Indeed, the goddess was both merciful and vengeful.

To Qin Yu who showed an act of defiance by trying to save a lost soul, choosing death than continue serving her, she gave no mercy when she sent that lightning bolt to him.

But to the ones who followed him willingly out of the Wu Yun sect, she only lessened their cultivation to balance their power with the mortals.

Qin Yu could barely even stand on his own but the members who walked behind him could still walk thousands of li if they wanted to. He didn't even know the logic behind the goddess' judgment.

She must have felt betrayed the moment she knew that his loyalty wasn't entirely hers alone. Cai Xie should have known when she first took the dying boy from the mortal realm. He would be forever grateful to her but as for his soul, he couldn't offer it all.

After a short rest, he still insisted to continue with their journey. It wasn't obvious but Surong could feel that he was in a hurry.

They arrived in front of the Imperial City morning of the next day.

Qin Yu provided proof of identity for the hundred and so people who followed him. They were now part of his Qin clan.

Upon seeing the identity jade, a high-ranking imperial guard was summoned from the palace. Only Qin Yu and a handful of people would be allowed to enter the Yellow Qilin Hall though.

The tens of imperial guards stationed at the gates of the palace watched the fine gentleman instructing his people.

"You can visit any place you like. I will call you when it's time." He said with a faint smile.

After a sound of assent, the imperial guards saw how those people vanished from their sight.

This left an ugly expression on the Chief of Imperial Guards. He realized that every single one of those people was an elite cultivator. Something Huo Ai lacked in recent years.

Today, only noble families and lucky commoners could produce offspring that could sense the essence of heaven and earth. Even though their numbers were still plenty, it was obvious that in the next generations, cultivators would become scarce.

But this Qin clan would appear here all of a sudden after hundreds of years of seclusion. And their people were all high-level cultivators. This seemed to be bad news for the Emperor.

"Greetings, Lord Qin. This way please." There was a slight edge to the chief imperial guard's voice.

Qin Yu glanced at him and started walking. No matter how many years passed, he still knew his way around the palace. The chief imperial guard didn't even need to lead him which led to another red flag inside the chief's mind.

Qin Yu's feet were quiet as he climbed the stairs to the Yellow Qilin Hall. Seeing the old man on the throne, he didn't linger at the entrance and walked towards him.

For Surong and the rest, it was unnatural to see Qin Yu doing a half bow. Even a human emperor did not deserve a bow from the goddess' herald after all.

Similarly, the people from the Emperor's side were indignant at the blatant disrespect. They expected this man to give a full kowtow!

However, Qin Yu's clear voice rang before each of the sides could complain. "Forgive my sudden visit, Your Majesty... ah, the Saint is also here."

Qin Yu only acknowledged the two even if the prime minister, eunuchs, heads of the other clans, and a few of the princes were also present.

He recognized the emperor because of his golden robes and the saint due to his elaborate way of clothing. No matter what generation it was, this seemed to never change.

"I am surnamed Qin, here to bring you a warning or an omen depending on how you receive it. The goddess is opening the barrier to Zhong Xin."

The grand hall grew quiet at this announcement.

One must know that in Huo Ai, the surname Qin was special. Among the five founding clans, the Qin clan was the one that produced the herald of Cai Xie. It was sung in epics and oral legends of the land so the people wouldn't forget.

For this reason, anyone with the surname Qin was a threat to the royal family and the temple as their words held great influence over the people.

But even with this prestige, they rarely went down from the mountain they secluded themselves in and nobody could go up there too. Because they'd be lost in the mystical place.

Now, who would know that the very same person that brought prestige to the Qin clan was right before their eyes? They thought Cai Xie's herald had long ascended to the immortal realm.

Actually, the Qin surname had already ceased to exist as it got mixed up with the passing of the generations. Qin Yu was separated from his clan when he entered Wu Yun sect as a disciple and went up the ranks.

He was cut off from the mortal realm at that time. When he went down from Wu Yun Peak for the first time in years, he received the news of how his clan was hunted one by one secretly. Only leaving a few handfuls from the side branches.

That crime of massacre fell on the hands of the ancestors of these people in front of him. But the sinners covered their tracks and let the people of Huo Ai believe that the Qin clan was in seclusion.

Even their descendants knew nothing of this dark part of history.

But Qin Yu had no plans of forcing the sons to pay for the sins of their fathers. The past was buried along with his feelings so he could calmly stand here.

Due to the goddess' grace, he had met his new family and through them, he could still uphold the souls of the true Qin people. Even if the Wu Yun sect members weren't related to him by blood, the years he spent in the sect were enough to call them his family.

But mortals knew nothing of the sect's existence. They didn't know that the goddess left a remnant of her power in this world to watch over them in the form of Wu Yun Peak's people. However, this time, Wu Yun sect wouldn't interfere with the things to come.

Qin Yu knew that in the eyes of the goddess, it was time for the mortals to pass trials.

"The barrier... that means Zhong Xin will awaken." It was almost a question raised by the Emperor of Huo Ai.

His wizened eyes held an unreadable light.

The Saint of the Temple of Cai Xie coughed a few times and said in a worried tone. "The people of Zhong Xin will be in peril. They don't believe in the goddess, after all."

Seeing their reactions, Qin Yu could almost read their minds.

Hua Ai's citizens had long-withstanding faith that anyone who truly worshipped the goddess would be blessed with the power of cultivation. It was the ability to absorb and refine the essence of heaven and earth.

Parents would pray at the temples every day in hopes that their child would be endowed with that ability.

The powerful families hired cultivators to hunt in the dangerous forests of Huo Ai and bring honor to that clan. They would also become foot soldiers to defend the clan when battles arose between the clans. Being a cultivator in Huo Ai was the most lucrative job so commoners dreamed for their children to have the ability to cultivate.

And because it was a gift from the goddess, the priests of the Temples received extravagant gifts in exchange for praying on behalf of a clan to produce talented cultivators. That was why the power in Huo Ai wasn't the Emperor's alone. There was a complicated sort of balance between the royal family, the founding clans, and the Temple of Cai Xie.

Qin Yu reckoned this balance would be disrupted when the barrier to Zhong Xin was opened.

Zhong Xin was the continent that housed the four kingdoms, including Great Han. The fifth nation, Huo Ai, had always been separated. It wasn't just because of natural boundaries but also because of the mystical barrier put in place by the goddess' earliest followers.

This was the reason why the residents of Huo Ai still worshipped the goddess while the four kingdoms didn't. The records of the goddess' existence were all kept in Huo Ai. The four kingdoms only knew about Cai Xie because of oral history passed down from their ancestors.

"I have sent my message. This is my last duty..." as the herald.

The barrier leading to Zhong Xin, nobody knew if it was to protect the normal people of Zhong Xin or the citizens of Huo Ai. Time would tell, Qin Yu thought.

"Lord Qin, whatever do you mean?" The Emperor was tentative in asking.

Qin Yu smiled at him. "After this, my Qin clan will start a new journey. I'm sure all the people of Huo Ai will also face the choice of moving forward or staying where they are. Whatever you choose, you must face the consequences."

He half-bowed once again and didn't wait to be dismissed.

"Imperial Father, this son thinks that surnamed Qin thinks too highly of himself. Did he dare to ignore the son of heaven? He should be punished!" The Crown Prince was indignant.

"Calm now. The man's words can't be ignored. Zhen already sent men to confirm his identity but nothing can be found. However, his eyes are enough proof. Our scriptures often mentioned the strange eyes of the Qin clan."

The Saint only watched the spectacle while stroking his beard. Gentleman Qin was indeed weird but the words he left were worth listening to. They needed to dig into the historical records of Huo Ai to know what would happen if the barrier fully opened.