights Sensing Method during his flight, he was able to detect any concentrations of Yin Qi, Evil Qi, or hidden treasures.
For the next month, Qiu Xia became a supernatural peacekeeper, flying back and forth across the Divine Land. Relying on his powerful perception, he sealed numerous rifts between the human realm and the underworld. Any ghosts lingering on the soil of Huaxia were unceremoniously cast into Diyu.
He performed rites of passage for the kind and innocent souls before sending them down, while the wicked were simply hurled into the abyss. As for whether he was making the officials of the underworld overworked, he didn't careas long as they weren't causing trouble among the living.
Qiu Xia was unaware that his actions had thrown the bureaucracy of the underworld into utter chaos. The officials were frantic. Who was this person? How could one individual exorcise so many souls in such a short time? Was it a Zhenren-level cultivator trying to accumulate merit?
It seemed unlikely; usually, those of such high cultivation stayed hidden in Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands to preserve their longevity. Why would they suddenly start hunting ghosts instead of striving for ascension to the Heavenly Court?
Overwhelmed, King Yama and the Judges ordered the Underworld Messengers and City Gods to investigate the identity of this overachiever and tell them to show some restraint. However, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of Qiu Xia.
He moved too fast, flying across the continent in a blur. One day he was in the far south, the next he was in the frozen north. The locations where he performed his exorcisms and cast souls into the underworld were completely unpredictable.
Consequently, the investigating messengers spent the month running in circles, never finding the man they sought. During this crusade, Qiu Xia also crossed paths with Shi Jian and his son, who were secretly practicing forbidden evil arts. Qiu Xia had no positive impression of the duo, so he dealt with them directly and sent their souls straight to the underworld.
As ordained disciples of Maoshan, they both had Life Tablets in the sect. Their sudden deaths were bound to trigger a massive search by both the Maoshan Sect and the underworld, but just like before, no one could find a trace of the culprit.
After nearly three weeks of purging evil spirits, Qiu Xia went a step further and excavated the dragon vein of the Great Qing Dynasty. At the borders and several spiritual hubs within Shenzhou, he placed numerous formation flags and foundations. Drawing upon a vast amount of starlight, he activated a massive array that enveloped the entirety of Shenzhou.
The moment the array flared to life, it shook several old monsters out of their secluded meditation. They were stunnedwho was this high-level expert? To set up such an enormous array across the Divine Land... was this the work of an immortal? Ever since the era when Liu Bowen cut the spiritual veins,
the world's spiritual energy had been in decline. Those at or above the Zhenren realm could only maintain their cultivation by hiding in Blessed Lands; improving their strength was nearly impossible. Where had this "immortal" come from?
Some speculated it was an ancient monster from before Liu Bowen's time who had finally reached perfection and decided to make one last contribution to the Divine Land before ascending. It wasn't an impossibility.
Qiu Xia's reason for setting up such a massive array was simple: he wasn't sure how the world would change after Uncle Jiu left. To be safe, he wanted to leave as many safeguards as possible. Clearing out the monsters was only temporary,
as new ones would eventually appear. By using the Great Qing's dragon vein as a power source for the formation, he ensured that local sorcerers powerful enough to damage the flags wouldn't dare to try, and those who weren't powerful enough simply couldn't.
Furthermore, the array acted as a gathering point for spiritual energy, ensuring a continuous flow of Qi throughout Shenzhou. This was Qiu Xia's contribution to the worldhis way of settling his karmic debt.
After all, he had cultivated Taoist arts and survived in this world, and now he was taking several people away. He owed the world a great deal. Purging the monsters and establishing a spiritual resurgence array was an act of immense merit for Shenzhou.
With these deeds, the karmic debt Qiu Xia owed to the Zombie World was settled. In fact, it was likely that the world now owed him.
On the final day, Qiu Xia returned to the Yizhuang. After taking Ren Tingting, Master Zhe, and Uncle Jiu into his Small World, he used his dharma power to lull himself into a deep sleep, waiting for the system to initiate the return.
The Zombie World's Heavenly Dao: This kid really knows how to make a scene. After causing such a ruckus for a month, he's actually taking the protagonist of my world away. Doesn't he know every protagonist carries a portion of the world's fortune? How am I supposed to let him just leave? But then again...
in just one month, the boy has worked himself to the bone, clearing out all the filth from Shenzhou and even setting up a massive spiritual recovery array. With that array in place, the world will recover much faster. His contribution has far exceeded anything the Child of Fortune could have done.
The Heavenly Tribulation: Boss, what's the plan? I'm already charged up. Just give the order and I'll give that kid a few good zaps.
The Zombie World's Heavenly Dao: The things he did this month were acts of great merit. We can't strike him. If I strike a person of such merit, what would my fellow Heavenly Daos from other worlds think of me? As a Heavenly Dao, the most important thing is to be clear about rewards and punishments.
The Heavenly Tribulation: So what do we do, Boss? Just let him take them?
The Zombie World's Heavenly Dao: Let him take them. Consider it a reward for all the hard work he put in. I don't know if he'll ever come back, but forget it for now. Let me help him upgrade that array a bit. The kid really is a genius... with this formation, I can recover a significant amount of my own power.
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