Hearing the spirit fox's words, the color drained from Shen Yu's face instantly, leaving him paper-pale as his lips thinned into a tight line.
He suddenly loathed his past self to the core—the one who had instigated the refugees to build the temple, using the opportunity to beg the Divine Lady to grant the living beings of the mortal realm a sliver of hope.
If not for his ulterior motives, deliberately laying bare the suffering, simplicity, and kindness of the refugees right before her, she might have departed that day after healing their wounds.
None of the subsequent events would have occurred, nor would she have been so deeply influenced by mortals that she actually changed the Dao she cultivated.
If his guess was correct, the Divine Lady had cultivated the Dao of Emotionless Transcendence to eventually succeed as the Master of the Heavenly Palace.
The Heavenly Dao was supremely just and naturally emotionless; only through emotionlessness could it achieve absolute fairness and justice toward all things in the world.
Now that she had switched to cultivating the Dao of the Common People, she was likely forever barred from the position of the Master of the Heavenly Palace.
In the end, it was he who had harmed her.
After a long silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “Lord Spirit Fox is right. We owe the Divine Lady too much.”
The wind howled past his ears. He turned his head slightly, his gaze landing on the carriage curtain as he stared at the hazy silhouette inside.
The sour ache in his chest grew heavier, as if blocked by something, suffocating him to the point that his eyes began to burn.
“It is good that you understand.”
The little fox continued reading its lines from its cheat sheet, playing the role of a vicious and harsh creature to perfection. “Hmph! Although you mortals are somewhat grateful, the things you do to repay the Divine Lady are of absolutely no benefit to her. From now on, bothering her less is the best way you can repay her...”
A soft sigh suddenly drifted out from inside the carriage.
“Spirit Fox, that is enough.”
The voice was calm and light, yet it carried an indescribable authority that made the little fox shut its mouth immediately.
Then, she continued, “Shen Yu, the spirit fox's mind is not yet mature. You need not take its words to heart. My switch to cultivating the Dao of the Common People was also my own choice.”
“I cultivated the Dao of Emotionless Transcendence with my master for tens of thousands of years, yet I could never comprehend its great path. It was only after experiencing the plague of Yecheng and seeing the deeds of Ye Qingqing and the others—which moved the heavens—that I finally realized: saving the common people is my Dao.”
She spoke of the ruin of her tens of thousands of years of cultivating the Dao of Emotionless Transcendence in such a casual tone, as if it were nothing but a trivial matter.
Yet Shen Yu only felt the weight of his debt grow heavier.
After a brief hesitation, he decided to pour out all the thoughts buried deep in his heart. “Divine Lady, I do not know if you are aware, but that Divine Lady Temple in Creek Valley was actually built because I instigated those refugees, all to make you feel pity for them. Furthermore, what I said at the Divine Lady Temple that day was merely sophistry. It cannot be taken seriously...”
“To seek survival is the instinct of all living beings. There is no wrong in that.”
“Moreover, you allowed me to witness the resilience of mortals who refuse to give up even in adversity. Otherwise, I would not have remained in this world, let alone felt compassion.”
The Divine Lady said, “Shen Yu, karma never owes anyone. I comprehended the Dao of the Common People in the mortal realm. Dispersing disasters and alleviating suffering for the afflicted mortals is, to me, also a form of cultivation.”
Shen Yu was slightly dazed. Tears silently slipped down, splashing onto the back of his hand before being quickly dried by the wind.
He choked out, “Yes, Divine Lady.”
What the Divine Lady decided was not something he could change.
At this point, the only thing he could do was ensure that mortals remembered the grace the Divine Lady had bestowed upon the mortal realm, never to forget it for all eternity.
Unknowingly, the dark-gold carriage drove out of Zhenbei Prefecture. Looking at the desolate scenery around him, Shen Yu was filled with mixed emotions. Zhenbei Prefecture was protected by the Divine Lady, allowing the commoners to live and work in peace, residing in a secluded paradise. What a supreme blessing that was!
But this world was far more than just Zhenbei Prefecture.
The chaotic era had not ended; it was merely that living in Zhenbei Prefecture had shielded them from experiencing its cruelty.
Under the grinding weight of natural disasters and man-made calamities of this chaotic era...
The tragic scenes outside Zhenbei Prefecture were even worse than what he had witnessed when he first left the capital.
Below, the earth cracked like a spiderweb due to the drought, the vegetation lay withered and yellowed, and the dry riverbeds exposed the stones at the bottom.
In the distance, dozens of fleeing refugees appeared. They were all dressed in rags and reduced to mere skin and bones.
It was hard to imagine that they were a group of living people.
Shen Yu's heart instantly tightened again.
Just then, the carriage curtain fluttered slightly, and a pristine, lustrous hand gently reached out, a faint light glowing at the fingertips.
The Divine Lady did not show herself.
The light merely flew out from her fingertips.
The refugees by the roadside were resting against withered trees. They were already so starved that they lacked even the strength to raise their heads, so much so that none of them noticed the approach of the dark-gold carriage and the golden-armored heavenly soldiers.
Suddenly.
They all felt their hands grow heavy.
Subconsciously looking down...
Everyone was stunned. In their hands, a warm white jade bowl had appeared out of thin air. Inside the bowl, thick white porridge emitted a fragrant aroma of rice, with steam curling upward.
Some rubbed their eyes.
Thinking it was a hallucination born of hunger.
A white-haired old woman looked up tremblingly toward the oncoming dark-gold carriage. Shock filled her eyes first, followed by a rush of tears as she said in a shaking voice, “The immortals have manifested...”
Holding the bowl of porridge, she knelt on the ground. “O merciful and compassionate immortal! Please save us!”
“We cannot survive anymore!”
The other refugees, who were wolfing down their porridge, heard the old woman's cries. They set down their bowls one after another and followed her gaze to look at the dark-gold carriage.
“That... that carriage is off the ground...”
“Our porridge must have been bestowed by the immortal in the carriage! It is a real immortal! There really are immortals!”
“We beg the immortal to save our lives!”
Overjoyed, the crowd knelt in front of the carriage to kowtow, blocking its path. Disregarding their fear of the surrounding golden-armored heavenly soldiers, they only wanted to grasp this final lifesaver.
【Zhang San Shock Value +100】
【Li Si Shock Value +100】
【Wang Wu Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 2,886,000】
Yun Shu had anticipated meeting many refugees along the way, so she had long since changed into the Scent of Plain Snow Set.
For the refugees, bestowing anything upon them was not as practical as giving them a bowl of white porridge.
Now.
The power she possessed was no different from that of a true god, so she naturally no longer needed to worry about the evils of human nature.
No matter how many evil people there were, with a single sword formation or a few heavenly thunders, the world and her ears would become quiet again.
She had plenty of thunderous methods to deal with the wicked.
“If you wish to live, you may head to Zhenbei Prefecture.” The Divine Lady's voice rang in everyone's ears.
Before they could react, the dark-gold carriage flew directly over their heads and vanished into the twilight.
Yun Shu's original plan was to arrive in Longyou within three days, but there were simply too many refugees along the way.
After receiving the porridge she bestowed, some refugees stubbornly followed behind her carriage, pursuing her on foot.
As the number of followers grew larger and larger,
she could only slow down the carriage.
However, this also had its benefits. Simply by bestowing porridge, her Shock Value rose to twenty million.
Opening the set enhancement and upgrade interface, she decisively upgraded the Peerless National Beauty Set from level 8 to level 20.
【Current Shock Value: 8,000,000】
“Another max-level outfit. Not bad.” Yun Shu stroked her chin, looking at the preview of the outfit.
The skill effects of the Peerless National Beauty Set were already dazzling, and after upgrading to max level, the magnificence of those effects was fully maxed out.
“Host, we have arrived in Longyou.”
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