I, Su Ji, having encountered this era, now bear the heavy responsibility for the rise and fall of this Great Xia.

Su Ji, however, did not spare the dancer another glance. Instead, he turned to Su Jiu and uttered a sentence that left both women utterly baffled.

"Take her and leave."

"What?"

Su Jiu’s delicate brows furrowed slightly; she couldn't follow his train of thought at all.

The dancer looked even more bewildered. She looked at Su Jiu, then at Su Ji, unable to understand why this Immortal Master would suddenly say such a thing.

Su Ji offered no explanation. Slowly, he walked to the window and pushed open the tightly locked wooden shutters.

His gaze was cast toward the direction of the Anyang City Lord’s Manor.

The morning breeze brushed past, lifting the stray locks of hair at his forehead.

"The City Lord of Anyang... he sits in a high position, yet has no regard for the common people."

His voice was not loud, yet it traveled clearly to the ears of the two women in the room, carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

"In his desire to glimpse the Immortal Path, he views the hundreds of thousands of living souls in this city merely as stepping stones for his ascension. Such conduct is beneath even pigs and dogs..."

"I, Su Ji, have come precisely for this reason."

Su Jiu: "???"

She stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.

Hearing these words come out of Su Ji’s mouth felt more absurd than witnessing a turtle in a pond suddenly speak human language.

These past few days, they had eaten, drunk, and slept under the same roof—when were they ever apart?

Although, admittedly, the eating, drinking, and sleeping arrangements were mostly handled by Su Ji alone.

But how was she unaware that Su Ji was shouldering such a magnificent mission on this trip?

Su Ji seemed oblivious to Su Jiu’s astonishment. With his back to them, his voice grew increasingly impassioned.

"If this wretch is not eliminated, the cultivation world will see the rise of a peerless demon. At that time, lives will be devastated, and the entire Great Xia Dynasty may face imminent peril!"

"If I do not strangle him in the cradle today while he is at his weakest!"

"After today... who would dare to kill him? Who could kill him!?"

"I, Su Ji, having encountered this evil, now bear the heavy burden of Great Xia’s rise and fall."

"Even if this mission is incomparably heavy..."

"How can I... retreat at the last moment?!"

As his voice fell, it seemed as if the Heavens were answering him.

Whoosh—

A perfectly timed gust of wind rushed in from the window, making Su Ji’s robes flutter loudly.

The morning sun peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a golden ray that enveloped him entirely.

In that moment, his silhouette appeared to Su Jiu and the dancer as truly possessing the dashing air of one who says, "Though millions may oppose me, I shall go alone."

The dancer’s eyes were already filled with adoration and worship; she had never imagined that such a benevolent immortal, whose heart held the whole world, existed.

Su Jiu, however, just stared blankly at that familiar back, her mind a chaotic mess.

Who was Su Ji acting for?

Surely not for himself?

In this room, besides herself, there was only a mortal woman.

It was one thing to trick others.

Was he trying to trick himself this time?

Unless...

Su Jiu’s heart skipped a beat as a thought uncontrollably surfaced.

Could it be that the ancient remnant soul who left the inheritance was secretly observing them?

Was Su Ji deliberately saying these things to gain the favor of that mighty figure?

This explanation seemed to be the only reasonable one at the moment.

Su Ji slowly turned around, the expression on his face incredibly grave.

He ignored Su Jiu and looked straight at the dancer, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument: "This place is dangerous, far beyond your imagination. You must leave Anyang City with my Junior Sister immediately. Go as far as you can."

"I’m not leaving."

Su Jiu rejected him instantly, without a second thought.

She walked up to Su Ji and lowered her voice: "Stop acting. There’s no one else here."

"Acting?"

Su Ji raised an eyebrow, and a look of disappointment actually appeared on his face.

"Junior Sister, it seems you still do not understand me."

He shook his head and sighed, his tone carrying the desolate sorrow of a hero at his end.

"Fine. This journey is fraught with peril; nine deaths and a lifetime of danger. I intend to shatter the firmament."

"Our fate ends here, let us part ways—Ah!"

Before he could finish his sentence, the bridge of his foot was stomped on viciously by Su Jiu.

Su Jiu’s pretty face flushed red with anger, and she gritted her teeth: "Try speaking one more word of nonsense!"

The dancer on the side watched the two of them "flirting" like this and didn't know what to do for a moment, standing awkwardly in place.

However...

Were they really just fellow disciples?

Su Ji grimaced in pain, his tragic facade nearly collapsing.

"I have glimpsed the Heavenly Secret. Only I can turn the tide on this journey."

"If you stay, you will only become my weakness."

Hearing this, Su Jiu’s heart trembled.

Glimpsing the Heavenly Secret again.

Could it be... he really calculated something?

Come to think of it, Su Ji had mentioned before that there was a great terror in Anyang City...

"I don't believe it."

Su Jiu’s words remained tough, but her tone unconsciously softened.

Looking at her stubborn appearance, Su Ji suddenly smiled.

He reached out and gently rubbed her head.

"Whether you believe me or not isn't important."

"What is important is that I, your Senior Brother... cannot bear for anything to happen to you."

This sudden tenderness caused Su Jiu to freeze instantly, her mind going blank.

Su Ji withdrew his hand, looking at her no longer, and turned toward the door.

"I’m going."

"Senior Brother!" Su Jiu snapped back to reality and hurriedly called out to him.

Su Ji’s footsteps paused, but he did not look back.

"A Heavenly Dao event... a turmoil sufficient to affect the future of Great Xia..."

"If no one else will shoulder it... then let I, Su Ji, bear it alone."

These words left Su Jiu looking conflicted.

The dancer, on the other hand, had already raised her small head, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears, practically writing the word "worship" across her face.

Su Ji, however, was muttering internally.

Something’s wrong.

Doesn't this "Destiny" ability say it makes him look more credible and responsible?

Why does Su Jiu still look like she doesn't believe a word?

Is the effect of this Destiny too weak, or is his Junior Sister’s distrust of him already deep-rooted?

But this is fine.

It’s a perfect opportunity to verify something.

Su Ji slowly turned around, the heaviness on his face looking as if it were real.

"Doesn't Junior Sister possess some methods to perceive destiny and luck?"

"Then you should know a thing or two about Qi and fortune."

Su Jiu paused for a moment, then nodded.

As the innate ability of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, although the consumption was significant, it was indeed not restricted by the cultivation seal in this place.

"Then look at me in this moment, and tell me what is different!"

Su Ji’s voice was calm, yet it carried an indescribable confidence.

Hearing this, Su Jiu’s suspicion grew even stronger.

Look at him?

Look at how well he’s acting?

But seeing Su Ji’s serious expression, she decided to do as he asked.

She brushed aside a lock of hair from her forehead and closed her eyes.

The bloodline ability of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox quietly activated.

When she opened them again, a flash of bewitching red light flickered deep within her clear pupils.

The red light was fleeting.

Why?

Because in the very next instant.

Su Jiu squeezed her eyes shut violently, her body uncontrollably stumbling half a step backward, her face turning instantly pale.

Two clear tears slid silently from the corners of her tightly closed eyes.

How is this possible...

How can one person... carry such a terrifying destiny?

It wasn't a thread, nor was it an ocean.

It was... the entire world!

Heavy, vast. The rise and fall, the very survival of the entire Great Xia, rested upon his shoulders alone.

Within the golden torrent of Providence, endless death aura and the stench of slaughter were entangled, interwoven with the wailing and prayers of countless souls.

This colossal torrent of fate was so overwhelming that even she, a mere observer, felt a stinging pain as if her very Divine Soul were being torn apart.

Could it be...

Does this battle truly bear the weight of Great Xia's rise and fall?

Were the words Su Ji just spoke actually the truth?

Could it be that the catastrophe destined to bring about Great Xia's downfall a century from now is rooted in this very event?

And in the moment Su Ji made his decision, he became the 'One Who Answers the Tribulation'...

Favored by the Heavenly Dao, yielded to by all of creation.

Anything that stood in Su Ji's path...

Would be ground into dust by this inexorable, surging tide of destiny.