Chapter One
Deep love does not last; extreme wisdom leads to injury.
He who gazes into the abyss to find fish meets misfortune; he who calculates hidden secrets invites calamity.
Schemes and manipulation had indeed helped Qian Yu navigate crisis after crisis, allowing her to survive alone in a world where danger lurked at every step.
But she was too young.
She didn’t actually enjoy these things; she just wanted to be a quiet, lazy fox.
No matter how brilliant the calculations, if they didn’t come from the heart, they became a burden — a layer of dust that caused deep exhaustion in the dead of night.
This wasn’t obvious at lower cultivation levels, but if not cleared away, it would accumulate over time. Once Qian Yu reached a high cultivation level, it would transform into a Heart Demon powerful enough to destroy her Great Dao.
It might even turn her into a paranoiac who suffered from a persecution complex.
There were only two solutions.
One was for Qian Yu to change her mindset from the bottom of her heart, no longer viewing these deliberations as a burden but genuinely enjoying them.
That might work, but the result would be that Qian Yu would no longer be herself.
The second method was more stable and efficient: using external force to wash away the dust.
It treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, but it was effective.
Since ancient times, most Venerables and Saints chose this method when their state of mind was flawed.
Coincidentally, the small gift Yingning had just given Qian Yu as an apology was the best of its kind — a cleansing using the Celestial Intent sensed upon attaining the Dao.
As an existence who once stood only one step away from the peak of the Cultivation World, Yingning had left behind three wisps of insight from when she was near the immortal state.
Considering how tired and cautious Qian Yu lived, she decided to give her this.
It could not only sweep away all of a person’s Heart Demon fatigue but its effects were also long-lasting.
In the future, it would continuously improve one’s comprehension of the Great Dao.
It would also help guard the heart when a cultivator faced the Heart Demon Tribulation during their breakthrough to the Venerable Realm, increasing the chances of success.
It could be said that these three wisps of Celestial Intent were three passes to becoming a Venerable. They had even been of great help to Gu Qinghan when she later faced her own Heart Demon Tribulation.
Now, the other woman had actually given one to her. Qian Yu couldn’t be happier.
After all, this was something only Gu Qinghan and her pets were supposed to have!
Following the guidance of the Celestial Intent, Qian Yu completely relaxed her heart.
Her mind became as clear as a mirror.
Even the hidden injuries left behind from severing her Sacred Body were nourished at this moment.
“Master, did you give the Celestial Intent to Qian Yu?”
Looking at Qian Yu, who had suddenly fallen into a state of enlightenment, Gu Qinghan didn’t know exactly what had happened.
However, sensing that familiar aura, she quickly realized her Master had acted.
‘But doesn’t Master dislike Qian Yu?’
Gu Qinghan could often sense Yingning’s resistance toward Qian Yu between the lines.
Why had she suddenly gifted such a precious item?
“Mind your own business. I’ll do whatever I want.”
Since Qian Yu had truly emptied her mind, Yingning quickly emerged from the Spiritual Ring.
For some reason, she had regained her youthful air, shedding that layer of darkness that had made Gu Qinghan want to choke her back.
As soon as she came out, she slapped her disciple’s head and stuck out her tongue.
“Master, you really…”
Gu Qinghan was naturally happy to see her Master’s change, but after remembering something, her joy faded.
“So, Master, was what Qian Yu said before true?” she asked softly.
“Do you really need Providence to survive?”
“That’s right.”
Yingning nodded without hesitation.
She turned her gaze toward the fox-tail-like dagger in Gu Qinghan’s hand.
As a Lifebound Spirit Tool, Qian Yu’s refinement method was crude, but in terms of function, it was stained with Qian Yu’s Providence.
As Qian Yu’s cultivation increased and her bloodline became purer in the future, it could definitely support her long-term existence.
If she were cruel, it could support her right now.
However, the price would be slowly draining Qian Yu until she became a useless person.
“Master…”
Noticing Yingning’s gaze, Gu Qinghan’s heart trembled.
She instinctively hid the Fox Tail Dagger behind her back.
She worried deeply for her Master and was willing to sacrifice her own Providence to ensure her survival, but she didn’t want Yingning to eye Qian Yu’s things.
“Hey, hey, hey! What kind of person do you think I am!”
Yingning snapped.
This blockhead.
She had just given away one of her only three wisps of Celestial Intent to Qian Yu.
How could she possibly care about that tiny bit of Providence now?
Gu Qinghan felt a sense of relief, but she still didn’t bring the dagger out from behind her.
She began worrying about another matter.
“If you don’t use Qian Yu’s gift, how will you stay in this world, Master?”
Yingning didn’t actually care much about whether she lived or not, but since her disciple asked, she answered:
“This actually depends on that girl, Qian Yu. Relax!!! I’m not going to suck her Providence dry!”
After shooting an annoyed look at her disciple, Yingning continued:
“Qinghan, you have been through Rebirth, so you should know that there is an Ancient Heavenly Fox from the Demon Race who is still alive.”
Gu Qinghan nodded.
That Ancient Heavenly Fox was the ninth daughter of the one once revered as the Myriad Demon Emperor.
Although her talent was said to be poor, after so much time, she had already stepped into the Saint Realm.
She was the final trump card called upon after the Demon Race’s Saint ancestors were defeated on the Demon Race Battlefield.
After Gu Qinghan became a Venerable, she had once gazed at her from a distance.
With that being’s current strength, she could certainly help her Master survive.
However, not only was she a trump card who wouldn’t appear unless the Demon Race faced life or death, but given the gap in their cultivation, Gu Qinghan didn’t even have the right to meet her.
“The Demon Race is xenophobic; we indeed cannot see her. But don’t forget her.”
Yingning pointed at Qian Yu, whose large ears were drooping naturally because she had entered a deep meditative state.
“She is a Half-Yao herself, and she possesses the bloodline of the Ancient Heavenly Fox.”
Gu Qinghan frowned.
If it were Qian Yu, she would indeed have a better chance of speaking to her than Gu Qinghan would, but her bloodline was too thin.
Even those previous fox yao hadn’t been able to identify the source of her bloodline.
And…
She didn’t really want Qian Yu to have too much contact with those members of the Fox Tribe.
They were too similar — fluffy.
Compared to a human like her, they seemed more like the same kind who could become best friends.
“That’s why I said Qian Yu’s decision to sever her Sacred Body was correct.”
If she had kept the Sacred Body, a large part of the transformation brought by every future breakthrough would have gone into nourishing the Sacred Body.
Cultivating both would mean mastering neither.
Now that she had severed it, she could use the Yi Pan to comprehend the Laws of the Dao of the Sacred Body at any time, while the transformations from her breakthroughs would only feed her bloodline.
The bloodline of an Ancient Heavenly Fox was no worse than a Sacred Body.
Not to mention… once this bloodline reached a certain level of purity, it might even be possible for that living Ancient Heavenly Fox ancestor to see her as a junior.
That is a Saint Realm expert.
All her kin are long dead, and she is very lonely.
If a Qian Yu with a high bloodline density suddenly appeared, even if she is a Half-Yao, she might be raised as a niece or daughter.
“As long as Qian Yu can catch her eye, for her, it means having an elder willing to protect her, so she no longer has to live in such fear. For me, it counts as a way to survive,” Yingning laughed.
The final issue was the density of Qian Yu’s bloodline.
If her current Bloodline Awakening level was minor, then to catch the eye of that Ancient Heavenly Fox ancestor and be treated as half a tribeswoman, she would need to reach at least the intermediate stage.
According to Yingning’s estimation, that would be around when Qian Yu reached the third or fourth realm. Not too soon, but not too far off either.
“Until then, let me protect her for a while. Consider it an exchange of benefits.”
With that, Yingning’s hand signs changed, and a petal-like Dao mark landed on Qian Yu’s forehead, quickly vanishing.
With this, if the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable or any other existence in the Venerable Realm tried to attack Qian Yu directly, she would be able to sense it.
“The Dao mark only senses those at the Venerable level or above. But it doesn’t matter; those below the Venerable level are your responsibility, Qinghan.”
After finishing, Yingning looked at Gu Qinghan, gave a “hee-hee” laugh, and dove back into the ring.
It could be said that without knowing it, Qian Yu had won big in this gamble.
If she hadn’t brought out that Lifebound Spirit Tool, Yingning wouldn’t have done this, even if it were beneficial to both parties.
She wasn’t afraid of death, but she was fastidious about her principles.
Qian Yu had moved her with her sincerity.
Without even knowing it, she had resolved more than half of the crisis posed by the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable.
If the other woman still tried to force a move on her later, she might just receive a surprise.
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