Looking at the calm and peaceful face of the little girl, his hand released the dagger and an acid taste climbed from his stomach all the way up to his mouth. He held it in when he heard the sound of footsteps descending the flight of stairs, realizing that the fight upstairs must've ended already.

Unhesitatingly, he drew his Thundering Sword that was badly damaged by one too many encounters with powerful enemies, and started slashing at random parts of his body including the arms, legs, torso, and even went as far as stabbing his lower-back with it.

Once he was done, he took another look at the now-dead girl and sat down next to the altar. He felt tired both mentally and physically.

[In here! He's here, sect master Pu!](?)

[He's alive? Thank the Heavens! Herman, you absolute moron! Why did you follow those guys alone... Zi... Zi Yan!? This...](Chun Pu)

[She's the Junior Disciple of the Immortal Elixir sect?](?)

When he heard the name and the position of the girl, Herman slightly shuddered and didn't know if he could be considered lucky or unlucky. Since she held an executive position in the Immortal Elixir sect the effect her death will have on his plans should be at least twice to three times more potent than what he hoped for.

[Young man... what happened here?](Chun Pu) - he asked with a somber voice

[Sect master Pu! My name is Zhang Xuyi, an elder of the Immortal Elixir sect. I heard that you found my niece Yan. Where is... she...](Zhang Xuyi)

"..."

The new arrival shuddered and visibly aged the moment he saw the dead girl on the sacrificial altar. His bloodshot eyes looked at Herman and through some luck, he managed to retain a shred of logic that prevented him from attacking the apparently wounded young man.

[Elder Xuyi, we just found the situation as you see it. I was just asking the young lad Herman about what happened. He followed the group of fighters he faced in the Contest of Tao here.](Chun Pu)

[...mhm.](Zhang Xuyi)

"My sincere apologies and honest condolences elder Zhang! Excuse me if I cannot get up and greet all of you, but my body seems to disagree with such an idea."

[It's okay Herman. Tell us what happened, please!](Chun Pu)

"Mhm."

Feng Qian, Yi Xuan, and Tianxia Xue just entered behind the others and gasped when they saw the condition Herman was in. Upon seeing the dead girl, even Yi Xuan showed signs of sadness as a tear fell on her fair cheek, apparently having had previous interactions with her.

Taking a deep breath, Herman presented the prepared story to them.

"After miss Xue covered for me, I followed the group down the flight of stairs hoping to buy some time before reinforcements arrive. Unfortunately, my estimates were fairly wrong as the group of over 20 cultivators that descended here were also reinforced by another five Nascent Soul cultivators. As soon as I entered this room, I found them around the sacrificial altar with this young lady held firmly by them. I attacked holding nothing back and... the result is as you can see it. I was no match for all of them. I wouldn't have been a match even for two of those Nascent Soul reinforcements at once either, given my exhausted Primordial Qi reserves."

Most of the people expected this answer, reminding themselves that even with his amazing prowess, this young man was still at the Foundation realm. Nodding, they nudged him to continue.

"I had no hope of winning against all of them, so all I wanted was to buy some time and stop the sacrificial ceremony. By the time I got close to the altar, I was already in tatters as the enemies weren't exactly holding back either. Just when I was about to reach out to this young woman... one of them appeared and sent me flying with a single kick. I crashed into that wall over there and they completed the sacrifice before I had sufficient strength to get up."

Everyone's eyes were focused on the wall that had a big chunk of it demolished, noticing the other unconscious cultivators there. Looking back at Herman as if asking him to finish the story, they couldn't help but pity him. He was most certainly blaming himself for not being able to save the girl. Given his stellar performance on the stage, this young lad surely wanted to save the girl and act the 'hero' part until the very end...

"I didn't see it before, but when I got up, half of the people I followed were already teleporting away using the array to your right. By the time I reached the altar to check on her, she was already dead and I was the only one left in the room..."

[The stronger one... did you see any of his features?](Zhang Xuyi)

"I'm sorry, elder Xuyi... I didn't. All I can say for sure is that they weren't belonging to the Altar sect. Especially the one that kicked me through that wall. He should be at least at the Ascension realm by my estimates."

[We figured as much, as well. Herman, you really didn't see that guy's face?](Chun Pu)

"I'm sorry, sect master Pu. I really didn't get the chance as he sent me flying before I could see anything. The teleportation array also lost all luster after the last guy disappeared through it."

[Mhm... it seems that it was disabled from the other side. Sect master Pu, if you don't mind, I'll take my niece out of this heaven forsaken place.](Zhang Xuyi)

[Of course, elder Xuyi. My honest condolences! We'll keep you updated with whatever news we find about them.](Chun Pu)

[Please and thank you, sect master Pu!](Zhang Xuyi)

Watching the crowd disperse and only some elites checking the tracks left on the ground by the many people that passed through here, they were able to more or less confirm Herman's story. That combined with the sudden fame and glory he earned from winning the Contest of Tao, there wouldn't be anyone in their right mind accusing him of being the one to end the poor girl's life. Especially since he barely got injured on the fighting stage but here he was, looking like a rag that has been torn apart by dogs.

Sect master Feng Qian took out a tier four healing pill, but Herman refused it, saying that it was too much. He only accepted tier two medication, saying that he can rely on his strong body to recover and also strengthen his bodily cultivation. The truth was that the cuts were shallow and the only thing he was suffering from was Qi deficiency and a guilty consciousness.

The news spread quickly and soon, the entire small country Thousand Mountain-peaks found out about the first Contest of Tao ever to be held in their territory since the start of this race for Heavens. Obviously, they also found out about the betrayal of the Heretic Altar of Heaven and Earth sect, enraging the general populous and temporarily forcing similar heretics to go under hiding until this whole mess would blow over.

At the same time, Herman's name resounded in this small corner of the Mortal World. There were two parts of this realm: the Mortal World and the Immortal World.

They were pretty much the same thing, but the Mortal World was usually referring to the edges of the Immortal World where the power of the cultivators was low and the strength of the invading monsters was also at a similar level. The towns of the Mortal World had less population and were usually under the influence of a Basic-rank sect or in a better-case-scenario Junior-rank sects.

For Yellow, Mystic, and Earth-rank sects, they will have cities under their care usually, ranging from small, recently promoted towns all the way up to capital cities. The cultivation strength of these establishments was also ranging from your usual Qi Gathering noob, all the way up to Half-Immortals or higher.

Finally, Heaven and Immortal-rank sects were controllers of small countries or even empires. As big as the Immortal World was and with the multitude of worlds under its command, there were even rumors of seclusive God-ranked sects that governed over one, two, or more such planets.

Going back to our small Mortal World, the country poorly named Thousand Mountain-peaks was buzzing with excitement due to the recent developments. They all realized that the blowing winds were bringing about change and with that change, maybe some of them could further elevate themselves. After all, in this race for Heavens, just the participants themselves weren't sufficient and they would require the help of Servants. Many youngsters hoped for adventure and started looking into the recruits that the Clear Lake Profound Immortal has brought about, hoping to show their prowess.

Back on the Valley of Fallen Blossom's sect, Herman parted ways with the girls and took Tianxia Xue and Xu Wen'an back to his Dwelling to rest. He was planning to give his wounds some days to recover, after which he would start consolidating his cultivation and aim for the Golden Core Realm. Once that happened, he could truly prepare for the exploration test of the twenty realms.

Only by accepting the System's test and properly exploring twenty different worlds will he be able to challenge Heaven's Array and enter through the Gate of Heaven. The problem was that these worlds the System would provide him access to will continuously increase in their overall danger. At the same time, the attributes of the monsters and the realms of the cultivators he would have to face will become increasingly high as well.

That's why he was waiting for the point where he reached the Golden Core Realm so that he can finally hire a blacksmith apprentice. Once that happened, he can have the lad/lass craft a proper set for him. The items that can be upgraded and reinforced could be easily found by killing evil cultivators, or monsters that hoard such items from cultivators that they killed. Herman was planning to craft a tier five Path Seeking set after killing his way through the 13th world he'll venture in, or if he's lucky enough to whale his way to the 14th or the 15th world, maybe he could go the extra mile and have the blacksmith craft for him the Relief tier six set.

[You're back... I had a bath prepared for you Herman. Go wash and change your clothes first.](Celeste)

"..."

Judging from the cold tone of her voice, as he expected, Celeste must've kept an eye on the situation and saw him killing the young woman. He nodded calmly and walked away without saying anything. While he was feeling guilty, he made this decision while knowing the implications and if put in the same situation, he would still make the same choice.

It might sound cruel, however, the reality of this world was much more so. Herman needed his Reputation to be as high as possible both for the sect skills he could amass, but also for the fact that the equipment casting plans couldn't be bought without exchanging Reputation for them.

That's why the girl's death was a necessary evil. Probably at the end of the day, the System would award him his due pay and this increase in fame could even help him in the future with his sect-hopping. If he had a high amount of fame he could go as far as directly exchanging Sect Contribution Tokens for all five skills of a sect, without actually entering the specific sect.

"At least she prepared a bath for me. That's more than I could hope for. Anyway, I need to focus on healing my meridians as soon as possible. That way I can perform another covenant and rush into the Golden Core Realm. The real fun starts from thereon. Not to mention that the advantages that I and the others from Earth have due to the environment we grew up in will diminish after reaching that realm. That's the only real reason why the Immortal World doesn't enslave primordial worlds and let their progenies develop there. It's just wasted time in their eyes since sooner or later they will reach the same point we started at in bodily cultivation through the use of pills and spiritual cultivation. What matters is for me to maximize the rewards I get out of this early advantage. And for that, I need... I need to hurry."

Unfortunately, his body and mind must've been more tired than what he expected, so much that he fell asleep within minutes after entering the bath. Even the stinging pain of the small cuts on his body couldn't keep him awake anymore.

In the dream he had, he was traveling the Heaven realms after managing to ascend in the current life he led. For the power he needed to cope with the future, he kept sacrificing more and more of the thousands of people following him, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. Faced with the invasion of the Void creatures, this time around he had enough resources to groom his Servants and their strength was immense as result. Just his team alone was enough to hold back Commander-rank creatures and even beat them to the ground.

He kept climbing higher and higher, reaching realms he wasn't even aware of existing, and in the end, he found himself in the middle of a snowy field, all alone. There was a sword next to his body covered in injuries and upon a closer look at the snow, there were red dots here and there, extending outwards. Soon, they turned into pools of warm blood, revealing the mountain of corpses he was surrounded by. The enemies weren't relenting either and they were approaching while surrounding the only survivor.

Glancing around, Herman sighed and shook his head, understanding something. The encircling enemies created a small path through which a lithe body made his way in front of him. Using his sword as a walking stick, he propped himself back to his feet, after which he released it.

[Was it worth it?](?)

"I wish I knew the answer, miss Zi Yan. However, it's too early to tell..."

[Too early? I see.](Zi Yan)

"*Sigh* To fall prey to an internal demon in such a manner is quite degrading. I am well aware that you are not the young lass I killed and even if you were, I have no intention to apologize. Even if I did apologize, it wouldn't change the fact that I still killed you. That's why I was prepared from the get-go to accept this sin and carry it with me until I draw my last breath."

[Do you think it will be worth it? What if this dream becomes reality?](Zi Yan)

"If it does, then I probably won't be sitting here talking to you, but I would rather be one of the corpses around us. We both know that there are many others out there, much, much stronger than I am. All I want is to make sure I won't repeat past mistakes. I don't want to drown in the same self-pity as before. I want to burn my full potential and reach realms about which I know nothing at the moment. I want to carve out a piece of the Heavens for myself and mark my name in the flesh and blood of history."

[But... at what cost? What are you willing to sacrifice for it?](Zi Yan)

Herman looked at the pure girl in front of him, smiled, and walked towards her. He reached out with his arms and embraced her with his left hand around her waist, while his right was patting her head. The girl's body stiffened for a second and then relaxed visibly.

A stream of warm blood began flowing from her lips, while a dagger was stabbed in her back, piercing through her heart. He didn't let go and instead, he kept patting her head as if advising to let go.

"Everything!"

Herman opened his eyes and found himself in the same warmed pool. He splashed some water on his face and sighed. He didn't know what to say to the girl behind him. Celeste was quietly laying on the ground reading a book, while her back was facing him. He could feel her Spiritual Qi overlooking his body's condition, ready to intervene in case his cultivation goes berserk and he demonizes.

[Internal demon?](Celeste)

"Mhm."

[Did you defeat it?](Celeste)

"Mhm."

[I see...](Celeste)

The book closed and she got up to her feet, walking towards the exit. Herman's sigh reached her ears making her waver a bit, but in the end, she didn't stop.

"Do you hate me?"

[No.](Celeste)

"Even if I killed an innocent girl to advance my plans?"

[Don't patronize me, Herman! I'm not an idiot. If you could spot her disease and figure it out, then so could I. That lass had a couple of days to live at best and those days would've been filled with nothing but torment. It was a mercy killing.](Celeste)

"That doesn't change the fact that I killed her. I took away her choice and used it for my own agenda. That makes me no better than those heretics."

[Don't make me laugh! If you'd be in the same situation, you'd make the same decision, won't you?](Celeste)

"Yes."

[Then, you have your answer. Also, I heard that thanks to the public outrage against heretics your actions have created, more than twenty such groups were found and eradicated in this small country. The girl became a symbol of hope. She became a...](Celeste)

"Martyr. And let me guess... I the hero."

[Apparently so.](Celeste)

"There's a saying in my world. Actually, it's more of a rule, discovered by one of the brightest minds we had. 'For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction'."

[Meaning?](Celeste)

"When you throw a stone in a pond, it creates ripples. I am just wondering what ripples would my actions cause."

[For the world? Or for yourself?](Celeste)

"Both..."

[Hmpf! I guess only time will tell.](Celeste)

The door closed and Herman got up, using some of his recovered Primordial Qi to dry out his body. When he found the girl, her face was already wincing in pain, due to her being used as a cultivation cauldron by those bastards. When that happens, your Primordial and Spiritual Qi keeps getting absorbed out of you, minimizing your lifespan. A clear sign of that was the dark mark around the girl's left clavicula. Once that mark lowers a couple of fingers towards the heart, she would finally die and be freed of the immense pain she would suffer daily.

Even with his knowledge, there was no cure he could think of. Death was the best type of relief.

Looking at the attribute panel and seeing that only 16 days passed, he felt immensely tired already. Taking a life, however, is no easy matter. Upon extinguishing the hopes and dreams of another, you undertake them, being forced to live a life much more complicated than before.

Every action has a reaction! Karma or otherwise, there's no escaping that fact...