Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 96
Chapter 96: The Wager
Tian kuang, bound to her in heart and mind, grew increasingly excited.
Xiang Haikui lifted the sword case. It had become terribly heavy, nearly making her lose her balance and fall.
After a moment of adjusting to the weight, she carried the sword case over to the back of the secret chamber’s door.
“Emperor.”
Jing Ran’s voice echoed in from outside.
“How has Senior’s perception gone?”
“I already know how the array disk went missing.”
Xiang Haikui deduced that he was standing right outside, separated from her by only a single door.
“Oh?”
“Xiang Haikui stole it!”
As she spoke, Xiang Haikui took a few steps back, swung her arm with all her might, and sent the sword case flying out!
The current sword case was comparable to a small mountain, and further enhanced by her spiritual energy, with a loud boom, the door of the secret chamber was blasted into powder!
Striking completely unawares—with only this single opportunity—Jing Ran, who was standing outside totally off guard, was knocked backward a dozen steps by the impact of this colossal force.
The sword case did not stop after shattering the stone door, charging straight toward his chest.
Jing Ran was all too familiar with this violent, ferocious aura; before it even touched him, he felt a sharp, twisting pain in his heart.
Though he looked fine on the outside, his damaged heart had actually not yet fully healed.
It was Tian Kuang!
So the mirror spirit wasn’t a mirror spirit at all, but the real Xiang Haikui?
Jing Ran had little time to process this.
Tian Kuang had absorbed too much of his blood energy in the past, making his protective golden radiance extremely weak at resisting its mad intent; he had to counterattack proactively.
Inside the doorway, Xiang Haikui’s eyes brightened.
She felt it—his protective golden radiance seemed to have little effect against Tian Kuang now.
Yet Jing Ran thrust a palm forward, and a sphere of dazzling light rapidly coalesced before his palm.
It was his “miniature sun” capable of incinerating all creation.
“Do you want to blow up all the array discs and release every single prisoner of the Shanhai?!” Xiang Haikui shouted sharply at the precise moment, using her mind to crack open a sliver of the sword case, letting a surge of overwhelming demonic energy pour out.
Jing Ran’s eyes narrowed.
He swiftly withdrew his hand; Inspiration could not be forced back into the body, or it would trigger a severe backlash.
So he redirected his attack elsewhere, and the scorching sun incinerated half of a wall.
The warding restrictions around the sleeping palace were damaged, and the resulting shockwave sent the entire group of people guarding outside flying, crashing scattered all over the ground.
Dugu Ning was horrified.
“Emperor!”
He tried to charge inside, but the sleeping palace was bursting with massive force toward the outside, making it impossible to get close.
The tremendous noise simultaneously alerted guards in other parts of the palace, and they all rushed toward the sleeping palace.
“Stand down and watch out for Yin Changli!”
The moment she appeared, Jing Ran suspected that Yin Changli was also nearby.
Hearing the name “Yin Changli,” the guards felt a chill run down their spines and hurriedly surrounded the sleeping palace, leaving no blind spots.
While giving orders, Jing Ran acted first to snatch back the Xuantian Mirror that had been blown away, sealing it with spiritual energy and hanging it at his lower back.
“Xiang Haikui, how did you get out of the Xuantian Mirror?”
Regardless of how she got out, he would block her escape path first.
“Mind your own business!”
Xiang Haikui vanished from the spot in an instant, and in a split second, the sword case transformed into a flood dragon!
Moreover, it grew to a colossal size—so vast the sleeping palace couldn’t contain it at all, and its roof exploded right off!
It really wasn’t that Xiang Haikui wanted to do this; it was the consequence of swallowing thirty-seven array discs.
She cursed: “Tian Kuang, you actually incited me to transform and swallow the array discs to escape! Escape my foot!”
The bigger she got, the less agile she became, and her stomach throbbed as if she had overeaten.
Fortunately, she had already thought of a backup plan; this was merely a drill.
She slammed her head directly into a support pillar, completely shattering the framework of the sleeping palace.
Amidst the roaring collapse, more than half of the sleeping palace was destroyed. The only part remaining standing was the other secret chamber where Jing Ran stored treasures of various tribes.
Xiang Haikui flew straight upward.
It was too heavy and utterly exhausting; it seemed she would have to wait for Senior Zhuque’s divine flying ability.
Jing Ran raised an arm, and with a swish, he drew out a golden long whip—the Dragon-Taming Whip.
“You are being far too arrogant!”
The moment she appeared, she triggered his internal injuries and blew up half his sleeping palace.
So there really is another one.
Seeing this whip made Xiang Haikui feel the same way Jing Ran did seeing the Tian Kuang Sword—grinding her teeth in hatred.
Crack!
Amidst the chaos, Jing Ran’s expression was cold as dust.
He leapt into the air, his sleeves fluttering wildly, striking the air twice with the whip first, as if building momentum.
A series of golden light flames were whipped out into the air.
Only then did the whip strike the flood dragon. Golden electric arcs scraped across its body, causing charred scales to fall off in rustling waves, smashing countless deep craters into the ground.
When the second whip struck, the flood dragon turned its head and bit down on the whip.
The scales all over her body stood on end, detaching and turning into a whirlwind of sword blades, piercing toward him in a dense array!
Jing Ran pushed forward with his other hand, and a brilliant light expanded outward in an arc.
Those thousands of fiercely sharp sword blades were like raindrops hitting a lake—after a burst of pitter-patter sounds, they all vanished into thin air.
Then, flexing the arm holding the whip, he yanked the Dragon-Taming Whip back violently!
Like an over-the-shoulder throw, he slammed the flood dragon onto the ground!
BOOM…!
The remaining structure of the sleeping palace was forcibly smashed into collapse by the body of this gigantic flood dragon!
The other secret chamber housing the treasures was exposed.
Floating high above, Jing Ran looked coldly down at the flood dragon among the ruins.
“Xiang Haikui, last time I minded those two clusters of energy in your belly and couldn’t hurt you, which was why I was constrained by you everywhere. Did you truly believe you had the strength to fight me?”
The maidservants hiding far away, seeing Xiang Haikui subdued, finally let out a sigh of relief.
They were indeed shocked by Xiang Haikui.
The Tian Kuang Sword truly lived up to its reputation to possess such great divine power.
They had seen plenty of flood dragons, but this was the first time they had seen one so overflowing with murderous intent and utterly reckless of her own life!
“It really is terrifying when she goes mad,” Wen Yan said in a trembling voice, transmitting her voice to Dugu Ning.
“But masters of the Tian Kuang Sword have never lived long, precisely because they overestimate their own abilities, don’t they…”
The disparity in strength between her and the Emperor was far too immense—how could she dare to provoke the Emperor?
Dugu Ning, who had been hanging on edge the entire time, finally relaxed.
His knowledge had been too shallow to doubt the Emperor’s capabilities.
Even if he felt affection, how could the Emperor be an ordinary man?
Xiang Haikui let him use her to establish his authority, letting him say whatever he pleased. In any case, she hadn’t planned on fighting him to the death this time.
Jing Ran also quickly realized something was wrong—she hadn’t really resisted much at all, and her eyes remained clear rather than turning blood-red from madness.
Not good!
She had deliberately borrowed his force to smash open the secret chamber housing the treasures.
Now he was high up in the air, while she had fallen right into the ruins of the treasure chamber.
Before Jing Ran could stop her, the flood dragon had already flipped up from the rubble.
Raising her front claws and stepping high onto a boulder, the flood dragon stood against the wind, her dragon whiskers fluttering.
After a loud roar, she unleashed a grand move—a momentum that could swallow mountains and rivers!
A whirlwind swept up from the flat ground, gathering the fallen treasures of various tribes scattered across the area and sucking them all into the flood dragon’s mouth!
Jing Ran’s expression rapidly shifted, turning even darker than the night sky.
He realized that in her presence, he was increasingly unable to control his emotions, and he shouted sternly, “Xiang Haikui!”
Xiang Haikui satisfiedly transformed back into her human form.
Since she had already swallowed the array discs, she might as well swallow these treasures too.
No matter how heavy the treasures were, at most they weighed about as much as two or three array discs.
Two more wasn’t too many, and two less wasn’t too few.
Upon returning to human form, a glaring whip scar appeared on her snow-white neck, extending all the way to the corner of her mouth, a terrifying sight to behold.
However, with the sword case on her back packed to the brim with treasures, it was totally worth it!
Bai Xingxian was currently winning over those smaller tribes, so returning their tribal treasures would show even greater sincerity.
In this world, Xiang Haikui owed debts of gratitude to only a handful of people; she had to repay every single one of them before she could return home with peace of mind.
“What on earth are you doing? Have you gone mad again?”
Annoyed as Jing Ran was, he was even more bewildered by her actions, which completely baffled him.
“You managed to come out of the Xuantian Mirror—does it have something to do with the divine artifact in Yin Changli’s hands?”
Mentioning the divine artifact, his pupils narrowed tight.
“Yet you seem unable to leave through the Xuantian Mirror again. Why is that?”
Standing in the ruins, Xiang Haikui didn’t even have a chance to speak before he descended from high above and continued, “That divine artifact really ran into trouble, didn’t it? That’s why no matter how miserable Yin Changlei was before going into hibernation, he refused to use it.”
Just as Xiang Haikui was about to speak—
He wondered aloud in confusion.
“Since you couldn’t escape, why didn’t you shatter the array discs directly when you were alone in the secret chamber just now? You could clearly have shattered a portion of them and kept another portion to save your life…”
With the array discs in hand, he wouldn’t dare use heavy force against her.
And the prisoners released from the broken section could later come to rescue her—such an arrangement would have been the most proper.
Xiang Haikui: “I…”
Jing Ran landed in the ruins, no more than twenty or thirty feet away from her.
“Is it because one or two prisoners refused to bow to Yin Changli, refusing to submit to him as the patriarch, so he feared it would endanger his own position and didn’t want to release those prisoners? And since you didn’t know who corresponded to which array disc, you were afraid of accidentally releasing the wrong one?”
Brilliant! Xiang Haikui really wanted to applaud him.
Just when she didn’t know how to explain, he had filled in all the blanks himself, making it completely seamless.
Xiang Haikui, who was usually sharp-tongued, remained silent, leading Jing Ran to believe he had guessed correctly.
A surge of fury burned within his chest, and a cluster of golden flames ignited in his pupils.
“Xiang Haikui, you really are willing to do anything for him. You can sacrifice your own flesh and blood, and you don’t even care about your life!”
Yin Changli clearly knew the divine artifact had issues, yet he still sent her to take the risk, and she actually went so far as to disregard her own life to look out for him.
He himself had protected her with all his heart, merely forced to borrow her body as a vessel for a short while, yet she fought him to the death, without showing a single bit of consideration for his plight!
“I’m willing to; what’s it to you?”
The words “flesh and blood” pierced Xiang Haikui’s heart with sharp pain. Tian Kuang flew out from the sword case and was gripped tightly in her hand.
She didn’t make a move but pointed it at him, brimming with murderous intent.
“Fine. Then I shall capture you, hang you on the palace tower, and carve off a slice of your flesh every hour, to see just how long it takes for Yin Changli to come for you!”
Jing Ran’s handsome face was drawn tight, thinking to himself that today he must let her know how merciful he had been to her in the past and just how ungrateful she really was!
With that, spiritual energy radiated from his palm, and a phantom of a golden lotus floated into view within his palm.
Its lotus petals unfolded, resembling a beauty who had just woken up, swaying her slender waist in a mesmerizing stance.
This was the first time Xiang Haikui had seen him use this kind of golden lotus.
Compared to his “miniature sun,” it appeared far gentler, but its power was certainly not to be underestimated.
She couldn’t engage in a fight; if she consumed too much energy now, what would she do ten days later?
“Hold it!” Xiang Haikui barked.
Jing Ran stared fixedly at her.
Xiang Haikui narrowed her eyes.
“That’s right, it’s very hard for me to beat you, but I have a short temper and easily fall into qi deviation. If you push me too hard…”
“Emperor, absolutely not!” Dugu Ning hurriedly pleaded.
Once she fell into qi deviation, she wouldn’t care about anything anymore and would very likely choose self-destruction to blow up the array discs and release all the prisoners of the Shanhai.
When that happened, enemies would be everywhere and Xiang Haikui would be dead, leaving them with no bargaining chip to constrain Yin Changli and Qi Yin.
Jing Ran naturally knew this, which was why he had brought out the golden lotus to overcome hardness with softness.
This was a Buddhist treasure, extremely close to the sword aura of the Tianren Sword.
Tian Kuang grew stronger against strong opposition; the harsher his methods, the fiercer her desire to fight, and the easier it would be for her to fall into qi deviation.
The golden lotus happened to suppress Tian Kuang, cooling her demonic blood and preventing her from going wild.
This was a treasure Jing Ran had obtained only recently, and it happened to come in handy now, allowing him to trade moves with her like boiling a frog in warm water, attempting to subdue her before she went mad and destroyed all the array discs.
“How about we make a wager?” Xiang Haikui brought out the line she had already prepared.
“A wager?” Jing Ran signaled her to speak.
Xiang Haikui: “Let’s call a truce for now and wait ten days.”
Jing Ran: “Ten days?”
Xiang Haikui: “This happened so suddenly. Give Yin Changli ten days to think of a way. During these ten days, you’ll be responsible for watching over me, and I guarantee I won’t actively try to leave the royal palace…”
“After ten days, I doubt whether this royal palace will still be standing.”
Jing Ran swept his gaze across the sleeping palace that had turned into ruins.
“Or perhaps you want to find an opportunity to stab me with your sword again.”
“Rest assured, before sunset ten days from now, I won’t draw my sword. Drawing my sword counts as my loss, and I will hand over the array discs to you with both hands.”
Xiang Haikui needed to conserve her energy over these ten days.
“But don’t try any dirty tricks to force me into drawing my sword—like bringing in a couple of assassins to attack me. That would be far too tasteless.”
Jing Ran’s dark eyes were filled with suspicion.
“The issue is, why should I give him ten days to figure out a way?”
Pure wishful thinking?
“Are you scared?”
Xiang Haikui hurled a volley of mockery at him.
“Back in the Underworld, when Yin Changli was far more familiar with Bian City than you, you still had the audacity to let me wander around, leaving the gates wide open for him to come. What, after taking a beating from socialist reality, you don’t dare to act cool anymore?”
Clenching his fists, Jing Ran’s expression turned even darker.
Although the surrounding guards and maidservants couldn’t understand what she meant, the Emperor’s rage was blazingly obvious, making everyone break out in a cold sweat.
“Don’t be so quick to get angry; you haven’t even heard the stake yet.”
Xiang Haikui curbed her tongue, fearing that if she pushed him too far and he attacked directly, things would turn ugly.
“After sunset on the tenth day, if Yin Changli doesn’t have the ability to rescue me, I’ll take matters into my own hands, and the two of us will fight it out again.”
“What kind of stake is that supposed to be?”
A maidservant couldn’t bear to listen any longer.
“The outcome will still be the same as it is now—it merely stalls for ten days.”
It was giving Lord Changli ten days for free to figure out a solution.
If the Emperor truly agreed to such a wager, it certainly wouldn’t be out of confidence, but rather that he was deliberately letting her off easy, wouldn’t it?
“It’s definitely different.”
When Xiang Haikui spoke to that maidservant, her voice was much gentler.
“When we fight again in ten days, I will try my best to control myself. Even if I fall into qi deviation, I won’t damage the array discs. If the Emperor has the ability to subdue me, he can take both the array discs and the treasures away completely intact…”
“The key point is, can you actually control yourself?”
Dugu Ning didn’t quite believe it; when this girl went mad, she recognized neither family nor friends.
However, if she truly gave up her intent to fight to the death, and the Emperor subdued her to reclaim the array discs and treasures, his odds of winning would indeed be much higher.
“Like I said, I’ll try my best—control myself to the absolute best of my ability.”
Xiang Haikui had to exercise self-control anyway, as half of these array discs could not be unlocked. If she truly couldn’t take them away, her only choice was to give them up.
She laid down a harsh declaration.
“But if we fight right now, Jing Ran, I will fight you to the very end with zero regard for anything!”
This was no lie either. If they fought, he wouldn’t be able to subdue her anytime soon; if she could hold out for ten days, she would, and if she couldn’t, so be it!
Besides, his protective golden radiance could no longer block the sword aura of Tian Kuang. In a fight to the death, who was to say she would definitely lose?
“It’s just waiting ten more days. Are you really afraid that Yin Changli will storm the Upper Realm for my sake? Isn’t him coming to the Upper Realm to rescue me exactly what you hope for?”
Jing Ran sank into silent thought, weighing the pros and cons in his mind as the light of the golden lotus in his hand flickered between bright and dim.
Fighting right now indeed carried immense risks.
Although the golden lotus suppressed Tian Kuang, Jing Ran did not have absolute certainty of victory, with his chances being merely sixty percent.
This was because in this world, no sword master had ever cultivated the demonic sword Tian Kuang to its peak before—Xiang Haikui was the very first.
No one knew where the upper limit of Tian Kuang lay.
Even Xiang Haikui herself might not be clear about it.
He did not want all the array discs destroyed at once, nor did he want Xiang Haikui’s life.
Wait for ten days? What could Yin Changli possibly accomplish in a mere ten days?
Jing Ran couldn’t help but recall the moment when Yin Changli severed his Dragon-Taming Whip and snatched Xiang Haikui away.
That breath of resentment had remained stifled in his heart, never dissipating to this day.
Back then, he had disregarded everything just to snatch Xiang Haikui back from Yin Changli’s hands, yet he had ultimately failed.
He actually really wanted to see what kind of method Yin Changli could possibly have to infiltrate the royal palace and snatch someone away within ten days.
To snatch Xiang Haikui away right under his nose once again!
This was not the Underworld; with that slave mark etched into his very bones, Yin Changli would find every single step difficult here.
Jing Ran’s gaze turned sharp and cold as he spoke, “Waiting ten days isn’t out of the question, but how will you make me believe that when we fight in ten days, you will do as you claimed and control yourself not to damage the array discs even if you fall into qi deviation?”
Xiang Haikui brought two fingers together and pointed straight up at the sky.
“If I break my word, then let my father Xiang Heng and my master Qi Yin both suffer terrible deaths and have their souls completely scattered!”
Jing Ran’s pupils narrowed tight. Anyone who knew her understood the weight of this oath.
Naturally, he no longer doubted its authenticity.
Xiang Haikui didn’t draw back her swearing hand but raised three other bent fingers toward him, making a gesture waiting to high-five on the deal.
“Well? Do you dare to take the wager?”
Jing Ran didn’t answer immediately. Staring at her slender-boned hand, he was still weighing it in his mind.
The golden lotus in his palm faded lighter and lighter, signaling his inclination.
“Emperor?” Dugu Ning’s voice held a trace of worry.
This feeling of his was far too strange.
Now that Xiang Haikui had offered the wager, fighting right now was indeed unwise.
This wager was clearly a compromise on her part.
Others were afraid of death, but mad sword cultivators were not.
Yet if they fought now, the worst outcome would merely be all the prisoners of the Shanhai being released and Xiang Haikui dying as a bargaining chip.
Ten days later, it might not be the same.
Dugu Ning felt a strong sense of unease that the Emperor might suffer a major loss, so he didn’t want the Emperor to agree.
He couldn’t put a finger on the exact reason—perhaps it was because the scene of the Emperor’s heart being pierced earlier had been far too tragic.
Dugu Ning had no idea that this very concern of his was the final straw that crushed the last sliver of hesitation in Jing Ran’s heart.
Returning in disastrous defeat from Bian City, Jing Ran’s prestige in the hearts of the Celestial Clan had suffered damage.
This damage was ten thousand times worse than physical injury.
Look, even Dugu Ning, who knew his true strength best, had lost confidence in him.
He had to win this battle flawlessly and win it beautifully!
The golden lotus vanished, and Jing Ran, having made up his mind, reached out his palm toward her as well.
As sword aura surged and golden light flashed, the two struck a palm strike across the empty air, sealing the agreement.
Jing Ran then immediately put his hand behind his back.
“Spread the news. I shall sit and wait for Yin Changli to come to my door.”
The guards: “Yes!”
Xiang Haikui sheathed her sword back into the case.
Although stalling for ten days was mainly to wait for Senior Zhuque’s divine flying ability, from the bottom of her heart, she equally hoped that the boss would appear.
It wasn’t because the burden on her back was too heavy and she needed him to share it.
She simply hoped that he was safe and sound.
At this moment, the Nightmare Prison was filled with dense layer upon layer of sword shadows. Blood Asura was blocking those nightmare beasts with all his strength, exhibiting an imposing posture of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand.
Yet he knew in his heart that he was merely doing odd jobs here; the real battlefield lay with Yin Changli and the Spirit.
Yin Changli was still holding the black fire in his hand, turning his murderous intent into swords.
The Spirit was still controlling those corrosive vines to extinguish the murder swords.
Give-and-take, the sky collapsed and the earth split, with hurricanes and lightning rotating continuously, yet the two remained as stable as Mount Tai, completely unmoving.
Both sides were testing and wearing each other down.
Blood Asura learned while fending off the enemy. Opportunities to watch top-tier powerhouses trade blows from such a close distance did not come often.
Yet for some unknown reason, Yin Changli’s expression suddenly shifted.
The black fire in his palm swayed side to side, showing signs of flickering out.
“Yin Changli?” Blood Asura’s heart skipped a beat.
Yin Changli had felt the short arrows released by Xiang Haikui.
All three short arrows had been crafted by him, so when she used them, he would have a subtle perception.
He was already clear about Xiang Haikui’s situation; having anticipated numerous scenarios, this kind was naturally within his expectations as well.
However, the arrowhead seemed to have been split into two, with only half of it returning…?
That shouldn’t be.
Among the three—Wu xiang, Ba Ying, and Zhuque—Zhuque was considered the most reliable in doing things.
Yin Changli parted a portion of his mind to think and understood.
Right now was the peak of midsummer, and Zhuque couldn’t step outdoors, or he would spontaneously combust.
This quirk of Zhuque’s was just like Zhulong having to hibernate every once in a while—both were the prices that needed to be paid along with the extraordinary talents of the Shanhai Race.
Of course, Zhuque himself belonged to the fire element, so his true body couldn’t be burned to death.
At best, he would be burned bald, or at worst, lose a layer of skin.
A divine sense projection likely wouldn’t work either; during the flight alongside the arrowhead, it might very well be burned to nothingness before arrival.
Calculating the time, it would have to be at least until dusk ten days later…
With this momentary distraction, the Spirit took advantage of the opening and dealt Yin Changli a heavy palm strike.
The black fire in his palm was suppressed until only a tiny cluster of flame remained.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced down a mouthful of blood.
“Yin Changli, why are you zoning out?” Blood Asura’s intuition told him it definitely had something to do with Xiang Haikui, but he still had to remind him.
“Spirit, let’s settle this quickly.”
Yin Changlei snuffed out the black fire, resolving to burn his bridges, no longer planning to seek victory through slow stability.
As his voice fell, the two scales pinning up his hair at his temples gradually liquefied, turning into a glowing, colorful, viscous substance that flowed downward along both sides of his temples.
As it passed his cheeks, it rippled into large patches of snake scale patterns.
After dripping onto his shoulders, the intricate and flowing wide-sleeved gauze robe on his body instantly transformed into a black, tight-fitting combat suit with narrow sleeves and a cinched waist.
This was a combat suit endowed with protective divine power, featuring the totem of the Zhulong Race coiled around the cuffs—an ancestral heirloom of his family.
The Zhulong were skilled in battle; passed down through generations, this combat suit was soaked in untold amounts of blood, brimming with a stern, ominous aura.
It made Yin Changli look like a cold, ruthless god of slaughter who had just walked out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of bones without a single trace of his usual scholarly elegance.
Not only did Blood Asura look at him with a hint of strangeness in his eyes, but even Yin Changli himself was using this combat suit—stained with the blood of his ancestors, father, and brothers—for the very first time.
It had endured far too much damage and was on the verge of being ruined.
Yin Changli had always treated it as a keepsake, reluctant to use it even when driven to the end of his rope.
Now, however, he could no longer afford to care about that.
No matter how important the “past” was, it fell far short of the “person before his eyes.”
Jing Ran’s sleeping palace was destroyed, but the one thing the royal palace never lacked was palaces.
Yet Jing Ran went nowhere, instead tossing out his golden lotus above the ruins.
The golden lotus expanded into a massive open-air lotus platform, resembling a square, capable of holding a thousand people without issue.
He and Xiang Haikui sat on opposite sides of the lotus platform.
Before sitting down, Xiang Haikui noticed that the blue gauze dress on her was damaged. Frowning, she formed a hand seal and changed into a set in a different style.
With wide sleeves and a draped silk sash, her long skirt trailing on the ground, she looked entirely like an immortal.
Seeing this, Jing Ran was taken aback and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t tell me you intend to use a honey trap on me?”
Xiang Haikui sat cross-legged and firm, resting her precious sword case beside her hand.
“Do you need to be so surprised? Am I not considered a beauty, or are you not a man?”
Jing Ran, who had never won an argument against her, said expressionlessly, “Very beautiful, but it doesn’t suit you. Change back.”
That she could catch his eye had never had anything to do with her looks from start to finish, yet one couldn’t deny that this body of hers was indeed good-looking.
“Change back? Do you really think I planned to use a honey trap on you?” Xiang Haikui closed her eyes, too lazy to talk nonsense with him.
These clothes and accessories were all her personal property; if she didn’t like them, would she store them inside her bracelet to carry around?
They were all picked out by her from the boss’s little black ball palace, the rewards she earned from her “job.”
Not wearing them usually was simply because they got in the way of her fighting.
Bringing them out to wear now was her way of constantly reminding herself never to act impulsively over these ten days.
She began to meditate cross-legged to build up her strength.
Jing Ran also began to meditate, but his mind couldn’t settle down at all, opening his eyes several times within two hours.
Seeing her composed face and hearing her long, steady breathing, his mood grew increasingly foul.
His gaze involuntarily drifted toward her neck.
The whip scar had now spread quite a bit and turned purplish-red; at a glance, it looked as though it were tearing downward right from the corner of her mouth, growing ever more gruesome and terrifying.
His eyes dimmed slightly as he checked his thoughts.
This couldn’t be blamed on him; she had brought it upon herself.
A certain island.
Bai Xingxian and Lu Xiqiao were following the markings on the map to search for the “Fire-Worshiping Tribe” hiding on the island.
After the Emperor returned from undergoing his tribulation, countless races had dispatched forces to assassinate him.
In losing Bian City, these smaller tribes had either contributed effort or waded into the murky waters, making them all targets of the Emperor’s retaliation, with Han qi handling the matter.
For Han qi, Bai Xingxian’s presence was entirely unexpected.
Yin Changli could calculate Han qi’s route, but Han qi had no idea that he would send Bai Xingxian to the rescue.
So during the initial few times, Bai Xingxian was always able to reach those smaller tribes ahead of Han qi, advising them to leave and informing them where they should hide.
However, they were all skeptical about Bai Xingxian’s stance.
Even bringing out his biological father, Shuluoye, the “Ambassador of Racial Peace,” was of little use.
They were convinced he was Yin Changli’s puppet, sent by Yin Changli to win people’s hearts and turn them into cannon fodder for the Shanhai Race.
Their bones were terrifyingly stiff, preferring to die rather than yield.
Dallying until the very end, the forces sent by Han qi arrived, leaving Bai Xingxian and Lu Xiqiao no choice but to risk their lives to cover their escape.
They also had to follow Yin Changli’s instructions, displaying their most formidable side to make themselves appear resplendent—the future ruler of the Three Realms who could bring them a bright future.
Only then would they willingly follow his directives, evacuate to safety, and be willing to follow him hereafter.
After several times, Han qi changed his strategy.
No longer following the script, Han qi made it so that instead of arriving a step early, Bai Xingxian arrived a step late.
Naturally, what greeted him was total devastation and fields littered with corpses.
Filled with self-blame, he panicked and wanted to seek help from his uncle.
On second thought, during the time spent looking for his uncle, even more people would die.
Learning from this painful lesson, he threw away the script given by his uncle and began deciphering Han qi’s tactics, finally managing to stay one step ahead of Han qi once more.
Take this time, for instance—when they arrived, the island was still tranquil and peaceful, as Han qi’s forces had not yet arrived.
“Brother Bai, I really think you have an incredible natural talent,” Lu Xiqiao said.
Right now, his combat power wasn’t as high as Bai Xingxian’s, but he possessed the regenerative power of the Lesser Jianmu. As long as they didn’t die throughout their battles along the way, once he treated them, they would be back on their feet as fine men in no time.
“In such a short time, you’re actually able to outsmart that old fox, Han qi.”
Bai Xingxian observed the terrain.
“No, I feel Senior Han Qi is letting me win.”
Lu Xiqiao waved his hand.
“Come off it! Would a despicable guy like Han Qi actually respect the old and cherish the young? I don’t buy it.”
Bai Xingxian couldn’t quite explain it for the moment, so he shook his head.
“Let’s focus on getting work done first.”
“Is the hiding place written on the map?”
Lu Xiqiao released his divine sense to look around the surroundings.
The island was absurdly huge; the two of them needed to locate the hiding place of the Fire-Worshiping tribe members first.
“Uncle wrote it—the biggest trait of the Fire-Worshiping Race is that they don’t fear fire.”
Bai Xingxian bit his fingernail and looked toward a volcano to the east.
“They probably live inside there.”
“Let’s go take a look!”
“Let’s go.”
The two leaped up, soaring like falcons across the sky, and landed on the volcano.
At the beginning, Bai Xingxian would politely state his name and background, patiently and earnestly trying to explain and reason with them regardless of their attitude.
Not anymore. First, it was a waste of time, and he was rather clumsy with words and not very articulate.
Second, the gentler he was, the more they looked down on him.
So now he simply copied Xiang Haikui—reckless force was all that mattered.
He would straight-up blow up their lair to force them out; anyway, once Han Qi’s forces arrived shortly, this place would be turned into scorched earth regardless.
Bai Xingxian drew out the Tianbao Twin Swords. Golden radiance emanated from all over his body, surging from his arms into the swords in waves.
Understanding the cue, Lu Xiqiao tacitly sealed off his own five senses.
With a push of his foot, Bai Xingxian leaped into midair, heavily clashing the twin swords together in a cross!
When the Tianbao Twin Swords collided, they could already release massive treasure-weapon energy—a dazzling golden light so blinding that no one within the vicinity could open their eyes or release their divine sense.
After infusing the Inspirational golden light of his Celestial Royal Family status, this force multiplied several times over.
As if a sun had exploded, a surging, colossal power centered around him rapidly swept across the entire island and extended out onto the surface of the sea.
Thousands of waves rolled up across the sea surface and the earth’s crust trembled. The sky turned dark in an instant, and amid flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, the volcano began to erupt.
In this terrifying atmosphere, accompanying the eruption of lava, a beam of light shot out. Inside the light beam were precisely the patriarch and several elders of the Fire-Worshiping Race.
Lu Xiqiao had gained a lot of experience recently; these bizarrely shaped races were things he had never seen back in the mortal world.
Take the Fire-Worshiping Race in front of them, for example: they looked identical to humans, but their hair was fiery red, defying gravity and floating entirely upward.
“Who goes there!”
The peaceful small island was instantly destroyed in one fell swoop.
The members of the Fire-Worshiping Race were both utterly furious and terrified…
They had fought the Celestial Race for many years and could distinguish that this was the power of the Celestial Race, but it was their first time seeing power this formidable apart from the Emperor.
They were no match for it. Even as they came out, they were already discussing whether they could put everything on the line to ensure one person escaped.
Bai Xingxian descended from the dark clouds, floating in the air above the dust and ash.
“Bai Xingxian.”
The group sized up the beautiful, white-haired youth before them.
From their expressions, Bai Xingxian knew his name sounded unfamiliar to them.
It was true that he was very famous now, but what was famous was his identity; it was normal for them not to recall his name right away.
Bai Xingxian added, “The former Underworld Lord, Shuluoye, is my father; the Celestial Emperor, Shuluohe, is my uncle; and the patriarch of the Shanhai race, Yin Changli, is my godfather…”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s eyes showed shock, while simultaneously being unable to tell where his allegiance lay.
“So it’s you… Then who do you represent here today? The Celestial Race, or the Shanhai Race?”
If he represented the Celestial Race, they might all have to die.
If it was the Shanhai Race, then that would be easier to talk through.
Although the Shanhai Race also looked down on other races, their high opinion of themselves manifested in ignoring you; they wouldn’t, like the Celestial Race, demand tribute without cause, seize your tribal treasures, and slaughter your people.
Thus, it was true they disliked the Shanhai Race, but they held no feud or hatred against them.
“Neither.”
Bai Xingxian brought out the lines he had memorized by heart.
“I’m here to give you a warning. The people coming to kill you will arrive shortly. Leave at once.”
Practiced and familiar with the routine, Lu Xiqiao threw a map to them.
“Go to the marked location; someone will meet you there.”
The Fire-Worshiping patriarch extended his hand.
The map was frozen in midair before being pushed back by him.
“Go back and tell Yin Changli that we do not need the charity of the Shanhai Race!”
“Nobody is bestowing charity upon you—it’s because you still hold utility value for me,” Bai Xingxian said indifferently.
“Listen, I want to reclaim the throne that belongs to my father, and the Shanhai Race is my most important leverage. However, just as you worry, I also fear that I might become my godfather’s puppet in the future, so I need my own strength to contend with the Shanhai Race…”
At this moment, Bai Xingxian was like an emotionless line-reciting machine.
Yet his “lack of emotion” appeared extraordinarily “calm and composed” in the eyes of the Fire-Worshiping Race members.
The patriarch was slightly taken aback, exchanging glances with the elders.
“We are merely a small race…”
Bai Xingxian nodded.
“Right, which is why the targets I am recruiting are not just you. If you’re willing, leave quickly; if not, stay and wait for death.”
The Fire-Worshiping patriarch began to hesitate.
Lu Xiqiao shook the map in his hand and threw it over once more, laughing with a grin.
“It’s not too late to consider slowly on the way! Either way, the island is already destroyed—you’ll have to move whether you want to or not.”
This time the patriarch did not refuse. When the map flew in front of his face, he caught it “reluctantly.”
Without saying a single word, he led several elders and fled.
Bai Xingxian and Lu Xiqiao couldn’t leave yet.
When Han Qi’s forces arrived in a moment, they still had to hold them back for a bit.
No, they had to crush the opposing side in a cool, impressive fashion.
According to experience, the patriarch might leave an elder behind to hide in the dark and peek.
Bai Xingxian felt a wave of emotion in his heart.
If he clearly stated that his current efforts were for the future stability of all races and for world peace, they wouldn’t believe him and would even accuse him of acting grand.
Conversely, when he claimed it was all for self-interest, they found it much easier to accept instead.
No wonder his uncle always liked to make “transactions” when helping people in the past—perhaps it wasn’t merely to “clear the slate.”
“Time to fight again.”
Lu Xiqiao limbered up his muscles and bones, feeling annoyed just thinking about it.
“Fighting isn’t tiring, but the key is that fighting ‘beautifully’ is way too hard! Brother Bai, your uncle shouldn’t have given you Tianbao—he should have given you Tian Kuang instead.”
It was true that Tianbao’s power and the royal family’s golden light could complement each other.
Yet for some reason, it just didn’t look like it had that fierce momentum Xiang Haikui had when fighting—though it was prettier and better at bluffing people.
“No, I certainly couldn’t subdue Tian Kuang.”
Bai Xingxian shook his head repeatedly, prying out two golden front teeth, preparing to strike them once more to make the earthquake and volcanic eruption come even more violently.
The more chaotic the environment, the more suitable it was for fighting outnumbered.
“I say, can you hide your swords somewhere else?”
Lu Xiqiao’s mouth twitched every time he saw him prying out his front teeth.
“Missing two teeth, talking the toughest talk, while leaking the most air—do you really think that’s appropriate?”
“When I talk to them, don’t I use my spiritual energy anyway?” Without opening his mouth, they couldn’t see it anyway; Bai Xingxian felt there was no issue with it.
Lu Xiqiao gestured.
“In the future, when you become the Emperor, will you pry out your teeth whenever there’s a disagreement?”
“What of it?”
Bai Xingxian had never cared about it; right now was a special situation out of sheer necessity.
“My uncle implanted them for me with his own hands—what about them is unfit to be seen?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Brother Bai really is just like Sister Kui—a man destined for great things!” Lu Xiqiao gave him a thumb-up.
Just as Bai Xingxian was about to speak, a sudden, splitting headache struck him.
Both of them had been floating in midair, but he hit the ground from the pain, dropping onto one knee.
Lu Xiqiao directly withdrew his spiritual energy and jumped down, reaching out his hand towards Bai Xingxian’s head with green light glowing from his palm.
Over the past few months, he had gone through life and death alongside Bai Xingxian, blocking countless open attacks and hidden spears for him.
The vast majority of it was out of friendship, though there was also a slight sense of purpose.
Lu Xiqiao had the most direct understanding of Bai Xingxian’s transformation, growing more and more convinced that he possessed the ability to become the Emperor of the Celestial Race.
By clinging tightly to his thigh, Lu Xiqiao, who had long been homeless, would become a top-tier major contributor in the future, with no worries for the rest of his life.
It also aligned with his wish when he first met Xiang Haikui—to accomplish a grand endeavor.
After sensing his condition, Lu Xiqiao found it strange.
“There’s nothing wrong?”
Yet Bai Xingxian still cradled his head with both hands, his mind spinning for quite a while.
“I don’t know… my sea of consciousness…”
Recalling something, he abruptly raised his eyes to gaze at the sky, filled with shock and uncertainty.
“Could something have happened to my uncle?”
