Xu Jinghong is currently at the mid-stage of the Mystic Immortal realm, trapped in eerie and ominous circumstances, dazed and unable to maintain clarity. He is like a bomb with an extremely sensitive fuse—the slightest disturbance could set him off!
And the fuse of Xu Jinghong’s bomb is none other than that wisp of Xiuzhi’s remnant soul!
Basically, as long as the fuse is removed, the bomb will stabilize, and Xu Jinghong will regain his senses.
But who can remove it?
The Little Golden Dragon is only at the peak of the Mystic Immortal realm. No matter how many tricks it has up its sleeve, it can’t touch Xiuzhi’s "fuse" without detonating Xu Jinghong’s bomb!
After all, Xu Jinghong is far too sensitive in his current state. If you were to slash him with a sword—or even kill him outright—he might not react at all. But the moment anyone gets close to Xiuzhi’s lingering remnant soul, he explodes instantly!
So the Little Golden Dragon can’t do it—or rather, doesn’t dare!
But Chen Yi has no such concerns. He can stir up trouble right under the nose of a supreme being like Ling Xiao, a Heavenly Emperor, without being detected immediately. Handling a mere Mystic Immortal is child’s play for him.
The Little Golden Dragon knows this all too well. To this day, it still can’t figure out how this guy managed to slip unnoticed into the alternate dimension of the Primordial Chaos Creation Disk, sneak up on it without warning, and then grab it for a thorough "lesson"!
It’s like being in your own home—doors locked, windows shut, everything under your watchful gaze, every sound amplified. Anything foreign that intrudes should be detected immediately!
Yet, under these very conditions, he didn’t come through the door, didn’t climb through a window, and didn’t make a single sound. Without the slightest warning, without a trace of hesitation—he just appeared!
Absolutely absurd!
So when it comes to defusing Xu Jinghong’s bomb, who else but him?!
"Chen Yi, that’s the situation with Old Xu. Are you confident?" Shen Lingxi asked with a sigh.
"Easy. Did your group leader have anything else to say?" Chen Yi waved his hand dismissively before suddenly locking eyes with her.
In that instant—
Shen Lingxi felt as if something had invaded her consciousness, but it vanished just as quickly, leaving no trace.
Frowning, she eyed Chen Yi warily. "Our group leader only asked me to brief you on Old Xu’s condition. There were no other instructions. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
She didn’t dare stay any longer.
This man was far too terrifying. Though he seemed unassuming, that brief moment had felt like... a supreme predator blinking at her?
Her instincts had never been wrong—this guy was definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Playing the harmless fool just to lull others into complacency!
If she lingered any longer, she might end up like her dear Qianxue!
This place was too dangerous—time to retreat!
Without another word, Shen Lingxi turned and left, her resolve unshaken as she strode away without looking back.
Chen Yi watched her go with a hint of regret but didn’t stop her.
For a fleeting moment, he had considered freeing her from her suffering, reuniting her with Qianxue, and severing the influence of Ling Xiao’s will imprinted upon her.
But alas, the top-tier experts in their prime were far too sensitive!
Not that Shen Lingxi herself was overly perceptive—she was actually quite slow on the uptake. No, it was Ling Xiao’s will that was hypersensitive. Before Chen Yi could even act, it had already begun stirring!
How was he supposed to work under these conditions?
Spooking the snake now would ruin future plans, so for the sake of the bigger picture, he had to abandon his "ill intentions" toward her.
Instead, he quietly left behind a single Chaos Pearl wrapped in the same material as his Concealing Cloak.
And he dared not leave more than one—Ling Xiao’s will was already twitching in agitation!
Honestly, what bad intentions could he possibly have?
He just wanted to give a vulnerable woman some protection in case of danger. Was it necessary to guard against him like a thief?
Well, now that the mark was set, the path ahead was long. Slowly increasing the stakes, gradually desensitizing her, making her grow accustomed, making her think dizziness was normal, making her...
"A fully alert No. 2 is too tricky. Let’s see how this dazed No. 3 fares..."
"This Xu Jinghong... he’s quite the character."
Chen Yi’s gaze deepened as he observed the raging spatial vortex, now unrestrained without Shen Lingxi’s suppression. With a flick of his wrist, eighteen Chaos Pearls shot into the void, silently halting its expansion.
At the vortex’s center, a faint, eerie glow swirled—the miniature parallel universe formed from Xu Jinghong’s Dao Domain when he broke through to the Mystic Immortal realm!
Setting Sun City.
Hongxiu Tavern.
"Have you heard? The Peerless Sword Immortal’s decade-long arena challenge ends tomorrow!"
"Ah, ever since the Soaring Sword Immortal went into seclusion, it seems no one in the world of swordplay can last three moves against him."
"Who do you think is stronger—the Peerless Sword or the Soaring Sword?"
"A new generation replaces the old. The Soaring Sword hasn’t been seen in years—he’s probably washed up by now. This is the era of the Peerless Sword!"
"I disagree. The Soaring Sword is superior. That man single-handedly carved through the lair of the Outer Realm Demons. What has the Peerless Sword done? Even if he defeats everyone else, as long as the true No. 1 lives, he’ll always be second!"
"But the Peerless Sword Immortal has been openly taunting him, and the Soaring Sword hasn’t responded at all. Is he biding his time... or is he afraid?"
"Who knows?"
"Hey, Old Xu, what do you think? Rumor has it you used to be a swordsman too?"
Amid the chatter, one patron suddenly called out to the tavern’s owner, who was busy serving drinks.
Old Xu, his face scruffy with an unkempt beard, furrowed his sword-like brows, his entire demeanor steeped in an unsolvable melancholy.
He sighed softly. "That’s all in the past. I’m just a lowly liquor peddler now—what would I know about the skills of immortals...?"
"Pity. Why’d you quit the sword?" the patron pressed.
"Pity..." Old Xu murmured, his eyes hollow and distant. "After losing her... nothing else mattered..."
Meanwhile, deep within the Unfathomable Clouds...
A faint, ethereal figure was trapped within a radiant yet gentle glow, her expression frantic as she gazed down at the despondent Old Xu below.
"Yi'an! Can you hear me? Wake up! Don’t give up! I’ve never blamed you, Yi'an! Please, wake up! Wake up...!"
Yi'an was Xu Jinghong’s courtesy name—one only Xiuzhi ever dared to use.
So the answer was clear: this trapped, fading spirit was none other than Xiuzhi’s remnant soul, the one Xu Jinghong had desperately shielded.
Originally, she was nothing more than a fragment of lingering obsession—her true spirit scattered, her consciousness gone, incapable of thought, let alone calling out to her beloved.
But Xu Jinghong had relived their memories in endless cycles, using boundless love to wrest fragments of her true spirit back from the merciless clutches of fate, restoring a sliver of her self.
Yet, alas...
A remnant soul is, after all, just a remnant soul. Lingering due to unresolved attachments, it will eventually fade away once those attachments dissipate.
Xiuzhi's soul remained because she couldn't bear to leave Old Xu behind, but in the end, once Old Xu returns to normal, her lingering will shall vanish.
Perhaps it was precisely because he knew this that Xu Jinghong refused to wake up, deceiving himself all along.
In this realm, the unparalleled Sword Immortal existed as his greatest inner demon. If he were to pick up his sword again and shatter it, he could awaken immediately—yet he refused to wield the blade. He could not overcome that most crushing burden!
"Alas, a swordsman who has lost his heart can no longer even raise his sword. Very well, let me lend you a hand!"
Chen Yi's gaze sharpened as he turned toward Xiuzhi's restless remnant soul, pacing in distress.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.