There were no tears of emotion upon reunion.
No surging waves of feeling.
It was sudden.
And it was calm.
Like a quiet afternoon, where one has a deep nap, only to be awakened from a dream.
When they woke, time remained unchanged.
The familiar people were still familiar.
The years had not altered them in the slightest.
Yes.
This was never a reunion after a farewell, but a dream that had lasted a little longer. That's why the girl called out naturally, and Xu Xi smiled gently.
"I'm awake, Yingxue," Xu Xi said.
At the turn of the year.
Xu Xi, the Great Master who had been in a deep slumber, finally opened his eyes to gaze once more upon the Princess.
She smiled, her smile radiant.
She should have grown more mature, yet in front of Xu Xi, she displayed the same lively demeanor as before, hopping and sitting beside him.
Under the dim night sky, they watched the stars that had been lit on the ground together.
And she couldn't help but tease Xu Xi about his habit of sleeping.
"Master, you slept for far too long."
"I was almost waiting to fall asleep myself."
Wu Yingxue said this, and made a fake yawn, her red and white robes stretching out as she did, still as fiery as Xu Xi remembered.
"Sorry, it's my fault," Xu Xi said with a smile, not offering any excuses.
He knew.
He had indeed "slept" for far too long.
Long enough for the soldiers of the Living Army and the Princess, who had worked so hard for this, to wait through countless days and nights.
Fortunately, the tragedy had ended.
Everyone had reunited in a beautiful reality.
After a pause, Xu Xi added, "Yingxue, thank you for waking me up. You've been working hard."
Xu Xi's gratitude came so suddenly.
It took the girl by surprise.
Her lips slightly parted: "Well, it's okay... I didn't do much."
Xu Xi's thanks were not only for her earlier call but also for the girl's efforts during Xu Xi's "sleep." She had led the Living Army and continued their tenacious survival.
Wu Yingxue understood this deeper meaning.
Somehow.
Her nose felt a little stuffy.
Her eyes felt a bit uncomfortable.
Why was that? The Princess thought it must be the warmth she felt from the firelight on this cold winter night, finally bringing her a sense of happiness.
She grinned, trying to appear unaffected, and asked Xu Xi about his recent life.
"Me?"
Actually, not much has changed. Just normal cultivation and living. Occasionally, I chat with everyone in Qingniu Town.
Xu Xi spoke softly with a smile.
What he said was just trivial daily life.
But the Princess listened closely, finding it engrossing.
When she heard that Xu Xi had given everyone New Year's gifts, Wu Yingxue teased, "Master, I want a New Year's gift too. You have to make it up to me, or else I'll get mad."
The girl laughed playfully.
Her tone was full of teasing mischief.
"Which one do you want?" Xu Xi's reply caught Wu Yingxue off guard once more.
Which one?
What did that mean?
Soon, she found the answer.
Xu Xi took out a spatial ring and poured out many items, including a bundle of folded paper flowers, a newly forged spear, and even a beautiful dress.
There were many.
The items were truly numerous.
They were too many for Wu Yingxue to not be stunned.
"Master, these are all... prepared for me?"
The girl's voice was filled with uncertainty.
Xu Xi nodded, "Since you weren't here, I didn't know what to give you. So I prepared a variety, just in case you didn't like any of them."
Night fell, and the stars reflected the gentle moonlight; everything silently waited in the darkness.
The still water surface rippled once again.
It had been engulfed in the deep embrace of the night moon.
Wu Yingxue had never imagined that even when she wasn't on Earth, Xu Xi had still prepared gifts for her, and such a large number of them.
Truly.
Wu Yingxue said to Xu Xi with a smile, "Master, you're such a big fool."
Only such a fool would do something this foolish.
Wu Yingxue chuckled, collecting all the gifts from the ground: "Of course, I want all the gifts from Master. Children make choices, but I don't."
"Don't worry, Master, I like these gifts very much."
She stuck out her tongue.
Made a silly face at Xu Xi.
The girl was full of mischievous charm.
Then, her gaze swept around, she quickly pulled a chicken leg from one of the gifts the villagers had given Xu Xi.
With glistening oil, she nibbled at it little by little.
Wu Yingxue's eating was much more refined than before.
As if she was deliberately maintaining some kind of image.
"Eat slowly, there's more if you need," Xu Xi said with a smile, watching Wu Yingxue eat.
He noticed a bit of grease at the corner of the Princess's mouth and used elemental force to gently wipe it away.
"Slow down, there's plenty more if you need," Xu Xi said with a smile, watching Wu Yingxue eat.
He noticed a bit of grease at the corner of her mouth and used elemental energy to gently wipe it away.
The night was so deep.
That faces appeared dark.
But the people from the Living Army had lit up a series of fiery stone towers, and the light reflected on their faces, giving them an orange glow.
Wu Yingxue's face was also tinged with a blush from the firelight.
"Yingxue, can you tell me what happened while I was asleep?"
After finishing the chicken leg.
Xu Xi showed curiosity and asked Wu Yingxue.
He had asked the people of the Living Army before, but they knew little, only remembering being revived by Wu Yingxue and not much else.
So.
Xu Xi decided to ask the direct source.
He wanted to know how Wu Yingxue had achieved greatness.
"Mo Li has been killing demon cultivators all along, and Krisha has been slaying gods. Both of their paths were anything but simple."
"I wonder what kind of path Yingxue took?"
Xu Xi was curious and waited for the Princess's answer.
"Master has asked me."
"I must respond."
Wu Yingxue did not refuse. After some simple organizing of her thoughts, she began to recount the story of after leaving the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Leading the Living Army out of the Demon Clan's heartland.
Forming an alliance with the human forces of the Martial World (Wujie).
Through hundreds of years of asceticism, leading the Living Army to slay the Azure Dragon, eating its flesh and drinking its blood.
...
As Wu Yingxue's story continued, Xu Xi's expression grew increasingly incredulous.
He hadn't considered it too far-fetched.
That Wu Yingxue's path would become so extraordinary.
But was it too ridiculous?
After slaying the Azure Dragon, Wu Yingxue's narrative became more and more outrageous: endless inner world swallowing, absorbing the principles of the universe, clearly a protagonist's template.
No.
Was this even reasonable!?
Did the world really need him to die to unleash everyone else's potential?
Xu Xi was overwhelmed. Upon hearing about Wu Yingxue single-handedly annihilating demons from the Martial Realm with a single spear strike, he silently compared it to the path he had originally forged through the Ten Thousand Mountains.
"Yingxue... your progress is simply incredible."
The girl's strength had surpassed even his own. Xu Xi was happy for her.
But in his happiness, Xu Xi felt the world was spiteful towards him.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
