My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

"You must have confidence in yourself. I am entrusting Taoism to you because I believe you will lead Taoism to glory."

"If one day Taoism really disappears, you will be the spark of Taoism. With Su Yue and your junior brother's help, you can avoid many detours and rebuild Taoism's glory."

As Qi Yu listened to the leader's words and looked at the leader's aged face so close to his, a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

This looks so much like a farewell between life and death, with someone giving their last words!

"Teacher, please don't talk like that. I'm scared. What do you mean by 'one day Taoism will be gone'?" Qi Yu said in a hoarse voice.

The sect leader stretched out his aged hand and patted Qi Yu's shoulder without saying anything. Then he turned around, returned to the statue of the Dao Ancestor, and stood with his back to Qi Yu.

"Go and prepare! In two weeks, you will succeed as head coach!"

Qi Yu wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed and walked out of the Dao Hall.

The coach slightly turned his head, glancing at Qi Yu's departing figure out of the corner of his eye, his expression complex.

He was getting closer and closer to the realm of a near-sage, and recently, through the Taoist astronomical calculations, he saw some of Qi Yu's future.

Taoism has existed for over three thousand years since its founder, and it has remained prosperous and influential on the mainland.

The law of nature dictates that what reaches its peak must decline; even the strongest things will eventually weaken.

Because of Qi Yu's emergence, Taoism's prestige is now at its zenith, even stronger than when the founder of Taoism was alive.

The rise and fall of an empire is a natural law. Taoism emphasizes nature, and it understands this principle better than anyone else.

The current strength of Taoism is itself unusual, like a dying person's last burst of energy.

After the worst comes the best!

At its peak, it is also the easiest time to perish.

As the leader of the sect, he would not stand by and watch Taoism perish, so no matter what, he would go into seclusion to break through to the level of a sub-sage.

If he succeeds, all problems will be solved.

If he fails, Qi Yu will not be able to protect Taoism, because he is essentially a good person and cannot defeat those people.

……

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Chapter 185 A Beacon of Light

Qi Yu left Changsheng Temple and had just walked down the mountain when he saw Su Yue under the shade of a tree beside the path.

At this moment, Su Yue was wearing a plain-colored long dress, and her appearance had been disguised, making her look very ordinary.

However, it was precisely this ordinariness that made Qi Yu feel at ease.

He came up to Su Yue and naturally took her hand.

"My wife, let's go home!"

Su Yue nodded slightly, without saying anything.

Qi Yu's mission to the seven states has been accomplished, and Marquis Guanyong has been rescued.

Moreover, Qi Yu had already made arrangements for the destruction of the Great Ding Dynasty.

The official letters he brought back were basically the same, except that Yan Dingfeng of the Great Ding Dynasty made some harsh words and set some conditions.

The Great Yun Dynasty was powerful, and only when the seven kingdoms united could they have the strength to fight.

Everyone here is a smart person. Apart from Yan Dingfeng, the other six countries have all reached an agreement with the Dayun Dynasty.

Previously, they joined forces to destroy Yun; now, they're joining forces to destroy Ding.

With the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Great Yun Dynasty, and the Great Qing Dynasty as the main forces, Qi Yu's requirement for other dynasties that did not border the Great Yun Dynasty was to remain neutral.

In exchange, the Dayun Dynasty would open some trade routes.

There is no commercial exchange between countries nowadays; they each live their own lives.

Some countries still haven't mastered iron smelting technology and still use bronze.

For example, a northwestern state situated between the Great Qi and the Great Wu still used bronze ware.

The Great Wu Dynasty had cumin and pepper, but the Great Yun Dynasty did not.

Without trade, we can only work in isolation.

Trade allows everyone to make money together and injects new vitality into the country.

Therefore, Li Muchen gave an affirmative answer to Qi Yu's conditions and agreed to trade.

Qi Yu has done everything he can, and now all he wants is to go back.

With Cheng Xin and those two Confucian scholars managing Yunyu Academy, there should be no problem.

The teaching materials Qi Yu left them are enough for them to study until next year.

……

In the evening, Qi Yu returned to Jiangting Village, and to his surprise, Su Chengying and his wife were already waiting for him by the stone table in the courtyard.

Qi Yu looked at Su Chengying, his gaze complicated for a moment, before he still respectfully bowed and greeted him.

"Greetings to my father-in-law and mother-in-law!"

Su Chengying sensed the faint true energy emanating from Qi Yu and nodded.

His inner strength is truly contained; he is indeed a grandmaster.

A grandmaster's true energy is compressed and stored in the dantian. If a grandmaster does not release it voluntarily, it is difficult to tell that he is a martial artist, let alone a grandmaster.

"You know everything?" Su Chengying asked calmly, his face expressionless.

He asked about Su Yue's identity, and their identities.

Qi Yu raised his head, looked at Su Chengying with a complicated expression, and then nodded.

"understood!"

"What are your thoughts?" Su Chengying asked calmly.

Xu Shuqin also turned her head to look at Qi Yu, waiting for his answer.

When Su Chengying first learned that she was a demonic cultivator, he was quite depressed for a while, because by then, it was already a fait accompli, and Su Chengying had no choice but to accept it.

Qi Yu's situation was similar.

Su Chengying's initial choice was to abandon the righteous path and Taoism, and become the leader of the Blood God Sect.

So what will Qi Yu's choice be?

"I have no particular thoughts. Since I married Su Yue, I will accept everything about her!" Qi Yu said.

Su Chengying's lips curled up, quite satisfied with Qi Yu's answer, and he smiled, "What if I asked you to cultivate demonic arts?"

After thinking for a moment, Qi Yu said, "If that's the case, then I will certainly comply!"

Cultivating demonic arts doesn't necessarily mean killing, arson, or robbing. As long as you know who you are and have a clear mind, you don't care about your position.

Su Chengying chuckled and said, "If you cultivate demonic arts, everything you have now will leave you. Does that not matter to you?"

If Qi Yu were to cultivate demonic arts, he would have no hope of becoming the leader, and ninety-nine percent of those who revered and believed in him would immediately turn into his haters.

Qi Yu will become a universally condemned figure because he betrayed the respect and faith of those believers.

Qi Yu looked into Su Chengying's eyes and smiled as well.

"Father-in-law, do you think I've changed compared to two years ago?"

Su Chengying's smile widened; this was what he admired most about Qi Yu.

When Su Yue brought Qi Yu to his home, Qi Yu acted very indifferent when he first saw him.

He used the difference in status and position to suppress and humiliate Qi Yu, even directly stating that Qi Yu was a toad trying to eat swan meat, and that he would never marry Su Yue to Qi Yu.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Qi Yu remained calm and showed no anger or inferiority at all because of his humiliation.

Regardless of the circumstances at the time, he admired Qi Yu's composure.

Qi Yu knew what he wanted, so he didn't care about the beatings and humiliations he received and could take them in stride.

Qi Yu's eyes are exactly the same as they were back then, without the slightest change.

Whether he was poor or rich, Qi Yu remained indifferent and did not let external things change his inner self.

"Do you really have the courage and awareness to give up everything and bear the infamy of the world for Yue'er?" Su Chengying asked.

Qi Yu looked at Su Yue, and Su Yue looked at Qi Yu; the two stared at each other.

Su Yue understood Qi Yu's gaze, and her eyes gradually filled with tears.

"Two years ago, I was just a poor scholar who couldn't even afford to eat. How could I have achieved the glory I have now? But even so, my wife still chose to marry me."

"Her appearance brought me comfort in this strange and cold world that was almost driving me to the brink of collapse."

"She is like a beacon in the darkness, bringing me warmth and light. Because of her existence, I can see the world clearly under her warm light."

"Without my wife, the whole world will be plunged into darkness. That dark and cold world is not the world I want."

"A world without a wife is nothing but darkness. If that's the case, what harm is there in destroying such a dark world?"

Why not...

Qi Yu's calm voice echoed, and both Su Chengying and Xu Shuqin felt a chill run down their spines.

Qi Yu's voice was calm, and calmness signifies firmness and unquestionability.

Su Chengying asked Qi Yu if he had the courage to give up those empty titles and honors for Su Yue!

Qi Yu's answer was perfect!

Forget about empty titles; Qi Yu would even destroy the entire world for Su Yue.

Su Chengying stopped asking questions. He understood Qi Yu's thoughts and felt very relieved.

Xu Shuqin's gaze toward Qi Yu became more and more pleasing. She didn't dislike Qi Yu's obsession with destroying the whole world for one person.

Because when she was young, she was just like Qi Yu.

She and Qi Yu are the same kind of people!