Su Jiu watched as the demonic deity known as Su Ji slowly advanced toward her.
And the root of it all was simply because...
She had failed to warn him sooner about the sect's tradition of discarding "useless" spiritual roots.
Absurd...
A tide of despair drowned her.
She didn’t want to die at the hands of such a monster.
To become yet another twisted face among the countless souls woven into the banner behind Him.
With trembling hands, Su Jiu drew the gleaming sword at her waist.
She pressed the blade against her snow-white neck.
Fine.
Better to die by her own hand than...
Su Ji stared at Su Jiu’s actions, momentarily stunned.
Wait...
Was the act too convincing?
Why was she about to slit her own throat?
Her mental resilience was truly lacking.
"Keh keh keh..."
The terrifying phantom behind Su Ji continued its maniacal laughter.
Its ghastly skeletal left hand slowly rose.
With precision, it intercepted the blade in Su Jiu’s grip.
No matter how hard she strained, the sword didn’t budge.
Su Jiu’s eyes snapped open.
What... did He want?
Was He even denying her the right to end her own life?
"Keh keh keh..."
The laughter echoed again.
"Junior Sister, am I really that frightening?"
The phantom and Su Ji’s true form spoke in unison, their voices overlapping.
Su Jiu replied with defeat: "Senior Brother Su Ji, considering I’ve never wronged or harmed you..."
"Grant me a dignified death, won’t you?"
Su Ji, now amused, leaned into the role: "Keh keh keh, Junior Sister, I too once pleaded—yet the only answer I received was my own echo!"
Su Jiu had no rebuttal: "I see."
Seeing her resignation, Su Ji sighed and dropped the villainous act.
The overwhelming malice enveloping Su Jiu receded like a tide.
Though his appearance remained unsettling, it no longer shattered one’s spiritual resolve at a glance.
"Junior Sister, stop seeking death."
Su Ji’s voice returned to normal.
"Didn’t you ask earlier if I wanted to live?"
"Then let me ask you."
"Do you want to die?"
Su Jiu’s head jerked up.
Behind her fox mask, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.
He... wasn’t going to kill her?
Why?
Wasn’t he infamous for despising female cultivators?
Su Ji’s destined future—that line of 【Sever love, sever emotion... sever the heart! Sever the sword!! Ahahahaha!!!】—clearly stated he would slaughter all female cultivators.
And here she was, a living, breathing female cultivator.
Shouldn’t she have been torn apart instantly, then woven into his banner with that eerie laughter?
Su Ji could guess her thoughts.
He exhaled, his expression turning complicated.
"Junior Sister, you’ve seen my future self, haven’t you?"
Su Jiu nodded numbly.
"Honestly, it’s powerful."
"But I refuse to become that monstrosity."
"Junior Sister, you wouldn’t want me to turn into that either, right?"
She stared at him blankly.
Could the course of fate truly be altered by mere desire?
"Of course not, but..."
"There are too many things in this world beyond our will to..."
Su Ji cut her off: "Then if I asked you to help me try and change it, would you—"
The phantom behind him shifted, its gloomy single eye scrutinizing Su Jiu.
Before he could finish, Su Jiu blurted: "I will!"
"I will!"
Even her tails wagged excitedly like a puppy’s.
Su Ji doused her enthusiasm: "Don’t celebrate yet. I don’t trust you."
"Once we leave this secret realm, my strength will be pitiful—easy for you to crush."
"How can you prove yourself trustworthy? How can I believe you’ll genuinely help me protect... it?"
His gaze flicked downward.
"Convince me, and I’ll let you leave here alive."
These words were carefully weighed.
No matter how fiercely he wielded his borrowed future power now, it was all an illusion.
Once the Heavenly Dao’s secret realm closed, he’d revert to his true self—
A penniless, weak Qi Refining cultivator who could barely protect even his own kin.
Su Jiu’s strength outside the realm was unfathomable to him, but undoubtedly formidable.
She was his most crucial—perhaps only—ally in surviving the "Spiritual Root Severing Tribulation."
Su Jiu fell silent, dissecting every word.
Could someone truly forsake an unfathomable future of divine ascension... for something as trivial as a "spiritual root"?
At Su Ji’s future level, reshaping flesh or crafting new roots would be child’s play.
He could even create countless superior replacements.
That phantom’s skeletal form wasn’t due to unhealed wounds or an irreparable root—
It was simply His preference.
Roots were replaceable... but the path of divine sacrifice was rare!
Was preserving that thing more important than ruling existence itself?
She didn’t understand.
But Su Ji’s absolute power left no room for games.
Cooler-headed now, Su Jiu grasped at the slim hope: "In our current states, ordinary Dao Heart oaths hold no weight."
"I vow by my Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox bloodline."
"A life oath, sealed with blood and soul."
As she spoke, her finger pressed to her heart.
A drop of crimson blood, flecked with gold, floated into the air.
"I, Su Jiu, swear to exhaust all means—even unscrupulous ones—to ensure Su Ji survives the ‘Spiritual Root Severing Tribulation’ and safeguards his ‘root.’"
Su Ji studied the strangely hued blood. Though unfamiliar with fox blood oaths, he sensed his phantom nodding faintly.
"Good. I accept."
Su Ji nodded as well.
Su Jiu exhaled in relief.
With a flick, the blood split—
Half merged into Su Ji’s spiritual root.
Half settled below her eye as a teardrop-shaped mark.
A peculiar bond formed between them.
The moment the oath took hold,
The raging malice behind Su Ji visibly lessened.
The phantom’s crazed gaze toward Su Jiu softened slightly.
The predetermined future seemed... genuinely nudged.
Except...
The vibe was still off.
Other future prodigies had "Protectors" standing behind them.
But Su Ji’s was called...
"The Root Keeper"?
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.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
