Son of Destiny: Xiao Fan

The newcomer arrived with aggressive momentum, his tone filled with intense condemnation.

He seemed exceptionally furious at Mo Tianxiao's act of refining the souls of cultivators.

Mo Tianxiao put away the Human Emperor Banner. Just as he was about to ask who the newcomer was, the other party threw back the black hood covering his head, revealing a resolute face that still carried a hint of youthful immaturity.

"Wan'er! Get away from this evil cultivator quickly and let me finish him off!"

Xiao Fan drew the greatsword from his back, pointed it at Mo Tianxiao, and shouted, "You're the one who abducted Wan'er to the Demon State, aren't you? Considering you haven't harmed Wan'er, I'll allow you to end your own life and leave you with an intact corpse."

Hearing this, Mo Tianxiao laughed out of sheer amusement. Was this guy also a Child of Destiny?

He activated his Eye of Assessment to check the other party's information.

[Name: Xiao Fan

Cultivation Base: Peak Golden Core Realm

Destiny Level: Gold

Background: Three years ago, he took the remnant soul of a Great Emperor as his master, defied the heavens to change his fate, and embarked on the path of cultivation. Subsequently, he caught the eye of the Supreme Dao Sect and was taken in as a core disciple. He is childhood sweethearts with Nangong Wan]

Just as expected. He knew Nangong Wan, possessed a gold-tier destiny, and carried an "old grandpa" spirit with him. Although it was unclear whether he had experienced a broken engagement, these traits were already enough to meet the standard requirements of a Child of Destiny.

"Junior Sister Wan'er, do you know this person?"

When dealing with a Child of Destiny, Mo Tianxiao maintained a policy of avoiding hostility whenever possible. After all, these types were notoriously difficult to kill. If you managed to kill them, great; but if you failed, you would just attract endless trouble.

Nangong Wan stared at Xiao Fan, her gaze flickering slightly. "You are... Xiao Fan?"

It took her a moment to finally recognize his identity. Wasn't he the eldest young master of the Xiao family, who used to live right across from the Nangong estate?

The Xiao and Nangong families were both merchant clans with a fairly good relationship and frequent business dealings. The two of them had practically grown up together.

Three years ago, Xiao Fan suddenly awakened his cultivation talent and left Clear Willow Town to practice cultivation elsewhere.

She remembered that back then, because he showed promise of becoming a cultivator, the Nangong family took the liberty of arranging a marriage contract with the Xiao family, betrothing her to Xiao Fan.

Since she neither particularly liked nor disliked Xiao Fan, she had no real objections to the marriage arrangement.

After all, she had long understood that she would never have a say in her own marriage. The fact that she didn't despise her prospective husband was already a blessing in itself.

However, that was how she felt three years ago. Ever since the Nangong family was annihilated, her heart had undergone a profound transformation.

"Wan'er, I knew you couldn't possibly have forgotten me!"

Seeing that Nangong Wan recognized him at a glance, Xiao Fan's face instantly broke into a wide smile.

"Wan'er, I came here specifically to find you. Actually, you possess an extremely high talent for cultivation. I came to take you to the Supreme Dao Sect to cultivate.

The Supreme Dao Sect is a titan of the righteous path. With your aptitude, barring any accidents, your future achievements will likely be even more terrifying than those of the sect master himself."

Xiao Fan excitedly explained to Nangong Wan just how terrifyingly high her natural talent was.

She possessed an Immortal Bone, something that only existences above the Great Emperor realm could possibly have. As long as she cultivated step by step, with the aid of the Immortal Bone, she was destined to become a Great Emperor in the future!

As for himself, with the assistance of a Great Emperor's remnant soul and a cultivation technique that could continuously evolve, becoming a Great Emperor was well within his reach too.

When that time came, they would both become Emperors and be husband and wife. Wouldn't that leave behind a legendary romance on this continent?

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Nangong Wan furrowed her brows. "You knew I had a talent for cultivation this whole time?"

"Y-yes, I did. What's wrong?"

Noticing that something was off about Nangong Wan's expression, Xiao Fan answered subconsciously, but he immediately realized he had made a slip of the tongue.

"Well, actually, I only discovered it by accident. I figured I would go out and make a name for myself first, and once I had enough strength, I would come back and guide you on the path of cultivation."

Xiao Fan hurriedly made up an excuse, hoping to gloss over the issue.

"Tsk... Then how exactly did you find my junior sister? You didn't come any earlier or later, but coincidentally showed up only after she had already embarked on the path of cultivation.

And you were able to pinpoint her exact location. Were you scheming this all along?"

Mo Tianxiao's voice chimed in at the perfect moment.

He might not want to provoke a Child of Destiny, but there was no harm in messing with him a little, right? Let a Child of Destiny fight a Child of Destiny.

He originally hadn't planned on paying Xiao Fan any mind, but the guy had to come in yelling and screaming, spouting nonsense about delivering heavenly justice. It pissed him off.

"Of course not! I was just looking for Wan'er and happened to pass by this place. I saw you, an evil cultivator, slaughtering sect cultivators and refining their souls. I was preparing to deliver heavenly justice when I coincidentally ran into Wan'er."

Xiao Fan hastily explained.

"Wan'er, come over to my side quickly! This man refines living beings and binds people's souls. He is the absolute worst kind of evil cultivator. You must not let him deceive you!"

"Who are you calling an evil cultivator? I am a demonic cultivator—a genuine, orthodox demonic cultivator."

"What's the difference between a demonic cultivator and an evil cultivator?! Wan'er, he definitely just wants to steal your fortune! I'll tell you the truth: you possess an Immortal Bone. This is an aptitude that any cultivator would kill for.

He is absolutely coveting your Immortal Bone. As long as you return to the Supreme Dao Sect with me, I guarantee that no one will dare to try and take it from you!"

Xiao Fan glared furiously at Mo Tianxiao, as if warning him not to even think about touching Nangong Wan's Immortal Bone.

In response, Mo Tianxiao remained silent and turned his head away in slight embarrassment. After all, he really had done exactly that, so it was pretty hard to argue back.

Even if he did deny it, Nangong Wan probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

"Enough!"

Nangong Wan suddenly interrupted the two of them with a loud shout. A trace of anger flashed across her face, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She then took off the bracelet on her wrist and tossed it to Xiao Fan. "I'm returning this bracelet to you. The marriage contract between us is annulled, and I won't be going to the Supreme Dao Sect with you. From now on, let's go our separate ways and not bother each other."

Learning that Xiao Fan had known about her cultivation talent all along sent a sharp pang through Nangong Wan's heart. If he had helped her embark on the path of cultivation earlier, would the fate of the Nangong family have been different?

She didn't know the answer to that. However, she also understood that this tragedy had nothing to do with Xiao Fan. Even if he had known about her exceptional talent for a long time, he was under no obligation to tell her.

The annihilation of the Nangong family was solely to blame on their own weakness.

"Wan'er! I know you are devastated about the destruction of the Nangong family, but as long as you come back to the Supreme Dao Sect with me, I will help you deal with your enemies, no matter how powerful they are!

Even if I can't handle them myself, I will ask the sect elders to step in and capture the culprits!

Besides, our marriage contract was arranged by our elders. How can you just annul it on a whim?!"

Xiao Fan was still desperately trying to salvage the situation. He knew that the annihilation of the Nangong family might have caused a shift in Nangong Wan's personality, but he absolutely could not stand by and watch his fiancée walk down the path of a demonic cultivator.

"Those cultivators my Senior Brother was refining earlier were the very culprits who destroyed the Nangong family. The Nangong family's blood debt has already been paid in full, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself over it."

"Senior Brother, let's go back."

Nangong Wan regained her composure. She turned around and spoke calmly to Mo Tianxiao.

Mo Tianxiao smiled as he looked at Xiao Fan's incredibly grim expression. He waved his hand dismissively. "Well, now we even have the classic broken engagement trope. Junior Sister Wan'er and I will be taking our leave now. Bye-bye~"

Mo Tianxiao's punchable, mocking grin instantly sent Xiao Fan into a towering rage.

"Halt! Did I give you permission to leave?!"

[The host's actions have made the Son of Destiny, Xiao Fan, feel cuckolded, successfully enraging the Son of Destiny. This aligns with villainous behavior. Villain Points +500!]