The state of the Mystic Immortal was truly unstable.
The entire world was real, but Xu Jinghong in the tavern was false.
Before Xiuzhi appeared, he was merely a mortal stripped of all his magic—useless Old Xu, the owner of Hongxiu Tavern, anything but Xu Jinghong.
Yet after Xiuzhi appeared, this world became the illusion, and Xu Jinghong in the tavern became real!
Slowly, he ceased to be a mortal, no longer the useless Old Xu. Bit by bit, he regained himself. The tides of heaven and earth turned in his favor—the world was him, or perhaps he was the world. Everything was improving, and his strength gradually returned.
But now, Xiuzhi was fading away, vanishing forever... His newly restored heart shattered in an instant, and the entire world plunged into chaos!
If Xiuzhi truly died before his eyes a second time, he wouldn’t survive the blow. At best, he’d explode on the spot; at worst, he’d lose control, sinking into a mindless, ominous state as the world collapsed into an abyss, madly devouring the true universe beyond!
In other words, he would become a Half-Cosmic Aberration—unlike ordinary demonic fiends, he’d be devoid of reason, drowning in agony, tormenting himself endlessly, driven purely by instinct!
"Yi... Yi'an, don’t... don’t waste resources anymore. It’s useless... Just seeing you again, Xiuzhi is already content..."
In the tavern’s backyard, Xiuzhi—her body half-transparent—mustered the last of her strength to reach out, gently caressing Xu Jinghong’s cheek as she murmured, "Yi... Yi'an, can you promise me one thing?"
Xu Jinghong said nothing. Tears blurred his vision as he frantically poured precious soul-nurturing immortal energy over Xiuzhi, desperate to slow her dissipation.
But it was futile.
Once a lingering will faded, the scattering of a remnant soul was irreversible!
"Yi... Yi'an, do you hear it? The wind chimes..." Xiuzhi’s consciousness was already scattering, her voice barely a whisper.
Xu Jinghong despaired, his heart cleaved in two. Watching his beloved grow ever more translucent, his tears burst forth like a flood, his voice choked with sobs. "Xiuzhi, I... I hear it. I’ll promise you anything, just don’t leave me. I truly... I truly can’t live without you..."
"Silly..." Xiuzhi forced a faint, beautiful smile. "Yi'an must promise me... after I’m gone, you’ll be alright. I... I broke my vow. If there’s a next life, you..."
Before she could finish, her hand slipped limply away, her body dissolving into motes of starlight, slipping through Xu Jinghong’s embrace...
"NO!!!"
"AAAAAH!!!"
Xu Jinghong’s heart-rending roar shook the heavens, the entire world trembling in response!
Yet at that very moment—
A calm figure strode into the backyard and, without hesitation, slapped Xu Jinghong across the face.
SMACK!
"Why are you shouting so loudly?!"
Xu Jinghong’s crimson eyes snapped toward the sudden intruder, a terrifying sword intent erupting from him. Above, a colossal sword shadow—Xu Jinghong’s legendary blade—materialized in the sky!
Without Xiuzhi, nothing could restrain the peerless slaughter of the Jinghong Sword!
It harmed others—and itself!
Everything in sight: Kill! Kill!! KILL!!!
"I can save her."
Quick as lightning—
Xu Jinghong’s crimson eyes cleared instantly.
Like a drowning man clutching at straws, he wouldn’t relinquish even the faintest hope!
"Please, save Xiuzhi. Whoever you are, whatever the cost, I’ll pay it. Even my life—a life for a life. I beg you..."
The once-proud Sword Immortal of Jinghong now knelt humbly on the ground, forsaking all dignity for the slimmest chance to revive his beloved.
"A man’s knees bear the weight of gold! Kneeling is beneath you!" Chen Yi scowled, his voice sharp. "A Sword Immortal groveling—do you think she’d be happy seeing this?"
Xu Jinghong remained silent, still kneeling.
"Tch, you’re hopeless..."
Chen Yi sighed, waving a hand to gather Xiuzhi’s scattered remnants, condensing them into a divine statuette before speaking slowly:
"The dead can reconstitute their true spirit through faith. But your Xiuzhi is only a remnant soul—reforming her will take time. Are you willing to wait?"
Seeing that Chen Yi could truly stabilize Xiuzhi’s fading soul, Xu Jinghong answered without hesitation: "However long it takes—even if the seas dry and the suns burn out—if she can return, I’ll wait. I’ll wait forever!"
The greatest fear is hopelessness. With even a sliver of hope, one finds the strength to press forward.
Gazing at the delicate statuette of Xiuzhi in Chen Yi’s hand, Xu Jinghong felt vitality surging through his decayed body, as if boundless strength welled within him!
"You’re quite the character." Chen Yi smirked. "I’ll tell you this—your Xiuzhi will become a local earth deity in the Purple Star Continent’s immortal realm. Only you, who knows her best, can call her back. Come to Purple Star. You’ll know what to do when the time comes."
Currently, the Purple Star’s Heavenly Dao couldn’t formally bind this wandering Mystic Immortal. After all, Mystic Immortals were formidable—especially someone like Xu Jinghong, whose "Invincible Sword Domain" manifested as a miniature cosmos. Unleashed recklessly, the current Purple Star Continent wouldn’t survive!
So for now, he’d be relegated to menial tasks until the Heavenly Dao ascended enough to grant him a proper title.
As for whether he’d flee... Unless he abandoned Xiuzhi—and could defeat Chen Yi—he wouldn’t escape!
Xu Jinghong agreed instantly: "Deal!"
If it meant saving Xiuzhi, he’d do anything!
Chen Yi grinned. "Good. Welcome aboard. But first—you must reclaim your true self."
Raising a hand toward the sky, he declared, "Go. Defeat your inner demon, and reclaim who you truly are!"
"Understood!" Xu Jinghong surged to his feet, his sword intent erupting like an unsheathed blade—sharp, unstoppable!
Yet beneath his overwhelming edge lay a trace of tenderness. After one last glance at Xiuzhi’s statuette, he slowly drew the long-buried Jinghong Sword from the earth, his aura skyrocketing as he ascended step by step into the heavens!
"You’ve finally come. I’ve waited long."
Atop the sky, a figure wreathed in majestic sword energy turned—revealing Xu Jinghong’s own face!
Yet Xu Jinghong showed no surprise. He merely raised his sword and uttered coldly:
"Peerless Sword Immortal, Jinghong Sword—I challenge you!"
This was his inner demon, the greatest obstacle to reclaiming his blade. Without defeating it, he could never regain control of this sword-forged world—nor break free from his aberrant, ominous state!
Meanwhile, back in Hongxiu Tavern...
After taking the last sip of immortal wine, Chen Yi slowly set down his cup, his gaze profound and distant:
"Come on, you big dumb dragon. I've taken the bait—now let's see your hook..."
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!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
