"If there's a chance... this junior will visit Qingqiu for you, Elder."
Su Jiu spoke these words cautiously.
She had no idea what Qingqiu looked like now.
"A chance?"
The red-haired little girl reacted like a dragon whose tail had been stepped on—her scales practically bristling.
Her golden draconic pupils locked onto Su Jiu.
"What, have Jiu Yue’s descendants grown so overbearing? Even for one of their own to return, they need to wait for ‘a chance’?"
"Is Qingqiu some kind of dragon’s den or tiger’s lair now? Do people need to kowtow three times and bathe in incense just to set foot past its gates?"
Su Jiu’s face twisted into a bitter smile.
"Elder, you misunderstand."
"It’s not that Jiu Yue’s descendants are overbearing..."
She paused, her voice laced with an indescribable sorrow.
"It’s just that... in Great Xia today, Qingqiu no longer exists."
The red-haired girl’s aura erupted violently, shaking the entire chained space to the brink of collapse.
Her expression froze in shock and confusion.
"Qingqiu... is gone?"
She murmured the words, as if asking Su Jiu—or perhaps herself.
Su Jiu bit her lower lip and nodded with difficulty.
"From what I know..."
"A hundred thousand years ago, this world endured an unprecedented calamity. Countless ancient sects and races perished in that disaster... including Qingqiu."
"The entire Qingqiu Holy Land, along with every last member of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan, was reduced to scorched earth overnight. None survived."
"And the Great Xia of today... was carved from the ruins by an elder who burned themselves out, using supreme means to sever a fragment of the world and preserve it as a minor realm..."
"Over the years, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Foxes have long since lost their ancient glory. Even their complete heritage has been mostly lost..."
"Everything I know—perhaps not even the full truth—comes from a few fragmented clan records."
Su Jiu’s voice was soft.
This was a wound the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Foxes had buried for a hundred thousand years. Had circumstances not forced her hand, she would never have revealed it to an outsider.
The red-haired girl stood frozen, her golden pupils unfocused.
She seemed not to hear a single word Su Jiu said after that one phrase.
None survived.
"Hah... No wonder the heavenly tribulation earlier felt off—shattering at a touch..."
After a long silence, she let out a dry, hollow laugh.
"Dead... all of them?"
Her laughter carried an unmistakable desolation.
"Then... is he dead too?"
Su Jiu couldn’t answer that.
She didn’t even know who "Feng" was.
Seeing the girl’s devastated expression, Su Jiu felt an unexpected pang of pity.
After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke again. "Elder... my condolences."
"Condolences?"
The red-haired girl whipped her head around, golden eyes blazing—but this time, not with anger. With resolve.
"This Sovereign doesn’t need condolences!"
"If he’s alive, I’ll see him. If he’s dead, I’ll see his corpse!"
"I refuse to believe he’s gone!"
"How many times has he cheated death in his life? Hundreds? Thousands?"
"He’d outlive anyone."
"This is just another excuse not to see me."
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm of emotions, and turned her gaze back to Su Jiu.
"You. What’s your name?"
"This junior is Su Jiu."
"Su Jiu..." The red-haired girl nodded. "This Sovereign remembers you."
"I’m leaving this place."
"You’re coming with me."
The moment the words left her mouth, a figure materialized in the space without warning.
Clad in green robes, her hair loose, her beauty ethereal—yet her demeanor was ice-cold, pushing all warmth away.
This time, she wasn’t a hazy illusion. Her form was solid.
It was the green-robed woman who had forced Su Ji to choose his destiny earlier.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
The red-haired girl started at her sudden appearance, then immediately recognized the familiar aura.
Her brow arched, golden eyes brimming with hostility.
"Hm?"
"You’re that vixen’s descendant?"
The green-robed woman didn’t answer.
She simply stared at the red-haired girl, cleared her throat—
And then, a completely different voice emerged from her lips.
Warm. Steady.
Laced with helpless fondness.
A man’s voice.
"You’re still like this. I told you not to call her that."
For a heartbeat, the entire Dragon Binding Abyss fell silent.
The chaotic energy that could shatter space itself froze solid.
Time itself seemed to stop.
The red-haired girl’s expression cycled through fury, shock, disbelief—before finally going blank.
Her golden pupils locked onto the green-robed woman’s face, lips trembling soundlessly.
Su Jiu was utterly lost.
What fresh chaos was this?
She looked back and forth between them, her mind in turmoil.
---
Meanwhile.
Deep in the underground lava cavern.
Su Ji crouched on the ground, looking thoroughly defeated.
In one hand, he held the broken tip of his sword. In the other, the shattered blade.
He fiddled with them, trying to fit them together.
He pressed them firmly—
And the tip immediately fell off again.
"This isn’t working..."
Su Ji’s face twisted in misery.
The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. He felt like his Dao Foundation might crack.
"Maybe if I heat it? Weld it back?"
Carefully, he dipped his sword into the nearby lava sea.
This time, he was cautious.
If the sword melted, he’d be ruined.
The lava neared the broken edge.
A sharp hiss.
The process dragged on.
The sword glowed red-hot, on the verge of liquefying.
Su Ji yanked it back in panic, blowing on the broken tip several times.
With a click, he stuck the tip back on.
Miraculously.
It held.
Whether it would work in battle, he didn’t know.
But it was attached.
That alone eased his worries.
His luck seemed to be turning.
Delighted, Su Ji immediately tested it—
---
[First Foundation Establishment completed. Gained one Destiny Draw opportunity.]
---
[Destiny ①: Carefree Heart, Unhindered Path]
[Rank: Orange]
[Effect: When your mind is free of all worries, cultivation speed increases tenfold.]
[Destiny ②: Heavenly Tribulation’s Bane]
[Rank: Purple]
[Effect: Reduces lightning-attribute damage taken by 30%.]
[Destiny ③: Old Man’s Youthful Folly]
[Rank: White]
[Effect: In your twilight years, the urge to indulge yourself will grow overwhelming.]
[Fragmented Destiny ④: Bearer of Heavy Responsibilities (1/10)]
[Rank: Red]
[Description: This Destiny is a fragment of the Rainbow Destiny ‘Tenfold Triumph, All as I Will.’]
[Permanent Effect ①: You appear more trustworthy and responsible.]
[Permanent Effect ②: Higher chance to draw other fragments of ‘Tenfold Triumph, All as I Will.’]
[Special Effect: The weightier your mission, the stronger your fortune grows.]
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
[Dao Companion Rental System]. By renting himself out as a temporary dao companion to daughters of destiny, Qin Hao could obtain generous rewards. His service philosophy was simple: play the role of the devoted lover, resolve their troubles, depart without a trace once the matter was settled, and absolutely avoid entangling karma. However, those daughters of destiny didn't see it that way. That night, all the major powers across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens jointly besieged the Qin Clan, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. "It's Su Qingyue! The peerless sword immortal who attained the Dao and became an Immortal Emperor in a thousand years, the one who severed the River of Time with a single sword strike! When... when did our Qin Clan make an enemy of her?" Qin Hao stepped forward, clearing his throat lightly: "Ahem, Ancestors, don't panic. She's here for me. To be honest... she's my ex-girlfriend." From another direction, the newly ascended Empress of the Demon Realm arrived with ten thousand demons pressing on the border: "Qin Hao! Today, the entire Qin Clan shall be buried with you!" Hearing this, the Qin Clan ancestors all turned their eyes sharply towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "The Demon Empress... she's also my ex-girlfriend." Before the Qin ancestors could process this, an aloof figure traversed the River of Time: "The Qin Clan deserves annihilation!" Recognizing the newcomer, the Qin ancestors paled in terror: "It's her! Liu Ruyan, the Extinction Empress who ventured alone into the alien realm and suppressed it for an entire epoch! Didn't she vanish into the River of Time long ago? Why would she cross it just to target our clan?" Qin Hao scratched his head again, looking even more embarrassed: "My fault, my fault. She's an ex-girlfriend too." Watching countless celestial maidens descend, the Qin Clan ancestors were utterly astounded: "You scoundrel! Just... just how many women have you gotten involved with over the years?"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
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)
