The moment Hundred Bones Resonating of Love gripped Gu Chengming's collar, her brain essentially stopped functioning.
Her fingers clenched tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force, causing the fabric to wrinkle.
Hundred Bones Resonating pulled Gu Chengming several inches closer, until the distance between them was so small she could see him with absolute clarity.
The white-haired girl's breathing was a bit erratic, and she thought to herself in a self-deluded way: This is to protect Emperor Gu. We are partners destined to conquer the heavens together. It's just a little lip-to-lip contact, what's the big deal!
Then, the girl closed her eyes and leaned in.
To be honest, as a body-refining technique, Hundred Bones Resonating's understanding of physical contact had always remained at the level of the distance between a fist and an enemy.
The so-called action of "kissing" was actually similar to throwing a punch, divided into several steps: starting hand, exerting force, hitting the target, and retracting the move. It had to be clean and decisive.
But in reality, it wasn't like that at all. The moment their lips met, the girl unconsciously changed her strategy.
From clean and decisive, it became lingering and entangled; from a shallow taste, it became deep penetration. This was the first time Hundred Bones Resonating felt a sense of agreement with the Huiyuan Sword Manual.
Since their lips were already touching, what was wrong with using a little tongue?!
The girl's heart was thumping so loudly that she couldn't tell if it was her own or his.
It was actually Gu Chengming who reacted first. Hundred Bones Resonating's hand on his collar tightened more and more in her nervousness, the grip strength of a body-refining technique being fully displayed at this moment.
Was kissing always such a suffocating experience?
About three breaths later, Hundred Bones Resonating let go.
She took half a step back, her expression still trying to maintain the majesty an Emperor should have. She turned to the projections, her chin lifted high. "The Imperial Consort has been subdued by this Emperor."
The girl's voice didn't tremble. Gu Chengming, who had just recovered from the state of suffocation, was somewhat surprised by her psychological fortitude. "All of you, return to the Royal Court. No need to follow."
The lead projection was silent for a breath, and then the projections bowed in unison. "Congratulations, Heavenly Emperor."
Bearing the title of "Imperial Consort" and the gazes of a dozen congratulatory projections, Gu Chengming's feelings were quite complicated.
【The Huiyuan Sword Manual is quite resentful: Dammit.】
【The Qingxin Art finds it quite amusing: How cute.】
—Fine, this is very exploitative.
The projections retreated one by one, their spiritual pressure dissipating like a tide.
Hundred Bones Resonating maintained her Heavenly Emperor pose with hands on her hips, standing motionless with her back ramrod straight as she watched the last projection's figure completely disappear at the end of the wasteland.
After a long while, she cleared her throat and turned around.
"Hmph, hmph."
She crossed her arms, her gaze drifting toward the crimson-gold dome in the distance, seemingly admiring some non-existent scenery.
"Well, Emperor Gu, this Emperor's acting just now wasn't bad, was it?"
Gu Chengming glanced at her, then looked down at the system panel.
【Hundred Bones Resonating Affection: 450/Until Death Do Us Part】
A single kiss had increased her affection by forty points.
He looked up, once again seeing Hundred Bones Resonating, who was staring intently at the sky.
—You call this acting?
Gu Chengming opened his mouth and finally only said three words: "Yeah, not bad."
Hundred Bones Resonating's ears turned another shade redder. "Naturally!"
"As a grand Heavenly Emperor, everything I do is perfect, and acting is no exception."
Gu Chengming looked at the red-faced, stubborn white-haired girl in front of him and thought to himself that indeed, no matter how hard her mouth was, it was soft when kissed.
"Let's go, Emperor Bai." Gu Chengming, knowing the girl's bashfulness, changed the subject. "While the projections are scattered, let's hurry and change locations."
Hundred Bones Resonating, as if granted a general amnesty, gave a soft "mm" and stepped forward to follow.
...
At the same time, on a cliff somewhere in the secret realm.
Yu Wenqiu sat cross-legged at the edge, her eyes tightly shut. The spiritual power of her Heavenly Eye condensed into a ball of pale purple light at her brow.
Su Qingmeng stood three steps behind her, guarding her. The two had been searching for Gu Chengming for most of the day.
The efficiency of the Heavenly Eye was greatly reduced under the interference of the Royal Court's spiritual veins, scanning various corners of the secret realm intermittently, like fishing in muddy water.
Until just now, Yu Wenqiu finally captured a familiar spiritual energy fluctuation at the edge of the Fallen Immortal Abyss.
The image gradually became clear. A collapsed cave, dim light, two figures standing back-to-back at the entrance—wait.
Yu Wenqiu's divine sense condensed, pulling the image closer.
She saw that white-haired woman. The exact same face she had seen before when peering into the Royal Court with her Heavenly Eye. Over ten Fourth Realm projections stood respectfully outside the cave, while Gu Chengming stood behind the white-haired woman.
Then she saw the white-haired woman turn around, grab Gu Chengming's collar, and kiss him.
"?"
In the image, the projections all knelt on the ground.
"Congratulations, Heavenly Emperor."
Yu Wenqiu couldn't hear the sound, but she read the lip movements clearly.
—Wait, she actually ate him?
"Elder Yu, what's wrong?" Su Qingmeng noticed the anomaly and asked.
Yu Wenqiu retracted her divine ability and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Little Gu is in dire straits."
Hearing this, Su Qingmeng's fingers gripping her sword suddenly tightened.
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere of rivalry that usually existed between them was momentarily set aside.
Faced with this solid crisis, they reached an unprecedented consensus: they had to find Little Gu as soon as possible and snatch him back.
Yu Wenqiu was gnashing her teeth in regret.
If she had known this would happen, back in the capital, she should have thrown away her elder's burden and dragged Little Gu straight into her room.
Su Qingmeng was calculating in her heart: if Senior Brother Gu was truly forcibly taken by that domineering Heavenly Emperor, who in the Daoning Gate would accompany her to practice swords in the future? Absolutely not allowed!
The wind swept through the withered forest as two figures rose from the ground, turning into streaks of light that shot into the sky.
For the future of the Wenjian Sect, for the daily morning sword practice sessions, and even more for Little Gu's precarious chastity.
The "Little Gu Chastity Defense Alliance" officially launched its high-speed rescue operation!
However, they did not know that the white-haired Heavenly Emperor they viewed as the greatest threat was also currently recruiting "allies" for herself.
...
At the same time, on the other side.
Su Qiuzhi walked along the wide corridor of spiritual runes, her pace light.
This was already her second day as an undercover agent. In just two days, Su Qiuzhi's reputation as the "Heavenly Emperor's confidante" had already begun to spread subtly.
Su Qiuzhi herself was currently calculating the encounter from just now, feeling that she was a rare talent for infiltration in the Hehuan Sect, seen only once in a century.
With just a few half-true, half-false words, she had not only successfully stabilized that terrifying white-haired woman but also earned a great gift of cultivation for nothing.
Once she thoroughly understood the details of this crappy Royal Court and passed all the information to Gu Chengming, that Daoist Gu would surely agree to dual cultivation out of gratitude for this kindness.
The more she thought about it, the brighter her future seemed. She had even prepared the lines in her head for how she would flaunt her status in front of Fu Xiaoxiao in the future.
This undercover trip was truly a walk in the park.
When Su Qiuzhi was escorted back to the periphery of the Royal Court by two projections, she thought it was just a formality.
To her surprise, as soon as she reached the entrance, the guard announced: "The Heavenly Emperor summons you."
Alarm bells immediately rang in Su Qiuzhi's heart. Summoned just after going out for a stroll? Had her true identity been exposed?
However, the actual situation was much more peaceful than she expected, though also more bizarre.
Stepping into the Royal Court's core area again, the layout of the place had changed drastically.
What was originally just a crude space filled with crimson-gold spiritual energy now had its floor laid with complete spiritual-rune stone slabs. A central high platform rose from the ground, transformed into a majestic throne. The layout of the entire space now carried the solemn regulations of an ancient Imperial Palace.
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love sat on the throne, resting her head on one hand.
"You've come." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to rise from a very deep place.
Su Qiuzhi was about to salute, but the other party directly waved her sleeve to interrupt: "No need. This Emperor does not care for empty formalities. Sit."
Su Qiuzhi found a place to sit. A projection brought a pot of wine brewed from some unknown spiritual item, its color crimson-gold, identical to the color of the blood qi surrounding Hundred Bones Resonating of Love.
"Drink."
Su Qiuzhi hesitated slightly before reaching out to take it.
The moment it entered her mouth, a stream of warm, mellow spiritual power flowed through her meridians and throughout her body, purer than any auxiliary pill she had ever taken before.
This wasn't ordinary spiritual wine. This was liquid spiritual energy directly refined from the essence of the secret realm's spiritual veins.
With just one small sip, she could feel the spiritual energy in her body become a bit more solid than before.
Su Qiuzhi's heart skipped a beat. If she could continue to obtain this kind of thing, her cultivation speed would increase by at least thirty to fifty percent.
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love seemed to see through her thoughts but didn't point it out. Her tone turned casual. "You're from the Hehuan Sect, right?"
"In response to the Heavenly Emperor, yes."
"Mm." Hundred Bones Resonating of Love spoke indifferently. "You have intentions toward Emperor Gu."
Su Qiuzhi's back stiffened, but she was, after all, a Hehuan Sect disciple who had studied the Red Dust path for several years. She could still barely maintain her outward composure.
"Why does the Heavenly Emperor say that?"
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love ignored her evasion. "The emotion path cultivation of the Hehuan Sect leaves a karmic mark when both parties develop a deep emotional connection. The color and concentration of the mark are proof of the depth of those feelings."
She waved her hand, and a strand of nearly transparent pale pink thread was pulled from the void, one end connected to Su Qiuzhi and the other disappearing into the depths of the secret realm.
"This line is not the bond of master and disciple, nor is it the friendship of fellow daoists. Though the color is light, the quality is quite pure." Hundred Bones Resonating of Love retracted the thread. Her gaze as she looked down at Su Qiuzhi held neither hostility nor jealousy.
"To put it bluntly, you like him."
Su Qiuzhi remained silent. Making excuses was pointless.
"If the Heavenly Emperor wishes to kill me to keep me quiet—"
"Why would I kill you?" Hundred Bones Resonating of Love scoffed, standing up and walking down the steps as the projections on both sides automatically stepped back.
"This Emperor's next plan, in a nutshell, is to use this place as a base, refine the secret realm's spiritual veins, gather an army of projections, and cast the Imperial Palace into a royal city. Once everything is ready, I will shatter the secret realm's barriers, connect to the outside world, and establish a true Royal Court in the physical world."
Su Qiuzhi's heart shook violently. She heard the subtext in these words.
The other party's ambition didn't stop at the secret realm. The secret realm was just the starting point; the goal was the physical world.
"But the prerequisite for all of this is—" Hundred Bones Resonating of Love's aura suddenly softened, forming a sharp contrast with her previous pressure: "Emperor Gu must stay by this Emperor's side."
"He won't come," Su Qiuzhi blurted out.
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love wasn't angry at all. "This Emperor knows that. Therefore, I will not use force. I will make him stay of his own free will." She stopped in front of Su Qiuzhi, looking down at her.
"And before that, this Emperor intends to keep him in this secret realm. Not as a prisoner, but to make him unwilling to leave. When the Royal Court is built, when everything is ready, when he sees the world this Emperor has conquered for him—"
"He will naturally stay."
Su Qiuzhi was silent for a long time before asking, "Why is the Heavenly Emperor telling me all this?"
"Because you are useful." Hundred Bones Resonating of Love answered frankly. "You are familiar with his way of doing things, you know the people around him, and the Hehuan Sect's emotion path techniques are good at sensing emotions. This Emperor needs someone who understands Emperor Gu to manage the daily affairs of the Royal Court."
The corners of her mouth curled slightly into a deep smile. "Furthermore, this Emperor never minds having a few more maids around the Imperial Consort."
A direct hit. Su Qiuzhi's brain went offline for three seconds.
"Whatever you want to do with him, this Emperor will not stop you, as long as he agrees." Hundred Bones Resonating of Love crossed her arms, her tone carrying a level of composure that made one's blood pressure rise. "I am the Heavenly Emperor. My heart can accommodate the four seas. A mere maid's position is something this Emperor can afford to grant."
Hearing these words, Su Qiuzhi felt she should be angry.
She, Su Qiuzhi, was a direct disciple of the Hehuan Sect and a leader of the younger generation! In this Heavenly Emperor's plan, her position was that of a maid.
But for some reason, the first thing that popped into her head wasn't anger, but the second half of Hundred Bones Resonating of Love's sentence.
—Whatever you want to do with him, this Emperor will not stop you.
Dammit.
She had come here to be a mole. But the enemy was offering way too much!
Resources were plentiful, personal safety was absolutely guaranteed, and she was even officially allowed to pursue Gu Chengming.
In contrast, the outside world's Hehuan Sect had an ambiguous attitude. Chasing Gu Chengming not only meant facing huge public pressure but also being subjected to her superior's rules!
Here, she could just lie down and be an official maid, skipping all the palace intrigue.
Her mole's heart was deteriorating at a terrifying speed.
Su Qiuzhi gave her inner thigh a hard pinch.
Wake up! She was here to help, she couldn't be bought off. Moreover, Gu Chengming had promised to dual cultivate with her. Going from a main wife to a concubine was a huge loss!
Her reason returned, and Su Qiuzhi stood up, adopting a polite and distant stance. "The Heavenly Emperor's kindness is something I will keep in mind. However, I still need time to consider."
"No rush." Hundred Bones Resonating of Love returned to her throne and rested her head on her hand again. "This Emperor can afford to wait."
...
Exiting the Royal Court's core area and walking over a hundred paces away, Su Qiuzhi only then realized her palms were covered in cold sweat.
Steady. Deep breaths.
She looked down and saw she was clutching that pot of crimson-gold spiritual wine tightly.
—She had brought it out with her by habit.
Su Qiuzhi silently tightened the stopper.
She couldn't drink anymore. If she drank more, she would truly defect.
But throwing it away would be a waste of a precious item. She'd keep it for now.
Finding a secluded corner, Su Qiuzhi quickly decided on a strategy.
On the surface, she would accept the "maid candidate" offer and rightfully reap the benefits and gather intelligence from the Royal Court. Secretly, she would find an opportunity to pass all the Royal Court's defenses, projection patterns, and the true plans of this Heavenly Emperor to Gu Chengming.
A flawless double-agent play.
But in a corner of her heart, a lingering worry always circled.
Her feelings for Gu Chengming were real, and the stakes Hundred Bones Resonating of Love had offered hit her right in her weak spot.
If, just if, Gu Chengming was truly convinced by this Heavenly Emperor and stayed voluntarily... would she actually want that "maid" position?
Su Qiuzhi shook her head violently, suppressing this terrifying thought deep in her heart.
Now was definitely not the time to think about that!
...
After shaking off the projections, Gu Chengming led Hundred Bones Resonating to another area where the spiritual veins had not yet been controlled.
The Royal Court's spiritual vein coverage was still expanding, and the safe areas left for them were getting smaller and smaller. At the current rate, in two days at most, the entire Fallen Immortal Abyss would be within Hundred Bones Resonating of Love's perception range.
By then, they would be found no matter where they hid.
And once found, the fate of the "Imperial Consort" awaited him.
Normally, the current situation should be Gu Chengming finding companions to take down the boss, Hundred Bones Resonating of Love.
But looking at the entire secret realm, the only person truly capable of going toe-to-toe with Hundred Bones Resonating of Love might be that Red Dust Immortal.
And that person was clearly much more dangerous than Hundred Bones Resonating of Love.
The current situation might not only require dealing with Hundred Bones Resonating of Love but also resolving the hidden threat of the Red Dust Immortal afterward.
Sigh, if only there were a mediation phase.
These thoughts churned in his mind several times. Gu Chengming rubbed his temples and decided to set them aside for now, focusing on what could be done at the moment.
Like finding Yu Wenqiu and meeting up with the other Wenjian Sect people, or finding a way to contact Ji Yixi to get more information about Huichuan and the Dao Throne, or—
【The 《Red Dust Phantom Step》's heart stirred, and it warned in a deep voice: Daoist Gu, watch out!】
In the next moment, the space in front of them fluctuated, and a figure stepped out of a crack.
Moon-white brocade robes, a jade belt at the waist, and a folding fan in hand.
The moment Gu Chengming saw the visitor clearly, he sprang up. Ten flying swords shot out from his body, and his sword domain unfolded simultaneously.
The Red Dust Immortal stood three zhang in front of the crack, his folding fan resting on his shoulder.
To be honest, it was quite absurd.
He had lived for untold years, controlled an ancient Dao Throne, and had been plotting for a millennium, turning his hand to make clouds and turning it over to make rain.
As a result, he had first lost everything in the previous timeline and was forced to use Huichuan. After using Huichuan, he had triggered a variable even more ridiculous than himself, and that variable had kicked him right off the chessboard.
After consecutive setbacks, the Red Dust Immortal had learned his lesson. Through karmic observation, he confirmed that there was a deep karmic connection between that white-haired projection and Gu Chengming.
He couldn't deduce the exact relationship—the other party's karma lines were incredibly blurry—but the connection itself was certain.
So he intended to use this, guiding Gu Chengming to actively reveal his relationship with the white-haired projection, and finally using that information to find a way to deal with her.
As for using karma to teleport directly in front of Gu Chengming, he had no other choice. The authority over the spiritual veins had already fallen completely into the hands of the white-haired projection. The only way was to use the karmic connection established with Gu Chengming during the last Huichuan as an anchor to project himself to the other's side.
His thoughts were briefly interrupted. He cleared his throat, unfolded his fan, and was about to speak:
"Daoist Gu, I've long looked forward to meeting you. The karma between us, I presume you—"
Midway through his sentence, his gaze crossed Gu Chengming's shoulder and fell on the white-haired girl behind him, and his voice came to an abrupt halt.
The folding fan hung in mid-air, the paper surface trembling slightly.
The Red Dust Immortal's pupils contracted sharply. He took a full breath to confirm he wasn't seeing things. That face, that white hair, that aura he had seen countless times in his karmic observations was currently standing within three steps of Gu Chengming, her posture casual as if they had been traveling together for a long time.
—Why is she here? Why is she by his side?
Through karmic observation and the piecing together of time fragments, the Red Dust Immortal had already confirmed that there was some connection between that white-haired projection and Gu Chengming.
He had originally intended to put on a show in front of Gu Chengming and then use him to find a way to deal with that white-haired projection.
Since the authority over the spiritual veins had been snatched away, the Red Dust Immortal could only use the karmic method to appear directly before Gu Chengming.
But after coming here, the shocking truth was laid out before him.
—They were on the same side.
The Red Dust Immortal's brain worked at high speed in this instant.
No, it was all wrong! Everything he had predicted was wrong!
He had originally thought that white-haired projection was an accidental variable triggered by Huichuan, but what if it wasn't an accident at all?
In the previous timeline, he had lost everything. His layout had been seen through by a Third Realm cultivator, and his millennium-long planning had come to naught, forcing him to use Huichuan to reverse everything.
At the time, he thought it was just bad luck, or that the Third Realm cultivator was indeed a bit strange, but now he suddenly realized a problem.
How could a Third Realm cultivator see through his layout?
The Red Dust Immortal had lived for untold years, and the chess games he had played were longer than the heritage of most sects. His methods were so hidden and his layouts so profound that even other Dao Throne holders might not be able to see through them in a short time.
Unless, from the very beginning, it wasn't just Gu Chengming alone.
Cold sweat broke out on the Red Dust Immortal's back. What if Gu Chengming wasn't a Third Realm cultivator, but an existence so great he couldn't even estimate him?
Then everything would make sense. The so-called seeing-through in the previous timeline wasn't Gu Chengming's own judgment at all. He thought he was playing chess, but in reality, he was the piece on the board.
Gu Chengming had deliberately exposed his trait of being able to accept karma to draw his attention.
He had indeed taken the bait, spending a vast amount of energy to plan, test, and hunt him.
And what Gu Chengming needed was precisely for him to take action.
—Because only if he took action would he use his Dao Throne.
Only by using the Dao Throne would the existence of the Inverse Cause Lotus be exposed.
Only by exposing the Inverse Cause Lotus could Huichuan be triggered.
And once Huichuan was triggered, according to the conservation of the Heavenly Dao, a new variable would be born in the karmic crack.
That white-haired projection, the existence that had taken over the entire secret realm and destroyed all his layouts, was that variable.
No, perhaps even the variable was a smoke screen.
Perhaps that existence had always been there, merely using the crack from Huichuan as an opportunity to descend once more.
The more the Red Dust Immortal thought, the colder he felt.
The cause encompasses the sea of effects; the effect penetrates the source of the cause.
He thought he was reversing cause and effect, but in reality, someone else had used his hand to complete a karmic ritual.
He had seen too many arrogant people in the eternal years, but no one had ever made his spine feel cold at the mention of the words "Heavenly Emperor."
He had been calculated to death, if everything the other party did was truly as he thought.
And now he had appeared directly before these two via karmic teleportation—wasn't this just walking into a trap?
At this thought, the Red Dust Immortal no longer hesitated. The moment he gripped his folding fan, he burned a strand of his origin power and pulled the karmic threads in reverse.
Returning the way he came.
Karmic teleportation could only be used once. It was only because of the karmic connection established with Gu Chengming in the previous timeline that he had the chance to use it this once.
And reversing the teleportation also consumed origin power, and after returning, this karmic connection would be completely severed, never to be replicated.
But the Red Dust Immortal could no longer afford to feel distressed. The figure in the moon-white brocade robes rapidly faded in the light, much faster than when he had arrived.
The light dissipated, and the dimness returned to the crack in the ground.
The Red Dust Immortal's aura completely vanished, and even the remnants of karma were personally severed by him, as clean as if he had never been there.
Gu Chengming retracted his flying swords, and his sword domain slowly withdrew.
...
After returning to that last remaining dark corner in the depths of the secret realm, the Red Dust Immortal sat in the void for a long time.
The folding fan rested on his knees, and the landscape of the upside-down world on the fan's surface emitted a faint light in the darkness. He stared at the painting for a long while before suddenly closing the fan.
"So I'm not the only one who wanted to return in another's body."
He spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying self-deprecation.
What was their purpose?
Using his Dao Throne and Inverse Cause Lotus to reverse karma and achieve the established fact that they had never actually perished?
So from beginning to end, the one being targeted was him, the Red Dust Immortal?
That Third Realm cultivator had deliberately shown his ability to accept karma like bait on a hook. He had taken the bait and been led step by step through the entire chess game, finally using Huichuan of his own free will.
—And Huichuan was exactly what the other party needed.
"What profound cultivation."
The Red Dust Immortal opened his eyes, his tone flat as if evaluating a game that had already ended.
"As expected of a Heavenly Emperor."
He decided not to linger any longer.
The control of the secret realm was completely lost, the way back through karmic teleportation had been personally severed by him, and the Inverse Cause Lotus was severely damaged after two uses and could not trigger Huichuan again in the short term.
Continuing to stay in the secret realm would only make him fish on the chopping block for those two "Heavenly Emperors."
The Red Dust Immortal stood up and lightly tapped his palm with his fan.
"Fine. I'll admit defeat in this game for now."
His figure began to become transparent, like an ink painting being erased.
"But the chessboard for the next game will be chosen by me."
As his voice faded, no one remained in the void.
...
From the Red Dust Immortal's appearance to his disappearance, it had only been a few breaths. He hadn't even had time to finish a complete sentence.
Hundred Bones Resonating came forward, tilted her head to look at where the crack had just vanished, and then looked at Gu Chengming. "That guy ran away?"
Gu Chengming nodded, but his heart was not at ease.
The Red Dust Immortal's arrival was strange, and his departure even stranger.
—What exactly did he see?
Gu Chengming was completely bewildered.
【The 《Red Dust Phantom Step》 is also quite puzzled: That person's reaction just now was too abnormal. With his cultivation and methods, even if he was wary of Daoist Bai, he shouldn't have been so pathetic.】
【The 《Qingxin Art》 strokes its chin: Could it be that he scared himself?】
Gu Chengming shook his head. As an old fellow who had lived for untold years, how could he scare himself?
But before he could think deeper, a system panel suddenly popped up in front of him.
【Dad Coin generation conditions met.】
【Obtained Dad Coins - Inverse Cause Lotus (Completed)】
"?"
...
After one final roar before dawn, the defensive array of Floating Islet City finally fell silent.
The first wave of the outer realm sky demons' attack had been blocked by the joint efforts of the various sects.
The pressure from the Fifth Realm great cultivators sitting in the core area had not yet been withdrawn, and Fourth Realm cultivators were still clearing the remaining heart demon fragments in the streets. The air was filled with the scorched smell of spiritual energy clashes.
In the eastern district of Floating Islet City's inner city, that quiet residence had several more layers of restrictions than the surrounding buildings.
Ji Yixi sat cross-legged behind a low table, her face pale.
She had maintained the perception state of the Great Record for over four hours.
The essence of this technique was observation, not combat.
But in the chaos of the outer realm sky demons' attack on Floating Islet City, observation itself was the scarcest resource. While everyone was busy resisting external enemies, she was the only one capable of simultaneously monitoring the movements inside the secret realm.
And what she saw was even more of a headache than the sky demons outside.
A power named the "Primal God-Realm, Myriad-Law Sovereign, Origin Nine-Heavens, Hundred-Bones Royal Court" had already replaced the Mohist Sect's control over the secret realm.
She also saw the remaining forces of the Red Dust Immortal shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. The existence that once took over most of the secret realm was now compressed into a corner, its spiritual veins severed and its karma withered.
But she hadn't found Gu Chengming. The Great Record's perception was severely interfered with by the Royal Court's crimson-gold spiritual veins. She could only see the general layout of the secret realm but couldn't lock onto the position of any specific individual.
Ji Yixi retracted her perception and opened her eyes.
"The aura in this secret realm is getting older and older," the little dragon said in a low voice, its whiskers trembling. "What exactly is the origin of that white-haired thing?"
Ji Yixi didn't answer. The little dragon's question was also her question.
The power displayed by that white-haired existence far exceeded the scope of the Third or even Fourth Realm, and the core value of the Great Record lay in the comparison of parallel world lines.
If the same existence had appeared in multiple world lines, its nature, origin, and weaknesses could be deduced through comparison.
So Ji Yixi did what she did best.
She activated the Great Record, searching all parallel world line records related to "Hundred Bones" and "Heavenly Emperor." The result was that not a single record had appeared that was even remotely related to that white-haired existence.
In all the parallel world lines she could observe, the master of this Primal God-Realm, Myriad-Law Sovereign, Origin Nine-Heavens, Hundred-Bones Royal Court had never appeared.
She was a product entirely unique to this timeline, a variable triggered by Huichuan. A correction by the conservation of the Heavenly Dao.
But how could a correction be this powerful?
The comparison of parallel world lines had hit a dead end. Ji Yixi took a deep breath and changed her thinking.
Since she couldn't find a reference from parallel world lines, she could only deduce the future based on the known information of the current timeline.
This was the most mentally taxing use of the Great Record—not observing what already existed, but deducing what had not yet happened.
Ji Yixi closed her eyes, and the power of the Great Record was like an anchor chain sinking into the deep sea, passing through the present and extending toward future possibilities.
Images emerged.
Blurry, broken, and incomplete, but enough for her to piece together a rough outline.
—The Royal Court in the secret realm was constantly expanding.
The crimson-gold spiritual veins spread outward from within the secret realm, breaking through the secret realm's spatial barriers. First was Floating Islet City, then the spiritual realms above the East Sea, followed by several cities along the southeastern coast of Great Qian.
That crimson-gold sky was like a constantly expanding curtain, bringing more and more of heaven and earth under its cover.
Ji Yixi's brow began to furrow.
The deduction continued. The Royal Court's expansion did not stop.
The white-haired figure rose from her bone throne and stepped out of the secret realm.
Behind her followed an army of thousands of projections. Those ancient projections, and even more existences Ji Yixi couldn't name, marched in formation, their momentum like an ancient heavenly army on an expedition.
Then she saw the Longevity Sect, that shadow power that had occupied Great Qian for thousands of years, that behemoth that made the Imperial Family and major sects wary—
They were crushed effortlessly, kicked to death like stray dogs on the side of the road.
The white-haired figure walked to the main altar of the Longevity Sect, lifted her foot, and with one stomp, the sect-protecting array and the entire mountain were annihilated.
After the Longevity Sect was destroyed, the Royal Court's expansion turned toward the Great Qian Imperial Capital.
The crimson-gold sky shrouded the entire capital. The decree of the Primal God-Realm, Myriad-Law Sovereign, Origin Nine-Heavens, Hundred-Bones Royal Court descended from the sky, declaring Great Qian a vassal of the Royal Court.
Then there was resistance, and then the powerlessness to resist, followed by bowing their heads and claiming vassalage.
Ji Yixi's mouth could no longer close.
The little dragon noticed the change in Ji Yixi's expression and leaned in to ask, "What did you see?"
Ji Yixi didn't answer because the deduction was still continuing, and it was getting more and more ridiculous.
The Royal Court's territory was expanding rapidly. Great Qian was just the starting point, followed by several neighboring large countries, then the overseas rogue cultivator powers, and then the outer realms.
The crimson-gold sky continued to extend, swallowing one world after another.
Every time a world was conquered, the white-haired figure left a new Royal Court branch palace there, with projections guarding it and spiritual veins connecting it, bringing the conquered area into her system of laws.
This was a certain existence calling herself the Heavenly Emperor literally conquering the heavens.
Ji Yixi's scalp felt numb as she watched, but she didn't interrupt the deduction because she needed to see the end. The images moved rapidly toward the further future.
Years passed like flipping through a book—one year, ten years, a hundred years.
The crimson-gold sky covered all the worlds she could see.
Finally, the deduction froze on one image.
Beneath the crimson-gold sky, all worlds submitted.
The bone throne was gone. In its place was an Imperial Seat condensed from pure laws, its patterns not carved by hand but the trajectories of the Heavenly Dao itself.
The white-haired figure sat atop the peak of all worlds, with endless stars and earth beneath her feet and the end of the crimson-gold sky above her head.
And beside her, standing side-by-side, was another figure that completely overlapped with Gu Chengming.
At this point, the Great Record's images abruptly cut off.
Ji Yixi opened her eyes. The room was very quiet, with only the light of the spiritual lamp casting a warm glow on the wall.
The little dragon lay on her shoulder, tilting its head to stare at her.
"Finished? What was the result?"
Ji Yixi stared at the void in front of her, her gaze empty.
She recalled the deduction she had just seen.
The secret realm expanding and conquering the heavens, the Longevity Sect being kicked away, Great Qian becoming a vassal, all worlds submitting, and Gu Chengming and the white-haired Heavenly Emperor ruling for eternity.
—So that disastrous ending she had worked so hard to avoid was finally concluded like this?
If it was truly like this, it could indeed be called a good ending.
But what about those calamities she knew of? Why hadn't they appeared from beginning to end?
"Hey." The little dragon patted her cheek with its tail. "What did you see? Your expression is scaring me."
Ji Yixi turned her head and looked at the little dragon.
"It seems something has gone wrong with the Great Record."
The little dragon was stunned. In all the time it had followed Ji Yixi, it had never heard her say those words.
The Great Record was the supreme technique for observing parallel world lines, the core passed down through generations of the Great Qian Imperial Family's hidden line. Ji Yixi's trust in it was nearly absolute; this technique was the foundation for all her judgments and her only reliance for finding a way out of countless destructive endings.
"Are you sure?" The little dragon's voice also became cautious. "Is the observation being interfered with, or—"
"It's that the deduced result is too ridiculous. So ridiculous that I'm not sure if this is the real future or if the Great Record is talking nonsense."
The little dragon opened its mouth. "What exactly did you see?"
Outside the window, the sky over Floating Islet City was brightening. The afterglow of the city's defensive array traced a pale gold band at the edge of the sea of clouds. The spiritual lamps went out one by one, and the morning breeze carried the salty moisture of the East Sea past the eaves.
Ji Yixi was silent for a moment before saying words the little dragon completely hadn't expected.
"Senior, that title you first used for Gu Chengming... it seems it's about to come true."
"?"
A question mark popped up over the little dragon's head.
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