Why Would Anyone Actively Make Enemies for Themselves in This World?

"Good advice is wasted on a dead man. I gave you a chance, but you didn't treasure it."

Lu Yuan spoke flatly, not understanding why so many people in this world were so eager to die.

Hearing this, the Purple-Robed Elder's expression shifted, a great sense of crisis rising in his heart. He said in a low voice, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

Lu Yuan chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, you're not worthy of dying by my hand."

He patted the Taotie gently and said, "Er Gouzi, eat them. Wipe out this sect."

"Roar!"

At Lu Yuan's words, the Taotie excitedly leaped out, restoring its body to a size larger than a giant mountain range. It opened a sky-covering maw and swallowed the Martial Sect, along with the Purple-Robed Elder and the others, into its belly in one gulp.

"Burp~"

The Taotie belched, shrank its body, and rubbed affectionately against Lu Yuan.

"Thank you for the reward, Master."

"Haha." Lu Yuan smiled. "Alright, how old are you? Why do you still act like you haven't grown up?"

"In front of Master, I will never grow up. I will always be Master's most loyal follower." The Taotie wagged its tail frantically, looking exactly like a dog trying to please its owner.

Lu Yuan shook his head with a smile and said nothing.

Suddenly.

The Taotie hesitated, then said, "But Master, could you change the name? Er Gouzi isn't imposing at all."

"Oh? What do you want to be called?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

The Taotie lifted its head and thought seriously for a moment, then said, "Taotie Supreme. How about that, Master? Isn't that name super imposing?"

"Taotie Supreme?" The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. "That's too cringey. Might as well stick with Er Gouzi."

The Taotie's face immediately fell. It said mournfully, "Fine, I'll listen to Master."

Lu Yuan smiled, mounted the Taotie again, and returned to the First Imperial City.

On the ground, the spot where Lu Yuan and the Taotie had originally stood was now replaced by a dark abyss roughly a hundred thousand meters in diameter.

Lu Yuan glanced back from the air and couldn't help but remark, "As expected, the Taotie is truly the representative of the Devouring Path."

About ten million li west of the First Central Empire stood a sacred land called the Primordial Sacred Land.

At this moment, Lin Hao walked out of the Primordial Sacred Land, his face utterly gloomy, his lips twitching, and a boundless fury burning in his heart with no outlet.

These past days, he had traveled everywhere, trying to persuade the Children of Destiny to join the Destiny Alliance and fight against Lu Yuan together.

But the results were disappointing, falling far short of what he had hoped for.

"Every single one of them is so arrogant. They all want to clash head-on with Lu Yuan first. A bunch of idiots. No wonder they were slaughtered like chickens one by one in their past lives."

Lin Hao's eyes were dark. These Children of Destiny were all incredibly proud. Although Lin Hao had laid out the pros and cons for them, every single one of them harbored half-belief.

Each had their own pride, and the one thing they all agreed on was that they wanted to test Lu Yuan head-on.

"Aside from a few like Jun Xiaoyao, who have a slim chance of escaping from Lu Yuan's hands, the rest are just asking for death."

Lin Hao's gaze turned vicious. He thought to himself, "If you want to die, go ahead. I'm not playing along. If I can't win against Lu Yuan on the Tianxiao Continent, I'll go to the Upper Realm. If I can't beat him, can't I at least run?"

As for the Destiny Alliance, Lin Hao already knew it was a lost cause.

The only chance to survive was to go to the Upper Realm.

Normally, for someone from the Tianxiao Continent to reach the Upper Realm, their strength had to reach the peak of the Emperor-Sealing Immortal realm, and they had to survive the Ninefold Thunder Tribulation before they could possibly arrive.

But the world never lacked for methods, and as it happened, Lin Hao knew a way to reach the Upper Realm without enduring the Thunder Tribulation.

"Tomorrow, the Ancient Stone Tablet descends. That will be my best chance."

Lin Hao looked up at the sky, determination in his eyes.

The First Imperial City's Imperial Palace.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Su Qingyao sat before a crystal mirror, gazing at her breathtakingly peerless reflection, lost in thought.

She was the Empress of the First Central Empire, one of the most supreme existences standing at the peak of the Tianxiao Continent.

With her astonishing talent, breaking through the limits of this realm and ascending to the Upper Realm was not a problem.

But precisely because she stood so high, she could see farther.

The Upper Realm was a world far more magnificent and powerful than the Tianxiao Continent.

Here on the Tianxiao Continent, she was an empress, admired and adored by billions. But if she went to the Upper Realm, she would only be the most ordinary member of the masses, having to start everything from scratch.

Of course, with Su Qingyao's appearance, the word "ordinary" had nothing to do with her.

But a peerless face, without matching background and strength, would be nothing short of a disaster.

Su Qingyao understood this, which was why she had sought out Lu Yuan.

She didn't know exactly what Lu Yuan's status was in the Upper Realm, but since he could come to the Lower Realm, she figured that even if he wasn't strong, he couldn't be too weak either.

That was exactly what she had in mind—to use Lu Yuan's influence to gain a foothold in the Upper Realm, and once she had the strength to protect herself, she would break away from him.

Just then, 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 scheduled an audience for tomorrow."

Su Qingyao's delicate brows furrowed as she said coldly, "I won't see them!"

Jun Xiaoyao and Ji Taiyi were among the most outstanding prodigies on the Tianxiao Continent, but to her, they were merely juniors.

For them to grow to her level would take at least ten or twenty years, and by then, she would likely have long left the Tianxiao Continent. There was no need to play along with them or observe any formalities.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

The palace maid withdrew with her orders.

Just as Su Qingyao was about to continue enjoying the tranquility, a magnetic yet calm voice came from behind her.

"You seem quite at ease."

Su Qingyao's delicate body trembled. She slowly turned her head and saw Lu Yuan sitting behind her, legs crossed, holding a cup of tea.

Beside Lu Yuan crouched a beast whose origin she could not name.

In that moment, Su Qingyao's scalp went numb. For the first time, she truly understood just how terrifying an existence Lu Yuan was.

She herself was already a peak King Immortal Realm powerhouse, yet Lu Yuan had managed to enter within ten meters of her without her sensing a thing.

If he could do that, then taking her life would be as easy as reaching into his pocket.

Her thoughts raced. In an instant, Su Qingyao rose, walked gracefully to Lu Yuan's side, knelt on the ground, and said softly, "Su Qingyao greets the Young Master."

At that moment, Su Qingyao shed all pretense of empress authority. Recognizing the situation and knowing when to yield was the mark of a true hero.

"You really are a clever woman. If not for the limitations of the Tianxiao Continent's world, your achievements would be considerable," Lu Yuan said, looking at Su Qingyao.

Su Qingyao gave a bitter smile. "Qingyao thanks the Young Master for the praise. May I ask what important matter brings the Young Master to see me?"

Lu Yuan lowered his gaze to his tea. "I just heard you say you don't want to see those prodigies. That won't do. The reason I made you my maidservant is to help me lure those young talents in."

"Later, you will go out and meet them one by one. And you must describe me as extremely evil—the more evil, the better."

"This..."

Su Qingyao lifted her head, her face full of shock, her eyes bewildered. She could not understand Lu Yuan's purpose at all, and couldn't help thinking to herself:

How could anyone in this world actively make enemies for themselves? Could it be that Lu Yuan is some kind of pervert with a hidden hobby?

Involuntarily, a chill ran down Su Qingyao's spine. She quickly dismissed the thought and followed Lu Yuan's instructions.