The World Is Battered and Broken

Gong Jun's words were like poisoned ice spikes, piercing flawlessly into the softest part of Xia Lingxi's heart one by one.

"No, this isn't true!"

Looking at her royal father's corpse, Xia Lingxi felt her entire world turn black and white. All her doubts were suddenly cleared up in this moment.

Her father was still the father who doted on her; he never wanted to kill her at all. All of this was a conspiracy by the father-son duo, Gong Chen and Gong Jun!

Watching Xia Lingxi break down, the corners of Gong Chen's mouth curled up slightly:

"Your entire family is truly a bunch of fools. Your father trusted me, his best friend, endlessly, and held nothing back from my son. If not for his absolute trust, how could I have used the Soul-Corroding Powder to erode his primordial spirit step by step without him noticing at all?"

"I also heard you know a Double-Pupiled One. He suggested letting the forces behind him kill the emperor, but you stopped him because you felt he was your royal father. Hahaha, how laughable! You Xia family members, if you were just a bit more ruthless, how would it have come to this?"

"However, that brother of yours does have some tricks up his sleeve, actually managing to escape right from under my nose. It doesn't matter. The entire Great Cang Nation is now mine, and I can slowly torture him to death!"

"Today, I shall take your Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart to pave the way for my son!"

Gong Chen shouted loudly, then charged rapidly toward Xia Lingxi.

Xia Lingxi had only just entered the Nascent Soul realm. Facing a Tribulation Transcendence realm expert, just the coercive pressure radiating from him was enough to paralyze her.

Watching the ever-approaching Gong Chen, Xia Lingxi closed her eyes in despair. Vaguely, she saw a figure, tall and straight as a pine, stepping out from the void.

Seeing this scene, Xia Lingxi's tears fell uncontrollably:

"They say that before you die, you will see the person you want to see the most. Is he the person I want to see the most right now?"

"Qin Hao, I'll never see you again. If you learn of my death in the future, will you be sad for me?"

Qin Hao stood in front of Xia Lingxi, using his own body to block Gong Chen's attack for her. Protected by the Void Emperor Robe, Gong Chen's strike caused Qin Hao absolutely no harm.

Qin Hao's gaze fell upon Xia Lingxi. Those amber eyes, which were always bright, lively, slightly willful, and full of curiosity about everything, were now tightly shut.

She was no longer that endearingly naive princess who would jump up to hit his knees, bring him pastries to curry favor, or secretly stare at him in a daze. Instead, she was a pitiful young girl whose home had been overturned and who had completely broken down.

"Little Fool, I won't be sad for you at all. With me here, you simply can't die," Qin Hao chided with a tender smile, then reached out and gently flicked Xia Lingxi's forehead.

Feeling this familiar gesture, Xia Lingxi's eyes snapped open. When she saw Qin Hao, a look of disbelief appeared on her face:

"Qin, Qin Hao!!! It's really you!"

Qin Hao chuckled softly. "You always like asking nonsense. I'm standing right in front of you. If it's not me, who else could it be?"

Qin Hao had seen Xia Lingxi's timid side, her willful side, her foolishly dependent side, and even how she feigned composure after forcibly kissing him. Every single one of these facets was so vibrant, even a bit headache-inducing.

But now, Xia Lingxi was completely devoid of life. Her shattered appearance, as if her very soul had been drained away, made Qin Hao feel an inexplicable discomfort, and the fury in his heart surged relentlessly.

With Qin Hao's appearance, Xia Lingxi could no longer hold it together. She threw herself into his embrace, complaining like a child:

"Qin Hao! They bullied me! Help me teach them a severe lesson!!!"

Qin Hao rubbed Xia Lingxi's little head. "Mm, just rest well on the side. Leave the rest to me."

Saying this, Qin Hao slowly turned to look at the Gong father and son.

"Now..." Qin Hao's voice was freezing cold, sending shivers down one's spine. "Let's properly settle this score for making the Little Fool so sad!"

When Gong Jun saw Qin Hao appear, he was completely dumbfounded. No, why is this guy still here? Didn't he... didn't he already leave? To confirm his departure, I waited for three whole days! Why has he shown up again?!

"Father, be careful. This is that Double-Pupiled One, Qin Hao. I didn't expect you to show up so quickly. It seems you never left at all!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Chen's expression stiffened. What! A Double-Pupiled One!! According to his son's account, this Double-Pupiled One had an extraordinary background. The cultivation resources he casually gave to Xia Lingxi were things that even immortal experts would fight tooth and nail for but still fail to obtain.

With such generosity, there must be a massive faction behind him. Perhaps he was from some top-tier family in the Upper Three Heavens of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens.

Thinking of this, Gong Chen cupped his hands toward Qin Hao and said:

"Fellow Daoist! I have no intention of making an enemy out of you. This is a matter between my Gong family and the Xia family."

Qin Hao coldly snorted. "The Little Fool's business is my business. Furthermore, treacherous scum like you, who betray others' trust and take pride in it instead of feeling ashamed, don't deserve to live!"

This world was filled with deceit and treachery, but precisely because of that, unreserved trust and goodwill were all the more rare and precious.

This battered and broken world was patched up solely by those who naturally harbored goodwill toward others, allowing people to believe that beautiful things were about to happen.

Yet, these two pieces of trash had destroyed it with their own hands!

Qin Hao's words caused Gong Chen and Gong Jun's expressions to darken completely. Seeing that they couldn't persuade Qin Hao to leave, Gong Jun immediately spoke up:

"Father! Since he refuses a toast only to drink a forfeit, then say no more. Quickly seal off this patch of heaven and earth to prevent him from calling for backup!"

"So what if he's a Double-Pupiled One? He only has a Nascent Soul realm cultivation base. You are a Tribulation Transcendence realm mighty figure, and you've even refined Xia Ling into a Tribulation Transcendence realm puppet. How could two Tribulation Transcendence realms fail to take him down?"

"As for the forces behind him, we can't worry about that much right now. It's not that we won't let him off, but rather that this Qin Hao won't let us off for the sake of Xia Lingxi! At worst, the two of us will roam the ends of the earth. I simply don't believe that, as vast as the Three Realms and Nine Heavens are, the forces behind him will be able to find us."

These words immediately won Gong Chen's approval. Indeed, since they couldn't persuade him to retreat, they could only kill him. They couldn't give this brat the chance to stall for time and bring in reinforcements!

Thinking this, Gong Chen decisively took action to seal the space, preventing Qin Hao from transmitting any messages outward.

Hiding behind Qin Hao, Xia Lingxi looked deeply worried:

"Qin Hao, two Tribulation Transcendence realms... can you win?"

Qin Hao glanced at Xia Lingxi and sighed helplessly. "No matter how strong my talent is, I'm only at the Nascent Soul realm. Facing two Tribulation Transcendence experts, how could I win?"

"It's all your fault. I've been completely dragged down by you this time. I'm really going to perish here."

"What?! Then run away quickly! You definitely have life-saving escape methods, right? Just leave me alone!!!"

Hearing this, Xia Lingxi grew so anxious she was about to cry, completely oblivious to the teasing look in Qin Hao's eyes.