The Doubts of a Few in the Vast World: Why So Many Pieces in This Game of Life

Shocking! Shocking! And yet more shocking!

Several figures stood high in the sky.

Yan Lie, an elder from the Celestial Flame Sacred Hall of the Chixiao Domain; Ming Ku, a elder from the Ghost King Hall of the Nether Domain; and several other powerful figures from the Great Thousand Worlds hovered among the clouds, eyeing one another.

"Yan Lie? What are you doing here?"

Ming Ku was the first to speak, his voice icy. He was stunned.

He had only sent a fragment of his soul down to the lower realm in secret to check on the condition of his Chosen One.

But... why were these old fools here as well?

Had he been discovered?!

Yan Lie snorted coldly, his crimson robes fluttering despite the absence of wind, flames swirling around him. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Ming Ku! Instead of guarding your wretched ghosts in the Nether Domain, what brings you to this lower realm?"

Damn it. The old man had only come to check on his Chosen One.

This should have been foolproof, yet...

Why were these old fools here too?

Had he been exposed?!

Ming Ku’s heart tightened, but his expression remained unreadable as he replied coldly, "My affairs are none of your concern!"

"Rather, all of you—what are you doing in this minor world? Don’t you know unauthorized descent is strictly forbidden?"

No matter what, he had to strike first!

"Enough with the act!"

A middle-aged man in white robes and a jade crown, an elder from the Jade Pure Palace of the Mystic Heaven Domain, cut in sharply.

He laid it bare: "You’re all here for your own Chosen Ones, aren’t you? With the threads of fate in chaos, who could sit idle?"

Silence fell over the group, the atmosphere instantly freezing.

A moment later.

Yan Lie sneered, his piercing gaze sweeping across them. "Since we all know what’s going on, I’ll be blunt."

"Descending with a soul fragment is already taboo. If the Upper Realm finds out, you know the consequences."

"Spare me the lecture!"

Ming Ku waved impatiently, though his eyes involuntarily drifted toward the towering city below. "Still, something feels off."

"The fate of this minor world seems to have been deliberately disturbed."

"Hmph, who cares about fate?!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Yan Lie’s eyes. "If anyone dares touch my Chosen One, I’ll reduce them to ashes!"

His Chosen One was tied to the next great struggle for fortune in the Great Thousand Worlds. Whether he could survive the coming calamity depended entirely on this.

Thus, he would tolerate no mishaps.

As the group argued, a faint but unmistakable pressure emanated from the distance.

They instinctively looked up to see a majestic figure soaring through the sky, its imposing aura inspiring awe.

"Xuan Xingzi… from the Star God Palace of the Profound Azure Domain?!"

Their hearts trembled.

Damn it, had he come to drag them back?

Yet—

"You?"

"What are all of you doing here?"

Xuan Xingzi frowned at the nine figures before him.

No way...

Had his own unauthorized descent been discovered?

Curses. Not only had he failed to locate his Chosen One, but he’d also been caught breaking the rules.

A total loss.

Huh?

The others quickly realized the situation and relaxed.

So, this old coot had also descended without permission.

Yan Lie cupped his hands and smiled. "Senior Xuan Xingzi, have you also come for your Chosen One?"

Since they were all rule-breakers, they were now in the same boat.

Xuan Xingzi snorted, folding his arms behind his back. "What if I have? More importantly, have any of you found your Chosen Ones yet?"

He thought to himself:

His own Chosen One seemed tainted by malevolent forces. He needed to see if the others’ Chosen Ones were also compromised.

"Of course."

Yan Lie pointed at the city below, a hint of pride in his voice. "My Chosen One, Xiao Fei, is the most outstanding among them."

At this, Ming Ku scoffed. "Old man, don’t flatter yourself. My Chosen One, Chu Xuan, is the true child of destiny."

Another elder nearby mocked, "Hah! Your Chosen One reeks of bloodlust and acts on impulse. With such temperament, he won’t last long in the struggle for fortune."

"Oh? And your androgynous Chosen One is any better?"

"You—!"

Xuan Xingzi shook his head in disbelief. Was his the only problematic Chosen One?

He cut in, "Do any of you know what’s happening in this world?"

He had sensed the presence of malevolent entities—not just one, but many. It seemed numerous beings had already been corrupted.

Yan Lie blinked. "Uh… we just arrived and haven’t had time to investigate thoroughly..."

Then his eyes widened as he sucked in a sharp breath. "This is… malevolent corruption?!"

"Malevolent corruption?!"

"How can there be so much of it here?"

The others also exclaimed in shock.

They hadn’t noticed before, but now that they’d relaxed, the overwhelming stench of corruption assaulted their senses.

So it wasn’t just his imagination.

Xuan Xingzi’s gaze sharpened. This world… had been invaded.

With that realization, he sighed. "These ants are clever, understanding the power of unity."

"However..."

He paused, glancing at the group before murmuring, "For such a tiny world to harbor so many Chosen Ones… this place is rather peculiar."

The others also caught on. In most minor worlds, two Chosen Ones would be the limit.

Yet here… just from what they could see, there were already so many?!

How could this be?

It made no sense!

But sense or not, their priority was ensuring their Chosen Ones’ safety and guiding them into the Great Thousand Worlds.

Yan Lie closed his eyes briefly before speaking. "I’ve confirmed it. The sea tribes of this world have been corrupted. The leader of the Martial Arts Alliance has gathered chosen ones from across the world to form an expedition—including our Chosen Ones."

He sounded impressed. "Coincidentally, this leader has some skill, uniting so many children of destiny in one place."

Xuan Xingzi nodded indifferently. "Likely some local method. Nothing extraordinary."

Then he turned to a sharp-eyed man nearby. "Jian Changkong, why do you look so troubled?"

Jian Changkong replied grimly, "My Chosen One… is missing."

The others paused before waving it off. "Relax. Chosen Ones are favored by fortune—it’s nearly impossible for them to die. They probably haven’t arrived yet or are hiding their presence."

Jian Changkong nodded, but unease gnawed at him.

As a seasoned powerhouse, Xuan Xingzi declared solemnly, "Everyone, the fate of this world has converged here."

"Once the sea tribe incident is resolved, we’ll take our Chosen Ones back to the Great Thousand Worlds."

"Until then, we must watch over them in secret to prevent accidents. Agreed?"

The others nodded. "Agreed."

As veterans of such operations, they knew this was a pivotal moment in the workings of destiny.

Under no circumstances should one forcibly interfere. Only by allowing the Child of Destiny to complete their fate line can one safely pass through and bring them back.

Xuan Xingzi smiled faintly, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, if others didn’t understand, how could he not?

His divination backlash was proof enough—this malevolent entity was a calamity of the highest order!

If it turned out to be one of those gluttony-type fiends… even this wisp of his split soul might not survive!

So, he absolutely had to drag these old fools along to find his Child of Destiny.

......

......

Below.

Qin Luo finished his explanation, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as the corners of his lips curled slightly.

He sensed the fading presence high above in the sky and thought to himself:

Perfect. By using the shadows to conceal the young mistress’s overwhelming villainous aura, he had indeed deceived those old bastards.

Their lingering here served only one purpose—to prevent any further fluctuations in the Child of Destiny’s fate line.

In that case…

Qin Luo turned a benevolent gaze toward the assembly of chosen ones before him and said, “Everyone, time is of the essence. Let us depart according to our assigned groups today.”

“Yes!”

The response came in unison, their morale soaring like a rising tide.