"Fine words can't persuade someone determined to die. I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."
Lu Yuan spoke calmly, unable to understand why so many people in this world were so eager to seek death.
Hearing this, the Purple-Robed Elder's expression changed. A tremendous sense of danger rose in his heart, and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. "Relax. You're not qualified to die by my hand."
He lightly patted Taotie and said, "Er Gouzi, eat them and wipe out this sect."
"Roar!"
At Lu Yuan's words, Taotie excitedly leaped out, restoring his body to a size even larger than a giant mountain. He opened his enormous maw and swallowed the Martial Sect, the Purple-Robed Elder, and the others in one bite.
"Burp~"
Taotie burped, shrank down, and affectionately rubbed against Lu Yuan.
"Thank you for the reward, Master."
"Haha." Lu Yuan smiled. "All right, you're not a child anymore. Why are you acting like you never grew up?"
"In front of you, Master, I'll never grow up. I'll always be your most loyal follower." Taotie wagged his tail furiously, looking just like a little dog trying to please its owner.
Lu Yuan shook his head with a smile and said nothing.
Suddenly.
Taotie hesitantly said, "But, Master, can you give me a different name? Er Gouzi isn't majestic at all."
"Oh? What do you want to be called?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile.
Taotie raised his head and thought seriously for a moment before saying, "Taotie Supreme. What do you think, Master? Isn't that name incredibly majestic?"
"Taotie Supreme?" The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. "That's too childish. Er Gouzi is better."
Taotie's face immediately fell, and he said mournfully, "All right. I'll listen to you, Master."
Lu Yuan smiled, mounted Taotie once more, and returned to the First Imperial City.
On the ground, the place where Lu Yuan and Taotie had been standing had been replaced by a black abyss roughly one hundred thousand meters in diameter.
Lu Yuan looked back from the sky and sighed. "Taotie truly lives up to his reputation as the representative existence of the devouring path."
About ten million miles west of the First Central Empire stood a sacred land called the Primordial Sacred Land.
At that moment, Lin Hao walked out of the Primordial Sacred Land with an extremely gloomy expression. The corner of his mouth twitched, and the immense fury in his heart had nowhere to vent.
During this time, he had traveled everywhere, persuading the Children of Destiny to join the Destiny Alliance and oppose Lu Yuan together.
But the results had been disappointing and had fallen far short of what he wanted.
"They're all so arrogant. Every one of them wants to clash head-on with Lu Yuan before making any decisions. They're a bunch of idiots. No wonder Lu Yuan slaughtered them one by one like chickens in their previous lives."
Lin Hao's eyes were gloomy. The Children of Destiny were all incomparably proud. Although Lin Hao had explained the stakes to them, every one of them remained only half-convinced.
Everyone had their own pride, but they all shared one point: they wanted to clash head-on with Lu Yuan at least once.
"Except for a few Children of Destiny like Jun Xiaoyao, who have a small chance of escaping Lu Yuan, the rest are all just looking for death."
Lin Hao's eyes turned sinister as he thought, If you want to die, go die yourselves. I'm not playing along anymore. If I can't beat Lu Yuan on Tianxiao Continent, I'll go to the Upper Realm. If I can't beat him, surely I can still run.
By this point, Lin Hao knew there was no hope for the Destiny Alliance.
If he wanted to survive, his only chance was to go to the Upper Realm.
Normally, someone from Tianxiao Continent had to reach the peak of the Emperor-Sealing Immortal realm and endure the nine stages of heavenly tribulation before they could possibly reach the Upper Realm.
But the one thing this world was never short of was methods. As it happened, Lin Hao had a way to reach the Upper Realm without undergoing the heavenly tribulation.
"Tomorrow, the Ancient Stone Tablet will descend. That will be my best opportunity."
Lin Hao raised his head and looked toward the sky, resolve filling his eyes.
The imperial palace of the First Central Empire.
Inside Phoenix Palace, Su Qingyao sat before a crystal mirror, staring blankly at her peerless reflection.
She was the Empress of the First Central Empire, one of the beings standing at the very pinnacle of Tianxiao Continent.
With her astonishing natural talent, breaking through the limits of this world and ascending to the Upper Realm would not be difficult.
But precisely because she stood so high, she could see farther.
The Upper Realm was a world far more powerful and glorious than Tianxiao Continent.
In Tianxiao Continent, she was an empress revered and admired by countless people. But once she went to the Upper Realm, she would be no more than an ordinary member of the vast multitude, and everything would have to start over from scratch.
Of course, with Su Qingyao's beauty, the word "ordinary" had nothing to do with her.
But if unparalleled beauty was not matched by sufficient background and strength, it would become a disaster.
Su Qingyao understood this clearly, which was why she had sought out Lu Yuan.
She did not know exactly what status Lu Yuan held in the Upper Realm, but since he could travel to the Lower Realm, he was unlikely to be too weak even if he was not powerful.
That was precisely what she valued. She wanted to rely on Lu Yuan's influence to establish a foothold in the Upper Realm, then leave him once she had gained the ability to protect herself.
At that moment, a palace maid's voice came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, the Divine Son of the Jun Family wishes to see you. Also, Ji Taiyi, the Holy Son of the Primordial Sacred Land, has made an appointment to see you tomorrow."
Su Qingyao's brows drew together, and she said coldly, "I refuse to see them!"
Jun Xiaoyao and Ji Taiyi were both among the most outstanding prodigies of Tianxiao Continent, but to her, they were merely juniors.
It would take Jun Xiaoyao and the others at least ten or twenty years to reach her level. By then, she would probably have already left Tianxiao Continent, so naturally she would not need to deal with them hypocritically or observe any etiquette.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The palace maid received her order and left.
Just as Su Qingyao continued enjoying the tranquility, a magnetic yet calm voice came from behind her.
"Looks like you're quite leisurely."
Su Qingyao's delicate body trembled. She slowly turned around and saw Lu Yuan sitting behind her with his legs crossed, holding a cup of tea.
Beside Lu Yuan crouched a demonic beast whose origins she could not identify.
At that moment, Su Qingyao's scalp went numb. For the first time, she truly understood how terrifying Lu Yuan was.
She herself was already a peak King Immortal Realm expert, yet Lu Yuan had entered within ten meters of her without her noticing in the slightest.
If Lu Yuan could do this, taking her life would be as easy as reaching into a bag and pulling something out.
As her thoughts raced, Su Qingyao immediately stood up. She walked gracefully to Lu Yuan's side, knelt on the floor, and said softly, "Su Qingyao pays her respects to the Young Master."
At that moment, Su Qingyao showed none of the Empress's dignity. Recognizing the situation and knowing when to advance or retreat was what made a true hero.
"You're indeed an intelligent woman. If you weren't constrained by Tianxiao Continent's worldly limitations, your achievements should have been considerable." Lu Yuan looked at Su Qingyao as he spoke.
Su Qingyao smiled bitterly. "Qingyao thanks the Young Master for your praise. May I ask why you came to see me?"
Lu Yuan lowered his eyes and sipped his tea. "I heard you say just now that you didn't want to meet those prodigies. That won't do. The purpose of making you my maid is to help me lure those prodigies in."
"In a moment, go out and meet them one by one. You must describe me as extremely evil—the more evil, the better."
"This..."
Su Qingyao raised her head, her face full of astonishment and her eyes clouded with confusion. She could not understand Lu Yuan's purpose at all, and she could not help thinking, How could anyone in this world voluntarily make enemies for themselves? Is Lu Yuan a pervert? Does he have some unknown fetish?
Su Qingyao felt a chill of dread. She quickly put those thoughts away and went to carry out Lu Yuan's instructions.