Watching the scene unfold before his eyes, the First Emperor—already gravely ill and on the brink of death—felt his eyes split with rage. Hatred surged through his heart like a tidal wave. He hated himself more than anyone else. He hated that he had refused to heed the advice of Fusu and Meng Tian back then, hated that he had indulged and trusted this treacherous minister, allowing matters to spiral to this irreparable point.
Regret, fury, unwillingness—every emotion tangled together, yet his frail body could no longer bear any of it.
Just as the First Emperor was down to his final breath, Zhao Gao suddenly clutched his abdomen and cried out in agony.
"What… what's going on? Why does my stomach hurt so much?!"
As he screamed, Zhao Gao's abdomen began to swell at a terrifying speed, the distension spreading rapidly throughout his entire body. In the blink of an eye, under the First Emperor's stunned and disbelieving gaze, Zhao Gao's body exploded violently, bursting apart into a cloud of blood mist.
The deafening sound echoed through the palace halls.
Moments later, the guards rushed in, startled by the commotion. With the last remnants of his fading life force, the First Emperor forced his exhausted body to move. He took out the imperial edict, trembling hands announcing Fusu as the rightful successor to the throne. Only after finishing those final words did his breath finally cease.
"Immortality pills… heh, not bad at all. I'll keep them for emergencies in the future."
Xiao Se smacked his lips lightly, then continued calling out in his mind,
"System, let's do a draw."
(PS: This was explained in the previous book, but I'll explain it again here. In the original myth, when the Heavenly Star was destroyed, the energy on Yi Xiaochuan and the others was retrieved. This is a parallel world, separated by dimensions, so the energy can't be recalled. The side effects can be ignored.)
[Ding. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Dou Po World Travel Ticket (three days).]
"A Dou Po travel ticket?"
Xiao Se was momentarily stunned. "Did the system mess up? Aren't I already on the Dou Qi Continent?"
[Ding. Would you like to use it?]
"If I use it, where will I be sent?"
[Ding. Random teleportation.]
"…Forget it. I'll keep it as a lifesaving trump card."
Xiao Se shook his head, then said decisively,
"System, use the Fox Spirit Matchmaker travel ticket."
Ever since he had exchanged for Jin Renfeng's eyeballs last month, Xiao Se had already planned to go and deal with the root of that tragedy personally. It was just that he had been at a critical stage in cultivating Mirror Flower, Shattered Void. Now that Zi Yan and the Little Doctor Fairy were both in seclusion, and dealing with Han Feng would require the Little Doctor Fairy's help anyway, this was the perfect time to take care of it.
[Ding. System teleportation in progress.]
As the system notification sounded, space twisted violently around him. In the next instant, Xiao Se vanished from the room without a trace.
—
Fox Spirit World — Southern Nation
Night fell.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky, and rain poured down endlessly. A bolt of lightning tore through the heavens, illuminating the land for a brief instant.
Suddenly, space itself twisted unnaturally.
From the distorted void, a young man stepped forward.
His gaze was deep and calm, sword-like brows sharp and resolute. His features were handsome and refined. A slightly loose green robe draped over his tall, straight frame, accentuating his slender yet powerful physique with effortless elegance.
"So this is the Fox Spirit Matchmaker world?" Xiao Se muttered softly. "Why does it look like a human hell… bones everywhere."
He surveyed his surroundings.
All around him lay grotesque, misshapen skeletons scattered across the ground. The nearby buildings were dilapidated and half-collapsed, bearing the marks of long-abandoned devastation. The air carried a heavy stench of decay and death.
Xiao Se circulated his Dou Qi, forming an invisible layer of energy over his body to block the torrential rain. Walking through what appeared to be a ruined village, his expression grew slightly solemn.
"There seems to be someone ahead. I'll go take a look."
His soul power sensed several unfamiliar energies in the distance—energies that were neither Dou Qi nor soul power. Among them, two carried an especially intense fire attribute.
With a light tap of his foot against the ground, Xiao Se's figure turned into a wisp of smoke as he sped toward the source of those auras.
Before long, he arrived at a house lit by firelight.
Ignoring the strange gazes cast his way by several tables of young men inside, Xiao Se walked calmly into the room.
"Where did this brat come from? What business do you have here?"
One of the young men stood up abruptly, clearly eager to show off in front of his companions. He drew his sword and pointed it straight at Xiao Se's chest.
"Does it concern you?"
Xiao Se felt a twinge of speechless amusement. Judging from the man's attire, he was almost certainly a member of some family within the Yi Qi Dao Alliance. Yet for someone who claimed to represent 'righteousness,' he drew his sword far too easily. As expected, the alliance was a chaotic mix of all kinds of people.
"This place is deserted. You show up out of nowhere—could you be a demon?" the young man sneered. "Fine. Whether you're a demon or not, one stab will tell."
Seeing that Xiao Se hadn't been frightened off, the youth thrust his sword straight toward Xiao Se's chest.
Clang!
Xiao Se casually raised two fingers and clamped down on the blade.
No matter how hard the young man strained, the sword didn't budge an inch—it was as if it had been welded into Xiao Se's fingers.
"How… how is this possible?!"
The youth's face turned pale with disbelief.
"A sword isn't meant to be used like that," Xiao Se said calmly.
With a slight shake of his fingers, a terrifying rebound force surged along the blade. The young man was sent flying, crashing heavily into a wooden wall.
Xiao Se then casually tossed the sword, planting it into the ground right beside the youth's neck.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Xiao Se extended two fingers in a sword gesture.
His forty-percent sword intent erupted.
In an instant, the swords at the waists of all the other young men flew out of their sheaths, turning into streaks of light that shot toward the fallen youth.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A series of impacts rang out.
Including the youth's own sword, five blades were pinned into the ground—one by his neck, two beneath his armpits, and two in the most vulnerable region below. The sword tips hovered dangerously close to his skin. A single movement would mean either death on the spot… or a fate far worse.
"T-this is… sword intent!"
One of the youths cried out in shock.
Sword intent existed in this world as well—the most famous being the Wangquan Clan's Wangquan Sword Intent.
"Could he be the mysterious young master of the Wangquan family?"
"No wonder he's this strong…"
The room erupted into hushed discussion.
Xiao Se neither explained nor responded. He merely glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the door.
Outside stood two women—one older, one younger—both holding umbrellas. A small attendant carrying luggage stood beside them.
Xiao Se calmly found an empty, relatively clean table and sat down.
"Big sister, that guy's pretty skilled. Could he really be the Wangquan family's young master?"
Outside, the younger girl whispered excitedly to the woman beside her.
"The world is vast," the woman in green robes replied softly. "It's not as though only the Wangquan family possesses sword intent. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"Then why don't we just go ask him?"
As she spoke, the younger girl tugged her sister inside.
"Are you the Wangquan family's young master?" the girl asked bluntly, stopping in front of Xiao Se.
Xiao Se paused and looked at her, then shifted his gaze to the green-robed woman beside her. The flame-shaped mark on the woman's forehead immediately jogged his memory.
Dongfang Qinlan… Dongfang Huaizhu.
So it was them.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! What, are you mute?"
Dongfang Qinlan puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
"Qinlan, don't cause trouble."
Dongfang Huaizhu gently grasped her sister's hand and spoke politely.
"Please forgive her, Young Master. My sister is still immature. If she offended you, I apologize on her behalf."
Xiao Se smiled faintly. "It's fine. Children are naturally mischievous."
"Hey! Who are you calling a child?! I'm already grown up, okay!"
Dongfang Qinlan planted her hands on her slim waist, indignantly protesting.
Xiao Se stroked his chin and looked her up and down with a teasing smile.
"Where exactly have you grown?"
"You—!"
Dongfang Qinlan was about to explode when Dongfang Huaizhu hurriedly interrupted her.
"That's enough, Qinlan. Let's find somewhere to sit."
She had already noticed that Xiao Se's strength was anything but ordinary. It would be unwise to provoke him further.
"But there aren't any empty tables!" Dongfang Qinlan complained, glancing around.
"If you don't mind, you can sit here," Xiao Se said with a gentle smile.
"I'm alone anyway, and this table's big enough."
Dongfang Huaizhu looked around once more, hesitated briefly, then nodded politely.
"Then we'll trouble you."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +50 Extra Chapters on - P@tr3on "RinBlaze"]
[Every 15 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]